bookandnovel Chapter 945 Jochi's Ambition
Chapter 945 Jochi's Ambition
Chapter 945 Jochi's Ambition
A tremendous power descended upon Hades, forming a semi-transparent, luminous humanoid figure. Lothar, in his avatar, descended upon Jeanne's side.
At this time, in Haditha, the double-headed eagle and the crucifixion flag were flying on the city walls and the altar of the sacred fire, while the Sassanid flags were trampled into dust and blood.
The streets were in a mess, littered with fallen corpses and scattered weapons.
At first glance, there were no signs of resistance.
Haditha was not merely a military fortress like Lakhba, but rather served as the main base for the Sasanian western border defense forces. Its fertile land and well-developed irrigation systems enabled it to accommodate tens of thousands of border troops.
In cities of this size, even if the gates are breached, it often takes several more days of street fighting to wipe out the remaining enemy forces.
"How is the situation now?"
"The enemy collapsed at the first contact, and only sporadic resistance remained in the city. The situation has basically stabilized."
Jeanne wasn't surprised by Losa's arrival. She touched his arm; the avatar was made entirely of energy, and the touch felt somewhat unreal.
Now, Lothar's exclusive artifact set has reached the level of "destined by fate". All the abilities attached to the artifact can be enhanced by 100%. The avatar, which originally only had half the strength of the original body, has also been multiplied in strength.
Although it does not possess the true dragon body of its original form, its combat power is still considerable.
"The road to Baghdad is now clear. The Sassanids have shown little skill in their last two battles, not even as good as Saladin's Mamluks. If we choose to continue our advance, we might even be able to take Baghdad."
Losa couldn't help but tap Jeanne on the forehead: "The most important thing for you now is to rest in Hades and wait for my main force to arrive."
The overseas empire used the pretext of holding a tournament in Aleppo to launch this surprise attack on the Sassanids, as a cover.
In other words, Jeanne's cavalrymen traveled from Aleppo to Haditha, a distance of nearly 800 kilometers, in just six days.
This long march had almost exhausted the Crusader cavalry's potential.
In other words, the cavalry corps commanded by Jeanne was composed of all of Lothar's special cavalry, except for the "Winged Hussars as the Emperor's Guard" and the Imperial Cavalry as mid-ranking officers, which enabled them to carry out such a surprise attack.
Ordinary Crusader cavalry would have died of exhaustion on the road long ago.
Jeanne raised an eyebrow: "But we didn't actually suffer any losses. We were just a little short of energy, but after a night's sleep and having the knights shine the holy light on us, we'll be full of energy again tomorrow."
The number of special cavalry that a Kingdom-level title can possess is three hundred. After Lothar became emperor, this number reached six hundred. In addition, the "Large-scale Standing Force" trait obtained from the Kingdom-level campaign that defeated Saladin adds another one hundred slots.
Currently, the maximum number of special units under Lothar's command has reached 700 for cavalry and 1,300 for infantry.
In addition, Lothar has acquired two more cavalry barracks buildings in the past three years, bringing the total number of special cavalry under Jeanne's command to as many as 6,300.
The heavy archer regiments, composed of "Armored Horsemen," "Iron Cavalry," and "Kheshig Cavalry," as well as the friars cavalry regiments composed of "Knights Templar," "Knights Hospitaller," and "Teutonic Knights," were all Lothar's old guard.
In addition to the "Sipahi Cavalry", the Lancers Regiment has added two new units: the "Hungarian Black Army Heavy Cavalry" and the "Burgundian Lancers".
The "Black Army" was the Hungarian standing mercenary army established by King Matthias I of Hungary, son of the Hungarian warrior Hunyati.
The cavalry force was mainly composed of hussars, but also included a heavy cavalry force capable of charging into battle. As these were commoner heavy cavalry, their equipment was generally not as luxurious as that of the imperial cavalry, which were aristocratic cavalry.
His role in the Black Army was also more of a support role, mainly assisting the Hussars in eliminating the Ottoman Sipahi cavalry.
But this doesn't mean they aren't strong in combat. These elite mercenaries, who fought their way out of piles of corpses, are now just as capable as other special cavalry after Lothar has replenished their equipment through the armory in the territory.
The Burgundian Lancers were a standing cavalry force established by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, modeled after Charles VII's "Imperial Cavalry." The two forces were similar in combat strength, with only slight differences in their tactics.
For example, both used "Lance" as their combat unit, but the number of soldiers and their professions were different. This was because Charles VII's Edict Cavalry mainly targeted the English in the Hundred Years' War, and consisted mainly of longbowmen and foot knights. Except in a few cases, there would almost never be a cavalry charge.
Nine cavalry companies, totaling 6,300 men, were Jeanne's only asset in this raid.
"Although this raid went smoothly, it was because we happened to catch the enemy in a gap while they were gathering their troops in Ctesi. Now our whereabouts have been exposed. If the Sassanids aren't a bunch of idiots, they will definitely be prepared to defend themselves."
Lothar said in a deep voice, "After Haditha, you'll be in the heart of Mesopotamia, where the density of towns and villages will increase. By the time you lead your men all the way to Baghdad, they will have already closed their gates."
For cavalry to win a siege, the right timing, location, and support are all indispensable.
If the Sassanids were to cut off his rear, even if he could bring his retinue to his aid at any time, he would still suffer heavy losses.
Jeanne said in a deep voice, "I'm worried that if we can't finish off the Sassanids quickly and decisively in this war, it will be disastrous once the Tatar nomadic cavalry passes through the pass of the Persian Plateau and enters the flat Mesopotamia."
Lothar frowned. Jeanne's concerns were not unfounded. Once the Sassanids realized that he posed too great a threat, they might no longer care about guarding the pass leading to the Persian Plateau, and might even deliberately divert the trouble westward, letting the Tatars in.
Although he signed an agreement with the Tatars, in which the overseas empire should rightfully obtain the entire Mesopotamian plain, the agreement was signed with the Tatar Khan, and at this time, the one in charge of the western expeditionary force was his eldest son, Jochi.
At this time, the eldest son of the Great Khan was building his own foundation with the help of his father. The Persian Plateau alone was probably not enough to satisfy the appetite of this eldest son of the Great Khan who was qualified to live in the "Golden Horde".
"If they really dare to come, let them come. We'll just trap them and beat them to a pulp."
"Moreover, aren't the Tatars besieging Isfahan right now? It's a fortified city, with the strongest defenses of the Sassanids in the east. It's not going to be easy to breach."
The Tatars absorbed artisans from the Liao, Jin, and Western Xia dynasties, and their siege weapon manufacturing level was unmatched by ordinary nomadic peoples.
But the Sassanids were, after all, an old hegemon who had dominated Central Asia for over a thousand years and whose lifespan was even longer than that of the Eastern Empire.
Lothar didn't expect them to hold out for six years like Xiangyang in his previous life, but ten days or half a month should be no problem, right?
Isfahan, Persian Plateau.
Boom——
The giant catapult launched a shell weighing over a hundred pounds, which grazed through the morning mist and slammed into the crenellations of the Isfahan city wall with a piercing whistle. Gray bricks and stones shattered like bones, and Persian soldiers hiding behind them were hit squarely in the torso by the shell and exploded into a cloud of blood mist.
The swaggering Tatar cavalry tied the heads of Persians to their saddles and drove men and women abducted from the surrounding villages and towns toward the city walls to serve as human shields for attacking the enemy.
Following them were the able-bodied men forcibly conscripted from the conquered tribes and towns. They carried crude weapons and siege equipment such as ladders, and closely followed these "meat shields." These people were the so-called "conscripts" and were often used as cannon fodder.
The troops sent by Ivan to Jochi's command were also conscripts, but there were different ranks among the conscripts. Compared to the laborers forcibly conscripted from conquered Persian towns, the tribes like Ivan's, who surrendered voluntarily, were far superior in terms of both weapons and equipment, as well as their treatment.
The Khan's eldest son, Jochi, stood outside his golden tent, silently observing the battlefield situation, like a silent statue.
Seeing that the conscripted troops were struggling and unable to make a breakthrough, he said, "The conscripted troops are about to give up. Once they withdraw, let the elite troops of our main force go into battle."
Beside him, the vanguard general Subutai frowned and said, "Jochi Nayan, have you been a bit too eager for quick results lately? If we besiege the city for another three days and let those conscripted soldiers wear down the enemy's strength, our losses will be much smaller."
Jochi couldn't help but laugh and said, "When did you become so good at calculating?"
Subutai said with some helplessness, "Jochi Nayan, I just can't read the ledgers, it's not like I can't count. If we suffer too many losses in this city, how can we continue our westward expedition in the future?"
Jochi was silent for a moment, then said softly, "The Ivan commander has sent back news that the Southern Fulin has concluded an agreement with Father Khan, and the entire Mesopotamia will belong to the Fulin people. Once they take over this place first, we will truly be unable to continue our westward expedition."
Are the Fulin people very strong?
Jochi said in a deep voice, "Yes, he is a formidable opponent. Not only does Commander Ivan say so, but Barth also thinks so."
"Even that arrogant guy Balth considers him a formidable opponent?"
"Yes."
Jochi sighed: "Do you think Father Khan doesn't want me to continue expanding my power? Otherwise, why would he make a treaty with the Fulin people?"
Subutai shook his head and said, "Jochi Nayan, you are overthinking it. I think the Great Khan just thinks the Fulin people are a formidable enemy and is worried that you will not be able to defeat them. Besides, even if we are blocked by the Fulin people, it does not mean that we cannot continue our westward expedition. There are still large areas of land west of the Irtysh River waiting for you to conquer."
Subutai was a typical Tatar general; he did not think that a bustling city was better than a pasture filled with the smell of horse manure.
On the contrary, he felt that these agricultural peoples who liked to hide in their shells were much more difficult to deal with than nomadic peoples like the Cumans in the west.
Jochi shook his head and said, "No, Mesopotamia is a land of plenty with abundant water and grass. If I take this place, I will gain countless riches and food to support my army. I must take this place."
After he finished speaking, he emphasized again, "Absolutely!"
Subutai wanted to persuade him further, but suddenly he understood why Jochi had made this decision.
It was not only to prove himself to the Great Khan, but also to retaliate against Chagatai's label of "Merkit bastard," and it also involved the deeper ambition of competing for the Khanate.
However, he clearly had no say in these internal affairs of the Golden Family.
“I understand. Since Jochi Nayan wants to take this city as soon as possible, I will personally lead the troops to the city walls after the conscripted soldiers have withdrawn!”
Jochi was silent for a moment, then patted the other man on the shoulder: "You must be careful. There are a few formidable figures among the Persians. I will have the Great Shaman provide cover for them."
Subutai grinned: "Don't worry, the person who can kill me hasn't been born yet."