Chapter 1837 - The Silver Spear Army! (II)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The Silver Spear Army was a powerful force of Khatabah’s that excelled at both offense and defense. It was meant specifically to deal with offensively powerful armies. While holding out against fierce assaults, they would use the sharp spikes on their shields to assault the enemy line and tear through their defenses!
The training for the Silver Spear Army was extremely difficult, and losses were hard to restore. Moreover, their heavy equipment meant that a single charge was incredibly exhausting. As a result, Apolis did not use them much, but there was no question that this was the best chance for the Silver Spear Army to display its full power.
Rumble! The Silver Spear Army spread out in a row, shielding the Arab cavalry behind them. Moreover, the Silver Spear Army soldiers were far stronger than the average armored soldiers, and the many spikes on their shields ensured that they would have the ability to break through hard points in the enemy line.
Bang!
With thunderous speed, a massive spike slammed into one of the Tang shields.
“Aaah!” This Tang shield soldier who had endured hundreds of attacks without backing down was nevertheless instantly knocked flying together with his shields. As he was blown backward, he crashed into several infantry behind him.
Boomboomboom!
A moment later, the rest of the thousands of Silver Spear Army cavalry struck, sending the elite shield soldiers on the Tang front line hurtling through the air.
In normal circumstances, cavalry would have never been able to so easily break the Tang defense line, but the long spikes on the shields concentrated all the power of the charge onto a single point, placing so much pressure on the shield soldiers that they simply couldn’t hold.
“It seems that the Hierophant came well prepared!”
Atop the elephant Behemoth, the High Priest’s black robe ruffled as he spoke.
All of them had seen the power of the Tang ballistae. On the journey eastward, the Hierophant had seemingly done nothing, but it was slowly becoming evident just how meticulous his preparations had been.
“Heh, High Priest flatters me. This cannot be considered a sort of preparation, merely one of the cavalry forces I used in my conquests. Although there aren’t many and they can’t be considered too powerful, no one has yet been able to break them. They should be enough to deal with these eastern infidels,” Khatabah nonchalantly said.
Bang!
As if in response to Khatabah’s words, Su Hanshan’s ballistae began to fire. A bolt howled through the air and slammed into a Silver Spear Army horseman with thunderous speed. The sharp bolt pierced several feet through the thick shield, and the force of the impact caused the horse to fly several dozen feet back.
But a few moments later, clop! The hooves of the horse hit the ground in a cloud of dust. The Silver Spear Army horseman had managed to hold out against that powerful blow.
The silver shields of the Silver Spear Army were installed so that they were fifteen feet in front of the horses, providing them an area of safety. The ballista bolt had failed to harm the Arab horseman and his horse!
Boomboomboom!
Countless ballista bolts blasted into the silver shields, but the unique shields allowed the Arabs to suffer only the occasional loss.
“Kill!”
With the cover of the Silver Spear Army, the thousands of Arab cavalry hollered and charged.
Even Su Hanshan couldn’t help but grimace at this sight.
“Heh! It seems that the Arabs came prepared! But if they think that this meager number of shield cavalry can deal with the Great Tang, then they’re too naive.”
A mental wave resounded in the minds of the five other Great Generals as Zhangchou Jianqiong spoke.
Sensing Zhangchou Jianqiong’s fighting intent, An Sishun smiled and spoke as well. “Hah, it’s about time I made my move.”
The Great Tang had dominated the world through its infantry. Skilled in defense, it had many shield soldiers. This had even led to the rise of a general like Wang Chong, whose use of steel walls in battles had allowed him to become a War God. But many people had forgotten that the Great Tang had not reached its current level of power through purely defense. On the contrary, it had been proactive aggression, penetrating deep into the heartland of the enemy, that had allowed it to reach its current status!
The Silver Spear Army continued to advance, puncturing the first defense line in many places. Some Arab cavalry had already advanced several dozen meters deep into the defense line, and there were many more Arab cavalry behind them.
If this continued, it wouldn’t be long before the first defense line was completely lost. But on the Great Tang side, Wang Chong, Zhangchou Jianqiong, Wang Zhongsi, An Sishun, Gao Xianzhi, and Abusi did not move a muscle. It was like the defense line being wrecked had nothing to do with them.
One second!
Two seconds!
Three seconds!
……
The Arab cavalry on both flanks continued to press in, and in the center, even with the giant ballistae and the thirty-six Behemoth Slayers working together to slow down the Behemoth Army’s pace, the Great Tang’s defense line was continuing to crumble. Numerous steel walls were being stomped into scrap, knocked flying, and swept aside by the Behemoths.
All parties were keeping close watch on the developments: Wunu Shibi, Khatabah, Abu Muslim…
Just as the Arab army on the left flank had opened a gap and was charging in, the eyes of the seemingly petrified Zhangchou Jianqiong suddenly flashed with cold light. A moment later, the renowned tiger of the Great Tang began to move.
“Annan Protectorate army, attack!”
Zhangchou Jianqiong’s callous voice resounded over the battlefield. As he spoke, his body erupted with a peerlessly sharp energy, like a sword leaving its sheath!
At this moment, he was no longer the Minister of War. He had been reborn and was once more the southwest’s Tiger of the Empire.
Boom!
Like the waves stirred up by a boulder crashing into a lake, Zhangchou Jianqiong, the Annan Protectorate army, and the tens of thousands of soldiers Wang Chong had given him suddenly swept forward.
Clang!
As Zhangchou Jianqiong charged out, his horse mightily neighed, and a dark red halo erupted from its feet and swept over his army.
As this hurricane of power engulfed them, Zhangchou Jianqiong’s Annan Protectorate army instantly soared in speed, strength, and agility, their bodies blazing with energy!
Behind them, the energy of Wang Chong’s soldiers also soared.
“So powerful!”
Wang Chong’s subordinates were all taken aback by this sight, and even Wang Chong couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
In the war of the southwest, Wang Chong had fought alongside Xianyu Zhongtong’s Annan Protectorate army, so he had a deep understanding of its strength.
This protectorate army wasn’t weak, but it also wasn’t very strong. Amongst the protectorate armies of the empire, it was probably on the weaker side. But at this moment, the Annan Protectorate army was savage, brutal, aggressive, and seething with crimson energy. Wang Chong felt as if they were truly a man-eating tiger. It was completely different from the army under Xianyu Zhongtong.
One was the heavens and the other was the earth!
An incompetent soldier affected only himself, but an incompetent general affected the entire army. While Xianyu Zhongtong was quite strong, he was no Great General. In the end, only Zhangchou Jianqiong could serve as the true soul of the Annan Protectorate army.
Only when he commanded this army could it be considered the real Annan Protectorate army!
Wang Chong suddenly understood how Zhangchou Jianqiong had been able to sit in the southwest for so many years without a major incident, why people as formidable as Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang had to wait until Zhangchou Jianqiong had left the southwest to finally launch a full invasion.
“Kill!”
But neither Zhangchou Jianqiong nor Xianyu Zhongtong was the first to strike. Instead, with an earthshaking roar, an old subordinate of Zhangchou Jianqiong was the first to strike. Wang Chong had seen this man at Zhangchou Jianqiong’s side quite a few times, but he had never had a lasting impression of him.
This time, however, this old subordinate finally revealed his true strength. Though he led the vanguard, he did not lead cavalry, but seven to eight thousand infantry from the Annan Protectorate army.
“Tiger!”
“Tiger!”
“Tiger!”
With resounding bellows, the soldiers behind Zhangchou Jianqiong’s old subordinate raised up giant axes in both hands and lunged fearlessly at the Silver Spear Army.
Thirty feet! Twenty feet! Ten feet!
When both sides were six or seven feet away, the vanguard of the Annan Protectorate army suddenly dropped down and nimbly lunged across the ground.
Swish!
The air howled as the giant axes cleaved through the air and then brutally hacked into the legs of an Arabian warhorse.
Blood gushed out, and the warhorse’s left leg flew into the air.
