Under Shule City in the early morning, a light mist enveloped the city, and the ancient suspension bridge was slowly lowered.
The noisy sound made this fortified city look like a vegetable market. A large group of warriors from all over the world were talking loudly, and slowly came out of the city to form an array under the leadership of their respective leaders.
They were almost all infantry, with very few cavalry, because the cavalry was absorbed by the Kara Khanate almost before they reached Shule City.
This country is dominated by the Geluolu people of the third surname, supplemented by the Oghuz people of the ninth surname, and mixed with Uighurs and other ethnic groups. Although the number of settled people is gradually increasing, most of them still retain their nomadic habits. Therefore, the Kara Khanate's army , the infantry is the minority and the cavalry is the majority.
Therefore, those who are good at equestrian skills and have cavalry equipment themselves can quickly integrate into the army of the Khanate.
God warriors like this who could not afford war horses and other equipment and were completely attracted by the high rewards from the East became the main source of infantry for the Kara Khanate.
In the history of the war between the Kara Khanate and Khotan, the most people died were cannon fodder who were blinded by wealth and God.
It was precisely because of them that the Kara Khanate easily recovered from repeated defeats, and finally consumed Khotan alive.
And today, Governor Ittihad is paying this attention again.
There are more than 60,000 people in Shule City, of which more than 7,000 troops have released 1,500 of the most experienced cavalry.
Among the remaining nearly 60,000 people, in addition to 50,000 residents, there are seven to eight thousand divine warriors.
A few days ago, Saktu Bugla Khan besieged Balashagon and consumed too many divine warriors, so he recruited another three thousand, and now there are less than five thousand left.
Governor Ittihad originally wanted to arouse their religious enthusiasm and use them to defend the city, but now he no longer cares about this. He wants to use these people to test the strength of the Khotan army outside the city.
Amidst the rumbling of war drums, more and more divine warriors began to line up in the city. The richer ones wore various armors of their own equipment, while the poorer ones were wrapped in a few single clothes and held scimitars in their hands.
It seems that the hundreds of warriors Zhang Zhao killed near Jialu Pavilion should be the best of these people.
"Everyone should form their formation close to Dazhai according to the pre-arranged arrangements. No unauthorized attacks are allowed without orders!"
Zhang Zhao finished chewing the last sesame cake in his hand and began to order the officers around him. If the past few days were an appetizer, now it was the real test.
Under the city of Shule, the central army of the Kara Khanate consisted of more than 3,000 divine warriors.
Almost all of them are infantry, equipped with a certain number of long and short bows. The front row basically still has some shields, one-third of them have armor, and the rest are wearing single clothes and holding scimitars and spears. You can tell at a glance that they are cannon fodder.
The troops of the Kara Khanate were arranged on both sides, with a group of light cavalry on the outside covering the large army.
There were even more armored infantry. Almost everyone had bows, spears, knives, hammers, axes, etc. There were about three thousand in number.
Zhang Zhao has no doubt that these people are not only the main force in attacking him, but also serve as supervisors of the battle team.
That’s more than six thousand people! It seemed that Ittihad had spent a lot of money. In the observation room, a group of cavalry ran out from behind the infantry in formation. They were obviously reporting to someone.
Although Zhang Zhao didn't know how many cavalry Ittihad had left outside the city, it was certain that he had left them. This was known from the unprecedented smoke and two black flags erected at the top of Shule City.
The cavalry that can be released from the city before the war must not be the parallel import cavalry of the past few days. They should be the elite of the Kara Khanate. These cavalry are deadly! If he fails to defeat him, Zhang Zhao won't even have a chance to escape.
Looking back at Liu Zaisheng, the palace guard captain raised his hand to Zhang Zhao.
"When I sent the Pegasus to the Emperor two days ago, I followed the general's instructions and reported the military situation here to the Emperor. As long as the right guard of the heroic cavalry can arrive, I will not be afraid of Karakhan's cavalry!"
"Thank you, Lieutenant Liu, for your hard work, go down and prepare! Today's bloody battle, you emperor's personal guards are the main force!"
Zhang Zhao smiled and said to Liu Zaisheng, but he felt a drum in his heart. Liu Zaisheng said that as long as he waited, he would not be able to arrive. Zhang Zhao really didn't trust the military ability of his good uncle.
In front of the military stronghold, Zhang Zhao's army was divided into three small square formations, with his Hanshandu soldiers in the middle.
There is no doubt that once a fight breaks out, the battle in the middle will be the fiercest and most difficult battle, which can only be fought by the soldiers of Hanshandu.
The Khotan palace guards were arranged on the left and right sides of Hanshandu. These were Li Shengtian's own personal guards. The number was not fixed, because they were selected in turn from the Shenwei Left Army and the Shenwei Right Army, the two pillars of force in Khotan. Entering the forbidden palace.
Historically, it was able to be used by the Kara Khanate for almost forty years before it was drained of blood and finally ceased to exist. Its combat effectiveness is also guaranteed.
Behind these three square formations were more than 300 people selected by Zhang Zhao from his own rabble.
Most of them have their own armor. Although it is in tatters or simply sewn with some fabrics and leathers, it is somewhat protective. These people are the support force for the three phalanxes in front of them in case they cannot withstand it. .
Behind them, there were hundreds of Shenjidu soldiers with more than a hundred disciples of Monk Zhitong as the core during these two days.
They were arranged to stand on the hillside. When the crossbows on both sides were fired and the enemy approached, it was their time to show off.
At the end of the Shenji capital's soldiers were the real rabble, which numbered more than seven or eight thousand. In fact, these burdens that Li Shengtian threw to Zhang Zhao were just a rabble, and they were all flattering them.
They are a group of farmers, small traders, monks at the bottom of the temple, people who help people raise horses, and herd sheep who originally lived in Shule City, as well as the surrounding places such as Upper Atush, Lower Atush, and Pianzhou City.
Almost all of them were poor people who lost everything when Saktu Bugla Khan forcibly took away the land to support his own Gulam Guards and implemented the Tianfang Sect's policy.
If they were passionate when they were oppressed or even expelled, then if someone could organize them, even if they were just cannon fodder, with the anger and hatred in their hearts, they would be a cannon fodder with fighting power.
But now, they have been driven away due to the oppression of Kara Khan and the evil intentions of Khotan. Countless people have done anything to survive. They have endured even the most humiliating things, and their blood has long been cold. .
Being able to follow Zhang Zhao today was not only an unconscious act of following the trend, but also Zhang Zhao at least made them eat.
It is impossible to be full, but half-full is okay, otherwise they will all run away before they can reach Shule City.
They haven't run away yet, just because they think Zhang Zhao is a good person, and he can still have food to eat when he is tired. Perhaps, deep down in their hearts, they still have some expectations.
It was hoped that if the Khotanese really broke through Shule and drove away Saktu Bugla Khan, they would be able to get back what they had lost.
"Don't shoot the arrow! Don't shoot the arrow! We are being forced!"
"Buddha! Open your eyes! My family has been worshiping you for generations, so you must appear once!"
The shrill howl resounded throughout this misty morning. Everyone opened their eyes and looked at the source of the sound. Even the 'burdens' who were sitting with their backs to the battlefield and were ordered not to look towards the battlefield couldn't bear it. He turned around and looked.
At the front of the slowly approaching Kara Khanate army, a dense group of men and women came over. They were crying and slowly walking towards Zhang Zhao's military camp.
"What a thief!" Even Ma Yaozi, a murderer with a perverted heart, couldn't help but cursed with a change of expression.
These people are not Khotanese. Even if they do not believe in Tianfang religion, they are still subjects of the Kara Khanate! Ittihad was so mad that he used these people to lead the charge.
Zhang Zhao took a deep breath of cold air until his whole lungs were cold. It turned out that in the eyes of people like Saktu Buglahan, he was fighting a religious war!
