“Compress, compress! We must continue compressing Yusuf’s operating space. I don’t care how much equipment is left on the Camel City, nor whether logistics can keep up. Old Yuan, if there’s any mishap with logistics, you’ll come see me with your head!”

With his wife on the battlefield, Yun Ye at this moment was like a fierce beast ready to devour people. The entire command tent exuded a cold aura from inside out. Not a single general or colonel seated below dared to speak. Du Ruhui sat to one side with eyes closed, resting. With the battle having reached this point, there was indeed no need to hold anything back.

“Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, fire oil has been consumed by forty percent, gunpowder by half. You once said that when the Camel City’s gunpowder and fire oil consumption exceeds thirty percent, we must replenish. But we’re in a foreign land thousands of li away. Obtaining supplies is extremely difficult. To be fully equipped again, unless we reach Suiye City—even if you behead this humble officer, there’s no way to conjure up fire oil and gunpowder. The consumption is too fast.”

Although very frightened, Tian Yuanyi still bravely stood out to explain the logistics difficulties to the red-eyed Yun Ye. The endless firing of explosive projectiles to extinguish fires earlier had already consumed half the gunpowder weapons. Continuing like this, the equipment on the Camel City wouldn’t last until the war’s end. Moreover, the Abbasids not only had a vanguard but also a rear guard, with even greater numbers in the rear.

Yun Ye felt his temples throbbing. His tightly clenched fists slowly relaxed as he said to Tian Yuanyi, “All auxiliary soldiers in the army shall begin donning armor and prepare for combat. From now on, suspend the firing of gunpowder weapons and switch to conventional weapons.”

Tian Yuanyi breathed a long sigh of relief. Clasping his fists, he hurriedly left the command tent to supervise the craftsmen in the rear camp as they rushed to manufacture gunpowder crossbow bolts. There was actually still some gunpowder—most of it was stored in raw material form on the Camel City. Now they must rush production.

The narrow valley was like a pot of boiling water, ceaselessly churning. The roars of soldiers, the ringing of crossbow bolts, the neighing of warhorses, the explosions of gunpowder bombs, and the sound of raging flames all merged into a single boiling cacophony that made blood surge through veins.

The elegant Yusuf no longer had half a trace of elegance. His corpulent body sat astride an enormous Don River horse, hoarsely commanding the Abbasid cavalry to launch yet another wave of attacks on Cheng Chumo’s defense line.

He could now see the hot air balloons on the Camel City, which meant the Camel City was within five li of him. He grabbed his guard commander and whispered, “Lazin, you must climb up the mountain peak on the right and lower a rope from above. This is our last escape route. Remember, the location must be chosen carefully and concealed so others cannot see it. By God above, He will protect you.”

The fierce Lazin kissed the toe of Yusuf’s foot in the stirrup, then led over twenty trusted guards to find an escape route for his master.

Watching Lazin leave, Yusuf covered his face with a thick layer of linen cloth. Spurring the giant horse beneath him, he drew his scimitar and pointed toward where the battle was fiercest. Immediately, a team of camel cavalry shouted and threw themselves into the battle.

No matter how dense Cheng Chumo’s crossbow bolts were, there were always some Abbasids with round shields who could pass through the barbed wire to reach the military formation’s front. These Abbasids were extremely valiant. Charging into the military formation, they would discard their round shields and wield swords with both hands to hack and kill. Their movements were very agile, able to dodge concentrated crossbow fire at short distances. Watching these fellows charge left and right through the military formation, Chen Shu struggled to deal with two Abbasid warriors before him amid dangerous circumstances. A short spear flew over, piercing into one Abbasid’s waist and ribs. The sharp spear tip emerged from his abdomen with a great spray of fresh blood. Chen Shu seized the opportunity to swing his blade and behead the other screaming Abbasid. Before his breath steadied, he heard the sound of ox horn trumpets from behind.

He didn’t know if Guo Ping could stop the Abbasids coming from behind. As long as the ox horn sounded, it meant enemy reinforcements had arrived. Just as he was hesitating whether to send people for support, he heard deafening cheers coming from far away at the rear formation position. Chen Shu anxiously looked up toward his own formation’s hot air balloon, only to see the flag representing friendly reinforcements frantically waving.

Reinforcements? Where did reinforcements come from? Could they be enemies in disguise? The Commander-in-Chief only had fifteen thousand cavalry left. Without cavalry escort, the Camel City would be unable to advance a single step. How could he spare personnel to support us?

“Probably the Commander-in-Chief’s friends have come to help us. Chen Shu, don’t stand there dazed! Getting killed by a stray arrow would be truly unjust! Brothers, put in more effort—we’re about to win!”

Cheng Chumo’s thunderous voice rang in Chen Shu’s ear. Chen Shu couldn’t help but shout loudly as well, “Brothers, put in more effort—we’re about to win!”

One told ten, ten told a hundred. In a short time, news that they were about to win spread throughout the battlefield. At this moment, the bravest were actually the auxiliary troops. If not now to seize military merit, when else? They had no crossbow bolts. After shooting all the arrows in their hands with riding bows, they pulled out long swords stuck in the sandy soil and rushed toward the Abbasids who had dismounted to fight on foot in the barbed wire zone…

Guo Ping was a bit confused. He had already prepared to receive the enemy army’s assault. Unexpectedly, two forces suddenly burst forth from the mountain hollow. Not many people—each force about five thousand—but very fierce. One force had bright armor and helmets, with colorful chicken feathers in their heads, each wearing white cloaks, like celestial immortals descending to earth.

The other military force was simply a hodgepodge—all kinds of people, all kinds of armor. There were even a few fighting bare-chested. The weapons in their hands were also diverse, from heavy hammers to scimitars, encompassing everything. They howled and fought fiercely with the Abbasids.

After confirming these two forces were indeed helping him, Guo Ping immediately ordered his deputy general to lead five thousand elite troops out of formation to join the battle, specifically attacking the waist and abdomen of this Abbasid military force.

Yusuf waited a long time without seeing any turmoil in the opposing Tang army. Their rear formation seemed to have no battle occurring either. On the distant Gobi, dust was flying—a clear look showed they were at least thirty li away from him.

Looking back at the increasingly approaching Camel City, he closed his eyes and sighed sorrowfully, clearly knowing that the troops in the valley this time were doomed. The Tang people’s barbed wire and spikes had completely rendered the cavalry the Abbasids took such pride in useless. Those cavalry who sat on tall Arabian warhorses wielding scimitars and sweeping all before them could now only walk with bow-legs through the barbed wire with difficulty. Even the warriors from the holy hall, after crossing those obstacles, would be submerged by the Tang people’s tide. Even the most elite warriors could only create a ripple on this vast sea.

He seemed to already see the Caliph’s falcon-like cold gaze. His great emperor, his king of kings, was still immersed in the beautiful dream of invincibility from Muhammad’s time, thinking that merely sending his Eastern Governor could take the entire East into his pocket.

“Though knowledge be as far as China, go ye and seek it”—these were Muhammad’s words! A race renowned for wisdom—without mobilizing all its strength, how could it possibly defeat this wise colossus?

His arrival in the Far East to fight this time was actually as a retaliatory force. The prosperous Abbasid seas were being wantonly burned, killed, and plundered by Tang warships. The capable Abbasid cavalry could only stand on the coastline and angrily curse—this was the only thing they could do.

The Caliph thought Abbasid cavalry was invincible. Whether they fought Persians, Israelites, Romans, or Tatars, they were always victors. Now, after fighting the Tang people, Yusuf discovered they had long since changed their methods of warfare.

This time, fighting against him was the Tang’s Western Governor, Yun Ye. His numbers were superior, yet he hadn’t gained battlefield advantage. His own arrangements had no errors. The gap opened between the vanguard and rear guard was originally a trap. Placing all his troops in this great canyon was also for convenience of holding fast. As long as his vanguard could withstand the Camel City’s assault, he and the rear army could completely annihilate these tens of thousands who had drilled into the pocket.

Yusuf smiled bitterly. The cage for catching rabbits now had a male lion inside it. The painstakingly arranged sea of flames could be rapidly extinguished under the Tang people’s terrifying weapons. He had lost with nothing to say.

“The failure of this war is not my fault!” Yusuf shouted once, then fell from the tall Don River horse. Seven or eight jesters wearing brocade hurriedly placed their bodies on the ground so their noble master could fall on them and avoid injury.

The agile Lazin jumped down from the cliff, wielding his scimitar to hack to death all these loyal jesters. Then he and two other guards firmly tied ropes around Yusuf. The warriors on the cliff carefully hoisted the already unconscious master up the cliff—this was the only way to survive for their group.

The Abbasids who had charged to Cheng Chumo’s formation front were finally completely annihilated. Those Abbasids behind with sorrowful faces wanted to advance and continue fighting, but their commanding general couldn’t receive orders from the governor. The panicked general searched through the entire valley without finding his governor, only seeing the governor’s giant horse and seven or eight dead jesters.

This blow was fatal. The generals whispered among themselves, so much so that the fierce war suddenly paused for a brief moment. A highly respected elderly general took over command. Just as he prepared to make a final strike with the most formidable formation, his vanguard suddenly erupted in chaos. Countless Abbasids from the front line resisting the Camel City desperately ran back. Bypassing the commanding general, they ferociously pounced directly toward the Tang military formation.

Could the Tang people here be easier to deal with than the Camel City? Those spikes gleaming with cold light were everywhere. Were those barbed wire nets hung with corpses and dead horses easier to break through?

The old general turned the scimitar in his hand horizontally and decisively let the blade drag across his own throat. He knew the Abbasids were completely finished. An out-of-control army could only be ravaged by the enemy, unless Allah could extend his merciful hand.