I was the Queen of Persia

Page 168

Just as he was deep in thought, a commotion arose from behind the distant army formation.

"what happened?"

"Your Majesty, infidel forces are attacking us from behind. The rearguard is fighting desperately but is on the verge of collapse!"

The Turan officer who arrived from behind brought even more unfavorable news.

Upon hearing this, Zaglite was taken aback and quickly looked in that direction. Through the overlapping pine forest, he indeed saw a group of Germanic knights in grey robes and chainmail, pursuing the defeated Turan rearguard with overwhelming momentum.

The entire Turan force was suddenly caught in a predicament, attacked from both sides.

Chapter 384 The Turan Army's Second Defeat

The Iron Cross Knights, clad in grey robes and iron armor, are launching a fierce attack on the Turan camp troops.

They achieved remarkable results by using solid and reliable shield-bearing infantry as their main force, supplemented by a small number of cavalry as mobile assault troops.

Chaglit stood frozen, his sharp eyes devoid of light, staring blankly as his troops were routed one by one. He had thought victory was assured, but this unexpected turn of events had taken a turn for the worse.

Faced with the Knights' assault, the Turan army, despite its fierce fighting prowess, was powerless to retaliate.

Because the Turan Khanate's infantry was relatively weak, they were no match for the Germanic professional warriors. More importantly, the battlefield was long and narrow, making it difficult for the Turan lines to deploy. Furthermore, the Chaglitz's earlier haste to advance into the mountains had resulted in a long and fragile battle line, making it difficult for the front and rear to coordinate.

Soon, the rearguard Turan camps collapsed one after another.

The victory of the Knights of the Iron Cross also greatly boosted the morale of the Sisters' garrison.

The nuns and rangers were once again filled with renewed fighting spirit. They bravely drew their bows and arrows, formed ranks and launched a counterattack, advancing step by step, driving the Germanic puppet army and Turanian army that had already climbed the city walls down.

"Boom—!" "Boom—!"

With several muffled thuds, the siege ladders erected by the Turan army were all knocked down, and the rapidly falling massive siege weapons also crushed and killed some Turan soldiers and puppet soldiers who were caught in the chaos.

The tide of battle has turned, and the Turan army's hopes of victory have become slim.

"Khan, the situation is critical! I will escort you to retreat!" His personal guard, Daharchi, immediately drew his mace from his waist and stood in front of Chagli Tegin.

Turan's personal guards, fully armed and ready, drew their weapons and stood at attention.

"These heretics deserve to go to hell!" Chaglitt cursed angrily, but looking at the battle that had almost failed, he couldn't help but sigh.

Now we are besieged on both sides and unable to deploy our forces. If this stalemate continues, we will likely fall into a passive and unfavorable situation, at which point the situation will be even more difficult to reverse.

With a few sighs to the heavens, Chaglit issued a dejected order to retreat. Under the cover of his personal guards, he mounted his warhorse, regrouped his troops, and left the battlefield.

……

The Knights of the Iron Cross advanced in formation, annihilating the Turan soldiers who had fallen into disarray. The Germanic puppet army, already divided and indecisive, surrendered immediately upon seeing their comrades victorious.

The battle at the Prasita Monastery ended in defeat for the Turan army.

"De-de-de-"

A knight who looked like a commander rode into the monastery gate, which was in complete disarray.

The knight, dressed in reinforced chainmail and wearing a helmet with a face shield, and whose warhorse was draped in a gray robe with a black cross, looked quite imposing.

This contrasts sharply with the exhausted, blood-stained, and tattered armored nuns' knights-errant.

"May God bless you, Your Excellency!"

"Your Lordship, thanks to your sharp sword, we were able to escape danger from the siege of the heretics."

The surviving nun's rangers bowed and saluted the armored knight.

"No need for thanks. We are all fighting against the Tatar infidels. My sword will be pointed wherever justice is needed." A familiar female voice came from inside the heavy helmet.

As the helmet was removed, a familiar face with brown hair and blue eyes appeared before the nuns, leaving everyone speechless.

The severely wounded leader of the Sisters of the Order, Madam Yakara, struggled to her feet and said in a trembling voice, "Kaisha?"

She was once the captain of the female rangers who was as famous as Chisevana. However, she was later accused by the nuns of "having relations with the devil in her dreams" because of her repeated bedwetting and was permanently expelled from the nun's organization.

“It’s me, Ms. Yakara.”

A bitter look flashed in Kaisa's eyes. She did not answer Yakara's question, but turned to the weary nuns' rangers.

"Sisters, I know the difficulties you face. I have fought alongside you, and I was expelled from the organization for my foolishness. But now, I hope we can fight together against the Tatar invaders!"

Her voice was firm and powerful, and her eyes burned with a fighting spirit.

Although the shadow of the past still looms over her, the forgotten accusations and the decision to expel her are now once again in doubt.

But at that moment, another firm voice in her mind was also reminding her.

Not long ago, a woman with the appearance of an "Eastern Persian infidel" contacted her in secret.

The Persian woman claimed that she had come on the orders of the great Queen Shahzani and proposed a temporary alliance of armed forces from various Christian factions to jointly resist the Turan Khanate.

Despite harboring resentment towards her former organization, Kaisa ultimately considered the bigger picture and accepted the Samanid Empire's offer.

Therefore, Kaisa ultimately decided to send troops to aid the Fighting Sisters.

After hearing the resounding call.

The nuns, the nuns, the wandering knights, and the maids all wore complex emotions in their eyes. They were happy for the defeat of the Turan army, but at the same time, they were worried about the shadows and entanglements of the past.

After all, the female knight in front of them had been accused of "having relations with the devil".

But the current situation leaves the already weakened Sisters with no room for further choice. Not only have their armed forces suffered heavy losses, but most of the nuns who manage the organization have also been killed in action. If they do not band together for mutual support in time, they will collapse and be destroyed in the next Turanian army siege.

"Cough...cough...! Okay..."

Knowing her injuries were severe and her days were numbered, Ms. Yakara made a pact with Kaisa in her final moments:

The Battle Sisters were incorporated into the Knights of the Iron Cross, and in wartime they were subject to the Grand Commander of the Knights of the Iron Cross.

In return, the Knights of the Iron Cross granted the Battle Sisters autonomy, allowing them to handle their own internal affairs.

The Samanid Empire has taken another step in its grand strategy.

……

Through the caravan spies and intelligence gathering system that spanned the Silk Road, news of the Turan army's defeat in the Sudetenland Mountains eventually reached the power center of the Samanid Empire—Jahhanshahr in Khorasan Province.

Shahzani was not surprised by this.

she knows.

The Turans (and other similar Inner Asian nomadic military conquerors) may have been able to conquer vast European continents by force, but they ultimately lacked the ability to govern effectively.

The Turans themselves were an Inner Asian nomadic culture. After long-term contact with Iran, they absorbed a large amount of Persian culture. However, these cultures were very different from European Christian culture, and it was clear that they could not be deeply integrated in a short period of time.

The Turans never fully developed a mature and complete system of governance. The present-day Turan Khanate is at most a nomadic slave-owning khanate that has learned only a little about centralized bureaucracy. In addition, the period of military conquest was not long, and the ethnic and religious situations were complex. Therefore, the rule over the conquered European regions was quite extensive and unable to achieve strict centralization.

With a limited number of soldiers, Turan was certainly unable to defend all the conquered territories. In the end, they could only rely on the puppet rulers of the local European nobles, who were opportunistic and had no loyalty to the Turans.

Unless the Turans deeply integrate their Inner Asian-Persian-Islamic culture with European Christian culture over several centuries, gradually developing a new, inclusive culture, like the Sultanate of Rum and the Ottoman Empire in their previous lives.

But Shahzani clearly wouldn't allow the Turan Khanate to survive that long.

With this in mind, she drafted another edict, planning to have caravan spies along the Silk Road continue to gather information.

Chapter 385 The Division of the Turan Khanate

On the vast territory of the Samanid Empire.

Iranian messengers, galloping on horseback, were delivering news and reports from foreign lands along the post roads and inns that spanned the empire's provinces, especially the main Khorasan Road, to the heart of the empire—Jahanshahr.

The wilderness was flat and boundless, with distant mountains undulating and rolling, and swirling dust billowing in our faces.

"drive--!"

Clerks in red robes and tall hats rode swiftly along the straight, wide official road, where merchants and pilgrims thronged. In the distance, a vast cluster of domes in azure, vermilion, and pine green came into view, and a massive, earthen-yellow city stood prominently.

Jahanshahr has arrived.

Battle reports of all kinds were transmitted to the bureaucratic departments in the capital in this way, and after being sorted and distributed, they were presented to Shah Shah's study.

Shahzani was able to gain a more comprehensive overview of the battle.

In the month-long battle in the Sudetenland Mountains, Turan's army went from victory to defeat. Turan's main force lost two thousand men, and when you add in the large number of German cannon fodder puppets who died and defected, Turan's army suffered nearly nine thousand casualties.

Of course, the Battle Sisters were also basically crippled. Their armed forces, which originally numbered about four or five thousand, were reduced to less than a thousand after this battle. Their leaders and a large number of chiefs were killed in action, and the remaining forces had to rely on others.

However, their struggle bought time for other anti-Turan armed groups to expand.

Nisa Sahini, who has traveled to Europe, reports:

The Iron Horse Knights recently captured Salzburg, a major city in Austria, established a fortress there, and obtained a large supply of weapons and provisions, greatly enhancing their strength.

The Dawn Crusade launched a counter-offensive along a tributary of the Rhine, and Christian lords along the way turned to join them, with large numbers of Germanic puppet troops surrendering.

……

This means that the Zaghli Special Agent's rule over the European continent has loosened, which confirms Shahzani's conjecture.

However, the more crucial news came from the heart of the Turan Khanate—the city of Afrasiab:

First, the resistance struggles of the conquered tribes throughout the Khanate became increasingly fierce.

As the taxes and corvée imposed by the Khanate for the war became increasingly heavy, many tribes and regimes could no longer endure it and seized every opportunity to revolt against the rule of Turan's military aristocracy.

In recent years, the Oghuz people north of the Khwarazm Sea (Aral Sea), the Kipchak and Kangli people of the Turgai steppe, the Kimak people between the Irtysh and Ishim rivers, the Arghun people north of the Syr Darya River, and the Karluks of the Seven Rivers region have all risen up in rebellion.

Secondly, the Great Khan Aknuar of the Khanate has recently been quite dissatisfied with the disrespect shown by Chagli Tegin.

Chaglitqin became arrogant due to his military achievements in conquering the west. For several months, he repeatedly slighted the envoys sent by the Great Khan and even ignored the Great Khan's orders to provide soldiers, horses, and tribute, which greatly angered Aknuer.

Third, the power struggle among the upper echelons of the Khanate intensified.

The other princes and princesses of the Khanate were already on bad terms. They were jealous of Chagli Tegin's military achievements and worried that their brother would kill them after inheriting the Khanate. So they secretly stepped up their preparations to seize power, not only gathering forces everywhere, but also expanding their personal guards in their respective urgs (territories).

Apart from Aknuar's children, other members of the Khan's court also joined the struggle.

……

After reviewing the known intelligence, Shahzani had a plan in mind.

The following day, at a court assembly attended by Diwan ministers, the Empress announced her decision: to use a divisive tactic to accelerate the division and disintegration of the Turan Khanate.

"The Turans conquered their land with swords and iron hooves, but they lack enough scholars and wise men to govern such a vast empire. Now their internal divisions are too deep to be resolved. As long as we send out spies, we can dismantle their empire with their tongues."

The Queen concluded.

The civil and military officials all agreed that the plan was feasible.

They then pooled their wisdom and formulated a concrete and feasible plan.

……

Several days later, in the steppes of the Ishim River basin within the territory of the Turan Khanate.

Hey! People from afar, where do you come from?

“We come from the Khiniq tribe of Oghuz, and we are going to the city of Afrasiyab to surrender our warhorses. God has guided my steps to this place, and may God bless you!”

"May God bless you! Guests from afar, come into our tent and have a bowl of hot milk wine!"

This is a common greeting among nomadic people on the grasslands.

Upon entering the tent, hosts and guests clinked glasses, laughed and chatted, discussing recent events on the grassland. Before they knew it, the conversation had shifted to some sensitive political topics.

"Hey, by Allah! Have you heard? The Chaglitzin, who occupy the west, are going to submit to Empress Shahzani of the Samanid Empire!"

"God above! This is shocking news! Who told you this?"

“Such rumors are circulating everywhere on the pastures of our Qinihei tribe.”

"Yes, I've also heard that Chaglitzin recently refused the Great Khan's request to send troops and even publicly whipped the Great Khan's envoy!"

“That’s right, that’s how it is. Zaghli is a violent man with great ambition.”

Inside the tent, the crowd whispered amongst themselves.

……

Similar rumors have been circulating widely across the steppes of Turan recently. Clearly, these are being spread by spies from the Samanid Empire, and their seamless coordination has successfully lured the Turanians into their trap.

Soon after, Aknuer, who was in charge of the Golden Top Tent, also concluded that Chaglitqin harbored ulterior motives.

"Snapped--!"

Aknu'er slammed his fist on the table, his expression furious: "If we don't eliminate the lone wolf with ulterior motives, he will surely harm the entire pack! If we don't eliminate the Chaglitzin, then the dignity of the Turan Khanate will be challenged!"