I was the Queen of Persia

Page 38

Shahzani left a portion of his troops in Nakhshab and appointed Khorshid as the highest-ranking officer there, granting her the authority to mobilize troops from the surrounding areas as a reserve force for the overall war effort.

The scholars captured from Khwarazm naturally followed the army eastward. However, Shahzani provided them with better tents and food supplies, and allocated troops to protect them specially, so as to ensure that they could adapt to the high-intensity marching and fighting as soon as possible.

Everything was ready, and the order to set off for the entire army was about to be given.

"Report! Qadhuda! Urgent military intelligence from Samarkand!"

A Nassak rode swiftly across the camp and galloped to the commander's tent to present Shahzani with a report on the eastern front.

The letter was written in Farzana's own handwriting and bore her monogram. Shahzani unfolded it and gasped in shock.

The letter reported two things:

First, the Karakhanid army sent elite troops to raid Pianjikent, cutting off Samarkand's upstream water supply.

Second, the Karakhanid army contaminated well water with plague-infected corpses, leading to an outbreak of plague within their territory.

Both of these are major events concerning the outcome of the battle and the lives of the soldiers.

Especially the second one.

In the 11th century, when medicine was still underdeveloped, the plague was clearly a very serious disease, also known as the "black disease." It spread extremely quickly, and if preventive measures were not taken in time, it would cause a great deal of death, and even the most carefully constructed military defenses would be destroyed.

Although Farzanna took decisive measures to curb the large-scale outbreak of the plague, the lack of follow-up prevention and treatment methods meant that the number of soldiers and civilians suffering from the disease continued to increase.

It seems that only the medical team led by Ibn Sina has the potential to resolve this sudden and urgent crisis.

Shahzani felt the matter was of great importance, so he dared not delay and gathered available soldiers and support forces, rushing to Samarkand under the cover of night.

……

Meanwhile, in the Samarkand region.

The plague has spread from surrounding counties and towns to cities. Corpses can be seen everywhere—on main roads, in fields, in alleys, and beside houses—with dense black spots on their bodies.

Soldiers and temporarily conscripted civilians all wore "paidam" hoods and patrolled back and forth between urban and rural areas, loading the corpses of various dead people onto horse-drawn carts and then taking them to designated cemeteries for centralized disinfection and burial.

More guards were assigned to the karez wells, public reservoirs, and various wells. The Milab were fulfilling a greater responsibility than ever before, not only managing the water conservancy facilities and allocating water resources rationally, but also remaining vigilant against sabotage by enemy spies.

Inside the government office, Farzana sat at a desk piled high with documents, quickly reviewing the reports sent by her subordinates.

The heavy workload of the past few days had left her once bright and beautiful eyes looking heavy with fatigue, but as the highest-ranking officer on the Eastern Front, she could not afford to slack off in the slightest.

"Commander Farzana, there's an emergency!" A subordinate officer rushed over to report.

"Don't rush, speak slowly," Farzana calmly gestured.

"Four public reservoirs in the city have already dried up. If this trend continues, the entire city's water supply system will be paralyzed within three days," the officer said anxiously.

"What?" Falzana was also taken aback when she heard the news.

"The Karakhanid army is building a dam on the upper reaches of the Zeravshan River, which has resulted in a decreasing flow of water recently," the officer continued, explaining the reason.

Farzana put down the documents in her hand, her brows furrowed slightly, and she fell into deep thought.

The epidemic is still raging in the city. We must do our best to contain the disease within a controllable range before we can free up troops and resources to drive the Karakhanid army back from upstream.

But who can guarantee that Samarkand will hold out until then?

"Sir, there's something I'm not sure if I should say," the officer said tentatively.

"Speak," Falzana gestured.

“Samarkand is probably beyond our control. We should gather our troops and retreat to other areas,” the officer suggested.

Upon hearing this, even the usually decisive Falzana hesitated slightly: "Does... really have to retreat?"

"No!" Suddenly, another idea solidified in her mind: "People are in a state of panic right now. If we hastily withdraw our troops, it will cause widespread chaos and give the Karakhanid army an opportunity to take advantage of us."

Thinking of this, she said seriously, "The soldiers and the people are still bravely resisting the enemy, and it has not yet come to the point where we must retreat. Order all units to hold their positions, and at the same time, order water and supplies to be brought in from downstream."

"But……"

"Excuting an order!"

"Yes, sir!"

After the officer left, Farzana pondered the complex and multifaceted situation, sighing with a sense of helplessness.

She only hoped that Shahzani's reinforcements would arrive soon, and thanks to the tacit understanding between the sworn sisters, she also realized that Shahzani was on her way.

……

Two days later.

When Shahzani's army appeared in the sight of the soldiers defending Samarkand, the whole city erupted in thunderous cheers, and the fatigue brought on by days of hard fighting and disease was instantly swept away.

"Thank God... Thank God!" Exhausted, Farzana looked at the vast army of reinforcements, and half of the weight in her heart finally lifted.

Before she could share more of her joy, everything went black, and she collapsed unconscious on the city wall.

"She's exhausted. Quickly send her back to the government office to rest and have guards and doctors take care of her." Shahzani gently stroked her pale-faced sister, a pang of sadness in her heart.

Having swiftly taken over all military and political affairs in the city, Shahzani immediately began large-scale deployments. As an outsider who had traveled from the future of 2020, she was all too familiar with this kind of scene.

Following instructions, Ibn Sina, drawing upon his extensive medical experience, demarcated the affected areas, distributed sterilized protective supplies, and manufactured medicines. The Persian physicians accompanying the army then provided medical treatment according to directives.

After the mandatory order was issued, supplies and fresh water from nearby counties were continuously requisitioned to the Samarkand region to maintain the operation of the military and political system.

Ibn Sina was indeed a great medical expert. His preventive and treatment measures quickly stopped the spread of the plague, and through his skillful treatment, he restored the health of the sick soldiers and civilians.

The spread of the plague gradually slowed down, and the number of infected people decreased...

Finally, in less than half a month, the "Black Death" that had ravaged the Samarkand region was basically contained, leaving only a very few "remnants".

Ibn Sina's physicians intensified their search efforts, striving to eradicate the plague completely.

Chapter 85 The Rift in the Karakhanid Army

Outside the city of Jizzakh, the Karakhanid army's main camp.

Ilikh Nasser Khan sat calmly in his military tent, listening to reports from his subordinate officers and advisors.

“Brother Khan, I never expected that the Samanid army would contain the spread of the plague so quickly. God above! Our plan... has suffered a setback!” Aknuar’s face showed the frustration of failure.

“Hmm…” Nasser Khan sighed deeply, “This female governor of Saman is indeed quite capable; we underestimated her…”

"Khan, do not worry! Pianjikent is still in our hands. As long as we firmly control the water source of the upper reaches of the Zeravshan River, the Saman army will always face the problem of water shortage!" Jafar Tsering said.

Hearing this, Nasser Khan nodded meaningfully: "The Peach Blossom Stone Man's strategy is indeed effective. I hope this victorious situation can continue."

The surprise attack on Pianzhi Kent and the cutting off of the upstream water source were precisely the strategies of Zhu Jiande, the man from Peach Blossom Stone.

After Zhu Jiande was promoted to the position of advisor to the Khan, he used his position to win over Han Chinese scattered in the Western Regions and Central Asia (including descendants of Tang Dynasty soldiers, Han Chinese remnants from Anxi, Guiyi Army civilians, and people from the Central Plains of the East who came to the area for various other reasons), and formed a military organization called "Peach Blossom Stone Camp".

The "Peach Blossom Stone Camp" was full of skilled craftsmen. Although they were not good at fighting, they were good at civil engineering. After following the Karakhanid army to conquer Pianjikent, they quickly built dams on the upper reaches of the river to block the flow of water, causing the Samarkand region to gradually fall into a water shortage crisis.

Clearly, the construction efficiency of these Eastern craftsmen was even higher than that of the military craftsmen accompanying the Karakhanid army.

This naturally affected the political and military interests of many Karakhanid nobles, which in turn aroused their vigilance and hostility.

Some of the martial Karakhanid military nobles immediately looked at Zhu Jiande with envy in their eyes.

"A sheep that can't even kill a chicken! A heretic slave! Just because he can build a few dilapidated houses, he's managed to get so close to the Khan!"

"The Turkic warriors are descendants of Afrashiyab and Oghuz Khan! We conquer all sides with warhorses and swords, not with any tricks of building things!"

"Hey! I heard that many women in Peach Blossom Stone have bound feet, and their men must have bound feet too! Hahaha!"

"God above! It is indeed so! The man from Peach Blossom Stone doesn't grow a beard, and his face is as soft and delicate as a woman's. Isn't he a woman? Or perhaps a eunuch in the palace, haha!"

Zhu Jiande naturally sensed the hostile mockery, so he stepped out of the ranks of his subjects and respectfully said, "I am the Khan's loyal servant, as humble as a handful of dust beneath your feet. Now that the war in Pianzhikent is still unresolved, I wish to go there personally to oversee the battle, and I hope the Khan will grant me permission."

He certainly loathed these crude and reckless Black Khan warlords, but what could he do? A mere scholar, far from his homeland, weak and unable to fight, and without any military power. To confront them head-on was an impossible task.

Therefore, the only option was to compromise and back down, by voluntarily leaving the Khan's palace tent to distance himself from the conflict.

“Well, that’s good.” Ilik Nasser Khan nodded slightly. “You have intelligence and special skills, which I believe will be of great use on the front lines.”

Naser Khan was not a fool. He had already seen the conflict of interest between Zhu Jiande and the local nobles of Karakhan. In order to appease the domineering military nobles, he had no choice but to temporarily exile Zhu Jiande from the palace.

In any case, to the Karakhanid rulers, Zhu Jiande was nothing more than an outsider, a pawn.

Zhu Jiande thanked the emperor and withdrew. After returning to his tent, he summoned his Han Chinese followers and explained his intention to leave.

At the same time, he became even more determined to establish his own independent state: to accumulate more military achievements, recruit more followers (preferably with an army), expand his power, and acquire a base. Then, taking advantage of the fact that the Karakhan and Saman armies were busy fighting and unable to attend to their own affairs, he would seize the opportunity to establish his own state.

With this in mind, he mounted his swift horse, took his trusted followers, and set off for Pinchkent.

After discussing their official business, the Karakhanid nobles also left the Khan's tent one after another.

"Brother Khan, are you really going to let that Peach Blossom Stone Man go so easily? What if he takes the opportunity to escape and defect to the enemy?" When only the Khan and his sister were left in the tent, Aknuer voiced her concerns.

“No way,” Ilik Nasser Khan said with a confident sneer. “A slave in a foreign land would not dare to stray far from his master. Besides, I have planted other spies to keep him in check.”

……

Outside Samarkand, at the Samanid army's camp.

A Nassak galloped into the camp, passing the soldiers who were practicing and preparing for battle, raising a cloud of dust, and finally stopped in front of Shahzani's general's tent.

“Khadhuda, General Hoslu has won a victory at the front and is hereby reporting the victory.” Nasakchi handed a letter to Shahzani.

After opening the battle report and reading it for a moment.

"Generals, we have a lead." Shahzani looked around at her generals.

"What clue?" Bahramu asked from the side.

"Do you know why the Karakhanid army was able to launch a surprise attack on Pianjikent and cut off the water supply? According to enemy generals captured in sporadic battles, they had a battalion of artisans called 'Peach Blossom Stone Men,' who were all skilled craftsmen, so they were able to quickly build dams to block the water flow," Shahzani told the generals.

But when she looked at the generals again, she found that they all looked puzzled.

General Rustam Zaman stepped forward and voiced his confusion: "Khadhuda, what kind of people are these so-called 'Peach Blossom Stone People'? I've never heard of them before?"

“They are what we call Qin people (Chinese). The Turks of the Karakhanid Khanate usually call them ‘Peach Blossom Stone People’,” Shahzani explained.

This is understandable. In ancient times, information was relatively limited, and the same thing had different names in different historical periods and among different countries and ethnic groups, and the standards were not uniform, which easily caused confusion.

Take the term "Dashi" (大食), which the Qin people often referred to, for example. In the Tang Dynasty, this term basically referred to "Arabia" (ال ...

After hearing the female governor's explanation, the Saman Persian generals suddenly understood. They then began discussing "Qin" (China), this wealthy, distant, and mysterious ancient Eastern country.

Some exclaimed in admiration: The Qin people could create all sorts of exquisite artifacts with skillful craftsmanship. They also heard that the Qin kingdom was vast, prosperous, and well-armed, making it an immeasurable power.

Some question this: During the reign of Nasr of the Samanid dynasty, Qin and Iran engaged in diplomatic maneuvering. At that time, the "Emperor of Qin" planned to attack Iran, boasting that "the scale of this army is so vast that when its vanguard reaches the Transoxiana region, the rear guard will still be within Chinese territory." However, when Iran demonstrated the same military strength, didn't the Qin people ultimately compromise?

Some people were puzzled: How did the Qin people manage to travel such a long distance to reach the territory of the Turan people (Turks)? And why did they appear in the Karakhanid army?

Some had a whimsical idea: they had heard that the men and women of Qin were handsome and beautiful, and that there were more women than men in various parts of Iran. They could just capture a few to reward the brave Persian female soldiers.

“Haha, generals, listen to me.” In the end, it was Shahzani who ended the discussion. “We do need to capture a few ‘Peach Blossom Stone Men’ so that we can better understand the enemy’s plans and deployments.”

Chapter 86 Qin Captives

“What’s so difficult about that? Let me do it!” Bahramu immediately volunteered.

"You stay here to oversee the overall command, I'll lead the elite warriors myself," Shahzani said with a smile, waving her hand.

She felt that it was more appropriate for her to handle this special matter personally. After all, as an outstanding young woman who had studied in the great nation of China for many years in her previous life, no one in the Saman army knew the Qin people better than her.

The next few days.

Several more sporadic skirmishes occurred between the two armies. Through the intelligence gathered at the front, Shahzani had a basic understanding of the location and deployment of several Karakhanid strongholds in the front lines.

It was also learned that a small team from the "Peach Blossom Stone Camp" was recently planning to move to the Karakhan Front outpost, seemingly to prepare for the auxiliary works of the water-blocking dam.

This is the perfect opportunity for a surprise raid and capture.

After handing over military affairs and planning tactics, Shahzani selected an elite company from the Qadhuda Guard (formerly the palace female guards) to accompany them in battle. The selected female officers and soldiers were all tough, fierce, skilled in riding and archery, and had some understanding of the Qin people.

Shahzani, fully armed and wielding a warhammer, and the female warriors, also clad in armor and wielding weapons, formed a formidable force ready to advance.

"Khadhuda, I heard you are going to lead your troops into battle in person? Your humblest servant has prepared a gift, which I hope will be of use to you."

Biruni requested an audience, presenting Shahzani with a long, thin, tube-like object in his hand.

Shahzani picked it up and examined it for a moment, then immediately guessed what it was, and said, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be an instrument for observing stars and celestial bodies."

“Exactly. Wise men use it to observe planets and the universe, and warriors should also be able to use it to observe enemy movements. I hope it will be of use to you,” Biruni said, bowing slightly.

Indeed, this was one of the prototypes of the telescope. Although the modern telescope only appeared in the 17th century, many countries and civilizations had developed similar observation instruments before that, which, while not necessarily cutting-edge, were at least sufficient for their purpose.

“Thank you for your trouble, sir. Your invention is very valuable.” Shahzani returned the greeting politely with a smile on her face.