novelaction Chapter 763: Divine Fire Crows Launched Together, Like the Milky Way Pouring Down
Chapter 763: Divine Fire Crows Launched Together, Like the Milky Way Pouring Down
At the beginning of winter in the third year of Yonghui, the biting north wind carried snowflakes from the Pamir Plateau and pierced the vast wilderness of Isfahan.
The three armies of the Tang army were like three long-dormant dragons, galloping from the east, their iron hooves crushing the ice, their flags tearing through the cold fog, and they gathered at the foot of the city of Isfahan in a mighty force.
The tents of 500,000 soldiers stretched for hundreds of miles. The iron armor reflected the cold light of the setting sun, and the red flags stood like a forest, dyeing half of the sky blood red.
In the camp, the neighing of a hundred thousand war horses mixed with the clanging of weapons being forged by craftsmen. Even the frozen and cracked ground beneath their feet was shaking. The birds and beasts within a hundred miles had already fled without a trace.
When night falls, the campfire is like stars falling to the ground, and the endless flames shine against the stars in the sky, as if a candle dragon on earth has opened millions of scorching eyes.
Inside the central army tent, the scent of agarwood and saltpeter from the beast furnace intertwined and permeated the air, condensing into a light blue mist under the illumination of the tallow lamp.
Pei Xingjian was wearing a black cloak, and the jade military token on his waist made slight noises as he moved, with dark patterns faintly visible under the fabric.
He gazed at the city of Isfahan marked with cinnabar on the sand table, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the ivory chips, the twenty-eight constellations engraved on the chips flowing in the light and shadow.
Suddenly, amidst the howling wind and snow outside the tent, hurried footsteps were heard. The moment the felt curtain was lifted, cold air, carrying broken snow, rushed in. A messenger covered in frost and snow knelt on one knee, ice crystals falling from his eyelashes. "General! The three armies have arrived!"
Before he finished speaking, another general scurried in, the icicles on his armor gleaming coldly in the candlelight. Behind him were two burly men carrying heavy boxes of gunpowder samples. "Twenty thousand Qianwu cannons have been deployed! Gunpowder convoys from the Hexi Corridor are rushing in day and night at a rate of one every three days! Each cart of gunpowder has been specially inspected and is blended with sulfur from Sichuan and saltpeter from Lingnan. It's three times more powerful than ordinary gunpowder!"
Pei Xingjian's lips curled up into a meaningful smile. His gaze swept over the thirty-odd generals in the tent. Suddenly, he reached out and took down the "Map of the Western Regions" hanging on the wall. The map was densely marked with numerous strongholds. "My lords, as you know, the secret decree sent by His Majesty the other day included half a picture of the snowy Daming Palace—the only thing missing was the smoke of the Western Expedition that should have been reflected on it."
He reached out and tapped the foot-high pile of urgent documents on the desk. The rustling of parchment was particularly clear in the silence. "I'm afraid the censors in Chang'an have already cursed my name as a coward who cowers in fear."
"But they don't know," Pei Xingjian suddenly lowered his voice, a sly flicker in his eyes, "If you are impatient and impetuous, you will never achieve anything great!"
Li Jinxing took a sudden step forward, the tiger-head badge on his waist clashing with a resounding sound, his eyes wide open. "I am willing to lead five thousand soldiers as the vanguard! Your Majesty has promised that anyone who kills ten enemies will receive a promotion of half a rank. This is a godsend opportunity..."
His words were interrupted by Pei Xingjian's hearty laughter: "You, the governor of Yingzhou, are so anxious that even your beard is turning white! If you really steal the first prize, I'm afraid you'll drink my entire drinking bill when I return to Chang'an!"
The generals in the tent burst into laughter, but Pei Xingjian suddenly held down his sword and scanned every young and resolute face: "But this battle is extraordinary!"
"This is the first battle of our Tang Dynasty cavalry drinking water from the Persian Gulf. We must let those barbarians who claim to be God's chosen people know—"
He swung his sword at the sand table, a cold flash of light passing over the model of Isfahan, and the blade left a burn mark on the cowhide map. "Your Majesty's majesty is colder than the glaciers of the Pamirs and fiercer than the thunder of Kunlun!"
"Tomorrow, we'll bombard them with 20,000 cannons until the ground shakes. When they think they've held their ground, we'll let them experience the sensation of a 'fire dragon emerging from the water'!"
He raised his hand to signal his personal guards, who then rolled out an exquisite wooden chariot model. Its body was intricately decorated with mechanisms, and the dragon head carved into the prow was lifelike. "This is a new firearm made by the Ministry of Works. The dragon head contains a chain crossbow, and it sprays fierce incendiary oil from its mouth. Once we capture the city, we'll destroy the enemy without a single piece of armor left!"
At dawn the next day, the morning mist covered the Lai defense line like a veil, but it could not hide the gleaming swords and shadows on the city wall.
The Arab warrior gripped his scimitar tightly, looking at the black waves gradually appearing on the horizon, with a sour feeling in his throat.
When the Tang army's formation was fully revealed, some people collapsed on the ground in horror - the formation of 500,000 troops was even vaster than the most vast desert they had ever seen.
Twenty thousand Qianwu cannons were arranged into a long steel snake. Looking from above, they looked like countless giant python eyes staring at their prey.
What frightened the defenders even more was that behind the artillery formation, thousands of chariots covered with oilcloth were moving slowly. Thick ropes and iron hooks could be vaguely seen wrapped around the shafts of the chariots. They were "battering rams" specially prepared to destroy the city walls. Each chariot was pulled by twelve strong horses, and heavy iron plates were installed on the body to protect against arrows.
Muawiyah gripped the scimitar tightly, and drops of blood seeped from between his fingers and dripped onto the battlements.
When Ali was in power, the tragic scene of Xue Rengui's 20,000 cavalrymen trampling through Taixifeng flashed through his mind. At that time, the royal flag of the Arab Empire was trampled into powder by the hooves of the Tang army, and the royal family members were forced to sign a humiliating treaty.
At this moment, he looked at the Tang army below the city, which was blocking out the sun and sky. Suddenly, he slashed his scimitar into the city wall, and shouted amidst the flying wood chips: "We could escape back then, but today we have nowhere to retreat!"
"This line of defense is God's will, and it is also our burial place!"
He turned to face the defenders and roared at the top of his lungs: "Retreat from the defense line! Hold your muskets tightly! When the cannons stop, use their blood to wash away our shame! Long live the Arab Empire!"
As he spoke, he slapped the giant catapult beside him. This war machine, built by Byzantine craftsmen, could throw stone bullets weighing 100 kilograms over a distance of 300 steps. "Aim at the Tang army's gunpowder carts. As long as we blow up their firearms, we still have a chance of victory!"
Justinian II held the scepter in his hand and looked at the giant "nest car" slowly rising behind the Tang army formation, with an ominous premonition in his heart.
On top of those wooden towers that were more than ten feet high, soldiers were using telescopes to spy on the city. Rows of leather bags were hung on the sides of the towers - they were used to throw lime. Once they exploded, the soldiers defending the city would be blinded instantly.
He subconsciously gripped the scepter tightly, the eagle emblem on it hurting his palm, and his oath to revive Rome turned into a bitter sigh in his throat.
Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of Muawiyah's guards carrying pottery jars in the corner of the city wall. A pungent smell wafted in the air, and he was startled.
It turns out that Muawiyah also has a forbidden weapon called Greek fire, which he would never use unless absolutely necessary.
"fire!"
Pei Xingjian's command flag fell like blood-red lightning.
In an instant, twenty thousand rays of fire tore through the morning mist, the flames spewing from the muzzles illuminated an area of ten miles, and the deafening roar was like the thunder when the world was first created.
The stone bullets hit the city wall like meteorites, and the flying bricks and stones carried human limbs straight into the sky.
After the line was released, the city was instantly engulfed in flames, and the sounds of crying, explosions, and collapsing buildings intertwined into a hellish symphony.
For a whole hour, artillery fire poured down like torrential rain. The bricks and stones of the Isfahan defense line were cut off by several feet, and the surface of the wall was covered with honeycomb-shaped bullet holes, but it still stood stubbornly in the smoke.
Some Arab warriors took advantage of the intervals between artillery bombardments and risked pushing out hidden kerosene tankers, rushing towards the Tang army positions, but were shot down by Tang army crossbows halfway, and the burning kerosene meandered on the ground into a deadly river of fire.
When the last cannon shot died down, the Arab soldiers crawled out of their bunkers and cheered thunderously as they looked at the devastated city walls.
Muawiyah stared at the dark clouds that were gradually getting thicker in the sky, his pupils suddenly contracted - countless black shadows pierced through the twilight, dragging scarlet tails of flames, pouring down like the Milky Way.
That was the Divine Fire Crow of the Tang Dynasty, carrying with it a rage hotter than thunder and a death more terrible than the punishment of Allah.
When the stars fall to earth, it will be the day of judgment for the pagans.
For some reason, he thought of the words in the Bible.
At this moment, the burning "galaxy" was surging towards them.
Just as Tang Jun said.
The divine fire crows flew out at the same time, like the Milky Way pouring down!