e-booksonline Chapter 943 The Sassanid Strategy
Chapter 943 The Sassanid Strategy
Chapter 943 The Sassanid Strategy
It's not just Hades who's finished.
Upon receiving news of Haditha's fall, Bahram's face was as grim as the black eunuch serving him: "Can anyone tell me what happened? How did Haditha fall into the hands of the Franks? Have they grown wings?"
The hall was completely silent; everyone was stunned speechless by the sudden news.
Yesterday, Ctesiphon was a scene of peace and prosperity, so how did the situation change so drastically today?
“Speak up, you bunch of incompetent fools! Will you wait until Baghdad is already in enemy hands before you belatedly tell me?”
Bahram gasped angrily, for this country was being destroyed by these incompetent, lazy officials.
"Assemble the army! Immediately gather all the troops gathered in Ctesiphon! I'm going to fight these Franks who stabbed me in the back!"
The enraged King of Kings wantonly smashed and destroyed precious porcelain and furniture, but to his courtiers, such anger only made him appear weak and cowardly.
Mustafa lowered his head, trying his best to suppress the rage in his heart: "Your Majesty, please reconsider. We are now being attacked from both sides by the Tatars and the Franks. Ctesiphon's army has not yet completed its training. If we rashly launch an attack, even if we win, we will pay a heavy price. How will we deal with the threat of the Tatars in the future?"
"What brilliant idea does the Grand Vizier have? Surely he doesn't expect us to just sit here in Ctesiphon and wait for the Frankish army to arrive."
Aliathaberg snorted coldly.
He was the "Ataberg" of the Jezira region, originally a guardian position similar to a "Grand Tutor," which later evolved into a local governor who controlled both military and political affairs. The founder of the Zengid dynasty was the Sassanid prince "Ataberg," who later established the Zengid dynasty by seizing control of Syria.
His eyes were sinister as he questioned sharply, "Or are you saying that you've already colluded with the rebel Kusru, whom the Franks support and who covets His Majesty's throne?"
"Doesn't General Ali find it laughable to make such irresponsible slanders and baseless accusations?"
Mustafa's face remained expressionless: "Hadise, you were in charge of the defense of Lakhba, and now the Franks have taken it almost effortlessly, wiping out tens of thousands of elite border guards. His Majesty hasn't even held you accountable yet, but now you're trying to frame me."
General Ali said with considerable dissatisfaction, "I was in Ctesiphon, how can the fall of the two cities be blamed on me?"
"enough!"
Bahram VI's face was ashen: "With a formidable enemy at hand, you are still tearing each other apart. Do you only realize the importance and urgency of the matter when you and your ministers, who have been supported by the Franks, are hanging on the gallows?"
He paused slightly, then continued, "Ali, you shouldn't have slandered the Grand Vizier. Apologize to him!"
Although Bahram had never liked Mustafa, the powerful minister, if there was anyone in the court who was least likely to betray him, it was Mustafa.
One of the banners raised by the rebels was "purging the court of corrupt officials," and they wanted to kill Mustafa, a treacherous minister, to pay tribute to the Persians who died tragically under the Tatar hordes.
Ali offered a half-hearted apology, then shouted, "I shouldn't have doubted Grand Vizier without reason, but I still don't agree with his opinion. It's true that our army is not yet fully trained, but the Franks are equally unstable. If we don't take advantage of this time to wipe out their vanguard, the situation will only become more critical when the enemy's main force arrives."
"Moreover, the Ikta territories of many generals in Ctesiphon have already fallen into the hands of the Franks. How can we expect them to fight with peace of mind if we don't repel the enemy soon?"
Mustafa smiled wryly. He also had many Iqta fiefs near Hadise City, so how could he not understand the feelings of these Iqta lords?
The problem is, the Franks are really tough to deal with.
"General Ali, even if you swallow up the Frankish vanguard, are you confident you can hold off the enemy's main force? Even if you defeat the enemy's main force, with your troops and men lost, what will you use to deal with the Tatars in the east?"
"Your Excellency Grand Vizier, although you are known for your wisdom, I think we should trust the professionals when it comes to war."
Bahram couldn't help but say.
These ministers might still make peace with the enemy; after all, it would just mean a new king of kings. Whether the Franks would carry out a purge in the future is a matter for the future.
He was the only one who would never give up the throne of King of Kings. Even if he fed all of Persia to the wolves of the Tatars, he could still secure his throne as long as he defeated the Franks.
In any case, the passes leading from the Persian Plateau to Mesopotamia were heavily guarded, so it was unlikely that the nomads could possibly conquer them.
Mustafa smiled wryly and said, "Your Majesty, although I do not understand military affairs, I can still do the simplest addition and subtraction. At its peak, the Sassanid army was comparable to that of the Ayyubid dynasty. Now, with only half of its territory remaining, how can it possibly contend with the Frankish army, which is aided by dragons and has a plethora of powerful spellcasters?"
General Ali couldn't help but curse, "Insolence! How can the tyrants of the Ayyubids be compared to His Majesty? The Franks have dragons to aid them, and we have elephants. The court mages are no less powerful than them."
Bahram waved his hand, saying that his own people knew their own situation. When the Ayyubids rose to power, the Sassanid dynasty, as a long-established hegemon, did a lot to stop them. The two sides even fought a major battle in the Mosul region, but the Sassanids suffered a major defeat.
If Saladin hadn't been able to weigh the pros and cons and instead proposed an alliance with the Sasanian dynasty to fight the Crusaders, in exchange for recognizing the Sasanian king as the leader of the Zoroastrian world, with both sides recognizing each other's sphere of influence and concluding a peace treaty, the old Sasanian dynasty would have long since lost all face.
Bahram said in a deep voice, "Grand Vizier, just say what you're thinking."
Mustafa paused for a moment before speaking firmly, "Your Majesty, please dismiss all irrelevant persons."
Although Bahram was puzzled, he still ordered his subordinates to dismiss many people from the palace: "Now you can talk, right?"
Mustafa cleared his throat and said firmly, “Your Majesty, what I am about to say may sound shocking at first, but please consider it carefully before making a decision.”
There is an old Babylonian proverb that says, "If all that is left is land and no army is left, then land without an army to protect it will soon be swallowed up by the enemy."
Mustafa paused slightly, then continued, "Although Saladin was a tyrant, he clearly understood this principle, which is why the current Ayyubid dynasty still possesses vast territory and considerable power in the Jezira and Armenia regions."
Bahram's eyes widened, and he asked incredulously, "You mean, I should follow the example of Saladin's sons, abandon Ctesiphon and Baghdad, and flee into exile?"
General Ali's expression changed as well: "Without territory, how can we support the army? For the Grand Vizier to make such a suggestion is utterly despicable!"
“Baghdad and Ctesiphon are wealthy, and it is still early. We can move as much of the wealth of the two capitals as possible to the northern territories.”
Mustafa, perhaps having already made up his mind, straightened his back and laid out his prepared plan, which he had thought of many times before: "What's wrong with ceding Mesopotamia to the Franks, letting the Franks and the jackals of the East meet and tear each other apart, while we preserve our strength, stand ready in the north, and send troops to clean up the situation when both sides are exhausted?"
He raised his head, his eyes fixed intently on Bahram: "Your Majesty, the situation is dire. We must fight to the death to find a glimmer of hope. Even if that fails, we can at least secure a corner of the country and establish a temporary regime."
Bahram was so shocked that he couldn't speak. He felt that although Mustafa's words were extremely absurd, they actually seemed to have a tiny bit of rationality.