Chapter 59: Dawn (III)

The Arab army was roughly divided into three parts. The central force consisted of 20,000 elite heavily armored cavalry from Khorasan, under the personal command of Governor Abu Muslim. The right wing was made up of heavy infantry and light cavalry under Sayyid ibn Humaid, numbering about 30,000. The left wing was composed of various barbarian forces—totaling 100,000 strong but uncoordinated, with no unified command, often leading to absurd situations. This was why Abu Muslim assigned General Ziyad ibn Sari to oversee the left wing.

Compared to the Tang-Tibetan alliance’s 30,000 troops, they clearly had a numerical advantage. Yet numbers alone didn’t determine everything—soldiers’ equipment and armor, commanders’ tactical skills, and their ability to execute strategies greatly influenced the course of battle.

Abu Muslim was certainly no mediocre commander, and the Khorasan cavalry far surpassed ordinary barbarian troops. In his view, there was no way they could lose this battle.

Since engaging the main Tang forces seven days prior, they had been probing them continuously. Over those seven days, Abu Muslim had learned much about the Tang army’s formation, strength, and basic tactics. As long as his troops followed their planned strategies, the Tang had no chance of turning the tide. In other words, from the moment they crossed the Talas River, their fate was sealed—they were fighting against propagators of the true faith, the invincible Khorasan cavalry!

The pagans would all be judged and torn apart piece by piece!

Calculating carefully, the Tang army was running low on supplies. At this moment, if his cavalry launched a fierce attack, their seemingly orderly ranks might collapse instantly!

“Mahmud, sound the horns! I order you to lead 10,000 cavalry in a fierce assault on the Tang army’s central force. Muhammad and Imam, you each lead 5,000 elite troops to harass the Tang forces on the flanks. Salih, assemble the long spear infantry in formation to advance alongside the cavalry.”

Abu Muslim was undoubtedly a first-rate tactical master. He had already noticed that the Tang army’s core was made up of heavily armored infantry, so he would use part of his forces to hold them off while the rest of the cavalry bypassed the infantry formation to strike directly at the weak Tang command center behind it!

“General Abu Muslim! The Tangs have launched an attack first!”

Mahmud pondered for a moment before bowing slightly and smiling as he reminded, “Great and wise general, shall we go remind General Ziyad to have the allied tribes make some preparations? Should we send some soldiers to intercept that Tang army in time?”
Abu Muslim frowned and looked into the distance, where he indeed saw thick plumes of yellow smoke rushing toward them at a visible speed.
“They dare to attack first!”
Abu Muslim smirked coldly, his opinion of Gao Xianzhi dropping even further. In his view, the Tang heavy infantry were their only reliable ace troops and the only force capable of posing a threat to the Abbasid heavy cavalry. Therefore, they should play it cautiously and wait to launch their own attack first. If Gao Xianzhi lost patience and sent his cavalry at them first, those elite infantry would surely not be able to keep up with the speed of the cavalry, weakening the Tang army significantly.
But why would they attack their left flank? Those were just inferior allied tribes. Had Gao Xianzhi really lost his head and made repeated mistakes?
A hint of doubt flashed across Abu Muslim’s mind, but it vanished quickly. He then ordered confidently, “Ignore those Tang cavalry. Continue following my plan. As for those barbarian troops…”
Abu Muslim paused briefly before continuing, “Send a message to Ziyad. If the situation turns bad, withdraw when necessary. Those barbarians are not mere lambs willing to die for the Caliph. We have no need to risk ourselves for them!”
“Yes!”
Mahmud nodded and asked, “What about the light cavalry unit under General Said?”
“That’s not your concern. I have other plans for him!”
Abu Muslim narrowed his eyes and said gravely, “What you need to do now is push forward and cut down the Tang army’s main flag!”……
300 paces, 250 paces, 200 paces!
A glint appeared in Duan Xiushi’s eyes as he gripped his long spear tightly.
The Tang cavalry was so close to the allied tribes that he could already make out the chaotic, uncoordinated flags. He seemed to see the mockery on the faces of those barbarians.

These overconfident fools! Nothing but wretched creatures who bend with the wind and wag their tails to gain favor, thinking they’re part of some mighty allied force. If the Arabs truly regained control of the river, they would undoubtedly seize wealth mercilessly and impose their faith on the people of the river regions unconditionally. These ignoramuses, already trapped and roasted like fish on a fire, still don’t realize it. Well, let them see who the true strength of Allah is!
“Pass my order: the entire army, speed up and charge!”
Duan Xiushi coldly issued the order, whipping his horse forward at full speed.
“Charge, the whole army, charge!”
Although the Tang army’s warhorses lacked the speed of Arab steeds, they far surpassed ordinary Khitan dwarf horses. Starting their charge from 200 paces away, they could reach the ranks of the allied forces in an instant!
These cavalry were the elite of the Anxi army, highly experienced with excellent tactical execution. At Duan Xiushi’s command, they leaned forward, shifting their weight forward—a posture that provided comfort for both riders and horses, ideal for short-distance charges!
“For the Great Tang, kill!”
150 paces, 100 paces—closer, closer!
When they were still 100 paces away from the allied forces, the barbarians launched their first distant attack. Under the leadership of Arab general Ziyad, the hastily assembled archers fired a volley of arrows. But due to lack of coordination or excessive nervousness, the arrows lacked force and floated weakly toward the Anxi cavalry. The Anxi soldiers were clad in heavy armor—how could such fragile arrows harm them? They didn’t even need to use shields to move safely through the arrowstorm.
80 paces, 50 paces, 30 paces!
As the Anxi cavalry neared their ranks, Ziyad finally lost patience and drew his sword: “Charge! Chop these overconfident Tang invaders to pieces! Leave none alive, not a single one!”
In truth, Ziyad wasn’t very optimistic about the strength of the allied forces. These barbarians not only had shoddy weapons and armor but also lacked any military discipline. Some even boasted about fighting several Anxi soldiers single-handedly with wooden sticks. Hmph, with those?
Though Ziyad harbored deep resentment toward the Tang army of Anxi, it was due to their opposing positions. Setting aside their identities, he considered the Tang army a worthy opponent.

But this time, they truly came to seek their deaths! With just over ten thousand cavalry, they tried to charge at the camp of the allied forces of the various ethnic groups, which numbered over a hundred thousand—nothing short of moths flying into flames, seeking their own destruction!
A hundred thousand against ten thousand—even if each person spat once, it would drown those Tang soldiers!
The strength of the allied forces varied; some had cavalry, while others were all infantry. Some soldiers wore leather armor, while others only had tattered clothes. Perhaps believing their numerical advantage was too great, these soldiers bravely charged forward, engaging in head-on combat with the Anxi cavalry!
The moment the two armies met, cries of agony filled the air—most of them coming from the soldiers of the allied forces. As for the well-trained Tang cavalry, they played the role of slayers. They swung their silver spears, creating a flurry of blows, or used their swords to cut off the round heads of the barbarians. In their eyes, these barbarians, who mostly carried kitchen knives or wooden sticks, had no fighting ability at all—mere lambs ready to be slaughtered!
On the battlefield, there is no right or wrong, only strength and weakness. The weak become food, the strong become the butcher’s tools. Survival of the fittest has always been the rule.
The Anxi cavalry were like tigers storming into a sheep pen, slaughtering the allied forces mercilessly, using the blood of their enemies to stimulate their own excitement.
“Hahaha! How dare they come to the battlefield to beg for death? Go home and hug your children!”
Qi Sanfang, a Tang army officer, used his sword to cut off the head of a barbarian in his thirties, then picked him up with his spear and charged ahead. Dragging the spearhead behind him, he knocked down numerous barbarians wherever his horse went.
“Haha, hahaha! Go back and train for another two years. Think carefully about why you’re working for those Arabs—was their rations really that good? Don’t end up being sold and still thinking fondly of them!”
Qi Sanfang was overjoyed. In this onslaught, he had killed at least a dozen people. The heads of Arabs and the Khazars were both heads, and both could be used to earn military honors. But cutting off a Khazar’s head was much easier than cutting off an Arab soldier’s head. He was truly glad he had followed General Duan Xiushi in this charge. If things continued like this, it wasn’t impossible to earn the rank of a fourth-rank general by the end of this battle!……