I was the Queen of Persia

Page 161

Under these circumstances, the Saman army could not find any trace of the Turan cavalry, while their own food supplies were increasing day by day, and many soldiers fell ill due to the cold weather.

Farukzad was starting to regret his actions.

She was well aware of the tactics of her opponents in Turan and had a good understanding of the environment of the Turan steppe. However, her previous victories made her temporarily forget her caution and underestimate the difficulties of fighting deep into the steppe.

Left with no other choice, they had to set up camp, maintain strict defenses, and send out detachments to search for water sources while waiting for the extension of the supply line and the arrival of supplies.

The Turan army, which was circling around, was overjoyed upon learning this news and immediately regrouped to prepare to turn the tide of the offensive.

The cavalry on the grasslands moved with lightning speed, flanking and encircling the enemy.

First, they annihilated the small Saman forces searching for water, then they advanced in separate formations, appearing around the Saman army camp like a pack of wolves, attacking Farukzad from both sides.

A tense and fierce battle broke out in an instant.

Arash! Arash!

"Hu Da Akbar!"

"Afrasiyab's courage helps us!"

"Rustam's courage inspires us!"

The war songs and shouts in Turkic and Persian blended together in an instant, mixed with the sounds of warhorses neighing, steel clashing, iron hooves trampling, and arrows flying.

Farukzad also snapped out of his arrogance and calmly commanded his troops to defend the camp. The tenacious Saman "Sipahi" infantry lined up and fought back, repelling countless attacks by the Turan cavalry.

Having secured their lines, they then fought a retreat, directing the Samanid army to gradually withdraw back into the country.

The Turan cavalry pressed forward relentlessly from the rear. Despite their fierce offensive, they could not find a way to break through the Saman army's impregnable defenses and could only keep up with the Saman army.

The offensive and defensive battles were fierce, and the battle lines were locked in a stalemate.

Fortunately, Iraj had deployed troops and prepared support in advance. Just as Farukzad was about to retreat to the border, Iraj decisively launched an attack to meet him, thus driving away Turan's pursuers.

This offensive cost the Samanid army a great deal of money and resources, but it was a failure, with no results achieved.

Epilogue: A summary of the stages of the war

The Iran-Turan (Turkic) War of 1022–1028 AD ended temporarily with neither side gaining a decisive victory.

In the later stages of this period, after a prolonged and unsuccessful war with the Samanids, Turan launched a westward expedition into Europe, conquering vast territories. At the height of his power, he also extended his battle lines and made more enemies.

The Samanid Empire, on the other hand, chose to conserve its strength in the later stages of the war, "mass-producing iron and stockpiling grain" to prepare for the next phase of the war.

By this point, the war had escalated, drawing in more political and armed forces. How will the story unfold in this expanding "Greater Eurasian War"? Please read the next volume.

Bonus: Current Productivity Status in Continental Europe

This chapter was originally posted incorrectly as a duplicate, but the request to delete it was not approved. Since that's the case, let's revise it.

Current productivity levels in continental Europe:

In the 11th century of the previous timeline, Europe was still in the "Dark Ages," with political disarray and a low level of productivity.

However, in the 11th century AD, the Samanid Empire, located in the center of Eurasia, was powerful; the Silk Road between Asia and Europe was greatly developed and opened up; and the westward expedition of the Turan Khanate objectively promoted the exchange of materials and technology. As a result, the productivity and organizational capacity of various parts of Europe were significantly improved.

At the same time, thanks to the dissemination and exchange of knowledge, priests and lords in various European countries also acquired many academic and naming concepts from the East. The combination of these factors would significantly enhance Europe's organizational and mobilization capabilities.

Thanks to the exchanges along the Silk Road, more advanced technologies such as smelting, mining, crop rotation, and construction were introduced to Europe and combined with local European experience. Influenced by the technological spread of Turan's westward expedition, technologies originating in China, such as gunpowder and papermaking, also gradually took root in Europe.

Therefore, before the Turan Expedition, Europeans only knew how to make chainmail; but after the Turan Expedition, Europeans had mastered more advanced armor-making technology.

However, what is even more epoch-making is:

With the westward expansion of Turan, the old religious, ethnic, and feudal order of Europe was shattered, and the map of the continent underwent tremendous changes. Its organizational model would no longer be based on the original "Carolingian-Papal" system.

Volume VII The First Eurasian War

Chapter 370 European Armament

February 1028 AD.

Samanid Empire, Khorasan Province, Merv.

Princess Farukzad hereby recounts her mistake for incurring losses due to her unauthorized attack.

Shahzani had arrived a few days earlier. She looked at her silent daughter with a stern expression, and the punishments remained unchanged.

With her authorization.

The Khorasan Military District Generals' Conference ultimately decided that Farukzad's rank would be reduced by three levels, and his salary would also be reduced accordingly. He would be allowed to redeem himself by serving as the deputy commander of the military district.

Prince Consort Iraj, for his foresight, skillful command, and mitigation of numerous losses, was rewarded and commended, and appointed acting commander of the Khorasan Military District (Sipashibed).

Rewards and punishments were based on reason and evidence. Even if the King of Kings himself had committed a crime, he would be punished the same as all his generals and soldiers. This was one of the founding rules of the New Samanid Empire.

Of course, Shahzani was not heartless, so after finishing her official business, she personally cooked a meal for her daughter and delivered it to her daughter's study.

This kind of virtuous wife and loving motherly behavior dispelled the princess's disappointment and gloom, and the mother and daughter chatted and laughed and had a long talk.

"Mother Queen, I realize that my measures were indeed too hasty. In the future, I will definitely plan carefully before acting," said Farukzad, eating the lamb chops that his mother had personally roasted. They tasted sweet and delicious.

“Yes, that’s right. Even the most virtuous prophets and wise men make mistakes, let alone us. To know one’s mistakes and correct them is the greatest virtue,” Shahzani said with a smile.

Then, Shahzani told her daughter the story of Shahsha-Bahram Ghur, an ancient Iranian emperor of the Sasanian dynasty.

Meanwhile, during the reign of Bahram Ghur, Iran was frequently invaded by the Hephthalites. Faced with the powerful nomadic invaders, this King of Kings chose to lull his opponents into a false sense of security while secretly accumulating strength. Once everything was in place and his military power was strong, he meticulously planned and launched a surprise attack, ultimately defeating the Hephthalites decisively.

"Therefore, in war, forbearance is not necessarily a sign of cowardice. Concealing one's strength and lulling the enemy into a false sense of security can often yield unexpected results," Shahzani said.

"Yes, Your Majesty understands." Falukzad also gained a deeper understanding of this.

……

Let's talk about the situation in continental Europe.

The Turan Khanate had conquered most of Europe, and the local kingdoms and vassals had fallen one after another. However, several small resistance forces were still secretly conducting guerrilla warfare against the military order from the Inner Asian steppes.

As a secret envoy of the Samanid Empire, Nisa Sahini quickly gathered enough intelligence to grasp the general situation in Europe at this stage.

Soon, the collected information was presented to Shahzani through the Imperial Post Station system.

Shahzani's analysis revealed that at least the following resistance forces still exist across Europe:

First, the Knights of the Iron Cross, composed of Germanic knights who were remnants of the former Holy Roman Empire, as well as knights from Poland, Hungary, and other places, mainly operated and fought in the Bavarian-Pannonian steppe.

Second, the Battle Sisters, the spiritual successors of Plasta, the legendary heroine of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, mainly operate and fight in the Sudetenland-Els Mountains region.

Third, the Hunters of the Forest Society, composed of knights-errant, bandits, and thieves from the former French mountain regions, and also including a large number of Basques, Catalans, and other "savage peoples," mainly operated in the forests of southern France stretching to the Pyrenees.

Fourth, the Free Citizens of Flanders, composed of citizens of the former Low Countries' commercial city-states, mostly merchants, artisans, and various lower-class citizens, mainly operated at the mouth of the Rhine River, controlled a large number of ships, and had connections with British, North Sea pirates, and other forces.

Most importantly, the remaining Crusader nobles and knights who had fled to the British Isles, with the support of the local English princes, established a force called the "Dawn Crusades," hoping to one day return to the mainland and restore order to the Christian world.

……

Admittedly, there are certainly many more similar resistance forces that need to be discovered and contacted.

“The enemy of my enemy may not be my friend, but at least we can use each other.” This was Shahzani’s political philosophy and one of the Samanid Empire’s foreign policy principles.

She believed that the most powerful resistance organization at present was the Dawn Crusade, which was based in Britain:

Firstly, they were mostly composed of nobles and aristocrats from the former Christian world, which made them relatively more influential.

Secondly, it is located on a remote island, far from the battleground, and Turan lacks a navy and therefore does not pose a threat to it.

Thirdly, by sea, they could connect with the Free Citizens of Flanders and obtain financial support, since Flanders was still one of the richest regions in Europe.

Thinking about it this way, my mind suddenly became much clearer.

at this time.

Nassak, the emperor's personal messenger, brought new information about the situation in Europe.

"Your Majesty, the Viking kingdoms of Norse mythology are in turmoil..."

Then the specific documents were presented.

It turned out that with the complete defeat of the Roman Catholic Church and the Crusades, Christianity's powerful influence in Europe collapsed and ceased to exist.

At this time, a sudden wave of "de-Christianization" swept through the Nordic countries, which were undergoing Christianization. Their supporters cried out, "Jesus is weak; He cannot protect His people!" and demanded the restoration of the old traditions of the Nordic Vikings.

In this tit-for-tat confrontation, the various factions in Northern Europe can be broadly divided into two groups:

One faction is the "Christian faction," which advocates continuing the Christianization policy and converting to Christianity.

One faction is the "God of War faction," which advocates for a renewed embrace of the Viking tradition of polytheism, the God of War, and the Odin faith.

Currently, the "Christian faction" is losing prestige, with lords and people under its rule leaving the church one after another, and its supporters are dwindling, while the "War God faction" is gaining strength and expanding its power rapidly.

Among them, an armed force called the "Raven War God Order" is particularly noteworthy.

If this trend continues, Northern Europe will sooner or later become a polytheistic territory again.

“That’s a good thing,” Shahzani chuckled. “As a multicultural region, Europe should have diverse religions!”

Considering the overall situation in continental Europe.

Shahzani made the following deployment:

First, prioritize contacting the Dawn Crusade and facilitating their alliance with the Free Citizens of Flanders, so that they can conduct harassment operations along the coastline behind the Turan Khanate.

Secondly, they sought to establish contact with emerging powers in Northern Europe, especially the "Raven God Order," persuading them to temporarily cooperate with the Dawn Crusade to jointly resist the Turan Khanate.

The draft decrees were sent by secret envoys to Nisa Sahini, who was hiding in Europe.

Chapter 371 The Dawn Crusade

AD 1028, October.

Dawn Fortress, in the south of England.

This was a military and economic fortress established by the European Crusaders after they retreated to England. Although the remaining Crusaders were repeatedly defeated by the Turanian cavalry, they still posed a significant threat to the Kingdom of England.

Cnut the Great, then King of England, ruler of the North Sea Empire, and master of Northern Europe, was torn between his reluctance to make things difficult for this defeated army and his desire to counterbalance the growing power of the "war god faction" within the Vikings. He was also worried that the Turan army might cross the sea to invade.

After considering various factors, he decided to set aside a piece of land in southern England as a "reward" for the Dawn Crusaders, which is the origin of Dawn Fortress.

Silver and white banners fluttered in the wind, the silver-gray cross in the center of the banners appearing solemn and sacred. On the city wall, soldiers in silver armor and white robes stood alertly.

This is the flag and emblem that the Crusaders reunified after their crushing defeat. In a sense, it symbolizes setting aside past prejudices and uniting against the enemy. Its creator is none other than the current Grand Marshal of the Crusades, Hugo de Callithus.

Inside the central hall of the castle.

"My lord, the secret envoy from the Eastern Persian Empire has arrived at the village outside the city." A squire knight officer was reporting the movements of Nisa Sahinnian and her entourage to Karithus.

“I know,” Karithus said coldly. “Those wanton sirens and vile heretics of Persia! Yet now we have no choice but to rely on their power. God! Is the world really this bad?”

He sighed deeply, feeling utterly dejected as he thought of himself as a noble and proud aristocrat, a devout Christian, and a practitioner of chivalry, yet now forced to "collude" with these "licentious and lustful vixens."

However, given the disparity in military strength, relying solely on "nobility," "piety," and "willingness to repent" is insufficient to win the current war and restore the Christian world.

Just as he was struggling with his thoughts, his attendant came in and reported, "My lord, the Persian envoy has arrived."

Karithus gestured for him to step back, and ordered his thirty strongest and most elite knights to assemble in the hall so that they could display the formidable might of the Crusaders at their meeting later.

"Squeak-yah-"

With the sound of the heavy wooden door being pushed open, the eyes of more than thirty people all turned to focus on the outside.

Four tall and graceful figures appeared at the door.

The leader, clad in steel armor and helmet, possessed a towering figure that suggested extraordinary strength. His scarlet military uniform resembled a dazzling flame. When the chain covering his pointed helmet was removed, his rose-like eyes and jewel-like red lips captivated all the knights present.

"Your Excellency Grand Marshal of the Crusades, I am Nisa Sahinnian, an envoy from the Samanid Empire. Please allow me to extend my highest respects to you on behalf of the great Padischa. The situation is critical, and I'm sure you can guess the purpose of my official mission." Nisa Sahinnian got straight to the point.

She can also speak Latin, the language spoken in the Christian western world.

“Oh, I welcome you. But please make this brief, what is your strategy?” Kalithos’s attitude was noticeably cold. Clearly, the newly risen, arrogant Kalithos did not welcome this group of “licentious” heretics from the East.

"Your Excellency, your devotion to your religion is evident to all. However, before the iron hooves of the Turan army, your lone efforts alone are insufficient to reclaim your homeland. Therefore, I suggest that you unite with the Vikings who worship the god of war to the east, and join forces with the citizens' resistance army of Flanders to the south. Only in this way can you take the first step in the counter-offensive."

Nisa Sahinian didn't give him a friendly look either, directly stating the strategy that represented the national will of the Saman Empire.

"Are the Persians such an impolite people? How could they be so disrespectful when meeting a nobleman?!" In the hall, a burly knight stood out, glaring angrily.

"I will defend the honor of the Crusaders and challenge you, you heretical witch!" the knight roared, drawing his sword.