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Chapter 955 The Building Is About to Collapse, Everyone's a Traitor

Chapter 955 The Building Is About to Collapse, Everyone's a Traitor

The news of Hamadan's fall no longer caused much of a stir in Ctesiphon.

Aliathaberg's army suffered a crushing defeat at the gates of Haditha, with less than 3,000 of the more than 60,000 soldiers escaping.

The Frankish army was pressing in, and no one could stop them. They were already at the gates of Ctesiphon, and no one cared about the Tatars who were nowhere to be seen.

Mustafa stood under the laurel tree in his own residence. This old minister, who had ruled for forty years and served two generations of kings, felt quite melancholy at this moment.

"Father, what did His Majesty say to you? Did he give you more details about the evacuation?"

His son noticed Mustafa's unusual behavior and tentatively asked him.

Mustafa shook his head: "After I die, you must remember to act cautiously. Under Frankish rule, you must never act recklessly again. If they want to seize our property, let them have it. Don't make a futile struggle. As long as you are alive, you can give up all these material possessions."

The young Persian nobleman was shocked: "Father, why would you say such a thing?"

"His Majesty has already met with Bartholomew of the Franks."

"What! When did this happen?"

"Just before His Majesty summoned me, the Lord of the Dragons entered the palace as if it were his own home, and left as if on a picnic. Apart from His Majesty, no one noticed that he had been there."

Mustafa chuckled: "What a terrifying method, isn't it?"

"He must have been terrified. This child has never been a wise and capable ruler, so his decision to hand over me, the 'treacherous minister who controls the court,' and abdicate to become a wealthy man is not that hard to understand."

Mustafa's son was so shocked by the news that he was speechless for a long time before he suddenly said, "Father, we haven't reached the end of the road yet!"

The young Persian nobleman's eyes were red: "Did the Frankish emperor really want your life? No, they just picked an excuse. Whether you are a powerful minister or a treacherous villain who brings disaster to the country is of no importance to them."

“I have studied the way Emperor Lothar operates. He is a pragmatist. He never makes important appointments to people who are useful to him, regardless of their background.”

"His choice to support Khosrul was not because he didn't care about the wealth of Mesopotamia and just wanted to support a puppet state as a shield, but because he was facing the threat of the Tatars and had to stabilize the situation as quickly as possible to resist these jackals."

He said firmly, "If we're talking about Ctesiphon, who else could stabilize the city so quickly and provide the Franks with food and supplies? Who else but you could do that?"

"You want me to betray Bahram?"

Mustafa smiled and shook his head. He had been in power for forty years, and if even his own son could see through it, how could he not understand?

"Father, he betrayed you first!"

"The most precious treasure in my life is the word 'loyalty,' and this will also be the treasure of our family. Saladin was willing to die at the hands of Lothar like a moth drawn to a flame for his family. Do you think I don't have the same courage?"

“Father! The Franks are not the Tatars. Nomadic nations cannot last long, but the Franks may be different. With the sacred flame about to go out and the cross about to be raised high, if we are really pushed out as scapegoats, we may not even have a chance to be vindicated in the future!”

Mustafa's expression changed drastically. He stared intently at his son's familiar face, as if recognizing him for the first time.

"Have you thought this through? If you take this step, our family's reputation will be completely ruined. No one likes a fickle and treacherous person, and the Franks may not be willing to protect us either. You said that Lothar is seeking stability, so won't he turn against us then?"

Mustafa frowned; he had considered this possibility as well.

But I always felt that by then I would have accomplished my task, but my reputation would be ruined, and I would still have to be thrown out by Lothar to quell "public anger".

“I’ve thought it through. People who waver are the most despicable. Since we’ve decided to side with the Franks, I actually think that the worse our reputation, the more trustworthy we are. Father, Lothar is not a spineless coward who can be easily intimidated.”

“He promotes his confidants based solely on talent and merit. If we assist him in stabilizing the Sassanid situation and provide another batch of supplies for the troops, wouldn’t that be a great achievement?”

"This is the first time I've heard you praise this barbarian king like this."

“Such words would never have been uttered before.”

Mustafa remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Then let's do as you say."

"Yes, father!"

Beneath the walls of Baghdad stood a dense, dark mass of Frankish cavalry, distinguished by their various colored tunics, arrayed in formation.

A three-headed dragon hovered overhead, its dragonfire threatening to pour down at any moment, terrifying the Sassanid defenders on the city walls into silence.

With the Sassanids' last mobile forces almost completely wiped out, only Bahram had a large army of undead stationed at Ctesiphon. Baghdad, the Sassanid secondary capital, had almost entirely conscripted civilians to defend it.

Faced with the dragon's oppressive aura, they couldn't muster the slightest will to fight.

Lothar rode on Eclipse's back, and together with Jeanne, they went straight to the front lines: "Tell me, will the Baghdad people choose to surrender, or fight to the death?"

Jeanne frowned: "Don't underestimate the enemy's courage. Historically, the people of Baghdad did not surrender even when faced with the threat of the Tatars massacring the city. Your conduct is much more lenient than that of the Tatars."

Baghdad is a holy city and capital in the eyes of all Zoroastrian civilizations, and once they choose to surrender, these sacred halos will vanish in an instant.

If Emperor Chongzhen had directly sided with the Shun Dynasty or even the Later Jin Dynasty, later generations might not have shouted the slogan of "overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming" even if they rose up in rebellion.

Lothar smiled and said, "Then we'll wait and see."

As they were speaking, the city gate creaked open.

"Look, here comes someone."

The visitor was the Nestorian leader from Baghdad, who carried a giant cross and walked with some difficulty to Lothar.

"Praise be to the Father, praise be to Saint Losa."

Losar spurred his horse forward, leaped down, and helped the man up: "May God bless you. You must be Patriarch Machiha of Baghdad? It's an honor to meet you."

Baghdad was the center of Nestorian Christianity, and Machig Labour was equivalent to the Patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Pope of the Catholic Church.

Under this patriarch were twenty-five archbishoprics, stretching from Damascus in the west to Khanbaliq in the east, which was the central capital of the Jin Dynasty. However, although Nestorianism was widely distributed, it was difficult to become the mainstream religion in each place, and thus it did not become prominent in the world.

Machiha has been in contact with the Shadow of Darkness in secret, making him a long-time mole.

Machiha had long coveted the treatment Losa gave to the Coptic envoys in Egypt.

Nestorian Christianity, or Nestorian Christianity, held a very high status in the early Sasanian Empire, almost on par with Zoroastrianism. However, as the religious atmosphere gradually became more intense, the living conditions of Nestorians in the Sasanian Empire became increasingly difficult.

First, there was a significant increase in the Gibbsian tax, or tax on unbelievers. Then, as the Frankish threat intensified, some parishes and city guilds openly refused to accept any Christians into more respectable jobs such as handicrafts and commerce.

Later, in some parishes, there were even incidents of fanatics vandalizing churches and openly killing Nestorian Christians without any punishment.

Machiha knelt down and kissed Lothar's red boots: "Your Majesty, the Christians of Baghdad have lived under the shackles of infidels for countless years, and now they finally see the light of day because of your arrival."

“Your Excellency, you need not do this.”

Losa quickly put on a humble and respectful demeanor and went forward to help him up.

“Your Majesty, under the rule of Zoroastrians, we have been levied a guildhall tax for generations, our churches are restricted from being repaired, and children are not allowed to read the Gospel in public—this is exactly the same oppression you have seen in Egypt.”

With tears in his eyes, Machiha cried out, "Now that your arrival is about to shatter our hands and feet, the shackles and chains around our necks, our gratitude is beyond words."

Lothar smiled and said, “You need not worry. In the future, under the rule of the overseas empire, all Christians will be treated equally. You will be like the Coptic Christians in Egypt, still retaining your own churches, parishes and properties. I will also select three Zoroastrian altars to give to you as churches. In addition, you will still retain the right to preach and will not be disturbed by any of your fellow Christians.”

Machiha made the sign of the cross on his chest: "Thank you, Your Majesty. You are like Charlemagne, the Pope who protected the Catholic Church in the past. All believers in the East will regard you as the Savior and the only legitimate monarch."

"You are about to enter Baghdad, a magnificent city with a population of over a million. You will inevitably face many challenges. We are familiar with every street and every granary in the city and can guide your soldiers to enter peacefully, avoiding casualties in urban warfare. The Nestorian merchants in the city are willing to offer 30% of their wealth as a foundation for your rule; the church treasury will also be open to you to support your continued eastward campaign."

Lothar nodded slightly: "I will remember the merits of the Baghdad Christians. Now, Bishop Machiha, may I ask whether the people of Baghdad choose to continue fighting or surrender?"

In fact, the fact that Majuha was able to walk out of Baghdad's city gates safely already reveals what the nobles of Baghdad were thinking.

They definitely want to invest, but how to invest and what conditions to set are separate matters to be discussed.