Ch.175Unstoppable Momentum (3)

The Ulus’s military activities had turned the Persian region into a cauldron of chaos.

This was because even Khwarezm, known as the strongest part of the Seljuk Empire, had already surrendered.

As a result, all the minor atabeys remaining in the Iranian region gathered here in Hamadan to discuss what they should do.

“If things continue like this, we’ll all be annihilated by these nomads.”

“We are originally nomads ourselves, so perhaps if we ask for mercy, they might spare us.”

“Ha! To think of surrendering without even fighting! How dare you suggest surrender!”

Currently, the atabeys were divided into three factions: those who favored war, those who favored peace, and those who remained neutral.

The war faction consisted of atabeys with considerable power who wanted to protect their interests through war against the infidel crusaders called Mongols.

Opposite to the war faction was the peace faction who wanted to protect their territories and wealth.

They intended to maintain their rights by surrendering to the demands of the infidel crusaders.

The neutral faction, not belonging to either group, was simply watching the situation carefully, ready to shift their position depending on circumstances.

In any case, since it was difficult to speak with one voice, the discussions in Hamadan seemed almost meaningless.

“Enough!”

At this, one atabey rose to his feet.

Everyone turned their heads to look at him.

“This is not the time. If we don’t speak with one voice, those vicious nomads will devour us.”

“Do you have the power to defeat those nomads?”

“Do you have a plan?”

“Not yet. But if we join hands and fight together, we will be victorious.”

Everyone chose silence in response to the man’s words lacking any concrete plan.

After all, saying they could win if they combined forces was too abstract.

This wasn’t a heroic epic.

It wasn’t a story where a hero appears, says “let’s all join forces and win,” and suddenly victory follows.

The core issue was this:

None of those present had the ability to face these suddenly appearing nomads.

No one wanted to admit it, but reality was harsh.

Either resist or submit.

There were only two choices.

At this, an old man sitting next to the man who had stood up rose to his feet.

He looked at the man who had boldly suggested resisting together.

“I don’t have the strength to resist. And since many follow me, I have only one choice.”

After saying this, the old man left.

Seeing him leave, others who had been watching carefully also stood up.

“I hope you make a wise choice.”

“May Allah’s blessing be with you.”

With these words, all those belonging to the peace faction left.

The man wanted to condemn them, but the expressions of the remaining war faction and neutral faction members were not good.

If he condemned those who left, the neutral faction would likely leave as well.

Then the man would have to face the nomads with only a small war faction.

So instead of condemning them, he spoke of hope.

“They conquered the Ghaznavid dynasty and Khwarezm quickly, building their power. But they don’t know the geography of this area well. If we meet the enemy at the fortress near Hamadan, we can win.”

The man encouraged the atabeys with these words.

Those who heard him made no response.

* * *

“This is the place, Gurkhan.”

I nodded at Tekish’s words.

And I looked at the city radiating brilliant light.

“So that’s Hamadan.”

It was the capital of the Seljuk Turks and a city that had exerted influence in the Iranian region for a long time.

Of course, Baghdad was a more important city, but the Seljuks had focused all their efforts here after losing influence there to the Ayyubid dynasty.

“That place is an impregnable fortress. I recommend attacking first with siege engines and then surrounding it with cavalry.”

I nodded at Tekish’s words.

His suggestion was a direct approach.

When attacking a city with such thick walls, comparable to those of the Jin Dynasty, it was necessary to use both siege and encirclement appropriately.

“The Khan of Khwarezm is right. However, that would take too much time, so I’d like to use another method.”

I said this while examining Hamadan.

And I observed the busy procession moving around it.

“Muqali.”

“At your command, Gurkhan.”

“Capture those people. If they resist, you may kill them.”

“Understood.”

At this, Muqali raised his hand.

Then the hundred-man unit following him gathered.

“Brothers, follow me. We will carry out the Khagan’s orders!”

The Mongol warriors responded by raising their swords.

About 10 minutes after Muqali led the thousand-man unit away, we encountered people riding horses decorated with elaborate ornaments.

I immediately gestured for an interpreter.

“Find out who they are.”

“Yes, Gurkhan.”

When the interpreter translated, the answer came immediately.

They were counts or dukes who had been in conference at Hamadan, had declared separation from the war faction, and had left Hamadan to surrender to me.

“Surrender, is it.”

“It seems the news of the conquest of Khwarezm and the Ghaznavid dynasty has spread.”

Indeed, it was natural for them to react sensitively since the regional powers had been conquered in just three days.

So I nodded and gestured for their disarmament.

The Kheshig rushed to confiscate their swords and armor, and also removed anything sharp as a precaution.

Thus, the atabeys were brought before me.

The one who appeared to be the oldest bowed to me and introduced himself.

“Great ruler, may Allah’s blessing be with you. I am Iskandar, the Atabey of Isfahan.”

Iskandar was the Arabic pronunciation of Alexander the Conqueror.

Anyway, I addressed the old man who introduced himself as Iskandar.

“Iskandar of Isfahan. I heard you came to surrender to me.”

“That is correct.”

With those words, the old man gestured to the atabeys behind him.

As if they had been waiting, the atabeys displayed gold and silver treasures.

“Lord of the four seas, we know well that these treasures are insufficient. We will pay more tribute later, so please accept our surrender.”

Myrrh, various jewels, and things like sugar caught my eye.

To me, it was truly a paltry tribute.

In the old days when I lived on the Mongolian steppe, I would have gladly accepted such tribute because we were so poor.

But after conquering Western Xia and Western Liao, not to mention the wealthy Jin Dynasty of central China, all this seemed trivial.

Of course, I didn’t show it outwardly.

I simply raised my hand with an expressionless face to accept this tribute.

“I have received your tribute well. However, like the Khan of Khwarezm beside me, you too must participate in the Ulus’s expedition.”

“Participate in the expedition… you say?”

“Yes. You must draft soldiers and be responsible for their weapons and supplies. If you violate this, the Ulus’s iron hammer will be directed at you, not the enemy.”

The old man nodded at this.

Apparently, he noticed that Tekish was serving in my army for that very reason.

“I swear to fulfill the given duties.”

“Good.”

After saying this, I made the sign of the cross to the sultans.

And I waved a flag with a cross on it three times.

“You have received God’s forgiveness for your sins. Therefore, I swear not to interfere with your religion, customs, or traditions, and this will continue as long as you fulfill your duties.”

At my words, Isfahan’s face brightened considerably.

As I keep mentioning, vassal states or dependencies were treated very poorly in this era.

Typically, they would suffer near-exploitation and occasionally lose their country or be annexed when the suzerain state crossed the line.

But the Ulus spoke as if it had no interest in this land and promised not to infringe on their rights, so they couldn’t help but be pleased.

“Thank you, Khagan.”

“Now return to your lands. And send armies to participate in the Ulus’s great expedition.”

At Yesugei’s words, the atabeys nodded.

And they returned to their territories under the escort of Ulus soldiers.

* * *

“So now all that remains is Hamadan.”

I said this while looking at the map.

As I keep mentioning, I was originally a person who talked to myself a lot. So I often talked to myself even when alone like this.

That way I could check for myself what strategy I would develop.

“If we crush Hamadan, the entire Iranian region will fall into the hands of the Ulus.”

It was practically all conquered already, but since there were still those who opposed Ulus rule, we had to conquer this place.

And I planned to kill them horribly as an example to instill fear of the Ulus in this region.

That way we could maintain stable troop and material supplies while on our crusade.

“Otherwise, we’d have to gather troops from the Great Capital again.”

Casualties in war were inevitable.

But the difference between local supply and supply from the home base was like heaven and earth.

So I absolutely wanted to receive supplies locally.

That way, as planned earlier, we could proceed unhindered whether we went to Egypt, the Anatolian peninsula, or the land of the Rus.

“After conquering Hamadan, I’ll have to erase it.”

The best way to instill fear was violence.

And that meant thorough violence that would prevent anyone from even daring to challenge us.

It wasn’t good to use such coercive methods, but since rebellions in the mountainous Iranian territory would be troublesome, I had no choice but to take a strong stance.

“Besides, Hamadan has already been destroyed several times…”

Hamadan had been a city continuously ruled by various peoples since it was the capital during ancient Media.

As a result, various peoples would completely demolish this city to create new laws and new buildings.

Because of this, Hamadan could be seen as a city that merely maintained its existence rather than one where history and tradition lived on.

“This is just right. That way I won’t have to burn Baghdad.”

I thought it was fortunate that the atabeys were resisting here.

As in the original history, I could move sanctuaries of learning like the House of Wisdom, the Mustansiriya Madrasa, and the Nizamiyya to the Great Capital.

“If I absorb those without destroying them and then conquer Southern Song, even an industrial revolution might not be impossible.”

If the tremendous knowledge combined with Southern Song’s technology and manpower…

With good management, Mongolia might reach the industrial revolution before Europe.