I was the Queen of Persia

Page 12

Of course, the first step in implementing this plan is to win the hearts and minds of the people.

Upon arriving at the village that had recently been looted by Jihadi's forces, the villagers, seeing their "savior" and "liberator," knelt by the roadside, filled with gratitude, and told Shahzani everything they knew.

It turns out that this area had long been harassed by the Jihadi armed group. The Jihadi sect frequently sent armed men to plunder food, wealth, and slaves and sex slaves, and did not hesitate to kill civilians indiscriminately. The local people had long endured this.

But Shahzani only realized the truth was far more brutal than she had imagined when she saw it with her own eyes. Beside the tangled mounds of earth lay the bodies of victims with their throats slit, their congealed, blackened blood staining half their bodies. There were also those who had been stoned to death, burned alive, and nailed to stakes…

Jihadi elements forbade villagers from burying the victims' bodies, their aim being nothing more than to spread an atmosphere of terror.

The series of atrocities deeply wounded Shahzani's nerves. As someone with a strong sense of national and familial responsibility, she would never tolerate those madmen from other ethnic groups and religions wreaking havoc on the beautiful land of Iran.

Thinking of this, Shahzani secretly vowed to completely eradicate this sect that was harming the region.

"Bring those despicable thugs up here!"

Shahzani set up a military tent outside the village and issued orders from inside.

Soon, Abu Habib, along with several Jihadi prisoners of war, were brought in, bound hand and foot. They knelt before Shahzani, trembling, not daring to lift their heads.

Shahzani looked at the group with a stern gaze: "You cursed heretics, a disgrace to Muslims! To allow you to live is blasphemy against Allah."

Abu Habib and the prisoners of war remained silent, not daring to utter a single sound.

Shahzani brandished her sword with a clang and said coldly, "You have two choices: one, confess what you know about the military, and you will die; two, resist my orders, and I will gouge out your eyes and throw you into the desert to be eaten by vultures and wild dogs!"

"I...we are willing to confess..."

Abu Habib was in despair, and after a moment, he managed to utter those words.

He knew he was now facing certain death and had to confess. If he didn't, he would likely face a punishment far more unbearable than death itself.

Next, Abu Habib slowly recounted what he knew:

"..."

“...Omar Jihadi, our leader, no! The leader of that damned Jihadi sect! He has 30,000 followers, 20,000 of whom are stationed at Bab al-Jihadi Castle. Another 10,000 are stationed at Amin Mughashidi Camp.”

“Amin Mujahidi’s camp is only 2 farsahs away from this oasis. It is an outpost of the Jihadi faction. The purpose of building this camp is to control the surrounding villages and plunder their wealth. The soldiers I brought with me this time are the garrison of this camp.”

Upon hearing this, Shahzani immediately interrupted him: "Then, do you know what Omar Jihadi's intentions are, and why he suddenly invaded my territory?"

Upon hearing this, Abu Habib quickly replied, "I know! I know! Because you are a woman, and most of your warriors are female soldiers. The doctrine of the Jihadi sect is to abhor women showing their faces in public. They believe women are merely talking property, and therefore regard you as a demon and a heretic. In addition..."

At this point, Abu Habib hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke with difficulty: "A few days ago, an envoy claiming to be from the Jafar Special Envoy's residence met with Omar. This envoy brought many valuable jewels and, on this condition, demanded that Omar send troops to attack you..."

Upon hearing this, Shahzani's face darkened, and she thought to herself, "Just as I expected!"

Who was Jafar Tegin? He was the governor appointed by the Karakhanid dynasty to govern the Transoxiana region, including Samarkand and Bukhara. His involvement in this matter signified that the Karakhanids and the Jihadi faction had formed some kind of alliance.

“It seems the Karakhanid Dynasty has intervened in this struggle,” Shahzani guessed. “Their main force is currently fighting against Khotan and has no time to look westward, so they are trying to use the Jihadi sect to eliminate me. Hmph, but their conspiracy will not succeed.”

She already wanted to eradicate the Jihadist sect completely, and after learning this news, her belief was undoubtedly strengthened.

The trial ends.

Having obtained all the crucial information, Shahzani decided to proceed with her plan to publicly execute Abu Habib and the others.

"Alright, since you've confessed, we'll keep our promise and give you a quick death."

Immediately afterward, Shahzani gave the order to hang Abu Habib and the others. Several soldiers rushed over and dragged them away.

“Madam! Madam! Please forgive us!” one of the Jihadi members, clearly terrified, clutched Shahzani’s boots and pleaded tearfully.

Shahzani scoffed, “Forgiving you is God’s business, and what I need to do is send you to God.”

Chapter 23 Step by step

Soon, Abu Habib and several other Jihadi members were taken to a large cypress tree outside the village.

Their hands were tied behind their backs, and nooses were put around their necks.

Shahzani decided to carry out a public execution, and the villagers who had suffered under Jihadi's rule were invited to watch, which was also a way to win people's hearts.

Soon, the area outside the village was bustling with activity, the streets deserted. The onlookers were all cursing the few Jihadi members who had brought disaster upon them.

"People!"

Seeing that the time had come, Shahzani, with the scriptures tucked into her bosom, faced the crowd.

According to Iranian and Islamic tradition, before a public execution, religious figures such as imams and mullahs recite prayers and demonstrate the prisoner's crimes to the public.

But Shahzani, in order to demonstrate her prestige, took matters into her own hands.

This is understandable, after all, through her numerous victories against the enemy, she has become a ruler in the Zanshahr region who has initially consolidated military, political, and religious power.

The “process” has officially begun.

Shahzani recited verses from the scriptures aloud, and in a passionate and solemn tone, recounted the crimes of the Jihadi:

"People! These scoundrels are cursed maggots. They are the lackeys of Ahriman and Iblis (the devil in Iranian and Islamic terms). Today, we hold a just trial here. Let them pay the price they deserve!"

Her speech immediately resonated with the villagers. Filled with righteous indignation, they eagerly exposed more crimes committed by Jihadi's faction:

"My son was killed by them!"

"They are the embodiment of evil!"

"It's an extension of sin..."

"They should suffer eternal torment in Hellfire!"

……

The villagers became increasingly agitated as they spoke, and some even picked up stones and threw them at the Jihadi gang members on the gallows.

"Silence!" Shahzani gestured for everyone to stop. "I can feel your pain. These villains are beyond redemption; they must be sentenced to death and made to suffer the most agonizing torment in hellfire!"

With that, she looked at the enforcement team and said, "Begin!"

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers standing nearby immediately stepped forward, tightened the nooses on the condemned prisoners, and cracked their whips a few times to drive away the rickety horses beneath their feet.

A sickening cracking sound rang out, and upon closer inspection, the Jihadi members were all hanging lifelessly from the thick cypress trees, their heads drooping.

When the crowd saw that the heinous criminal had finally been punished, they immediately cheered.

At the same time, they seized the opportunity to express their highest desire to submit to Shahzani, the female leader who had liberated them from the shadows.

A village chief said, "Lady Shahzani, you have helped us eliminate the notorious villains, and we are willing to submit to you!"

Another elder also declared, "Your Excellency, our village is willing to pay taxes to you!"

……

“Yes, I accept your submission.” Shahzani expressed his satisfaction. “By God’s will, under my rule you will live in peace and prosperity.”

After saying that, she waved her hand, signaling her subordinates to carry out the handover of the oasis ownership in an orderly manner.

Instead of immediately returning to base, Shahzani set up camp and decided to stay in the Behesht Oasis for a while.

The Behesht Oasis is indeed a good place, not only producing abundant grains and fruits, but also containing a mine in the northern part of the oasis that produces military resources such as iron ore, coal, and asphalt.

This delighted her, and she planned to smoothly complete the handover of control. In addition, she stockpiled supplies and troops in preparation for attacking the next stronghold of the Jihadi faction—Amin Mujahidi's camp.

Based on the information currently available...

Since the Jihadi faction has formed some kind of alliance with the Karakhanid Dynasty, posing a two-pronged threat to its city of Zanshahr, this threat must be eliminated promptly and decisively. Moreover, the Jihadi faction has already displayed very strong hostility.

"The best tactical choice is to launch a surprise attack before the opponent's strength has fully developed, and to defeat them one by one," Shahzani analyzed the current situation.

The next few days.

The once deserted Behesht Oasis suddenly became lively.

Militia mobilized for military operations, camel caravans transporting provisions, and large numbers of conscripted laborers arrived one after another in an endless stream.

Shahzani controls the entire war system.

Drawing on her command skills honed in previous battles, she directed troop movements in an orderly manner while maintaining strict military discipline to prevent disturbances to civilians.

For example, she stipulated that all soldiers must keep a close watch on their warhorses and pack animals to prevent them from wandering into the villagers' fields and eating their crops, and she also strictly prohibited soldiers from harassing the people.

After all, effective military discipline is the primary key to establishing good relations with the local people.

“Everything is moving in a good direction. But I still feel like something is missing?” Shahzani looked at the bustling military camp and fell into deep thought.

"Yes!" Suddenly, she slapped her forehead, as if she had remembered something very important. "Roads need to be repaired. Zanshahr and Behesht are isolated oases, and although they are only separated by a small desert, the terrible road conditions are enough to drive anyone crazy."

"Therefore, I must establish a more efficient road system in order to consolidate my expanding territory."

With this in mind, she decided to issue an order to draw some manpower from the mobilized army to carry out road repair work.

At the same time, she remembered that the [Chronicles of the Persian King] system had already leveled up several times, enough to unlock multiple talents. She had previously planned to save these talents for later use, and now she could finally use one of them.

After all, this system can accumulate experience not only through war, but also through national institutional development, economic development, and technological development.

Turn on the system.

Four talent trees:

National Management (1/25)

Military Warfare (1/25)

Economic development (1/25)

Culture and Technology (0/25)

Experience points: Level 7 (52%/100%)

Current remaining talent points: 4

They easily found the talent they wanted to upgrade.

"Economic Development - [Emperor Dalab's Road]: The effect is that the road construction speed is increased by 20%, and the road maintenance cost is reduced by 15%."

This so-called "Darab the Great" has a more widely known name in world history: Darius the Great.

Indeed, during the Achaemenid dynasty, Darius (Darab) initially connected the vast imperial territory by building post roads, standardizing weights and measures, and improving the provincial system.

Shahzani didn't think much of it and immediately unlocked the talent.

She'll unlock one of them for now, and save the rest for later use when needed.

Chapter 24 Another City Victory

Soon, roads for the movement of large armies and supplies were gradually being built between the Behesht Oasis and Zanshahr.

Shahzani also planned to establish a "caravansarai" near the Behesht Oasis once the political order was more stable.

In ancient Iran, these caravan inns were the backbone of the Silk Road. Along the trade routes, a commercial network composed of inns, like the long arms of a bazaar, brought prosperity and abundance to the barren deserts on the outskirts.

At the same time, these post stations generally had sturdy brick walls, barracks, stables, camel stables, watchtowers and other facilities. They not only provided shelter for caravans, travelers and pilgrims traveling east and west, but also served as strongholds for stationed troops and important hubs for information transmission.

Of course, the prerequisite for implementing this measure is to first eliminate the threat of the Jihadi faction and consolidate control over the Behesht Oasis.

……

With the arrival of more supplies and resources, Shahzani has gained the ability to further conquer cities and fortresses.

Meanwhile, military intelligence from the front lines was constantly being transmitted back.

According to intelligence, the Amin Mujahidi camp occupied by the Jihadi sect was not a tall and sturdy fortress. Its defensive walls were only a little over three meters high, made of rammed earth mixed with wooden piles. The walls not only lacked supporting defensive components such as crenellations, parapets, and battlements, but were also uneven and irregular in height.

Furthermore, since some of the troops in the camp have been eliminated, the camp's internal forces are now relatively weak.

Overall, the camp's defenses were already weak, and now they have been further weakened. There's no need to deploy heavy siege equipment like siege towers, gravity catapults, or ballistae; a few simple climbing ladders are all it takes to conquer the city.

"This poorly guarded outpost is far from impregnable, but I cannot let my guard down completely," Shahzani thought after summarizing the various intelligence reports.

Her considerations are actually quite pragmatic.

Since her transmigration, although she had led her troops to victory in several battles, all of them were open field battles. What was about to come, however, was an siege warfare battle she had never faced before.

Field battles are different from assault battles.

In open field battles, she can utilize the terrain to her advantage, leveraging the powerful heavy cavalry charge capabilities of her palace guards to decisively defeat unsuspecting or poorly trained enemies. Furthermore, she can quickly recruit a large contingent of troops and utilize system buffs to further enhance their combat effectiveness, ultimately crushing her opponents.

But during the crucial battle, everything changed.

First, her proud palace guards were unable to utilize the cavalry's offensive advantages and, in most cases, would have to dismount and fight on foot. Second, the defenders, with their superior position and advantage, could often contain the attackers with only a small force, making the battles intense and bloody. Even in cities with weak defenses, the attackers would often suffer greater losses and casualties.

Shahzani therefore concluded that a meticulous plan was necessary for the upcoming assault, but at the same time, it could not be delayed for too long. Otherwise, if reinforcements were sent from the enemy at Bab al-Jhadi fortress, the situation would undoubtedly become passive.

In the equipment camp next to the army camp.