OBS Chapter 958 The Night Before the Storm
Chapter 958 The Night Before the Storm
Chapter 958 The Night Before the Storm
At dawn, the nomadic army on the grasslands rested in the open space at the end of the valley.
The steppe horses from the East had lost a lot of weight from the long march to conquer Persia, but thanks to the abundant water and grass in the valley, they quickly regained their spirits in just a few days.
Although the steppe horses of the Tatars are short and lack explosive power over short distances, and appear far less robust than Arabian horses or horse breeds from the Transoxiana region, they are as hardworking and enduring as the Tatar cavalrymen on their backs.
Whether it's a rugged mountain road, a winding river valley, or a wet swamp, they can traverse it as if it were flat ground.
The number of Tatar troops increased after dozens of battles, large and small. When Jochi gathered troops in Hamadan and summoned back the thousand households who had been burning, killing, and looting in various places, the number had not decreased but increased, nearly doubling since the start of the western expedition.
Originally, when the Tatars conquered the Western Liao Dynasty, their military strength was less than 50,000, of which 30,000 were elite troops from the Tatar homeland, and the remaining 10,000 were conscripts sent by affiliated tribes.
But after the Tatars annexed the Western Liao and Khwarazmian empires, this number skyrocketed to 80,000.
After the Tatars conquered Persia, this number had reached nearly 100,000.
Half of these conscripts from conquered tribes, cities, and villages could be considered elite troops.
They had been incorporated into the Tatar army system for some time, their military structure had been changed, and they had received rigorous training, making them completely different from the lower-ranking cannon fodder in terms of combat effectiveness.
Ivan the commander, who had finally returned to the army from Jerusalem, immediately went to see his superior, Subutai, the vanguard officer of the western expeditionary force.
Ivan actually had a very good impression of his Tatar superior. He was strict in disciplining his troops, fair and generous, brave and wise. In Ivan's opinion, there was no better general in the world.
Although Ivan's troops were auxiliary troops, they still held some prestige within the Tatar army. He himself was appointed as a chiliarch and concurrently served as the hereditary Darughachi of a region. Although his subordinates were subject to the control of Tatar military supervisors, his treatment was quite good compared to others.
These were all achieved by the Ivan tribe during their first westward expedition, when they fought against Kuchlug on foot.
Furthermore, Ivan's forces participating in this western expedition were all elite troops he had personally selected from his tribes and trained in the style of the Mamluks. They were fully armored and could definitely be considered an elite force among the conscripted troops.
The Tatars adhered to a very simple set of values: respecting the strong and despising the weak.
Ivan has the ability, so he deserves to be respected.
"General, we have already made an alliance with the Frankish emperor, with the Zagros Mountains as the boundary. Why should we continue our advance?"
"This is Jochi Nagao's order."
Subutai did not actually want to continue advancing into Mesopotamia. Even though the Tatars possessed siege technology far superior to that of ordinary nomadic tribes, the damage from attacking these cities was still severe, not to mention that they would be facing a formidable enemy like the Franks next.
Subutai was not afraid of powerful enemies, but he clearly hoped to gain the greatest benefit at the lowest cost.
If they advance from the northwest to conquer those steppe tribes, they will suffer fewer losses and it will be easier to integrate them into the Tatar military system, thereby increasing their own strength.
Ivan frowned and said, "But this is not the Khan's order. The Fulin people are not easy to deal with; their emperor has never been defeated since he rose to fame."
The Tatars referred to all Western Christians as the Fulin.
They were not completely ignorant of Christianity; on the contrary, Yesugei, one of the four principal wives of their Great Khan, was a Nestorian Christian, and many members of the Kereit tribe from which he came also practiced Nestorianism.
However, most people on the grasslands who practice religion are pragmatic. They don't shout slogans like "fighting for God." Whether they are Zoroastrians, Buddhists, Christians, or Tatars, their sabers are always treated equally.
Subutai's expression clearly showed displeasure: "Jochi Nayan is the commander of the Western Expeditionary Army. Commander Ivan, I know you have been defeated by the Franks many times, and were even forced to flee thousands of miles away, but you can always win back what you lost. Why are you so scared?"
Ivan said with a bitter expression, "It is precisely because I have lost to him that I know how terrifying he truly is. When he first arrived in Gudes, he had neither a distinguished background nor soldiers loyal to him, yet in just one year he rose to become king, repeatedly defeating the surrounding Zoroastrian princes. Even Saladin was defeated by him many times, and he made a great name for himself in the Christian world. Moreover, after all these years of development, the Southern Kingdom of Fulin is no longer what it used to be."
Subutai pondered for a moment: "Tell me, what kind of person is that Frankish emperor?"
Subutai was very curious about what kind of person could create such an empire from scratch in such a short time.
Even the Great Khan inherited the legacy of his predecessor, Yesugei, and the followers of the Qiyan tribe, and only unified the steppe at the age of forty-four. Could a mere youth possibly be more capable than the Great Khan?
"No, I suspect he's not even human."
Ivan answered without hesitation.
He had already thought about this question many times on his way back.
"He can ride dragons, make a magnificent castle rise from the ground overnight, and plant sacred oak trees that turn deserts into oases. He's not even human. We have no chance of winning against an enemy like that!"
“Our shamans can summon storms, and our monks can unleash thunder. He has the protection of Christ, and we have the protection of Eternal Heaven.”
Subutai was silent for a moment, then chuckled, "It's just magic, everyone has it. Ivan, we will win. This time, I will wash away your shame and shatter the nightmare in your heart."
Looking at Subutai's confident eyes, Ivan could only sigh and say, "I hope so."
After the Baghdad people submitted to the Crusaders, Ctesiphon followed.
After a long delay, the main force of the Crusaders finally arrived at Ctesiphon.
A dense, dark array of Crusader phalanxes stood in formation, ready to fight, in Ctesiphon.
According to the messengers sent by Bahram in advance, they would surrender the city walls when the first rays of sunlight shone on the walls at dawn.
If we divide the world, excluding the distant Celestial Empire, into East and West, then the brilliance of civilization in the East is hidden within this great city that rivals Constantinople.
If Ctesiphon and Baghdad are considered as a whole, it is even more powerful than Constantinople.
The sun is coming out.
The city gates burst open with a roar.
Mustafa walked out of the city gate and knelt before Lothar's mount.
"Your Majesty, Ctesiphon has submitted to you from this day forward. There are now ten thousand Undead soldiers in the city, who will fight under your banner from now on."
Even if most of the 10,000 Undead were reserve troops added later, they were still a formidable cavalry force. The Sassanids were renowned for their heavy cavalry, and the Undead were among the best of them.
Lothar frowned. The ten thousand undead represented the backbone of the Sassanid dynasty and were the representatives of the noble class. To make good use of them, the interests of most of the original Sassanid noble class had to be guaranteed.
"You're Mustafa?"
"That is I, your humble servant."
Mustafa looked very respectful.
"Why doesn't Bahram come out to see me in person?"
Mustafa said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the former Sassanid king is waiting for you in the palace."
He glanced up at Losa without making a sound, and whispered quickly, "Bahram may not have given up yet. You can summon him out of the city to meet you. If he refuses, then he has ulterior motives."
Lothar nodded slightly.
Because he had no children, the survival of his overseas empire depended entirely on him. Many hidden enemies hoped to assassinate him and cause his empire to fall apart, but unfortunately, no one ever succeeded.
"It's a pity, I originally intended to give him a dignified ending."
Mustafa said softly, "The fool is ignorant of fate. His Majesty wanted to give him some dignity, but he refused. Whatever his fate may be, it is his own fault and he has no one else to blame."
"You betrayed him so readily, aren't you afraid I won't dare to use you?"
Mustafa gave a wry smile: "My good-for-nothing son is quite right. Fence-sitters who jump from one side to the other are the most detestable. Now that I've decided to join your ranks, I naturally won't hold back anything. Besides, with your magnanimity, who wouldn't you dare to use?"