I was the Queen of Persia

Page 95

Having witnessed the well-organized postal system, the Song Dynasty envoy remarked that the postal road system here was in no way inferior to that of the Central Plains of China. This somewhat challenged his original sense of absolute superiority as the "Celestial Empire."

There are many other matters that go beyond the conventional wisdom of people in the Song Dynasty.

For example, in Jahanshahr, Song Dynasty envoys even saw a community inhabited by Chinese people called "Qinjir". "Qin" is the Persian name for China, while "gir" means "to control or bind". Together, it can be translated as a place inhabited by Chinese people.

Although Qinjier was not large, and was estimated to be inhabited by only a few hundred Chinese, it had all the necessary houses, workshops, markets, and guilds. It also had private schools, ancestral halls, and other places common in the Central Plains. A Song Dynasty envoy even saw a Guandi Temple there.

Persian Muslims adhere to Islam, but the Chinese in the Qinjier community are allowed to retain Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist thought, and are autonomous in their religious affairs, free from interference by external Islamic clergy groups.

This involves Shahzani's policy of religious tolerance:

While ensuring the dominant position of the Khorami sect of Persianized Islam, other religious sects enjoy religious freedom. Minorities of Islam, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Judaism can elect representatives to assist in the management of social affairs.

Zoroastrian communities also exist in various Iranian cities, with the largest Zoroastrian community being in Jahanshahr. This community contains a Zoroastrian shrine dedicated to the sacred fire, which is guarded day and night by Mubeid and his followers. The leader of the Imperial Zoroastrian Church is none other than Mubeid Qawad Golshasp—the Zoroastrian leader whom Shahzani had met and taken in.

Christian communities also exist, primarily inhabited by Armenian Christians and remnants of the Nestorian Church in the Transoxiana-Khorasan region. Many diplomats from Christian countries served in these communities, praying and worshipping in their churches.

Even the Manichaeans, who had suffered persecution since the Sassanid era, received leniency from Shahzani. Manichaean ritual sites were also scattered throughout the empire, though on a small scale due to the decline of Manichaeism in Iran.

After all, as two great civilizations with profound knowledge and strong historical continuity, Iran and China have each developed a set of organizational and operational methods suitable for their own national civilization through long-term exchanges, and each has its own merits.

We've traveled this route along the bustling trade routes frequented by merchants and pilgrims.

On March 15, 1006 AD, at the end of the month of Isvand in the Persian calendar 374, the foreign delegation returned to Jahanshahr.

At this time, with less than a week left until the Nowruz New Year, envoys from various countries returned to their respective inns to rest well in preparation for being inspected by the Queen on Nowruz Day.

……

March 21, 1006 AD, the new year of the Persian calendar 375.

Jahanshahr had been meticulously decorated, with rows of Saman banners fluttering in the wind, turning the city into a sea of ​​red. Iranians dressed in their finest attire to celebrate the New Year, and the entire city was enveloped in a festive atmosphere.

A grand military parade was held at the World View Square in the capital city.

Surrounded by civil and military officials, Shahzani took his seat on the presidential throne atop the colonnade. Samanian generals and officials also took their seats according to their ranks and positions. The foreign delegation was also seated on a high platform with a panoramic view.

The military parade officially began with the resounding command from the military ceremonial officer.

First to appear was the Basij militia of the General Mobilization Army.

The militiamen, dressed in uniform Persian traditional clothing, with their commanders wearing chainmail vests over them, and both men and women wearing headscarves and felt hats, carrying simple weapons such as spears and leather shields, marched forward in neat formations.

These soldiers constituted the largest force in the Saman army, undertaking fundamental military and production tasks such as farming, transporting supplies, constructing facilities, digging trenches, rescuing the wounded, guarding prisoners of war, and maintaining order.

At the same time, they also undertake disaster relief tasks. If an earthquake, sandstorm, mudslide or other disaster occurs in a certain area, the local Bassky militia will always be organized at the first time and enter the disaster area to help the victims.

Many foreign diplomats noticed that the male Basij militiamen wore simple galoshes, while the female Basij militiamen were barefoot. Puzzled, the diplomats asked the Saman officials beside them and learned the answer.

Originally, peasant women in the Samanid Empire of Iran were generally accustomed to going barefoot because they needed to be barefoot to operate the looms for their daily weaving and spinning work. On the other hand, women in the cities, such as female officials, worked indoors for long periods, and since Persian interiors were carpeted, they were not allowed to wear shoes.

Over time, Persian women developed the habit of going barefoot. Even a high-ranking empress like Shahzani was used to going barefoot most of the time, only wearing shoes when necessary.

Next up are the various branches of the regular standing army.

Light infantry, heavy infantry, light cavalry, heavy cavalry, horse archers, Naftan fuel throwers, engineer and supply troops... the system of each type of soldier is complete, and different types of armor are assigned according to the role of the soldier. There are light infantrymen who are only equipped with light chainmail vests, as well as heavy cavalrymen from Transoxiana and Khorasan who are fully armored.

The procession was grand and imposing, with orderly ranks and men and women soldiers shouting inspiring slogans in unison. The content they recited included, but was not limited to, the Book of Kings, the Remembrance of Zarir, the Quran, and the Hadith of Shahzani, praising the courage of ancient warriors, their loyalty to their country and nation, and their spirit of sacrifice and martyrdom.

"What a mighty and skilled army!" Several Armenian envoys whispered among themselves, marveling that if Armenia had such a powerful army, it wouldn't have been ravaged by the major powers for so long.

"The scene is magnificent, but in terms of troop deployment and military strategy, no country can compare to Rome." While praising the spectacle, the Eastern Roman Empire's eyes flashed with a hint of competitive envy.

There are always some countries with a group of people who, no matter what field they are in, insist on competing with foreign countries to see who is superior and who is inferior. This is a disease that needs to be cured.

The Kievan Rus' envoy, fluent in Greek, smiled knowingly upon hearing the Eastern Roman envoy's boastful words: "I suppose those esteemed envoys from the East also have insightful opinions on this matter."

After saying this, he looked at the Song and Liao envoys beside him.

At this moment, the Song and Liao envoys were also watching the military drill with great concentration and serious expressions. They had originally thought that only the Chinese soldiers were familiar with the art of troop deployment, but they never expected that the Iranian soldiers were also so skilled in troop deployment.

Before the envoys from various countries could finish their astonishment, an even more powerful array of troops appeared.

"Shahr Guard, advance!" shouted the Saman army officer.

The delegation members all looked toward the side of the square.

The heavily armored cavalry, in a disciplined and orderly formation, arrived with an air of heroic spirit. The sound of their iron hooves pounding the ground was uniform and their momentum was resounding and awe-inspiring. Their blood-red uniforms and battle flags even made the sun in the sky pale in comparison.

Shahzani looked at the astonished expressions of the foreign delegations and a proud smile appeared on her lips.

Chapter 222 A Heavyweight Appearance

Shahr Guard, armored cavalry.

The red plume adorned a Persian-style pointed helmet, beneath which a face shield covered the beautiful and heroic face, revealing only a pair of bright and piercing eyes; heavy Persian chainmail covered the torso, while iron arm guards and armored boots protected the limbs; the warhorse was also covered in heavy armor, forming a formidable and awe-inspiring formation.

At the same time, the delegations from various countries were astonished to discover that this elite Samanid army was also equipped with a type of high-quality steel armor they had never seen before:

It was a protective armor made of four or five mirror-like steel plates, assembled together, and equipped with equally imposing arm guards, leg guards, knee guards, and boots. The surface of the steel armor was also forged with Persian-style patterns. This level of armament made the armored cavalrymen look like majestic "steel sculptures," inspiring awe, yet also possessing a violent beauty.

That's right, this is also one of the traditional armors in Iranian history—the four-mirror armor.

However, Shahzani brought it to the forefront centuries earlier.

Thanks to the research of the Biruni scholar team, the Saman Empire's alchemy and forging techniques made rapid progress. By rationally proportioning various metallic ores and then incorporating them into iron smelting methods, Biruni produced a rather rudimentary form of stainless steel. This major breakthrough greatly excited the Empire's scholar team, who further improved the smelting techniques, creating the initial conditions for producing four-mirror heavy armor.

Of course, due to the current level of productivity and technological limitations, the production of the four-mirror armor is still relatively small, so Shahzani only equips officers of all ranks in the Royal Guard with this armor.

Even so, it was enough to deliver a stunning visual impact to foreign missions.

With its impressive array, equipment, morale, and discipline, the Shahr Guard's military might surpassed that of the Eastern Roman Holy Cavalry, the Liao Dynasty's Iron Forest Army, the Song Dynasty's Imperial Guard, and any armored cavalry force of the time.

After several rounds of expansion and streamlining, this formidable force now comprises 5000 soldiers in 5 regiments, all of whom are top-tier Iranian female warriors. Of course, this is not the final number; Shahzani will continue to expand its size based on the country's productivity development.

The Shahr Guard marched to the center of the square and began a drill of changing formations.

The female riders didn't seem to be riding horses; rather, the horses seemed to be attached to their backsides, galloping and advancing in perfect unison with their commands and movements.

It is well known that, thanks to Shahzani's military system and its advantages, Iranian female warriors are on par with their male counterparts in terms of strength. While the upper body strength of elite Iranian female warriors may not match that of the strongest male warriors, their hip and lower body strength is unmatched, which is highly advantageous in controlling warhorses.

This is why elite Iranian female warriors often served as heavy cavalry rather than heavy infantry. Through their powerful hip and thigh muscles, they could firmly grip their warhorses, control their movements, and charge forward, making their horsemanship more refined, and of course, also making their "riding skills" more refined.

The sound of iron hooves was uniform, indicating that the Saman army's coordination was so strong that all the warhorses moved in unison, which was a huge advantage in cavalry charge battles.

Then the formation began to change, from a dense formation to a sparse formation, from a wedge formation to a stepped formation, from a crescent-shaped flanking formation to a multi-row wave formation... All the formation changes were smooth and sharp, without any chaos or disjointedness.

It must be said that all the envoys present were impressed by this formidable army. Among them were naturally those hostile to the Iranian Samanid Empire, such as the Fatimid Caliphate, which viewed the Khoramis as "cursed heretics"; the Eastern Roman Empire, Persia's archenemy; and the steppe Turkic khanates that coveted Iranian lands, and so on. However, faced with the visual impact of such a powerful military force, hostility often transformed into admiration and appreciation.

Seeing the envoys' exclamations of admiration, Shahzani once again revealed a wicked and smug smile. This was her most powerful trump card, representing the highest level of military capability of the Saman Empire at present. It was only natural that foreign envoys would be so impressed.

Following the "grand finale" of the Shaher Guard's formation, other Samanid armed forces, such as the Chinese Engineer Battalion, Turkmen-Seljuk cavalry, Sistan-Sagaz soldiers, Sogdian heavy infantry and cavalry, and Rus' auxiliary troops, also took to the stage one after another.

Among them, the Chinese engineering battalion was the most eye-catching, displaying equipment such as rocket vehicles and "suicide drones," which greatly impressed the Song Dynasty envoys present.

In short, the appearance of these troops added a finishing touch to the parade.

……

After the military parade, Shahzani ordered the troops to march out of the city and onto the oasis plains outside Jahan Shahr. There, hunting grounds had already been set up, and large herds of Persian wild donkeys, argali sheep, and antelopes were active. The queen planned to use the hunt as an opportunity to conduct a live-fire exercise and let foreign envoys witness the fighting capabilities of the Samanid army.

The military drills were naturally no different from actual warfare. The various branches of the Saman army worked closely together, arrayed themselves in formation, and launched a fierce attack, advancing in separate groups to encircle and trap a large herd of wild donkeys. They then decisively launched a fierce offensive, annihilating the trapped "enemy".

After the hunt, food became plentiful. Large quantities of wild donkey meat were cut, skewered, and roasted over a fire, accompanied by onions, carrots, and garlic, becoming fragrant roasted meat skewers that the entire Saman army enjoyed to their heart's content.

The foreign envoys who were observing also received roasted meat and dry rations, but their moods were quite heavy at the moment, and the delicious meat skewers tasted like wax to them.

Indeed, many of them had been conquered by the Samanid "women's army" and believed that if war broke out in the future, their country would certainly not be a match for the Iranian Samanid Empire.

This was a significant blow to many fierce, warlike, and proud samurai.

Inside one of the tents of the foreign envoys' observation group, the lights were dim, and several men dressed in different styles sat around.

“Your Excellency, Lady Zoe, the military might displayed by the Persians in their military parade is not to be underestimated!” said Dumiyat, the Fatimid envoy.

Despite religious and economic conflicts in the Levant (Sham region), the two neighboring great powers re-engaged in contact with the increasingly powerful Samanid Empire.

"indeed so."

Zoe—the niece of the Eastern Roman Emperor Basil and the head of the delegation—said with a solemn expression: “The Persians have been expanding quite rapidly in recent years and have successfully unified their eastern and western territories. It is estimated that it will not be long before they set foot in the Levant.”

“But…” Zoe pondered, a meaningful expression on her face, “there might still be a chance.”

Chapter 223 The Grand Tournament of Nations

"Oh? What do you mean?" Fatima's envoy, Dumiyat, asked in confusion.

“Your Excellency, you should know that no matter how well-organized the troops are or how grand the military exercises are, it does not necessarily mean that they will be invincible on the battlefield,” Zoe, the Eastern Roman envoy, said thoughtfully.

"hehe."

Dumiyat shook his head with a wry smile: "Don't try to comfort yourself with vague guesses. Besides, the Persian Samanid Empire has already conquered a vast territory from the Seres frontier plateau to the Euphrates River. Such formidable military power is not something that ordinary people can match."

"The Karakhanids and Ghazni in the East were able to be ambushed by Shahzani because they were fighting separately and had no time to coordinate their forces; the princes of the Bayy were defeated by Shahzani because they were fighting individually and their strength was scattered; the Baghdad Caliphate was already teetering on the brink of collapse, and its demise was only a matter of time, which is why it was conquered by Shahzani..."

Zoe said quietly.

Her point of view was clear: Shahzani was blessed by "Lady Luck" and always caught the right opportunity, which is why she won every battle.

After listening, Dumiyat pondered for a moment and slowly said, "What you said makes sense, but it would be too arbitrary to take it as the sole basis for judgment."

“Whether it’s arbitrary or not, I have my own solutions,” Zoe said meaningfully.

It turns out that this Eastern Roman woman had long ago devised a plan to give the Samanid Empire a "show of force".

……

So, the next morning.

Shahzani summoned the envoys from various countries again for a banquet and viewing.

But at that moment, the envoy from the Kingdom of Hungary suddenly stepped forward, prostrated himself, and proclaimed: "To the great Persian Empress, your warriors have displayed their bravery on the hunting grounds, surpassing even the eagles soaring in the sky and the steeds galloping across the plains..."

In short, after uttering a long string of praises, the intention was finally revealed at the end:

"Among the delegations of our country on this visit, there are also brave and skilled warriors who are willing to test their martial arts against your warriors. I wonder if you would be willing to accept this humble request from our country?"

As soon as he finished speaking, envoys from several other countries stepped forward and knelt down to make the same request.

This was precisely the plan devised by Zoe, the envoy of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Several days earlier, she had secretly made extensive contacts with delegations from other countries. During their casual conversations, she would occasionally utter provocative remarks such as "The Saman Empire despises your army" and "Your martial skills are nothing compared to those of the Saman soldiers." Through this "provocation tactic," she aimed to create divisions and try to lead the alliance astray.

She primarily encouraged Hungary, a newly emerging power bordering the Eastern Roman Empire, which had recently converted to Christianity, retained its tribal and clan-based martial traditions, and potentially posed a threat to the Eastern Roman Empire. This strategy of creating a "rivalry between the snipe and the clam" would allow her to "reap the benefits" while simultaneously alleviating the strategic pressures faced by the Eastern Roman Empire from its surrounding regions.

Shahzani glanced at the prostrate envoys from various countries, a sly smile playing on her lips, and said calmly:

"Hmm, I've heard that your country still follows many of the traditions of ancient warriors. For warriors who take it upon themselves to fight and kill enemies, this is certainly a noble virtue. Very well. In that case, I accept your request!"

After saying this, he instructed the military commanders to set up the arena and organize the martial arts competition.

In fact, Shahzani had already sensed that something was wrong.

From the moment the first foreign mission arrived in the imperial capital, the Nassachs, responsible for gathering intelligence and conducting interrogations for the Empress, began their preparations. They deployed a wide network of informants to monitor the movements of the mission members and eavesdrop on their conversations.

Thanks to this efficient intelligence-gathering agency, Shahzani quickly realized that something had changed and knew exactly who was behind it. However, instead of exposing them immediately, she decided to play along.

This is a good opportunity to let them see the true fighting prowess of Iranian female warriors.

……

The next few days.

On the oasis plain outside Jahanshahr, a vast open-air arena was erected. The pits and weeds in the arena were leveled, and the arena was surrounded by walls made of cloth and wooden stakes. Saman banners stood like a forest, and soldiers and generals sat in rows around them.

Warriors from various nations eagerly signed up for the contest, each with their own motivations.

Warriors from Hungary and other countries were provoked and enraged; some European knights hoped to gain recognition and fiefs; some mercenaries wanted to earn more jobs; and some tribal/sect/warband warriors simply wanted to defeat their opponents, demonstrate their strength, and enjoy the glory of being the center of attention after victory... for various reasons.

Thanks to the improved trade routes and increased productivity in recent years, the number of travelers along the Silk Road has increased, and the spread of information has become much smoother. Even if a European knight achieves honors in Asia, his reputation will reach his hometown more quickly, paving the way for future success.

Of course, the most important reason was the generosity of the Persian queen.

Shahzani had already announced that those who performed exceptionally well in the martial arts competitions would be awarded different rewards based on their achievements, with the more victories they won, the greater the rewards would be. With such generous rewards, many people were bound to participate enthusiastically.

The arena was large enough to accommodate thousands of people competing on the same stage, and warriors from various countries found their opponents.

In an instant, dust filled the battlefield, warhorses galloped, the clanging of iron weapons rose and fell, and war drums accompanied cheers and shouts.

"thump--!"

A young Hungarian hussar was knocked heavily off his horse, rolled several times on the sand, and lay motionless for a long time.

"Lord Matthias!" Several Hungarian attendants rushed over and helped him up.