I was the Queen of Persia

Page 59

The few remaining Ghulam standing infantry units, under the desperate control of officers at all levels, managed to barely restore some order. The Ghazni battle flag, symbolizing the Ghulam forces, fluttered in the wind amidst the ranks. The slave soldiers, whose courage remained, found a few places to stop and resist in the chaos, attempting to continue rallying the fleeing troops and turn the tide.

These Ghaznavid slave infantrymen formed ranks and used shields and spears to counterattack the Khwarazmian cavalry's offensive.

The Khwarazmians were indeed strong and brave, but because they had charged too deep into the enemy's territory, some of them were now exhausted and their horses were worn out.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Ghulam infantry, who had barely managed to assemble, used their formation and long weapons to launch a counter-charge against the Khwarazmian cavalry, and for a time effectively forced back these knights from the land of the sun.

"Excellent! That's how it should be!" Mahmoud exclaimed with delight upon seeing the slight shift in the advantage from afar. "Ayaz! You immediately lead two Imperial Guard cavalry regiments to provide support! Make sure to hold those damned Samanids at bay on the center line!"

On the right flank of the central army, a large number of well-armored Ghulam guards galloped away.

"Order the heavy cavalry groups of Transoxiana and Khorasan provinces to advance from both flanks and support our Khwarazmian comrades!" Shahzani also saw the subtle change in the overall situation and decisively issued the order.

Chapter 131 The Victory of the Battle of Jam

Artuntash commanded the Ghulam infantry, who formed a defensive line in the center and put up a stubborn resistance; Ayaz commanded the Ghulam Imperial Guard cavalry to provide emergency support.

Thanks to the efforts of the officers, the central line of Ghaznavidy was somewhat stabilized. Many of the scattered and fleeing soldiers, whether Kurds, Dalamans, Indians, or Ghurids, regrouped, raised their spears, and put up their shields.

The Khwarazmian cavalry's offensive was gradually contained, and even though Nasita was brave and fierce, she gradually found herself in a predicament of being surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Halshid led his Transoxiana-Khorasan heavy cavalry to arrive just in time, launching a pincer attack on the Ghaznavid forces from both sides. The iron torrent swept across the land, rushing east and west, relieving Nasita's predicament.

What followed was a fierce battle.

The heavy cavalry of the river slammed their iron hammers, knocking a Ghaznavid cavalryman from his horse; the Ghulam cavalry swung their battle axes, severing the throat of a Samanid cavalryman; the Delaman heavy infantry thrust with their spears, the sharp tips piercing through armor; the Khwarazmian armored warriors swept their swords, the iron blades flashing with deathly light…

In the central command of both armies, the commanders-in-chief, Shahzani and Mahmoud, were directing their battle formations and maneuvers using battle flags. Flag signals were an important signaling system in ancient warfare; commands required waving corresponding flags so that the troops at the front could react accordingly.

In an instant, hundreds and thousands of flags waved, their shadows swirling and intertwining, creating a sea of ​​green, white, and red.

After a fierce battle, thanks to the slightly superior efficiency of the army's command system, Shahzani's Saman army gradually gained the upper hand in this intense contest.

Shahzani, holding up Biruni's observation telescope, noticed a weakness in the Ghazni army's formation. Seizing this fleeting opportunity, she ordered the flag bearer to signal the appropriate flag signal.

Halshid's Transoxiana-Khorasan heavy cavalry immediately received the order, quickly assembled in small groups, and rushed toward the weak point in the Ghaznavid army.

The iron cavalry charged forward, weaving through the gaps and splitting up the Ghaznavid troops.

"Order the Sogdian heavy infantry to advance!" Shahzani pressed on while the iron was hot.

In such close-quarters melee combat, heavily armored infantry are naturally the best troops to break through enemy lines.

Ikhshid's Sogdian heavy infantry charged toward the battle line, targeting the isolated and helpless enemy infantry units. Heavy long-handled axes and hammers lashed out, and blood and flesh flew everywhere in an instant.

After a fierce battle, the Sogdian heavy infantry clashed with a squad of enemy mercenary heavy infantry led by Deraman. The clash between these two Central Asian heavy warrior styles resulted in a closely fought and evenly matched battle. However, thanks to the coordinated efforts of their allies, the Sogdians gradually forced their opponents back.

At this point, the Samanid army had overwhelmed the Ghaznavid army and gained the upper hand.

"The banner of the Ghaznilam Imperial Guard!"

Naxida, who was fighting in the midst of battle, saw in the distance a battle flag with a peacock and sun pattern, which was being carried by a Ghulam flag bearer who was moving back and forth in the formation.

If they can capture this flag, it will undoubtedly deal an even heavier blow to the morale of the Ghaznavids.

"Warriors of Khwarazm, follow me and seize that banner!" Nasita shouted, turning his horse around and leading more than fifty riders in pursuit of the banner.

The Ghulam soldiers responsible for protecting the Imperial Guard's battle flag naturally fought back fiercely. However, at this moment, Nasita seemed to be possessed by the goddess of war, Anahita, sweeping through enemy lines and becoming invincible. The Ghulam soldiers simply could not withstand her.

Mahmoud's confidant, Ayaz, immediately spurred his horse forward and led his troops to try and stop Nasida. However, his troops were quickly repelled, and he himself was wounded by the female general, retreating to the rear under the cover of his men.

The flag bearer of Ghulam hurriedly spurred his horse to flee, with Nasita in hot pursuit. She squeezed her legs together, and her warhorse let out a long neigh, galloping away and catching up with the enemy.

A dazzling flash of iron light streaked across the sky, and the Ghulam rider fell from his horse, his crimson blood flowing onto the brownish-yellow Persian sand.

"Ghazni's army has been defeated! Victory belongs to Saman's army!" Nasita shouted to the soldiers of both armies, raising the captured royal guard flag high.

"Well done!" Shahzani exclaimed with delight upon seeing this.

He then ordered his guards to fill a cup with fermented pomegranate juice, which he drank in one gulp to celebrate this gratifying victory.

The change of the Imperial Guard's battle flag further tilted the balance of power: the Ghaznavid soldiers were all dejected and discouraged, while the Samanid soldiers were all in high spirits and full of enthusiasm.

"Allahu is great!"

"Long live Her Majesty the Queen!"

"Saman's army will surely win!"

In an instant, the cheers of Saman's soldiers echoed across the battlefield, fueling their even more valiant pursuit of the already defeated Ghaznavid forces. Scattered soldiers littered the battlefield, and the Ghaznavid army's lines were on the verge of collapse.

At this moment, the person with the ugliest expression was Mahmoud. He watched his troops suffer a crushing defeat from afar, his facial muscles twitching, looking as if he wanted to smash his teeth and swallow them whole.

“Damn it! God above, how could this be!” Mahmoud looked up to God and questioned Him.

But God did not give him an answer; only the defeated soldiers, still scattered across the battlefield, fearfully avoided the might of Saman's victorious army.

Mahmoud was furious. He was unwilling to accept defeat. He still had a large number of Ghulam Central Guards at his disposal. He wanted to rely on this elite reserve force, which was not usually mobilized, to turn the tide of the battle!

With a clang, his weapon was drawn: "Warriors of Ghazni! Have you lost your faith? Has your courage vanished? I command, a full-scale attack to repel the Samanid army!"

Mounted war elephants propelled them forward, and the personal guard officer Rajana, along with all the Ghulam guards arrayed in the center, also mobilized in full force, creating a surging tide of troops that swept across the battlefield once more.

The climax of the battle has arrived!

"It's just a desperate struggle!" Shahzani threw down her wine glass, drew her warhammer, and shouted, "Shahr Guard! Charge!"

A crimson torrent of steel surged forth, instantly engulfing the brownish-yellow Persian land. Armored warhorses thundered with their hooves, and a forest of spears pointed at the enemy lines.

The moment the two elite legions clashed, the sky and the earth seemed to tremble. What followed was an even more intense clash of steel. The warhammers seemed to be infused with the power of Rustam, and the steel axes seemed to be imbued with the spirit of Shavash.

The Ghulam Guard, men and horses alike, were clad in armor, fierce and tenacious; the Shahr Guard, heavily armored cavalry, were brave and resolute. A chilling clang echoed across the battlefield, warhorses galloped and neighed, both sides fighting with their lives on the line, determined to tear each other apart.

Shahzani charged forward on her iron horse, as if entering an empty field. Each swing of her bull-headed warhammer felled a swarm of enemy soldiers. And under the enhancement of her aura, the Saman warriors around her also displayed extraordinary bravery.

"Ghazneh's hypocrite! Accept your fate of defeat!"

Shahzani saw Mahmoud riding in an elephant carriage, charging ahead of him.

"The alluring woman of Khorasan! Taste the conqueror's mighty club!"

Mahmoud, naturally unwilling to be outdone, roared in fury and urged his war elephant to engage in battle.

The armored behemoth roared, its steel tusks slashing and sweeping fiercely, its massive war hooves pounding down, determined to destroy everything in its path.

Shahzani skillfully rode her armored warhorse, weaving and circling around Mahmoud's war elephants. Her plump and powerful thighs were the best aid in maneuvering the warhorse, and her horsemanship had reached a level of perfection.

The heavily armored warhorse seemed to be attached to her hindquarters, maintaining perfect coordination between rider and horse, dodging the fierce attacks of the war elephants, and showing no fear of the giant elephants' enormous size or their scent.

Mahmoud, holding a war bow, poured all his strength into firing several arrows. The force of the arrows seemed capable of piercing the walls of Bukhara, but they were all blocked by Shahzani with his weapon.

While dodging and weaving, the queen relentlessly attacked the elephant's vulnerable, unarmored body. Once the behemoth reacted, she once again fled. This repeated until the war beast was exhausted, in pain, and terrified.

"Damn it! I swear to God, I will send you to the devil's fiery hell!" Mahmoud roared, having lost his temper and the composure befitting an emperor and commander.

But before he could finish speaking, he felt his center of gravity shift and was about to fall.

It turned out that the war elephants, after suffering repeated blows, had several legs that were severely injured and could barely stand. Shahzani seized the opportunity and broke the saddle straps connecting the elephant tower.

"Oh no!" Mahmoud cried out, quickly adjusting his posture and center of gravity, and jumped off the elephant's back.

Although his life was not in immediate danger, the hasty movement caused him to fall and injure his ankle, rendering him unable to fight.

"Your Majesty the Sultan!"

"Quickly, protect Sudan!"

Rajana and a group of Ghulam guards rushed forward, risking their lives to protect their monarch.

"Your Majesty the Sultan, retreat quickly! God no longer intends to grant us victory! Only by conserving our strength can we avenge today's defeat!" A trusted aide, Ayaz, also rushed over to advise.

"Damn it..." Mahmud looked at the Ghazni soldiers who were struggling to hold on. They kept falling, their numbers dwindling with each battle, and they were getting more and more surrounded and cut off by the Samanid army.

This arrogant monarch, finally trembling, waved his hand and reluctantly gave the order: "Retreat!"

The loyal Ghulam warriors fought desperately against the fierce attack of Shahr's guards. Ayaz, Rajana, and Altuntash worked together to cover the monarch's retreat. One side launched a relentless assault, while the other fell one after another in battle.

Finally, the last Ghulam assassin was cut down.

Shahzani spurred his horse forward a few steps, gazing at the desolate figures of the remnants of Ghazni's army fleeing in panic.

"May Rustam's spirit protect us! We have won!" She turned her horse around and proclaimed to the entire army.

Chapter 132 Considerable War Gains

Although Mahmud escaped, the Samanid army successfully annihilated the Ghaznavid elephant corps, severely damaged the Ghulam Guard, and killed a large number of Ghaznavid soldiers, achieving considerable victories.

Shahzani dispatched several light cavalry regiments to pursue and annihilate the remaining enemy forces and expand the victory, but required them to turn back after reaching the designated boundary to avoid being greedy for merit and advancing too far into enemy territory, which could lead to an ambush and encirclement.

The fierce battle has ended. On the battlefield, corpses lie strewn everywhere, broken guns are scattered like forests, and shattered armor is everywhere. The smoke of battle has not yet dissipated, the setting sun is like blood, and countless vultures and crows circle in the sky, filling the entire battlefield with desolation and death.

"Have each unit clean up the battlefield and collect supplies according to their organized structure," Shahzani instructed her staff officers.

Upon receiving the orders, the Saman troops sprang into action, each unit working in its own unit.

Shahzani rode her warhorse, surveying the surroundings. But suddenly, she sensed something strange and unsettling coming from somewhere.

"Oh no." She instantly realized what was happening, reached down to touch her crotch, and picked it up to see that her arm guards and gauntlets were completely soaked. "Damn it, this bad result still happened." She rolled her eyes and muttered to herself with a self-deprecating laugh.

That's right, according to modern medical knowledge, this is called stress urinary incontinence. Women's urethras are inherently shorter, and their ability to store and hold urine is also inferior. Furthermore, the previous ordeal was too prolonged and intense, so the outcome was predictable.

Although the system endowed female warriors with stronger physiques, enabling Persian female soldiers to excel in cavalry, especially heavy cavalry units, the differences in male and female physical structures meant that some physiological constraints would not disappear.

Shahzani also noticed that after fierce battles, many female soldiers had large wet patches in their groin areas. This was not because they were not brave, but rather due to physiological constraints. In some ways, it could even be said that the more fiercely they fought, the easier it was for their "gates" to "break down."

“If only there were an ancient version of ‘diapers,’ which could be mass-produced and provide many conveniences, including the monthly ‘routine’,” Shahzani thought more than once.

Now that the conditions are right, she has decided to turn this idea into practice.

He ordered his soldiers to summon the physician Ibn Sina and his team of army doctors.

“Well, Mr. Ibn Sina, your intelligence far surpasses that of Galen and Hippocrates. Now I have a request to entrust to you, and you must do your best to fulfill it.”

Immediately afterward, Shahzani told Ibn Sina all her ideas about "diapers" and "sanitary napkins".

It was proposed that three characteristics should be taken into account: first, it should be inexpensive and easy to manufacture, preferably using materials commonly found in the Persian lands; second, it should be able to effectively absorb moisture so that it can be used several times in a row; and third, it should be soft and hygienic, after all, that is the most delicate part of the queen's and female warriors' bodies!

After hearing Shahzani's instructions, Ibn Sina immediately pledged to do his utmost and not disappoint Her Majesty the Queen. Shahzani nodded in satisfaction, signaling them to continue with their respective tasks.

After giving instructions on this long-term task, Shahzani didn't plan to change her trousers for the time being. She simply sprayed some rose water on them to cover up the smell, and then continued to inspect the battlefield and listen to reports from various units and officers.

After all, there are more important matters to attend to.

The Saman regime's highly efficient system once again came into play, and officers at all levels quickly compiled a summary of the battle situation.

In the final count, the Saman army suffered over 1.1 dead and over 8000 wounded in the entire Battle of Jam, but killed 1.5, captured 3.1, and seized enough military equipment and supplies to fill several warehouses. In addition, 100 elephants were captured.

While elephants are indeed awe-inspiring beasts, they are more prone to being startled and losing control on the battlefield, as demonstrated by the Battle of Jam. Moreover, the cost of forming an elephant corps is very high; the expense of a single war elephant is enough to form a small cavalry unit.

In short, it's not cost-effective.

Therefore, Shahzani did not intend to form a formal elephant corps, but instead distributed the captured elephants to the government offices of various provinces as ceremonial mounts for officials when they went out.

The captured weapons and armor were quite impressive, including those made by Iranian artisans as well as those from Punjab, Kashmir, Sindh, Hindustan, Tibet, and other places. Mules and camel caravans carried these supplies to the rear warehouses.

Besides officers and soldiers, the captured Ghaznavids also included a large number of artisans, priests, scribes, and other military personnel. Shahzani incorporated these skilled and knowledgeable individuals into his legions to bolster his military strength.

……

With Jam settled and Saman's military might even greater, good news kept coming in during the time Shahzani was resting and replenishing his supplies within the city's territory.

First, the remaining cities in the province of Khoshistan that had not yet been conquered—such as Birjand—took the initiative to surrender upon learning of the Saman army's victory, and messengers came in droves to deliver their surrender documents.

Meanwhile, the other two armies also sent reports of victory—

After Khosrow led his army across the Amu Darya River, he besieged the city for several months and finally forced the 3 Ghaznavid defenders of Balkh to surrender. This wealthy and prosperous military and political stronghold finally returned to the embrace of the Samanid dynasty.

After Rustam Zaman led his army across the Amu Darya River, he captured cities such as Kunduz, Bagran, and Khurram in succession over several months, prompting the highland tribes in the Wakhan region (some highland agricultural and pastoral tribes who speak East Iranian languages) to surrender and submit to him.

Shahzani initially instructed them to launch a feint attack, but after his troops swept through Khorasan Province and opened up the war, he immediately sent messengers to tell the two to turn the feint attack into a real attack in order to undermine the defenses of the Ghaznavid dynasty's northern border.

These two generals certainly did not disappoint the Queen's expectations and fulfilled their mission exceptionally well.

“Your Majesty, now that Khorasan Province has been captured and Balkh has been liberated, aren’t the regions sandwiched in between, such as Faryab, Hushijian, Talihan, and Maru Rud, just like ‘meat wrapped in a naan’, within easy reach?” Holshid looked at the map with an optimistic expression.

“Yes,” Shahzani said, “but we still need to seal off one ‘gap’.”

As she spoke, she held up the short sword in her hand and pointed to a corner of the map—the city of Herat.

"This city is the hub connecting Khorasan, Sistan, and Khoshistan. Only by controlling it can we intimidate the remaining enemies with the prestige of victory and force cities like Faryab to surrender," the Queen said.

"Yes." Halshid nodded solemnly. "Your Majesty, please rest assured, we will never repeat our failure here!"

"Very good. After resting, the entire army will set off immediately and head straight for Herat!" Shahzani waved her hand, and her dagger was planted directly at the location of Herat on the map.