I was the Queen of Persia

Page 35

The local Khwarazmian garrison was weak, and moreover, they were persuaded by Shahzani's surrender order, so they did not put up much resistance and surrendered the city.

Saman's army strictly adhered to Shahzani's orders, refraining from harming the people in any way. They also allocated troops to help the local people rebuild their homes. These actions earned the support and recognition of the Khwarazmian people, making the army's advance even smoother.

At this time, Muzaffar Khan's large Khwarazmian army was besieging Nasita's remnants in Ardashiwa. Upon learning of the loss of their rear, their morale was greatly shaken, and they hastily lifted the siege and moved back to defend their position.

After a chaotic forced march, they finally arrived at the important city of Khazalasp before Bahramu. Muzaffar Khan had no time to rest and hurriedly deployed his troops on the plain outside the city.

A few days later, Bahramu's Saman army besieged the city of Hazarasp.

Her troops were well-organized and disciplined, with spears, flags, and heavy armor gleaming with iron light, forming a stark contrast to the hastily assembled and unstable Khwarazmian troops opposite them.

Khwarazm had just experienced a brief but intense civil war, during which many experienced elite warriors were either killed in battle or purged by Muzaffar Khan who labeled them "Nashida rebels," resulting in significant depletion of military strength.

To make up for the losses, Muzaffar Khan had to temporarily replenish a large number of inexperienced men, but these new recruits lacked both combat skills and fighting spirit, and did not know why they were fighting.

Therefore, although Khwarazm had amassed nearly 7 men at Hazarasp, their fighting strength was far inferior to that of the 4 Saman Persian troops commanded by Bahram.

Muzaffar Khan was eager to break the deadlock and eventually lost his temper, ordering the Samanid army to launch an attack on their positions.

The hastily assembled Khwarazmian army initially descended into chaos upon receiving the order, with only Muzaffar Khan's most trusted units managing to maintain discipline. Fortunately, under the officers' commands, the various units, after a chaotic reshuffling of formations, managed to regain some semblance of organization.

Seeing the enemy move, Bahramu also ordered his troops to change into battle formation, and with more rigorous discipline and coordination, they met the Khwarazmian army.

The red and gray armies pressed closer to each other, almost cutting across the plains and battlefields. Infantry, light cavalry, heavy cavalry, conscripted militia, vassal riders, ghula, and other types of troops were mixed together into huge torrents.

The flames of war are burning.

The two armies clashed swiftly, with the vanguard forces in the center engaging in fierce combat. Arrows rained down like swarms of locusts, and the sounds of war drums and suonas filled the sky. Swords, spears, maces, and axes clashed and struck shields with resounding clangs. The two sides fought fiercely and were evenly matched.

At this point, Bahraim gave the order to flank the enemy.

The Khorasan heavy cavalry deployed on both flanks immediately carried out the order. Their formation, while maintaining its integrity, increased its speed of advance, prompting the Samanid Persian army to encircle the Khwarazmian army in a crescent formation.

This is a relatively practical tactic, but it requires a high level of military skill. It not only requires the cavalry on both flanks to seize the right moment to advance, but also requires the central army to have a tight organization and a tenacious fighting spirit. Otherwise, if the central army is destroyed and collapses in advance, the two flanks will have difficulty coordinating with each other and will eventually be defeated one by one by the enemy.

However, under Shahzani's strict training, the Samanid Persian army had become highly organized, with each unit coordinating tactically quite well, far from being a ragtag force that could be easily defeated.

With their immense power, the Khorasan heavy cavalry charged into the flank of the Khwarazmian army like a raging fire. Seeing the dire situation, the Khwarazmian army hastily changed course to try and defend, but their hastily deployed ranks were no match for the heavily armored Iranian cavalry. Amidst the clanging of metal, screams of agony, and the agonizing crack of bones, Khwarazmian soldiers were swept away and fell in droves, suffering heavy casualties.

Khwarazm could have also mobilized its armored cavalry for the battle. As an elite force cultivated by the previous Afrika Khwarazmian dynasty, the Khwarazmian cavalry, though smaller in scale, could still rival the Samanid heavy cavalry. Unfortunately, most of this force was loyal to Nasita, and many were purged during the civil war, with the remaining troops largely under Nasita's control.

Muzaffar Khan also possessed the Ghulam cavalry, whose armor and weapons were excellent. Unfortunately, this stingy and suspicious usurper preferred to keep his carefully cultivated trusted guards in the rear to protect his own safety rather than let these elite warriors charge into battle and suffer losses.

Under the fierce offensive, the Khwarazmian army retreated step by step.

Chapter 77 Battle of Hazarasppe (2)

Saman's Khorasan heavy cavalry secured their advantage over Khwarazm through powerful, concentrated attacks.

The Khwarazmian army, naturally, wouldn't passively accept defeat. After a brief period of panic, they quickly changed formation and organized a defense. However, compared to the Samanid Persian army, their organization and coordination were far inferior.

Meanwhile, the Samanian heavy cavalry on both flanks, under the command of Tahmina and Afshin, regrouped and launched a new and even fiercer attack.

Dust flew, steel clashed, warhorses neighed, and the sounds of battle shook the heavens.

After several consecutive attacks, the flanks of Khwarazm gradually loosened and collapsed.

At the same time, the central forces of the Saman army also coordinated well with the offensive steps of the heavy cavalry on both flanks, advancing with strict discipline and forcing the Khwarazmian army to retreat and shrink back step by step.

Bahram, observing the battlefield, was not surprised by this. War is nothing more than a contest of manpower, equipment, discipline, and courage. Through actual combat, the Khwarazmian army was inferior to Shahzani's Saman army in all these aspects.

The Khwarazmian front was crumbling, with increasing gaps between different units and branches of the military. Some demoralized units had completely lost their will to fight.

Just then, something even more despairing happened to Muzaffar Khan.

Suddenly, a strange army appeared on the flank of the battlefield, carrying a Khwarazmian battle flag. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that they were Nasita's troops.

It turned out that after receiving Shahzani's letter of surrender, Nasita, after a difficult decision, finally decided to abandon the pride of a noble warrior and succumb to the demands of reality, surrendering to this Samanian governor.

Nasida's Khwarazmian army quickly merged with Bahramu's Saman army, giving this increasingly powerful legion wings.

Meanwhile, Muzaffar Khan's Khwarazmian army was on the verge of despair, and its morale plummeted further.

The soldiers threw down their weapons and fled the battlefield in a panic, scrambling and stumbling. One after another, the Khwarazmian ranks began to collapse.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Muzaffar Khan, along with the soldiers he could still organize, abandoned the city of Khazalasp and fled.

After the victory, Bahram did not pursue the fleeing enemy, but quickly organized people to clean up the battlefield, count the spoils of war, and register military merits.

Having served under Shahzani for so long, she also learned a great deal of military wisdom from this female commander.

Shahzani's war principles emphasized a steady and methodical approach, avoiding hasty and reckless advances. This war creed was also vigorously implemented by his generals and officers.

"General Bahram. According to preliminary calculations, the enemy suffered more than 6000 dead and more than 9000 captured in this battle, with most of the remaining soldiers fleeing in disarray; in addition, a large number of warhorses, armor, and weapons were captured by our army; our army suffered 1500 dead, and more specific figures are still being tallied..." The army's staff and scribes reported the results of the battle to Bahram.

“Very good. Screen the prisoners and see if Muzaffar Khan himself, or any of his close confidants, are among them.” Bahramu nodded in satisfaction.

These staff members and clerks were all trained by Farzana, and Bahraim once again felt the importance of these intellectuals.

In ancient Iran, two major class groups existed for a long time: soldiers who practiced martial arts, or "sword bearers," and civil officials who practiced literature, or "writers."

These two groups were formed during the Sasanian dynasty. In the four castes of the Sasanian state system, the warrior class, representing the military, belonged to the second caste; the scholar class, representing the officials, belonged to the third caste, namely "Dibir" or "Dabir," which was referred to as "Dibei" in Chinese historical records.

The Sasanian dynasty laid the foundation for many national organizational models for later Iran, and the two major social classes, civil and military, were integrated into the national history of Iran as time progressed.

However, in many historical periods, the two groups were in a state of "mutual contempt": the swordsmen believed that the writers were cowards who could not even kill a chicken, while the writers believed that the swordsmen were brutes who could only fight and kill.

This phenomenon was particularly pronounced in certain Persianized Turkic dynasties (such as the Karakhanid, Ghaznavid, Seljuk, and Timurid-Gulganganite regimes). In these regimes, military and warrior positions were largely filled by Turkic-speaking peoples, while civil service positions remained in the hands of Persians. This added an element of ethnic conflict to the power struggle between the military and civil officials.

But Shahzani dedicated herself to eliminating such conflict. Under her rule, warriors were encouraged to learn to write official documents, and scribes were encouraged to learn basic martial arts, further deepening the integration of the civil and military groups.

Shahzani also instructed Farzana to build more literacy schools, which not only helped many illiterate soldiers to become literate, but also trained more military scribes skilled in writing and accounting, greatly improving the efficiency of handling military affairs.

Bahramu's advisors played a crucial role in his solo campaign. Their efficient management ensured the smooth operation of the troops' strength, organization, supplies, and logistics, allowing the commander to make more informed decisions about the next steps based on the information they gathered.

At this moment, with their extensive polishing, a brilliant battle report was presented to Bahram.

“Hmm, very good. Make a few more copies and send them to Nakhshab and Bukhara in batches,” Bahramu instructed.

“General Bahramu, Nasita requests an audience,” a Nassak said as he entered the tent and bowed.

"Great, let her in quickly."

Nasita, her battle robe stained with blood, was then led into the main tent. As soon as she entered, she bowed politely and said with courtesy and admiration, "It is a pleasure to meet you, beautiful and valiant lady. May Hu Da protect you and make you as invincible as Guldafarid."

"The bright and noble Hormozd also blesses you, may you be as invincible as Banu Gushaspu." Bahram gave this equally valiant lady the respect she deserved.

Their previous duel had already left a deep impression on each other.

The waiter then served Suhan sweet pastries and fragrant Khwarazm Huma juice. After Nasita took her seat, she explained her desire to seek refuge with Shahzani, but at the same time she pleaded with the female commander to have mercy and not let her hometown of Khwarazm suffer too much.

“That’s wonderful,” Bahram said with a smile, picking up her glass of fine Huma juice. “You are a noble lady, admired by the people of Khwarazm. Qadhuda is willing to open the door of friendship to you.”

Naxida smiled and raised her cup in return.

This former nobleman of the Afrika Kor dynasty formally swore allegiance to the Samanid dynasty.

written request for leave

I was unable to update today due to work commitments, and I would like to take this opportunity to ask for leave from all my readers.

Chapter 78 The Plan to Conquer Khwarazm

Just as Bahramu was meeting with Nasida.

Nassakchi then brought news that the garrison commander of Hazarasp had surrendered the city. At this time, the bureaucrats, priests, and Dehgans within the city sent a group of representatives to request an audience with the Samanid commander.

This is perfectly understandable. The city of Khazalasp did not support Muzaffar Khan to begin with, and now that this usurper and tyrannical ruler has been defeated outside the city and lost all his prestige, the officials and people in the city are naturally very willing to pledge their loyalty to the liberator who drove out the tyrant.

Moreover, Shahzani had already launched a propaganda offensive within Khwarazm, essentially dismantling the Khwarazmians' resentment towards the Samanid Persians.

In short, this city, the third largest in Khwarazm and known in Persian as "Hazar" (Hazar + asp horse), had already fallen into Shahzani's hands. By this time, most of Khwarazm's territory was occupied by the Samanid Persian army.

The scarlet battle flag of Shahzani Saman's army was raised atop the wide, protruding arched city gate.

Bahraim led his massive cavalry force into the city.

The citizens of Hazarasp were initially worried, fearing that the arrival of their new masters would surely unleash a wave of plunder and exploitation. Many wealthy merchants and Dehgans specially pooled together large sums of money and grain as tribute, hoping to avert their doom.

However, the imagined extortion did not occur.

These Persian soldiers, clad in full iron armor and crimson uniforms, did not disrupt the daily lives of the people. Instead, they marched forward in orderly formation, maintaining excellent discipline, and gradually took over the city's defenses and government.

These actions completely dispelled the concerns of the citizens of Hazalasp, who spontaneously provided supplies to the army, guided the soldiers on their routes, and became even more supportive of Shahzani.

……

Naheshab, an oasis outside the city.

The oasis grassland is full of spring, with hundreds of flowers blooming in competition, colorful and vibrant, and shrubs and tall grasses growing in abundance.

Deep in the grass, a group of plump Central Asian wild asses were carefree, munching on the tender grass.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle pierced the air, and sharp arrows came hurtling towards them. The sudden danger caused a huge commotion among the wild donkey herd, and these fast and agile animals immediately reared up and fled for their lives.

But it was too late.

The dashing and beautiful female riders suddenly attacked from all sides, trapping them in a flanking formation.

Shahzani took the lead, charging forward and swiftly shooting down her prey. The beast struggled and rolled for a moment before falling silent. The palace guards followed suit, charging and shooting as they went.

Like a small-scale siege, the wild donkey herd was surrounded on three sides. Under the hunters' skillful coordination and deadly attacks, they were all eventually shot and killed.

"Kadehuda, it's all taken care of," a palace guard said after inspecting the scene.

“Very good.” Shahzani looked at the sun in the sky. “It’s just the right time to rest here for a while. Let’s pick out a few fat wild donkeys, skin them, butcher them, and roast them.”

Having been dealing with frontline military affairs for days, she was under immense mental strain. This day brought her a rare moment of leisure. She had intended to stay in the government office and continue reading the Book of Kush (one of the Iranian epics), but in order to strengthen her bond with her subordinates and improve their teamwork, she led the soldiers on a hunting trip outside the city.

Just then, a farmer complained that wild animals were rampant in the area, eating the crops he had worked so hard to cultivate, so appropriate hunting could also help the people get rid of the pests.

Soon, a temporary campsite was set up. Grand and imposing rugs were laid out on the ground, surrounded by tents, and wild donkey meat was cut into small pieces, skewered and roasted, emitting an enticing aroma.

The female guards sat in small groups around the stove, enjoying skewers of meat and drinking the yogurt and fermented fruit juice they had brought with them. The fatigue from the intense hunt was instantly swept away.

"Khadhuda, a report of victory has arrived from Hazalasp." A Nassak rode into the temporary hunting camp and presented the battle report of Bahramu to Shahzani.

"Well done." Shahzani picked up the battle report and read it. "Hazarasp is strategically located and well-supplied. Taking it is like cutting off one of Muzaffar Khan's arms."

“In that case, the war against Khwarazm will be even smoother. But, Qadhuda, are we sure we want to annex this northwestern state?” Holshid asked with a hint of doubt as he chewed on a large piece of roasted wild donkey meat.

After all, while Khwarazm was far less powerful than Persia itself, it was still a relatively independent vassal state for most of its history. Even the Sasanian and Samanid dynasties of Persia, which implemented a centralized system, only granted the region autonomy and preserved its monarchical lineage, without completely annexing it.

The deployment of troops by the female Qadhuda in the western theater of war is clearly aimed at completely annexing this small Iranian-backed regime, establishing a province there, and incorporating it into the central government—a first in centuries.

“That’s right.” Shahzani nodded.

Yes, that's her intention. Rather than keeping this two-faced, treacherous regime around, it's better to annex it now and then use the influence of the system to turn it into a naturalized territory.

Moreover, the Khwarazmians and Persians share the same lineage, and Khwarazm is even described in epics as the "homeland of the Aryans." Given this, promoting the unification of the Iranian nation is not unreasonable, is it?

Her scheme to sow discord and subdue Naxida was also for this purpose.

She understood the value of this Khwarazmian female general: a descendant of the old royal family, deeply rooted in the region for centuries, and still quite influential even in her current decline. If she could make good use of her, she could stabilize many of the former Khwarazmian officials.

“But… Khwarazm has always been ruled by indigenous kings, and the central government has always exercised semi-tributary control over it. If it were to be suddenly annexed, wouldn’t that provoke their resistance?” Holshid voiced his concerns.

"Nothing to fear. Order has always been forged in iron and blood. If anyone dares to defy the Iranian army, death awaits them," Shahzani said calmly.

"In that case, may Huda bless us with victory." Halshid greatly admired the female governor's skill and boldness.

Upon returning to the Nakhshab government office, Shahzani ordered his clerk to draft a letter instructing Bahramu to continue his advance, conquer the remaining Khwarazmian counties of Khiva, Koti, and Gurganj, and thus annihilate the Muzaffar Khan armed usurper group entrenched on the shores of the Aral Sea.

Of course, in the letter she also instructed her sisters to use a combination of soft and hard tactics, which would dismantle this pro-Karakhan hostile force more quickly.

Chapter 79 The Unification of Khwarazm

Lower Amu Darya delta.

Bahramu's western army group continued its advance into the heart of Khwarazm, capturing fortified strongholds and wiping out the remaining forces of the Muzaffar Khan group.

Thanks to Shahzani's management, the Saman cavalry's mobility increased significantly, and their group combat capabilities became much stronger. In a very short time, they advanced deep into the heart of Khwarazm, dividing and encircling the various garrisons that had not yet assembled.

Based on this, the Saman forces, under the command of Bahramu alone, were able to sweep through the regime. Now, with the addition of Nasida's elite forces, their strength has increased and their influence has grown daily, especially in their ability to win over former Khwarazmian officials.

Muzaffar Khan's power base was already unstable, and after suffering a crushing defeat, his prestige plummeted. Faced with the fierce offensive of the Saman army, he was unable to mount any effective resistance and could only flee in disarray with his confidants and Ghulam's private army, his number of men dwindling day by day.

On the banks of the Amu Darya River, in a makeshift camp of the remnants of Muzaffar Khan's forces.

Muzaffar Khan's soldiers set up several large cooking pots and skinned the lambs they had just seized from the farmers. Many of them were exhausted from the days of hasty retreat and were dozing off in small groups, back to back. Even the sentries on the outskirts of the camp had forgotten their duties in their extreme fatigue.