Chapter 36: The Wasteland (I)

The Tang army of Anxi launched its attack—like a fierce tiger pouncing or Xing Tian wielding his weapon, instantly disrupting the balance of battle. This was the secret weapon of the Tang army of Anxi, one that Gao Xianzhi had suppressed until now, waiting for this very moment!
At this moment, he unleashed the most ruthless tactic of the Tang army—willing to win through a swift and decisive battle!
At once, the sound of drums and war horns echoed like thunder, with the cries of battle shaking the skies. Under the cover of countless arrows, nearly ten thousand elite soldiers from Anxi rushed swiftly toward the walls of Talas. The Arab defenders, like frightened chicks, fled in panic behind battlements and buildings, trying to keep themselves away from disaster.
They had never seen arrows so massive. While the previous arrows of the Tang army were already extremely powerful, these giant arrows were utterly devastating.
No city wall could withstand such attacks, and no flesh and blood could remain unharmed under such fierce assaults!
Defending the city against such a brutal onslaught was surely the idea of a fool. Even if they were devout believers in Allah, they would not risk their lives at this moment.
The only thought in every Arab defender’s mind was to avoid this fierce attack by the Tangs and then counterattack…
In Gao Xianzhi’s view, the best way to eliminate violence was to use violence, and the best way to stop war was to wage war.
To fight with war—such is the way of a great king! (Note 1) He would show no mercy toward the non-Han inhabitants or defenders inside the city. Since the governor of Talas had chosen to resist to the end, he must have anticipated this outcome! When war became inevitable, it became just. The blame lay with the Arabs themselves—for not being prepared, for not showing enough respect and trust toward the Tang soldiers.
It was all fate, predetermined and unchangeable!
War chariots and siege engines repeatedly struck the walls of Talas, seemingly about to tear a huge gap in those crumbling defenses. Countless soldiers climbed up the prepared paths and rushed toward the northern part of the city. Unlike the people of Bahuhan before them, they did not slow down even under the barrage of arrows from the opposite side.
With swords and shields, silver helmets and armor, they were well-trained Tang soldiers who would never bow to any foreign race!
“Push forward! Keep pushing forward! Don’t let a single Tang soldier get through! Damn it, push forward!”
Husayl, protected by a few bodyguards, barely stuck out half his head and screamed frantically.

The combat prowess of these Tang soldiers was truly beyond his expectations. He had planned to wait until the force of the crossbow arrows weakened slightly before ordering an counterattack, but now the Tang soldiers were about to launch an assault at any moment. He had to send men to fill the gap in the defenses no matter what.

“Hey, hey!”

A group of unlucky soldiers were called out by Husayl by name and forced to confront them head-on. Behind them were the military enforcers armed with curved swords; taking a step back could mean having their heads cut off!

The endless darkness, like ink-colored seawater, surged toward the Abbasid soldiers, bringing endless fear. The Fishbridge Road standing before them resembled a floating bridge adrift in the vast ocean, drifting stubbornly along.

The Abbasid soldiers had never felt such fear before. Facing the Tang army, which was far fewer in number, they couldn’t muster even a hint of superiority. They felt as though the bridge was slowly drifting toward the city walls, bringing with it endless terror.

They tried to stab the Tang soldiers’ lower bodies with their long spears, but these well-trained soldiers could leap high like agile monkeys and land lightly on the sacks before continuing toward the city walls.

It seemed they felt neither joy nor sorrow, nor had any desires. Such enemies were terrifying—seemingly determined only to capture Talas and slaughter all the soldiers and civilians inside.

They were true professional soldiers!

“Go up, stop them! Don’t let them reach the city!”

Under the pressure of the executioners, the Abbasid soldiers were forced to step onto the Fishbridge Road. Perhaps due to extreme tension or lack of adaptation, the Abbasid soldiers wobbled as they stepped onto the “floating bridge.” Many of them fell from the city walls before even engaging the Tang soldiers, letting out cries of pain.

After those cries came endless silence, and the fear brought by that silence oppressed all the Abbasid soldiers.

Why could the Tang soldiers run swiftly across the Fishbridge Road as if it were flat ground? Why could they endure such fear?

Before they could think further, the Tang soldiers swung their swords at them. The moonlight glinted on the backs of the blades, casting a silver glow as they struck the Abbasid soldiers.

“Ah!”

One Abbasid soldier saw his neck about to be cut by the sword and quickly raised his curved sword to defend himself. But perhaps due to his fear, his strength waned, and his sword failed to even slow down the sword’s momentum. In an instant, the situation turned sharply, and the soldier ended up slashing a foot-long wound in his own shoulder plate with his own curved sword.

“Ah! Ah!”

The Persian soldiers let out screams like those of pigs being slaughtered and stumbled backward repeatedly. If not for their comrades pulling them back in haste, these soldiers would likely have fallen off Yuliang Road and been crushed to pieces on the spot!
Thanks to the cold light reflected from the blades, the Persian soldiers could clearly see the determined expressions on the Tang soldiers’ faces. They feared no enemy or force; they would never give up until they achieved their goal!
“Damn it! Damn it! You’re twice as many as them—charge! Charge!”
Husayl was red-faced with anger, wildly swinging his curved sword. He had sent far more soldiers to intercept them than the Tang forces, yet they were completely overwhelmed by their spirit. How could this be possible?
The soldiers on Yuliang Road turned red at Husayl’s curses, and a spark of determination reignited in their hearts. Yes, they were twice as many as the Tang soldiers, yet they had been driven to desperation by them. Without Governor Husayl ordering punishment, they would have slapped themselves hard for such poor performance!
A fierce sense of shame fueled the remaining fighting spirit of the Persian soldiers. They wanted to fight—fight like men!
“Kill them, brothers! Let’s fight these Tang invaders! Allah is with us!”
Led by a lower-ranking officer, the reinvigorated Persian soldiers charged forward with their curved swords, forming a human wall to block the advancing Tang forces.
Blades clashed, sparking hatred; every fight decided life and death in mere seconds.
The dead received no sympathy. After being trampled over and over, they were mercilessly kicked off Yuliang Road and thrown into the fires, turning to ashes.
A Tang soldier leaped over several of his comrades’ corpses, rolled forward, and arrived at a burly Persian soldier. He swung his sword, slashing a deep wound into the Persian’s abdomen. Intestines and internal organs spilled out, causing the Persian to collapse on the ground, wailing in pain.
The Tang soldier didn’t give him a chance to struggle. With one stroke, he beheaded him. Before the Persian could even shake the flesh off his sword, the Tang soldier used it to block two incoming blades.
After barely surviving that attack, the Tang soldier rolled sideways and struck at the legs of the two Persians. Before they could react, their feet gave way, and they fell backward. The Tang soldier quickly pounced, using his sword to slit their throats…

Killing several people in a row gave Tang Bing an unparalleled sense of pleasure. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his right hand and was about to get up when he felt a chill on his back. Turning around, he saw a monstrous, terrifying man-eater with his face covered in blood. The man hadn’t died completely; while Tang Bing was killing others, he had used his last strength to stab himself in the back!
Damn it!
Tang Bing kicked the man-eater off the Fish Beam Road, but he could no longer hold on. His head spun, and he collapsed to the ground.
The battle intensified, with neither side willing to yield an inch. It didn’t matter if their swords were broken—they still had short knives and daggers at hand; if those were broken too, they still had their fists and teeth…
This was a struggle between life and death. The winner would claim all the good things, at the cost of blood.
Despite the extreme difficulties, the Tang army continued to advance toward the walls of Talas. Whenever one of their comrades fell, another would immediately take his place. They were one unit—they were comrades, brothers who had shared life and death together!
They would carry on their fallen comrades’ legacy and live for them!
They weren’t fighting alone; from start to finish, they were never alone!
They fought inch by inch, step by step. Though it was difficult, as long as everyone held on, there would come a moment when they could reach the northern walls of Talas!
“Damn these idiots! Idiots!”
Husel cursed loudly as he saw the Tang army getting closer and closer to the city walls. He had sworn an oath to General Said that not a single Tang soldier would be allowed to reach Talas. If he failed to complete this task, he would surely be beheaded as a warning to the troops!
“Pass my order: Have the trebuchets fire continuously at the Fish Beam Road!”
Husel took a deep breath and gave the order without any emotion, staring at the thirty-foot-wide “floating bridge” ahead.
It was because of this “floating bridge” that they had suffered heavy losses—it was the stepping stone the Tangs relied on! If this bridge was destroyed, nothing else would pose a threat to Talas anymore!…
Note 1: This sentence is from the “Biography of Geng Bing” in the Book of the Later Han.