荔枝影院

Edited by: Michyrr

Bang!

As the Arab and Tibetan armies joined together, both sides exploded with heaven-shaking cheers. These cheers traveled very far through the darkness, alarming the garrison on the walls of Talas.

“Dalun Ruozan and Duwu Sili arrived early!”

On the high walls, Cheng Qianli and Wang Chong stood side by side, their clothes flapping in the wind as they stared in agitation at the area in the distance brightly lit with torches.

“When the floodwaters come, earth is used to stop them, and when an enemy army comes, soldiers must be sent to block its way. This battle has always been unavoidable!”

Wang Chong held his hands behind his back as he looked into the distance. Although the arrival of Dalun Ruozan and Duwu Sili made his heart heavy, his eyes remained calm and serene.

What should come would come eventually. At this point in the battle, there was very little that could shake his heart.

“Pass on my order. Stop the training. Have the soldiers rest and prepare for the decisive battle tomorrow!” Wang Chong suddenly ordered without turning his head.

“Yes!”

A voice came from behind him and then swiftly departed.

Winds would herald a coming storm. All the opponents in this war had now arrived. Although the darkness was still peaceful, Wang Chong was well aware that this battle would be a most callous trial for each party to this conflict.

......

A night quickly passed and light rose from the east.

The sky was overcast and the temperature frigid. Ever since the black corrosion of the sun, the temperature of Talas had only been getting lower and lower. At this very moment, on the western side of Talas, two of the most powerful armies that had ever been gathered on this continent were in a distant stand-off across several hundred thousand feet.

This stalemate had started last night and lasted until today’s dawn.

Bwoooom!

After some time, everyone suddenly heard the loud blare of a horn. Rumble! Stampeding hooves shattered the serenity, and four black banners rapidly began to advance from the Arab camp.

Mighty figures loomed beneath these black banners, each with energies as vast as mountains. As these figures began to move, the motionless Arab army that was as still as a mountain came to life and began to surge toward Talas.

Boom!

At almost the same moment, as if sensing the grim and somber aura in the distance, the massive gates of Talas flew open with a bang. Waves of soldiers equipped with shining armor surged out in a flood of steel toward the steel defense line.

“It’s begun!”

Wang Chong, Gao Xianzhi, Wang Yan, Cheng Qianli, the Demonic Emperor Old Man, the Wushang Village Chief, and the other commanders were riding at the front of this group.

A mountain could not hold two tigers. After a pause of more than a month, Arabia and the Great Tang finally met for this unavoidable decisive battle.

The winds howled, and the weather was even colder than it had been two days ago. Wang Chong rode his horse through this gale and quickly reached the front lines. Stalwart soldiers stood tall behind the steel defense line, their eyes fixed forward. Even though the battle had yet to begin, all of them could already feel the tension in the air.

“Warning! The second phase of the Battle of Talas is about to begin!

“This will be the final war between the Great Tang and Arabia. The two empires must determine the final victor!

“Starting from now, for every fifty thousand Arabs killed in battle, user will be rewarded 10,000 points of Destiny Energy. If the number of Tang soldiers drops below twenty thousand, user will be penalized 100,000 points of Destiny Energy. If the battle is lost, user will be utterly obliterated!”

A string of messages rang out in Wang Chong’s mind. This was the largest reward that the Stone of Destiny had ever offered him.

But this high reward from the Stone of Destiny only made Wang Chong’s expression slowly turn grim.

Is such a high reward indicating that this battle is riskier and more dangerous than any other one? Wang Chong lightly said to himself with no flicker of emotion in his eyes.

Since this war was unavoidable, he would personally deliver the victory in this battle!

......

“Milord, look over there!”

A figure on horseback turned to look at that young figure that had appeared behind the steel walls. At almost the same moment, Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huicang, Dusong Mangpoje, and Duwu Sili turned to look at Wang Chong.

Wang Chong was the most critical individual in this battle, and his appearance had garnered the attention of everyone. Even Abu Muslim and Ziyad turned to look.

If there was a Tang that all of them wanted to kill in this battle, it had to be Wang Chong. If not for him, the Arabs and Tibetans would have already won this war and occupied the Western Regions.

“Heh, at this stage in the war, the Great Tang has nowhere to retreat. Let’s see how he deals with this situation!”

Dalun Ruozan faintly smiled.

Although it had taken a great deal of time and needed a few detours, the Turko-Tibetan army of one hundred thousand soldiers had finally achieved its initial goal, successfully circling around the steel defense line to join with the Arab army.

Wang Chong, we’ve returned to the starting point. Four hundred thousand soldiers versus one hundred thousand Tang, though this time it’s not Mengshe Zhao, but a three-party alliance. Can you do what you did in the last war, salvaging the situation and winning while outnumbered?

These thoughts flitted through Dalun Ruozan’s mind as he smiled, and he quickly regained his composure.

“Pass on my order! Get ready!”

“Yes, Great Minister!”

A messenger quickly left.

Whoosh!

War banners snapped in the wind nearby, and beneath, Abu Muslim, Osman, Aybak, and Ziyad had gathered. The four of them were all looking in the same direction. The spot beneath the massive banner of black hell flame was vacant.

“What do we do?”

Governor Osman of Cairo turned to Abu Muslim.

“Qutaybah still hasn’t appeared.”

“Wait a little longer. We can’t win this battle without his soldiers,” Abu Muslim sternly said.

Even though he appeared to occupy the same status as Qutaybah, both being Arab governors, in truth, Qutaybah stood far above the four of them. Even though the army was ready and waiting to set out, the horns having already been blown, the four of them did not dare to move until Qutaybah appeared.

“How troublesome!”

Aybak frowned.

Aybak was the highest commander of the Mamelukes, and nobody had ever dared to make him wait so long, but Aybak did not dare to complain. Even more embarrassing was the fact that they couldn’t explain these matters to Dalun Ruozan.

“How is it? Lord Governor, should we begin?”

Dalun Ruozan rode over on a highland steed, speaking in fluent Arabic.

“This...”

The four appeared somewhat embarrassed.

In this awkward atmosphere, an Arab horseman suddenly rode out from the rear of the army. “Milord, Lord Qutaybah is coming!”

At these words, all four trembled and turned to look, and even Dalun Ruozan seemed to sense something. The distant Arab army was parting, allowing a golden-armored man as dazzling as the sun to slowly trot forward.

He didn’t appear to be moving very quickly, but each step was suffused with tremendous weight. The moment this person appeared, elite governors like Abu Muslim and Osman seemed like fireflies before the bright moon.

The moment this divine existence appeared on the battlefield, it instantly became the deserved center of attention.

This is the Governor of War?

Dalun Ruozan narrowed his eyes as this thought flashed through his mind. He hadn’t been present for yesterday’s battle, so he didn’t know how it had specifically played out, but upon his arrival last night, he had managed through his grasp of Arabic to gain a rough understanding of the events.

So, this is the person that even Abu Muslim and Osman regard with such extreme apprehension?

Dalun Ruozan had never met Qutaybah before, but this single glance was enough to leave an indelible impression on his mind. Ü-Tsang was not lacking for experts, and the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple in particular was home to many reclusive masters. But other than the high priest, no one had ever been able to have such a severe impact on Dalun Ruozan’s mind. He suddenly understood why Abu Muslim and Osman so feared Qutaybah.

“This fellow is terrifying!”

At this moment, Duwu Sili spoke, his eyes narrowed and his eyelids twitching. Duwu Sili had made much progress ever since he had begun cultivating the formation phenomena. Other than those two old scoundrels he had been defeated by in the battle with the Tang reinforcements, he truly believed that there was no one else worthy of his respect, but this Qutaybah...

Even Duwu Sili found it somewhat difficult to endure that fierce sharpness.

Too terrifying! How could the Arabs possibly have such a terrifying expert!

Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje also tensed up, their eyes brimming with fear as they gazed at that distant golden figure.

But Qutaybah appeared to not even see these people. Shrouded in golden light and wearing an aloof expression, he slowly trotted his horse forward.

Qutaybah stopped in front of Abu Muslim. “Are you ready?”

Although he was speaking to Abu Muslim and the other Arab commanders, Qutaybah’s eyes were looking forward, not even shooting them a glance.

His voice was cold and his eyes were devoid of emotion.

“Yes!”

In the end, it was Ziyad who stepped forward and broke the silence.

“Milord, when shall we begin the battle?”

As Ziyad spoke, Abu Muslim, Osman, Aybak, Dalun Ruozan, Duwu Sili, and all the other commanders turned to Qutaybah.

Although none of them were willing to say it out loud, the moment Qutaybah had appeared, the authority to command had passed from Abu Muslim to him.