Chapter 1849 - Tactical Planning!

Everyone had seen the power of the Great Tang’s defense line. The two hundred thousand Arab cavalry had been wiped out before they had even broken through the first defense line, and even the Behemoths had only broken a portion of the steel walls. None of them knew what the Hierophant and the High Priest were planning that could destroy those steel walls.

As if understanding what they were all thinking, the High Priest swept his sleeve and nonchalantly said, “Cease your questions! You will know tomorrow!”

Everyone lowered their heads. None of them doubted the High Priest. The High Priest was the most mysterious person in the empire, who not even the Caliph knew much about. But he was also the one who had created the Behemoth Army, and no one doubted his strength.

If he said he had a way, he had a way!

After a few moments of silence, Abu Muslim suddenly stepped forward. “Hierophant, High Priest, there is one other matter!

“For this war, the Great Tang has sent all its elites. All the soldiers appearing before us are their very best, and they also have a special banner that can stack the abilities of their armies on top of each other, greatly increasing their power. In the Battle of Talas, my and Qutaybah’s soldiers lost to them because of this. This is an extremely special banner that we must make countermeasures for,” Abu Muslim seriously said, bowing.

Buzz!

Khatabah and the others in the hall all had strange expressions, Khatabah even raising an eyebrow.

“What war banner? Why did you not mention it before?”

Everyone focused their attention on Abu Muslim.

Abu Muslim bitterly smiled. He was a defeated general, so how many people would listen to him? Moreover, that banner had appeared very suddenly, and not even Abu Muslim had been entirely sure what it was, so how could he bring it up with others?

Abu Muslim lowered his head and deferentially said, “Hierophant, that banner’s origins are extremely mysterious, and even the Great Tang appears to rarely use it. After that battle, I sent many spies to the Great Tang, exploiting their militarist-Confucian conflict to gather information, but all I have learned so far is that it is called the Nine Dragon Blood War Banner. I know nothing else.”

Khatabah’s brows pensively creased, but this soon passed.

“I understand!”

Khatabah gave a slight nod and turned to Lucis.

“Lucis, when you discover the enemy using the war banner Abu Muslim has spoken of, do as we previously discussed and activate the Moon God Tree!”

The Moon God Tree?

All the people in the hall were taken aback. Despite the many Governors present here, none of them had heard of this name before.

But the High Priest’s black robe faintly trembled in understanding.

The Moon God Tree, also known as the Tree of the Sea Mother, was a power of an ancient civilization that Khatabah had obtained from that well in Hamuhad.

The Tree of the Sea Mother was one of the strongest treasures he had obtained and contained a mysterious energy. But using the tree’s power was no simple task, and it required paying a heavy price. Even Khatabah had to pay this price when first obtaining the tree, and it could not be used as one pleased.

“Shamsudin!”

Khatabah suddenly turned his head.

“I give you command over all the archers, the hunting falcons, and also the giant bird army. In tomorrow’s battle, I need you to completely wipe out all the Great Tang’s birds.”

Shamsudin shuddered upon hearing this. Although he had a group of excellent master archers under his command, he hadn’t expected the Hierophant to so abruptly make this decision.

“Shamsudin, everyone in the empire is watching this war. If we cannot exterminate the Great Tang and conquer the eastern world, taking all these infidels under our rule, do you really think you can go back alive?

“Even as a high noble, if you cannot serve your empire, you are only useless trash. A high noble like you will face the same end as Apolis.”

“Yes, Hierophant! This subordinate will do his utmost to exterminate all their birds!”

“Hasim, I will place all the giants under your command. Amongst all the Governors of the empire, you have the greatest skill with catapults. In tomorrow’s battle, you are to accurately cast all the giants into the Great Tang’s ballista formation. If there are any mistakes that spoil our chances at victory, I will personally end you!

“I have killed many high nobles who failed to obey my orders. Even if you report this to the Caliph, no one will be able to help you!” Khatabah callously said.

“This subordinate would not dare. Hasim will definitely complete the Hierophant’s mission!”

Hasim inwardly trembled as he lowered his head and bowed.

“The steel walls, the ballistae, the giant ballistae… I will deal with all of this. Tomorrow, the entire army will mobilize, and we must destroy this eastern empire. Anyone who dares to retreat tomorrow will be executed without question!” Khatabah coldly proclaimed to the people in the hall.

“Yes!”

Everyone immediately lowered their heads.

“Now! We will begin planning for tomorrow’s battle!”

Khatabah suddenly took several steps forward and pulled away a long Arabian carpet, revealing the intricate model beneath.

Everyone immediately gathered around the model.

Around an hour later, the conference ended. All the Governors and Deputy Governors dispersed, leaving behind only Khatabah and the High Priest.

All fell quiet.

The High Priest suddenly turned to Khatabah and profoundly asked, “Have you made up your mind? Tomorrow, must we use that thing within the cauldron?”

“Mm! As long as we have that beast, we can sweep over the eastern world and complete that grand aspiration that no one on the continent has ever achieved! This time, I plan to leave behind no regrets,” Khatabah firmly said, his voice unwavering.

“Mm.”

The High Priest gave a slight nod, his black robes concealing any emotion he might have shown.

“I merely wish to warn you that this fiend annihilated an ancient civilization by itself. Using it will require a certain price, and once the east is pacified, you must watch out for any side effects.”

Khatabah’s face froze for a moment. He clearly understood what the High Priest was saying, but in the end, he resolved himself.

“All of this… can wait until after we conquer the eastern world!”

The hall fell silent once more. This time, the High Priest said no more, and everything was concealed under the veil of darkness.

……

Meanwhile, in the City of Steel, the six Great Generals and King Song had gathered together for their own conference. The mood was exceptionally grim.

“Tomorrow will be a fierce battle. The Arabs will send everything they have. Even with the steel walls and the ballistae, those two million soldiers will place immense pressure on us,” Gao Xianzhi said, his face grave.

In front of him was a massive model upon which everyone was focused. The model had been reworked to express in excruciating detail the current terrain and situation.

Abusi spoke up. “I also feel this way. Even though they’ve already mobilized their Behemoth Army, the Arabs undoubtedly have even more moves to be used.”

His brow was creased and his hands slightly clenched as he examined the model.

Though he did not possess as profound a grasp of the art of war as Zhangchou Jianqiong, An Sishun, or Gao Xianzhi, he was still a Great General who had participated in his fair share of battles, and he still had the intuition of a Great General.

“Moreover, in today’s battle, the majority of their cavalry died to our ballistae. We can be sure that they’ll think of some way tonight to deal with the steel walls and the ballistae!”

Abusi’s words cast a solemn mood on the room.

The impregnable steel walls that could hold against a cavalry charge and the sharp and unstoppable ballistae were the Great Tang’s shield and spear in this war.

Without these two things, the Great Tang’s battle against Arabia would have never been so easy. It was like Arabia without its Behemoth Army.

“It’s not that simple. Did you see all those armored giants in the back of the enemy army? They remained in the rear throughout the entire battle. If the Arabs didn’t commit them to battle, they must have greater plans for them,” Zhangchou Jianqiong said, his brow tinged with worry.

Zhangchou Jianqiong had made a significant contribution to today’s victory, and because he had been in the front line, he had noticed many small details. As an influential commander, Zhangchou Jianqiong was never one to focus solely on the battle around him.

In that battle, Zhangchou Jianqiong had swept his gaze over the entire battlefield, including the rear of the Arab army, where the Arabs still had forces they had not committed.

“Our enemy is Khatabah, a legend of Arabia. He must have certain extraordinary traits that allowed him to obtain this reputation. But I’m not particularly concerned about any hidden moves they might have,” Wang Chong said, his expression calm and unperturbed.

The Great Tang was at its peak state, and he had his dream army. The steel defense line, the ballistae, the giant ballistae, six Great Generals, the Divine Martial Army, the Tongluo Cavalry… No matter who his opponent was or how strong they were, the Great Tang could deal with them. Moreover, Wang Chong himself had yet to make his move.

“There’s one other matter!”

At this moment, Wang Zhongsi suddenly spoke.