Chapter 905: Wang Chongs Countermeasures! (2/2)
”I do not know!”
Dalun Ruozan's reply was short, and he blinked constantly. His intelligence reports contained no information about these things, but purely on instinct, Dalun Ruozan had a very bad feeling. Regardless of what sort of steel objects were being installed on the walls of Talas, it was bad news for the Tibetans and Turks.
”Impossible! Could he have already planned for this?!”
Dalun Ruozan's face slightly paled as this thought occurred to him. He had never believed that Wang Chong would have predicted this battle like he had, so he logically shouldn't have made as many preparations as Dalun Ruozan had. But in the next moment, he heard an enormous boom.
Rumble!
A massive black silhouette flew through the air, flying past the three Great Generals and landing behind the hills.
”Mm?”
Duwu Sili squinted, his slender eyes instantly exploding with a fierce light. Clang! Before anyone could see what Duwu Sili had done, a blazing saber glow soared into the skies like the rising sun, roaring like a dragon. Boom! With a flash, that black silhouette several dozen zhang in the air suddenly exploded into bits and pieces.
But the moment that Duwu Sili struck, another large boom came from the rear. One of the just-completed catapults, ready to throw its boulder, had been crushed by a large boulder dropping out of the air.
Dalun Ruozan, Duwu Sili, Huoshu Huicang, and Dusong Mangpoje all paled.
Catapults!
They understood everything now. Those steel installations Wang Chong had built up on the walls of Talas were actually also catapults, ones made of steel. And judging by their effects, they were even more powerful than the catapults that Dalun Ruozan had made out of wood!
”Release!”
Dalun Ruozan's catapult unit behind the hills was not the only one to fall under attack. On the western walls of Talas, the side facing the Arabs, Chen Burang swung down his right hand, and the heavy steel catapults immediately began to fire, flinging massive boulders high into the air. After drawing a massive arc through the air, crossing the entire western battlefield, they plummeted into the rear of the Arab army.
Bang!
The dense shower of boulders descended upon the Arab catapults, crushing them into pieces. Boom! One of the boulders landed in the small mountain of metal balls piled next to a catapult, the enormous impact instantly pulverizing the balls and spilling the black kerosene over the ground.
One of the nearby Arab commanders reacted too slowly and ended up being splashed with the kerosene.
”Shit! Careful!”
The face of the Arab commander contorted, but before he had any time to react, a fire arrow had already landed in the pool of kerosene. Fwoosh! Flames licked the air, setting that unlucky Arab commander on fire.
”Ah!”
His miserable scream cut through the sky, opening the curtain on this wave of attacks.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Under Chen Burang's command, boulder after boulder was flung from the walls of Talas into the Arab catapult unit. The attacks of catapults were random and had no accuracy to speak of, with a large error range. They were far inferior to ballistae in this aspect.
But the ferocity of catapults paired with Chen Burang's astonishing perception and hearing made for a terrifying combination. Although they were still not as accurate as ballistae, they were able to aim surprisingly well with Chen Burang's assistance.
Boomboomboom! Hundreds of stones were cast from the walls of Talas, aimed at the mountains of metal balls piled next to the catapults. One after another, these piles were smashed open, allowing the black kerosene to spill out and flow across the ground.
And each time, a fire arrow soon arrived, shooting into the ground to ignite a roaring fire. The Arab catapult unit immediately transformed into a sea of fire, discharging smoke so thick that the sunlight was blocked out.
”Change the target! Aim at the walls of Talas!”
”It's useless! They're too high up! They're far outside our range!”
The Arab officers attempted to change their targets to the walls of Talas, but at this moment, Gao Xianzhi's choice to occupy Talas first was showing its benefits. Wang Chong's steel catapults stationed on the walls had far greater range and power than those of the Tibetans or Arabs.