Chapter 3: The Heroes (Part 2)

Looking at the knife bushes slowly pushed over in the distance with the rhythm of the drums, Ai Kailamu, the commander of the Great Food Holy War Eastern Expeditionary Army, couldn't help but secretly complain in his heart. If he had a choice, he didn't want to lead the army to compete with Datang at this time anyway. There is an Eastern adage that says, 'If you want to win a war, you need to meet at least one of the following three conditions.' First, we must grasp the favorable opportunity. Second, it is necessary to occupy favorable terrain. Thirdly, the generals and soldiers, the king and the courtiers worked together! The importance of these three conditions increases in turn, especially the third one, which is the most important! And now the holy army in his hands does not have any of the conditions for victory. (Note 1)(Note 2)

In terms of timing, the Great Caliph Abu Abbass is now sick and could die at any time. The first successor, Mansur Abbas, lacked prestige to convince the prime minister and his courtiers. The supreme commander of the army, Grand Amir Mujshid, was disheartened and indulged in a special drink from the West, and spent his days in a trance. Had it not been for the rebellion of Lord Jibril and his followers of the Caliphate to expel some of the old brothers of the Umayyad family, the entire empire would have fallen apart. (Note 3)

In terms of terrain, there are many river valleys and hills near Tancha Shira, which is not suitable for large-scale deployment of cavalry at all. And the heavy-armored foot soldiers on the opposite side are like tigers returning to the mountains here. **I have been here for more than half a month, and I am basically waiting for work. The Holy War Crusade Army came from afar, and the people were sleepy and lacking.

In terms of internal unity, the Eastern Crusade Army at this moment is even more riddled with holes. Shortly after the end of the Battle of Hengros, the governor of Khorasan, Abu ***, was poisoned by order of the Great Caliph. His commanding general, Ziyad ibn Saari, was involved in a rebellion, and more than 70 members of his family were executed, and none of them were forgiven. There are also Yezid, Jaham, Salman and other brave warriors, who have made great achievements but have not been duly rewarded, but have been killed along with Governor Abu and died in vain. The current core generals in the Eastern Crusade Army, except for Ai Kailamu himself, are almost all drawn from other battlefields, and they have no experience in fighting with ** before.

In a way, the current Crusade Army looks huge and brightly armoured. The real strength is not as good as half of the team that encountered ** during the battle of Hengros two and a half years ago. Of the 150,000 people of that group, 60,000 were ghaz (mujahideen), 40,000 mutwar (willing to die, volunteers), and the remaining 50,000 were warriors temporarily recruited from conquered countries. The leader of the army, the governor of Khorasan, Abu ***, and the striker Ziyad ibn Saari, were both famous for a while. And at present, among the 120,000 troops, 60,000 are Mutevar who have been temporarily pulled up, more than 30,000 servants of various countries, and less than 30,000 Apologists who have really been trained by the apologists. As for him al-Qaqram himself, he was trusted by the Great Caliph. But at this moment, he knew very well in his heart that his true skills were not a little different from the former governor of Khorasan, General Abu. (Note 4)

However, Ai Kailamu did not dare to shirk the task assigned by the above. Mansour was not a tolerant man, and the situation of the struggle for power in the country was uncertain at the moment. Once either of Mansour and the prime minister misunderstood that he was an accomplice with the other party, he deliberately did not listen to the dispatch. When the results of the battle were known, al-Aqeramu could not guarantee that he would end much better than Ziyad ibn al-Sari.

Tancha Shira was once a sacred place for Buddhism and had a great influence on the surrounding countries. Without it, the blow to the Heavenly Fang Sect would be immeasurable. Therefore, despite the lack of preparation, despite the reluctance of one hundred and twenty hearts, Akailam had to take over the important task of the crusade head-on. And in the mosque he vowed to spread the will of Allah throughout the East, even all the way to Chang'an, the capital of the Tang people, thousands of miles away.

The oath on his lips was loud, but when he actually went to the battlefield, he was cautious. In the last battle of Hengrus, the Abbasid Empire was fully prepared and bribed the opponent's servant army to sword in the back, and only then did it barely win the victory. Although he defeated and lost, his own side was also broken. This time, ** came prepared, but the Abbasid Empire's jihadist army was hastily pulled up, and with the experience gained from following the governor of Khorasan Abu .*** last time, Akelam did not believe that he could create a higher miracle.

Therefore, he has been trying to break the enemy with clever tricks. First, the 120,000 troops marched together, looking forward to forcing the ** to retreat with the advantage of numbers, and surrender the army without a fight. After discovering that this plan had failed, Aikailam quickly came up with a second plan, using a heads-up method to suppress the morale of the Tang people and at the same time buy more rest time for his side.

The strategy was half successful, and the Tang people, known as the country of the sages, accepted the heads-up request of the mujahideen. did not take advantage of the fact that the Eastern Expeditionary Army was not firmly established to launch an attack immediately. However, what Ai Kailamu didn't expect was that the holy warriors under his command, who had fought all over the Western world without tasting a single defeat, were actually defeated by the Tang people one after another, whether it was a heads-up or a group fight, they didn't take advantage of it at all.

In order to unravel the mystery of the collective accidental defeat of the jihadist warriors, Akailam had to send more Gazi into battle. Although he knew in his heart that if he did this, he would be ridiculed by his opponents and even his own generals. However, in order to achieve the final goal, any means, can be forgiven. Who would have thought that the coach who had been constantly humbling ** suddenly changed his mind and actually took the initiative to attack the Holy War Army.

The first wave of ** killed was only about six or seven thousand, less than one-tenth of the number of the Holy War Army. However, it was this mere 6,000 or so people that made Aikela's scalp and heart furious, and she needed to use all her strength to stabilize her breathing. What kind of team it was, he couldn't describe it in words. To the beat of the drum, they slowly marched forward, and with each step forward, it was as if they had stepped on the heart of their opponent, making the battlefield in front of them shake back and forth.

The afternoon sun was warm, but Ai Kailam felt chills all over. He couldn't wait to send out all his troops and horses right now, and directly overwhelm the other party with their numbers. But he didn't dare to guarantee that the white-bearded Tang general on the other side had no other magic that had not been used. Yes, it's hex. The black magic and curses that the infidels are best at, otherwise, the Holy War Army, which has fought all over the invincible opponents of the entire Western world, would not be overwhelmed by a few thousand people. The mujahideen who have cut off the heads of countless Western knights will not suddenly lose their strength and be wantonly slaughtered by the Tang people like killing livestock!

The only thing that can break the curse of the other party is devotion to faith. Thinking of this, Akaram couldn't help but recite the scriptures in his heart. This pious act was quickly learned by the cronies around him, and then spread, spreading throughout the army as quickly as possible. "They lay on the bed set with jewels, and the immortal boy carried a bowl, a jug, and a cup of the purest wine; They choose their own fruits and their favorite poultry. They will also get dark-eyed heavenly beauties, as chaste as pearls in a mussel shell......."

"They lay on the bed set with jewels, and the immortal boy carried a bowl, a jug, and a cup of the purest wine; They choose their own fruits and their favorite poultry. They will also be given dark-eyed heavenly beauties, as chaste as pearls in a mussel shell......." The prayer slowly sounded from the military formation, and the voice slowly changed from chaos to neatness, from low to loud. Soon, almost all of the Great Eclipse soldiers joined in, spreading the scriptures throughout the wilderness like Sanskrit songs.

The soldiers of the Anxi army on the opposite side heard it, but they still walked unhurriedly. They seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact that the other side was nearly twenty times larger than their own. With neat steps, they continued to push forward, to advance. One step, two steps, from three hundred steps to two hundred steps, from two hundred steps to one hundred and fifty steps, one hundred and thirty steps, one hundred and twenty steps.......

"Knock, knock, knock, knock" drums came from behind them with a monotonous and loud sound, sweeping across the battlefield, over the crowd, and piercing the ears of the Mujahideen, sending them cold to the bones and their hands and feet to wood.

The continuous drum beats of "Knock, Knock, Knock, Knock" always penetrate the ears of the reciters, penetrate their souls and hearts in the same rhythm, like a ray of sunshine behind the dark clouds, stirring the chanting to pieces.

"Ahh At a distance of one hundred and twenty paces, feathered arrows can hit the target, but they cannot pierce the opponent's armor. The Tang Sword and Shield Bearer, who was at the front of the attack line, just casually raised his shield and blocked most of the attacks. A few feathered arrows passed through the gap in the shield and smashed on the iron armor, making a "ding" sound and falling to the ground softly.

"Steady, steady. Don't waste arrows! Akailam suddenly woke up and tore his throat and shouted.

"Steady, steady. Don't waste arrows! After all, after a long war, the quacks around him opened their throats and quickly amplified the order and spread it throughout the army.

The density of feathered arrows is rapidly thinning, but some people are still shooting blindly. One by one, they landed at the feet of the Tang people, mixed with the feathered arrows that had been fired indiscriminately before, forming a fine barrier in front of the military array.

This barrier, which is composed entirely of wooden poles and feathers, has no protective effect. The Tang people's iron-clad combat boots stepped on it and immediately shattered into pieces. One hundred and ten steps, one hundred and five steps, one hundred steps, and suddenly, the drumming stopped, and then, it turned into a continuous thunderclap.

"Knock knock-" With an uninhibited rhythm, all the Tang people stopped. The sword and shield hand at the front of the line suddenly raised the huge shield in his hand upward, and instantly formed a bright and low city wall. The upper edges of all the shields are slightly tilted forward, at some tacit angle with the scorching sun above their heads, which has been walking through the midline of the sky for a long time.

In an instant, the bright daylight unique to the Western Regions reflected off the surface of the polished and smooth stainless steel shield. Countless reflections converged into a thick and dignified mass, slashing at the eyes of the big cannibal opposite.

"Ah——!h Aikela Mu instinctively chose to close her eyes, and the screams in her ears rang out. Before he could figure out what strange magic the Tang people were using, the thunderous drum beat turned sharp and thin, "Knock, knock......" Stepping on the drum, the Anxi Army forward again, like a giant dragon shining with silver light, pressing towards the black Great Food Army Array.

"Shoot the arrows, release the arrows!" At this point, Akailam could no longer care about controlling the rhythm of the battlefield. Tearing his throat open, he desperately orders his own archers to intercept. Orders were turned into shouts and horns, quickly spreading around. Hearing the order, the big food archer who had long been unable to bear it bent his bow and raised his head......

Unable to aim. No matter how devout the faith is, it can't open its eyes in the face of this simple force of nature. They can only adjust the angle of their bows and arrows intuitively. Tens of thousands of feathered arrows were taken off, but most of them became useless characters. Or swept high above the heads of the Anxi army, or before reaching the destination, they plunged headlong to the ground. Only a small part of it hit the moving shield wall directly, knocking countless small pitted spots out of the smooth shield surface. However, these small pockmarks cannot affect the reflective ability of the entire shield wall at all. The thick pillar of light continued to slash, shaking the big cannibal's eyes with tears, and he couldn't see the target on the other side.

Fortunately, there were enough soldiers and horses under the command of Aikelamu, and the archers of the Chinese army were blinded by the shield wall, and the archers on both wings could still provide some support as much as possible. By attacking sideways, create some minor troubles for the advancing **. Gain more time for your side to adjust. It's just that in this way, the formation of the two wings could not be kept neat, and it was slowly squeezed forward by its own archers, and it was slowly squeezed into a goose wing shape, and it was undulating.

The continuous rain of arrows became more and more intense, and the advancing ** gradually had casualties. A sword and shield man at the edge of the line shook violently, blood pouring out of his shoulder socket. The archers behind him immediately stepped forward, first taking the giant shield, and then pushing the wounded away and pushing them to the back of the group. Immediately, the dazzling giant shield was raised again to protect the nearby Tang boys.

Another shield bearer fell silently. Feathered arrows swooped in diagonally from the gap and hit several archers. In order to maintain the accuracy of shooting, the leather armor provided to the archers could not prevent the feathered arrows from firing at a distance of less than a hundred paces. The wounded were pushed away, the shields were picked up, and the inner row archers quickly filled their positions under the command of junior officers. The whole team made adjustments during the march, and the pace was still unhurried.

"Knock, knock......" Finally, the rhythm of the drums changed again. Both sides breathed a sigh of relief almost simultaneously. The advancing ** stopped again, and readjusted the formation at a position less than eighty paces away from the Great Cannibal Army. The sides of the shield wall slowly curved back to provide more comprehensive protection for their robes. The number of shields on the front of the shield wall quickly decreased, and the reflected sunlight was no longer as strong as before.

"Transmit, herald. Let the two wings restrain the team, beware of deception! Aikailam's voice had changed nervously, and he adjusted his deployment in a hoarse voice. The bodies of the Quacks and Mutvar under his command seemed to become more and more tired the more they rested. Just three or five feathered arrows were hurriedly shot, and there were already people who couldn't pull the bowstring. His own physical condition was not much better than others, and his heart was beating wildly, and he could barely stop. His lips are dry, his hands and feet are soft, and he can wield the spear casually and casually, and it seems to weigh more than a thousand catties at this moment!

Everything is moving towards the most unfavorable scenario. In this state, Aikailam did not dare to easily drive the army forward for a decisive battle. Otherwise, it is impossible to predict whether the brothers under his command will suddenly lose all their strength in the fierce battle. Become a flock of lambs to the slaughter!

"O Allah, are you punishing your servants for not being pious enough in their faith?" Looking up at the hateful sun, Akairam asked secretly. Although there are occasional robberies and extortions in the family, they are all against infidels, and it stands to reason that they do not violate the rules of the religion at all. Why did the Jihadist army suddenly lose its good fortune today? Enduring one inexplicable ordeal after another?

Before he could think through the doubts in his heart, the sound of drums from the opposite side turned into bursts of thunder again. After blocking the Great Eclipse's Wheel Feather Arrows, the Anzai Saber Shieldmen suddenly withdrew the shield wall, revealing the archers who had been hiding behind the shield wall for a long time.

A neat bowstring sound "boom" cut into the rhythm of the snare drum. Hundreds of armor-piercing cones were sent out at the same time. After a distance of eighty paces, the large food army array in front of him was neatly smashed into a gap.

Eighty steps, the Tang people's bow-making skills are excellent, and they are vividly expressed at this distance. The three-inch-long, four-edged armor-piercing cone easily tore through the Great Cannibal's protection, whether it was leather armor, plate armor, or chain mail. The sharp cone was castrated, and it continued to tear the skin, tear the muscles, and stir up the five abdomen and six organs inside.

The beads of blood from the first round of feathered arrows had not yet fallen, and the second row of archers in the vanguard had already loosened their bowstrings. Hundreds of feathered arrows rose into the air at the same time, and the sound and power were the same as before. The only difference was that the arrows were fired diagonally, flying upwards for some distance, and then turning sharply, crossing the gap torn by the first wave of archers, and shooting the large eaters behind them to the back.

Immediately afterward, a third row of feathered arrows arrived, pushing more cannibals into the abyss of death. The entire Great Food Army formation was in chaos at the front, and many undertrained Mutvars scurried with their heads and smashed their own formations.

Seeing this, some veterans of the Great Food who participated in the last Battle of Hengros immediately rushed forward with a shield in one hand and a sword in the other, and strictly disciplined on the battlefield. After a dozen bloody corpses fell, the front of the army finally regained a little order. In addition, hundreds of rigorously trained mujahideen also recovered from the sudden blow, bent their bows and arrows, and launched a counterattack against the ** on the opposite side.

"Guards battalion, serious battlefield discipline! Jihadist battalion, fight back, fight back now! At this moment, Aikailam remembered the duty of the commander, waved his arms, and commanded loudly.

More veterans threw themselves into the gaps, or forced the Mutvars with their blades to act as meat shields, or joined the ranks of the archers. Hail-like feather arrows shot out from the gap, countering the direction of the opponent's feather arrows and piercing towards the Tang soldiers. In an instant, there were a large number of casualties in both teams, and blood splattered over the heads of both teams.

A ** archer standing in the front row had just put his feather arrow on his bow arm and fell on his back to the sky. The robe on his left and right sides was ignored, his front legs bent, his hind legs tense, and with all his strength, he continued to round the horn arch. Immediately after, the archer on the left fell to the ground wounded, and the horned bow fell far away. The uninjured right archer did not squint, continued to charge, aim, let go, and the armor-breaking cone flew out like a poisonous snake, hitting the face of the opposite archer, shooting his whole person into the air. The neck snapped in mid-air, and the head was pierced by an armor-piercing cone, revealing bloody halves in front and back.

Front, middle and back, three rows of ** archers, each row of many people were injured and fell to the ground. However, those who were not shot by the enemy's feathered arrows continued to obey the command of the captain next to him, put the armor-piercing cone on the bowstring, stretched the bow arm to the full, and sent the black light of death to the designated target.

"Ah.......h Soon, driven by scimitars and scriptures, a new batch was added.

"Poof...."The feather arrow entered the flesh, several Tang Dynasty men were blood-stained on the battlefield, and the robes around him quickly filled the position, pulled out the horn bow, and continued to shoot feather arrows at the big cannibal.

There was no pause, no dodging movements, the enemy and the enemy stood face to face at a distance of eighty to a hundred paces, aiming at each other's vital points, constantly drawing their bows and firing arrows. Shoot the arrow, draw the bow.

The sound of the war drums was still thundering, but it could no longer cover the flicking of the bowstrings. "Boom", "Boom", "Boom", "Boom", the simple and crisp sound of the bowstring is like a call from hell, and after each round, dozens of lives are carried.

A row of large cannibals collapsed in the gap. In the blink of an eye, it was another row.

The hands of the living began to weaken, and the feet began to weaken, but they had to continue to fill in the positions. Otherwise, they will not be able to prove their devotion to the faith.

Those who are not pious will not be able to ascend to heaven after death, and they will be ruined if they live.

Before they knew it, the Mujahideen were reciting the scriptures again, one more rapidly than the other, "They were lying on the beds set with jewels, and the immortal boys carrying bowls, jugs, and cups of the purest wine." ”

"They choose their own fruit and their favorite poultry."

"They will also get dark-eyed heavenly beauties, as chaste as pearls in a mussel shell......."

"They lay on the bedside of the jewel, and the immortal boy carried a bowl, a jug, and a glass of the purest wine. .......”

Note 1: The Black Food was founded in 750 A.D., and the founding caliph was surnamed Abbasid, so he called himself the Abbasid Empire.

Note 2: At that time, the Arab Empire spanned both East and West, and was involved in both Eastern and Western civilizations. The text simulates the Arabic oral translation of Sun Tzu's Art of War,

Note 3: The Black Food is a theocratic country. The highest is the caliph, and the next is the prime minister, who is called the vizier. Then there are the parisaries, who are responsible for hearing internal lawsuits among the faithful. The commander-in-chief of the national army called the "Great Emir".

Note 4: Gaz and Mutwar are both names given to warriors by the Black-clothed Great Food Country. Gaz: A mujahideen, religious in faith, rigorously trained, and desperate in battle. Mutwar is a volunteer and a fanatic. But there was no rigorous military training.