Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5155 Complete Defeat
Maslama finally managed to escape back to Kesan City. When he saw Yezid, he was still in shock and was scolded by him. Before he could explain himself, he was struck by a sword...

He was so frightened that he lowered his head and the sword hit his helmet. With a "clang" sound, the necklace on the helmet fell off. Fortunately, the helmet was strong and was not split open.

"Marshal, spare my life!"

Maslama held his head and stepped back repeatedly, shocked and angry, looking extremely embarrassed.

Auf grabbed Yezid's arm tightly and urged loudly: "Beheading a general in front of the battle is considered a bad omen. It will disrupt the morale of the army and will not help. Think twice, Marshal!"

Yezid was furious: "This thief is afraid of the enemy and is afraid of fighting. He fled without fighting and ruined our great plan. If we don't kill him to set an example for the army, others will follow suit and we will all be defeated."

Maslama covered his helmet and defended himself, "It's not that I didn't want to fight, it's just that I didn't have time to fight! The Tang army's artillery was powerful enough to destroy the heavens and the earth. They bombarded the positions directly from hundreds of feet away from the front to the back. Half of the army was destroyed in an instant. The army's morale was shaken and collapsed. They fled in all directions. How could they organize an effective counterattack? I can accept the crime of defeat, but I dare not bear the crime of 'collapse without fighting'!"

He really felt that he was wronged. How could a flesh and blood body withstand such overwhelming and earth-shattering artillery fire?
Ordering the entire army to retreat is certainly unethical and is a capital crime when two armies are facing each other. But even if he fights to the death, can he still turn defeat into victory?
It’s not that our army is incompetent, it’s that the enemy’s firepower is too strong!

It's not a crime of war...

Yezid still shouted angrily: "The good situation was ruined in one day because of your cowardice. How can you still have the face to quibble here?"

Auf advised: "General, calm down. The enemy's artillery is irresistible. The most important thing right now is not to find out who is responsible, but to stop the enemy's troops from crossing the river and ensure the safety of the city! Otherwise, when the enemy breaks into the city, the more than 100,000 troops gathered on both sides will soon follow the footsteps of General Maslama!"

Ye Qide then gave up, waved his sword and said: "Now is the time to use you, so I won't bother with you. I will not give up until we defeat the enemy!"

Maslama finally breathed a sigh of relief...

The three of them turned around and went into the house together. The order had been issued and the army began to mobilize and deploy. All they could do now was to wait for military intelligence and war reports.

After taking his seat, Of asked Maslama about the battle.

Maslama was still in shock. He wiped his face and said dejectedly, "It's not that I shirked my responsibility, nor was it that I failed to supervise the battle. I deployed troops and built defenses on the north bank of Yaosha River. I can't say it's impregnable, but at least it's airtight. I also dug trenches and placed chevaux de frise to prevent the Tang army's armored cavalry from charging... But all this is useless under the power of artillery. The explosion of its projectiles is not powerful, but the shrapnel splashed in all directions after the explosion is irresistible. Even the best armor can be easily penetrated if hit at close range. The most terrifying thing is that its ultra-long range covers the entire position, and it is within the bombing range from beginning to end, without any omissions. The soldiers who persisted under the artillery fire fell one by one like wheat in autumn, and both the men and horses were shattered... How can we fight this battle?"

The roar of artillery fire almost shattered his courage. This "wise general" who was very prestigious in the Arab world looked dejected and had no courage at all.

Aofu looked solemn and sighed, "It seems that the Tang army's artillery has evolved. Compared with the last battle in the Western Regions, it has a longer range and greater power."

They were all famous generals who had followed Muawiyah in his campaigns, conquering countless tribes. But now, facing the might of the Tang army's artillery, they were all helpless and could not think of a way to break it...

Yazid was at a loss: "Is this a lost battle, and there is no way to turn the tide? If we return to Damascus with this defeat, you and I will both have to bear the punishment of the Caliph, and the consequences are definitely not something you and I can afford!"

More than 100,000 troops directly under the Caliph and tens of thousands of warriors recruited from various tribes, marched aggressively and vigorously to conquer Suiye City. The whole country was eagerly looking forward to it, but in the end, they failed to even fight a proper battle and suffered a heavy blow and complete defeat... What a shame!

The Caliph has more than one son, and he is not the best among his brothers. He is just the eldest son. However, if he bears the huge stain of defeat in this battle, he will become a target of criticism from his brothers. It will be extremely difficult for him to maintain his status as the heir to the empire.

Aofu said in a deep voice: "The more dangerous the situation is, the more you need to keep your face calm and composed. Without this calmness, how can you achieve great things? The commander-in-chief is of noble status, and you must lead by example. If even you are confused, how can the army not be confused?"

He now looked down upon this idiot even more. Was he going to have to submit to the rule of such an unlearned person in the future?
He had never heard of such a thought-provoking saying as "Are kings, dukes, generals and ministers of different races?", but in his heart, he could not help but have a desire to "I can do it, too"...

Yezide also knew that he was panicking. As the commander-in-chief, he should remain calm and composed, but he was still uneasy.

boom!
A loud explosion was clearly heard, and several people's faces changed drastically.

Judging from the noise, it seems that a shell has landed in the city?

Auf instructed the guard outside the door: "Go and see what's going on."

The guard took the order and left, only to return shortly afterwards, followed by a panicked-looking general.

The general entered the house, knelt down to greet them, and then said quickly: "General, something terrible has happened. The Tang army's artillery shells have landed on the inside of the city gate, injuring many soldiers and causing panic."

Yezid: “…”

He didn't know what to say anymore.

How could the Tang army’s artillery have such devastating power?

It is powerful, causes great damage, and has a long range. We can bombard and disperse the city as soon as we land on the south bank of Yaosha River. How should we fight this battle?
He looked at Auf helplessly and confusedly.

Auf had a splitting headache and felt helpless.

He has fought for half his life. He can't say he has won every battle, but he has lost a few. However, no matter what the circumstances, he has never encountered the difficulties he is facing today.

The Arab army was like a piece of stubborn iron, and the Tang army was a hammer. The hammer hit the stubborn iron again and again, beating it into any shape, but the stubborn iron could only passively take the beating and had no way to fight back - would the stubborn iron jump up and actively hit the hammer?
Maslama said quickly: "General, come up with a plan quickly. If it's too late, once the Tang army completes the siege of Kesan City, they will place artillery outside the city and bombard it day and night. The whole city will be bombarded into rubble, and more than 100,000 soldiers will be killed!"

Ye Qide said with hatred: "If you hadn't lost on the battlefield, why would the current situation be so passive?"

Maslama was also annoyed. He had been feeling a little ashamed of his defeat, but Yazid kept putting the blame on him, and he couldn't help it.

"The equipment of the two armies is not at the same level at all. The Tang army is equipped with artillery, which is enough to crush our army. How can our flesh and blood bodies compete with the might of artillery? Since the commander-in-chief thinks that I will not be able to fight, I have nothing to say. I only hope that under the commander-in-chief's leadership, I can rush out of the city, defeat the Tang army, and turn defeat into victory."

Don't you look down on me?

Then you lead your troops out and see if you can turn defeat into victory under the overwhelming bombardment of the Tang army's artillery!

Yezid's face flushed red, he was furious, but he couldn't speak.

Go out of the city and fight a decisive battle with the Tang army?
He didn't dare...

Auf was in a state of confusion, and he was too lazy to pay attention to Maslama's insubordination. After hesitating for a while, he said to Yezid helplessly: "A strong city cannot be relied upon for defense. The Tang army can not only bombard the city, but also bury gunpowder and blow up the city walls like Hengluo did... Before the Tang army has completed its assembly and surrounded Kesan City, let's retreat."

Yezid looked confused: "Where to retreat to?"

……

The Tang army, which forced its way across the Yaosha River, quickly occupied positions on the north bank and built a defense line. They then transported cannons across the river, set them up on the north bank, fired a few test shots to confirm the trajectory, and then began another round of artillery fire.

The artillery shells were fired from near to far, until the walls of the city were within the bombardment range. The Arab army outside the city was bombed to the point of losing their armor and weapons, howling like ghosts and wolves, and their morale collapsed and they all fled.

Xue Rengui looked at the black smoke rising from Kesan City from afar, raised his hand, and ordered: "Replace the kerosene bombs!"

There are many houses in the city, and the flying shrapnel is blocked by more buildings, and it is difficult to exert its maximum power. On the contrary, attacking with kerosene bombs will have a very good effect, which can not only kill the enemy, but also undermine the enemy's morale.

When the city of Kesan was engulfed in flames, there was no doubt that the Arab army would not flee.

As long as they withdraw from Kesan City, they will no longer be able to organize an effective counterattack and can only embark on the road of escape.

In the last battle in the Western Regions, Muawiyah calmly fled back to Damascus after being defeated in Suiye City.

This time, few of the 200,000 Arab troops will be able to return alive...

Soon, the shrapnel bombs were removed and replaced with kerosene bombs.

One after another, kerosene bombs drew huge parabolas and roared into the city. They exploded after hitting the ground, and cotton wool soaked in kerosene was thrown in all directions. Wherever they landed, even steel and stone caught fire. Thick black smoke filled the air and rose. The whole city looked like a fiery purgatory.

Yezide and his companions, surrounded by their guards, fled in panic towards the west gate. However, the Tang army's artillery fire came too fast and submerged half of the city in an instant. Yezide estimated that he would be bombarded by artillery before he even reached the west gate, so he shouted and turned his horse's head to rush towards the south gate.

Because the shells are coming from the north to the south, if you run fast enough, the shells can't catch up...

He ran to the South Gate breathlessly, only to find that tens of thousands of soldiers and horses had gathered near the gate. These were the troops he had previously ordered to withdraw from outside the city and prepare to be transferred to the North Gate for reinforcement. However, the Tang army's artillery was too powerful and the war situation developed too quickly, so these troops had not yet received the order to go to the North Gate.

Tens of thousands of people gathered here, people stacked up on top of each other, horses next to each other, it was so dense that there was no way out. How could there be a way out?