Chapter 881: The Bakr Cataphracts of Arabia! (1/2)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Wang Chong gave a faint smile, as everything had been just as he expected. Arabs were extremely crafty, and despite their formidable cavalry and powerful soldiers, they enjoyed feigning surrender. While they pretended to retreat, they would lay down a trap to draw in the enemy army. Only the Arab armies were capable of pulling off this act so convincingly.

In his last life, after the Arabs defeated the Great Tang, they had dispatched their mighty Mamelukes to advance on the Tibetan Plateau and invade the Ü-Tsang Empire. In the end, however, they encountered Dayan Mangban and his White Braves, whose dogged resistance ending up dealing a heavy defeat to the Mamelukes. While retreating, the Arabs had used this exact tactic to snatch victory from defeat and deal a severe wound to the Ü-Tsang Empire's primary force.

Wang Chong remembered this section of history like it had just occurred yesterday and understood the crafty tactics of the Arabs like the back of his hand. More importantly, as the War Saint, Wang Chong was extremely sensitive to the numerous shifts and changes on the battlefield. Even the smallest clue would have triggered his suspicion, much less something as obvious as the orderliness of the Arab battle standards indicating that they weren't really defeated at all.

”Pass on my order. Hasten the construction of the fortifications!” Wang Chong said.

”Yes!”

Xu Keyi quickly galloped to the front.

These Arabs were far craftier than Xu Keyi had imagined, and with the lives of so many soldiers and the safety of the Western Regions and Qixi on the line, each person had to do all they could to assist Wang Chong, carrying out every order he issued. As Xu Keyi looked around, he could see that Chen Bin, Cheng Sanyuan, Zhang Que, Su Shixuan, Kong Zi-an, and the members of Deflecting Blade Manor were all busy with their own tasks, hurriedly preparing the battlefield.

”Hyah!”

Xu Keyi urged his horse onward, vanishing into the army.

Rumble!

Not long after Xu Keyi left, the earth began to rumble and dust began to churn. A powerful aura rose from the retreating Arab army as a mighty force of cavalry emerged, galloping out of the army surrounded by a thick black fog. Each of the riders was muscular and powerful, and drawn on the sides of their horses were emblems showing two black crescent moons.

The emergence of this cavalry force made the surrounding Arab soldiers seem to fade into the background, fireflies before the light of the bright moon.

This force of seven to eight thousand cavalry was riding straight in the direction of the Tang army.

”Lord Protector-General, enemy attack!”

At almost the same moment, a horse galloped through the Tang ranks as an officer of the Anxi Protectorate army rushed to report the matter to Wang Chong.

”Milord, how should we handle this?”

Wang Chong only smiled, his expression unperturbed as he glanced at the approaching force. A trifling force of around seven thousand would have no effect on the army. Regardless of the legends the Arabs had made in the past, when they arrived on this battlefield, all their myths were bound to come to an end.

”Tell Chen Bin that he can handle them as he wishes!” Wang Chong said.

”…Yes!”

The officer had not expected this order from Wang Chong, and his body suddenly froze as he raised his head. What he saw was Wang Chong's leisurely expression, his lips curled into a faint smile that seemed certain of victory. As he looked on in a daze, he slowly came around and made up his mind, all his tension vanishing as he affirmed this order and left to deliver it.

……

”Ready!”

Chen Bin stood at the front lines, his eyes fixed ahead. On the other side, a cloud of dust was rising more than ten zhang into the air and the earth was shuddering. Through the churning dust, Chen Bin could see the Arabian cavalry rapidly approaching like gods of slaughter.

These were not like the other Arab soldiers. Chen Bin could sense an immense pressure emanating from them, an oppressive storm that followed them as closely as a shadow. But both Chen Bin and the three thousand ballista teams behind him were like stones, rooted to the ground.

The might of the cavalry charge was unquestionable, and if cavalry like this charged into Chen Bin's men, grievous casualties were an inevitability. However, everything had its counter, and while cavalry might have reigned supreme, the moment Chen Bin and his ballista teams appeared, everything had begun to change.

Clang!

Chen Bin solemnly raised his sword in the air, its cold edge glimmering in the sun. Creakcreak! The Han soldiers of the Qixi Protectorate army standing by the ballistae began to adjust their targets, the sharp points of the ballista bolts quickly locking on to the Bakr Cataphracts.

Each of the ballista teams consisted of five men. One of them was responsible for adjusting the angle while the other four were responsible for loading and firing.

”Strangling Formation! Charge!”