Chapter 999: The Aftereffects of the Battle! (1/2)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Within the Western Turkic camp, Duwu Sili heard a ruckus and emerged from his tent. When he saw that it was Dalun Ruozan and his soldiers withdrawing, a strange light flickered through his eyes.
”This Dalun Ruozan… is truly difficult to deal with! The army is withdrawing without even notifying me. Could this be considered a small warning?”
A thoughtful smile appeared in Duwu Sili's eyes. It wasn't that no one could see through his style and grasp his true intentions, but very few people were like Dalun Ruozan, able to see through him in just a few meetings.
”Pass on my order! The army should withdraw! Follow the Tibetans to the east!” Duwu Sili swiftly ordered.
”But Milord, what do we do about the person in the tent?” a voice asked.
If one listened carefully, one could hear a few noises from within the tent.
”Take him with us. This person is currently worth a fortune. If something happens to him, I'll be asking you personally!” Duwu Sili said.
”Yes!”
Within the tent, the person's heart chilled and he did not dare to speak any further.
Rumble! Not long after the Tibetans withdrew, Duwu Sili led his remaining soldiers and wolves in the same direction.
……
In front of Talas, Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, Wang Yan, and Wang Chong had all fallen silent upon hearing Zhang Shouzhi's explanation. Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huicang, Dusong Mangpoje, and the tens of thousands of Tibetan cavalry had not moved. The only person who had come was Duwu Sili, who was hoping to strike while the iron was hot, but he had managed to destroy the last and vital giant ballista.
The Tang had managed to hold fast against the Skyquaking Army, resisting its frenzied assaults to protect this giant ballista, but they had not managed to guard against the surprise strike from Duwu Sili as he turned to leave. When those thousands of parts scattered through the sky, the last giant ballista of Talas was no more.
”Can it be repaired?” Gao Xianzhi almost instinctively blurted out. This was his first reaction.
Zhang Shouzhi had managed the construction of the giant ballista from concept to reality, so no one was more familiar with it than him. He was also probably the only person capable of repairing it.
”It's very difficult.”
Zhang Shouzhi shook his head, his expression grim.
”Duwu Sili is a top-class Imperial Great General, and his attacks are on a different level. A single giant can destroy the giant ballista, much less an Imperial Great General. I looked it over, and nearly eighty percent of the giant ballista's parts were pulverized into powder, and some of those were very precious and high-quality parts. Just gathering the materials, casting the parts, and adding the inscriptions was extremely time-consuming. There is only a very small chance that we can repair those parts, as the materials were extremely precious.”
Gao Xianzhi instantly fell silent.
In this battle, the giant ballistae had rendered great service. If they were destroyed, the morale of the army would suffer a significant blow. After all, no one knew if the Arabs had more inhuman forces at their command.
”It's fine. Just leave this matter to me,” Wang Chong lightly said.
Others might not know what other inhuman forces the Arabian Empire had, but Wang Chong knew that the Behemoth Army and the Skyquaking Army were their two strongest forces. The Arabian Empire did not have the ability to transfer over any more inhuman forces in such a short amount of time.
”Senior Zhang, let's proceed according to the old rules. Gather up the damaged parts from the two giant ballistae and use them to build another one. As for whether they can actually fire bolts, that's no longer important. The most important thing is to raise the morale of the troops. In addition, although we know that building another giant ballista will be very difficult, the Arabs and Tibetans don't know that. Building an imitation will at least have an intimidating effect,” Wang Chong confidently declared.
He now controlled the last Behemoth on the battlefield of Talas. In truth, there was no need to build another giant ballista so quickly.
Even if they could build one, they could take their time doing it.
”Understood! If this is the case, this old man can quickly build another one.”
Zhang Shouzhi nodded, understanding Wang Chong's intention.
Previously, Wang Chong had used a pile of fake Tang ballistae to trick the Tibetans, and it was clear that he planned to use the same trick.
Rumble!
As they were speaking, a rumbling came from the hills, dust pluming into the air as an army began to withdraw.
”It's the Tibetans!” Xue Qianjun said in delight, his face excited as the pressure from today's battle was finally relieved. ”The Arabs have retreated, and the Tibetans definitely saw this and decided to do the same.”
Rumble!
As this was said, the Western Turks also began to retreat.
Everyone was relieved and excited to see this. If the threat of the Turks and Tibetans was removed, the Tang would be in a much better position.
”It's not that simple!”