I was the Queen of Persia

Page 115

Given the special nature of marching, each soldier carried enough dry rations and fresh water for seven days. Iranian-made marching barley naan bread was especially important, as this durable and filling ration was one of Shahzani's favorites during his campaigns.

……

Jawahar, a town on the outskirts of Aleppo.

The gentle morning sunlight bathed the earth, and the fresh air carried a refreshing scent, slightly dispelling the dryness of the sandstorm. A thin mist lingered on the calm, deep surface of the Aleppo River. Although the morning prayers had not yet begun, the usual tranquility was broken by the shouts and commands of mobilization and the neighing of warhorses.

Boutros Ahmed Masi, the centurion of the Fatima garrison, stood atop a Levantine-style watchtower beside the camp, gazing at the misty Aleppo River and recalling the Nile that flowed through his homeland. That great river, like a ribbon, meandered across the sandy land, its banks adorned with lush green palm trees and fragrant grasses.

He couldn't help but think of his beautiful hometown and his elders. If there hadn't been frequent conquests and wars, how wonderful it would have been if he could have quietly cultivated his fields, married and had children!

As a Coptic Christian, he and his fellow believers always treated others with humility to avoid unnecessary trouble in a Muslim-dominated society. This principle of survival became even more ingrained when Hakim, whose religious fervor had intensified, came to power.

Despite his reluctance to engage in military affairs, Hakim, driven by ambition, made an exception and forcibly conscripted these Christians into the army to expand it and use it to deal with the warlords of the Ziri regime in the west.

Based on his military achievements, Boutros rose through the ranks and eventually became a centurion under the governor of Sham in the Fatimid dynasty, which was a relatively high achievement for Christians in Egypt.

But his ambitions lay elsewhere.

A burst of rough noise and commotion pulled him from the beautiful tranquility before him.

This was not their hometown, but the front line where the two armies were facing off. The Persian army could attack at any time, and various rumors circulated in the army about the Persian female soldiers being "bloodthirsty," "brutal," "fierce," and "lewd," some true and some false, bizarre and fantastical.

Looking in the direction of the commotion, one could see a group of Berber soldiers, wearing blue veils and riding high camels, their curved blades gleaming coldly as they robbed the townspeople of their lambs.

"In the name of God! Stop your shameless behavior immediately!" Butros shouted as he descended the tower.

Although he did not want to be in the army, his early experiences made him extremely disgusted by the plundering and looting of these barbaric herders, so he immediately stood up to stop them.

De-de-!

The leader of the Berber warriors rode up to him on a camel, raised his spear, and said with disdain in his eyes, "Bah! Idol worshipper, get out of my way! Don't try to show off in front of the devout Muslims!"

Swish-!

Butros instantly drew his sword to deflect the spear: "Stop your arrogance! Barbarian! I have accepted His Majesty Hakim's favor and will certainly serve him! And now, I will punish you bandits who have disrupted military discipline!"

Clang—clang—swish—swish—!

In an instant, both sides drew their weapons, swords were drawn, and a conflict and brawl seemed imminent.

Just as the various Fatima armies were about to clash due to internal strife.

An alarm sounded from the top of the tall military tower.

"Chief! Something unusual has been detected in the distance!" the lookout on the tower shouted to Butros, his voice slightly urgent.

"What is it?" Butros quickly sheathed his weapon, climbed the tower, and squinted in the direction the soldier was pointing.

A light cloud of yellowish-brown dust rose in the distance, growing thicker and larger as it approached.

“Perhaps… they are camel caravans coming from the direction of Rakka. Several such caravans visited last month. As everyone knows, caravans from Rakka are all quite large…” Butros said in a deep voice, but he subconsciously gripped the weapon at his waist.

As the smoke and dust approached, even more powerful and resounding sounds came from afar.

“No…that’s not right!” Butros stared at the smoke and dust, his pupils suddenly contracting. “They’re advancing in tight formation. The dust is enormous. And I see a forest of spears! Oh, God!”

Countless scarlet Iranian battle flags surged from the horizon, bearing the large Persian characters for "Iran." Above the text was an image of the Iranian mythical bird, the phoenix "Simog," the very flag of the Fars Military District of the Samanid Empire of Iran! Beneath the flags, armored soldiers stood imposing and disciplined, a mighty, earth-shaking steel dragon!

"The Persians are coming! The Persians are coming! Be on alert! Defend! Quickly!"

Amidst countless camps, fortresses, and strongholds, the Fatima sentries cried out in alarm, and the soldiers hurriedly picked up their weapons, regrouped, and prepared to fight.

……

Thanks to thorough preparation, strict discipline, and orderly command, the Samanid army descended upon the oasis plains surrounding Aleppo in less than six days, like a thunderbolt from God. By choosing secluded desert trails, they took advantage of the sandstorms for cover, catching the Fatima people completely off guard.

Before the Fatima army could react, Shahzani decisively ordered an attack.

The Samanid army, organized by troop type and structure, systematically advanced and launched a coordinated attack, encircling and surrounding the various Fatima garrisons that had not yet assembled, and cutting off their retreat route to Aleppo.

Then came a thunderous offensive. The few Fatima units that made contact at the front lines were quickly routed. The soldiers either died on the battlefield or surrendered, and few survivors were able to escape the tight encirclement.

The whistling fire arrows streaked across the sky, leaving behind a dense trail of fire, as they hurtled toward the Fatima army's watchtowers, barracks, stables, and storehouses.

"Quick! Quick! Don't panic! Form ranks and retreat while fighting! No matter how powerful the Persian cavalry is, their warhorses can't break through the forest of spears!" Boutros ordered his soldiers to reorganize while cautiously looking towards the passage to Aleppo.

This was a tactic he learned from the Khakimiyeh Guard.

The Khakimiye Guard was quite adept at infantry formation combat. Whenever they encountered enemy cavalry raids, they could quickly assemble into formations, fight and retreat, and ultimately force the enemy to retreat with inferior forces.

On the battlefields of the westward campaign against Ifrikiyya, whenever the Hakimiyya Imperial Guard encountered surprise attacks by Berber camel caravans, they were always able to use this tactic to defeat Berber forces that outnumbered them many times over. As time went on to fight side by side, Boutros, also a Fatima soldier, gradually learned similar knowledge.

Chapter 269 The Great Flanking Maneuver of the Iron Cavalry

Boutros's tactics were somewhat effective. By forming defensive formations, the Fatima infantry thwarted several attacks by the Iranian vanguard Kurdish-Bakhtiar cavalry regiment, achieving some minor victories.

"Well done! Hold on, soldiers! As long as we maintain a tight formation, the Persians can't do anything to us! Soldiers around us, move closer! The more people we have, the greater our advantage!" Butros shouted hoarsely, constantly observing the surrounding environment to find the best defensive and counter-attack position for his troops.

Faced with several failed attacks, the Kurdish-Bakhtiar cavalry regiment was reluctantly replaced, and the Seljuk cavalry regiment immediately took their place in battle.

These skilled riders and archers of Turan immediately spurred their horses, drew their bows, and formed a circular archery formation to approach the Fatima. With the sharp sound of arrows piercing the air, screams of agony erupted from the Fatima army.

"Warriors, do not panic! Retreat to the village in an orderly manner! Shield bearers, move forward! Archers, prepare to return fire!" Butros grabbed his shield and stood in front, shouting to the warriors behind him.

With one side attacking and the other defending, the two sides engaged in fierce combat, pushing the battle to a fever pitch in a constant tug-of-war.

The fierce battle lasted for a day and a night.

On the battlefield stretching for more than ten kilometers around Aleppo, the Fatima army had suffered a crushing defeat. The scattered troops were unable to regroup in time under the overwhelming encirclement and division of the Saman army and were eventually defeated one by one.

The Samanian vanguard sent word that the commander defending Aleppo had led the remaining troops to break through the encirclement and flee towards Homs, and that most of the remaining Fatima soldiers had given up resistance.

But another message that came made Shahzani frown: near the town of Jawahar, there was another Fatima army that had formed a line, fighting and retreating, and was constantly gathering the defeated soldiers, showing signs of growing stronger.

"I never imagined that the Fatima army would have such tenacious and resilient soldiers? Perfect, I'll go and meet them." With that thought, Shahzani raised her spear and shouted to the Shahr guards around her, "Follow me closely! Prepare for battle!"

Spurring their horses, the iron cavalry charged ahead, rushing towards the battleground with the force of a raging torrent.

Before they had advanced halfway to Farsach, they discovered the Boutros army in the distance, which was still putting up a stubborn resistance and trying to break through, taking advantage of the terrain.

More and more scattered soldiers gathered under his banner, and in less than half a day, they had gathered thousands of soldiers like a snowball, forming a fairly orderly line, resembling an iron hedgehog.

The Saman cavalry lingering nearby found it difficult to attack, and the Seljuk cavalry's mounted archery tactics had been suppressed by their foot archery; even three charges launched by the Fars provincial heavy cavalry failed to shake them.

“A tenacious army that makes the most of its circumstances to gain an advantage. But since they dare to defy me, only annihilation awaits them!” Shahzani shouted, then ordered the elite Shahzani Guard to form a battle formation.

Taking into account the objective terrain conditions of the battlefield, the Shahr Guard did not adopt the tactic of large-scale concentrated assaults this time. Instead, they broke into smaller units, forming companies of 100 men and battalions of 500 men, and systematically maneuvered to the vicinity of the enemy.

Five companies, using the scattered village houses as cover, outflanked the Fatima people on the left flank. Before the enemy could react, they unleashed a barrage of flaming arrows that filled the sky.

This is a ranged weapon used to kill dense groups of enemy soldiers. The arrows have a strong armor-piercing power and are loaded with powerful explosives. A volley of fire quickly caused many casualties among the Fatima people.

As they continued firing and pressing forward, the front lines of the Fatima army gradually became chaotic and disorganized.

"Warriors, don't panic! Fire back!" Seeing the unfavorable situation, Butros hurriedly shouted to his archers.

Under his resolute command, the Fatima infantry regained some order. The archers quickly drew their bows and fired arrows at the Iranian cavalry at his command.

Clang—clang—clang—clang—!

The sound of metal clashing was incessant.

The warhorses of the Shaher Guard were generally equipped with more robust and superior horse armor, which could effectively protect them from arrow damage at close range, and cause minimal casualties at long range.

The counterattack by the Fatima forces only fueled the Iranian soldiers' fervent fighting spirit.

The tacit coordination came into play at this moment. The other Saman forces surrounding them—the Fars Provincial Cavalry Corps, the Kurdish-Bakhtiar Cavalry Regiment, the Seljuk Cavalry Regiment, the Khuzestan Provincial Infantry Force, the Deraman Infantry Regiment, and others—immediately understood the main force's operational intentions and provided cover for the offensive and coordinated the attack.

Five more companies of Shaher cavalry swiftly maneuvered to the right flank of Fatima's army, launching a pincer attack that left the trapped enemy vulnerable from both sides, resulting in even greater casualties and exposing numerous weaknesses in their defenses.

Keng——!

Shahzani pointed her spear forward, surveying the enemy ranks with a chilling gaze: "Warriors! The time has come to annihilate the enemy! Follow my lead, charge!"

The shouts that shook the battlefield exploded, and the armored soldiers and iron cavalry charged towards the enemy lines like wildfire. However, the fierce cavalry did not choose to charge directly at the front, but instead skillfully circled slightly, found gaps and weaknesses, and decisively rushed in.

Faced with such a terrifying and powerful opponent, fear began to show on the faces of the Fatima soldiers.

"Soldiers! Don't panic!" Butros brandished his sword, directing his soldiers to fill the gaps, barely managing to maintain his composure. "Grab your spears! Hold your ground! We can hold on!"

However, when faced with overwhelming force, courage alone cannot turn the tide.

The armored "Rakhsh" warhorses, with the force of a steel torrent, were like a massive boulder hurtling down from Mount Damawand, stirring up waves of shrill screams and heart-wrenching sounds of bones cracking.

Shahzani thrust his lance forward suddenly, piercing through the bodies of three Fatima soldiers in an instant. Blood and limbs splattered everywhere, and the armor of his horse was stained even more crimson.

Behind him, the Shahr guards, chanting the name of the warrior Rustam, followed closely. Their armor was imposing, their warhorses powerful, and their iron armor and horses were stained with clusters of dazzling crimson, gleaming under the sun, displaying a terrifying and majestic aura.

Riding her magnificent iron steed, Shahzani glanced back. The Fatima army was scattered and broken, but under the command of their commander, Butros, they were still striving to regroup. She felt a certain admiration for this Fatima general for not collapsing despite such losses.

However, compared to the tenacity of the Fatima army, the iron cavalry of the Iranian Saman Empire was even more skilled in battle. After completing the first wave of attacks, they quickly regrouped and reorganized their charging formation, soon preparing for the next wave of steel assault.

Chapter 270 Encirclement

A new steel charge has begun, accompanied by close coordination among the armies of the Iranian Samanid Empire.

The Samanid army, surrounding the enemy forces, launched a fierce attack. Warhorses neighed and roared, armor clashed with a clang, steel weapons tore through flesh and bone, and red and green battle flags clashed...

Although Butros was tenacious, his persistence could not reverse the tide in the face of Shahzani's superior military strength. The iron torrent unleashed by the Saman Empire's army completely overwhelmed the Fatima army, which was fighting desperately.

Snap!

The last Fatima banner was cut in half, and the tattered flag slowly drifted to the ground. Fatima soldiers were either dead or had surrendered. On the devastated battlefield, the red and green corpses of both armies piled up like mountains.

Butros was now alone. His helmet and turban had been knocked off during the battle, half of his face was submerged in gushing blood, and his chainmail was tattered. Yet he still held his sword and slowly retreated, glaring at the Saman warriors who were closing in on him.

Okay—okay—okay—

Shahzani rode forward, gazing at the resolute Fatima officer, a flicker of admiration returning to her eyes. Though he was the enemy, such courage and fearlessness were worthy of emulation by any soldier. If this officer could join her ranks, he would undoubtedly achieve even greater merit on the battlefield.

“Drop your sword!” said the Sahar Imperial Guard officer beside Boutros. “Our Queen will spare your life.”

"Surrender to Her Majesty Shahzani, Coptics!" another voice urged. "You are a Christian, why fight for those Muslims? Why fight for Hakim, that madman who persecutes your faith?"

Swish-!

Butros pressed his sword to his throat, his eyes resolute. Then, with a sudden burst of strength, blood gushed out, and he collapsed heavily to the ground, never to rise again.

The battlefield fell silent.

A moment later, the sound of iron hooves pounding could be heard.

“He is indeed a hero worthy of praise.” Shahzani rode up, a hint of regret in her eyes. “Let him be buried with Christian rites.”

The last remaining Fatima army in the Aleppo region was crushed, and large swathes of surrounding towns and villages fell under the control of the Samanid army.

The Samanid Empire then opened up an important trade route between Aleppo and Raqqa, making it easier to transport supplies from the rear to the front lines.

……

Just as the battle for Aleppo was being won, in Tedmur, the Iranian-Syrian coalition forces were fiercely resisting the offensive of the Fatimahoms Legion.

Whoosh-!

The flying arrow pierced the chainmail of a Fatima soldier, its immense force sending him staggering several steps away before abruptly ending his life just before he crossed the moat of the fortress, sending him to meet God.

Arrows rained down like locusts. Fatima's soldiers, shields and wooden shields in hand, pushed siege ladders and braved ever-increasing casualties as they struggled to cross the moats and fences in front of the fortress.

Just as a siege ladder was set up, the vanguard of Fatima soldiers had barely climbed ten steps when a tremendous force suddenly came from the top, causing the ladder to lose its balance and crash heavily to the ground, accompanied by a chorus of screams.

"Well done, Iranian warriors! The spirit of the hero Rustam is protecting us! Hold on! The dawn of victory is just around the corner!"

While rallying the morale of his troops, Sahinnian on the city wall grabbed a broken spear and hurled it down from the wall. In an instant, it pierced through the bodies of two Fatima soldiers, and then continued its charge with tremendous force, knocking down another group of Fatima soldiers.

After a long and fierce battle, the Fatima army was unable to capture the outpost fortress held by the Samanid forces. After several assaults, they were exhausted and suffered heavy casualties. In desperation, the commander could only order a retreat to allow for rest and regrouping before fighting again.

"The Mishir army has retreated! We have won!"

May God bless you!

Watching the enemy army depart into the distance, the Saman soldiers on the city wall cheered joyfully.

However, there was little ease or joy on Commander Sahinnian's face. She had recently received a battle report that the Syrian army stationed in another fortress was already embroiled in a fierce battle and was in dire straits.

If we do not reinforce the Syrian army in time, our own troops will be in danger of being attacked from both sides once the Syrian army is defeated and retreats. We cannot afford to be careless.

The scouts reported back that the Syrian army had once again retreated halfway to Farsah, tightening its defenses. Despite the valiant resistance of Syria's main forces, including the Sham Scorpion Army, they were still unable to withstand the enemy's Hakimiyah vanguard.

"Dispatch five thousand elite cavalry to attack the Fatima's supply lines and support the Syrian defenses!" With this in mind, Sahinnian gave the order to his men.

……

Let's talk about Aleppo again.