I was the Queen of Persia

Page 113

Outside Jahanshahr.

The funeral procession carrying the coffin slowly made its way to the Gongbei and Mazar. The mendicant monks leading the procession chanted the names of heroes and saints, their alms bowls filled with rose petals. As they solemnly advanced, they sprinkled the rose petals on the ground, symbolizing that the martyrs were walking on a path paved with flowers to reach heaven.

A vast, surging crowd, dressed in solemn black, accompanied the funeral procession, offering devout prayers and chants, weeping and wailing in grief. People converged from all directions, pushing and shoving to get closer to the martyr, to see his face, to touch the solemn coffin. The crowd wept, shouted, and tenderly sprinkled rosewater on the coffin, lashing themselves in sorrow and scattering sand upon themselves…

The magnificent scene moved even the accompanying king and his ministers, including Shahzani, deeply. What genuine passion! They would never forget that during the days when the Samanid regime was being restored and enemies were eyeing them covetously, it was the diligent work of this respected and virtuous former minister that gave the girls the belief to rebuild their glory.

The atmosphere grew increasingly intense...

The devout procession moved forward with unwavering determination.

The four-cornered archway, with its solemn and intricate Persian arch decorations, was used to escort the meritorious official who had devoted his life to the cause of Iran to his final resting place. Warriors led the way, and imams chanted prayers.

Parviz lived through numerous historical events. He witnessed the fall of the former Samanid dynasty and the revival of the new Samanid dynasty; he witnessed the partition of the homeland by the Karakhanids and Ghazni, and the ultimate demise of their ambitions; he witnessed Iran's reunification into a powerful empire, standing tall on the Eurasian continent...

The passing of such a veteran official who witnessed history is also extremely meaningful.

"Warriors of Iran! Descendants of Rustam!"

As the funeral concluded, the usual devout religious and patriotic ceremonies unfolded, with the sorrowful and pious Horami preachers standing atop the high prayer platform, passionately chanting fervent slogans.

“Apostates, blind believers, and hypocrites have already colluded together,”

"Corruption, depravity, betrayal, and assassination are all coming at us!"

"But we are the warriors of Iran! We will not shrink back or be afraid,"

"Shahzani's scarlet battle flag will always fly over the land of Iran!"

"Take up your weapons! Unite as one!"

"Take up your weapons! Unite as one!"

"Under the banner of Kavi, march towards victory!"

"Under the banner of Kavi, march towards victory!"

Sacrifice, martyrdom, patriotism, loyalty, courage... all sorts of emotions intertwined, greatly igniting the fighting spirit of all Iranians. Slogans brimming with fighting passion resounded through the sky, rising and falling in waves...

This is a highly cohesive nation with a people who are extremely self-sacrificing.

As Shahzani watched this scene, she was moved and nodded slightly in satisfaction. This showed that the unity of the Iranian Samanid Empire was constantly growing, and with such courageous subjects, the Samanid Empire was not afraid to confront other external powers.

Chapter 263 The Great Prosperity of the Silk Road

Between 1000 and 1010 AD, the most prominent development trend in Eurasia was the coexistence of war and peace.

In East Asia, with the Treaty of Chanyuan between the Song and Liao dynasties in 1004, and the cessation of hostilities by the Guiyi Army, the Tanguts (Dangxiang people), and various regimes in the Western Regions, the eastern section of the Silk Road was opened for trade.

In Greater Iran, the Samanid Empire under Shahzani's rule once again flourished, maintaining overall political stability and promoting the development of agriculture, handicrafts, and the commodity economy.

Shahzani upheld the Samanid tradition of valuing commerce and agriculture, and continued to take measures to ensure economic development.

For several years, she ordered the renovation of inns and post roads throughout the empire, while also constructing a large number of supporting military and economic facilities to ensure that the Khorasan Road, which runs through Iran, could play a more important role in transportation.

The Samanid Empire of Iran expanded its trade ties with neighboring countries and civilizations.

In its flourishing economic exchanges, the Samanid Empire exported goods such as brocade, patterned cloth, carpets, dried fruits, iron armor, and weapons; imported porcelain, silk, rhubarb, tea, and high-quality silk from China; imported horses, wool, lambskins, and camels from the Turan people of the Central Asian steppes; imported wootz steel, sugar, grains, spices, gold, and silver from India; imported various furs, bark, fish teeth, and Slavic slaves from Eastern Europe; and imported glass, olives, timber, rare minerals, and precious dyes from Anatolia and the eastern Mediterranean coast.

While the land-based Silk Road continued to prosper, the maritime Silk Road also gradually rose to prominence.

Sahini's military operations in the eastern Arabian Peninsula transformed the Persian Gulf into an inland sea of ​​the Samanid Empire. The strong military protection led to the disappearance of small groups of pirates who had previously occupied the islands of the Persian Gulf. Trade routes were secured, and ports such as Basra, Sherab, and Hormuz were bustling with ships. Iranian merchants replaced Arab and Indian merchants as the main economic and trade force in the Persian Gulf.

With ancient trade routes as the connecting link, materials and technologies from various countries and civilizations spread and merged with each other, jointly promoting the great development of productivity.

By examining the tax registers submitted by the finance department of the Diwan organization, Shahzani could determine that the current productivity level of the Saman Empire was significantly higher than that of the same period in his previous life. The most notable features were the early introduction of advanced technologies such as gunpowder and printing, the rapid advancement of iron smelting and steel forging processes, and the rapid development of other technologies.

As the number of large-scale transactions continued to increase, in order to facilitate the flow of goods, Shahzani began to print paper money, drawing on the experience of the Song Dynasty in China in issuing "Jiaozi Qian".

At the same time, in order to preserve value, Shahzani gradually abandoned the Persian Empire's silver standard tradition and began to use gold as the basic currency for preserving value. Of course, the process was gradual. She planned to take a steady approach to first transition to a bimetallic standard and then to a gold standard. The whole process was estimated to take at least several decades.

This is unavoidable; as productivity develops, large amounts of silver will flow into the New World, and the devaluation of silver is an inevitable objective law, independent of the will of any emperor or ruler. Rather than waiting for it to become a fait accompli, it is better to take action now, at least to reduce the burden on future generations.

With the surge in production and trade, the national treasury's annual revenue naturally increased significantly. Through inventory, Shahzani predicted that the current fiscal revenue of the entire Samanid Empire fluctuated between 4 and 6 million dirhams, which was 10 times that of the late Samanid period. This was already a very considerable and enormous figure, reflecting the results of productivity development and technological progress.

“Of course, close exchanges mean that other countries will also master the same technology,” Shahzani thought.

"But that doesn't matter. As long as we preserve our core technologies, our country and nation will be competitive." She then elaborated on this point.

……

Palermo, Sicily.

The ancient stone city is surrounded by fjords and reefs, with green trees and grass dotting the gray and white rock castle. Gentle breezes from the Mediterranean blow in gusts, and the battle flags of the Fatimid dynasty flutter slowly over the city.

This strategically important transportation hub in the central Mediterranean has once again fallen under the control of the Fatimid dynasty, even though decades ago, due to internal strife and external threats, the Fatimid regime lost control of Sicily.

However, after ascending the throne, Hakim used the cohesion brought about by the reforms and the newly trained Hakimiyya and other modern armies to lead the Fatimid dynasty to defeat the Berber tribal warlords in the west once again. He then sailed north and reconquered the Muslim monarchs on the island of Sicily.

Sicily is more strategically valuable than ever before. Thanks to the continued operation of the Silk Road, trade in the Eastern Mediterranean has flourished again, and this island, which serves as a hub between the East and West in the Mediterranean, has become an important transit point for maritime trade, attracting the covetous eyes of Hakim, who eventually acquired it.

"Praise be to the Incarnation of Allah!" The close advisor Dumiat came to pay homage. "The remaining resistance forces on Sicily have all surrendered and been annihilated. This place once again belongs to the Great Incarnation of Allah—Your Majesty!"

"Hahahaha!" Hakim gazed at the boundless ocean, a look of ambition on his face. "Before our powerful army, any resistance is insignificant! However, we cannot become overly complacent about our victories in the West..."

"You mean? The time to fight the Eastern Persian Empire has come?" Dumiyat asked cautiously.

“That’s right!” Hakim said firmly. “It’s time to confront these blasphemous witches! Allah bless us! Our army has been unstoppable in the West, having withstood countless trials of bloodshed, and is about to make its mark in the East!”

“And what about the Blackblade Cult? As you can see, they still have some value to them,” Dumiyat said.

"Hmph! Those blasphemous, good-for-nothing bastards, bloodthirsty and cruel yet weak and incompetent! Allah above! They should have all been cast into Hell long ago!" Hakim sneered contemptuously.

Although Hakim was far from the Eastern battlefield, he kept a close eye on the war situation.

After observing for several years, he had become very disappointed with the Blackblade Cult. In the years of low-intensity stalemates and skirmishes, the Blackblade army suffered more defeats than victories, expending a great deal of aid, yet failing to share the burden that the Fatima Dynasty should have borne. In the end, the northern and southern factions even split apart due to infighting.

This dismal record greatly disappointed the ambitious monarch. However, the Blackblade Cult had ultimately stood in his way, and he had no choice but to continue using it to curb the expansion of the Samanid Empire.

Hakim decided to become more deeply involved in the Blackblade Cult's "holy war" and expand the Fatima Dynasty's influence in the East.

Chapter 264 The Pharaoh Looks East

In 1010 AD, the Fatimid Caliphate began to allocate more and more military resources to the Sham-Jajra and Hejaz regions of the Arabian Peninsula.

First, a large number of Fatima soldiers and missionaries disguised themselves as Arab merchants and pilgrims and secretly infiltrated the front-line confrontation zone to participate in a covert infiltration war.

The Blackblade Cult has completely split into two factions, North and South. The northern faction's Haqqavi is still a tough nut to crack, but the southern faction's Muhadab has already willingly become a vassal.

The Fatima court then used the Red Sea-Mecca Emirates route to export more and more mercenaries and military personnel disguised as "jihadists".

Hakim's strategy consisted of two main parts: on the one hand, he continued to secretly send troops to aid Muhaddab and conquer the Republic of Qarmat and Oman; on the other hand, he stationed more troops in the eastern provinces such as Sham-Palestine to deepen the confrontation with the Hamdan dynasty in Syria.

The hinterland of Neizhi.

Several Blackblade Cult strongholds and fortresses are hidden among cliffs and sand dunes, their dark banners fluttering in the wind, exuding an atmosphere of oppression and grimness.

"In the name of His Majesty Hakim, the Incarnation of Allah!"

The royal eunuch of Fatima, dressed in a silk robe, unfolded the imperial edict and loudly proclaimed the appointment from the Cairo-Fostat court.

"In the name of the Most High Allah! Muhadab, of the Abdul Muhammad tribe, it is a wise thing for you to voluntarily prostrate yourself before My robes!"

"I hereby appoint you as the Governor-General of Najd, to command all the tribes and oases of Najd on my behalf. You shall immediately begin training and preparations for war, in preparation for an eastward advance!"

Fatima's voice was loud and commanding, carrying an air of superiority.

“Ah! I swear to Almighty God Allah! I swear to the Prophet Muhammad! I will do my utmost to obey the will of His Majesty the Great!” Muhadeb prostrated himself on the ground, humbly and loudly expressing his gratitude, showing his obedience and reverence to Hakim.

"I swear to the great incarnation of Allah! The valleys and oases of Nejd are Your land and your camp. The believers of Nejd welcome Your army with devout hearts!" Muhadeb proclaimed.

He was thoroughly fed up with the coercion and oppression of the Haqqavi dynasty, and as his secret contacts with the Fatimid dynasty increased, he gradually became more inclined to side with his new master.

With Muhaddaeb's forces submitting to the Fatimid Caliphate, the vast hinterland of Najd thus became entirely within the Fatimid sphere of influence, at least nominally.

News of the major changes in the situation in Nejd quickly reached Jahanshahr, but all of this was already within Shahzani's expectations.

"Muhadab is nothing but a spineless dog; it's only natural that he would do such a thing." Shahzani looked at the intelligence report on the Samarkand paper and criticized this Arab version of a traitor.

However, the more important question is how to deal with the Fatimid dynasty's eastward expansion.

Shahzani opened the map drawn by Biruni and looked along the Fertile Crescent and the Persian Gulf, observing the troop deployments in each province and the grazing areas of the subordinate tribes. She stroked her chin and began to ponder.

Despite the formidable strength of its army, the Fatimid dynasty's most powerful military force was its navy.

During the current historical period, the Fatima navy firmly controlled the eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea regions, and apart from the Eastern Roman navy, there were few opponents of equal strength.

The Samanid Empire's weakness was precisely its navy.

As Shahzani gestured on the map, based on her experience, she estimated the possible movements of the Fatima army.

In the north, the Fatima army would launch attacks from Sham and Palestine, rallying the Blackblade sect (Hakawi forces) entrenched in the Syr Khan Valley and other autonomous armed groups in the Sham region to invade the territory of the Hamdan dynasty in Syria.

To the south, Fatima's warships and navy would travel via the Sinai Peninsula into the Red Sea, moving unimpeded until they reached the Persian Gulf. At this point, the Fatima-Muhad-Dab coalition forces stationed in Najd would also seize the opportunity to launch a combined land and sea attack, coercing Karmat and Oman into submission.

“We must make a choice now: reduce the number of troops and supplies deployed on the southern coast of the Persian Gulf and shift our focus to Iraq, Jajra, and the surrounding areas!” Shahzani made the decision decisively.

The Samanid Empire's navy was relatively weak to begin with. Under such circumstances, deploying most of its forces and resources to the Persian Gulf to confront the Fatima, who had a superior navy, would likely not gain much advantage and would probably put them at a disadvantage.

In addition, the Karmat and Omani regimes currently have many conflicts and rifts with the Samanid Empire. As patriarchal Muslim religious regimes, these two countries have always held serious prejudices against the Samanid Empire, which was ruled by women in military and political power. Their current closer ties with the Samanid Empire are also due to survival pressures.

True political and military strategists take the annihilation of the enemy's manpower as their overall strategic goal and do not concern themselves with the temporary gains or losses of a single city or place.

Shahzani understood this principle well. After weighing the pros and cons, she believed that the two regimes on the southern shore of the Persian Gulf were "pawns" that could be "appropriately sacrificed" in the game, and thus she ultimately "abandoned" them temporarily.

However, this does not mean that the Samanid Empire completely withdrew from the Persian Gulf.

In reality, small, flexible Samanian forces are still deployed among the islands of the Persian Gulf. Shahzani plans to use these flexible forces to maneuver against the Fatima navy, while coordinating with the well-prepared coastal defense forces on land. He intends to take advantage of the shallow waters of the Persian Gulf, which make it difficult for large ships to maneuver, to contain the Fatima navy.

The empire's massive military and logistical resources were mobilized once again.

……

Shahzani planned to leave Jahanshahr and travel to the western provinces for a tour and stay. While inspecting the military and political affairs of the provinces, he could also keep an eye on the upcoming war. The departure date for the tour was set for the spring of 1010 AD, in the month of Ordibehesht.

This trip can last anywhere from a few months to over a year.

Farukzad was already five years old, and according to custom, she should have entered the court's Dabilistan School to receive a more in-depth education in cultural knowledge and religious practice.

She needed to study at the palace school for five to ten years in preparation for taking up a post in a local province in the future (a tradition of feudal dynasties in the Middle East and Central Asia: before succeeding to the throne, princes needed to go to a local province to receive further instruction from local officials and mentors to develop their ability to govern the country).

As he was about to leave, his complex emotions were evident in his words.

"Mother Queen, please go to war with peace of mind! Your daughter will study diligently at school. The heroic spirit of Gushaspu will protect you and ensure your victorious return!" Faluczad's eyes were firm, revealing a maturity beyond her years.

“My little lion!” Shahzani stretched out her arms. “Study here in peace! The Queen will always be your strongest support.”

Chapter 265 Verbal Offensive

Following the Khorasan Highway, Shahzani embarked on her westward journey.

The military and economic forces of the Samanid Empire's provinces were once again mobilized to prepare for the impending escalation of the war. After five years of recuperation, the Samanid Empire's production had greatly recovered, exceeding the level before the fall of the Samanid dynasty in 999 AD. The country's granaries were quite full, and the treasuries held a considerable number of soldiers and armor.

……

The Fatimid dynasty's ambition to expand eastward became more and more apparent each day.

A force composed of a small number of Hakimiyya Imperial Guard units, several local standing armies, and religious jihadists has entered the heart of Najd, under Muhaddab's control, and is planning an offensive against the Hassa Oasis and Oman. This force, composed of Egyptians, Berbers, Sultan-Sahelites, and Balkan slave guards, is ambitious and hopes to establish its dominance in the birthplace of Islam.

The Fatima army stationed in Damascus and Homs launched a probing attack on the border of the Hamdan dynasty. Although it was eventually repelled by the local Alawite militia, the Hamdan dynasty was forced to abandon some border villages and shrink its defenses.

Spies lurking in the west also frequently sent back secret messages.

Hakim had already dug a canal through a narrow section of the Sinai Peninsula (something many Egyptian rulers had done before the Suez Canal opened), and moved a large number of warships to the Red Sea.

Huge sails moved slowly forward among the sand dunes, while a vast caravan of camels carried countless timbers and tools to supply and maintain the warships.

Before long, the Fatima fleet will be deployed in the Red Sea, and then make a wide-ranging approach, eyeing the Persian Gulf waters near the Samanid Empire.

……

Fars Province, outside Istaher.

Crimson battle flags blotted out the sky, steel armor gleamed in the sunlight, ranks of soldiers stood in neat and orderly formations, and military camps and fortifications were as formidable as a forest.

This was Shahzani's temporary residence, with a pleasant climate and abundant resources. It not only provided provisions for the royal guards and other accompanying troops, but also facilitated the timely receipt of reports from the western and southern border regions.

"Report! Your Majesty, the King of Kings, the Sovereign of Mishiel (Egypt) has delivered a declaration of war to you!"

Nassak, wearing a felt hat and a red robe, rushed into Shahzani's tent as a messenger, bowed, and presented a scroll from his belt.

Unfolding the letter, hundreds of Arabic words appear before your eyes, the phrasing a mix of arrogance and vulgarity, the verbal barrage so scathing it would make even the most eloquent keyboard warriors of our time bow down in defeat.