I was the Queen of Persia

Page 175

"Excellent! The future of the Saman Empire needs pillars of talent like you!" Bahram praised the younger generation's performance.

"Not at all, it is precisely because of the pioneering efforts of predecessors like you that we have the opportunity to fight on the battlefield and make contributions!" Bahmanyar said modestly.

The two women chatted and laughed, their mutual understanding growing stronger.

While Bahram was a Zoroastrian, Bahmanyar also held some Zoroastrian beliefs in her mind. She greatly admired national heroes who followed Zoroastrian traditions, such as Mazdak, Babak Khorramdin, and Mardavij.

Their shared faith brought the two female generals closer together, which in turn strengthened the cohesion and teamwork of the Saman army.

That's how war is: when commanders are of one mind and work together, the soldiers will be like tigers with wings; when commanders have ulterior motives, the soldiers will certainly find it difficult to win.

……

Saman's army marched for another two days across the Seven Rivers Steppe before finally reaching Balasagun, the former power center of the Karakhanid Dynasty and the present-day Khanate of the Hun Turan Khanate.

Scouts reported that the Huang Tulan people had decided to go all in, gathering their remaining 6 troops in an attempt to defend the city to the death. The city's defenses were more robust than ever before; not only were the walls reinforced, but the number of watchtowers had increased, and the enemy had deployed numerous rocket-propelled vehicles atop the walls to strengthen their defenses.

"Indeed, these Turans have become more cunning; it looks like this is going to be a fierce battle!"

After Bahraim rode around the city on horseback, his assessment was confirmed by the scouts.

Thinking back to the last time the army besieged the city, Ahmad Togan Khan, who was defending the city, was completely powerless to fight back. He barely held out for a few days before the city was breached and he was captured. The remaining soldiers of the Karakhanid Khanate who were defending the city also knelt down before her iron hooves.

Things are different now. If we want to break through the fortified city walls in front of us, we will have to put in more effort, and our troops may suffer greater casualties.

But the battle must be fought eventually. Now, siege camps have been set up outside the city, with each camp forming a defensive triangle. The crimson banners and the sea of ​​soldiers resemble a raging fire encircling the city, completely surrounding Balasagun.

She planned to build strongholds and fight a protracted war.

Chapter 400 Conquest of the Seven Rivers

Bahramu besieged Balasagun and launched several probing attacks, but to little avail against the high walls of the city.

Balasagun's defensive capabilities have indeed improved significantly.

The trenches filled with barbed wooden stakes slowed down the Saman soldiers' advance; the tall and sturdy city walls increased the difficulty of scaling them; and the rocket-propelled chariots deployed on the city walls inflicted heavy casualties on the Saman soldiers.

Looking at the battle lines that had been slow to advance, Bahram rubbed his teeth.

Gravity catapults were being deployed at the various siege camps, but these large war machines were quite cumbersome and would take some time to set up. By the time they were all deployed, the city's defenders would have already regained their footing.

"Deploy rocket vehicles and fuel launchers to counter the enemy forces on the city walls!" she immediately ordered.

She had to maintain constant pressure on the defenders. Although the effectiveness might not be fully realized due to factors such as distance and position, these measures were still essential.

At this time.

“Sipahisaral (Commander-in-Chief), we have a better strategy for attacking the city.” Bahmanyar stepped forward and showed the latest firearms developed by the Samanid Empire.

The heavy weapons troops were busy deploying a large number of cannons in the camp's attack positions. These included five siege monster cannons and 45 field guns, their gleaming barrels reflecting light and their black muzzles aimed at the city walls.

"So, you plan to use these new weapons to attack the city?" Bahramu frowned slightly.

Frankly speaking, as a member of the ancient warrior class continuing from the Sassanid era, she still harbored some aversion to gunpowder weapons. After all, these powerful gunpowder weapons overturned the rules of traditional martial arts combat and ran counter to the warrior's code of conduct.

She preferred traditional siege weapons like catapults to cannons.

“That’s right.” Bahmanyar nodded solemnly. “The Battle of Usthurt has already proven the power of artillery in field battles. And this battle will prove that even the strongest city walls are vulnerable before technological advancements.”

“Well, in that case, we’ll take your suggestion. You’ll command the frontal siege.” Bahramu nodded slightly.

Despite some internal resistance, she was a sensible commander. The influence of Empress Shahzani had instilled in her a more rational mind. She understood that technology was changing, and clinging to old traditions would not lead to victory on the battlefield.

“However,” Bahraim changed the subject, “I will command the assault on the city walls after the bombardment. By Holmozd! My old bones are still hale and hearty!”

The laughter of the female meritorious official of the empire was particularly hearty.

The two generals devised a plan, and then each led their troops to prepare for the attack on the city.

……

The Turan defenders on the walls of Balasagun saw the Saman army slowly pushing "large iron pipes mounted on wheels" into their positions. Never having seen such a novel weapon before, they looked at each other in astonishment and gathered on the walls to watch the Saman artillery operate.

Arslan Qadir Hassan, the Khan of Huang Tulan, who was inspecting the city walls, happened to see the soldiers huddled together and became furious. He stormed over.

"What are you doing?! Huh! Get back to your posts right now, quick!" As he spoke, he pulled out a whip and began to lash the soldiers who were watching.

"Khan, please forgive us! We just didn't know what the enemy was up to, so we gathered together to observe in case anything seemed amiss." Turan's soldier pointed to the Saman artillery positions in the distance. "Khan, look, those aren't catapults, but they're ballistae. What are those 'big pipes' anyway?"

Khan Huang Tulan looked in the direction his subordinates had described, and indeed it was as they had said.

But no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't figure it out. It was neither traditional siege weaponry nor a new type of rocket vehicle. He didn't know what kind of equipment it was.

And just as he was puzzled...

A Saman cannon on the position was already aimed at him.

"Raise the muzzle two degrees, move it four degrees to the left, yes, that's it! ... Oops! Too much, lower it by 0.5 degrees, good, keep the angle!" Sergeant Saman, who was in charge of observation, was directing four gunners to adjust the elevation angle of the cannon.

The sergeant estimated the angle with his naked eye, and then used a protractor and other auxiliary tools to verify and measure it, finally determining the result.

Thanks to the flourishing academic research in the Samanid Empire, a large number of Persian works on mathematics, surveying, geometry, and other subjects were produced. On this basis, the empire's knowledge of ballistics, architecture, military engineering, and other fields also made great progress.

These academic works were also printed in the Samanid army for generals, officers, and senior technical sergeants to study.

And now, on the battlefield in front of the walls of Balasagun, is the time to put this knowledge into practice.

"Perfect angle, fire!" the sergeant ordered.

With a deafening roar, a massive fireball burst forth, leaving a scorching shockwave in the air as it hurtled towards the city wall. With another thunderous crash, the battlements were shattered by the cannonball, and flying fragments of brick mixed with blood and flesh were scattered everywhere, creating a tremendous visual impact on the onlookers.

The shelling instantly sparked panic, and fear spread among the defenders.

The Saman artillerymen were overjoyed at the results of their battle. Under the command of their officers, dozens of cannons fired simultaneously, and the fierce shells pounded the city walls like hail, causing blood and flesh to fly and rubble to scatter everywhere.

When the Samanian officer directed the artillery barrage, he specifically ordered the rocket-propelled vehicles aimed at the city walls. With a series of loud "booms!", the defensive war machines were instantly reduced to piles of burning wreckage.

The Turan defenders' lines became even more chaotic.

"Oh no! Our Khan has been killed in battle!" another Turan soldier shouted.

This devastating news completely shattered the morale of the Turan people. The soldiers on the city walls instantly lost their will to fight and began to push and shove each other as they retreated into the inner city. The chaotic retreat quickly turned into a stampede, with countless people trampling each other and suffering dead or injured.

Several rounds of artillery fire blasted a breach in the city wall.

"attack!"

Bahraim drew his saddle axe and directed the siege echelon to advance.

Since the defenders' lines were on the verge of collapse after the bombardment, the Saman army's advance was not greatly hindered. They crossed the trenches, broke through the gaps, and quickly penetrated into the city.

A small number of Turan defenders still tried to put up a fight, but their strength was too weak to turn the tide of the battle.

Bahraim led the charge, his saddle axe reaping the lives of enemy soldiers, until armor shattered and blood flowed like rivers, so that the sharp blade of his axe, which pierced through armor, was soon covered with bits of flesh and blood.

Her offensive was unstoppable, eventually forcing the remaining defenders to kneel and surrender.

The crimson banners of the Samanid Empire flew atop the walls of Balasagun. Neighboring cities like Bars Khan, knowing their fate was sealed, readily surrendered. The entire Seven Rivers region was thus completely occupied by the Samanid Empire.

The Khanate of Huang Tulane collapsed.

Chapter 401 Progression

The Aral Sea Steppe and the Seven Rivers Steppe were successively occupied by the Samanid Empire.

Shahzani's next task is to consolidate her rule.

Her core subjects were mostly Iranian ethnic groups who adhered to the Khorami sect of Islam, along with the Turanians who had become naturalized and were highly Iranianized.

The newly annexed Aral Steppe and Seven Rivers Steppe, though mostly Muslim in religion and with a considerable degree of Iranian influence, are ultimately Turkic-Turan people in ethnicity.

These Turkic-speaking peoples have historically clashed with Iranian regimes and, influenced by Aknuar's policies of "de-Iranization" and "de-Persianization," harbor hostility towards the Samanid regime.

Shahzani's personality differed from Aknu's. Shahzani was steady and cautious in her actions, but resolute in her determination. She did not resort to brutal or forceful methods in dealing with these newly conquered territories.

The Turan people of the Aral Sea steppe are mostly former subordinates of the Oghuz Yabghu Kingdom.

Shahzani knows her northern neighbors very well.

She led her troops to Yangjigan, where she summoned the various Oghuz tribes, including Inal, Subash, and Atabeg (all members of the Oghuz military aristocracy), and announced the new policies to them.

"People of Turan! I am the Khan of your Khans!"

"Iran and Turan are both descendants of the ancient wise ruler Faridon, but they parted ways due to suspicion and misunderstanding. Now, the two peoples will be united, which is the preordained arrangement of God Hudda!"

"I grant you the autonomy to decide matters within your tribe, and your traditions and customs will be respected and preserved. You may still select elders and leaders within your tribe in accordance with the 'Tore' (customary law)."

"However, in major military and political affairs, you must obey the Saman Empire. From this day forward, I will establish the 'Oghuz Province' here and appoint a governor for this province. You must obey their orders, and wherever the provincial government goes, it will be as if I were personally present!"

Shahzani's loud voice is very infectious.

The conquered tribes of Turan naturally bowed and knelt, kissing the ground before the Queen's boots. They had already been defeated and dared not resist. Moreover, the Queen's policies were already quite lenient; had it been a ruler like Aknuar, perhaps another wave of exploitation and plunder would have been unleashed.

The newly established Oghuz province had its capital in Yangikkan. Saman's army then took over local governments according to its established structure, and its subordinate "Agricultural Holy War" mobilized militia to immediately engage in post-war reconstruction.

The crumbling city walls, the ruined city.

Most importantly, watchtowers, reservoirs, and caravan rest stops were set up along the main road that traversed the steppes and deserts to facilitate the faster entry of supplies and troops, strengthen control, and promote trade with Bulgar-Rus.

The activities of caravans signify the flow of goods.

Due to the impact of war and the heavy taxes imposed by the Turan Khanate over the years, the Turan people in this area were already quite impoverished. The Saman government allocated cattle and sheep from Khwarazm province and distributed them to the poor herders.

Many Turan military nobles died in battle, and their pastures were soon vacant. The Samanid government confiscated these pastures and then measured and divided them according to their area, location, and condition, distributing them to the lower-level herders and slaves.

Samanian bureaucrats, especially the scribes who graduated from Dabilistan, generally possessed extensive knowledge of arithmetic and geometry. Naturally, they were fairer in distributing the means of production than the original owners, and were more likely to gain the support of the vast majority of lower-class herders.

Of course, there were also a few who remained stubborn and resisted the new regime, especially the Turan nobles who were hostile to Iran.

On the surface, they submitted to Shahzani, but in reality, they secretly contacted Turan forces abroad, attempting to seize the opportunity to reclaim their "lost territory" and drive the Iranians out of the Oghuz steppe.

When dealing with this group of people, Shahzani directly invoked the "law of class struggle," ordering his subordinates, the Nasak, to take action and collect evidence of their daily oppression of the people.

Once the evidence was conclusive, they were arrested and publicly sentenced. The people of Turan had long harbored deep hatred for these nobles, and the respected Aksaka (elders) stood up, indignantly declaring, "They are like wolves, devouring the sheep of the people. We beseech the great Shah Shah to punish them!"

"Yes! If the wolves develop the habit of raiding sheepfolds, they won't stop until they've devoured all the lambs. We beseech the great Shah Shah to punish these villains!"

The people of Turan also shouted slogans.

Satisfied with this, Shahzani then solemnly ordered Nassak to execute them, their bodies hanging in rows on the gallows. This act not only eliminated a potential threat but also greatly won over the hearts of the people.

……

The situation was similar in the Seven Rivers region, but the person in charge was the Queen's envoy, Bahram.

Based on Shahzani's decree, she established the "Seven Rivers Province" here, with its capital in Balasagun, while continuing the governance methods set by the Empress.

Through the grand narrative in the Shahnameh that Iran and Turan were of the same origin, she swayed the stance of some Turanians and quickly won them over to her.

Her Saman army continued the Iranian warrior tradition of "jihadist construction," generously supporting the war-torn Turan tribe by allocating them pastures and livestock.

Compared to Oghuz Province, Seven Rivers Province has a denser urban population, but a more complex ethnic composition. It is home to settled Iranians, Iranianized Turan Muslims, and a large number of people who practice Shamanism, Buddhism, and Nestorianism. Furthermore, due to the former control of the Northern Protectorate of the Tang Dynasty, it was also influenced by the Ma Qin culture.

Bahramu's Zoroastrian faith greatly facilitated religious united front work and solidarity. She announced the Samanid Empire's policy of religious tolerance, allowing believers of all ethnicities to retain their original religious beliefs.

During the reign of the Turan Khanate, taxes in the Seven Rivers region were very heavy. At the same time, due to Aknu's aggressive military campaigns, while vying for supremacy with the Samanid Empire, he repeatedly sent troops to invade the Western Regions, causing cities in the Western Regions to close their markets and cut off trade.

After the Samanid Empire took control of the Seven Rivers, it quickly resumed trade with the Western Regions, reopening trade between the Pamir Plateau, Karakoram Mountains, and Tian Shan Mountains, and the long-dormant bilateral trade became active again.

Aknuar, who had retreated to the Shihe River in Ye'er, was unwilling to let his original territory fall into the hands of the Samans. Taking advantage of the change of power and the instability of order, he sent two Tumans (ten thousand households) south to plunder the grasslands on the north bank of Lake Balkhash.

Bahraim decisively led his army in pursuit, with the elite "Uzbek" legion serving as the vanguard. The Saman army caught up with the Turans at the mouth of the Ayaguz River, and after a battle, forced them back, reclaiming their cattle, sheep, and people.

With both regions pacified, the troop transport routes extended steadily from the Samanid Empire's homeland. Shahzani was full of confidence, and she planned to advance into the depths of the steppe after resting.

Chapter 402 Drinking Water from the Ishim River

The newly acquired land was consolidated, and military outposts, caravan stations, and water reservoirs were established to facilitate the delivery of troops and supplies.

Construction began as soon as the port opened, and the area was bustling with activity.

“The Turans will not stand idly by. Before our operations are completed, they will definitely launch frequent raids and harassment.” Shahzani inspected the construction site and made a thoughtful judgment.

“That’s right, I think so too. That’s why we’ve prepared and deployed the mobile ‘Uzbek’ legion at the front lines, with each unit patrolling and coordinating to prevent any unforeseen events.” Farukzad stood beside his mother and offered his advice.

“Yes, very good.” Shahzani looked at the princess with a face full of approval. “Being prepared is one of the qualities a commander should possess.”

The situation unfolded exactly as Shahzani had predicted.

The Turans would not stand idly by while the Saman Empire continued its production and development. From May to October 1030, the Saman army reported numerous attacks from Turan cavalry at its forward outposts, military routes, and rear supply lines.

……