Chapter 62: Backed into a Corner (II)

When Jie Erzi saw that Qiyad intended to use him as a scapegoat, he was instantly terrified. Not wanting to end up having his skin peeled off and bones removed to make a war drum, the proud Lord of Baishui City had no choice but to back down and beg for mercy.
“See? Even if I were unreasonable, I wouldn’t dare undermine the alliance’s interests. Rest assured, if any fool dares to retreat, I’ll be the first to step forward and break his bones—without you even lifting a hand!”
At that moment, Jie Erzi was held aloft in the air by Qiyad like a chick, yet he uttered such ‘bold’ words, which only made people find it absurd.
“Hmph, remember your promise!”
Qiyad didn’t want to waste any more time with Jie Erzi. With a strong throw, he sent the Lord of Baishui City flying.
“Ow! It hurts so much!” Jie Erzi cried out repeatedly after crashing to the ground, drawing frequent glances from the surrounding soldiers.
With such weak abilities, could he really act as an insider for the Tang army in Anxi? Ridiculous! Qiyad scoffed inwardly, gave Jie Erzi a disdainful glance, and turned to leave.
He needed to inform Governor Abu Muslim right away to prepare for an attack by retreating troops. The governor was right—this ragtag group was untrustworthy!
After Qiyad left with his bodyguards, it was as if he had abandoned the coalition of barbarian tribes. Once the long snake formation was broken, the morale of the allied forces plummeted. Many soldiers with weak resolve fled in all directions, ignoring the threat of the army’s swords. Even the elite Shi state troops were routed by the Tang cavalry. After all, those were heavily armored cavalrymen. To expect ordinary men armed with wooden sticks and kitchen knives to fight against them was like throwing eggs at rocks.
By staying here, Qiyad could at least offer some comfort to the barbarian rulers, letting them know that the Arabs hadn’t abandoned them. This might help them hold out for a while. But once Qiyad left, without a leader to devise strategies against the fierce attacks of the Tang cavalry, how could the allied forces possibly avoid defeat?

In fact, the allied forces of the various tribes had completely lost the will to resist the Tang army. After Duan Xiushi beheaded Shi Guo’s top warrior, Rang Sijie, the long-suppressed fear among the allied forces erupted completely. That was Rang Sijie, a warrior who had once slain wolves with one hand, yet his head was severed by a Tang general with just one strike. Most tragically, despite his formidable reputation in life, even his corpse was desecrated after death. He fell to the ground unfortunately, with his feet hanging upside down in the stirrups. The warhorse, frightened, galloped away, dragging his headless body for hundreds of steps until it was killed by arrows, leaving trails of blood everywhere…

Such a violent and bloody scene was so extreme that some pampered rulers even vomited. If the brave warriors of Shi Guo could be killed in just two battles, how could the soldiers of their own capital even dare to challenge them?

Since even the rulers had lost the desire to fight, their soldiers naturally wouldn’t charge forward at all costs. Although Qiyad left behind a hundred military enforcers, they were utterly unable to stop this widespread rout.

There’s a saying that laws shouldn’t be applied to the masses. If those enforcers really tried to enforce the law impartially, they would likely be trampled into pulp by the chaotic army in an instant!

The disintegration of the allied forces was inevitable. Now, for these rulers, the priority was to minimize their losses. But obviously, they would have to think about this while fleeing, because less than two hundred steps behind them was the Tang army’s six thousand elite cavalry!

Meanwhile, as Duan Xiushi launched a fierce attack on the left wing of the allied forces, Li Siye’s central army also engaged in intense combat with the Arabs.

Compared to Duan Xiushi’s successive victories, the situation for Li Siye’s forces was much more precarious.

Abu Muslim took a risky move—he sent his main forces straight at the central army of Anxi!

The leader of these ten thousand heavily armored cavalry was Mahmoud, a little-known general eager to prove himself through a decisive victory and rise to the ranks of the empire’s top commanders. So when Governor Abu Muslim assigned him this crucial task, he immediately vowed to annihilate the Tang central army.

The Arab light cavalry on the flanks were led by Muhammad and Imam. With five thousand troops on each side, this posed a significant threat to the understaffed Anxi army. Moreover, on the front line, there were not only the Arab heavily armored cavalry but also five thousand spear infantry under the command of the promising general Salih, making things extremely difficult for Li Siye.

However, the Anxi Tang army would not feel the slightest fear. They were the invincible Anxi troops, the toughest and most elite forces of the Tang Dynasty. This battle was not just for themselves but for the entire Tang Empire! With the honor of the empire at stake, they had nowhere to retreat!

Li Siye tightened his halberd in his hand, spat out a mouthful of phlegm, and cursed, “Damn these barbarians! These Arabs have learned from their mistakes—last time they were beaten by me until they cried for help. This time they’ve brought so many reinforcements to force their way in!”

His adjutant, Bai Yuanguang, laughed and said, “Even if they bring more troops, what does it matter? With General Li here, our men are full of confidence. Aren’t those Arabs just humans with one head and two arms? If they come one, we kill one; if they come two, we kill two!”

Li Siye burst into laughter at this. “You know how to flatter people, but this time you’ve flattered the wrong horse. Do you know how many of them there are? Just by looking at their entire formation, a rough estimate puts them at around 25,000. We only have 7,500 men in total, of which only 2,500 are halberd warriors. It’s going to be tough to deal with them.”

“What, General Li, are you scared?”

Bai Yuanguang didn’t want the atmosphere before battle to become too tense, so he stuck out his tongue at Li Siye.

“Damn you, kid!”

Li Siye kicked Bai Yuanguang in the backside. “You’ve fought alongside me so many times—when have I ever shown fear? I’m just worried that these barbarians might play tricks and cause trouble for General Gao!”

Li Siye sighed and said, “General Gao has assigned all his main forces to Xiushi to make a last-ditch effort. He only has 1,000 elite personal guards with him. If we include the men from the supply camp, we can barely reach 1,800. If the Arabs send a few thousand cavalry to attack from the rear, I’m afraid General Gao won’t be able to hold out.”

Bai Yuanguang’s expression darkened upon hearing this. Li Siye was right—the biggest concern right now was that the Arabs might bypass the halberd formation, which the Anxi army relied on as a shield, and directly attack General Gao. The current Anxi central army was like an empty city; it could barely cope with small-scale invasions. If the Arabs spotted a weakness and sent their main forces to attack, it was uncertain how long General Gao could hold on.

If the general’s flag fell…

Bai Yuanguang couldn’t help but take a deep breath. He forced a bright smile and said, “How could the Arabs do such a thing? Aren’t they just barbarians who know how to advance in a straight line? Besides, General Li’s halberd formation is formidable. If they really tried to bypass our heavy infantry formation, they wouldn’t even get a chance!”

Knowing he was doing this to reassure himself, Li Siye merely shook his head and sighed, “I hope so. But we must not slack off in the slightest. This battle is likely to be the last.”
“How could I dare not obey the general’s orders?”
Bai Yuanguang smiled faintly and replied with a bow.
“Heh, you brat!”
Li Siye struck Bai Yuanguang hard, then flashed a slight smile。……
The earth was trembling!
Tens of thousands of Arab cavalry raised clouds of yellow sand, carrying an overwhelming sense of menace as they charged at the heavily armored infantry formations of the Anxi army. Following them were a full five thousand spear-bearing infantrymen!
Li Siye held the black-bladed halberd, soaked in countless bloods, in one hand, staring coldly ahead.
He had long anticipated this would be an extraordinary battle, but it was only now that he truly felt the urgency of it. In fact, not even he could guarantee victory. Seven days of skirmishes had allowed both sides to understand each other thoroughly. Faced with the halberd formations that resembled solid walls, the Arabs surely wouldn’t try to force their way through…
If they employed tactics to draw the enemy’s attention, the heavy loads carried by the halberd wielders would prevent them from keeping up, and then General Gao would be in grave danger!
Therefore, he had to instill enough fear in those barbarians at the moment of contact, preventing them from splitting their forces! There was only one such chance, and he had to seize it!
“Yuanguang, order the entire army to stand ready!”
Li Siye pressed the handle of his halberd firmly into the ground as he gave the order.
“I shall obey!”
At this moment, there was no trace of joy on Bai Yuanguang’s face—only the determination of a Tang soldier. This battle was a last-ditch struggle; there was no room for any luck.
They were the last line of defense for the Tang army in Anxi. They would use their own flesh and blood to build a Great Wall, protecting the dignity of the Tang men!
“Follow my orders—everyone, grab your weapons!”
Bai Yuanguang glanced at the soldiers behind him, marveling at the brilliance of their armor!
Of these heavily armored infantrymen, 2,500 held halberds, while the remaining 5,000 carried long swords with broken handles. All of them were extremely strong warriors, capable of facing the armored cavalry head-on!
Using infantry to defeat cavalry—this was the pride of the Tang army in Anxi, and it was also Li Siye’s pride.
The general was the soul of the army. With Li Siye at the helm, this heavily armored infantry force was invincible, unafraid of any enemy.
As dusk approached, the setting sun cast its rays upon the soldiers’ blades and armor, reflecting their passionate hearts.