I was the Queen of Persia

Page 91

"It's done, Master Almuravi."

Atelier replied, “I placed a warning and deterrent device by the Persian queen’s pillow. I believe she has understood this principle: even with a vast army, she is still like a fish on a chopping board in front of an assassin who enters alone.”

“Hmm, very good.” Almuravi nodded approvingly. “You are the best assassin in the Sham region, but do you know why your master didn’t let you take action directly?”

Ateli lowered his head in shame: "This... I truly do not know. That Shahzani was a warmonger who forced the Alawi-Nusiriyah followers in the Alamut Mountains of Persia to convert to the Khorami sect. She was truly a tyrant."

Al-Murawi sighed and said earnestly:

“Shahzani was indeed a tyrannical ruler, but she was also able to bring relative peace and order to the war-torn Iraq-Jajlah-Sham region.”

"Our assassin group has long been hiding in the high mountains and deep fortresses of Masyaf, facing various hostile forces, and is already exhausted. Especially in the current situation, we are caught between the three powerful forces of Fatima, the Eastern Roman Empire, and Mustafa, making our situation even more difficult. Isn't that Hejaz man named Hakkawi trying to recruit various assassin groups and constantly putting pressure on us?"

"Now, we have finally encountered a powerful monarch capable of turning the situation around. If we do not seize this opportunity, it will be even more difficult to find a good one in the future."

"At least... if we really had to choose sides among the tyrannical Mustafa, the mad and bloodthirsty Haqawi, the pagan Eastern Roman Emperor, the Fatima who see us as a thorn in their side, and the powerful but orderly Shahzani, it would be better to choose Shahzani. To be precise... it would be to choose her ally—Princess Selim of the Alawite faction."

After listening, Atelier nodded slightly: "I think I understand your intention, but... then why did you send me to deliver a threatening letter to that Persian queen?"

"This is precisely the necessary measure!"

Al-Mouravi solemnly emphasized: "Although we have to accept the rule of a powerful force, we must make them understand that the mountain fortresses of Sharm el-Lebanon have a long tradition of autonomy. In other words, we can bow down, but we will not accept complete and utter submission. We must have a share in the distribution of power in the coastal mountains!"

“Yes, I understand your good intentions.” Atelier nodded.

……

This is the Samanid army camp.

Shahzani had finished listening to Hydia's account and was now opening a map drawn by Biruni, looking at the mountain ranges stretching across the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, gesturing and pondering.

"So, this is an assassin group active in the coastal mountains of Sham, with its main stronghold being the mountain fortress of Masyaf. They follow sects such as Alawi and Ismaili, and also have strongholds, members, and branches in Jajira and Iraq?" Shahzani asked.

“Exactly,” Hedia replied.

“Very good, the information you provided is very valuable. You can go and rest now,” Shahzani gestured.

"Yes." Hydia kowtowed and kissed the ground, then bowed and left the tent.

Despite the complex situation, the assassinations and intimidation did not deter the Saman army. Under Shahzani's command, the Saman army decisively broke camp and launched an attack northward to continue its campaign against the Mustafa regime.

Shahzani didn't care how many groups of opponents were lurking in the shadows, nor what methods they used; her established goal was unwavering—to conquer Baghdad, depose the Caliph, and destroy Mustafa's regime.

The thunderous roar of the ironclad soldiers and the flowing armor of the cavalry, the scarlet Iranian battle flags obscuring the yellowish sky, and the sandstorms that swept across the land as the army marched on, blotting out the sun.

The Samanid army bid farewell to the old ruins of the Sasanian dynasty—the palaces and massive arches built by emperors such as Shapur and Khosrul—and headed towards the heart of Mustafa's regime.

"Your Majesty Shah, where will our army attack next? Baghdad?" asked the Saman army deputy general beside him.

“No, march on Nahrawan.” Shahzani’s eyes were resolute as she gazed in the direction the army was heading. “Sever the lifeblood of Mustafa’s army.”

Chapter 212 Battle of Nahravan

Nahravan, a city east of Baghdad.

This is also one of the most prosperous cities in Iraq, with a network of canals running through the entire area, lush date palm groves, and a constant stream of camel caravans.

Shahzani rode up the high slope, raised his observation binoculars and looked into the distance. He discovered that Mustafa's army had already deployed around the city. The plains were covered with black flags bearing the slogan of "jihad," and Muhammad Ghulai's banner was particularly conspicuous.

Indeed, seeing that the Saman army was closing in and about to completely destroy his corrupt regime, Mustafa gave Quray a death order, commanding him to immediately lead his troops to resist.

Mustafa really went all out this time. He ordered a large army to be assembled by piecing together resources from various sources, and opened all the armories in Baghdad, allocating a huge number of armors and weapons to equip his army.

How could Gulai dare to be negligent? He knew that if he was defeated again this time, even if his master spared his life, the advancing Saman army would eventually grind him to dust. So he did his best to arrange his troops and build a defensive line.

To counter the Iranian heavy cavalry's attacks, he ordered the construction of crisscrossing chevaux-de-frise and trenches between the ranks, the scattering of large quantities of caltrops or various anti-cavalry barbs, and the recruitment of a large number of Mashrik-Arab town garrison soldiers skilled in forming spear formations for defense.

In this situation, an army that stretched across the plains was deployed and ready for battle in the Nahrawan region. Looking at his army of up to 100,000 men of various armed forces, Gulai was confident that he could turn the tide and stop Shahzani's offensive.

Mustafa's army formed defensive formations based on tribal, town, village, and regional units, hiding behind fortifications, each holding a long spear in both hands, and vigilantly watching the direction of the Saman army.

Shahzani certainly wouldn't let her heavy cavalry charge straight at the anti-cavalry formation. Although her armored cavalry could eventually break through the defenses, the cost would be much greater. After a quick glance, she immediately ordered the Seljuk horse archers on the right flank to attack.

Their mission was not to charge straight into the enemy lines, but to use their mobility to continuously strike the enemy's weak points with mounted archery, thereby gradually tearing apart the enemy's defenses.

Although Qulai's tactics were clumsy and inept, he was not so stupid as to be brainless. When he saw the Seljuk horse archers of the Saman army flanking and maneuvering, he immediately ordered the archers in his army to form ranks and prepare, while the spearmen with shields provided nearby cover.

Seeing this, the Seljuk horse archers ordered their units to disperse, which reduced the damage from the enemy's ranged projectiles. They also extended their flanking distance slightly, but their tactical objective remained unchanged—to break through the enemy's defenses and create an opening for follow-up attacks.

As the dust cloud grew thicker, when the two armies were less than a hundred paces apart, both sides simultaneously unleashed a volley of arrows. With a series of whooshing sounds echoing through the sky, a rain of arrows, like locusts, instantly covered the sky, crisscrossing in countless arcs as they flew toward each other.

As the rain of arrows fell, cries of agony rose and fell.

Although the Seljuk horse archers were positioned as ranged mounted archers, since they submitted to the Samanid government, they had acquired a large amount of chainmail, lamellar armor and other protective equipment, which greatly improved their defense. Moreover, the troops had deliberately spread out their formation during the march, so although there were some casualties, the overall losses were minor.

On Mustafa's side, the large number of archers crowded together made them easy targets for the Seljuk archers. After a volley of arrows, many fell to the ground. Fortunately, the shield-bearing infantry raised their shields in time to cover the wounds, thus mitigating some of the damage and preventing more people from being killed.

The Seljuk cavalry continued their flanking maneuvers and engaged Mustafa's army in several skirmishes, gradually breaking through their defensive lines.

"Kufa Shia army, slave rebellion army, swamp Arab army, assemble your ranks, attack!" Seeing the subtle change in the situation, Shahzani decisively issued the attack order.

Although sending Saman's regular army might have been more effective, Shahzani considered that the local militias were more familiar with the situation and that this move would also help them hone their combat skills.

Therefore, she temporarily refrained from deploying regular Iranian troops and instead allowed these local militias in southern Iraq to lead the charge.

The horns of attack sounded, and under the leadership of their commander, Polodina, the southern Iraqi militia group advanced in formation, brandishing their long spears and shields, and shouting the slogan "God is great," as they slowly advanced towards Mustafa's army.

Taking advantage of the gaps created by the Seljuk cavalry, the Iraqi militia overturned the outer fences and antlers, crossed the deep trenches, and engaged in close combat with Mustafa's soldiers.

Sparks flew as the soldiers clashed between the ranks, and the two armies locked in fierce combat.

Although Mustafa's army was numerous and well-rested, their organization and discipline were inferior to those of the southern Iraqi militia. Moreover, the dense palisades and trenches severely hampered their formation movements, resulting in them being unable to defeat the mobile and flexible southern Iraqi militia.

Before long, the Mustafa soldiers at the forefront could not hold out and retreated one after another. However, those behind them kept pushing forward. The command system gradually failed due to the overwhelming force of the enemy, and chaos ensued as they trampled each other.

Seeing the forwards and wingers fall into chaos one after another, Gulei cursed inwardly.

"Reinforcements! Reinforcements! Hold on! Hold on!" Gulai anxiously ordered his men, trying to use their numbers to plug the widening gap.

With his loud command, Mustafa's soldiers at the front line regained their morale somewhat, while more follow-up troops continued to push forward, plugging the gaps left by the Saman army's tearing. Due to the numerical disparity, the attack of the southern Iraqi militia was gradually suppressed.

As the situation continued to evolve, Shahzani began to observe more closely once again.

Through the observation mirror, she discovered that although Mustafa's army was putting on a desperate fight, their various formations were loosely connected, their order was in complete chaos, and their defenses were rendered useless by the trampling of their own men. The entire force was already at its last gasp.

At this time, the Seljuk cavalry were still conducting orderly circular archery on the enemy's flank, while the Iraqi militia in the south fought and retreated, maintaining coordination with the main force.

After these recent struggles, the enemy has exposed even more weaknesses and gaps, one of the most fatal of which is located on its left flank, slightly behind.

"Heavy cavalry group!" Shahzani immediately waved her command flag, pointing in the direction of the enemy's breach in the formation. "Use cover to charge at that position in the enemy's formation!"

The Shaher Guard formed the vanguard, followed closely by the Transoxiana-Khorasan heavy cavalry. They quietly shifted to the sidelines of the battlefield and launched a flanking attack before Mustafa's army could detect them.

Fortunately, there was a vast and dense date palm grove on the side of the battlefield, which blocked the Mustafa army's view. Using the cover of this orchard, the Saman heavy cavalry quickly moved toward the Mustafa army's weak flank. After reaching the designated position, they immediately formed an assault formation and launched a powerful charge.

When the red, armored cavalry appeared in their sight, Mustafa's soldiers were terrified. Before they could even hastily form a defensive line, the massive armored cavalry, accompanied by a cloud of dust, charged in.

Chapter 213 The Siege of Baghdad

Mustafa's soldiers, especially the town pikemen who had been highly anticipated before the battle, hastily formed ranks. However, the chaotic order severely hampered their formation. Before they could even get into position and raise their spears, the Saman ironclad cavalry charged forward.

The sounds of iron clashing and bones shattering rose and fell, mingled with heart-wrenching cries of agony. The Saman heavy cavalry, like a steel axe, were deeply embedded in Mustafa's army formation.

At such close range, under the onslaught of this steel torrent, Mustafa's army was utterly powerless to resist. Their painstakingly constructed defensive fortifications were shattered and rendered useless in countering the cavalry. Within minutes, countless soldiers were trampled and crushed into a bloody pulp by the iron hooves, with blood and severed limbs splattering everywhere, a scene comparable to a fiery inferno.

"God..." Qulai was both angry and terrified. Looking at the unstoppable advance of the Saman army and the tragic defeat of his own troops, he was so shocked that he was incoherent and his mind went blank.

In desperation, he could only resort to robbing Peter to pay Paul, diverting some troops to plug the gap. However, this was a drop in the ocean, and the frequent deployments not only exhausted his already limited troops but also exacerbated the chaos within his own ranks.

As the Shahr-Khorasan heavy armored group continued its charge, the Seljuk horse archers, seeing their ally break through, switched to melee weapons and split into several charge formations, kicking up clouds of dust as they rapidly charged toward the chaotic flank of Mustafa's army.

These Turkic-Turkmen riders already possessed dual capabilities. After being armed with armor by Shahzani, their close-combat abilities were undoubtedly further enhanced. Combined with their fierce and skilled riding characteristics, they were truly a fearsome cavalry force.

The Saman cavalry repeatedly charged, circled, regrouped, and charged again, flanking and outmaneuvering the Mustafa army, which was in disarray due to a lack of command. They quickly broke the army into small, disorganized units that could not support each other.

The Iraqi forces in the south, who were assisting in the operation, did not miss the opportunity provided by their allies.

"Form small squads and launch an attack on the enemy's vanguard!"

At Polodina’s roar, the various squads and detachments immediately formed ranks according to their troop types and organization, first launching a ranged attack, then advancing towards Mustafa’s army with shields and spears raised.

Although labeled as a "militia," after initial training by Polodina and further training by a large number of non-commissioned officers in Saman's Iranian army, these southern Iraqi armed groups are no weaker than some regular armies and have completely shed their image as irregular, scattered soldiers.

Swords flashed, spears charged, and arrows provided cover from behind, unleashing a barrage of attacks that quickly forced Mustafa's army to retreat, breaking through their front lines.

At this point, Mustafa's army was in complete chaos, with order and organization almost nonexistent, the formations completely disconnected, and the defensive lines riddled with holes and frequent breaches.

The Samanian heavy cavalry charge gave their opponents no chance to breathe. They quickly outflanked their formation, regrouped, and then, with all their courage and strength, launched another unparalleled charge.

The great collapse finally arrived. Seeing that defeat was inevitable, Mustafa's soldiers frantically turned around and fled towards Baghdad. Those soldiers who couldn't escape simply threw away their flags and weapons and knelt down to surrender.

"Damn it! Damn it! Don't run away! Hold on! Hold on! Ah..." Gulai was waving his whip and shouting when he suddenly felt a cold iron whizzing past his abdomen, followed by excruciating pain.

Blood spurted out, staining his black robe red. His vision went black, and he fell heavily to the ground, never to wake up again.

“Go and confess your sins to Allah, Mustafa’s lackey.” Bahramu flicked his gun contemptuously, pulled on the reins, and continued charging forward.

The fleeing soldiers, a dark mass, scrambled to escape the battlefield in panic, and the Samanid army pursued them relentlessly, achieving considerable success.

The battle was now over. The Samanese soldiers quickly replenished their strength, collected the enemy's scattered weapons and supplies, and gathered and buried the bodies of the fallen. Of course, their own soldiers were buried in the martyrs' mazar so that future generations could pay their respects.

……

Shahzani ordered a two-day rest in Nahrawan to replenish supplies and recover losses.

As the controlled area expanded, Shahzani finally made contact with the Shahini tribe. She also learned that the Shahini were advancing from north to south towards Baghdad, echoing her tactics.

This ingenious march was highly praised by Shahzani. After a two-day rest period, she immediately coordinated with Shahini's offensive, marching from east to west towards Baghdad, thus encircling Baghdad.

The march was tedious. Baghdad was surrounded by dense towns, but the land was flat and lacked natural defenses, making it difficult to establish an impenetrable defensive line. Moreover, the vast majority of the local population was not willing to pledge allegiance to Mustafa.

In this situation, most towns and villages surrendered immediately upon the arrival of the Saman army. Many villages, to show their loyalty, even killed the officials sent by Mustafa and offered their heads to Shahzani.

Having controlled numerous cities surrounding Baghdad and joined forces with Shahizani's troops, Shahzani's territory now resembled a vast ocean, while Baghdad itself became an isolated island within it.

Without giving the enemy much breathing time, Shahzani immediately conscripted civilians to establish siege camps and manufacture siege weapons.

She herself rode her horse up a high slope and looked towards Baghdad.

Under Mustafa's management, Baghdad's defenses were greatly improved. From a distance, towers stood tall, walls were high, crenellations were numerous, and the moat was widened considerably. The city walls were also equipped with a large number of defensive facilities.

It seems that Mustafa has spared no effort in building up his stronghold to protect the people.

at the same time.

On the walls of Baghdad, the soldiers stood in strict formation. Looking at the Saman army that stretched like a red tide across the plains outside the city, each of them felt fear and unease, and subconsciously gripped their weapons tightly.

Mustafa himself appeared on the battlements, looking at the Saman army with an expressionless face and eyes full of hatred.

Since the outbreak of the war, this caliph has performed "remarkably":

He didn't need to move an inch; the front lines continued to draw ever closer. Now, with a powerful enemy still at the city gates, the situation had reached a point of no return. Under these circumstances, he finally humbled himself and personally went to the front lines.

Through the telescope, Shahzani saw the false caliph and the complex expression on his face—cold, tyrannical, yet somewhat insane.

"Finally, we've seen the truth. But God is just, and your regime is about to collapse." Shahzani's lips curled into a disdainful smile.

He rode forward to the front of the army formation and shouted loudly to the Mustafa soldiers on the city wall.

"Soldiers defending the city! I am Shahzani, ruler of Iranians and non-Iranians, emperor of Arabs and Ajams! You have been blinded by evil and cruel ambitions and have gone astray! Lay down your weapons and surrender now, and you will have a chance to live; otherwise, death awaits you!"

Shahzani's tone was very firm. She didn't have much hope that the garrison would surrender on its own initiative. After all, those who were left in this capital region were mostly officers and soldiers who were highly loyal to Mustafa. It was unrealistic to expect them to surrender by simply pressuring them with words.

Chapter 214 Mustafa's Doom

"Put away your arrogance, you devil's woman!"

Mustafa lay sprawled on the battlements, his eyes blazing with fury: "Though I have been defeated by you, I am a devout and orthodox Muslim who faithfully follows the Prophet's teachings, and my kingdom operates entirely according to the principles set forth by Muhammad! Just wait, after I die I will enter God's Paradise, while you will only fall into Satan's Hellfire, ha ha ha ha!"

After saying that, he burst into a fit of mad laughter—or rather, he used mad laughter as a pretext to cover up the shame of his defeat and salvage the last bit of his dignity.

"Heh heh, what a load of twisted logic," Shahzani sneered. "Then go embrace your faith."

Having said that, he turned his horse around and signaled to the waiting Saman army to begin the attack on the city.

One hundred camels moved slowly forward, and the suona players and drummers on their backs blew horns and beat drums. The stirring and long sound instantly resounded through the sky, thus beginning the siege.

The catapults, siege ladders, and other military equipment that had been deployed beforehand slowly moved forward.

In an instant, huge stones were hurled like hailstones, burning fireballs drew arcs in the sky, and various arrows and fireballs roared toward the magnificent city under the power of the siege weapons.

The flintballs roared as they fell, creating bursts of dazzling flames on the city walls. In an instant, stones and bricks flew everywhere, and the shockwaves, carrying immense power, sent Mustafa's troops sprawling.