e-booksonline Chapter 959 The New Sassanid King
Chapter 959 The New Sassanid King
Chapter 959 The New Sassanid King
Lothar smiled noncommittally: "Since Bahram still harbors disloyal intentions, why would he come if I summon him? It would only force him to act desperately and tie the entire city of Ctesiphon to him."
“I want a complete Ctesiphon, not a ruin.”
Mustafa said with a wry smile, "You really overestimate Bahram's determination."
“I’ve watched this child grow up since he was a child. He is good at scheming but indecisive. Faced with your threat, he is both unwilling and lacks the determination to take a gamble. If you don’t put the opportunity in front of him, he will not take that step.”
He said sincerely, “When the tyrant Kuchlug of Karakhidan asked for help, Bahram hesitated and was unwilling to send his main force to help. He hoped that both sides would be weakened and that the Tatars would sweep them away like autumn leaves. Only then did he hastily gather his army and try to unite with the Khwarazmians to fight against the Tatars.”
"Although they could unite with the Khwarazmians, they were still unwilling to exert their full strength, resulting in the loss of half of the Persian army. The remaining half was powerless to resist the Tatars and suffered another major defeat, leading to the devastation of the entire Persian territory."
"He either held Persia or kept the enemy at the border, but he hesitated every time, which led to the collapse of the thousand-year-old dynasty in one fell swoop."
Mustafa solemnly said, "How can such a person be so determined to fight you with the courage to perish together when His Majesty's mighty dragon soars in the sky and his army is at the city gates?"
Lothar nodded slightly: "You seem to know him quite well."
Having said that, he didn't mention summoning Bahram, but instead said, "The Tatars have already reached Khovezan, Mustafa, can you contact the governor of Khovezan now?"
“Of course, Your Majesty. Governor Rumi of Hovezan is a man of strong character, and it will probably not be easy to persuade him to surrender. However, he will not submit to the Tatars as easily as the governor of Hamadan.”
Mustafa was aware of the Tatars' movements, but despite knowing this, he was powerless to provide any support and could only leave them aside, letting them fend for themselves.
“Then send a message to Governor Howezan for me, telling him to hold out as long as possible, and that reinforcements will arrive the next day.”
Mustafa quickly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty is magnanimous. It will not be long before the Saracens, Persians, Kurds, and Armenians all kneel before you with heartfelt respect, offering their tribute."
Losa was tired of these flattering words and waved his hand impatiently: "Enough of this nonsense, Mustafa. Since you wrote to me in private, you must know my style. Right now, I am about to lead the main force to fight the Tatars, stabilize the two cities of Ctesiphon and Baghdad, and crush all of Xiao Xiao's rebellious ambitions. Are you confident?"
"This old minister is willing to do everything in his power to help you stabilize your rear and turn the two cities of Thailand and Pakistan into your base for troops and logistics."
"Then kneel down and swear an oath to me, swearing by the sacred fire."
Lothar nodded slightly: "I will leave Khosrul behind, and you will assist him in guarding Ctesiphon. Stability is the priority. I will leave 10,000 infantrymen for your command, and you will also be in charge of the 8,000 troops stationed in Baghdad. However, I will take all 10,000 Undead with me."
Although the Shadow of Darkness could not reach the more distant Tatar steppes, it had already infiltrated the Persian Plateau with the help of caravans, in addition to the communication system established by the Echoes of Lothar.
Lothar now likely knows more about the Tatars than Ctesiphon did.
Mustafa quickly bowed in gratitude: "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. I will do everything in my power to assist Prince Kusru."
boom--
The city gates are wide open.
The Crusader infantry, carrying various banners, slowly marched into Ctesiphon.
The doors of the houses on both sides of the street were tightly closed, and pairs of eyes, filled with fear and confusion, silently watched the invaders. They had been under the rule of the Sasanian dynasty for a thousand years, and they never imagined that the dynasty would collapse in just a few months.
As for Lothar himself and the Crusader cavalry, they had no intention of entering the city at all.
He took a deep look at the magnificent city, then said to Jeanne, "The army is in your hands. Ladon and I will go ahead."
In the sky, the three-headed dragon swooped down, its huge shadow moving rapidly, and in an instant, the Eclipse's back was empty.
At this moment, Hovezan.
The surrounding villages and fortresses had all fallen. Flames and thick smoke drove the hiding people onto the main road, and under the threat of the Tatar cavalry's blades, they surged toward Howezan.
The Tatar vanguard surged out of the Zagros Pass at the crack of dawn and launched a surprise attack on the strongholds around Hovezan. The attack was highly effective, as the local garrisons were unable to pose any obstacle to the Tatar cavalry.
Hovezan is located on the alluvial plain of the lower Kalun River. The land is fertile and rich in grain. It is also a strategic pass guarding the Zagros Pass, on par with Hamadan. Taking this city is crucial for the Tatars' supply and the next step of their advance.
Howezan was suddenly attacked, and the city was in chaos.
Although Khovezan is geographically important, it is ultimately just a secondary administrative center of the Sasanian Khuzestan province, with a population of only 30,000, making it only a small to medium-sized city, and the total number of troops stationed there is no more than 5,000.
Even though they had temporarily conscripted and trained 5,000 town militiamen because the Tatars were about to invade, the total number was only 10,000. When Hamadan, who had "seven city gates, a market stretching for three miles, and more than a hundred bathhouses," surrendered, how could they possibly muster the will to resist to the end?
"Your Excellency, the Tatars are attacking! What should we do now?"
"Surrender, Your Excellency!"
The city's prominent figures crowded around Governor Rumi, and one of them said with a look of fear, "Hamadan and Isfahan, these great cities, have already fallen to the enemy. With so few people, how can we possibly stop these Tatars who are like jackals?"
Governor Rumi gave these cowardly men, whose faces were filled with fear, a deep look and roared, "Shut up! Have you thought about this? Hamadan surrendered because Hamadan was wealthy and could withstand the Tatars' exploitation. But what about us? Howezan is just a small town. The Tatars need to replenish their military supplies and support tens of thousands of soldiers and hundreds of thousands of livestock. Even if they emptied the entire town, it wouldn't be enough!"
"Now, resistance may mean death, but surrender may not guarantee survival!"
“Rather than lay down my weapons and be slaughtered, I would rather take up arms and fight to the death, at least to uphold the honor of my family and the dignity of a warrior, and to let the Tatars know that we Persian warriors are not a bunch of cowards to be bullied.”
These words immediately inspired courage in many people.
"That's right, let's fight them!"
"No one can take away the land where we have lived for generations!"
Hamadan's leading figures mostly belonged to the urban class, wealthy merchants and artisans, and often lacked courage, but Howezan's leaders were mostly military nobles, who still possessed a strong sense of bravery.
"No, the Tatars are so brutal. If there is any resistance, the whole city will be slaughtered. Surrendering will at least guarantee that some people will survive. Right now, even the imperial court is too busy to take care of itself. Why should the governor continue to risk his life for the imperial court?"
"Instead of making futile resistance, wouldn't it be better to let the Tatars advance unimpeded and fight the Franks who are besieging Baghdad to the death?"
Some people continued to chatter, but in the blink of an eye, a flash of blood appeared, and a head flew off.
Governor Rumi, his face contorted with rage, held up a severed head and roared, “Brothers, are we fighting for the Sassanid dynasty? We are fighting for the sacred fire, for the land we have lived on for generations, for the dignity of Zoroastrians and warriors! How can there be such beasts in this world who betray their own people and help invaders exploit them to the bone? Anyone who tries to do that, I will be the first to stop them!”
"That's right, fight to the very end!"
"For the sacred flame, we will fight these unbelievers to the bitter end! We will fight to the last man and never surrender!"
Just then, someone came in from outside and reminded him, "Your Excellency, Master Muwahid says he has received a message from the court!"
"News from the imperial court?"
Governor Rumi looked somewhat stunned. Ctesiphon and Baghdad were on the verge of falling, and the court was already preoccupied with its own problems. It was impossible for them to grant their request for help and send troops to their aid at this time.
The only possibility is to ask them to abandon Hovezan and return to the capital to serve the emperor.
With a cold face, he said in a deep voice, "Tell Master Muwahid what the court has to say. If it's not important, then don't say anything."
The visitor hesitated for a moment, but still said, "Since Master Muwahid thinks it's something useful, you'd better listen to it."
Rumi waved his hand impatiently: "Then let Master Muwahid in."
As the white-haired old man, dressed in Zoroastrian robes, entered, Rumi rose to greet him and whispered in his ear, "Master, don't you know that we are at a critical juncture, and those words that damage morale must be said?"
Master Muwahid laughed and said, "How do you know it's something that would damage morale? Grand Vizier Mustafa said that we should hold our ground and that reinforcements would arrive soon."
"Reinforcements?"
The governor's expression changed drastically: "At this point, can the imperial court still send reinforcements? Have the Franks retreated?"
“The Franks did not retreat. The Grand Vizier said: ‘The Tatars are fierce and barbaric, without scriptures or canons, and have the nature of jackals! Wherever they go, there is devastation. Cities, palaces, and temples are reduced to ruins. Believers are like cattle and sheep, and scriptures are like weeds. They are the greatest enemy of all those who have scriptures in the world.’”
"Now the Tatars are at the gates of the two rivers. Although the Franks are enemies, they are willing to protect us believers. Governor Rumi, please hold firm in the face of the Tatars' advance. If you hold out for just half a day, a demonic dragon will come to your aid."
Governor Rumi asked incredulously, "Judging from Mustafa's words, we've joined forces with the Franks?"
The Franks were also believers in the Bible. Under Sassanid rule, Christians originally held a relatively high status, second only to Zoroastrians. It was only in recent years, under increasingly fanatical religious sentiments, that they have suffered much suppression.
"It's not an alliance; the court has already surrendered to the Franks. Baghdad and Ctesiphon are now under Frankish rule."
Upon hearing what Master Muwahid said, everyone fell silent.
“Your Excellency, the Tatars are powerful and skilled in siege warfare. Since they entered Persia, they have burned many magnificent cities to the ground. We have no way to stop these wolves.”
"Now that the Franks are willing to unite with us, let's get through this first, no matter what."
“That’s right. As Grand Vizier said, although the Franks are barbaric, they are still believers. I have been to Guders, where the Zoroastrians did not suffer much bullying and were treated just like the Nestorians under our rule.”
Everyone was intrigued.
The Franks were formidable enemies, but if they were on your side, you would immediately feel safe.
They were all afraid that Rumi, the steadfast Gazi warrior, might do something unwise by refusing the Franks' aid, which would offend both sides and leave everyone present with no chance of survival.
After a long silence, Rumi finally asked helplessly, "Can the Frankish dragon really arrive in just half a day?"
Muwahid nodded: "Perhaps even sooner, the Frankish Emperor Lothar will personally arrive riding a dragon."
Rumi sighed, his tone full of sarcasm: "Does Lothar really think he's the new Sassanid king? His Majesty Bahram ignored us, but this heretic ruler has arrived quickly enough."
After saying that, he suddenly stood up.
"Everyone, did you hear that? The new emperor will arrive on his dragon in less than half a day. Now, come with me to the city wall and fight these grassland barbarians!"
The news that the new king was about to arrive to aid the country riding a dragon was quickly spread among the people. This undoubtedly boosted morale. However, the Howezan garrison couldn't help but wonder when their Sassanid royal family had produced a new king who could ride a dragon.