I was the Queen of Persia

Page 14

The forest of spears and lances reflected a cold glint, countless banners fluttered in the wind, thunderous hooves pounded the ground, and billowing dust swept across the battlefield.

Bab al-Jhadi Fortress is now under siege.

"Order the forward attack forces to launch the offensive according to plan."

After giving instructions to the standard bearers and messengers, Shahzani rode up a high slope. He gazed intently at the Bab al-Jhadi fortress, his eyes gleaming.

This heretical sect's castle was like a sharp knife stuck in its own throat.

The attack began quickly.

First, the Bassky archers unleashed a volley of arrows, wounding the enemy defenders on the city walls. Then, a mixed assault force of ranged and melee troops, under the cover of moving arrow shields, gradually approached the city walls.

This time, instead of having the palace guards hide in the rear to launch a cavalry raid, Shahzani had them dismount and walk, fighting alongside the Basij militia.

After all, Bab al-Jhadi's castle is different from Amin Mughashidi's camp.

Although Bab al-Jhadi Castle has low walls and rudimentary outer defenses, looking in from a high vantage point outside the castle reveals a winding and complex road network, making it unsuitable for cavalry warfare.

If their heavily armored female cavalry were to charge in recklessly, they risked being surrounded by the enemy, finding themselves in a dilemma and suffering unnecessary losses. It would be better to switch to infantry combat, coordinating with the advancing Baski militia for a steady and methodical advance.

These palace guards were not only her close sisters, but also her most valuable and elite fighting force, and she would never allow them to be sacrificed in vain.

The deafening sounds of suona horns and war drums echoed across the battlefield.

Arrows rained down like desert locusts, and soldiers surged toward the city walls like a tidal wave.

soon.

Shahzani's army found a key breakthrough point—a section of the city wall on the south side of the castle, where their forces were left vulnerable.

Seizing the opportunity, several squads of palace guards immediately opened fire on them. Their archery skills were excellent, and after several volleys of arrows, they defeated the already small number of Jihadi guards.

During another lull, several Bassky assault teams quickly advanced, using the cover of friendly arrows to charge to the foot of the city wall, nimbly set up siege ladders, and swiftly climbed up.

The remaining Jihadi troops stationed in that area were unable to resist and fled in disarray.

With the combined attack of the palace guards and the Baskey commando unit, this poorly defended area was quickly brought under control.

As in the previous siege, Shahzani's besieging forces raised a small triangular flag after capturing each section of the city to signify their control over it.

Chapter 27 The Castle Changes Hands

Shahzani's forces, based on the breakthrough, gradually expanded their gains.

Many of the outer barracks and stables have already been captured by Shahzani's troops.

Bab al-Jhadi Castle, with its winding and interconnected internal passageways.

Bahramu's attacking forces encountered fierce resistance at a crossroads. Archers were positioned on the rooftops opposite the Jihadi forces, effectively blocking the intersection.

The constant stream of cold arrows halted their advance.

Several Baski warriors attempted to probe the enemy's defenses, but were all struck by arrows the moment they peeked out. Their comrades quickly pulled them back. Two palace guards also tried to advance but were also hit by arrows. Fortunately, they were wearing well-protected heavy armor and were temporarily unharmed.

The intersection was particularly narrow, making it difficult for the mobile darts used as cover to rotate freely.

But these challenges did not deter Bahram.

"Wait here and let things unfold. I'll go and take care of those enemies." She gave instructions to her soldiers at all levels.

Then, with a quick dodge, she hid behind a nearby earthen wall that offered good visibility, and nimbly climbed onto the roof using a wooden stake stuck across the wall. Her heavy armor seemed weightless on her.

Using the rammed earth as cover, she crouched low and advanced, eventually closing in on her target. She decisively drew her bow, and "Whoosh! Whoosh!" several arrows shot towards the enemy soldiers opposite her.

"what--!"

"what--!"

With several screams, the bodies of several Jihadi soldiers fell from the roof, while the rest fled in panic.

With the "blockade" lifted, the attacking forces that had been waiting immediately launched another offensive, while Bahramu gracefully jumped off the roof and joined the main force.

"Send someone to report to Chief Shahzani that the watchtowers of the second line of defense have been captured. The rest of you, continue the charge with me!" Bahramu said, and continued the advance.

……

The palace inside the castle.

Calling it a palace is an understatement; it's more like a large adobe house, half of its base buried in sand. However, compared to the other low adobe houses in the castle, this building is quite imposing.

A man wearing a black headscarf and a long black robe, with a terrifying and cold face, was throwing a tantrum.

"The double gate has already been occupied by those demon-born women! How did you guard it?!" He slammed his fist on the table, loudly questioning the junior leader, Jihadi, in front of him.

"Chief Omar!" The junior leader exclaimed, sweat beading on his forehead. "Their attack is just too powerful! We...we can't hold them off at all!"

“You bunch of idiots! Cowardly wavering believers! Can’t you even beat a bunch of women?!” Omar Jihadi was even more furious when he heard this.

When news of Abu Habib's annihilation reached him, he was somewhat surprised but still didn't take Shahzani seriously. It wasn't until Shahzani's army was at the city gates that he was shocked and felt as if his worldview had been shattered.

Omar paced back and forth anxiously, cursing as he went: "Damn Karakhanids! I made an enemy of this devilish woman named Shahzani because of your cursed strategy! All the hard work I've put into it for years is about to be destroyed!"

Suddenly, he stopped and looked at his personal guards beside him: "Quick! Gather my 800-man personal guard and prepare to retreat in the chaos!"

"Yes!" the bodyguard replied.

"At the same time, gather my 300-man assassin squad and order them to break out and relocate as well!" Omar added.

"Yes!" the bodyguard replied again.

These so-called "royal guards" and "assassin groups" are the trusted and loyal forces cultivated by Omar Jihadi, and are the "base" on which he maintains his dominant position. They must be preserved.

“And another one!” Omar called out to his personal guard officer again, glancing at the junior officer who had come to report the situation.

The guards knew exactly what was going on, so they immediately drew their scimitars and, with a swift stroke, severed the man's head.

After all, Omar needed his followers to hold off Shahzani's attacks and buy time for him to escape so that he could calmly flee with his family.

Therefore, the news of his escape must absolutely not be known to the believers who are fighting hard on the front lines.

……

Just as Omar made his escape.

The troops under Shahzani's command have already divided and surrounded several Jihadi army strongholds in the core area of ​​the castle.

"Fatherly warriors of Jihadi! Do not fear those vixens from Hellfire, we will kill them! Strip them naked! Throw them back into Hellfire..."

Before a assembled Jihad squad, a minor leader dressed as a clergyman (presumably an "assistant") was delivering an inflammatory speech of hatred.

But before he could finish speaking, he let out a miserable scream and groan, then fell heavily to the ground, with a sharp arrow sticking out of his back.

Upon seeing this, Jihadi's guards scattered and retreated in disarray.

"Victory is within reach! Take turns providing cover and keep advancing!" Shahzani gripped her war bow and looked at the troops behind her.

The palace guards and Baski militia were greatly encouraged. Following their organization and fighting groups, they continued their advance, launching multi-pronged attacks to sweep across the scattered enemy troops.

The fierce hand-to-hand combat continued for several more hours.

In the end, the red flags of Shahzani's army were raised at all the strongholds of Bab al-Jhadi Fortress, and the remaining Jihadi defenders who stubbornly resisted in the city were all annihilated under wave after wave of fierce attacks.

The battle is over, and the castle has fallen into Shahzani's hands.

The streets were stained with blood, and hundreds of corpses lay scattered on the ground. Some of the corpses belonged to Jihadi militants, while others were soldiers under Shahzani's command.

Shahzani stepped through blood, flesh, and weapon wreckage into the city's "palace."

“Chief, we haven’t found the enemy leader. According to the captured prisoners, their leader escaped through the back door with a few close associates,” Bahraim told her as he approached her.

“That coward,” Shahzani muttered, then instructed Bahramu, “I doubt they’ve gone far. Lead a detachment to pursue them and try to wipe them out in one fell swoop. Leaving such evil heretics in the world is a scourge with endless consequences.”

"Understood." Bahramu bowed and immediately went to organize the troops to carry out the pursuit operation.

Shahzani then directed the various units to take over the city according to their organization, count the prisoners and spoils, and identify the fanatics and core believers among the Jihadi members.

Chapter 28 Some Follow-up Work at Chihadi Castle

Shahzani led his troops on a patrol of the city after the battle.

At this time.

“Chief Shahzani!” a soldier ran over.

"Have you discovered anything?" Seeing her anxious appearance, Shahzani guessed that there might be important military intelligence.

"While we were clearing the battlefield, we discovered a hidden cellar containing dozens of female slaves!" the soldier reported truthfully.

"Oh, is that so?" Shahzani was initially slightly surprised upon hearing the news.

But then I thought: Don't these Jihadist heretics often force innocent girls into prostitution, abducting them to serve as so-called "jihadist brides"?

So she asked, "Have their identities been checked? Are they girls from nearby villages?"

“Probably not.” The soldier hesitated. “They don’t understand our language, so they’re probably not Iranian.”

Are they not Iranian?

So where do they come from?

But Shahzani quickly realized that Iran is a multi-ethnic country located on the Silk Road, with many ethnic groups within its borders, and merchants from all over the world would bring new faces from outside the region.

Perhaps these mysterious girls are foreigners who came to Iran from beyond the borders.

“Okay, I understand. Take me to see it.” Shahzani gestured for the soldier to lead the way.

……

A spacious courtyard.

More than sixty girls, all disheveled, barely clothed, and barefoot, huddled on the ground.

They had been locked in the cellar, and upon hearing the sounds of fierce fighting outside, they were all filled with a mixture of joy and fear.

The good news is that they have the opportunity to escape this "hell" that brought them misfortune and suffering; the bad news is that they will fall into a new "hell" and continue to endure endless torment and suffering.

But when they saw that the soldiers who had liberated them from the abyss were girls just like them, their fear and worry lessened somewhat.

"Sadar Shahzani (meaning Shahzani Leader)!"

When the soldiers on duty saw their commander arrive, they all saluted her.

The girls rescued from the den of demons also looked in the direction of the sound. But what they saw there stunned them.

"What a nice view……"

This is how they feel right now.

The female commander in front of them was not only beautiful and dashing, but also voluptuous and tall. She was so beautiful that even the younger girls felt ashamed of themselves.

Shahzani stopped and glanced at the rescued girls.

Then, she asked in Persian, "Where are you from? Can you understand our language?"

No one answered.

So she then asked the same question several times in Turkic, Sogdian, Khwarazmian, Armenian, Arabic, and Kurdish languages.

“Luckily, I also dabbled in linguistics when I was studying history,” Shahzani thought to herself. “I never expected it would come in handy in this unexpected place.”

Her multilingual approach to questioning quickly proved effective. Gradually, some young girls began to understand her and recount their past experiences and stories…

Finally, after verification.

A total of 65 female slaves were rescued.

其中：25个亚美尼亚人；10个大马士革人；7个切尔克斯人；7个古尔嘎斯坦（格鲁吉亚）人；4个内志阿拉伯人；4个米昔儿（埃及）人；3个小亚细亚鲁姆（罗马）人；3个郁南斯坦（希腊）人；2个阿比西尼亚人。

The oldest was seventeen or eighteen, and the youngest was only twelve or thirteen.

They were all female slaves trafficked by caravans. The Jihadist sect abducted them through buying and selling or robbery, locked them in cellars, and provided them with entertainment for the sect's leaders, "assistants," and high-ranking followers.

Upon hearing this, Shahzani felt a pang of sympathy for these poor girls. Seeing that they were far from their homeland and had no one to rely on, she decided to take them in.

Just then, his own palace institutions and government offices were constantly expanding, and he urgently needed to recruit more servants and female slaves to manage his internal affairs.

These girls, at the right age for training, and mostly non-Iranian, non-Muslim foreigners, were excellent candidates to serve as maids and servants.

She planned to keep them with her for now, teach them Persian, and then decide on their future.

So she had the soldiers bring naan bread and water for the rescued female slaves to eat. She also summoned the army doctor to give them a physical examination. Then, she sent troops to escort them back to the castle mansion in Zanshahr.

At that moment, another soldier came to report.