荔枝影院

Edited by: Michyrr

An alliance and a coalition led by the Great Tang were two completely different concepts. The Great Tang could not be subject to any other faction, so if there was a coalition, it would have to be led by the Great Tang.

But this matter required the willingness of Bahram and the other rebel leaders. Wang Chong had never expected this. Even if Bahram and the other rebels had agreed, he had believed that this topic would be brought up only after they had completely overcome Arabia and weathered this crisis. It was truly surprising for Bahram to bring up the proposal of a coalition led by the Great Tang.

Bahram said nothing, but his mind was buzzing with countless thoughts and ideas. The matter of the coalition with the Great Tang had been circling around in his mind for some time. Bahram had also been thinking about whether he should only bring up this topic after they had weathered the Arab assault.

After all, if they couldn’t hold Khorasan and force back the Arabs, any coalition would be meaningless. But after repeatedly considering the matter, Bahram had made up his mind.

He had personally witnessed the power of the Tang. If there was any country in the world that could resist Arabia and assist him in reestablishing the Sassanid Dynasty, it could only be the Great Tang. Now, and probably for the next several hundred years, the Sassanids’ only chance of surviving the attacks of the Arabs depended on assistance from the Tang.

Moreover, in this period of time, the character, intelligence, daring, and courage that Wang Chong had shown had left a very deep impression on Bahram. This was a true genius, a saint of the art of war, completely different from a god of battle like Qutaybah.

The astonishing talent displayed by a mere youth of seventeen had won Bahram’s heartfelt admiration. This was also why Bahram had brought up such an important decision so early.

Rather than saying that Bahram had chosen the Great Tang, it was better to say that he had chosen Wang Chong, that he believed in Wang Chong!

Bahram stared at Wang Chong and simply stated, “We believe in General!”

Boom! These words seemed to possess abnormal weight, causing the entire hall to fall silent. Not even Bahram could have realized that when he said those words, the structure of the world from Samarkand to Baghdad was utterly transformed.

This was the firmest coalition on the continent, and the Sassanids would become Wang Chong and the Great Tang’s staunchest allies. Starting from now, they pledged to be ever-faithful.

One day later, Wang Chong, Bahram, Gao Xianzhi, and the other rebel leaders swore an oath in blood to be allies, creating in Khorasan a powerful coalition led by the Great Tang.

......

Time slowly passed, and the weather of each day was colder than the last. During the day, many places in Khorasan were covered in thick layers of white frost. Even the surging Tigris River was covered in a thin sheet of ice in the early dawn.

As winter arrived, the world turned bleak. From the Cong Mountains to Baghdad, pedestrians were few and far between. Those people that had once thronged the prosperous Silk Road and the markets of the Arabian Empire all went into hibernation.

Five to six hundred li from Khorasan was a place that stood in stark contrast to the otherwise desolate and somber world. Here, under the overcast sky, the silhouettes of people packed the earth, extending for hundreds of li into the distance. And in the middle of this sea of human beings, tall black banners stood in every corner, almost blocking out the sun.

“Has everyone arrived?”

Outside a massive tent, amidst the frigid winds, the Empire’s White Corpse Hular coldly spoke from atop a white warhorse. His eyes flitted like lightning bolts as he scanned the earth. Everywhere he looked, he could see strong Arabs and mighty warhorses. After expending so much time, Arabia had finally gathered its army.

Powerful auras soared out of the army. Many governors and generals had been gathered in this region, enough to make anyone shiver in fear.

One of Hular’s personal aides bowed as he respectfully said, “Milord, the last person, the Governor of Canaan, has arrived. All the armies are present and awaiting orders!”

Buzz!

A sharp light erupted from Hular’s eyes, and they became countless times brighter than before. But Hular quickly managed to calm back down.

“Hular, is it ready?”

At this moment, a majestic voice came from behind him, suffused with supreme authority and dignity, a voice that came from on high. Hular shivered and turned his head.

“Milord, all seven hundred and fifty thousand soldiers have arrived, as have all the governors. We are ready to set out for Khorasan at any time to do battle with those rebellious remnants!”

Hular lowered his head and bowed.

All was quiet. Three figures stood in a row, looming over the earth, with mountainous auras rising from their bodies. Although Hular was a mighty governor of Arabia, he appeared much shorter than this trio, like a child in front of adults.

The Three Titans of Black Radiance!

There were many formidable governors in the history of Arabia, and before Abu Muslim, the most renowned were the Three Titans of Black Radiance. At the time, they had been the strongest governors of the empire’s east, until they eventually retired from the army. It was only after they retired that Abu Muslim and Ziyad had a chance to forge their reputations in the east, that Abu Muslim could gain the title of Governor of Iron and Blood.

Although they had retired from the army, the Three Titans still wielded enormous prestige in the military. Not even Hular could compare to them.

With Qutaybah, Aybak, and Osman all having been killed, and even Hular having been defeated, there was practically no one left in the Arabian Empire that could oppose the Great Tang and Wang Chong. There was no choice except to request that these three veterans leave retirement.

“Then set off!” the Head of Black Radiance, Fadi, declared.

“Leave those top-class Great Tang commanders and Bahram to us,” the Blood of Black Radiance, Firas, added.

“Once the walls are breached, kill all the Khorasani! Leave not one alive!” the Blade of Black Radiance, Imron, announced. “Those who dare to collude with those eastern infidels must prepare to face death. Khorasan requires a true cleansing.”

The trio spoke calmly and emotionlessly. With just a few words, they had decided the fates of the hundreds of thousands of people in Khorasan.

Boom!

With this order, the army set out. More than seven hundred thousand soldiers, accompanied by countless governors and generals, marched with a mountain-toppling momentum toward Khorasan, shaking the entire world.

......

In the distant Khorasan, countless people were gathered on the western walls, all of them looking toward Baghdad solemnly. Even though there was no one to be seen, all of Khorasan was tense in anticipation of a coming battle.

Whoosh!

Without the slightest warning, the broad Tigris River began to shake. As if its tempo had been broken, ripples and waves began to break out without any rhyme or reason. Rumble! A powerful energy came from underground, and everyone on the walls could clearly sense that Khorasan was shaking.

“What’s going on?”

Everyone on the walls looked around, clearly uneasy.

But this trembling only intensified, like some invisible giant hand was down below, constantly shaking the foundations of the city.

“Look over there!” a tall and muscular Khorasani called out in alarm as he pointed into the distance.

Everyone followed that person’s gaze and clearly saw a black line emerging on the horizon, rushing toward Khorasan.

It was as thin as a thread at the start, but rapidly transformed into a surging wave sweeping toward Khorasan.

“Careful!”

“It’s the Arabs!”

Horns blared from the walls, shattering the calm of Khorasan. War drums thundered, and the mood of Khorasan further intensified. In the distance, as if response to the calls of alarm, the enormous black Arab war banner was slowly raised up and began to flap in the wind.

“Kill!”

As they approached the towering walls of Khorasan, the vast sea of Arab cavalry suddenly unsheathed their scimitars and began to charge at Khorasan in a torrent of steel.

“Finally here?”

Wang Chong, wearing the Heavenly Mandate Battle Armor, looked down on the approaching army with a faint smile on his face.

Even before the first tremor, he had ascended the walls. The vast sea of Arab soldiers had come with such grandiose momentum that anyone who saw it would experience immense psychological pressure. It was like the entire world was crushing down, engendering deep dread.

But Wang Chong had long ago predicted this scene.

“Xu Keyi, Xue Qianjun, is it ready?” Wang Chong said without turning his head.

“Milord, everything is ready. The inspection of all the weapons and equipment has been finished!” the two replied in unison.

“Remember, as long as we can hold for half a day, as long as the Arabs can’t break the city gates for half a day, we don’t need to worry about anything else!” Wang Chong nonchalantly said, his expression calm and confident. He exuded a powerful aura that made others want to believe in him.

“Understood!”

The two bowed and quickly withdrew.

“General, are you truly sure that we only need to be able to hold for half a day to weather the Arab attack?” Bahram asked.

The Arabs had been gathering strength for a long time, and the thunderous momentum they had come with alarmed even someone of Bahram’s strength.