OBS Chapter 941 Rumors
Chapter 941 Rumors
Chapter 941 Rumors
Mustafa walked out of the main hall, and even as he was about to leave the palace, he couldn't help but glance back at the magnificent giant archway of the Takkisla Palace.
His nephew, who served as his swordsman, couldn't help but ask, "What are you looking at?"
“Look at this palace built by the former king of Kasru.”
"You've been watching this for half your life, aren't you tired of it?"
Mustafa came from a powerful Saracen family in Mesopotamia. The "Iqta Territory" (similar to Pronia, both are legally non-hereditary territories, but in reality not much different from feudal fiefs) he was granted, which totaled more than 100,000 hectares, equivalent to a typical European duchy.
He had served as Grand Vizier for twenty-three years, spanning two Sasanian kings, and was even more familiar with the palace than Bagram VI.
"I'm worried that I won't be able to see it again in the future."
Mustafa shook his head and sighed, "Fadler, if one day the Tatars breach Ctesiphon and repeat the tragedies of Neshapur and Rey on Ctesiphon, what would you do?"
The servant paused for a moment before saying, "You're joking."
But Mustafa's expression was anything but a joke, and the smile on the attendant's face quickly vanished: "Although the Empire has suffered a heavy blow in the Persian region, its main force is still intact and its foundation is not damaged. We will soon organize a counterattack and recover the lost territory."
Their family's main roots were in Mesopotamia, and they were the leaders of the Saracen aristocracy. In the eyes of this faction, the loss of the empire's territory in Persia was not necessarily a bad thing for them.
After all, the Persian nobles always held a superior position over the Saracen nobles, who came later, during the Sasanian dynasty, even after the Sasanian dynasty's center of power shifted westward.
"Heh, of the Empire's six major cities, Nishapur was completely destroyed, Rey was more than half destroyed, Atakba of Shiraz surrendered and handed Shiraz over to the Tatars, and now Isfahan is surrounded by the Tatars. Isn't the situation bad enough?"
Mustafa sighed softly, "Who could have imagined that the once-powerful Ayyubid dynasty would be destroyed by the Crusaders in just one year?"
"Uncle, how can Saladin, that nouveau riche, be compared to an empire?"
The attendant spoke casually, saying that compared to the Sassanid dynasty, which lasted for a thousand years, let alone the Ayyubid dynasty, which had only been established for twenty years, even the Fatimid and Umayyad dynasties, which were relatively long-lived Zoroastrian dynasties, were just upstarts.
"Throughout its long history, the Empire has faced many challenges. At its most perilous moment, it even lost Ctesiphon, but didn't the Empire still manage to pull through? So it did then, and it will do so now."
"Ha, you're right."
Mustafa seemed genuinely relieved, and his tense expression eased.
No one understood the crisis facing the Sasanian dynasty better than him; it was not only external but also internally turbulent.
Recently, a very frightening rumor has been circulating in the two major cities of Ctesiphon and Baghdad, which can be described as "twin stars".
“Bahram VI is an incompetent ruler. Since his accession, he has accomplished nothing. First, he watched as his neighboring country was swallowed up by the Franks without offering any support. Then, he was defeated and humiliated by the barbarians from the East. He is not worthy of being the King of Kings.”
"If a new monarch were appointed, all the difficulties would be resolved."
Mustafa had no idea where this ridiculous claim came from, and his several investigations yielded no results. This only made him more worried. The mastermind behind such methods was likely involved in the internal power struggle within the royal family.
The Sasanian dynasty at present cannot afford an internal strife.
What Mustafa didn't know was that the ones secretly spreading the rumors weren't Bahram's brothers or sons at all, but rather "Shadow of Darkness," a spy organization under Kurs that had grown to tens of thousands of members in the past three years.
Even those refugees who cried out about the horrors of the Tatars had a dark shadow pulling them along.
Furthermore, the shadow of darkness was subtly influencing the common people of Mesopotamia, shaping public opinion that they were happier under Frankish rule than under Zoroastrian lords.
Furthermore, Lothar never mistreated the pilgrims, and many Zoroastrian pilgrims, after returning from overseas empires, even if they dared not say it aloud, secretly longed for the peaceful and prosperous lives of the people in those overseas empires.
This led to a situation where, along the border between the two countries, heretics who could no longer bear the oppression of the local feudal lords would often seek refuge under the Frankish lords. Over three years, the total number had reached tens of thousands.
This number may not seem like much, but that's because the Zoroastrian lords in Mesopotamia also strengthened their defenses.
Now, Lothar wants to create a new public opinion that the Sassanid king is powerless to protect his people and that the only way to escape the ravages of the Tatars is to submit to him, the emperor of an overseas empire.
The seed has been planted, and although it is still very young, as long as the Sassanids suffer another major defeat, this seed will quickly grow into a towering tree.
...
A month later.
Lachba Castle.
As the most important Sassanid Persian border fortress in the Jezira region, it guarded the Euphrates River valley, which led from Syria into the Mesopotamian plain. Surrounded by desert, it was a vital transportation route, akin to a person's throat.
Although limited by the sparse grasslands and vast deserts surrounding it, the castle could not accommodate too many troops, but three thousand Undead soldiers were stationed here year-round.
In addition, the city is high and the walls are solid, with smaller forts inside larger ones. If it is attacked, as long as it holds out for a few days, reinforcements will keep coming in.
That day, the undead soldiers on the castle were squatting in the shade, chatting as usual.
As the Sasanian dynasty's "Royal Guard," the Undead were absolutely elite among elites. Although their status had been shaken in recent years due to the impact of the Ghulams, or Mamluks, they remained an elite force.
However, compared to being stationed in Baghdad and Ctesiphon, which are rich in water and fertile land, being stationed in Lahba, the first major city in the western border, is tantamount to being exiled to a remote and impoverished place.
"I heard that the Franks across the way have made some big moves recently?"
"It's Mamon, an immortal soldier, speaking mysteriously."
"Is there going to be a war? Who told you that?"
“Caravans, they have the best information.”
The captain standing to the side couldn't help but scoff, "There's this every year, the tournament convened by the Frankish king. In the eyes of the Franks, it's pretty much the same as the debate held at the Wisdom Palace in Baghdad."
Ma Meng said somewhat boredly, "So that's how it is. I thought my chance to make a name for myself was about to come."
The captain sneered: "You can only say that barbarians are barbarians. They can still enjoy this kind of meaningless boasting of their strength."
Nearby, another Undead soldier chimed in, "But they are indeed very powerful. Even a powerful monarch like Saladin was defeated by them. It is said that the Frankish king even tamed a dragon. If a real battle breaks out, our castle may not be able to hold out."
The captain did not refute this. Even though Sassanid had stationed some court mages in Lahba and equipped them with a full set of magic-resistant armor, not many of them would become so arrogant as to think they could kill a dragon.
"It's just relying on evil black magic. If it weren't for that Lothar, the Holy City would have already fallen back into the hands of the Zoroastrians."
"Where are they holding this martial arts tournament? It's not going to be Damascus again, is it?"
"It could be Aleppo, or it could be Antioch. The Franks hold a tournament every year, and the location is different each time. Every time it is held, they also recruit the elite troops of the local lords to go together. I don't know how much money it costs."
In the first year of the founding of the overseas empire, the tournament was held in Jerusalem. In the second year, it was moved to Damascus, and in the third year, it was moved to Cairo.
The captain wiped the sweat from his face and took a small sip of fermented grape juice: "When they gathered troops in Damascus the year before last, the entire empire was on high alert. I just hope they'll behave themselves this year."
Compared to the mountainous Persian region, Mesopotamia was a vast plain, home to the two largest Sasanian cities, Baghdad and Ctesiphon. The Frankish threat was considered far greater by the Sasanians than the Tatars, who had yet to unleash their power.
It was that incident that drew up most of the Sassanid military force, and Bahram also did not expect that Kuchlug, a man who seemed to have the demeanor of a great hero, would be defeated and killed so quickly, which led the Sassanids to watch the Western Liao Kingdom perish without sending troops to support it.
The seasoned veteran finally spoke up, saying, "It's best to be careful. I've heard that the Tatars in the east are very fierce, and most of Persia has already fallen. If the Franks join forces with them, things will be terrible."
As he spoke, Ma Meng suddenly rubbed his eyes: "That's strange, wasn't that the caravan that just left this morning? Why are they back?"
In the distant horizon, a large caravan of several hundred people seemed to have discovered some terrifying monster, and they were desperately spurring their mounts toward Laheba.
The captain became serious and ordered, "They're probably Bedouin bandits. For such a large caravan to be so frightened, they must be quite a force to be reckoned with. Mamun, go and inform General Ibn to have the falconers release a few hawks to scout the area. The rest of you, come with me to fetch our mounts. We need to prepare to leave the city to meet the caravan, wipe out these bandits, and keep the trade route open. That would be a great achievement for us."
Mamun received the order and quickly ran towards the inner fortress where General Ibn was located, but he wasn't particularly nervous.
Lakhba was located at the end of a major transportation route and an imperial post station. Caravans and pilgrims passed through it every day, so it was perfectly normal for them to encounter Bedouin bandits. In the eyes of the Saracens who adhered to nomadic traditions, these bandits were a group of shameful robbers.
Nomads are like leeks; no matter how much you cut them, they will still grow back from the vast desert.
The Saracen monarchs could only resort to both appeasement and deterrence.
However, when Mamun entered General Ibn's residence after reporting to him, he found the general sitting with his back to him, remaining silent the entire time.
When he went around to the other side, he saw that bright red blood was flowing from his general's neck.
An intense sense of fear gripped his throat, making it difficult for him to even breathe.
"Enemy attack."
The shout that hadn't even been uttered was swallowed back down.
A veiled girl with long, blue-gray hair gently supported his body and softly placed him on the ground. A bloodstain was slowly appearing on his neck, oozing blood.
The assassin sighed softly and muttered, "The next target is their spellcaster."