People in the Song Dynasty were lawless

Chapter 499: The Fall of Baghdad

On July 6, the twelfth year of the Qingli period of the Great Song Dynasty, after noon, countless dark shadows came from the east on the Mesopotamian plain.

The horses galloped, stirring up the force of wind and thunder, and the smoke and dust rolled around, forming a yellow sand storm.

Under the iron hoof of the Seljuks, no city in the Buyid Kingdom dared to resist.

Because the Turks' custom was to massacre the city if there was resistance, and if there was no resistance, at most they would just rob and rape, and at least most people in the city would be spared.

The Persians in Shiraz had tried to resist stubbornly before, but after the city was finally captured, it was filled with broken bodies.

So all along the way, from Nihawin to Hamadan, from Huzis to Basra, there was not a city that did not open its gates to let them in.

Besides, the Buyid Dynasty has become rotten to the core. The Daylam people were once a barbaric tribe, but in front of the more barbaric Turks, they were as obedient as sheep and had no ability to resist.

In the past, the Seljuks did not attack immediately after conquering Khorasan and Persia because they still cared about the attitude of the Caliph. Without the Caliph's order, they did not dare to attack rashly.

But now, facing the arrival of the Song people and worried that the Buyid Dynasty might have the threat of firearms, the Seljuks had to take the initiative.

At this moment, the city of Baghdad was in chaos, and many people who knew the news fled.

People fled with their families, looking terrified.

Many high-ranking officials and local dignitaries fled as soon as they heard the news that the border city of Nihawin had been breached.

Most of the remaining ones were civilians who did not have time to escape.

In fact, it was not that the upper echelons deliberately blocked the news. When Nihawin was breached, many people already knew about it.

However, the cities along the way were conquered so quickly that it was impossible to react.

The border town of Horama is only 300 kilometers away from Baghdad.

The Seljuks launched a surprise attack the day before yesterday, capturing three cities along the way. Yesterday they reached Balad, less than 100 kilometers away from Baghdad, and today they are already outside the city.

Such a fast speed made it seem as if the Seljuks were not attacking a country, but marching at high speed on the grassland.

"Hurry, hurry, the Seljuks are coming to kill us."

"Forget the stall, just run."

"woo woo woo woo!"

"Abba, Aman, where are you?"

"Don't panic, Allah Almighty will protect us."

The streets were crowded with people, many of whom were running out of the city with their bags on their backs.

Camels were being led and people were walking quickly.

Whether it was the rich people wearing luxurious silk or the poor people wearing rags, there was no difference under the Seljuk's butcher knife.

The Baghdad dock was very busy a few days ago, but today it is very deserted.

The Song Dynasty envoys watched all these changes with their own eyes, and they were also powerless. The only thing they could do was to protect some local Song people doing business.

"Alas, with the outbreak of war, I don't know how many people will lose their families."

Zhang Youwei stood at the bow with his hands behind his back, looking at the chaotic dock in the distance and sighed.

"Doctor, there is a child over there"

The Foreign Ministry official next to him pointed at a crying child on the dock who couldn't find his parents and said, "This..."

"Go and bring her here."

Zhang Youwei frowned slightly, glanced around, and seeing that Tan Wenxue was not there, he gave the order.

But just as Tan Wenxue came out of the cabin and came to the side of the ship, he happened to see Yuanwailang giving an order to someone, and he shouted, "You are not allowed to go."

"Old Tan."

Zhang Youwei frowned and said, "It's just a child."

"I know that, too."

Tan Wenxue smiled bitterly and said, "But there are too many people. If we save one, a whole group will come right after us. We are lucky enough to take care of our own people. Can we save them all?"

"Can"

Zhang Youwei wanted to say something, but in the end, he could only let out a long sigh.

Tan Wenxue knew that Zhang Youwei was too kind, or to put it bluntly, a little weak, which had already been reflected in the previous time in Port Lunger.

It was just that Zhang Youwei spoke a little softly, but he did not lose the demeanor of a great country like the Song Dynasty, which was why he was able to leave the city of Lenge safely.

If it were Tan Wenxue, he would definitely refute loudly and let the other party know the anger of the Song Dynasty in Lenge City.

But isn't he kind by nature?

Although he had a tough personality, he still felt pity for the poor little girl when he saw her.

But Tan Wenxue was also very clear.

Once this gap is opened, people from all over the city will come to seek refuge from the Song Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty’s fleet could rescue hundreds or even thousands of people.

But as the largest city in the Middle East, Baghdad’s population is more than 100,000.

How can they be saved?
So even though they knew this went against their conscience, they still had to grit their teeth and refuse for the safety of the fleet.

Tan Wenxue persuaded again, "You also know very well that we must have the right reason and timing to intervene. We can't just rush in and start shooting randomly. The result of this is that once we leave, the situation here will become even more chaotic. So even if we want to intervene, we must leave a complete political power and system here to settle the people here. This is to consider the overall situation. We can't lose the big picture for the sake of small things."

"I see."

Zhang Youwei gave a bitter smile and said nothing more.

What Tan Wenxue said makes sense.

The Seljuks were brutal and would certainly massacre people when they entered the city. They would shoot indiscriminately, and no matter whether the Buyids retained power or the Seljuks took over the city, the situation would not get better but would get worse.

Only by helping the Abbasid Caliph and allowing Kaim to regain power can stability be maintained, and this is also in the interests of the Song Dynasty.

Because the Seljuks were Sunnis and Qaim was the leader of the Sunnis, as long as Qaim regained power, the Seljuks would not dare to attack the Abbasid Caliphate again and risk the world's condemnation.

Moreover, Kaim is more popular and will be able to quickly arm a force after taking power. The military capabilities of both sides will be equal, so that the two countries can usher in a brief peace.

Otherwise, given the nature of the Seljuks, they would certainly continue to capture cities and invade everywhere, causing more killings and deaths.

Therefore, the most urgent task is to take advantage of the struggle between the Buyids and the Seljuks to help Kaim take power and restore stability to the situation here, so that the Song Dynasty can resume trade with the Middle East.

"We don't want to see war. Just as our Song Dynasty needs peace today to trade with other countries and strengthen itself, we also need to fight for peace ourselves."

Tan Wenxue also put his hands behind his back, and said calmly, "Relying on external forces won't last long. Now it all depends on the Caliph himself."

"Ah."

Zhang Youwei nodded.

At this time, there was chaos in the city, and the same was true outside the city.

After being rejected by the Song Dynasty, Abu Mansur, the Emir of the Buyid Dynasty, had no choice but to lead the Daylami Army out of the city to fight.

It’s not that he didn’t want to defend the city to the death, but the number of people in the Delamu Legion was already very small, less than 10,000.

Baghdad, once the capital of the Arab Empire, is a very large city with high and thick walls and many gates. It seems easy to defend, but it is actually very difficult.

Not to mention that the people in the city who were fleeing everywhere refused to close the city gates, the various factions in the city were also ready to make a move. Once he chose to defend the city, he would not be able to defend so many city gates with limited manpower.

When the enemy invades in large numbers, if the forces in the city rebel, they can concentrate their forces to break through a city gate from the inside, open the door and let the enemy in, and they will be doomed.

Instead, they went out of the city to fight and risk their lives with the enemy, which might give them a glimmer of hope.

After all, the Daylamites also started out as a barbaric tribe, and the Seljuks were also a barbaric tribe. Even though they quickly became corrupt after taking over the dynasty, there is still a possibility that they can arouse their former bloodiness and win in one battle, even if this may be very slim.

"Warriors of Daylam, today is the day of our life and death. If we allow the Seljuks to break into our country and bully our women, our tribe will be destroyed. Do you agree?"

Abu Mansur was making the final pre-war mobilization at this moment, shouting continuously in the language of their Daylam people.

Outside the city, the Delamite guards, wearing heavy armor and holding spears and axes, shouted angrily, "No, no, no!"

"Get ready to meet the enemy!"

Abu Mansur shouted again.

"kill!"

The Dailem people roared.

soon.

The sound of horse hooves could be heard outside the city.

Unlike the Central Plains dynasties, the main means of transportation in the Arab world was camels.

The reason is that there are large areas of desert in the Middle East, and camels, as the ships of the desert, have become the most relied-upon livestock for the Arabs.

But that was for the Saudi nomadic tribes who were still in the Bedouin era.

As for the Daylamites and the Seljuk Turks, one originated in the Alborz Mountains in northern Iran and the other in Turkmenistan.

The two places are mainly composed of plains, mountains and grasslands, with less desert terrain, so horses are the most important means of transportation.

And in terms of mobility, horses are also better than camels.

Therefore, both sides used horses as mounts in wars, including the major countries in the Middle East and Europe at that time, where cavalry was the most important military force.

The Delamu people here were in high spirits, and over there, thousands of troops were rushing over. From afar, they saw that a dark cloud seemed to appear in the eastern sky, and the dark horses were so numerous that there was no end in sight.

The Delamu people formed a battle formation, connecting north and south, with two or three rows. The entire formation was only a little over a mile in total.

The black line in the distance was at least seven or eight miles long, as if it had no end.

For a moment, the momentum that had just been built up suddenly dissipated, and the Delamu people looked at each other and could see the timidity in each other's eyes.

After all, the Baiyi people have been at peace for too long, their army is seriously corrupt and has no fighting capacity at all.

The momentum that had just been mobilized would naturally dissipate once they encountered a barbaric tribe that had just emerged, with their numbers being several times greater than their own.

"What should I do? There are so many of them."

"We'll see later."

"How about we run away secretly?"

"Don't rush yet."

There was a sudden whisper among the Delamu army.

Abu Mansur was anxious and was about to adjust the formation, but his opponent did not give him any time.

Leading the expedition in the distance were the Seljuk Khan Tughril and his brother Chagar.

They left their only heir, Arsalan, in Isfahan, while the Khan and the Deputy Khan personally led an expedition to the Buyid Kingdom, giving the Song Dynasty enough face.

Because this military operation is mainly commanded by Chagar, he will restrain the Seljuks at that time, and after Tughril rushes into the city, he will find the envoy of the Song Dynasty to communicate as soon as possible.

Therefore, as the two most prestigious people among the Seljuks, they must arrive at the same time. Otherwise, if they allow the soldiers to plunder the city as before and if a conflict comes with the Song people, the situation will be very bad.

"The enemy still wants to resist!"

Chagar was riding on his horse. He saw the Delamu people lined up in the distance and grinned, "Don't they know that their death is coming?"

A deputy general asked, "Deputy Khan, do you want to stop and form the battle line first?"

"waste time."

Chagar said coldly: "Take advantage of the fierce momentum of the army now, pass the order, kill them and break through their formation directly."

Military combat requires morale.

They just came charging with great momentum and as ferociously as an arrow.

If we stop to form a battle line, it would be equivalent to losing morale and having to boost morale again. It would be better to just charge forward to avoid any accidents.

"Yes!"

The deputy general received the order and shouted, "Kill!"

"kill!"

When the Turks received the order, they became excited.

Each of them was wearing leather armor, had disheveled hair, held a scimitar in their hands, and howled like a wolf.

"Remember, don't forget the death order I gave you. After entering the city, you can plunder other places, but you must not go to the dock. After the charge is over, everyone must go into the city to supervise!"

Chagar said to the commander of the supervisory team beside him.

The reason why the Turks were invincible was that they did not forbid killing and looting in cities, according to the records of Arab historians of the same period.

If there is no resistance, the Turks will at most kill and rob. If they meet a poor person, they will not kill him, but if they meet a rich person, they will force him to hand over his money, otherwise they will kill him.

If he meets a woman, he will often be insulted.

But once they encounter resistance, it will be bad. The Turks will kill anyone they see. At that time, Shiraz and later in 1064 AD, the Armenian city of Ani was massacred by the Turks after the local military and civilians rebelled.

At the moment, since the Caliph is in Baghdad, Tughril and Chaggar certainly dare not massacre the city, but for the sake of military morale, looting and raping are inevitable. It is impossible for them to achieve the level of discipline as Yue Fei did.

In fact, it was not just the Turks. Most armies in ancient times were like this, including the chaotic periods of the Central Plains dynasties, such as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, when massacres, looting, rape, killings, and atrocities existed at all times.

So this situation is inevitable. The only thing Tugliler and Chagar have to avoid is a conflict with the Song Dynasty's envoy team.

"Yes!"

The commander of the supervisory team agreed.

At this moment on the battlefield, groups of Turks rushed towards the Delamu army like a tide.

At first, they were able to stand still with the stern shouts of the Delamu officer.

When the Turks approached within a mile, the Daylam people finally could not bear the pressure and someone shouted, "Run!"

Then, like a landslide and a dam breaking, the original formation suddenly became chaotic. Many people rode their horses and fled to both sides, even throwing away their weapons and armor, and dared not resist anymore.

"kill!"

The Turks rushed into the formation with a grim smile and killed indiscriminately.

The once glorious Delamu Corps had hardly even the courage to resist and was defeated in an instant.

Suddenly, a large number of Turks poured into the city and began burning, killing and looting.

(End of this chapter)