Chapter 1018 - 240: A City Full of Cowards

Jeanne was a bit puzzled: "Will this really work?"

"I think it will work."

"You just said a few harsh words, and he, the dignified King of Kings, the leader of the Zoroastrian World, will just hand over Tarsus and Baghdad to you, then stay there obediently waiting to surrender to you?"

Jeanne thought this was too ridiculous.

"Anyway, whether he goes into exile or fights to the bitter end, the result is the same. The Sassanids have almost played all their cards; they no longer have any right to stay at the table."

Seizing Baghdad and Tarsus, the two cores of the Sassanid Dynasty, means that the entire Mesopotamian Plain will soon be in his hands. The last piece of the Fertile Crescent has been completed; the prosperous map of the ancient Assyrian Empire will soon reappear in his hands.

"Rest for tonight, and at dawn tomorrow, march on Baghdad immediately!"

...

Persian Plateau, Hamadan City.

If the Zagros Mountains are the natural barrier between the Persian Plateau and the Mesopotamian Plain, then Hamadan is the gateway to this barrier, holding a position more important than Rahab, occupied by the Overseas Empire.

Alexander, Cyrus, and other Persian conquerors entered the Persian Plateau through this city.

Hamadan (Hamedan) is situated on the northwest foothills of the Zagros Mountains, where the Diyala River originates and flows down, joining the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, then entering the Persian Gulf via Basra.

Through Khoweisan at the southern end of the Diyala River, going upstream along the Tigris River, the road to Baghdad is a flat plain, with no obstacle to delay the advance of the Tatar Iron Cavalry.

At this time, the Tatar army had already spread their formations under the city of Hamadan.

Tens of thousands of dark armored cavalry, frightening the people of Hamadan to the point of breathlessness.

Hamadan is also a strong city.

Although it cannot be compared to famous cities like Isfahan, Tarsus, Cairo, and Constantinople, its permanent population is as many as eighty thousand, and its handicrafts and commerce are quite prosperous due to its unique geographical location.

Placed in Western Europe, it could immediately become the largest city outshining Paris, Londenwick, and Aachen.

At this moment, in the city's legislative hall,

Numerous nobles and clergies of Hamadan gathered together.

Shamsuddin, the Governor of Hamadan, had under his command two thousand armored cavalry, two thousand Kurdish mercenaries hired from the south shore of the Caspian Sea, and five thousand armored town militias conscripted from the citizens.

But with such a small force, he really has no heart to resist the Tatars to the end.

Hamadan is wealthy, but with the outbreak of war, the prices of arms and equipment have all risen with the tide, and even the battle-hardened mercenaries have doubled in their prices. To hire them, it is necessary to compete with Isfahan, Nishapur, Ray, and even the Sassanid Central Army.

"Lord Governor, the Tatars are now at the gates; how should we repel them?"

"Currently, the Empire is pressed by the Frankish army in the west, diverting all of His Majesty Bahram's attention, leaving no room to send reinforcements to support us."

Shamsuddin sighed: "At this time, how could I possibly know the strategy to repel the enemy?"

A nobleman in gorgeous clothes lightly coughed: "Lord Governor, the situation is difficult, not your fault."

"The walls of Isfahan are strong and thick, housing more than two hundred thousand people, and yet it couldn't withstand the Tatar onslaught. When the city fell, none of the citizens, nobles, or priests were spared. How can a single corner of our Hamadan withstand the Tatars' iron hooves?"

Shamsuddin frowned slightly, a bit intrigued: "You mean, we should surrender to the Tatars without fighting?"

He was not uninformed of military affairs, but precisely because he was knowledgeable, he felt that Hamadan, with its lone city's strength, could not withstand those ferocious Tatar soldiers who absolutely could not be compared to ordinary nomadic cavalry.

"No way!"

An exiled noble angrily shouted: "The Tatars are greedy and demand insatiably. If we lay down our weapons, isn't it equivalent to placing ourselves on these barbarians' chopping block, at their mercy?"

Someone argued back: "But we simply can't win."

The exiled noble shouted: "Even if we can't win, we must fight until the last moment, for Sassan, for all the victims, for the Holy Fire Everlasting. Are Hamadans really so afraid of death?"

Recalling the massacre when his homeland fell, his eyes seemed to burn with fire: "All of you present are highly esteemed and morally exceptional individuals. Are you really willing to kneel and become the Tatars' slaves just to survive a moment longer?"

Shamsuddin also hesitated: "Surrendering the city has risks."

If the Tatars could send an envoy to ensure his position, he would be reassured to surrender, but the Tatars hadn't, forcing him to question their sincerity.

The exiled noble's sharp gaze stared at these craven souls. For a moment, the dignitaries, whose ranks were higher than his, dared not meet his eyes.

Hamadan's commercial atmosphere was strong, with most nobles coming from the citizen class, inherently lacking the martial spirit possessed by military nobles. The Tatars' iron-fisted methods in conquered regions had deeply terrified them.

"Ha, who would've thought Hamadan was full of cowards,"

The exiled noble's sharp gaze stared at these craven souls. For a moment, the dignitaries, whose ranks were higher than his, dared not meet his eyes.

Hamadan's commercial atmosphere was strong, with most nobles coming from the citizen class, inherently lacking the martial spirit possessed by military nobles. The Tatars' iron-fisted methods in conquered regions had deeply terrified them.

"Ha, who would've thought Hamadan was full of cowards,"

The exiled noble's sharp gaze stared at these craven souls. For a moment, the dignitaries, whose ranks were higher than his, dared not meet his eyes.

Hamadan's commercial atmosphere was strong, with most nobles coming from the citizen class, inherently lacking the martial spirit possessed by military nobles. The Tatars' iron-fisted methods in conquered regions had deeply terrified them.

"Ha, who would've thought Hamadan was full of cowards,"

The exiled noble's sharp gaze stared at these craven souls. For a moment, the dignitaries, whose ranks were higher than his, dared not meet his eyes.

Hamadan's commercial atmosphere was strong, with most nobles coming from the citizen class, inherently lacking the martial spirit possessed by military nobles. The Tatars' iron-fisted methods in conquered regions had deeply terrified them.

"Ha, who would've thought Hamadan was full of cowards,"

The exiled noble's sharp gaze stared at these craven souls. For a moment, the dignitaries, whose ranks were higher than his, dared not meet his eyes.

Hamadan's commercial atmosphere was strong, with most nobles coming from the citizen class, inherently lacking the martial spirit possessed by military nobles. The Tatars' iron-fisted methods in conquered regions had deeply terrified them.

"Ha, who would've thought Hamadan was full of cowards,"