The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 17 Siege of Isfahan ([-])

On March 3, shocking news came from Gulnabad. More than 9 Persian troops were defeated by less than 600 Afghan tribal troops. The Imperial Guards Commander Rostam Khan The governor of Lorestan, Ali Mardan Khan, was seriously injured, and his brother died in the battle. However, the arrogant and arrogant governor of Arabistan, Wali Said Abdullah Musasha, was still there. During the melee, he quickly fled the battlefield with more than ten thousand Arab cavalry under his command.In this battle, the Persian army lost more than [-] people, while the Afghans suffered almost no major losses, with only [-] casualties.

What was even more unacceptable to the Qi people was that six Qi military staff trainees in the Persian army died in this battle. Qiu Xiaochun, the chief artillery instructor and Lieutenant Colonel Linghui, was also beheaded by the Afghans on the spot.

"Are the Persians just a bunch of pigs?" Yu Yuanbin, commander of the second company of the 20rd Mixed Battalion and Yuwu Colonel (Captain), after listening to the battlefield briefing, cursed: "They have twice the strength of the Afghans, and they still have There are more than [-] army artillery pieces and thousands of muskets, but they were defeated by a group of ragged tribal nomads with extremely backward weapons! Moreover, the battlefield is located in the core area of ​​the empire, under the walls of the imperial capital. This... this damn thing It’s simply unbelievable!”

"That's right, a force of more than 4 people was defeated by the Afghans in less than half a day. They lost more than [-]% of their troops and almost discarded all their firearms. You know, the Afghans started in August last year. Troops were dispatched from Kandahar in May and have been fighting for more than eight months now. Whether it is the loss of weapons, the morale of the troops, or the physical and mental exhaustion, they have reached the limit of endurance. It can be said that they are at the end of their efforts. But yesterday in Gulnabad The result of this battle is really... really speechless!" Niu Changhao, commander of the fourth company of the [-]rd Mixed Battalion and captain of the Imperial Martial Arts School, shook his head and said bitterly.

"In fact, based on our subsequent battlefield deductions and analysis of the formations of both sides, the Afghans should have been prepared to escape at any time before the war started. After all, the Afghans were in an absolute disadvantage in terms of number of people and weapons and equipment. At a disadvantage." Feng Peicai, the tactical staff officer of the [-]rd Mixed Battalion and the Royal Martial Arts School Captain, sighed, "But the intrigues between several Persian generals made all their advantages disappear. Coach Mohammed Ku The main force of Li Khan's central army stood still. Wari Said, who led more than [-] Arab cavalry, only focused on looting the Afghans' rear camps and looting property. The commander of the Janissaries, Rostam, underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly. The Persian central army also attacked the artillery. The position was not provided with any protection or rescue...all of which resulted in the Persian defeat."

"..."

"What's the current situation in Isfahan?" Battalion Commander Yan Shaowu waved his hand to stop the officers from continuing the discussion, and turned to look at Yin Shenghui, the person in charge of the black guards stationed in Isfahan.

"The entire city of Isfahan has implemented a city-wide curfew, and all city gates have been closed. No entry or exit is allowed during the day or at night. We are temporarily unable to receive any news from the city." Yin Shenghui responded.

"As a diplomatic mission from the State of Qi, can't we open the city gate?"

"After yesterday's defeat, the Persians have become frightened. No one is allowed to enter the city, for fear that the Afghans will kill them."

"Aren't the Afghans still staying in the Gulnabad camp?" Yan Shaowu asked in surprise: "Didn't the Persians send out sentries and scouts to keep an eye on the Afghans?"

"Persians..." Yin Shenghui showed a wry smile on his face, shook his head and said, "They were probably frightened by the Afghans and didn't dare to step out of the city at all."

"A bunch of cowards!" Niu Changhao swore contemptuously. "Even though the Persian army lost [-]% of their troops, their remaining troops still outnumbered the Afghans. What is that name... the governor of Said, is not in his hands Are there nearly ten thousand Arab cavalry? Rush out of the city and have a fair fight with the Afghans. Even if they can't defeat them, they will at least consume half of the opponent's strength. In this situation, the Afghans may have no choice but to flee back. Kandahar! Tell me, why are the Persians huddled in the city like this?"

"Okay, okay, if the Persians are defeated, they are defeated, and we don't need to worry about it anymore." Yan Shaowu said loudly: "Now, we must be prepared to stick to the trading station for a long time. Now, according to my Daqi War The current regulations stipulate that I declare the entire trading station to be under military control. Everyone must obey military orders, and any behavior must be reported. However, anyone who does not respect military orders will be dealt with according to military law."

As he spoke, Yan Shaowu glanced around at the shopkeepers and managers of several trading companies present, with an unmistakable expression on his face that made people tremble when they looked at them. "In view of yesterday's battle in Gulnabad, the Afghans may have captured all the artillery of the Persian army, which may pose a serious and fatal threat to our trading station. Therefore, I order all officers, soldiers and trading company personnel to start immediately , comprehensively reinforce the peripheral defense facilities of the commercial station. ... How to implement it will be planned and supervised by the tactical staff officer throughout the process."

"Yes, sir!"

"In addition, based on the efforts of surrounding villages and towns to collect food, food rationing will be implemented for all personnel in the trading station to cope with the possible long-term siege."

"Is it... everyone?" Yin Shenghui carefully confirmed: "Those customers in the business station..."

"...Everyone!" Yan Shaowu knew that he was hinting at Prince Abbas's family who had been transferred to the trading station. After pondering for a moment, he said resolutely: "All personnel are provided with daily needs in accordance with wartime rationing regulations. No exceptions.”
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"Hadadi, do you think the Qi people can protect our safety?" Prince Abbas Mirza stood in front of the window, watching several Qi people carrying bags of sand and soil into the courtyard, and then stacking them in the empty space in the middle. On the ground, he knew that these actions were in response to the enemy's fire attack.All exposed firewood and igniting materials in the yard were artificially covered, and several large water tanks purchased in an emergency were filled with water.It has to be admitted that the people of Qi have made all preparations very meticulously in the face of the possible battle.

"Your Highness, the people of Qi can definitely protect the safety of all of us. Even if they only have a few hundred people, and the place they are defending is not a tall and strong castle, I still firmly believe that under their protection, we will be very safe." Aba Prince Si's loyal butler Haddadi Payam said softly.

"Where does your confidence come from?" Prince Abbas turned to look at this loyal old servant and asked with a smile: "Is it because they defeated the Omanis in a short time?"

"Your Highness, the strength of the Qi people is not only reflected in the fact that they can defeat the Omanis very easily." Haddadi Payam showed a fascinating expression on his face, "15 years ago, I visited with the imperial mission Qi State, what I saw and heard along the way shocked me deeply, and I deeply realized the huge gap between the empire and Qi State. The vast overseas territories they occupied, the number of vassal states and princely states they controlled, and the number of warships and merchant ships they owned The scale is unimaginable to all of us.”

“The Karat Khanate, which is eyeing Balochistan on the southeastern border of our empire, behaves like a servant in front of Qi; the Mughal Empire, which once ruled the entire Indian continent, also shows a respectful and humble attitude towards Qi; The rebellious Maratha Kingdom is like a submissive kitten, not daring to show any sign of disobedience; the entire kingdom of southern India respects the orders of Qi; and the wealthy Bengal has become a colony of Qi Territory, the succession of rulers and the establishment of finance and taxation are all decided by the people of Qi; the once chaotic Nanyang Islands and Tubang Kingdoms were placed under the direct jurisdiction of Qi and became their imperial territory ."

"As for their homeland of Hanzhou, it is a country that is constantly spewing out material and wealth. Their cities are dotted with countless huge factories, and the roaring machines make deafening sounds day and night. Pieces of steel ingots, pieces of steel, Pieces of cotton cloth, barrels of cane sugar, pieces of exquisite handicrafts... are continuously produced by factories. Their pastures are scattered with as many cattle and sheep as stars, and various kinds of crops are planted in the endless farmland. Vigorous crops. The criss-crossing roads and railways extend endlessly on the vast Hanzhou continent. Their citizens enjoy the best material treatment in the world, and almost all of them have experienced formal school education. You can easily read all kinds of books and newspapers. What’s even more amazing is that you rarely see helpless beggars and refugees in Qi State.”

"Although the size of Qi's army is very small, it seems that it does not exceed 5 people. But they can quickly mobilize and assemble hundreds of thousands of troops with their strong national strength. In addition, Qi also controls and controls dozens of Vassal states and vassal states can recruit large numbers of servant troops at any time to participate in any war they fight. As far as I know, Qi can easily mobilize tens of thousands of servant troops and countless troops in the Indian region alone. War supplies.”

"Hiss..." Prince Abbas took a breath secretly and was speechless.After a while, he nodded slightly and asked quietly: "In this case, can we use the power of Qi to completely change the future political situation of the empire?"

(End of this chapter)