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墨書 Inktalez
Azuna led ten thousand War Elephants and over thirty thousand infantry and cavalry out of the city to engage in battle. To thoroughly intimidate the enemy, he ordered Wang Xuance, Jiang Shiren, and Caesar Zhou Cang, along with all the Xu Zhen Brothers, to be tied to the City Wall to watch the fight.
This was the first time the Xu Zhen had witnessed the Elephant Corps. Although the ten thousand War Elephants were not armored, they were equipped with saddles, each carrying three soldiers: an Archer, a Blade Master, and a Pikeman. The elephants' trunks were wrapped in bronze and iron, and short knives were tied to their tusks, creating a truly terrifying spectacle.
Nepal and Tuguhun Cavalry had long heard of the reputation of India's War Elephants. Now that they saw them in person, they felt they had already lost half the battle, and their morale plummeted to freezing point.
The commotion on the Xu Zhen's side quickly caught Azuna's attention. Although his soldiers lacked decent armor, their numbers far exceeded those of Xu Zhenbu's army. With the War Elephants as support, it was clearly a battle without any suspense.
Wang Xuance saw that the Xu Zhen had borrowed an army of ten thousand and felt a glimmer of hope arise within him, though jealousy was inevitable. However, these emotions soon settled down into mere mockery because he could clearly see from the City Wall that the disparity in numbers between both sides was evident; there was no doubt that the Xu Zhen would be defeated in this battle.
However, Zhou Cang and others were not concerned. They knew that the Xu Zhen would surely come to their rescue; it was only a matter of time. Moreover, they understood her character well—this Lord never fought battles without confidence.
Typically, Azuna would first send cavalry and infantry to wear down the enemy's numbers before deploying his heavy artillery to crush them with the Elephant Corps. However, seeing victory assured, he grew overconfident. He pointed forward with his curved blade, signaling his troops to wave their flags as the Elephant Corps thundered towards Xu Zhenbu.
These War Elephants had been trained; when they charged forward, it was like an earthquake. Not only did the troops on the Xu Zhen's side feel terrified, but even those watching from the City Wall held their breath in fear, imagining being trampled into meat paste by these massive creatures.
Seeing that the enemy had taken action, the Xu Zhen nodded to her deputy commander. The Tibetan General hurriedly rode back to the rear of their formation, parting a path through their ranks to reveal hundreds of massive black Mad Bulls.
Nepal did not have military supplies made from flatbreads; they could only drive cattle and sheep along with them for food. These seven or eight hundred bulls were meant for sustenance for the army. At this moment, all of them were covered in black oil collected by Chief Steward at the command of the Xu Zhen —filth from hellish demons splattered all over the Mad Bulls!
Seeing that hundreds of Black Cattle had been driven out by the enemy and that they were laden with pottery likely containing supplies, Azuna felt ecstatic. The garrison on the City Wall laughed heartily; even before battle commenced, it seemed like the enemy had offered up Black Cattle in surrender!
Though Indians practiced many religions, after King Jiri's death, Azuna consolidated power and only respected Shaivism while brutally suppressing other faiths. Now most people in the city were followers of Shaivism.
Shaivism reveres cows; seeing hundreds of cows offered by the Xu Zhen brought joy to them. Although they were not white cows, it showed that she had put effort into preparing such proper tribute for surrender.
The Xu Zhen felt elated seeing that morale on the enemy side was faltering. Many cavalrymen drove forward as hundreds of bulls soaked in crude oil charged madly towards the Elephant Corps!
"Prepare yourselves!"
The Xu Zhen drew her long sword and roared her command. Ten thousand cavalrymen simultaneously drew their weapons. Nepal's cavalry wore dense chainmail armor; some horses were similarly armored. They wielded either slender iron spears or massive curved blades—indeed superiorly equipped compared to Tianzhu Soldiers.
As the Elephant Corps and Mad Bull formations were about to collide, the Xu Zhen nodded at her Tibetan General. The latter took down a massive hard bow from his back and nocked a specially made long arrow onto it. A soldier lit its tip with a fire scythe; taking a deep breath, he drew back his bow like a full moon and released a fiery projectile!
The fire arrow landed among the Mad Bull formation, instantly igniting one bull as if a torch had been thrown into a sea of boiling oil. All seven or eight hundred bulls drenched in crude oil erupted into flames; their pain drove them into further madness as they thundered into the Elephant Corps!
Although these War Elephants had been trained, they feared fire. In an instant, they scattered away from these Mad Bulls; their formation fell into chaos as elephants collided with each other, throwing off soldiers from their backs who were trampled mercilessly underfoot amidst confusion and bloodshed.
The flames on the Mad Bull burned fiercely, quickly heating the pottery on its back. The crude oil inside the pottery finally exploded, and the Mad Bull had already infiltrated the Elephant Corps. With a loud explosion, it was as if the first domino had fallen, causing hundreds of pottery pieces on the backs of the bulls to explode one after another.
“Boom!”
Over ten thousand War Elephants were scattered by seven or eight hundred fire bulls. The oil bottles on the fire bulls exploded, completely dismantling the Elephant Corps. There was no need for Xu Zhen's cavalry to intervene; the Elephant Corps collided and trampled each other, resulting in extremely severe casualties!
The saddles of these War Elephants could accommodate three people and were large bamboo baskets tied securely to their backs, which could easily catch fire. As the oil bottles of the Mad Bull exploded, flames splashed everywhere, igniting countless War Elephants. In an instant, a sea of fire engulfed the enemy camp, with wails echoing across the battlefield and thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Both Azuna and the garrison in the city were left utterly stunned!
Xu Zhen had no time to be dazed; he poured water from his Water Bag over himself and then brandished his long knife, charging into the enemy ranks!
“Kill!”
The Tibetan General and the cavalry leader from Nepal snapped out of their shock and followed Xu Zhen's example, pouring water over themselves and leading their cavalry into a charge!
They had heard that Xu Zhen was the Son of Ahura, but as Buddhists, they did not feel much about it. Hearing Xu Zhen claim that these black oily substances were gifts from Ahura, they merely scoffed. However, now in their eyes, Xu Zhen was indeed that legendary Son of Ahura—genuine and unmistakable!
“Kill!!!”
The Indian Army had already suffered heavy casualties. The frenzy of the War Elephants continued. At this critical moment, Xu Zhen led ten thousand elite cavalry into battle, sweeping through like a storm. How could the Indian Army withstand such an assault? Azuna was filled with rage but could only lead his troops in retreat!
Those War Elephants caught fire instinctively ran into the moat, drowning countless soldiers on their backs. The cavalry and infantry were also trampled by the Elephant Corps in a chaotic retreat that was even faster than their earlier charge. However, the city gates were too narrow; unable to resist any longer, both cavalry and infantry jumped into the moat to escape!
With this back-and-forth exchange, Xu Zhenbu's soldiers surged with anger as they fought fiercely, turning the moat into a thick pool of blood! Many soldiers saw no way to escape and could only surrender; defeat was inevitable!
In this battle, Xu Zhen fought with earth-shattering intensity. However, the situation was overwhelmingly one-sided. With nearly seventy thousand combined troops from Azuna's side—War Elephants and infantry— Xu Zhen charged with only ten thousand elite troops and managed to kill over six thousand enemies while drowning more than ten thousand and capturing over ten thousand more. It was truly a victory against overwhelming odds!
Azuna was terrified and hurried back to Chabo and Rocheng. With no intention of defending the city, Xu Zhen took advantage of this opportunity to drive away newly captured Indian prisoners, cut down trees, transported stones, and manufactured a large number of catapults and ladders. He also sent people to retrieve more crude oil to launch a fierce attack on Chabo and Rocheng. The fire-filled jars of crude oil were continuously hurled into the city, ensuring that fires within Chabo and Rocheng never went out!
In a state of panic, Azuna planned to abandon the city and flee eastward to India. At this critical moment, imprisoned Zhou Cang and others finally took action. Zuo An, who had deeply learned Xu Zhen's skills, straightened a ring to open their cage and released Zhou Cang and thirty others. After taking down the guards, they retrieved their weapons and armor—even recovering crossbows!
Azuna coveted the power of those crossbows but did not kill Zhou Cang and his companions. Instead, he collected iron arrows from the battlefield carefully storing them in leather bags for Zhou Cang and others to take without hesitation.
Wang Xuance and Jiang Shiren did not expect Zhou Cang’s group to be so brave; they quickly sought help from them. Although Wang Xuance and Jiang Shiren had offended their lord along the way, they were still compatriots and Tang envoys; Zhang Jiunian ultimately decided to release them.
The thirty-two men hid within the city as they watched an overwhelming assault outside. Taking advantage of Azuna’s attempt to escape, Zhou Cang’s group suddenly burst forth in a coordinated attack from within and without—Chabo and Rocheng were finally breached!
Azuna led his remaining troops fleeing eastward to India seeking assistance from Shikamo, the lord of East India. He borrowed ten thousand reinforcements while gathering scattered soldiers to prepare for a counterattack against Tang forces!
The Xu Zhen, having conquered Chabo and Rocheng, elevated Aga Shili to legitimacy, restoring the name of King Jiri. Aga Shili, in her capacity as princess, called upon the people of India to celebrate, and countless followers emerged. The deeds of the Xu Zhen spread far and wide, and the name Son of Ahura resonated throughout India.
Followers of Zoroastrianism flocked to Chabo and Rocheng to pay homage, kissing the feet of the Xu Zhen and receiving her blessings. This Zoroastrian Messenger from the Tang Dynasty appeared as if a divine being had descended from the heavens.
The Xu Zhen kept her promise, allowing Nepal and the Tubo Soldiers to take whatever they wanted from the spoils of war. The cavalry were satisfied; however, their numbers were limited. The remaining resources were gathered by Aga Shili, who organized both military and civilian efforts to begin rebuilding Chabo and Rocheng. The former aides of King Jiri returned to assist Aga Shili.
Aga Shili felt as if she were dreaming. Although she had placed all her hopes for restoration on the Xu Zhen, she never expected her dreams to be realized so quickly!
News of Azuna's return soon reached the Xu Zhen. After discussing with Zhang Jiunian, they quickly devised a strategy: using Aga Shili's newly recruited Rogue army as bait while withdrawing their elite forces from Chabo and Rocheng to ambush from both sides.
Desperate for victory, Azuna commanded his troops to attack Chabo and Rocheng upon hearing from scouts that the Tang Envoy had left with the Nepal Cavalry. However, he was surrounded by the Xu Zhen's forces on both flanks, leading to the complete annihilation of Azuna's remnants. Azuna himself was captured, and the rest were executed.
Azuna's wife held tens of thousands of troops at Chaogiantowei City. The Xu Zhen used Azuna's return as bait to lure them into opening the city gates. The cavalry launched a surprise attack, completely taking Chaogiantowei City, causing nearby towns to surrender in fear. Central India was declared defeated!
After interrogating Azuna, the Xu Zhen learned that Shikamo from Eastern India had assisted him in launching a counterattack. Furious, she prepared to send troops to annihilate Eastern India as well!
Shikamo received this news and was terrified. He quickly sent thousands of cattle and horses, bows and swords, treasures, and an extremely rare White Elephant as an apology to the Xu Zhen, expressing his desire to submit to the Tang Empire. Only then did the Xu Zhen spare him.
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