I was the Queen of Persia

Page 135

These soldiers came from various "separate tribes" such as city-states, kingdoms, and settled oases conquered by Turan. They were divided into infantry, cavalry, artisan-armored soldiers, and other branches, with a complex composition and varying equipment quality. The best were comparable to the Khan's personal guard, while the worst were like lowly herdsmen. Regardless of their equipment, their status in the Turan military system was quite low. They could only participate in battle as rank-and-file soldiers and could not hold high-ranking military command.

Of course, this is only a very rough classification; a more detailed breakdown would reveal a much greater complexity and diversity. After all, the Turan Khanate was a vast empire with diverse tribes and beliefs, and its military system was far from simple.

……

at the same time.

From the perspective of the Iranian Samanid Empire.

Shahzani is also actively preparing for the match.

The army of the Samanid Empire in Iran was already quite powerful and well-organized. However, times are always changing, and military systems that were still in use a few years ago may need to be adapted now.

Therefore, while maintaining overall stability, Shahzani was also making appropriate and localized adjustments and reforms to the military.

Here is a brief summary of the current state of military development in the Samanid Empire:

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First, the Shahr Guard.

It was composed of the most loyal Persian Horamis officials and commoners, and all of them were young and strong women.

Currently, it comprises 15 regiments with 1.5 men. Its military equipment and warhorses are supplied by the Empire on a priority basis. The men and horses are fully armored and well-equipped, making it an elite force and the main striking force of the Iranian Steel Group Army.

The powerful steel torrent they form is enough to spread like wildfire and tear apart the opponent's impregnable defenses.

She can also transform into a "war dancer" with a thin veil and bare skin, first seducing enemy officers with her alluring beauty, and then killing them by relying on her steel-like muscles beneath her seductive appearance.

Advantages: Ironclad army, well-armored, with a fiery offensive and an overwhelming force.

Disadvantages: The maintenance costs are staggering, requiring substantial financial support.

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Second, Savaran heavy cavalry.

It was formed by integrating heavy cavalry from major cavalry provinces such as Transoxiana, Khorasan, Fars, Isfahan, and Khwarazm. Given its characteristics, Shahzani continued to use the term "Savaran"—a designation used for Iranian-style cavalry—to name this branch of the military.

Composed of men and women who highly support the Saman regime, with male soldiers making up 35% and female soldiers making up 65%.

Because of the high requirements for martial arts and horsemanship, most of the officers and soldiers came from the military landowning class and had a foundation of extensive martial arts training in Iranian "power martial arts schools" from a young age. The officers and soldiers were registered and organized according to their respective jurisdictions and regularly received training from the local military authorities, but their equipment, food, and pay were all supplied and issued by the state.

If the Shahr Guard is the top elite of the Saman armored forces, then Savaran is the main force of Iran's armored forces, with a total of 15 troops.

Thanks to the continued improvement of the Empire's productivity, the equipment level is also more powerful: 40% of the men and horses are covered in steel armor, 30% wear half-body vests, and 30% wear leather or fabric vests.

Advantages: Heavy armor, well-trained soldiers, proficient in both ranged and melee combat, high cost-effectiveness.

Disadvantages: High maintenance costs, requiring substantial financial support.

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Third, the "Sipahi" standing mobilization force.

"Sipahi" is a Persian word meaning "soldier".

Shahzani deeply integrated the existing Basij militia with the standing army, critically drawing on the useful experience of later conscription systems, and supplementing it with Iranian "Shubi" patriotic ideology and Khorami religious support, thus forming this upgraded standing army force.

This branch of the military has the largest number of personnel, with 50 men and women in peacetime. If a general mobilization is carried out in wartime to supplement the military with a large number of reserve men and women, the number could theoretically increase to more than 500 million (of course, that would seriously affect economic development).

It is divided into lightly armed troops, mediumly armed troops, and heavily armed troops; it is divided into sword and shield infantry, spear infantry, archer infantry, lancer cavalry, melee cavalry, horse archer cavalry... In short, the system is comprehensive, but the main force is various infantry responsible for pushing forward the front line.

Advantages: Large numbers, strong ability to rapidly increase troop numbers, easy to replenish, and adept at depleting the enemy's manpower.

Disadvantages: Most are conscripted soldiers, with average individual combat ability, and they will be at a disadvantage when fighting against professional warriors.

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Fourth, "those who bathe in sand".

It was formed by integrating the original Hamdan Dynasty's Scorpion Guard, the original Sham Assassin Army, and the enemy-held special forces supported by the original Sahini, and was provided with better weapons and supplies.

Primarily used to find weaknesses in the enemy's defenses, small teams, under the cover of long-range weapons and siege equipment, would seize opportunities to breach the lines, infiltrate, and carry out assassinations, sabotage, and create chaos within the enemy ranks.

Skilled in assassination, concealment, and disguise, he is adept at using complex terrain such as city walls, houses, mountains, and hills to outmaneuver the enemy.

Advantages: High mobility, stealth, and survivability.

Disadvantages: Soldiers are expensive and difficult to mass-produce; they struggle to fight armored enemy troops head-on and are ineffective against enemy troops in formation.

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Fifth, the "Fire Phoenix" unit.

The fire phoenix is ​​Smoker, the Persian god of fire.

The gunpowder weapons unit, with Chinese skilled soldiers as the research and development backbone and Iranian skilled soldiers as the main force, is in charge of the research, development, construction, use and improvement of various explosive/incendiary weapons such as explosive explosives, "Naftan" fuel weapons, rocket vehicles, and fire kites.

Advantages: Highly destructive and deterrent.

Disadvantages: As a strategic deterrent force, it requires extra protection and is vulnerable in close combat, so it must be escorted by other units.

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……

This is only a very rough division, not including many special units such as the Seljuk cavalry. If we break it down further, there are many fine branches under each military branch, which would probably take days and nights to explain.

In short.

In the square of Jahan Shah, the capital city, red flags fluttered and military formations stretched out between the Persian-style arched gates and the massive dome.

Shahzani, in the manner of a queen of kings, inspected the latest branches of the armed forces.

Chapter 317: They struck first!

January and February of 1024 AD.

The Turan Khanate gathered more Persianized Turkic-Mongol nomadic troops, eyeing the region covetously.

The armies of nomadic empires sometimes choose to launch large-scale attacks on settled civilized areas in winter. On the one hand, this is because the warhorses have generally gained weight and are now strong and healthy; on the other hand, the rivers are frozen in the cold winter, which is conducive to the rapid passage of cavalry groups.

Although the Turan Khanate had established some arms and handicraft industries, it was essentially a nomadic political system and retained many of the habits of nomadic military organizations.

Intelligence relayed back by the forward scouts.

Shahzani deduced that Turan's army was divided into three routes.

The first force, consisting of 10 troops, was assembled in the former capital of the Karakhanid Dynasty, Balasagun-Seven Rivers region, to launch a major attack on the northeastern province of Shash.

The second force, consisting of 10 troops, was assembled in cities such as Zandi and Sighnahey in the middle reaches of the Syr Darya River, and was to launch a major attack on the Transoxiana province.

The third force, consisting of 9 troops, was assembled northwest of the Khorezm Sea (Aral Sea) to launch a major attack on Khorezm and Taystan Province.

Of course, given the Turan Khanate's unique nature of combining military and civilian forces, all participating troops were only tentative and would certainly change as the war progressed.

Moreover, intelligence analysis revealed that this nomadic army was significantly more powerful:

Their organization was highly disciplined, with perfect coordination between advance and retreat. They possessed more armor and powerful bows, significantly increasing their armor coverage. In terms of overall strength, they were likely superior to the armed forces of any nomadic khanate in the past. Even compared to the former Karakhanid Dynasty, they were several levels stronger.

Shahzani was well aware of Aknuar's ambitions and methods. She also knew that this would be a tough war. To win, she could not be too concerned about the gains and losses of a single city or town. She had to learn from Stalin's great military experience—to be flexible, adaptable, and have a long-term vision, focusing on annihilating the enemy's manpower.

……

Seven Rivers Grassland, Balasagunya Tent.

Military tents were scattered across the fields, and herds of livestock accompanying the army covered the grasslands.

The banners of the Turkic, Turanian, and Tatar tribes fluttered in the wind, displaying a dazzling array of "Tanga" (symbols of nomadic peoples)—wolf heads, golden eagles, winged snow leopards, ram horns, the eternal flame…

The most striking feature is the nine-branched sacred tree banner standing in the center of the army, which is the symbol of the Khan's personal guard.

This legion, personally led by Aknuar, will soon be the main force in the attack.

Within the vast military camp, slave laborers were everywhere, coming from diverse backgrounds—prisoners of war, convicts, impoverished herders who had lost their livestock, artisans captured from settled areas, and so on. Under the angry shouts and whippings of the overseers, they mechanically and numbly forged various war machines for the Turan army.

"Make these arrows before sunset, or you'll be whipped!"

The Turanian officer, dressed in fur lamellar armor, wearing a tall felt hat, and with more than a dozen braids tied behind his head, raised his leather whip in a threatening gesture.

The troops were arrayed like a forest, and their commands were like thunder.

The archers and cavalry circled around and fired in unison, their arrows like swarms of locusts.

The heavy cavalry charged forward in formation, their momentum unstoppable.

Aknuar inspected the camp and was very satisfied. This was the fierce Turkic army that had inherited Avrashiyab's will. Only with such a powerful cavalry could the swords of the Turan Khanate be pointed as far as the horses' hooves could reach.

"Khan," the officer who had gone to investigate reported, "the Persians have very weak forces deployed in Baishuihu City, and there are no signs of a large-scale reinforcement in the near future."

"Good!" Aknuar was overjoyed. "Let's storm their cities, crush their houses, and finally the Turan Khanate's battle flag will fly over Transoxiana!"

The massive Turan army continued its southward march, posing an even greater threat to the Samanid border cities.

……

The Samanid Empire's frontier, Baishui Hu City.

In the north of Shash Province, winters are always bitterly cold, much colder than in Central Asia and Khorasan. Cold currents blow southward from the Turan steppe, sometimes accompanied by blizzards.

"call--!"

The Samanid soldiers standing guard on the watchtower of the city wall kept rubbing their hands together and occasionally breathing out warm air in an attempt to ward off the bitter cold.

"Stay alert, soldiers!" a passing patrol officer warned. "Beware of a Turan attack! They're massing on the northern grasslands and could move south at any moment!"

"As you command, sir!" The sentry immediately straightened his posture, but still seemed somewhat unimpressed.

Since the fall of the Karakhanid dynasty twenty years ago, Iran's national strength has grown steadily, and the Turan people in the north have never dared to launch a full-scale invasion southward again. At most, they only dare to cross the border and plunder those undefended villages, and then flee in a flash after looting.

Baishuihu City is a well-equipped fortress; how could it be so easily conquered? Even if Turan's army were to attack, it would take at least three to five months to besiege the city, by which time reinforcements would have already arrived to provide assistance.

However, as if God had denied his conjecture, the cold fog dissipated, his vision cleared, and the scene that appeared on the distant plains left him dumbfounded.

The vast Turan army filled the plains, and the dense banners almost blotted out the sky.

"Almighty God!"

The sentry immediately came to his senses and hurriedly struck the war drums and cymbals, making a piercing sound to warn others.

at the same time.

The Turan Khanate army on the opposite side also launched a full-scale attack.

Swift mounted archers charged and maneuvered rapidly, raining deadly bullets down on the city walls. A large number of heavy and terrifying siege weapons—catapults, ladders, catapults, etc.—were also quickly assembled.

Large numbers of vassal regime troops—conscripted cannon fodder infantry groups—charged at the forefront of the battle, offsetting the long-range weapon damage from the Samanid army.

The Samanid army immediately retaliated, with arrow towers and defensive ballistae on the city walls firing at the enemy. However, the Turan army's attack was well-prepared and far more intense than before. The Samanid defenders were pinned down and unable to raise their heads.

Finally, after two days and nights of fierce fighting, the Turan army broke through the city walls from multiple points and poured into the city. The Samanid army was defeated and retreated, and the city fell into the hands of the Turan Khanate.

This day was January 19, 1024 AD, the 29th of the month of Tay in the Persian calendar.

The Turan Khanate broke the non-aggression pact and launched an offensive against the Samanid Empire's Baishuihu City region. Taking advantage of its strong military force and the frozen rivers, the Turan army advanced in two directions to encircle and outflank the city, quickly capturing Baishuihu City and several surrounding fortresses.

The war had officially begun.

The news reached Jahanshahr.

"Hmph, God above, they struck first! Then don't blame the Empire's righteous army for a strong counterattack. Immediately launch a large-scale mobilization in the northern provinces and strengthen combat readiness!" Shahzani said angrily.

She already had a general idea of ​​how to advance the war.

Chapter 318 The Dargan Counterattack

Shahzani had to admit that she had miscalculated somewhat.

She knew that the steppe cavalry group possessed great mobility, but she still did not expect that the Turan army would advance so quickly and have such a greatly improved siege capability that several important border towns and the Malzban border area would soon fall into their hands.

In short, the Turan Khanate had been preparing for a long time, possessed considerable strength, and its cavalry's mobility was comparable to that of the Samanid Empire's mobilization efficiency. Therefore, in the early stages of the war, the Turan Khanate made rapid progress.

In Shash province, Turan's army advanced rapidly, capturing many cities and besieging the important military towns of Tashkent and Benakhte.

In Khwarazm and Daystan provinces, Turan's army crossed the Usthurst steppe and approached Urgench.

In the Transoxiana region, the Turan army crossed the roads of the Kyzylkum Desert and launched a fierce attack.

……

However, despite the opponent's fierce attack, Shahzani was still aware of their weaknesses. She calmly analyzed the situation and quickly found their flaws—

Middle road.