Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5340 Unstoppable
Although Ams was young, he had been on the front lines of the Empire’s war against Byzantium and had extensive combat experience. He was also very familiar with the military organization of the Abbasid Caliphate.

In his view, while heavy cavalry had an unparalleled impact when galloping and roaring, the only truly "invincible" unit was heavy infantry. Although both were equally intimidating on the battlefield, the latter had the advantage of being cheaper than the expensive heavy cavalry.

Even more than that.

While heavy cavalry possesses mobility and striking power that the latter lacks, when the two types of troops clash, the latter can "remain unchanged in the face of all changes." As long as heavy cavalry charges into the latter's formation, the only outcome is that they will be completely surrounded and beaten.

However, now another weakness of the heavy infantry has emerged—their heavy equipment results in poor mobility and slow movement. Once covered by incendiary bombs, they can only be roasted for a long time, eventually turning into fragrant roasted lambs inside their armor...

Seeing the heavily armored infantrymen, the very force upon which the empire relied to intimidate all sides and conquer territories, writhing and suffering in the flames, while the catapults also failed to achieve their intended results, filled Ams with rage.

"Pass down the order: light cavalry on both flanks will advance, penetrate the enemy lines, and eliminate their archers and artillery!"

The artillery must be destroyed, otherwise the enemy's artillery, hidden behind the infantry, will fire continuously, causing too much damage to our side.

However, he was unaware that the Tang army's artillery was currently in a "fire-out" state, and firing it again could cause all of them to explode...

As Arms gave the order, the light cavalry, poised on both flanks, surged out like a tidal wave, penetrating the flanks of the Tang army's lines, unleashing a hail of arrows like locusts. However, a clear gong sounded from within the Tang army's ranks. Swordsmen and shieldmen raised their shields, while musketeers and archers concealed themselves beneath them. The impenetrable shield wall blocked most of the arrows, and the formation remained perfectly still.

When the Arab light cavalry approached, these musketeers and crossbowmen emerged from behind their shields and retaliated with muskets and crossbows. After each attack, whether successful or not, they would turn and hide again...

The Arab light cavalry, facing the Tang army's flanks which resembled hedgehogs, were momentarily at a loss and could only passively endure the attacks.

The sounds of gunfire echoed across the battlefield, and smoke billowed everywhere. Despite their superior mobility, the light cavalry, lacking protective gear, fell from their horses one after another, suffering heavy casualties.

Seeing that his light cavalry could only launch projectiles from the perimeter and were unable to break through the enemy's defenses, Arms immediately ordered: "Light cavalry, assemble and charge regardless of casualties!"

Although this move may cause huge losses to the light cavalry, it is much better than being attacked unilaterally from the outside, right?

Upon receiving the order, the light cavalry, who had already penetrated the flanks of the Tang army's formation, quickly assembled and charged towards the Tang army in neat formations.

Su Dingfang immediately ordered: "Musketeers, form ranks!"

Despite the danger of being shot by enemy light cavalry, the musketeers hiding under their shields rushed to one place to assemble. More than a thousand musketeers were divided into three ranks, and they quickly loaded, raised their guns, and aimed.

The captain stared at the enemy light cavalry charging towards them from afar, calculating the distance in his mind. When the enemy entered firing range, he suddenly lowered his raised arm: "Fire!"

bump!
Hundreds of muskets fired almost simultaneously, their gunfire converging in one place. Projectiles, fireworks, and smoke were all ejected together, the smoke rising and spreading, the fireworks flashing and disappearing in an instant, and the projectiles hitting the charging enemy light cavalry almost instantly.

Lacking armor protection, the light cavalrymen were hit by bullets and fell off their horses one after another. Even the horses that were shot cried out and fell to the ground. The horses behind them could not dodge in time and stepped on them, rolling and falling like gourds.

After the front rank of musketeers finished firing, they crouched down to reload. The second rank stepped forward, raised their rifles, fired, and then also crouched down to reload. The third rank stepped forward and fired. After the third rank finished firing, they began reloading. The first rank had already finished reloading, stood up, aimed, and fired.

The "three-stage attack" continued in a loop, with a continuous barrage of bullets pouring down on the charging enemy light cavalry, forming an impenetrable steel wall.

The enemy light cavalry were indeed courageous and fearless; even when their comrades were shot and fell to the ground, they continued to charge forward relentlessly.

In a battle between two armies, the brave will prevail. However, when both sides are overwhelmingly superior in offense and defense, individual bravery becomes irrelevant to the outcome of the battle.

Those who charge forward fiercely and quickly also die quickly.

The Arab light cavalry fell like wheat in autumn, row after row. Even though the light cavalry had superb mobility, the short distance of a hundred or so feet between the two sides became an insurmountable chasm. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, blood flowed like rivers and corpses piled up like mountains.

Meanwhile, Yang Zhou's light cavalry had bypassed the right flank of the battlefield, maneuvered around to the enemy's rear, and suddenly charged into their catapult positions. Before they even got close, Tang soldiers on horseback drew their bows and fired arrows in unison. The enemy soldiers operating the catapults were hit by arrows one after another, scattering and fleeing with cries of agony.

Yang Zhou rushed forward and roared, "Destroy the catapult!"

He swung his knife and cut the catapult's rope, and the others followed suit, destroying the catapult.

Although the catapult had a limited range and was cumbersome to operate, the stones it threw were quite lethal to the Tang army's armored cavalry. If the catapult could be completely destroyed, the Tang army would be invincible in this battle.

Ams knew he couldn't wait any longer. The Tang light cavalry had already infiltrated his rear and were wantonly destroying the catapults. They might soon head straight for his central army. Rather than passively defending, he decided to take the initiative and quickly ordered the hidden heavy cavalry to attack, attempting to break through the Tang light cavalry force that had infiltrated his rear.

The Arab heavy cavalry, who had been watching their side suffer heavy losses and remain unmoved, were enraged. They charged out and charged at the Tang light cavalry, then began to accelerate, their hooves thundering like muffled thunder.

However, at that moment, Su Dingfang, who was closely observing the battlefield situation, raised his horse spear high and roared, "Gentlemen, follow me to break through the formation!"

"Here!"

Hundreds of heavily armored cavalrymen responded in unison.

Su Dingfang gripped the horse's belly tightly with his legs, and the warhorse reared up and galloped forward, with armored cavalry following closely behind. In an instant, the thunderous sound of hooves resembled a rolling black cloud as it charged toward the enemy's center.

Ams was taken aback. He had planned to use his heavy cavalry to break through the Tang army's light cavalry flanking from both sides, and then return to the center to lead the charge to break through the enemy's lines. However, just as his heavy cavalry moved, the enemy's armored cavalry charged forward, seizing the perfect moment.

"Come back! Come back quickly!"

In a panic, Arms quickly ordered the heavy cavalry, who had just moved to the flanks, to return to the center.

Su Dingfang spurred his horse forward at full speed, roaring, "Kill!"

The heavily armored cavalry, long poised for battle, gradually increased their pace to a trot, finally reaching their maximum speed when they were two hundred paces from the enemy lines, forming an unstoppable and deadly charge. Hundreds of warhorses clad in cold iron armor, their mounted soldiers leveling their lances, the entire cavalry formation like a moving, thunderous torrent of steel, crashing headlong into the Arab central army with resolute force!
The Arab heavy cavalry rushed back to reinforce, their formation scattered and morale low. Before they were ready, the Tang army's heavily armored cavalry charged in.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The roar and the sound of impact rang out at the same time.

The remaining Arab heavy infantry tried to withstand the devastating impact with their spears, but they were exhausted and demoralized from the burns inflicted by the oil bombs. Faced with this thunderous strike that concentrated all their strength into one point, their lines crumbled and shattered like fragile glass the moment they made contact.

Then, the heavily armored cavalry, unstoppable, clashed with the enemy's armored cavalry.

boom!
The Tang army, arrayed in a massive wedge formation, forcefully carved their way into the enemy ranks. One side pushed its speed to the limit, its morale soaring like a tidal wave; the other side hastily engaged, its formation scattered and its morale wavering...

The heavily armored cavalry, like a giant arrow, forcefully pierced a gap in the Arab positions.

Su Dingfang took the lead, his spear sweeping through the enemy ranks. The sharp blade of his spear targeted the enemy's weak points such as the neck and joints, and the finely crafted steel blade easily pierced through the enemy's poor iron armor, knocking them off their horses.

The soldiers behind him did the same, slightly adjusting the direction of their horizontally held spears, and using the enormous impact of their galloping horses, they instantly pierced through the enemy's armor and defenses.

The spears of the Abbasid heavy cavalry pierced the Tang army's armor, but they could not penetrate the fine iron armor. Either the spear shafts broke or the spear tips were dulled. They could only watch helplessly as the armored cavalry cut into the fat like hot knives, effortlessly tearing apart their own heavy cavalry lines.

Hundreds of heavily armored cavalry, led by Su Dingfang, easily broke through the enemy lines, then turned around and broke through again, spreading panic and chaos like a plague throughout the entire Abbasid army.

When the central army was completely pierced, Su Dingfang used his spear to knock the enemy commander Ams off his horse, causing his banner to fall. At that moment, the fighting spirit of the Arab army completely collapsed, and the remaining troops turned around and retreated in disarray.

The Tang light cavalry and heavy infantry on both flanks seized the opportunity to join in and launch a full-scale attack.

As the sun set, the Abbasid army fled in disarray, and the Tang army, clad in black helmets and armor, swept across the plains like a black tide, chasing and fighting from south to north.

The Arab army suffered a crushing defeat.

The Tang army stopped its pursuit when they were thirty miles away from Taixi Fengcheng, and then slowly gathered and rested on the spot.

The entire plain of Qadisia was littered with corpses, and the crimson banner with the Chinese characters fluttered in the evening wind.

Su Dingfang stood on the plain, his horse galloping across the land. Beneath his feet lay corpses, rivers of blood, broken spears, and burning flags.

This breakthrough by the heavily armored cavalry in the middle route not only pierced through the enemy lines, recreating the story of Emperor Taizong's "three thousand defeating one hundred thousand," but also etched an indelible military achievement of the Tang Empire onto this ancient land.

When news of the army's defeat and the death of Ams reached Ctesiphon, the entire city was shrouded in fear.

Vagas's snow-white eyebrows twitched, and his hands, resting on the table, trembled slightly uncontrollably; he was somewhat incredulous.

Victory and defeat are common occurrences in warfare; failure is not unacceptable.

But how could they have lost so quickly and so miserably?