Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5348 Bloodbath at the Bridgehead

However, even knowing the enemy's schemes, one can only be led by the nose. Once the enemy forces break into the formation and take advantage of their numerical superiority, one's own side will undoubtedly be defeated.

Wang Xiaojie, his face grim, shouted, "Bows and arrows, fire!"

With a twang of the bowstring, hundreds of arrows soared into the air, arcing through the air before crashing into the enemy ranks. The enemy soldiers, whose clothes were tattered and torn, had no defense whatsoever. Arrows rained down, and swathes of enemy soldiers fell like wheat, instantly turning the battlefield into a river of blood and filled with screams of agony.

"shoot!"

Another wave of arrows was released from the bow, pouring down.

The Tang army's longbows were well-made, with strong bowstrings and specially designed three-edged arrowheads that possessed unparalleled penetrating power, easily piercing even leather armor, let alone those without any defense.

The enemy suffered heavy casualties and collapsed instantly. Many soldiers cried out and fled. The cavalry moving in and out on both sides temporarily acted as "supervisory teams," wielding their sabers and slashing at the fleeing soldiers, then driving them back towards the Tang army's position.

The Tang army rained down arrows, but they were used up too quickly and soon ran out.

Forced by the "supervisory team" behind them, the enemy had no choice but to grit their teeth and charge forward through the rain of arrows from the Tang army. The ground was covered with layers upon layers of corpses, yet they continued to advance wave after wave...

Wang Xiaojie remained calm throughout. Even as the enemy charged fiercely in dense formations before him, his mind was focused on the enemy cavalry on his left and right flanks. Compared to these slave troops who were being used as "cannon fodder," the cavalry were the ones who could truly determine the outcome of the battle.

"Musketeers, move to the rear and remain stationary to guard against enemy cavalry. Frontline troops, follow me to kill the enemy!"

"Here!"

The experienced Tang soldiers quickly changed formation. The musketeers retreated rapidly to the riverbank, while the rest, armed with swords, spears, and shields, swiftly moved towards Wang Xiaojie.

In the blink of an eye, the enemy troops had already rushed close.

"kill!"

Wang Xiaojie exhaled and slashed down with his horizontal sword, splitting the enemy soldier running in front from the left neck to the right rib in two.

Blood gushed out, and internal organs spilled onto the ground.

The enemy troops were startled. Seeing his ferocity, they all avoided his attack and rushed to the sides...

The Tang soldiers, with their swords slashing, spears thrusting, and shields defending, stood firm like rocks in a stormy sea, no matter how high the enemy's tide rose, they could only stir up a shower of blood.

How could the battle-hardened and highly skilled Tang army possibly stand up to an army composed of slaves?
Individual soldier quality, perfect teamwork, and superior equipment... the Tang army crushed the enemy in every way, resulting in a complete massacre.

The generals of Mosul, who were positioned behind the city, were very worried about the situation. The Tang army, though seemingly in a sorry state, was actually as solid as a rock, and it would be extremely difficult to break through their defenses in a short period of time.

If the time drags on, the main force of the Tang army might arrive soon.

If such a small group of a few hundred men is so fierce, what kind of invincible army will the main force of the Tang army be when it arrives?

They tried to send men to swim across the river to the Tang army's rear to destroy the bridge piers, but they were swept away by the swift current as soon as they entered the water.

The general in charge watched helplessly as the slave legion left behind layers upon layers of corpses in front of the Tang army, unable to advance even half an inch. He had no choice but to order the cavalry on both flanks to flank the Tang army and see if they could break through from both sides.

However, just as the cavalry on both flanks made a move to attack the Tang army's flanks, the musketeers in the rear, who had been waiting in ambush, opened fire all at once. The sound of gunfire rang out, and the cavalrymen were hit by bullets and fell to the ground in chaos. Ignoring the casualties, the Tang army threw down thunderbolts as the cavalrymen fell to the ground.

The general in charge of the troops scratched his head, at a loss for what to do.

The Tang army was like a hedgehog, covered in thorns, pricking wherever it went. However, the Tang army huddled in the bridgehead position, only defending and not attacking, making it difficult for them to make any moves despite their numerical advantage. Even when they asked the city lord for reinforcements, it was to no avail.

The way to defeat the Tang army may lie in the word "wear and burn". No matter how brave the Tang army is, they will eventually run out of strength and die from exhaustion.

The only concern is when the main force of the Tang army will arrive...

……

When the battle report reached the city, Denilari and Ethil exchanged glances after reading it, both knowing that the situation was troublesome.

Regarding this Tang army that explicitly stated they were "borrowing a passage," the best course of action was either not to fight them or to feign ignorance, which might offer a sliver of hope. However, if a fight was to be waged, it was imperative to capture them as quickly as possible, block the bridgehead, and cut off the main force of the Tang army on the other side of the river.

Now that the two sides have started fighting, they are bound to continue.

However, they were unable to defeat this Tang army force for a long time. Once their main force arrived and successfully crossed the river, Mosul would face a severe test.

Denirari was somewhat at a loss: "What do we do now?"

Etyl sighed, "We've already fought, what else can we do?"

Denilari lamented, "I'm not afraid of the Tang army. Even if they are heavenly soldiers and generals, what can they do to my Mosul city? It's just that the thought of fighting the Tang army to the death will inevitably result in heavy losses, and we'll end up being scapegoats for Damascus. I'm not happy about that."

Ethel cautioned, "Not only have we suffered heavy losses, but the eldest prince is still in their hands!"

Denirari glanced at him sideways, a hint of suspicion in his eyes: "Why do I feel like you're more worried about that rebellious son than I am?"

Ethil was taken aback, then immediately understood, and said with displeasure, "What do you mean by that, Lord? That is the eldest prince, the next king of our Assyrians! As a subject, you should naturally worry about his safety, but what are you thinking? Besides, the eldest prince's stature and appearance are seven or eight parts similar to yours, Lord. What do you have to doubt!"

"is it?"

Denirari thought about it and realized that both of his sons did indeed look very much like him, leaving no other possibility...

"Don't worry, Adad is my eldest son and the heir to Mosul. The Tang people know his identity and will definitely not be willing to harm him. That's worth ten thousand gold coins!"

"That's true..."

Etir agreed with him, after all, no one would turn down money.

"The only option now is to send soldiers downstream by boat to burn the pontoon bridge and cut off the main force of the Tang army on the other side."

"Is this the only way?"

Denilari was heartbroken. For the Assyrians, who didn't even understand iron smelting, building a pontoon bridge across the Tigris River was no small project. It required countless manpower and resources, which amounted to a fortune!
"If we don't destroy the pontoon bridge, and the main force of the Tang army crosses the river, it will be an extremely dangerous battle. The Tang people are not so easy to talk to!"

"Alright, I'll send someone over right away."

Denirari had no choice but to agree.

……

The battle at the bridgehead was raging.

The Assyrians relentlessly drove their slaves to charge fiercely at the Tang army's positions, while the Tang soldiers fought tenaciously, refusing to retreat an inch. The area in front of their lines was already piled high with corpses and rivers of blood. Although the slave army was unable to break through the Tang defenses, the disparity in troop strength was too great, and the Assyrians showed no concern for the lives of their slaves. This led to the Tang army gradually becoming exhausted, and casualties began to mount.

The situation is extremely precarious.

Fortunately, the Assyrian cavalry, wary of the Tang army's firearms, dared not break through and charge, keeping the battle at a stalemate...

More than ten small boats left the shore from upstream and drifted downstream in the turbulent river.

Upon reaching the vicinity of the pontoon bridge, the soldiers on the boat used hooks to secure the small boat to the bridge. They then lit the tinder on the boat, and the soldiers jumped into the water and swam downstream to the west bank with all their might.

"General, the enemy has burned the bridge!"

As darkness fell, Tang soldiers immediately spotted flickering lights on the river, realizing that the enemy was burning down the pontoon bridge.

Wang Xiaojie cleaved an enemy to the ground with a single blow, wiped the blood splattered on his face with his left hand, glanced back, and sighed deeply.

If the pontoon bridge is burned down, it will be difficult for the main force to cross the river quickly. Without reinforcements, we will not be able to hold out. Therefore, we must immediately order a retreat from the pontoon bridge. Otherwise, if the pontoon bridge is destroyed, we will be trapped in a desperate situation and will surely die.

The enemy had clearly anticipated this, and when the fire broke out on the bridge, they were driven by the Assyrians to fight and charge relentlessly, trying to hold the Tang army back even if they could not defeat them.

Wang Xiaojie made a decisive decision: "Leave one hundred men to hold the bridgehead with me to the death, the rest of you quickly retreat to the other side!"

"General! How can this be allowed?"

"How can there be a situation where the soldiers go first and the general covers the rear?"

"That's right! General, you go first, we'll cover the rear!"

"Shut up!"

Wang Xiaojie's eyes widened in anger, his gaze turning red, and he shouted sternly, "Is this the time for fussing and indecisiveness? This is an order! Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

"...Here you go!"

Someone shouted, "General, if you die, we will slaughter the entire city of Mosul and use the lives of everyone in the city to die with you!"

"roll!"

Hundreds of soldiers stared intently at Wang Xiaojie with red eyes, then turned and ran toward the pontoon bridge after a moment.

Wang Xiaojie took a deep breath, looked around, and asked loudly, "If I drag you all down with me, will you blame me?"

Staying behind to cover the retreat and buy time for their comrades to escape meant there was absolutely no chance of survival, unless they surrendered.

"Since someone has to die, let us die."

"To die protecting one's comrades is a worthy death!"

"Don't worry, General, I'll be your soldier again in my next life!"

Wang Xiaojie wiped his eyes. He was not afraid of death, but he felt extremely guilty for dragging these people down with him to cover their retreat.

"Alright! Since we're already in a deadly situation, let's go all out and have a good fight, so these barbarians will know the fighting power of the Tang army!"

"Follow me to kill the enemy!"

Wang Xiaojie gripped his sword tightly and turned to fight again.

"General!"

"Enough with the nonsense! If you're afraid of dying, then retreat!"

"No, General, they're back..."

"Ok?"

Wang Xiaojie turned around and saw the soldiers who had just withdrawn from the pontoon bridge running back quickly...

He flew into a rage: "Disobeying orders? Do you really think I wouldn't dare to chop you all up?"

I was deeply moved. These brothers, who were inseparable through thick and thin, knew they would die, yet they still disobeyed orders and ran back to die together.

"No, it's General Xue who's here!"

"Ok?"

Wang Xiaojie quickly looked up and saw banners fluttering and warhorses galloping across the river, kicking up a cloud of dust. It was Xue Rengui's main force that had finally arrived.

His gaze swept across the faces of the soldiers who had run back, and he gritted his teeth.

Well, it turns out I was just being delusional...

(End of this chapter)