Ch.180Middle East (2)

Temujin looked at me with a surprised expression.

And he didn’t hold back his praise for my achievements.

“Father’s achievements are worthy of being immortalized by all bards.”

“It’s better not to gild my face too much. That way you’ll feel less burdened when you inherit my position.”

At my joking words, Temujin scratched his cheek.

Then he looked at Hamadan, which had been completely reduced to ashes by fire.

“Are you planning to leave that place as it is?”

“Yes. Leaving it that way will ensure the atabegs in Persia never resist me again.”

I said this while looking at the ash-covered walls of Hamadan.

Terribly burned corpses were hanging there.

It was a hideous sight, but leaving them there would instill fear in others.

Fear was an excellent tool for control.

However, overusing it could cause people to resent me.

Therefore, when using fear, it had to be short, concise, and visible to everyone.

“You did the same thing in Lahore.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Well done. Thanks to you, others won’t suffer greater damage.”

I said this while making the sign of the cross.

Temujin nodded and made the sign of the cross as well.

“Now let’s head to Baghdad, son.”

“Baghdad, you say?”

“Yes. We’ll occupy it and use it as an outpost. That location is close to the sea, making it convenient for operating ships, and it’s near Iranian territory, making it easier to receive supplies and troops.”

“As expected of you, Father.”

Temujin nodded, understanding what I meant.

Then he turned his head to relay this information to Jelme, Jebe, and Jamukha.

The three men began gathering troops and then dividing them into three groups again.

“Are you dividing the troops?”

“Yes, Father. I plan to divide the forces and attack Baghdad from all directions.”

“Good thinking. But I’d like to know your reasoning.”

“According to the information I’ve gathered, Baghdad is similar to Western Liao territory. That means it’s suitable for cavalry tactics, so I thought it appropriate to maximize our attack methods.”

Hearing this, I thought that Genghis Khan truly deserved his reputation.

I had made my judgment based on future knowledge and information from merchants, but Temujin had reached a similar conclusion using his instincts and gathered intelligence.

How remarkable this was needed no further explanation.

Of course, one could argue that other generals could do this too.

But I had only just told Temujin about occupying Baghdad.

This meant Temujin hadn’t known about it before. Yet he had either predicted my intention to occupy this place or had already gathered information, and was even able to quickly adapt his strategy and tactics accordingly. His leadership truly seemed like a heaven-sent talent.

“Impressive. So what tactics do you plan to use when occupying Baghdad?”

“Siege tactics. And simultaneously, I’ll offer them surrender.”

“Surrender? Do you think they will surrender?”

“Yes. By now, news of Hamadan and Lahore must have reached them. So they must be feeling fear toward the Ulus. If we show them a bit of mercy, they will surrender immediately.”

“Your reasoning makes sense. But this seems like too favorable a judgment for us. If you can give me one more reason why they would surrender, I’ll follow your opinion.”

It was difficult to move an entire army based on just one reason.

So I posed an additional question to test my son.

I wanted to know what information my son had that made him so confident Baghdad would surrender.

“They have much to protect.”

“Much to protect?”

“Yes. When I sent spies to gather information about Baghdad, the first thing they reported was that Baghdad is a splendid city and a city of learning.”

“What does that have to do with surrender?”

“Buildings built with wealth and honor can be rebuilt. But towers of knowledge are difficult to restore. Therefore, they will want to protect the knowledge their ancestors have accumulated, and they fear that this heritage will be destroyed by us, whom they see as little more than barbarians.”

“…”

I could only nod at my son’s logical answer.

Who would want to see what they’ve built destroyed?

The answer to that was that no one would.

Even when a house or barn one built was destroyed by others, it brought tears of blood.

So what would these people think if houses of wisdom or universities, where the wisdom of ancestors had accumulated over many years, were destroyed?

They would surely cry out in despair.

Therefore, to protect this knowledge, they would likely choose to surrender rather than resist us.

Usually, those with more to lose are more likely to surrender.

“That’s why I will offer to preserve their religion and knowledge, and spare them.”

“What will you do if they refuse?”

To this, Temujin smiled faintly.

Then, pointing to Hamadan, he murmured coldly:

“Burn it all to the ground.”

* * *

Baghdad, the cradle of Islam and sanctuary of knowledge, was in great turmoil.

This was because news had arrived that the Iranian region, territory of the Seljuk Turks, had been completely occupied by suddenly appearing Crusaders.

“Is that rumor really true?”

“I still can’t believe it. How could such vast territory be conquered in just two weeks?”

“Indeed. Even though the Seljuks have weakened, this seems impossible.”

The iqtas were saying such things, half-doubting that Iranian land had fallen into the hands of infidels.

“I have a close acquaintance who is a Venetian merchant, and he says this is true.”

“You believe the words of an infidel?”

“He is a Venetian, an infidel. Moreover, he’s a corrupt merchant who would do anything for money.”

“Still, this is the only way to get information in the current situation, so we have no choice.”

The scholars nodded at this.

And soon they began talking about the atabegs who had resisted the Mongols.

“Those who resisted met a terrible death, I hear.”

“Yes. I heard the entire city of Hamadan was burned down.”

“Vicious bastards… truly children of the devil.”

Everyone continued to denounce the Ulus.

At that moment, one man shook his head and addressed everyone.

“I heard they only killed the atabegs and soldiers who resisted. They spared all the citizens of Hamadan and even let live the soldiers who surrendered and laid down their weapons.”

“Even so, won’t they still be slaves?”

“That’s right.”

“That’s not true. The infidels demanded that the atabegs who surrendered first take responsibility for their people, and additionally ordered them to distribute livestock and homes. So he can be said to be a person who knows mercy.”

“Would such a being commit the dishonorable act of throwing corpses?”

“I have no intention of defending them. I just want to suggest surrender.”

“Surrender?”

“Yes. This place is where the essence of our Islamic knowledge is gathered.”

Everyone nodded at the iqta’s words.

This was because this place was indeed the center of knowledge, worthy of being called the tower of wisdom.

In any case, if such a place were to fall to the Mongols, all of Islam could collapse.

This was because the library contained original scriptures of Islamic doctrine.

Religion was both faith and scholarship.

Therefore, it was always necessary to preserve the original texts to prevent the doctrine from being distorted by malicious people.

That was the duty of a scholar.

“If it means saving this place, I would surrender.”

“How can you beg for mercy from such barbarians?”

“Aren’t you ashamed?”

“Not at all. If we burn the knowledge built by our ancestors because of petty pride, then such pride is worthless.”

The iqtas began to be moved by the man’s passionate speech.

This was because the iqtas here were not only local lords but also scholars.

Therefore, they understood the importance of scholarship better than anyone.

“I believe everyone here is a scholar. So I believe everyone knows the value of this place.”

“…”

“Knowledge is a lighthouse that illuminates darkness. I hope everyone realizes that it should not disappear due to violence.”

The iqtas nodded at this.

Then the oldest iqta stepped forward.

“That young iqta is right. We are scholars before we are lords. Therefore, we have a duty to protect the wisdom left by our ancestors.”

“Elder!”

“How can you say such things!”

“If knowledge can survive with just one humiliation, Islam can rise again. So please, all of you, follow my decision.”

When the elder said this, everyone nodded.

Just then, a soldier hurriedly entered the room.

“What is it?”

To the young iqta’s question, the soldier bowed and revealed why he had come.

“A surrender offer has come from the infidel army.”

“It has come as expected.”

“Finally…”

As the iqtas stirred, the elder nodded.

And he gestured for the young iqta to follow him.

Understanding this, the young iqta followed the elder to the wall.

Upon reaching the wall, the elder and the young iqta could not help but stick out their tongues in astonishment.

“My goodness…”

“To think we didn’t know such a large force had arrived until now.”

The elder uttered these words with wide eyes.

This was because cavalry troops, numbering at least tens of thousands, were lined up near Baghdad.

And behind them, siege engines were preparing to fire.

“Their eyes seem to know no fear.”

At the young iqta’s words, the elder nodded.

They were staring at Baghdad with piercing eyes, like soldiers from hell.

If such people attacked Baghdad, this place would surely become a sea of fire like Hamadan.

And they would thoroughly destroy this place as they had shown in Hamadan.

Sensing this, the elder nodded.

And he gave an order to the young iqta.

“Raise the white flag.”

Hearing these words, the young iqta waved the white flag.

As the white flag rose from the wall, someone appeared from among the Mongol forces, raising dust.

“That person…”

“Must be the commander of this devil’s army.”

The elder swallowed hard at the appearance of a man with tremendous muscles.