Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 384: Unmoving as a mountain
"Should we start?"

On the ruins of Julan City, Fang Chongyong stood at the head of the damaged city, with one foot on the damaged parapet, looking towards the direction of Talas City.

Of course, it is impossible to see Talas City from this distance. The end of the field of vision is endless desolation. Withered grass and sandy soil, devoid of any sign of life.

The confidant sent by Gao Xianzhi to deliver the news was standing next to him with an uneasy look on his face.

"Ambassador Fang, the enemy is outnumbered and we are outnumbered. Ambassador, please send troops immediately."

This close confidant of Gao Xianzhi knelt on the ground and begged. Before arriving, Gao Xianzhi didn't know where Fang Chongyong was, so he asked him to search along the road. As a result, the Western Region Economic and Strategic Ambassador had actually quietly entered the ruins of Julan City with a thousand elite soldiers and camped here.

It is actually only more than a hundred miles away from Talos City!

If Fang Chongyong is in Suiye City, it means that he has no intention of sending troops at all, or he is not paying attention to the situation in Shiguo, that's all.

But now that everyone has come to Julan City, they are obviously paying close attention to the situation, but why haven't they come to Talas for support?
The confidant sent by Gao Xianzhi cursed Fang Chongyong, a bad guy, half to death in his heart.

"Are you teaching me how to do something?"

"The general is sloppy."

I have to say, this move is indeed ruthless. Be ruthless to the enemy, and be ruthless to Gao Xianzhi.

They didn't come during the decisive battle, and they wouldn't come after the battle was over, which was in line with their previous expectations of their opponent Chongyong and the Anxi Expeditionary Force.

A battle that was supposed to be a sure win is now on tenterhooks.

Wang Rao saluted with clasped fists, feeling a little ashamed.

But there is a problem. If the army advances to Julan City, they must either attack in one wave or establish a food supply route. If they arrive but do not fight, the logistical pressure will be very great.

Now Wang Jinlan has nothing to say. Who is willing to take risks on things that are almost certain?

And this method of "showing weakness to the enemy" can only be used once, so it can only be used once to kill Abu Muslim.

Only then did Wang Rui feel that Fang Chongyong could be the ambassador of the Western Regions, perhaps because of his father Fang Youde's holy family, but looking back now, he was really handsome, brave and strategic, and strategizing; scolding Fang Qiu, The command is determined.

Fang Chongyong turned around and looked at the man kneeling on the ground with an evil look and asked.

But as Fang Chongyong said, only in this way can the big cannibals be completely paralyzed, making them feel that after winning the Battle of Talos, everything will be fine for the west of Congling.

Yes, no one will die in a war.

Then we followed their footsteps and chased them all the way! This is a sure-fire strategy. "

"I don't dare to humble my position! Please forgive me, Commander-in-Chief!"

Fang Chongyong, who had dealt with the Tubo people countless times, learned a very important trick from the Tubo people: win at any cost.

Wang rarely hesitated to speak. In fact, he also felt that now was the time to reinforce Talas.

"No one will die in a war."

Fang Chongyong was too lazy to argue with him and waved his hand casually. He knew that the other party must be scolding him in his heart, but it didn't matter, he still had this tolerance.

Wang Ruo was anxious, this was completely different from what he had expected!
According to his idea, Gao Xianzhi should fight the big cannibal to no avail, and the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army would rush in to take over and decide the outcome in one battle.

Without understanding the movement of Gao Xianzhi's reinforcements, it would be difficult to use them.

As if his tone was a bit harsh, Fang Chongyong sighed:
“Given Gao Xianzhi’s previous record, if I were Abu Muslim in this battle, I would have sent my most elite troops as a reserve force and sent them into battle at the most critical moment.

Fang Chongyong ordered coldly.

At this moment, he had a deeper understanding of the saying "if there is a struggle, there will be sacrifices."

After taking away Gao Xianzhi's envoy, Wang Nannan stepped forward and reported to Fang Zhongyong: "The scouts came with news that the cannibals have set up defenses under the city, waiting for nightfall. There are resisting horses under the city and outside the camp, and there are nearly two people. The spear is ten feet long and the defense is very tight.

To put it bluntly, it is to avoid its sharp edge and attack its inertia.

"Jie Shuai! If we don't go now, then when will we wait! If we go again, the battle will be over!"

"But Jieshuai, if you don't save him..."

"If you take action now, you are only 60% sure of being the leader of this quarter. If you take action later, you are 90% sure of being the leader of this quarter. If it were you, which one would you choose?"

If we serve as Gao Xianzhi's reserve team, we will play into Abu Muslim's plan and make the situation more complicated.

Fang Chongyong asked rhetorically.

It is impossible for the Tang army to gather in large numbers and confront the cannibals in Julan City. The logistics cannot afford to be hurt.

Isn't it so?

It was impossible for Abu Muslim to completely let go and not take any precautions. We showed up and he was just in time to give it a go. When the battlefield becomes chaotic, we won't be able to tell who is who, and we won't be able to show our strength.

In this section, Shuai is timid and has a bad heart, so he is frightened. Are you going to clean up such a big mess in the Western Region?
And if we don't show up for this battle, it just confirms the suspicion of killing with a borrowed knife. No one in the future, be it the generals of the Dashi Army or the Abu Muslims, would believe that the Tang Army would fight back. They will think that everything will be fine after defeating Gao Xianzhi.

It was far higher than the generals like them, which was unbelievable.

"If you don't dare, then just stay aside. Military and national affairs are not something you can participate in with your status."

"Send the order, if there are reinforcements for Gao Xianzhi in each department, they will be killed."

Fang Chongyong patiently explained to Wang Rao.

But Gao Xianzhi hasn't formed a formation yet, and he doesn't know if the Anxi Army will make a sneak attack tonight. "

Until then, they are just a bunch of defenseless sheep. It only takes ten thousand elite soldiers to defeat them.

Fang Chongyong came out with such irrefutable words.

On the battlefield, in order to win, nothing cannot be sacrificed!

Apart from winning or losing in a war, there is nothing else that cannot be given up.

"Go ahead and ask the soldiers if anyone wants to write a suicide note. I will write it to them personally."

Fang Chongyong softened his tone and nodded to Wang Ranran.

"Jie Shuai, wouldn't this be too much trouble?"

Wang Ran was stunned for a moment and couldn't figure out what Fang Chongyong's brain circuit was.

You can say that he loves his soldiers as much as his sons. He can let Gao Xianzhi hold up the front, while he can remain as motionless as a mountain behind.

You could say that he had no regard for human life, but he also wanted to write suicide notes to the soldiers himself, without fear of trouble.

"If conditions permit, the coach in this section still wants to treat them as human beings.

But after going to the battlefield, with military orders and decisive attacks, they could only be treated as pawns.

But isn’t this not ready yet?

Go ahead, don't talk too much. If you talk more, I will drag you to write with me! "

Fang Chongyong scolded impatiently.

After a while, he came to an open space in Julan City, moved a stone as a desk, and asked Feng Changqing to take out the paper recording military orders and write a suicide note to Qiu Ba who was accompanying him.

There was a long queue in the city. Fang Zhongyong asked everyone who wanted to write a suicide note in detail, and he could write one in a few minutes. After the ink was finished and dried, it was handed over to Feng Changqing and put into a large wooden box.

Except for Qiu Ba and Fang Chongyong, who were narrating the contents of the suicide note, no one said a word at the scene, and the atmosphere was extremely solemn and solemn.

……

There is a very old river bed between Talas City and Talak Town. Observing the surrounding terrain, you can judge that this was once the old channel of the Talos River. I don't know when it started, and I don't know why it changed its course. There is only one river nearby, the Talos River, and this can only be the riverbed of this river. It has been a long time ago. The Talos River has been what it is now since the city of Talos was built.

This old river bed is a naturally formed low-lying depression. It's a bit short, but compared to the level where Talas City is located, it's not too short. The flat terrain and wide riverbed facilitate the deployment of troops and large-scale decisive battles.

As soon as night fell that day, Gao Xianzhi gathered eight thousand soldiers under his command here, everyone on horseback. He also wanted to attack at night, but conditions did not allow it. Abu Muslim is not a fool. He naturally knows how to defend the camp and sends people to closely monitor the military situation in Talak Town.

Gao Xianzhi couldn't find any chance to make a sneak attack.

Knowing clearly that the enemy's defense is tight and impeccable, but still choosing a way to attack the camp is not called bold, but stupid and reckless.

As soon as the Anxi Army left the camp, Da Shiren learned the news immediately.

Abu Muslim ordered the general mobilization to begin, and all the members of the Food Army began to assemble the entire team, including the defenders who originally garrisoned the city of Talas. They also all left the city and began to line up along the high platform to the north of the river bed.

He placed the weaker light-armed troops on both wings of the formation. These paramilitary troops formed by the former Sasanian Empire were good at detouring to the enemy's flanks and rear, but were not good at facing the enemy head-on. Their weapons were also relatively simple, only oval-shaped and long. He didn't have a shield or a short spear, and he didn't even have the simplest armor on his body.

The cavalry was deployed at the rear of the formation, preparing to confront the Tang army.

The front of the Dashi army, that is, the front army, is mainly composed of sword and shield soldiers. The first line of defense soldiers are generally armored and equipped with round shields and long swords, or axes.

The soldiers in the second line of defense hold long oval shields in their left hands, and hold spears about two feet long in their right hands and under their armpits to guard against cavalry raids.

As for the 10,000-strong army in Ziyad Sari's hands, the domestic army that followed Abu Muslim to conquer the world, they did not appear in the battle sequence of this battle at all.

This infantry and cavalry team was mixed and could fight independently. They were ambushed as a reserve on the south bank of the Talos River, on the side of the main battle line of the Great Food Army. As long as Abu Muslim gives the order, these people will come out at the critical moment and will not be used easily.

Abu Muslim is not hypocritical at all. Like Gao Xianzhi, he has only two options: either leave or fight. Anyway, it is impossible to stop and confront them near Talas City, and the resources here cannot support an army of tens of thousands.

Now that Gao Xianzhi has pulled out the team to prepare for the decisive battle, Abu Muslim doesn't do what he wants and just does it!
On the wooden high platform behind the battle line of the Dashi Army, Abu Muslim was looking into the distance. There were dots of fire in the distance, which were the torches held by the Anxi Army cavalry. However, he estimated that when the war breaks out, these torches will be extinguished to achieve the effect of taking them by surprise and taking them off guard.

Anyway, Anxi's army is small, and they are not afraid of hurting their own people when they run rampant.

"The order is passed down. All units must stick to their positions and are not allowed to maneuver. No rash moves are allowed without military orders."

Abu Muslim ordered in a deep voice.

The messenger was stunned. He didn't know why Abu Muslim, who was always good at commanding on the spot, would issue such an outrageous order.

If each unit sticks to its position and cannot maneuver, isn't that like a living target for the enemy?
"Go, give the order!"

Abu Muslim scolded coldly.

"Yes, Governor!"

The messengers rode away. Soon, the military band at the rear of the formation began to play music. The sound of nai (a blowing instrument, similar to an obliquely blown flute) rang through the army formation, and the battlefield was instantly filled with Exotic music, like the sound of death.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

The drums of the Anxi Army rang, accompanied by the charge horn of rhinoceros horns. Except for the torches tied to the battle flags, all the torches were extinguished, and the army moved towards the left wing of the Dashi Army.

According to conventional practice, at this time Abu Muslim should order the front army to turn to the left to face the enemy and increase flank defense.

However, he gave no orders.

The cavalry of the Anxi Army was like a sharp knife, smashing the formation of short spearmen on the flanks into pieces. The horses, spears and other objects set up by the Dashi Army in the front army did not play any role at all. It’s more like putting it on display to look good.

The Tang army did not use bows and arrows at all, probably because they had exhausted their arrows in previous battles.

They cut in from the left wing and went straight to the center where Abu Muslim was located.

"Governor, Gao Xianzhi is coming. Do you want to mobilize the army?"

Said, the general of the food army, strode to the high platform, climbed up and shouted to Abu Muslim.

At this moment, the left wing of the Dashi Army was slightly disturbed, and the chaos gradually spread towards the central army's formation.

"Gao Xianzhi may have reinforcements, and he is leading his cavalry to confront the Tang army."

Abu Muslim ordered coldly.

"Governor! We are all light cavalry, and there is no advantage in fighting the Tang army. These cavalry are used to chase the defeated soldiers.

Let's mobilize the heavy armored infantry of the front army to surround and kill the Tang Army cavalry trapped in the formation! "

Saeed knelt down on one knee and begged.

He was a man who knew how to fight. Gao Xianzhi's move was nothing unusual. He penetrated the left wing and reached Abu Muslim. The Dashi army lost its commander and command, and the battle was won.

The more expert you are, the more you like to use this simple and unpretentious method to conquer ten levels at once!

"Go back to your position! Lead the cavalry to charge!"

Abu Muslim drew his sword and placed it on Sayyid's neck.

However, this loyal general was still unwilling to kneel on the ground and kowtow: "Governor, the Tang army has no reinforcements. The scouts have investigated and found that Gao Xianzhi is the only army within a hundred miles. Now even if they want to fly Come to support, it’s too late! Send the front troops to surround Gao Xianzhi! There are really no other Tang troops, and the general can use his head to guarantee it!”

"Go and follow the order! If you don't go, let your deputy lead the troops to charge!"

Abu Muslim slapped Said on the shoulder with the blade of his sword and yelled!
In desperation, Said had no choice but to leave in tears to carry out this "unreasonable" military order. He knew that a large number of his men would die again tonight. And these people could have survived.

After he left, Abu Muslim looked at the crumbling left wing of the Food Army and murmured to himself: "Gao Xianzhi, do you really have no reinforcements?"

He was hesitating whether to take action or not! Do you want to give the order for a general attack? My heart feels like a cat scratching me!
However, once the order is given, there is no room for turning back. If reinforcements from the Tang Army arrive at that time, the Dashi Army will be completely destroyed!
"Wait a little longer, wait a little longer! When reinforcements from the Tang Army arrive, there will be no way to save him."

Abu Muslim's hands were trembling as he watched the Dashi soldiers on the left flank of the formation being crazily slaughtered in the distance.

An hour later, the short spearmen on the left wing had completely collapsed and began to flee in all directions. Said led the cavalry, frantically killed the deserters, and fought head-on with the Anxi Army under Gao Xianzhi. Then, in a single confrontation, he destroyed a large number of light cavalry.

But the momentum of the Tang army's attack finally slowed down.

Abu Muslim put his hand on the hilt of his sword and tried to pull it out several times. He gave the order for a general attack and let out a bad breath.

I had to hold back several times.

Abu Muslim is the commander-in-chief, and he knows that a random order from him can determine the life or death of tens of thousands of elite men under his command. This order is too heavy.

"You can't lose, you can't lose. It doesn't matter if you are stuck in a dead spot. If you stay steady, you will definitely win."

While he was chanting, he watched the Tang Army forward getting closer and closer to him. Said had already brought the last of his light cavalry to take up the position. Everywhere he could see, there was blood and flesh flying everywhere.

Abu Muslim clutched his sleeves tightly, biting his lips, his fingers hurt from the pinching, and his face was twitching.

However, he never used that reserve team. Ziad Sari and his 10,000 elite troops have not entered the battlefield from the beginning of the war until now.

I kept waiting and waiting. I don’t know when it started, but the fighting on the battlefield seemed to have stopped. The Tang army, who had no torches to light, didn't know whether they were all killed, or they felt that there was nothing they could do, so they took advantage of the chaos of the food army and found an opportunity to escape.

At this moment, the soldiers sent by Ziyad Sari climbed up to the high platform and saluted Abu Muslim and asked: "Governor, the general asked you if you want to pursue. We found that the Tang army was heading in the direction of Talaq."

After hearing this, Abu Muslim felt as if he was exhausted, and his whole body was wet with sweat.

"No need, go back and tell Ziad Sari not to pursue the poor criminals."

Abu Muslim forced an ugly smile on his face and let out a sigh of relief.

The military formation of the Food Army in the distance did not stop completely. There were battles in many places. It may be that some of Anxi's soldiers who were alone and did not rush out were making the final stand against the trapped beasts.

Abu Muslim shook his head sadly, with a hint of regret in his heart.

He seems to have overestimated his enemies.

If he had known that reinforcements from the Tang Army would never come, the Western Region Economic and Strategic Ambassador would have been an incompetent powerful man. Why would he have been so conservative?
A lot of people were lost in vain.

(End of this chapter)