I was the Queen of Persia

Page 66

Chapter 147 Gunpowder Weapons Show Their Power

The Samanid scouts ahead were constantly relaying intelligence about the Ghazni invading army.

Their forces were not large, numbering only about 7000, mostly soldiers from vassal tribes such as the Gur tribe, the Khalji Turks, and other indigenous tribes, as well as a small number of regular officers and soldiers trusted by Mahmud.

Shahzani quickly calculated that the troops she had brought with her to this expedition numbered over 5000 and were more professional and elite. If she were to directly confront them head-on, she certainly had a good chance of winning.

However, this is mountain warfare, not plains warfare, and her most prized Iranian-Persian heavy cavalry group will find it difficult to fully utilize its advantages.

In order to maintain their endurance during long marches and raids in the mountains, the heavy cavalry, including the Shaher Guard, changed out of their metal horse armor before the expedition and put on flexible and warm fabric horse armor. Each of them also carried an extra quiver of arrows.

The mountainous terrain is rugged and treacherous, with narrow spaces making it difficult for large cavalry units to spread out their formations.

This group of Ghaznavid troops has been stationed here for a long time and must be more familiar with the mountain roads and passes. If they are careless due to underestimating the enemy, it will cause unnecessary losses.

After much deliberation, she decided to adopt a more prudent and cautious tactic: hold the line, dampen the enemy's morale, and then launch a counterattack to repel them.

He then ordered Mo Yuxuan to send Qin's artificial army battalion to reinforce the fortifications, and also dispatched several companies of Shaher female guards to ambush on the mountainside outside the city. The other troops were also on high alert.

The Ghurs in the city cooperated with the Saman army to assist in the defense.

The next morning.

The Ghaznean army approached the city of Firuzkuh, preparing to attack the city.

However, the walls of Firuzkuh were reinforced by Qin soldiers and artillery, making them even more difficult to cross. The Saman and Ghur soldiers on the walls kept firing arrows in response, and the Ghaznavid army's several attacks were repelled.

After repeated defeats, the Ghaznavid soldiers were exhausted and their morale plummeted.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Shahzani immediately ordered a counterattack.

She personally led the Saman and Ghur warriors out of the city gates, charging ahead at the forefront, fighting left and right, rushing east and west. Wherever she went, no soldier or general could stop her, and she utterly routed the Ghazni attackers.

"The Samanid offensive is too fierce! Retreat! Retreat!" The Ghazni commander could not withstand the attack and hurriedly ordered a retreat.

Just then, a hail of arrows suddenly rained down from the mountainside, the dense barrage catching the Ghaznavid soldiers off guard and throwing their flanks into chaos. Immediately afterward, the deafening battle cries rang out as the elite, scarlet cavalry charged out.

It turned out that the female guards of Shaher, who had been lying in ambush outside the city, saw that the Queen's offensive was going well, so they launched a pincer attack on the Ghazni army as planned, violently tearing at the flanks of the Ghazni forces and putting them in a predicament of being attacked from both sides.

"God above... Damn Samanid! Retreat! Retreat now!" Commander Ghazni frantically whipped his horse and spurred it away.

In this battle, the Ghaznavids suffered heavy losses and retreated in disgrace to the Modud Tash fortress. Shahzani then led the Samanid army in pursuit.

The Ghaznavid soldiers, who had just escaped death, were suddenly thrown into panic when they discovered that the Samanid army was still "lurking" and had even arrived at the city gates so quickly.

"God! The Samanid pursuers are coming! What should we do?" On the city wall, a Ghaznavid soldier saw the orderly array of red troops in the distance, and his hands holding his weapon trembled.

His words stirred unease among the crowd.

"How can they be so fast? Are they the daughters of the devil?!"

"We're surrounded...it's all over..."

"God bless... God bless..."

Pessimism spread among the Ghaznavid garrison.

"enough!"

Commander Ghazni approached and loudly rebuked the crowd for their cowardice: "Our castle is strategically located, easy to defend and difficult to attack. The Samanid army cannot break through! Once our reinforcements arrive, we can turn defeat into victory with a coordinated attack from within and without. God will protect us!"

His "confidence" is actually somewhat based on something.

Maodud Tash was built on a hilltop, guarding the surrounding river passes. The roads were rugged and difficult to travel, and there were many camps and fortifications distributed around it, which echoed and supported the main fortress, forming a defensive system.

In this battlefield environment, large siege weapons cannot be deployed at all. Moreover, Shahzani's purpose this time is to take a roundabout route and launch a surprise attack, which is all about mobility. It is even less likely that she would bring a large number of cumbersome war machines.

Therefore, although the fortress was small in scale and could only accommodate a limited number of troops, it was precisely because of the advantages of the surrounding terrain that it was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

After the battle began, arrows rained down like locusts and stones fell like rain, and the Saman army, attacking from below, could not gain the upper hand for a time.

But Shahzani already had a plan.

She summoned Mo Yuxuan: "Bring out our secret weapon."

Upon receiving the order, Mo Yuxuan commanded the Qin artillery camp to deploy the so-called "secret weapon"—which, in appearance, resembled a large number of strangely shaped "iron balls," but whose surfaces were covered with "spiky spikes."

It is a gunpowder weapon from the eastern Qin region, which has now been successfully formulated by Mo Yuxuan and the Qin soldiers. It is called "Calamus Fireball" and can be thrown by catapult or by hand... In short, it has many uses.

Shahzani ordered the archers to provide cover and then organized several swift "assault teams" carrying "Chinese fireballs" and approaching the city walls under the cover of arrows.

The explosives were successfully deployed at the city gate, and the "commando team" that had carried out the suicide mission quickly withdrew.

Shahzani grabbed her warbow, lit an arrow, aimed at the explosives at the city gate, and unleashed it with full force. The rocket streaked through the air with dazzling light, imbued with the queen's boundless power, like a comet colliding with a star.

A blinding flash of light followed by a deafening roar, the sky instantly turned dark red, and billowing black smoke rose straight into the clouds. The city gate, along with the surrounding walls, was reduced to nothing in the intense explosion.

Apart from the well-prepared Saman soldiers (who had been ordered in advance to plug their ears), most of the others were stunned by the earth-shattering destructive power.

The Gur people who accompanied the army were particularly moved.

This group of tribesmen living in remote mountainous areas of eastern Iran had little access to the flourishing academic achievements of the Persian-Eastern Islamic world, let alone scientific knowledge from outside the Islamic world.

In their eyes, the Saman army was undoubtedly using "sorcery" that only "gods" could cast.

"...The Queen used powerful magic, its power like the rays and flames of dozens of suns...The Ghaznavid city was instantly reduced to ashes..."

After the war, a warrior from the Ghur tribe who had accompanied the army on the campaign recounted Shahzani's "boundless divine power" to his people in this extremely exaggerated and mythical tone, expressing his awe of the queen.

Let's return to the battlefield.

The Ghaznavid soldiers stood frozen in shock, clearly still reeling from the overwhelming spectacle. Meanwhile, the Samanid warriors seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack.

The city gates had been breached, and Shahzani charged through the gap. After a fierce close-quarters battle, most of the Ghazni soldiers were killed, and the fortress fell to the Samanid army.

Shahzani led his army back to Firuzkuh, and his illustrious military achievements and formidable "divine power" completely subjugated the Gur tribes.

Subsequently, she arranged and deployed the elimination of all Ghazni strongholds in the Ghur region, bringing this area into the Samanid empire's territory.

Chapter 148 Surprise Attack on Bamiyan, Wiping Out the Whole City

With the Ghur tribe incorporated into the (new) Samanid state's political territory, the entire western region of the Hindu Kush Mountains now belonged to Shahzani.

During the period of rest and recuperation of the garrison, Shahzani left behind many soldiers and officials, appointing them to govern the Gur tribe region. She also ordered the transfer of a large number of Khorami missionaries and Dervich friars from cities such as Herat to educate the tribespeople.

She intends to adopt a more moderate approach, gradually promoting Persianization until these tribal peoples are transformed into subjects of the Shah of Iran, with a more complete concept of the state and a higher level of social organization.

However, she sought to decisively eliminate the deep-seated problems among the Turkic-Eastern Iranian tribes, and thus launched a massive campaign to change customs and traditions. The most crucial measure of this campaign was to abolish and ban the practice of "honor killings."

In the past, due to the low status of women in tribal customary law, they were treated as property like cattle and sheep. Therefore, men and the tribal community could arbitrarily use vigilante justice against women who "violated tribal rules".

Shahzani used this outdated custom as a starting point to eliminate it. Drawing on her experience in implementing reforms in Transoxiana and Khorasan provinces, she ordered neighbors to supervise each other and established patrol teams to enforce prohibitions.

Thanks to her outstanding military achievements and profound knowledge of religious theories, the Gurkha tribes regarded her as a supreme "god" and "prophet," and naturally dared not harbor any thoughts of disobedience or rebellion.

Soon, the practice of abusing women's rights and taking lenient punishments disappeared in the Gur Mountains.

This is a good start, and the dutiful officials and priests will continue to follow the path laid out by the Queen, faithfully and steadfastly.

……

After resting, Shahzani set off eastward to annex the region inhabited by the Khalaj Turks.

The Khalji Turks, mostly nomadic in the central Hindu Kush Mountains, are said to be descendants of a mixture of the Kushan, Yueban, Hephthalites, and Western Turkic groups from the Sasanian era, and to have ancestral ties with the Hazara and Pashtun Gilzai tribes from their past lives.

In short, it is a complex microcosm of the continuous integration and differentiation of multiple ethnic groups in the history of Afghanistan.

At the same time, this Turkic-speaking tribe was also quite warlike and was an important source of soldiers for the Ghaznavid dynasty. Conquering them would be tantamount to dismantling a major foundation of the Ghaznavid regime.

During the march, they first passed through the territories of several Abdali tribes. When the local chieftains saw that the Saman army had arrived, they surrendered en masse, pointing out the way and providing supplies to the Saman army.

The chieftains of Abdali lamented that due to the scarcity of land, their tribes were forced to migrate frequently, and the young men of the tribe longed to "adventure and make a living" in the outside world. Some went to Kashmir to beg; some went to Karbala for pilgrimage; some went to Khorasan to join the monastic community; and some even went to Hotan to participate in the "holy war" of the Karakhanid Dynasty, and so on.

Shahzani took pity on their suffering and allocated some of the supplies for their use. She also had Mo Yuxuan survey the surrounding mountains and terrain for use in the subsequent construction of infrastructure, and so on.

The Abdali people were moved by the Queen's generosity and responded to her call, spontaneously serving as Ghazi and Aga volunteers to join the Saman army.

Continue eastward.

The surrounding mountains grew ever taller and more precipitous, and the road ahead became even more rugged. The thin air made it difficult to breathe, and even the strong female guards of Shaher were mostly panting as they walked.

The Hindu Kush Mountains are like this; the further east you go, the closer you get to the sections of road that connect with the Pamir Plateau, the Karakoram Mountains, and the Himalayas, the more rugged and treacherous they become.

The Ghazni garrison, the Khalaj Turks, and other pro-Ghazni indigenous tribes launched multiple attacks on the advancing Saman army, but all were easily repelled by Shahzani.

However, these nomadic forces often "run away when they can't win," so after suffering defeats in battles with the Saman army, they all packed up their grain, livestock, and felt tents and retreated into the deep mountains, leaving Shahzani with only bare mud houses.

After all, for the tribes living in the Hindu Kush Mountains, nomadic life, war, and raiding were the main means of making a living, and agricultural production was only a supplement to the economy.

Shahzani knew that the best tactic was to find the main force of the Khalaji Turks and defeat them in one fell swoop. Therefore, he sent out scouts to increase the scale of the search and mobilized the local tribal forces that had been assimilated to assist the army.

The warriors of the tribes, including Gur and Abdali, who had sought refuge with Shahzani, moved through the mountains as if on flat ground, faithfully carrying out the orders given by the queen.

Ultimately, they successfully located the main force of the Khalaj Turks.

"The enemy concentrated their camps in the Bamiyan Valley, where there is abundant water and lush grassland, which can supply the horses and sheep of several tribes."

Upon receiving this news, Shahzani immediately led her army toward Bamiyan, but instead of choosing the main road (relatively speaking) that merchants usually traveled, she quietly made her way to her destination along a less traveled side road.

The Samanid soldiers were ordered to hold their whips in their mouths and march in silence. Anyone who broke discipline by making a loud noise would be severely whipped. They marched for another three days and finally approached Bamiyan.

Shahzani quietly climbed a secluded hilltop and looked out. The basin was dotted with the felt tents and herds of the Khalji Turks, and further away were the gray-yellow, towering peaks.

The ancient city, weathered by time, sits beside a quiet river, and the ancient Buddha statue stands in a distant mountain niche, all appearing quite serene. Even the enemy troops guarding the city seem completely unprepared, clearly unaware that battle is imminent.

Seizing the opportunity, Shahzani decisively ordered an attack. The Saman cavalry, like a raging fire sweeping across the wilderness, burst forth from various passes, heading straight for the enemy's encampment in the valley.

Perhaps the battle came too suddenly, and both the Ghazni garrison and the Khalaji Turks were caught off guard. The camps were thrown into chaos, with soldiers trampling each other.

The towering Bamiyan Buddhas silently watched the battle.

The Samanid army surged forward like a raging fire, with the Shahr female guards being particularly valiant, like the sacred flames unleashed by the divine bird Seymour, sweeping away Akwan's demon army. Ghazni soldiers fell one after another under their powerful iron hooves, and Haraj's camps collapsed one after another.

The enemy panicked. A few who still had the courage hurriedly picked up their weapons, mounted their horses, and attempted to put up a last-ditch resistance; but most had lost the will to fight, filled with terror, and could only cry out: "Oh God! Oh Prophet! Oh Imam! Oh Mahmud Sultan! We are doomed!"

The enemy, demoralized and unable to mount any effective resistance, was quickly routed by the Samanid army. Some, seeing no hope of victory, threw down their weapons and surrendered on their knees; while others, the more fortunate ones, hastily spurred their horses and fled along the mountain roads toward Kabul.

In this battle, most of the leaders of the various Khalaji Turkic tribes, including the Beg, Aga, and Aksakar (the white-bearded elders), were captured alive, and the entire Khalaji Turkic people were basically conquered by Shahzani.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I haven't been able to get away and will have to suspend updates for one day.

Chapter 149 The Enemy Delivers Himself to Their Doorstep

The Ghazneid army in the Bamiyan Valley was completely wiped out, and the Kharaji Turkic tribes submitted to the emperor.

The magistrate of Bamiyan wisely opened the city gates and led the entire city's population to welcome the Samanid army.

Shahzani ordered the entire army to rest and replenish supplies in Bamiyan.

After all, while the Saman warriors were skilled in battle, they were not tireless iron men. The intense forced marches and raids had already greatly depleted their physical strength.

Only by taking proper rest and recuperation can we win more battles.

During the break, Shahzani visited Bamiyan's most famous landmark—the Great Buddha statue.

In her past life, she remembered how these Buddha statues were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, leaving only ruins. For her, who had a deep love for history and civilization, this was nothing short of a nightmare. Now, having traveled through time to be here in person, she was determined to see this ancient cultural relic in person.

From afar, two "giants draped in colorful robes" stand in the enormous mountain niche, their colors vibrant and their grandeur magnificent. The surrounding mountains are dotted with numerous grottoes of varying sizes, creating a truly breathtaking sight.

Despite being ravaged by Arabs three hundred years ago, Buddhism in this area has not disappeared. When visiting the Buddha statues and caves in Shahzani, one can still see many monks chanting sutras and devout Buddhist patrons.

"Your Majesty, the ever-victorious Queen, we grovel at your feet!"

When the local Buddhist leader Parmak saw that Shahzani had arrived, he quickly led his monks to greet her.

"Please rise, devout believers!"

Shahzani was mild-mannered and did not adopt the arrogant demeanor of a Muslim conqueror simply because the other party was a non-Muslim.

"In my empire, all subjects enjoy freedom of religious belief. So there is no need to worry; your scriptures can still be recited; your temples can still be open!"

Indeed, as the ruler of the Samanid dynasty of Persia, Shahzani highly admired the "Shubi movement" of Iranian nationalism and the Persianization of Islam, thereby constructing a Greater Iranian cultural identity.

However, she also pursued relative religious tolerance. In the Middle East and Central Asia, regions with numerous ethnic groups and religions, promoting religious tolerance was not only a noble virtue of the rulers but also an important cornerstone for the long-term stability and prosperity of the empire.

While ensuring the dominant position of the Persianized Islamic sect, guaranteeing the freedom of belief of minority sects such as Islam, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and even Manichaeism is one of the national policies advocated by Shahzani.

Of course, the premise is that these sects must be legal and moderate. Extreme sects like the "Jihadi sect," which spread fundamentalist ideas, are absolutely not allowed to exist in her country.

Following the issuance of the edict of religious tolerance, Shahzani generously reduced taxes for the monasteries and allocated funds to repair the damaged caves.