paranoianovel Chapter 940 The Sassanid Crisis
Chapter 940 The Sassanid Crisis
Chapter 940 The Sassanid Crisis
Ctesiphon, in the palace of the King of Kings.
Still wearing his magnificent crown, Bahram VI was now gripped by deep fear.
With the loss of all six cities of Khorasan and the siege of Isfahan, the entire Persian Empire descended into chaos and fragmentation. Countless cities laid down their arms and surrendered to the Tatars, while countless others were conquered and annihilated by the Tatars.
The power and brutality of the Tatar army had deeply shocked this King of Kings.
For a moment, he couldn't help but feel a little regretful. When he allied with Quchulu, he only thought about letting the Khitans, his century-old nemesis, stand in front of him and wear down the Tatars, rather than sending troops to support them.
Unexpectedly, the once-powerful Khitans were so easily defeated by the Tatars, and perished in just six months.
Later, when the Khwarazmian Empire also suffered a crushing defeat, Bahram VI, who was in a panic, finally began to send troops to support them. However, the result was that the two allied forces were wiped out in one battle. Their heads were piled up to form towers, and their blood flowed into rivers.
Following closely behind, the Tatar army advanced rapidly, taking a shortcut into the Persian Plateau. The hastily assembled armies were powerless to stop them and were quickly wiped out.
Bahram had never encountered such a terrifying enemy. Although their weapons and equipment were on par with his own, Bahram felt as if he and his side were like primitive people, helplessly being beaten by the enemy.
This is a gap in tactical concepts, as well as a gap in the organization of soldiers.
Bahram didn't understand what the problem was, but even if he did, he couldn't change the fact that the Sasanian dynasty was an old country that had been established even earlier than the Eastern Empire and had lasted for nearly a thousand years.
Some ministers whispered words of comfort: "Your Majesty need not worry. These Tatars are just like the White Huns before. They may be able to act fiercely for a while, but they will never be able to hold out for long."
The White Huns, also known as the Hephthalites, once dominated Central Asia, forcing the Sasanian Empire to submit. However, they were ultimately defeated by the combined forces of the Sasanian Empire and the Turkic Khaganate.
"Even the worst of the White Huns were prominent for nearly a century."
Bahram VI's face turned ashen: "You compare the Tatars to the White Huns. Do you expect me to bow down to that barbarian ruler for a hundred years before I can wash away this shame?"
His furious roar echoed throughout the hall.
The ministers all bowed their heads. After suffering several major defeats at the hands of the Tatars, even the most foolish person would not think that this newly rising nomadic empire was inferior to the White Huns of the past.
After venting his anger, Bahram couldn't help but ask his ministers for advice: "Isfahan is currently under siege by the Tatars, and the governor of Rangarzad, who is defending the city, has sent several letters requesting reinforcements. What should we do?"
Isfahan was one of the most important cities in the Sasanian Empire in the Persian region. Once this city fell, it could be said that the entire Persian region had fallen into enemy hands.
Grand Vizier Mustafa spoke up: "Your Majesty, the Tatars are now very powerful. The most urgent task is to send a large force to guard the Zagros Pass so that the Tatar cavalry cannot invade. We should also summon the governors of the western territories to gather troops at Ctesiphon."
Furthermore, as the supreme leader of the Zoroastrian world, you should also call for a Zoroastrian movement against the Tatars!
In particular, we must establish contact with our powerful eastern neighbor, the Gurkha Khanate! Now that the Khitan state has fallen, the two countries are in a mutually dependent relationship.
“The ruler of the Gurtuq, Giasdin, is no incompetent ruler. I imagine he can see the threat posed by the Tatars. If we can get him to come to our aid, and then we can attack the Tatars trapped in the Persian region from both sides, the war will surely turn in our favor.”
His words were clear, logical, and confident, which finally calmed Bahram's panic.
He calmed himself and replied, "We will do as you say. But is it not enough to simply summon the troops of the governors? Could we also summon the border troops stationed on the western frontier back to the capital?"
Mustafa pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, “No, Your Majesty. Although the Franks have not clashed with us in recent years, it does not mean that those fanatical barbarians have given up their eastward conquest. On the contrary, the Ayyubid remnants entrenched in the Jezira and Armenian regions have now suffered setbacks in their northward conquest of the Georgian Kingdom. Your Majesty might as well offer a piece of territory in the Persian-occupied areas as a price to recruit them to fight for you.”
"Ayyubid's remnants?"
Bahram VI had always deeply resented Saladin and naturally had no goodwill towards these remnants of the Ayyubid dynasty. He immediately objected, saying, "Grand Vizier, you are mistaken. The Jezira region has always been ruled by the former Zengid dynasty. They have long since submitted to me, but now they have been destroyed by the remnants of the Ayyubid dynasty. It is one thing for me not to stand up for them, but how can I instead recognize their rule over Jezira?"
The Jezira region refers to the plains area from the thin ridge formed by the Abd-Ale-Aziz Mountains and the Sinjar Mountains to the foot of the Taurus Mountains.
Previously, after the fall of the Zengid dynasty that ruled these regions, the local lords who gained independence moved between the Ayyubid and Sasanian dynasties, submitting to both but also outwardly complying with their wishes while secretly defying them.
Bahram rejected the Grand Vizier's offer, ultimately because he resented Saladin's past challenges to his position.
Mustafa shook his head and said, “Your Majesty, you cannot make decisions based on personal preferences. The remnants of Ayub are quite powerful. If we can use them, we can both reduce the pressure on the western border and gain an elite army. This is a win-win situation.”
Suppressing his displeasure, Bahram asked, "Who's in charge of them now?"
“Nominally, he is Saladin’s youngest son, Zahir, but in reality, he is Saladin’s nephew, Taqidin. Your Majesty can sow discord between the two and then act as an arbitrator to drive them to fight for you.”
"Alright, let's do as Mustafa says!"
Grand Vizier added, “You should also immediately write a letter and send an envoy with a large amount of gold and silver to the Frankish emperor Lothar, to establish friendly relations with him and prevent him from invading our borders.”
Bahram asked doubtfully, "Can some gold and silver jewelry really stop the Franks from advancing eastward?"
In the years since the fall of the Ayyubid dynasty, many nobles have fled to the Sassanid Empire. They have spoken at length about the terror of the Franks, and no one dares to underestimate the Frankish Empire, which replaced the vast Ayyubid dynasty in just one year.
"It should be possible. The two countries have been at peace for many years. The Frankish Emperor Lothar swallowed up the territories of the Ayyubid dynasty in just one year. The most important thing right now is probably to consolidate the existing territory."
"In addition to gold and silver treasures, Your Majesty can also promise to open several trade routes to the Franks and ask the merchants from Genoa and Venice to help persuade them."
Grand Vizier appeared confident, but in his heart he was not so sure whether he could hold the Franks steady. After all, the Sassanids had suffered several defeats in a row, and even the Undead Army had lost a third of its strength, which had exposed their weakness.
If he were the leader of the Franks, he would certainly not have let such a good opportunity slip away.
"Do everything as you say."
Bahram breathed a sigh of relief: "Secretary Mustafa truly deserves to be called a pillar of the nation. In these turbulent times, everything depends on you."
"Your Majesty, there is one more thing."
Mustafa said in a deep voice: “Recently, the number of refugees fleeing from Persia has been increasing day by day. They often complain to people about the atrocities committed by the Tatars in the Persian region. The capital of Khwarazm was razed to the ground due to fierce resistance, with only a few craftsmen surviving. In Nishapur, due to fierce resistance, all 170,000 residents were massacred. The Tatars not only massacred, but also destroyed water conservancy facilities, destroyed fertile fields, burned vegetation, and blocked springs. The cities they destroyed will probably be difficult to rebuild for a hundred years.”
Mustafa paused slightly, then continued, "Such atrocities have aroused public anger. The people and imams are petitioning for you to send troops to rescue the people of Persia from their suffering."
Bahram VI clenched his fists, his eyes reddening. He was a pleasure-loving monarch, and in his old age he had become somewhat senile, but upon hearing of these tragedies, he couldn't help but vehemently condemn them:
"These damned bandits, vile wolves, butchers who only know destruction and burning, are ten times better than even the barbaric and ignorant Franks! Mustafa, issue my decree: all governors must immediately mobilize all forces and enlist all the Undead Army reserves. I want to organize a large army in the shortest possible time to wipe out these bandits who are ravaging Persia!"
Mustafa shook his head and said, "Your Majesty should not raise an army out of anger. The country's main force has just been lost. What are the chances of victory if we hastily raise an army?"
He brought this up not to provoke Bahram, but to warn him: "The Tatars are not inherently cruel beasts; their slaughter is for intimidation, to spread fear. Right now, it's just public anger, but if we fail again..."
He didn't continue, but everyone understood that once the people realized they were no match for the brutal Tatars, they would likely turn to the Tatars on a large scale to avoid the disaster of massacring the city.
Public anger and public fear are often separated by only a fine line.
After all, the Tatars had always treated those who surrendered voluntarily quite well, at least compared to the old ruling class, which was much more lenient than the Franks who were quick to confiscate property and exterminate entire families.