Chapter 1079: A Battle Between Top-Class Armies V (1/2)

Chapter 1079: A Battle Between Top-Class Armies (V)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Bangbangbang! The Fearless Army soldiers, unable to block the heavy yet nimble strikes of the Roaring Tiger Army, were forced back and back. In the end, they had only the strength to block and not counter. Once, twice, thrice… the Fearless Army soldiers waved their scimitars in a flurry of attacks like wolves assailing the Roaring Tiger Army.

But this time, they realized that their opponents had seemingly transformed into completely different beings.

Clangclangclang!

The two scimitars glimmered with dangerously cold light as they attacked from above and below, back and front, left and right. But no matter the angle they attacked from, the heavy sword would come down with its enormous weight and block every single attack.

These heavy swords were stronger, faster, and more ferocious. It simply wasn't possible for these Fearless Army soldiers to block them.

The Fearless Army soldiers swiftly began to grimace.

The Arab cavalry also became ghastly pale at this sight.

The Roaring Tiger Army's attack had only one distinct trait: frenzied, ever more frenzied. The extreme speed of their attacks completely suppressed Abu Muslim's Fearless Army.

Abu Muslim was known as the Governor of Iron and Blood, the strongest commander in the history of the Arabian east. But Zhang Shougui was one of those who competed for the position of Great Tang War God, a person second only to Wang Zhongsi. Moreover, he had even once had an opportunity to leverage his military achievements to attain the position of Great Tang Prime Minister.

Although Zhang Shougui was not personally at Talas, there was no doubt that in this contest with Abu Muslim, Zhang Shougui firmly stood above him.

”The Prefectural Duke of Nanyang is truly a legend of the army. Qianli is bursting with admiration.”

As he watched the rapid suppression of the fierce twin-sabered Fearless Army by the Roaring Tiger Army, Cheng Qianli couldn't help but sigh in heartfelt admiration.

But the distant Abu Muslim and the other Arab commanders all wore gloomy grimaces.

For this Battle of Talas, the Arabs had already invested four powerful armies, more than twenty thousand men, but they had failed to break through the defenses of their enemy. On the contrary, they were the ones being suppressed. Such a thing had never happened before.

All of them turned solemn. As the elite forces of Arabia, whether it was the Ironblood Army or the Blood Beast Army, they all had their own dazzling histories and had rarely suffered defeat. Each army had its own reason to be proud. There was no question that Arabia had encountered a truly formidable opponent this time.

At this moment, an icy voice devoid of emotion spoke.

”Pass on my order! Deploy the Death Army!”

Buzz!

Four individuals raised their heads in shock toward the imposing and divine golden figure. But Qutaybah remained motionless. All of them could only see the dazzling profile of his face enclosed within his golden helmet. No one could see the look on his face.

The Death Army!

This was the second strongest army under Qutaybah's command, above the Blood Beast Army. Abu Muslim's army was the Fearless that did not fear death, but Qutaybah's army was the true 'Death'. It was rumored that for the sake of training this army, Qutaybah had designed a hellish training regimen.

Each battle, he would dispatch a group of around one hundred men to charge into the enemy ranks. When there were only two or three people left in this group, Qutaybah would mobilize his army to save them. If more than one person survived, Qutaybah would have them fight amongst each other until only one survived.

Qutaybah claimed that only a person like this had the strongest will to live, a steely resolve that did not fear death, and the strongest martial arts and talent. This was the kind of person he needed the most.

But even so, this was only the first stage of many in Qutaybah's training regimen. The forging and tempering that came afterward was far crueler. By the time a soldier had become a proper Death soldier, they would have already relinquished all human emotion, leaving behind a steely resolve, tenacious fighting power, powerful martial arts, and a desire to carry out orders and crush the enemy!

Qutaybah's method was so harsh and caused so much loss of life that it had always been the target of much criticism and censure.

But later on, Qutaybah altered his policy so that he also recruited the strongest and bravest warriors from other regions and empires into his Death Army. Even though the losses continued to be astonishing, since a significant portion were the warriors of conquered empires, Qutaybah had gradually managed to obtain the tacit consent of the Caliph.

This was the only elite army under Qutaybah's command that had more than half its ranks manned by non-Arabs!

From the moment the Death Army was established, it had always maintained an astonishing casualty rate. But through Qutaybah's all-encompassing policy, the Death Army had always maintained a rather high number of soldiers and was very frequently replenished with new blood.