荔枝影院

"Prepare for battle!"

......

Several dozen zhang from the walls, Cheng Sanyuan and Su Shixuan stood at the front of their soldiers, their pupils constricting. Without hesitation, they pulled out their swords.

Clangclangclang!

At the same time, their hundreds of soldiers followed suit. There were no shouted signals or thundering drums and flapping banners, only countless sabers and swords glimmering in the cold starlight.

Forged in iron and blood, this army was now extremely disciplined and cohesive. This was definitely one of the most elite cavalry forces in this area.

"Kill!"

In the distance, that army that had traveled under the cover of darkness finally removed the veil. Urged on by that cry, thousands of soldiers pulled out their scimitars and began to howl, their shouts shaking the heavens and seemingly intent on tearing the skies apart.

Rumble! The earth shook as thousands of warhorses picked up speed, exploding with an energy as weighty as a mountain as they surged toward the City of Steel.

But it was at this moment that Wang Chong, with the help of the light from the blazing furnaces, was able to see white symbols on the warhorses of this mysterious cavalry force.

Those were complex, white-colored religious symbols.

When he saw those white symbols on the horses, Wang Chong suddenly paled.

"Cheng Sanyuan! Su Shixuan! Quickly withdraw!"

This anxious shout was like a peal of thunder, frightening everyone. Cheng Sanyuan and Su Shixuan turned their heads, dumbstruck. They were already ready to attack, and they had never expected Wang Chong to give the order to retreat.

"This is an order!" Wang Chong said through clenched teeth, his expression ashen. His eyes were not on Cheng Sanyuan and Su Shixuan, but fixed on that distant cavalry charging toward them like bolts of lightning.

The White Braves!

This thought had thrown Wang Chong’s mind into turmoil. He had only just now recognized those white religious symbols.

In all the world, only one cavalry force would paint those unique white symbols on their horses.

The Ü-Tsang White Braves!

Everyone in the world could acknowledge one fact, and this was that the power of a cavalry charge was much greater than an infantry charge. And amongst all cavalry, the Arabian cavalry was the most formidable.

Ü-Tsang’s White Braves were the only force that could compare to the Arabian cavalry, even stand on equal ground with the elite Mamelukes.

The Arabian Mamelukes, equipped with the peerlessly sharp Wootz Steel swords, had contributing greatly to defeating the Great Tang at the Battle of Talas. In the later advance into the Western Regions, they had been invincible, sweeping aside the various kingdoms.

The nearby Ü-Tsang Empire quickly became their next target!

When the Mamelukes turned their sights to the Tibetan Plateau, the Ü-Tsang Empire suffered grievous casualties, with the northern lines being almost completely run through. But then the Mamelukes encountered Ü-Tsang’s White Braves!

In that battle, the hundred-some thousand Mamelukes, each equipped with a Wootz Steel sword, ran into only four or five thousand Ü-Tsang White Braves, yet the White Braves managed to barely hold on and block their advance.

Although the White Braves had suffered bitter casualties, almost being completely wiped out, the Mamelukes suffered nearly five thousand casualties, an unprecedented wound.

This had been the greatest wound the Mamelukes had received since the beginning of their eastern campaign. It was for this reason that the Abbasid Caliphate eventually gave up its desire for the Tibetan Plateau.

One could easily imagine the strength of the White Braves!

The officers that Wang Chong had trained might have been well-disciplined, might have experienced the fierce combat of the southwestern war, but they were far from reaching the strength of the Arabian Mamelukes, much less the Ü-Tsang White Braves who could contend against them.

Each member of the White Braves was at the Profound Martial realm. They were normally assigned to guarding the royal capital, and would only be dispatched on important missions, rarely involving themselves in ordinary wars.

Wang Chong had never expected that the renowned and valiant White Braves of Ü-Tsang would appear here, outside his City of Steel.

"Withdraw!"

Outside the city, Cheng Sanyuan gritted his teeth. Although he was reluctant, he still chose to give the retreat order. Rumble!The city gate opened, and all the soldiers flooded in as they withdrew.

"Where are you going!"

A thunderous roar suddenly came from the distance. Before the voice had faded away, thwish! A sharp whistle came out of the darkness. Before anyone could react, an arrow shot out, instantly crossing the vast distance toward the neck of a horseman that was currently retreating into the city.

The shot was incredibly precise!

There was no armor to protect this area, so an arrow striking there meant certain death.

"Careful!"

Cheng Sanyuan’s pupils constricted and his face paled. The enemy had shot this arrow with incredible speed and with no warning. At the very least, this horseman had not noticed. Clang!Cheng Sanyuan immediately slashed down.

Bang! Sword clashed against arrow, jolting it away. Yet the massive force behind the arrow made it seem like he had not slashed against an arrow, but at the ground.

Crack! Cheng Sanyuan heard something break as his arm went limp and dropped.

Cheng Sanyuan finally grimaced.

"Hurry and close the gate!" Cheng Sanyuan immediately shouted.

Rumble! Each gate of the City of Steel was manned by elite and well-trained soldiers. With Cheng Sanyuan’s order, the foot-thick gates weighing nearly ten thousand jin swiftly closed.

Right after the gates closed, whistling could be heard as a rain of arrows arrived. They crashed against the gate, unable to break through.

But when these arrows struck the gate, they let out thunderous booms that rang in everyone’s ears. At this moment, everyone had grim expressions.

"Wang Chong, who are these people?" said a voice at his ear. Although this was only the first wave of attacks, even Bai Siling had felt that something was wrong.

"Ordinary soldiers could never be this strong, and their commander wrapped the hooves of the warhorses! These people have definitely come prepared, and they’re far stronger than the average cavalry force," Zhao Yatong grimly said.

All warhorses had iron horseshoes on their hooves, so when thousands of cavalry were charging, they produced a frightening sound. Thus, it was very strange that these cavalry had somehow not managed to produce a single noise in the vicinity of the City of Steel.

There was only one explanation for this.

The opponent had come prepared by wrapping the hooves in thick cloth so that the sound of the hooves hitting the ground would be muffled.

Zhao Yatong and the others quickly turned to Wang Chong.

Based on the standard procedure, when an enemy attacked, Cheng Sanyuan and Su Shixuan would gather all the guards and experts and charge the foe.

But before the battle had even begun, Wang Chong had called for a retreat. It was obvious that he had noticed something.

"I’ll tell you all later, but visitors never come with good intentions and those with good intentions wouldn’t come. I can only tell you that the opponents this time are more formidable than we’ve imagined!"

Wang Chong looked into the darkness with a grave expression.

Not many people in the Central Plains knew of the White Braves, and if too many people knew about, it would only damage morale, which was certainly not a good thing.

Ü-Tsang is actually using the White Braves to deal with me. It seems like the matter of spreading the plague over the Tibetan Plateau has made me a thorn in their sides. Even the Tsenpo is taking notice, Wang Chong quietly said to himself.

The White Braves protected the royal capital and were not permitted to leave without the Tsenpo’s permission, especially not to a place as distant as the City of Steel. In this operation, Wang Chong could sense the thick stench of vengeance as well as a firm resolve, an oath to kill!

It seemed like the war of the southwest had become a deep-seated grudge in the heart of every Tibetan.

This was certainly no good feeling!

But these thoughts plagued Wang Chong’s mind for only a few moments, and his eyes quickly became clear and calm.

Wang Chong raised an arm into the air and declared, "Pass on my order! Prepare for battle!"

The atmosphere had become extremely tense. All the workmen had retreated into the city, not even daring to breathe too loudly. On the walls, the clan experts nocked their arrows and aimed them out of the city.

Gallop!

The sound of hooves grew more and more concentrated, louder and louder. They seemed to be galloping on the hearts of everyone present, making the atmosphere increasingly tense.

In the City of Steel, it was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Closer!

Closer and closer!

......

Boom! A blazing furnace outside the city walls seemed to be struck by some strange monster, hurtling into the air.

The sky was suddenly filled with embers. In the light of these embers, one could see the flickering shadows of countless cavalry, like devils howling through the underworld.

"Kill!"

In a flash, those horsemen in the shadows had reached the walls. Their eyes were savage, and each of them exuded the ruthless energy of some primordial beast.

Creak! Bowstrings went taut as the clan experts lined up and began to pull back on their bows, their arrows targeted at the White Braves outside the city.

"Wait!"

Wang Chong raised his right hand, causing the sounds to stop.

"Now is not the time to fire. Everyone, wait for my order!"

Wang Chong’s face was incomparably stern. If these Tibetan cavalry were the same White Braves from his memories, then an ordinary arrow volley would be absolutely useless against them.