Chapter 944: The Behemoth Army! (1/2)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
”Bastard! He's being far too brazen!”
Huoshu Huicang's fists were clenched in rage as his teeth ground against each other. Dalun Ruozan had been able to hear that derision, and so had he. Not even the Tiger of the Empire, Zhangchou Jianqiong, had dared to act so arrogantly before them. He found Wang Chong simply too hard to endure.
”Great Minister, do not let him get to you. This bastard is trying to provoke us. You must not take the bait.”
”Heh.” Dalun Ruozan shook his head and reassured Huoshu Huicang, ”How could I not see what his intentions are? But I truly did lose this round. I wholeheartedly accept my defeat.”
Wang Chong's art of war was far too alien. Let alone the Central Plains, such an understanding of war and such a commander had never appeared in the entire world. Dalun Ruozan had wanted to learn Wang Chong's style and use his own strategies against him, but he had still lost.
But Dalun Ruozan merely shook his head to regain his composure, not at all dejected or beaten down.
”No matter what scheme Wang Chong employs or what sort of effect he wants to have on me, he's miscalculated. That is because his opponent in this battle is not us, but another! Huoshu Huicang, send this letter for me. In this war between the Arabs and the Great Tang, we have already done all we could, given them all the help we can. They will have to depend on themselves.”
”Understood!”
Huoshu Huicang took the letter from Dalun Ruozan and bowed.
”Let's go!”
Dalun Ruozan turned his horse around and began to ride back toward the Tibetan camp. After riding ten zhang, he stopped and turned back, looking past the majestic walls of Talas to the dense ranks of the Arab cavalry, which were readying themselves for battle. The Arab army today was clearly different, the atmosphere much more somber and more seething with killing intent.
……
Flap flap!
Not long after Dalun Ruozan returned to his camp, a black hunting falcon descended into the Arab camp.
A few moments later, a burly Arab guard strode toward Abu Muslim, with the hunting falcon in one hand and the letter it was holding in the other.
”Lord Governor, the Tibetans have sent a letter!”
The messenger got down on one knee and respectfully offered the letter.
”Oh? Bring it here.”
Abu Muslim sat up from his throne and reached out his right hand to take the letter. After glancing through it, he broke into a smile.
”Interesting! Ziyad, the Tibetans have sent us a letter. Take a look.”
Standing behind Abu Muslim, Ziyad raised a brow and glanced at Abu Muslim in surprise before taking the letter.
”The Tibetans suffered heavy losses and will not be fighting today? What do the Tibetans mean by this?”
Ziyad raised his head, his face covered in disbelief.
”Hahah, didn't he say it clearly in the letter? In this battle, he hopes that we can deal with the Tang by ourselves and show off the true power of we Arabs,” Abu Muslim lightly said.
”These Tibetans truly deserve death. Since we are allies, we should work together. Are they still thinking about preserving their strength?”
A flash of anger appeared in Ziyad's eyes. The Arabs did not need allies. At the very least, rarely in their history of conquest had they invited anyone to be their allies. In their view, agreeing to the alliance with the Tibetans was already a great favor. But now, the Tibetans were actually trying to avoid battle and preserve their strength, showing little appreciation for the kindness they had been shown.
”They cannot be blamed for this!”
Abu Muslim smiled and waved his hand to dispel Ziyad's anger.
”Dalun Ruozan said that they have already lost fifty to sixty thousand elite soldiers, as well as eighty thousand wolves, and he is certainly not lying there. Although these losses are nothing to us, it's no small number to the Tibetans and Western Turks. It's not strange at all for them to want to avoid battle and preserve their remaining strength. Moreover, the eyes are far more reliable than the ears. The Tibetans and Western Turks have never witnessed our formidable might and are presumably not actually convinced, so they would be unwilling to cast aside their lives to fight for us… Besides, as we conquer the Great Tang, we will need their assistance. ”
Abu Muslim suddenly turned his head to look at Ziyad. ”Ziyad, what of the two armies sent by His Majesty?”
”Both armies have already arrived and are ready for deployment. As soon as they receive the order, they can join the assault!” Ziyad smoothly replied. His demeanor was completely transformed, as if he had grasped upon some powerful trump card that was certain to crush the Tang.
”Very good! Pass on my order to have them get ready!”
……
The Western Turks and Tibetans to the east, the Tang in the center, and the Arabs to the west—these three mighty powers remained in a stalemate on the battlefield of Talas. Not one of them had made a move since sunrise, but everyone knew that this calm and quiet could not last for long.
Gallop!