Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5154: The Power of Artillery
Xue Rengui sighed, "As expected, a sword has two edges, with advantages and disadvantages. Today, the power of artillery is invincible, but it comes at the cost of huge losses. The burden of war is getting heavier and heavier."

The more powerful the artillery is, the more dependent the war will be on it. The war model will change again. Everything will depend on the transportation of artillery and the supply of ammunition, supplemented by expensive and consumable weapons such as muskets and thunder bombs.

Therefore, from now on, war for the Tang Dynasty is about logistical supplies and national strength.

In the subsequent foreign wars, the country was invincible, but the burden of war on the country was getting heavier and heavier. It was basically impossible for the situation like Emperor Taizong to mobilize millions of soldiers to conquer Goguryeo, because even with the wealth of the Tang Dynasty, it was impossible to support a million-strong army equipped with firearms to conquer the east and the west...

Disarmament is almost inevitable.

The military's combat capability has increased, but its influence has decreased. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Xue Rengui didn't understand.

However, he knew that this war would usher in a long-term peace. There would not be another war of this scale in the Tang Dynasty for at least several decades. Correspondingly, it would be impossible to gain military merits as he had done since the founding of the country.

And he, Xue Rengui, will be the last famous general in the empire who will shine brightly and have great military achievements.

Thinking of what he was about to do, his blood boiled and he became extremely excited.

Perhaps, it can be compared with "Fenglangjuxu" and "Engraving the Stone at Yanran"...

……

The calculation of the artillery range was very accurate. The shells fell on the battlefield in rows, from far to near, without omissions. The shells exploded after hitting the ground, and the broken shrapnel splashed in all directions along with the rising smoke, easily piercing all leather and iron armor. If they were too close, even people and horses would be torn to pieces.

Flashes of fire, rising smoke, deafening roars, and broken limbs...

Maslama was stunned and trembling all over, as if he was in hell, receiving punishment from the gods.

He had seen the Tang army's firearms in Damascus, but why did they have such a long range and such great power?
The cannons roared, the earth shook, and all the men and horses were shattered.

It is said that the Tang army has an invincible Modao team, with swords like a forest and a wall. However, the power of the artillery before us is probably ten or a hundred times stronger than the legendary Modao team.

Before the battle began, the troops were already thrown to the ground, with body parts scattered all over the ground. The neatly-arranged army seemed to be plowed by an invisible iron plow, with blood and flesh flying everywhere and corpses piled up like a mountain...

How to fight this battle?
"Back! Back!"

Maslama came to his senses with bloodshot eyes and gave orders in a stern voice.

These are the warriors of his tribe. They not only protect the tribe's safety, but also ensure that he can occupy the center of power in the Arab world. If they die in this battle, how can he go back and explain to the elders of the tribe, and how can he ensure his power in the Arab world?
In fact, he didn't need to give orders. The army, which had been frightened by the overwhelming artillery fire, had already begun to collapse. The shells fell step by step forward, and they retreated backwards in a swarm...

But behind the position was the rolling waves of poisonous water, and as the shells were getting closer and closer, where could they retreat to?

Maslama didn't care about much: "Pass the order down, retreat to both sides!"

Military morale, tribal glory, and commander-in-chief's orders all didn't exist in his eyes at this moment. His only hope was to keep more people alive under the Tang army's powerful artillery bombardment.

As long as people exist, the tribe exists.

What’s the point of all that glory if the people are gone?

The already frightened soldiers immediately scattered upon hearing the order, running wildly along the river bank in the east and west directions, wishing their parents had given them two more legs...

Maslama himself led his horse to the boat tied to the river bank. After boarding the boat, he repeatedly ordered the soldiers to paddle hard and leave the shore as soon as possible.

When Wang Xiaojie led the armored cavalry to break through the enemy's formation and reach the shore, they saw a large ship that had left the shore more than 20 feet and was crossing to the opposite bank.

Wang Xiaojie knew that the person on the ship must be the enemy general Maslama, and he slapped his thigh in anger. If he could arrive a step earlier, he could capture him. Together with Amir before, wouldn't he definitely be the first to contribute in this battle?
With such achievements, it is not an exaggeration to say that he has reached the top in one step!
But who could have thought that such a powerful general of the Arab Empire would flee without a fight after being bombarded by artillery fire and before the actual battle?
It’s all because General Xue’s artillery fire was too fierce!
Although the Tang army had prepared for crossing the river and had temporarily cut down trees to build a number of boats and rafts, they were still at the rear at this time and were definitely too late to chase Maslama.

"Bring me the bow!"

A personal soldier rode forward and handed a long bow to Wang Xiaojie.

Wang Xiaojie took the bow in his hand and pulled out a feather arrow from the quiver behind him. He immediately sat on his horse, drew the bow and arrow, the string was like a full moon, he aimed at the boat in the river, raised the angle and shot an arrow.

This bow, which is a circle larger than usual, is obviously specially made. The bow body and bowstring are made of special materials and are very expensive. The huge elastic force shoots the arrow out in an instant. The three-sided arrowhead breaks through the air, and the tail feathers are almost flattened by the wind, drawing a high parabola and falling on the boat in the river.

With a "snap" sound, the arrow pierced the deck at an angle. Maslama on the boat turned pale, looking at his tail feathers that were still trembling, and shouted, "Row faster! Row faster!"

On the shore, Wang Xiaojie snorted in frustration when he saw that he failed to hit the people on the boat. Since it was too late to shoot the second arrow, he put away his bow, turned his horse around, and led his men to chase eastward along the river bank.

Soon, the light cavalry arrived and pursued westward.

Soon after, the heavily-armored infantry followed. Wearing heavy armor and armed to the teeth, they were only suitable for charging into battle and breaking through obstacles. It was obvious that they were powerless to chase the enemy, so they could only return the same way and cooperate in clearing the battlefield.

The cannon was placed on a wooden wheeled cart and pulled by war horses, slowly moving towards the river bank. The heavy cannon made the wheel ruts sink deeply into the soft grass. The war horses had difficulty pulling it, and soldiers had to push hard from behind. Sometimes they even had to lift the wheeled cart out of the soil...

It took a full hour to finally deploy the artillery on the north bank of the Yaosha River, facing Kesan City on the south bank across the river.

Xue Rengui shook his head, feeling a little regretful.

The power of artillery is enough to cause mountains to collapse and the earth to crack. It is an unparalleled weapon of mass destruction on the battlefield, but if it moves too slowly, it can lead to missed opportunities for battle.

The most suitable application scenario for this thing should be to place it on the city wall to defend the city...

The captain came closer and asked, "General, we are ready!"

Xue Rengui waved his hand and said, "Then aim at the city and shoot freely. Make sure to drive the enemy away from the river bank and provide fire support to the troops crossing the river!"

"Yes! I understand!"

The captain turned around excitedly, conveyed the order first, then adjusted the design angle, and waited until the boats and rafts were transported from the back and put into the river. Then pairs of soldiers stepped on them in an orderly manner and began to cross the Yaosha River, and the cannons roared again.

Amid the rumbling of artillery fire, the Arab army on the south bank was frightened to death. The chevaux de frise, pits and earth walls set up on the shore to prevent the Tang army from landing collapsed. As the artillery fire continued to extend forward, the enemy suffered more and more casualties and had to retreat, gathering outside the north gate of Kesan City.

The crossing troops landed smoothly without suffering any sniping attacks...

Soon, the landing troops, led by Wang Xiaojie, charged towards Kesan City, which stood on the south bank of Yaosha River.

*****
The news of Maslama's defeat quickly reached the city of Kesan, and Yazid was completely panicked.

He had no talent for war and his military strategies were mediocre. It was only because his father was the Caliph that he became the heir to the Arab Empire and got the opportunity to go out on his own and command an army of 200,000.

If the war goes smoothly, it will be fine. Making a mistake will only cause some losses and casualties, which will not affect the overall situation. He can even "micro-manipulate" at some point to demonstrate his "outstanding" tactical strategy.

But now, with the tiger at the front gate and the wolf at the back gate, the Maslama who had placed high hopes not only failed to stop the Tang army, but was defeated in an instant...

There are three rebel groups causing trouble in the south of the city. What should we do?
In a panic, they could only place their hopes on Auf.

After all, this was the "military advisor" assigned to him by the Caliph...

Ao Fu was also numb, staring with his eyes wide open in disbelief: "I have heard of the Tang army's artillery, how come the range is suddenly so far?"

A bow with a range of thirty feet and a bow with a range of fifty feet are basically not the same weapon, and their impact on the battlefield is worlds apart. Similarly, even though the power of artillery is very great, the previous reconnaissance of the Tang army's artillery range was more than a hundred feet, but now the range is obviously more than five hundred feet... Miscalculation will naturally cost a huge price.

Before Aofu could make a decision, another soldier came to report: "The defenders on the south bank have been defeated by the enemy's artillery. The enemy has landed and is heading towards Kesan City!"

Aof hit his head, forced himself to calm down, thought for a moment, and said: "Please order the commander to close the north gate. Don't worry about the three rebels. Just strengthen the defense of the city wall. They are insignificant! Then order all the troops in the north of the city to withdraw to the city. We will rely on the strong city and defend the city to the death. The Tang army can't afford it! As long as the tribal troops that have not arrived yet arrive, they will be able to repel the Tang army!"

Yezide had no other ideas, so he naturally accepted the advice and gave orders quickly.

As soon as the order was passed down, Maslama came back covered in dust...

Yezid was at a loss just now, and now he was furious when he saw Maslama losing his army and territory without a fight. He drew out his sword with a "swish" sound, frowned and looked furious: "The good situation has been ruined because of you, old villain, today I will take your head to vent my hatred!"

As he said that, he rushed forward and swung his sword.