OBS Chapter 953 The Emperor Meets the Emperor
Chapter 953 The Emperor Meets the Emperor
Chapter 953 The Emperor Meets the Emperor
Taixi Feng.
Bahram paced back and forth in his bedchamber, barefoot and somewhat agitated.
A Sogdian eunuch walked in from outside the palace gate with his head down.
Hearing his footsteps, Bahram turned sharply and glared at him:
"How is the fighting at the front? Have any reports come back? Why haven't we heard anything since we started fighting the enemy?"
Bahram didn't simply hand over his army to Ali and then abandon it.
Mazdak, Gilani, and the leader of the Undead Army all possessed Noble Phantasms that could directly contact the court, but the messages transmitted back from these Noble Phantasms all stopped just before their impending confrontation with the Franks.
"We haven't received any news yet."
The eunuch forced a fawning smile: "The war is intense, so it's normal that he has no time to send messages. Perhaps General Ali has already defeated the enemy and is busy collecting spoils of war. As you know, Frankish armor and weapons are treasures in Baghdad and Ctesiphon that are comparable to the silk of the Eastern dynasties."
The Sogdian eunuch's words eased Bahram's mood slightly. He complained, "No matter what, they should have sent a message back first. Otherwise, I'm always worried that what comes back will be bad news."
“Your Majesty, Ariataberg comes from a family of famous generals. He personally led an army of nearly 70,000 to crush the enemy. Moreover, he has the assistance of two masters, Gilani and Mazdak. In my opinion, you don’t need to worry so much.”
The eunuchs didn't quite understand Bahram's recent worries. In their eyes, defeating the Frankish vanguard was a natural outcome; the real challenge lay in dealing with the main Frankish force and the Tatars.
"I certainly don't think Ali would lose to a mere vanguard force of a few thousand Franks."
Bahram rubbed his temples: "I'm just worried that Ali will lose too many troops, which will leave him unable to cope when he clashes with the main forces of the Franks and Tatars later on."
"His Majesty!"
Hurried footsteps came from outside the door.
"The message has been relayed back?"
Bahram instinctively stood up and asked.
"Not yet, Your Majesty."
The eunuch who brought the news looked terrified and lowered his head, saying, "But, someone has already returned?"
"Someone's back? There's a war going on, how could anyone be coming back?"
Bahram's expression changed, and a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.
If it's just to deliver a message, a simple communication spell would suffice; why would it be necessary to send someone back specifically?
"It's Mr. Tansal, he's a student of Master Mazdak."
"Hurry up and bring him up."
As soon as Tansar entered and saw the tear stains on the other man's face, Bahram's heart sank: "Tell me quickly, what happened? Why did Master Mazdak send you back? How is the war going?"
"Your Majesty, Master Gilani has perished. My teacher sacrificed his life to fight against the Frankish dragon—sob sob, I wanted to die with my teacher, but he forcibly sent me back."
His voice, trembling with sobs, struck Bahram as if he had been struck in the chest with a heavy hammer. He staggered and fell back into his seat, unable to breathe for a long time.
The eunuch beside him hurriedly tried to soothe his back and calm him down, but he pushed him away.
"roll!"
His eyes were red-rimmed as he stared intently at Tansar and said, "Tell me, did we win or lose?"
Tansar was so frightened by Bahram's rage that he stopped crying. He stammered, "We may not necessarily lose. Our teacher's final move can transform into the most powerful dragon in the world. Even if the Frankish three-headed dragon came out, it might not be a match for our teacher."
"However, even if we win, it will be a Pyrrhic victory. So my teacher asked me to tell you that Grand Vizier's suggestion is the only way for the Empire to survive right now, and I hope you will not hesitate any longer."
Tansal spoke more and more fluently, as if he were truly repeating his teacher's words in their entirety.
His words seemed to drain all of Bahram's strength. He slumped onto his throne and waved his hand weakly, saying, "I understand. You may leave now."
"Send word to Mustafa to come to me immediately!"
Tansar was dragged away by the eunuchs, somewhat bewildered.
Bahram stared at the empty hall and fell into a long silence.
The eunuchs beside him could clearly sense the murderous rage emanating from their master, and they cowered silently, not daring to make a sound.
Inside the main hall, only Bahram's heavy, bellows-like breathing could be heard.
"Step back! Everyone step back!"
He said almost through gritted teeth.
Bahram was not a fool. He knew that as a monarch, every time he acted hysterically in front of his subordinates, he was only demonstrating his incompetence, but such an outcome was absolutely unacceptable to him.
Defeat, or a Pyrrhic victory?
What a joke!
I entrusted you with the last mobile force of the entire empire, and this is the reply you give me?
"I must have been blinded by the fat of a short-nosed elephant to believe the boastful words of an incompetent, stupid, hellish wretch like you!"
He was barefoot, kicking the carpet until it crumpled into a ball, slamming expensive porcelain pieces to the ground, and hacking at the exquisite murals with his sword as if they depicted Ariadne Berg's hideous face.
He cursed Ali with the most vicious language, venting his emotions.
But in the end, all the anger turned into a mournful cry: "Ali, give me back my Legion!"
"Give me back my legion, you beast!"
"Your Majesty, anger is harmful to your health."
A slightly mocking voice appeared in Bahram's ear. He turned around abruptly, his eyes practically overflowing with murderous intent: "You bastards, didn't I tell you all to get out of here!"
The newcomer was a nobleman dressed in a magnificent purple robe. He wore an extremely extravagant crown adorned with eight lily branches and jewels, and his appearance was so handsome that he seemed otherworldly—Bahram was quite certain that he had never seen him before.
Such an outstanding young man would never be forgotten by anyone who had ever met him.
"Stranger, who are you?"
He gripped his sword tightly, and the anger on his face seemed to be doused with ice water, quickly subsiding back into his chest.
Whoever it is, someone who can appear here so quietly is definitely not a good person.
The young man smiled and gave a gesture of respect with his hand on his chest: "Your Majesty Bahram, it is an honor to meet you. Although this is our first meeting, we have long been acquainted in spirit and can hardly be considered strangers."
"Who are you anyway?"
Bahram regretted dismissing all the eunuchs, but he couldn't figure out how they had gotten into the inner court.
The palace of Ctesiphon is equipped with a sensing array, and there are spellcasters on duty every day. It is impossible for outsiders to sneak in silently. As for ordinary people—how could ordinary people escape the eyes of the spellcasters on duty?
Right now, he only hopes that the spellcaster on duty will realize something is wrong as soon as possible and send someone to protect him.
He tried to put on a gentle tone: "What exactly is your purpose in coming here? As long as it's not excessive, I can satisfy you."
"If you are waiting for the spellcaster appointed by the royal family to arrive, I'm afraid you will be disappointed. I know you won't believe me if I say this, but that's alright. We have plenty of time and can talk slowly."
The man waved his hand, and a semi-transparent light screen formed in the hall, reflecting a ravaged battlefield.
Groups of Sassanid prisoners, disarmed, squatted on the ground, silently awaiting their final trial.
Blood stained the entire battlefield, and the corpses of Sassanid soldiers were everywhere.
The demonic elephants piled up into small mountains, and the earth looked as if it had been ravaged by a meteor shower, with mottled scars everywhere.
A massive, decapitated dragon lay in a crater, while the Frankish people, who looked like ants in comparison, were cutting up its remains. Its head would be displayed as a trophy in Lothar's palace in Damascus.
Bahram gritted his teeth, forcing himself to remain calm, and said, "Why are you showing me these? Do you think I'd believe your sorcery?"
The man smiled and said, "The news of your crushing defeat at the front will come back soon, and then you'll know whether it's true or not."
"Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself."
At this moment, the man seemed to remember something, and slapped his forehead, saying, "My name is Lothar, Lothar of the Habsburg family."
Bahram's pupils contracted: "Bartholomew of the Franks? How dare you appear before me!"
Lothar said with a smile, "I told you, no one would know I was here, so there's nothing to worry about."
The Sassanid palace was heavily guarded, and even an assassin of Cherinina's caliber would find it difficult to sneak in unnoticed at this critical juncture when "Bahram was more concerned about his own safety than ever before."
The reason he was able to travel thousands of miles from Hades to here in the blink of an eye is because a member of the Shadow of Darkness infiltrated the palace and endured humiliation to become a eunuch.
Lothar's Echoes can be heard not only through the arrival of attendants, but also through the transformation into a soldier.
Therefore, what appears here is merely a projection of him, so there is nothing to worry about.
Bahram, naturally, wouldn't be convinced by a few words and continued to stall for time: "So, Your Majesty Lothar, what is the purpose of your unsolicited visit? I imagine it's not as simple as assassinating the king, is it?"
"Of course not. Forgive my bluntness, but taking your head is not a difficult task for me. For one thing, your annual tours of Ctesiphon, Baghdad and Isfahan are excellent opportunities."
Lothar shook his head and laughed, "Your Majesty Bahram, you have already lost. I think it's much better for you to end things in a relatively dignified way than to slink away to Azharbaijan and wait for me to ride my dragon and wipe you out."
“You are different from Mustafa; he had no way out, but you are not without options.”
Bahram said in a muffled voice, "I need time to think about it."
Lothar casually sat on Bahram's throne and gestured with his hand: "Please feel free to consider it. My soldiers are cleaning up the battlefield; such a small matter does not require my personal attention. I have plenty of time."
The hall was silent. Sweat beaded on Bahram's brow. He didn't want Lothar's so-called "dignified ending." He only hoped that his spellcasters would arrive immediately and capture the culprit on the spot.
Time passed minute by minute.
Bahram felt as if he were sitting in front of a tiger that was satiated and languid, and no one knew when the tiger would tear off its disguise and devour him.
"Look, it's been a long time. Where is the rescue you've been waiting for?"
Lothar sighed and rose from his throne: "You are always so persistent, so persistent—Mustafa advised you to go into exile, but you felt you wouldn't give up until you fought back. Now that you've lost, I've come to persuade you to surrender in person, but you still won't give up."
“If I wanted to, I could raze this palace to the ground in a minute. But I don’t want to do that. I only hope to take over the two beautiful cities of Baghdad and Ctesiphon as soon as possible and in the most peaceful way, rather than like the Tatars, who destroyed and suppressed all the disobedient.”
Lothar emphasized, “You’ve probably already experienced firsthand how cruel and tyrannical the Tatars are. I’m here to keep these demons out of Mesopotamia. I’m attacking you now only because you’re in my way. From beginning to end, I’ve never considered you my enemy.”
"You are far inferior to Saladin."
Bahram was enraged by this blatant humiliation, his eyes blazing with fury: "I am the supreme ruler of Zoroastrianism, the protector of all Zoroastrians. What right does Saladin have to compare himself to me? And what right do you have to look down on me?"
Lothar sat back down, looking dejected, and said, "It took me almost a year to destroy Saladin; but to destroy you, it was only a matter of a single hand."
Seeing Bahram speechless, Lothar chuckled. At least this guy wasn't so outrageous as to argue that the enemy had an extra Tatar.
"Think it over carefully, Your Majesty Bahram. Should you surrender the city to me, or take Mustafa's advice and flee to Azharbaijan with the property that rightfully belongs to me?"
"Are you threatening me?"
Bahram's eyes were red-rimmed as he gritted his teeth and said.
"It's not a threat, Your Majesty Bahram. We are enemies, and enemies should strike each other by any means necessary, shouldn't they? If you choose Mustafa's suggestion, it means you have rejected my goodwill, and I have always only dealt with those who reject my goodwill with destruction."
The rich emotions on Lothar's face gradually faded, replaced by the indifference that was inherent to this energy being.
He patted the other person on the shoulder, and then, in an instant, he transformed into countless streaks of light and vanished without a trace.
Bahram stared blankly at everything. If it weren't for the footprints still visible on the carpet and the vivid sensation on his shoulder, he would have thought it was all an illusion.
"He looks down on me."
"So he didn't kill me."
For a moment, he felt both relieved and saddened.
Outside the hall, a eunuch cautiously inquired, "Your Majesty, the Grand Vizier is already waiting outside. Would you like to receive him in the side hall?"
Bahram's voice was strange. He asked, "Didn't you hear any unusual sounds coming from inside the temple just now?"
The eunuch quickly declared, "No, I guarantee that not a single person would dare to eavesdrop!"
"Ah."
Bahram suddenly laughed, a laugh so ironic that tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.
"There's no need to move to the side hall. I'll receive Mustafa right here."