Chapter 1845: Surround Three and Leave One Open! (1/2)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
”Release!”
In the distance, Su Hanshan's face was cold and emotionless. Seizing the opportunity, he had his ballistae continue their harvest. One could see corpses pierced through by ballista bolts all over the battlefield.
”Retreat, retreat!”
The Arab soldiers had lost all will to fight. If this continued, there would be no survivors left of the two-hundred-thousand-strong vanguard. All of them would be wiped out by the Tang soldiers.
Bwoooom!
At this moment, a resounding blare came from the Arab base.
Khatabah had finally given the order to retreat, and all the Arab soldiers lost the will to fight. The Behemoth Army, the giant bird army, and the remaining sandworms began to retreat.
Amongst these armies, the Behemoth Army had the greatest harvest and was the only army to actually achieve its objective. They had advanced eight hundred meters deep into the center of the Tang defense line, destroying thousands of steel walls and even one of the giant ballistae. But the general rout of the main army forced the Behemoth Army to pull back.
Bang!
As the Arabs retreated and the mountainous figures of the Behemoths began to turn around, cheers exploded from the Tang army.
This first battle between the Great Tang and Arabia was extremely important. The Arabs had sent two hundred thousand soldiers, the Behemoth Army, the giant bird army, and even giant sandworms.
In this situation, the Great Tang had sent out only two of its major commanders and one-third of its soldiers. This was unquestionably a major victory.
”Kill!”
”Don't let them run!”
The Great Tang forces continued to pursue the Arab cavalry and Behemoths, and even the master archers joined in, filling the sky with arrows.
”Milord, the Great Tang is continuing to pursue our men. If this continues, they will be completely wiped out. Should we send soldiers to receive them?” an Arab general standing behind Khatabah suddenly asked.
Khatabah said nothing, but as he stared into the distance, he slightly nodded.
At the same time, in the Tang army…
”Lord Zhangchou, Protector-General An, if all goes as expected, Arabia will send an army to receive their men. Surround three and leave one open! Leave them a path!” Wang Chong sent out a powerful mental wave toward Zhangchou Jianqiong and An Sishun.
”Heh, I'll do as you say and let them keep their dog lives!” Zhangchou Jianqiong said.
He and An Sishun had worked together to create a large net that trapped the entirety of the Arab vanguard. Zhangchou Jianqiong really had wanted to wipe out the Arabs completely, but a moment later, he gave up on the idea.
“嗯。”
”Mm.”
Wang Chong subtly nodded.
'Surround three and leave one open' was a basic principle of the art of war. Normally, when the battle was settled, a path would intentionally be left in the encirclement so that the enemy could escape. This was not out of kindness. On the contrary, it made it even easier to kill the enemy.
Completely surrounding the enemy might force them into a last-ditch struggle, and a determined counterattack could inflict heavy losses on the Great Tang. But if they were left a path, the enemy would lose all will to fight, making them die even faster. Meanwhile, the pursuers would suffer fewer losses.
”Run!”
When a crack appeared in the encirclement of the Annan Protectorate army and Beiting Protectorate army, the Arab cavalry who had been preparing to fight to the death saw a glimmer of hope and rushed for all they were worth toward that gap, ignoring the attacks coming in around them.
The Arab casualties continued to climb.
Khatabah, who had been preparing to send reinforcements, frowned. The soldiers were dying too quickly. Moreover, a significant number of soldiers had escaped through the gap, so there was no longer any need to send reinforcements.
”Pass on my order! All soldiers are to remain in their position! Do not send reinforcements!” Khatabah finally ordered.