OBS Chapter 965 The First Batch of Reinforcements
Chapter 965 The First Batch of Reinforcements
Chapter 965 The First Batch of Reinforcements
Early the next morning.
On the walls of Hovezan, soldiers and civilians were carrying timber and stone bricks dismantled from houses to reinforce the defenses, and everyone was working intensively to prepare for war.
With reinforcements on their way and the dragon's assistance boosting their confidence, the arrival of the dragon gave them a great deal of confidence.
Even nobles who wanted to surrender to the Tatars knew they had no way to back down, so they contributed money and manpower, bringing their private armies to join the defense of the city.
"Hovezan was originally a very beautiful town. The snowmelt from the Zagros Mountains converged into the Kalen River, which carved out a fertile land in the mountain pass. We were born and raised here. If you had come at a different time, the girls of Hovezan would have offered you the sweetest grape juice and freshly baked, fragrant bread."
"But now, nothing is left."
Governor Rumi looked sadly at the village ruins still emitting wisps of smoke, the razed fields and estates, and the Tatar cavalry who were busy cutting down orchards, breaching dikes, and destroying irrigation facilities.
His so-called governor, Howezan, could only cower on the city walls, unable to do anything.
"Building a city is difficult, but destroying it is easy."
The Frankish emperor, wearing the Lombard Iron Crown, rested his hands on the battlements: "The Tatars are the destroyers of civilization. They don't need cities or farmland, only slaves and herds. There's a saying that you should choose the lesser of two evils. Compared to the Tatars, the barbaric Franks don't seem so unacceptable, do they?"
Seeing that Governor Rumi dared not speak, Lothar couldn't help but laugh and said, "Don't be alarmed. I'm actually quite pleased that you, this fanatical Ghazi, made the right choice at this crucial moment. It's not that you've knelt before me, but that you haven't sided with the Tatars. If these nomadic cavalrymen, like locusts, had been allowed to invade Mesopotamia, who knows how many villages would have been reduced to ashes."
Governor Rumi stared at the emperor's back. The sunlight reflecting off the edge of his iron crown outlined a cold, hard profile on the emperor's shoulders. A gentle breeze blew the cloak embroidered with a ferocious dragon head. This young pagan emperor gave off an unusually reassuring feeling.
If His Majesty Bahram had half the magnanimity of this heretical emperor, the Sassanids wouldn't have ended up in this predicament.
He smiled wryly and said, "I just don't believe that the Tatars are philanthropists. To drop their weapons, willingly lie on the chopping block, and pray that the person holding the butcher's knife will show them mercy? That's too stupid."
Lothar sighed softly, "Unfortunately, most people don't have your vision, nor your courage."
In most cases, the Tatars treated those who surrendered relatively leniently, and coupled with the horrific methods of massacring the city by the resisters, they were often able to capture the city without bloodshed.
If they were to actually break through the Persian Plateau, no matter how advanced the Tatars' siege techniques were, it would take them an unknown amount of effort.
Historically, the reason why so many cities surrendered and then rebelled again was because they surrendered to save their lives, but found that they could not survive under the extortion of the Tatars.
For example, after Ghazni surrendered, the Tatars forcibly seized most of the city's grain, including crops, which directly led to a major famine.
Hamadan, the last city to be captured by the Tatars without bloodshed, also rebelled again in the original historical timeline, forced into rebellion by the heavy corvée labor and taxes imposed by the Tatars.
Perhaps some tribes or Sassanid governors gained considerable benefits from the Tatars, but that was because the Tatars saw value in them for united front work. Those who did not have this value were simply exploited to the bone.
Lothar changed the subject: "The Tatars have already repaired their siege engines. Judging from this, they'll launch another attack tomorrow. How confident are you that you can hold out?"
Rumi gave a wry smile: "I can only say that I have done my best. The enemy that stormed the city walls yesterday was strong enough, but the heavy cavalry that have not yet launched an attack are obviously even more powerful. Your Majesty, if you and your dragon do not take action, I really have no confidence at all."
The heavy cavalry he was referring to were the Kheshig troops who were supporting Ivan's forces. Although these men did not actually launch a siege, their excellent armor and superb archery skills were enough to demonstrate their status as a top-tier military force.
"You will hold it."
Lothar chuckled and patted the other man on the shoulder. Although he intended to temporarily cease hostilities with the Tatar spellcasters, it didn't mean he would actually abide by this unwritten agreement. Putting aside everything else, with his battlefield aura protecting him, even a weak team could become a formidable one.
"Moreover, the first batch of reinforcements will arrive soon."
He looked up and saw that the two black dots in the sky were getting bigger and bigger.
In the town square of Hovezan.
The shepherd was trembling as he drove his flock toward the terrifying dragon that seemed to be coiled like a small mountain. He felt his legs shaking, and the flock seemed to be terrified, refusing to move forward no matter how much he whipped them.
He was almost in tears: "Soldiers, soldiers, please lend a hand! If this ancestor goes hungry, we'll all end up in his stomach."
The guards who were herding the sheep with him also felt their teeth chattering. Although the dragon was on their side, it was still a dragon. If it went berserk, it could eat a hundred or so people. Who would dare to say anything when the enemy was at the gates?
Just then, the three-headed dragon, which had seemed to be taking a nap, suddenly had two of its heads raised high, scaring everyone into scattering like birds and beasts.
Only a head, emitting a ghostly green glow, glanced up briefly before drooping down listlessly again.
The venomous dragon knew that the spouses of its two brothers had arrived.
"Ha, you two really aren't picky. A magnificent and legendary ancient dragon like me, apart from a beautiful dragon king descendant like the Obsidian Dragon, no matter how beautiful the other female dragons are, they are simply not qualified to carry my dragon eggs."
Both dragon heads turned to look at them, both revealing expressions of sympathy.
"Look, this idiot has even forgotten that we share the same body."
Inside the Tatar white tent, two legendary figures of great importance in shamanism were facing off in a tense atmosphere.
Why should I join forces with you?
Wusun Shaman frowned and said, "I have already tried it. That Fulin Khan is no ordinary person. In a clash of domains, it is difficult for one of us to gain the upper hand. We must join forces to win."
Just because you can't do it doesn't mean others can't.
"You brat, do you think that just because you inherited the sacrificial implements of the great shamans of the past, you can stand on equal footing with me? Do you really think that the four spirits of the eagle, wolf, deer, and horse are the most powerful beast spirits in the world?"
Koko chuckled and said, "That's just what I had left over and didn't want anymore. You've hoarded the little treasures left to you by your ancestors and think you're some kind of celestial wizard just because you've manipulated a little bit of fate?"
He raised his hand, and a giant dragon skull, shrouded in wisps of cold air, slowly emerged. Through its two burning, pale blue flames, Wusun seemed to see a world of ice and snow.
"This is!"
Wusun Shaman's face showed a hint of surprise: "The sea dragon you hunted when you went to the North Sea? But even if the spirit of that sea dragon could be controlled by you, it would be at most equivalent to the demonic dragon controlled by Fulin Khan."
Previously, Kokochu had used this skull, but at that time, the skull had obviously not yet been refined into a "spirit" like the Great Eagle.
"Furthermore, in yesterday's confrontation, Fulinhan seemed quite at ease. Do you know that he doesn't have any trump cards up his sleeve?"
Koko sneered, "He's not the only one hiding a trump card. You brat, do you know what was hidden in the North Sea that I went to back then?"
"A sheet of solid ice? Snow-covered ground?"
Koko chuckled and briefly drifted into his memories. Before his eyes flashed a patch of lingering, cold mist, and the shadowy figures within it, resembling the stark white bones left by a giant beast, or perhaps a colossal beast slumbering in the river of time, ready to awaken at any moment.
"If there is any place in this world that still retains the appearance of ancient times, it is that place."
"There's a saying among the Han people, 'You can't talk about ice with a summer insect.' You don't even know what I've seen, yet you dare to presume to understand me with your shallow knowledge?"
Kokochu looked at the bewildered Wusun shaman with a cold smile. Wusun was nothing but a pathetic wretch who thought he could rival him just because he had inherited the legacy of shamanism. Little did he know, Kokochu had already surpassed his predecessors and entered a completely new realm.
Wusun frowned and said, "Since you think you're so powerful, why don't you just take down that Fulin Khan? As far as I know, he has a team of not-so-weak spellcasters under his command. Once they arrive, Fulin Khan will only be more difficult to deal with!"
Koko sneered, "Are you out of your mind? To people like us, a distance of several hundred miles is nothing."
Wusun realized he had spoken foolishly in a fit of anger at Koko, and feeling somewhat embarrassed, asked, "When exactly do you plan to make your move?"
Kokochu waved his hand impatiently: "Get out of here, Wusun. Stop saying such ridiculous things and don't try to interfere with my decisions. I will take action when I want to."
Wusun, who had stormed out of the white tent, suddenly raised his head.
"Two more demonic dragons have arrived?"
"They're just two little guys, but why do I get a chill down my spine when I look at them?"