I was the Queen of Persia

Page 45

"Indeed, that's the news we just received. The Seljuks intend to take advantage of the recent passing of their late ruler to carry out large-scale plunder," the official replied.

Where were they first?

"According to the scouts' reconnaissance, they are currently in Samjan in the Bukhara Oasis."

As Shahzani listened to the report, her mind raced, and she considered countermeasures.

The Seljuks, compared to other Oghuz-Turan tribes, were more Persianized and Islamized, and in the past often served as mercenary troops on the frontier for the Samanid court.

After the death of their leader Seljuk, the various Seljuk tribes, led by their respective Yabghu, Tegin, and Inal, established their own independent groups. Some of their people migrated to the Nisa Oasis in Khorasan, some went as far as the shores of the Caspian Sea, and some remained in the Nuratau region of Transoxiana.

This wave of attackers is clearly from the Seljuk people of the Nura-Tau region. When Montahir was alive, they were his subjects and mercenaries, but now that Montahir has fallen, their nomadic genes and their tendency to plunder have once again stirred.

"Hmph, for a tribe whose nature is so hard to change, we should periodically use force to deter and punish them," Shahzani sneered inwardly.

She turned and surveyed the assembled officials, declaring sternly, "Immediately assemble the army and quell the rebellion!"

Although the Turkic peoples and Persians have a close relationship and have always maintained exchanges, they cannot be indulged. When friction and conflict arise, they must be disciplined.

The troops stationed in the Bukhara region were quickly assembled and mobilized.

The Shaher Guard, at the height of their power, was also mobilized, serving as the main force in the campaign.

Shahzani wanted to take this opportunity to test the strength of the troops she was focusing on, to see what level their combat capabilities had reached, and what areas there was room for improvement.

The envoys from various countries who had gathered in Bukhara also became interested, as they wanted to witness firsthand the combat capabilities of Moshahzani's army.

The messengers of Ghazni and Baikal even inquired with "concern" whether they needed help.

Shahzani, of course, politely declined their "kind offer."

Firstly, the enemy's small force was of no use whatsoever; secondly, she would feel guilty if an envoy died on her land.

Soon, under the efficient mobilization system of the newly established Samanid dynasty, the troops in the Bukhara region were assembled and then marched toward Samjan, where the Seljuk troops were gathering.

Chapter 99 Seljuk Submission

Shahzani's army was fully prepared, with the 2000-strong Shahri Guard, armed with armor, serving as the most important striking force. The troops quickly advanced to Samjan.

The Seljuks, who were resting and regrouping, had no idea that Shahzani's march would be so fast. By the time their scouts spotted the unusual movement, Shahzani was already very close.

In this critical situation, the Seljuk leaders hurriedly rallied their troops, abandoned the looted supplies, and fled in haste.

Run? No way.

"Shahizani, take 10 companies of female guards and pursue the fleeing Seljuks. Make sure to capture the culprit alive," Shahzani commanded sternly, gazing at the dust rising on the horizon.

"Understood." Sahinien saluted and quickly led her troops in pursuit.

Watching the departing cavalry, Shahzani opened the options in the [Persian King's Chronicle System] and checked the preparation skills.

【Swift Charge: Applied to one of the cavalry units, increasing its mobility by 30% for the entire battle】.

In previous large-scale battles, since victory was assured, the system's buffs were not used. After all, there's no need to add unnecessary assistance from the system if you can solve a problem entirely on your own.

But today's battle is somewhat special in nature.

The battle was a nomadic raid, and the Seljuks, their opponents, were fierce, highly mobile, and had historically established a vast empire, so they should not be underestimated.

In the Battle of Dandankan, which laid the foundation for the Seljuk Empire, the Seljuks relied on their superior mobility through long-distance raids to wear down the pursuing Ghaznavid army, ultimately achieving a great victory.

Out of caution, she decided to buff her heavy cavalry to ensure they had mobility comparable to the Seljuks.

At the same time, she deployed troops separately, one to appease the villagers along the way, and the other to head straight for the main pastureland of the Seljuks in the river—Nuratau and the Nur River Gorge.

……

The Seljuks were indeed skilled horsemen; led by their chief, they swiftly traversed the oasis plains of the Transoxiana region, doing everything in their power to shake off their pursuers.

But this time they miscalculated.

With their superb horsemanship and the mobility boost granted by the system, the Shaher Women's Guard kept a close pursuit of the fleeing nomadic warriors. Even with their armored riders and horses, they did not slow down.

Unlike the settled, civilized troops encountered in the past.

"Chief, the pursuers behind us are very strong, we can't shake them off!"

A Seljuk rider who was scouting at the rear galloped up to the leader Arslan Yakhhu's horse and reported this unbelievable fact to him.

"God above, how is this possible!"

Arslan Yaghu glanced back and saw the crimson-armored Shaher Guard relentlessly pursuing them through the billowing dust, showing no signs of fatigue. He was secretly astonished.

If this trend continues, his followers will eventually be overtaken.

"My lords, we intended to take advantage of Montahir's recent death and the instability of the Bukhara court to raid the south, but we have encountered a troublesome pursuer. What do you think we should do?"

Arslan Yaghu tightened his grip on the reins and spoke to the several leaders flanking him.

The leaders, both big and small, also looked troubled.

After a brief discussion, they finally decided to stop the retreat and return to fight.

After all, they had more than 7000 strong and fierce riders, while the enemy only had 1000. If they really fought, they might be able to turn the tide.

At this point, the two sides were less than a hundred paces apart.

Arslan Yaghu immediately decided: to turn against his own side!

The swift riders relayed messages between the various tribes, and the cavalry of each tribe quickly converged on the Angbashi (Turkic for ten-household chief), Yuzbashi (hundred-household chief), and Mingbashi (thousand-household chief), while the Beg and his companions assembled into squads.

rear.

Sahimian, leading the Shaher Women's Guard, was in hot pursuit. Through the swirling dust and sand, she could vaguely tell that they were getting closer.

But suddenly, she noticed that the Seljuk group ahead was rapidly closing in, then splitting into two columns, left and right, and heading in different directions.

"Alert! Defend!" Sensing something amiss, she immediately shouted to the soldiers.

As expected, a volley of arrows came in an instant, but fortunately the female guards raised their round shields in time, and because they were equipped with fine heavy armor and their warhorses were also protected by armor, there were no major casualties.

Only a handful of female soldiers were slightly injured when arrows pierced the relatively weak points of their armor, but these minor injuries did not affect their combat effectiveness.

"Fight back!" Before the Seljuks could launch a second volley of arrows, Sahini gave the order immediately.

Long-term rigorous training has created deep muscle memory, allowing the Shahr women's guards to quickly switch to long-range weapons and then fire back at the two Seljuk squads.

That's just a few seconds.

The crisp sound of bowstrings pierced the sky, and a rain of arrows, like locusts, swept through the swirling sand and rained down on the two groups of Seljuks.

At that moment, the Seljuks were still drawing arrows from their quivers when they were caught off guard by the counterattack. They were all struck by arrows, screamed, and fell off their horses, causing their formation to fall into chaos.

Seeing that she had the upper hand, Sahinnian ordered her men to switch to melee weapons and then launched a charge.

The Sakhr women's guards charged forward, piercing the enemy lines like steel wedges, completely dividing the Seljuk formation. They then changed direction and made a flanking maneuver, leaving the Seljuk units vulnerable to attacks from both sides.

This series of troop deployments was completed in the blink of an eye, leaving the Seljuk leaders on the other side dazzled and dumbfounded.

Under overwhelming force, Arslan Yaghu, Timur Beg, Michael Tegin, and dozens of other Seljuk leaders lost the courage to continue resisting, laid down their weapons, and knelt in surrender.

Sahini ordered them to be bound and taken to Shahzani.

……

The Nura Tau grassland is lush and green, with rivers flowing from the surrounding mountains. As far as the eye can see, there are Seljuk-Turkmen yurts and herds of cattle and sheep.

The Samanid army's scarlet battle flags have already been planted in various nomadic camps.

Indeed, Shahzani had already occupied this "Seljuk stronghold," and the victorious Shahiniyan brought up the captured Seljuk leaders.

"We, foolish and reckless sinners, pay homage to the Most High Shah! May Allah bless you with military prowess and abundant wealth!"

Upon seeing Shahzani, the Seljuk leaders immediately knelt down and kissed the ground, begging for forgiveness.

"Seljuks, the former emperors of the Samanid dynasty (may they rest in peace!) welcomed you and allowed you to graze your livestock on the river, yet you wantonly plunder the oasis villages and towns along the river. What crime should you be charged with?"

Shahzani gave them a sharp look and coldly retorted.

No one dared to utter a sound. The female general's powerful aura fiercely suppressed them, making them tremble like leaves.

"What? You dare to do it, but you don't dare to admit your guilt?" Shahzani glanced at them and snorted coldly.

But within that cold snort lay an even stronger sense of oppression.

“Praise be to Your Majesty! We were so ignorant and foolish as to dare to plunder the wealthy villages and towns under Your Majesty’s rule. It is a grave crime! We will accept whatever punishment you deem fit.”

Several leaders crawled over on their knees, prostrated themselves at Shahzani's feet, and desperately kissed the tips of her boots.

"It's good that you have the self-awareness," Shahzani sneered.

Then she ordered Nassak to drag them out and whip them severely.

But she also knew that for nomadic tribes, punishment could only have a short-term effect of authoritarian suppression, but it could not maintain loyalty for long, and it was only a temporary solution.

The key issue is how to completely resolve the potential threats posed by these nomadic tribes.

The interactions and conflicts between settled civilizations and nomadic groups have been a recurring theme in the history of Central Asia and the Middle East, and she spent a long time afterward pondering solutions.

“The best way, of course, is to change their mode of production, to get them to switch from nomadic pastoralism to settled agriculture, or at the very least, to permanent animal husbandry,” Shahzani thought.

Chapter 100 Appointment of Grand Vazil

In mid-September of 1001 AD, the Seljuk tribe was settled, and Shahzani returned to Bukhara.

Back at the Bukhara Palace, he had to process documents submitted by Diwan and officials at all levels every day. The regime was newly established, and the system was not yet fully in place, so he had to handle many matters personally, which put him under considerable pressure.

“Milab, the head of the Shahrud Reservoir, reported that the reservoir and irrigation wells had not been repaired for many years and were in urgent need of maintenance funds.”

"The Keshi County reported that when the Karakhanid army invaded, the people in the county's jurisdiction were quickly abducted. Now these abducted people have returned to their original places of residence, but their land has changed hands due to abandonment. Therefore, a batch of compensation funds is urgently needed to settle these people."

"The Zhalman irrigation project has been stalled for three years due to war and turmoil. Should it be continued? Please give your instructions."

……

Shahzani reviewed the various memorials, made his comments, and then handed them over to the relevant officials and agencies for processing.

In accordance with the centralized system of the Samanid dynasty, the Grand Vazil and the Diwan institutions played a pivotal role in the handling of state affairs.

However, the central government's institutions were not very mature at this time, mainly due to a lack of capable officials.

In the later period of the early Samanid dynasty, the government was corrupt and the Turkic Ghulam warlords interfered in politics; after the restoration of the state, the group led by Arslan Yaru was busy seizing power, which led to the stagnation of organizational structure.

Currently, the central Diwan organization is still in a "semi-finished" state, with only a few veteran Saman officials, such as Parviz, having governance experience.

Of course, Shahzani has already found a solution to the above problems.

Her army included the capable administrator Farzana and many talented civil servants. Transferring these people to the central government and incorporating them into the Divan organization would obviously improve administrative capacity.

So after suppressing the rebellion of Arslan Yaru and seizing power, she wrote a letter to Tashkent, transferring Farzana and her civil service staff to Bukhara.

After several hours of hard work, Shahzani finished processing the government documents submitted by various departments. She had a more complete understanding of the state of the Samanid dynasty and then planned to continue to improve its development.

First, the irrigation projects in each province and prefecture must be maintained. The irrigation system was the lifeline of the Persian civilization, supplying products and materials and supporting this vast empire.

When talking about agriculture, one cannot help but mention the calendar.

The Persians have traditionally used a relatively accurate solar calendar to guide agricultural production and fiscal revenue. Although since the Islamic era, the Persians have generally used both the solar and hijra calendars, they have preferred the Persian solar calendar in administration and practice.

The reason is simple: in the eyes of many Persians, the Hijra calendar is far too inaccurate. Apart from being somewhat useful for religious activities, it cannot distinguish agricultural seasons and is inconvenient for production and business, making it a useless tool.

As a result, many Abbasid Caliphs declared that they would use the Persian solar calendar.

During the reigns of the Samanid dynasties and other Persian dynasties, the traditional Persian calendar was further promoted. Due to historical reasons, the Persian calendar at this time often used 622 AD, the year of Muhammad's migration, or 632 AD, the year of Yazdegerd's accession to the throne, as the first year of the era. It had 365 days in a year and a relatively rudimentary concept of leap years, etc.

However, this has led to a number of bugs.

Take the Yazdeged Commemoration as an example. This Sasanian monarch ascended the throne on June 16, 632 AD, but the Persian New Year's Day is March 21, the spring equinox, which leads to contradictions between different calendar versions.

Therefore, Shahzani decided to further refine the Persian calendar to ensure better management of agriculture, taxation, and other tasks. Fortunately, she had already assembled astronomers like Biruni under her command, making it entirely possible to achieve this goal.

"Shah, Governor Farzana and her entourage have arrived near Bukhara," a courtier reported.

"Oh? That's fast. Go and make preparations quickly; I want to personally go out of the city to greet you." Shahzani raised her head and put down the paper and pen in her hand.

Outside Bukhara, people and horses stood in neat rows, with flags fluttering in the wind.

"By Allah Huda, the most supreme God, Farzana, a courtier of Saman, pays homage to the Shah."

Farzana clearly already knew about Shahzani's rise to power, and before her, she respectfully performed the etiquette of a subject meeting a monarch.

"Please rise quickly." Shahzani dismounted himself and helped her up. "Our hero has returned, haha, let's go back to the palace and tell her what we've seen."

Farzana had assumed that Shahzani's personality would change drastically after becoming monarch, so she was somewhat cautious in her etiquette. However, in reality, her worries were unnecessary; Shahzani had not forgotten their sworn brotherhood.