The next day.
The long-drought-stricken Talas seemed to be about to receive its first heavy rain since the beginning of summer. The once azure sky was shrouded in thick dark clouds, and strong winds raged across the vast wilderness, whipping up sand and stones.
It evokes a sense of impending doom, like dark clouds looming over the city.
After a night of rest, the Tang Dynasty's Anxi cavalry, stationed in the Western Regions, were fully revived and assembled on the battlefield, ready to fight a decisive battle against the Arab Empire's eastward expeditionary army.
Lan Yu, the commander-in-chief of the Tang army and Marquis of Anxi, personally donned his armor and rode proudly before the three armies, his handsome face filled with an aura of "who else but me?"
Today, Lan Yu will personally lead his army to decisively defeat the Arab Empire's eastward expeditionary force from the front.
On the other side, Turgun, the Abbasid Caliph's general in the eastern expedition, moved his central command watchtower several thousand paces forward to boost the morale of his soldiers, bringing it no more than two miles from the battlefield.
If the Tang army's warhorses were charging at full speed, they could reach Turhong's central command location from the battlefield in just a few dozen breaths.
It is not hard to see that both sides have adopted a do-or-die attitude, striving to achieve victory in one battle.
Boom, boom boom—
At that moment, muffled thunder rumbled from the thick, dark clouds in the sky.
On the desolate battlefield, only the whistling wind and the occasional snorting of warhorses could be heard.
The next moment, Turhun, the Abbasid Caliphate's Grand General for the Eastern Expedition, who was stationed at the central command observation tower, was the first to release the falcon in his hand, which was the signal for the Arab Empire's army to attack.
At the same time, Marquis Lan Yu of Anxi, who had personally mounted his horse and charged into battle, slowly drew his sword, pointed the tip of his ring-pommel sword with domineering force, and roared in a booming voice: "All soldiers of the Great Tang Dynasty, heed my command—"
"Follow this general into battle, raze the enemy camp, and slaughter!"
"Kill them!"
In an instant, shouts of battle erupted across the vast battlefield of Talas, the neighing of warhorses shook the heavens, and the sounds of gongs, drums, and horns from both sides resounded in unison. Accompanied by the muffled thunder from the sky and the howling wind across the earth, they intertwined to form a tragic war march.
On the Tang army's side, Marquis Lan Yu of Anxi, who took the lead in battle, led more than 30,000 Anxi cavalry forward without fear in the face of an enemy several times their size.
On the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary force, Persian cavalry, war elephants, and camel riders poured out in full force. Under the command of Turhun, the greatest warrior of the Arabs, and led by two fierce generals, al-Din and Caesar, they charged forward relentlessly, attempting to encircle and annihilate more than 30,000 Tang cavalrymen on the battlefield with overwhelming force.
The clash between two exceptionally powerful cavalry forces from the East and West was destined from the outset to be a brutal and unprecedented battle.
In such large-scale cavalry battles, individual bravery becomes irrelevant on the battlefield; the focus shifts to the tactical application and coordination between the two armies.
On the Tang Dynasty cavalry side, under the personal command of Lan Yu, they maximized the speed and individual equipment advantages of the Anxi Iron Cavalry. More than 30,000 cavalrymen obeyed orders and charged in strict accordance with the guidance of the battle flag.
Lan Yu's goal was also very clear: to capture the enemy's leader, he headed straight for the enemy's central command tent.
On the battlefield, the Tang cavalrymen were completely unafraid of the enemy cavalry that surrounded them from the flanks and rear. They did not dodge or hide from the arrows that came from the sides and rear. Instead, they gripped the reins of their warhorses tightly and followed the guidance of the battle flag, accelerating and accelerating again; charging and charging again!
Three thousand steps!
Two thousand steps!
Moments later, a dense wedge formation of over 30,000 Tang cavalrymen charged straight at the center of the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army, like a swift bolt of lightning.
The Persian cavalry, coming from the opposite direction, tried in vain to block the advance of the Tang cavalry.
The moment the two armies' cavalry clashed, the Persian cavalry's formation was torn apart and divided by the powerful Tang cavalry. However, the Tang cavalry did not linger in the battle, and instead continued their charge towards the enemy's center, ignoring the Persian cavalry that had been scattered and broken up.
Immediately afterwards, the Persian war elephants, facing the enemy, continued their fearless advance, using the agility and mobility of their warhorses to quickly weave through the gaps between the enemy Persian war elephants.
Even though countless Tang cavalrymen were cut down by the more powerful Persian war elephants during this forced raid, it still could not stop the Tang cavalry's advance.
Seeing their comrades fall in battle did not deter the Tang cavalry; instead, it fueled their fighting spirit and determination for revenge, and they continued to charge forward.
Until they had left the enemy's Persian cavalry and war elephants far behind.
When they were a thousand paces away from the enemy's central army, the Tang cavalry suddenly split into three. While General Lan Yu continued to lead the central cavalry in a frontal charge, the two deputy generals, Tan Li and Luo Quan, led the left and right wings respectively to outflank and encircle the Arab Empire's central infantry, taking advantage of the high speed and mobility of their warhorses.
"General, something terrible has happened! The Tang army is coming for you and the central army!"
On the watchtower of the central army of the Arab Empire, a general immediately discovered the true intentions of the Tang cavalry.
"What's the panic!"
Turhong forced himself to remain calm and said sternly, "Order the central army to form ranks and meet the enemy!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
After the general left, a hint of fear finally flashed across Turhong's eyes.
In fact, when he witnessed the commander of the Tang cavalry personally leading the charge and tearing through the two frontal defenses composed of Persian iron cavalry and Persian war elephants, Turhong was already filled with fear. The fighting power of this Tang cavalry was truly terrifying!
If the 500,000 reinforcements from the empire cannot arrive in Talas by noon today, Turhong really cannot guarantee whether he can leave this powerful Tang cavalry in Talas.
Given the changing situation on the battlefield, the question is no longer whether the Tang cavalry can be captured, but whether Turhong can escape unscathed.
Fortunately, in front of the central army, there were not only 20,000 elite guards protecting the central army, but also countless chariots surrounding the city to block the Tang cavalry from charging.
If the central army can withstand the attack of the Tang cavalry, it will buy time for the Persian cavalry, war elephants, and camel cavalry on the periphery to surround the Tang cavalry.
"Form ranks—"
On the outskirts of the Arab central army, an Abbasid general commanded the troops, ordering them to engage the enemy.
brush!
At a command, countless Arab soldiers raised their spears and formed battle formations with their chariots and shields to defend against the oncoming Tang cavalry charge.
"put--"
On the other side, Lan Yu, who was charging forward on horseback, raised his hand, and countless Tang Dynasty cavalry archers who were already ready immediately drew their bows and nocked arrows. Thousands of arrows left the bowstrings and headed straight for the Arab central army's defensive forces.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Clang, clang, clang!
In an instant, a hail of arrows turned the Arab army's defensive formation into a pincushion. A few Arab soldiers who couldn't dodge in time were immediately shot to death by the arrows, while the majority continued to rely on the defensive line formed by chariots and shields to resist the onslaught of the Tang cavalry.
"Put it down again—"
Boom, boom, boom!
This time, the Tang cavalry's throwers used their portable catapults to hurl stones the size of bowls into the Arab central army ranks.
Even Arab soldiers clad in armor and helmets were bruised and battered by the falling rocks, leaving them dazed and confused.
Some soldiers who were hit directly in the face by stones bled from their ears and noses on the spot and lost their fighting ability!
Immediately afterwards, the Tang army's slingers retreated, and cavalrymen wielding hammers, whips, axes, and other weapons to smash and pierce armor appeared, launching a fierce attack on the central army of the Arab Empire.
The Tang cavalry grew increasingly fierce in battle, and the cavalry on the left and right flanks, led by their two deputy generals Tan Li and Luo Quan, encircled the central army of the Arab Empire, launching a fierce attack on the Arab central army's defenses from all directions.
At the same time, the Arab and Persian cavalry, Persian war elephants, and camel cavalry units, having realized what was happening, rushed back to reinforce the central army, surrounding more than 30,000 Tang cavalry.
For a time, such a scene appeared on the battlefield of Talas—with the Arab central army as the core, the Tang cavalry formed an encirclement around it, and on the outer perimeter of the Tang cavalry, an even larger encirclement composed of Arab troops was formed.
Now that the battle has reached this point, it remains to be seen whether the Tang cavalry will be the first to break through the Arab central army's defenses, or whether the Arab eastward expeditionary force, working from both inside and outside, will be the first to annihilate the Tang cavalry!
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