I was the Queen of Persia

Page 118

It was Sahinnian.

“Friend who walks in the shadows, where are you going? God above, we have been waiting for you here for a long time!” Shahini’s tone was mocking.

Just then, the sounds of fierce fighting and shouts throughout the city gradually subsided.

Rahadi initially thought his men had succeeded, but the assassins' keen hearing plunged him into deep despair once again: there was no sign of victory for the assassin army. All that could be heard from all sides were the shouts of surrender from the Saman soldiers in Sham-Arabic.

"Surrender! Your resistance is futile." A dignified female voice echoed through the alley.

The firelight and footsteps approached from afar. Shahzani, draped in a thin towel, her shapely thighs exposed, strode barefoot with a confident and determined air, her beautiful eyes filled with an unyielding command.

"The Sham Assassins have no fundamental conflict with the Saman Empire. I swear by God! If you cooperate with me, you can protect your interests; otherwise, you will face annihilation!" Shahzani launched a verbal offensive.

"This... God! This is impossible! What on earth is going on?!" Rahadi's sharp eagle eyes had now completely dimmed.

In fact, all of this was just a scheme devised by Shahzani to lure the snake out of its hole.

She had Sahinn wear her armor and use her royal guards to lead a large force out of the city in a grand and ostentatious manner, while also sending people to spread rumors and create the illusion that "the Queen has already led the main force away."

She herself disguised herself and secretly hid in the city, directing the Nassak intelligence officers left behind to secretly observe the movements of the Sham assassins.

As expected, the Sham assassins fell into the trap. Under Ra'ahadi's eagerness to win, they all came out in force, attempting to seize the city of Homs during the power vacuum.

Meanwhile, Sahimian did not actually go far. Shortly after leaving the Holmes region, she quickly turned back and, using a little-known secluded path, redeployed to the vicinity of Holmes City to form a counter-encirclement of the Sham assassin army.

Ra'ahadi's assassination plot failed, and he fled in disarray. The Sham assassin armies in various regions also suffered heavy losses from the powerful offensive of the Saman army, with large numbers of soldiers killed and retreating in defeat.

Despite the Sham Assassins' tenacity and tactical flexibility, they were ill-equipped to directly confront the equally powerful, disciplined, and numerically superior Saman army.

Faced with the Saman dual-purpose cavalry equipped with heavy armor and bows, the Sham assassins, who were equipped with light armor and pursued mobility and agility, had little ability to engage in close combat, and were killed by armor-piercing heavy arrows in long-range battles.

After a brief but intense battle, the Saman army divided the Sham assassins into small, mutually dependent groups and surrounded them in batches, waiting for Shahzani's order to annihilate them all.

More importantly, Shahzani also made a more strategic move, sending a surprise force to approach the Assassin's stronghold, Masyaf, and launching gunpowder weapons as a deterrent.

Rahadi was plunged into deep despair. He couldn't believe that his meticulously crafted plan would be so utterly vulnerable before Queen Shahzani. Now, not only was he doomed, but most of the Sham assassin army was also in imminent danger of annihilation.

“Very well… In the name of God, I have lost, and I accept my defeat wholeheartedly! For the sake of my sect and the Assassin's Guild, I am willing to become your ally.”

Rahadi shook his head with a bitter smile, his sharp, hawk-like eyes revealing the frustration of defeat. He knew he had failed; if he continued to be defiant, the entire Sham Assassin Army would face severe damage or even annihilation. The only option now was to submit and preserve his strength.

“That’s right.” Shahzani nodded in satisfaction.

As a result, the Sham Assassins declared their allegiance to the Samanid Empire and declared war on the Fatimid Caliphate and its vassal states.

Chapter 276 Lindenwan's Rebellion

After the Sham Assassins submitted to the Samanid Empire, Shahzani bestowed upon their leaders, Al-Murawi and Ra-Ahadi, fine clothes and gold belts as a sign of acceptance of their loyalty.

Shahzani continued to pursue a policy of both leniency and severity, allowing the Sham Assassins to retain their Ismaili faith and limited autonomy.

After subjugating the Sham assassins, Shahzani's sphere of influence has effectively expanded to the narrow coastal plain of Syria and Lebanon.

This was a landmark historical event, signifying that for the first time since the Sasanian Emperor Parviz the Great (Khosrow II), Iran had sailed into the Mediterranean Sea, and the ambition upheld by successive Iranian monarchs was finally realized by Shahzani.

But at that very moment, messengers deployed in the surrounding areas began to send back rather bad news:

In the Battle of Raqqa in the month of Isfand (late February 1011), Princess Salim was defeated, and 10,000 Syrian troops, including the Sham Scorpion Army, were annihilated. The rebels advanced triumphantly, making a major push toward Mosul, the capital of the Hamdan dynasty.

Earlier, during the month of Bahman (early February 1011), the Fatimid army launched a major offensive from Damascus, capturing a large number of neutral areas, including Knife Sheath, posing a threat to the southern flank of the Samanid Empire.

“It seems that while we are concentrating our forces on dealing with the Sham Assassins, the enemy has new schemes.” Shahzani spread out a map and analyzed the current situation.

Ultimately, she decided to target the relatively weaker Syrian rebels first.

Leaving Sahini to guard the long front between Holmes and Tedmur, Shahzani selected a portion of his troops and marched north.

While advancing northward, Shahzani also ordered the Fars Military District to simultaneously organize troops to advance northward in Iraqi province.

They launched a two-pronged attack, heading straight for the occupied territories of Syria.

The red military formation, like flames spreading for thousands of miles, with the Fars Military District flag bearing the image of the phoenix (from Iranian epic) fluttering in the wind, obscuring the sky.

With scouts constantly relaying military intelligence and combining it with information from the local people along the way, Shahzani finally managed to gather some basic information about the rebels.

It is reported that:

The initial leader of the rebels was an extreme pseudo-believer named Muhammad Ansar, who worshipped a mysterious false prophet (speculated to be a missionary of the Black Blade sect, possibly Haqqavi himself) as his spiritual leader, inciting Sunnis throughout Syria and igniting the flames of rebellion.

However, in the first few months, the rebels suffered repeated heavy blows from the Syrian government forces, the Alawite armed forces, and other minority sectarian armed groups, losing large areas of their strongholds and on the verge of being quelled.

But at this moment, a mysterious figure appeared within the rebel army—Lindenwan.

This man's identity and beliefs are shrouded in mystery, yet he possesses remarkable charisma and organizational skills. He orchestrated the assassination of Muhammad Ansar, purged extreme Sunni officers and clerics, and became the leader of the rebels.

“Lindenwan? Heh, that rather comical name is quite similar to a character from a game in my past life!” Shahzani narrowed her eyes and continued reading.

However, combining the memories of this dimension, she discovered that in the current timeline, there really are a huge number of people named "Lindenwan".

According to vague records from the Mediterranean region, the "Lindenwan" uprising occurred very early on and often intersected with various major historical events: they participated in the Spartacus Revolt; their influence was felt in the fall of the Western Roman Empire; and they were also present during the expansion of Islam...

Geography could not limit their influence: the plantations of the Apennines bore witness to their activities; the meadows of Asia Minor bore the marks of their battles; the deserts of Egypt held legends of their journeys; the mountains of Iberia were the setting for poems of their battles…

They seem endless and impossible to completely eradicate.

Shahzani thus concluded that "Lindenwan" was no longer a single individual, but had evolved into a belief, a principle, and a banner. One "Lindenwan" was eliminated, and another "Lindenwan" raised his banner and regrouped to start a rebellion... over and over again, in an endless cycle.

Thinking of this, Shahzani's expression turned serious.

Let's continue reading through the intelligence gathered by the Nassak intelligence officers:

Unlike Ansar, who fervently adhered to fundamentalist Islamic principles, Lindenwan's ideas were somewhat "progressive," such as "overthrowing all rulers and powers," "abolishing the state and government," "equalizing all wealth such as land, pastures, and livestock," and "eliminating sectarian differences and divisions."

After that, he incorporated his own ideas into the rebels' code of conduct, which greatly boosted their morale. Large numbers of bankrupt farmers, impoverished herders, Sunni landowners who had lost their land, merchants, priests, and even foreign mercenaries joined the rebellion.

Lindenwan was very clever. He took advantage of Selim's focus on suppressing rebellions in cities and the relatively small number of troops stationed in the countryside. He moved around and his army grew like a snowball. With his ever-growing momentum, Lindenwan gradually turned the tide and finally defeated Princess Selim's army in the Battle of Raqqa, bringing the armed rebellion to its peak.

"As expected, it's exactly the trajectory I imagined! This Lindenwan does indeed have a bit of a chivalrous heart, but his actions must be suppressed." Shahzani frowned slightly.

Unlike ordinary rebels, this kind of rebel can be described as "dead but not dead." Even though they were suppressed this time with the advantage of military and national strength, their legends are still widely circulated among the people. Over time, as long as irreconcilable social contradictions accumulate to a new level, new hidden dangers will be formed.

But soon.

“But no matter what, anyone who dares to instigate a rebellion will pay the price!” Shahzani’s eyes regained their majesty. “Lindenwan, let me see what kind of person you are!”

He then issued an order for the entire army to maintain a high state of alert, keep their marching formations strictly in order, and make full preparations for battle.

……

Near the Syrian border lies a fortified town called Abdullahia.

This was once a military stronghold built by the army of Hamdan's dynasty in Syria, but it is now a major stronghold occupied by the Lindenwan rebels. The area is surrounded by tents and watchtowers.

The watchtowers on the outer side of the fortress were surrounded by crowds, with a large open space cleared out in the center.

Snapped--!

A body fell heavily from the tower; it was a naked woman, her body covered in red and purple wounds, indicating the severe torture she had suffered before her death. She convulsed on the ground for a moment, then fell still, her blood staining the yellow sand crimson.

Below the tower, the ragged, poorly armed rebels of Lindenwan quickly turned the corpse over. A leader-like rebel stepped on the body and addressed the surrounding crowd:

“This woman was a tax collector sent by Selim to plunder your grain, lambs, and wealth! Now that she has been executed, no one will levy taxes on you anymore!”

However, the surrounding crowd, who were also dressed in rags, did not cheer or applaud.

Indeed, after the arrival of Lindenwan's rebel army, they abolished the government institutions, canceled all taxes and levies, and distributed the landowners' properties to slaves and poor farmers, but this also led to social disorder.

With the loss of control over the army and government, bandits ran rampant in the countryside, and many gangs simply adopted the banner of the Lindenwan Righteous Army to plunder and loot everywhere.

As the fixed tax system collapsed, the leaders of Lindenwan's rebel army, both large and small, resorted to looting grain to support their subordinates, causing immense suffering to farmers, herders, merchants, and artisans in various regions.

Seeing the indifferent onlookers, the rebel leader's facial muscles twitched slightly.

at this time.

A flash of cold light streaked past, and before anyone could react, the leader screamed and fell heavily to the ground. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that a deadly dart was embedded in his throat.

"Enemy! Enemy! Something's happened! Something's happened!"

The Lindenwan rebels were thrown into chaos.

Chapter 277 The Fall of Diabakker (1)

It was the Sham assassins who launched the attack.

They infiltrated the Lindenwan rebels' defense zone in batches as elite squads, and with their sharp assassin weapons and elite individual skills, they decisively defeated the small groups of Lindenwan's garrison on the outer perimeter.

Although elite special light infantry and cannon fodder miscellaneous light infantry belong to the "light infantry" unit category, there is still a significant difference in combat strength between them.

After a brief engagement, the Lindenwan rebels' defenses were breached in more than a dozen places. The rebel soldiers, armed with a variety of weapons, were unable to resist the infiltration of the Sham assassins' squads and had no choice but to shrink their lines and desperately retreat toward the fortress.

But at that moment, the Samanid army, which had already been deployed, launched an attack.

The vanguard consisted of Seljuk cavalry regiments skilled in archery and horsemanship and known for their mobility. They formed mounted archer formations and, leveraging their mobility, quickly divided and encircled the Lindenwan troops who had not yet retreated.

They surrounded the remaining Lindenwan rebels from all sides, forcing them back into the fortress.

The various heavy infantry regiments, including the Deraman heavy infantry regiment, the Sogdian heavy infantry regiment, and the Kurdish infantry regiment, tasked with the siege, immediately began their assault. Scorching Naftan incendiary bombs exploded on the city walls, and swarms of flaming arrows ignited tents and rooftops.

The local people were all poor farmers and herders, but this time they did not respond to the call of the Lindenwan rebel leader to take up farm tools and weapons to resist "authoritarianism" and "tyranny". Instead, they turned their spearheads and assisted the Samanid army in attacking the Lindenwan army.

Under the combined attack, before Shahzani could even deploy his most powerful army, the Lindenwan rebels stationed there had already been annihilated and disintegrated.

Shahzani recaptured towns and villages occupied by the rebels, pacified the people, and restored order.

……

A manor near Mosul, engulfed in flames.

This was originally the waqf property of an Alawite mosque in Mosul, but it has now been completely looted by the Linden army, and the remaining guards and priests have all been executed.

The Linden soldiers, dressed in a motley collection of clothes and armed with all sorts of weapons, filed in and looted all sorts of valuable items—

Eastern Roman gold coins, Indian gemstones, Chinese porcelain, gold and silver silk, fine silks and satins...

The rebel leader, Lindenwan, rode on the back of a Syrian desert horse, his large turban covering half his face, revealing only his leopard-like gray eyes, calmly watching his soldiers' plundering.

"General, the seized property is worth a staggering 3 dinars," a subordinate rode up to report.

“Very good! Let’s distribute all the confiscated goods to the poor farmers who have little or no land! As long as we continue to rob the rich to help the poor, our ranks will grow stronger and stronger! Hahahaha!” Lindenwan nodded with a loud laugh.

at this time.

"It's terrible, General! The army of the Persian Queen Shahzani has entered Syria and has destroyed several of our forward positions!" another subordinate rushed in to report.

"What? The Persians are here?" Lindenvan looked surprised for a moment, but quickly regained his composure.

"Order all units to continue guerrilla warfare and avoid direct combat with the Persian army!" Lindenwan commanded.

To be fair, this move was quite wise. In terms of equipment, organization, discipline, and manpower, Linden's army was no match for the Samanid army. A direct confrontation would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock. Only by utilizing its mobility advantage to constantly maneuver and shift positions could it preserve its strength.

However, Shahzani's macro-level mobilization and deployment quickly thwarted Lindenvan's plan.

The plains of Mesopotamia are vast and boundless, allowing highly mobile units of the Samanid Empire, such as the Seljuk and Baloch cavalry, to roam freely across the terrain.

The light cavalry units spurred their horses and advanced in different directions to encircle and catch up with the Lindenwan rebels who had not yet had time to move. What followed was one one-sided annihilation battle after another.

Despite being "light cavalry," they were generally equipped with fabric armor, leather armor, or iron vests, coupled with the mobility of their charging horses, making it difficult for the poorly equipped Lindenwan rebels to resist.

Moreover, the Seljuk cavalry were generally skilled riders and archers, and their archery and horsemanship skills were among the best in Eurasia at that time. With this advantage, the Lindenwan rebels were even more capable of resisting.

On a broader strategic level, Shahzani adopted a multi-pronged approach to divide and encircle Linden's army. At the same time, she placed great emphasis on pacifying the local population and restoring order to the collapsed and paralyzed society.

Thus, in just a few months, the Samanid army swiftly annihilated and disintegrated the Lindenwan forces in various regions, reclaiming large swathes of territory occupied by Lindenwan.

By late 1011, Lindenwan's forces were confined to the Diyarbakir region in northern Syria and were on the verge of collapse.

……

Diyarbakir, a field camp.

"How many of our men are left?" Lindenwan asked his subordinates, his eyes revealing exhaustion.

"There are about 2 men left..." the subordinate replied.

"20,000 people? Ha! At our peak, we had a full 200,000 followers! We controlled 90% of Syria's territory. I never imagined that in just a few months, some would defect, some would flee, and all our efforts would be in vain!"

"General, the mountains of Anatolia lie to the north. I think it would be better to flee there temporarily and then make a comeback once our strength has been restored!"

"There's no hope! The Persian army has them pinned down on us. Running away now will only lead to a deeper defeat. We must change our strategy. Pass on my order: assemble the entire army and prepare to fight the Persians!"

Lindenwan has made up his mind to fight a decisive battle.

He had heard his predecessors tell stories of "burning the boats and breaking the cauldrons" in peasant uprisings in Eastern China. Now, he decided to learn from the experience of his predecessors and "put himself in a do-or-die situation to survive."