Four-Armed Divine Emperor

.

Even if the imperial capital was not established here at the time, the emperor had to come here in person and hold a coronation ceremony in the heart of the empire to announce the new king's accession to the throne to the hundreds of millions of people in the empire, otherwise it would be suspected of being unjustified.

The King of Kings must be anointed with holy oil in public, walk through the path of ashes unscathed, then climb the steps and walk on a carpet made of a "world map" sewn from various flags and emblems captured by fire worshipers in battles over thousands of years. He must then ascend the throne of light, accept worship from priests, nobles, generals and citizens, and offer sacrifices to the blazing hearth taken from the "eternal sacred fire" to establish the legitimacy of his ascension to the throne.

Chapter 127: Ardabil (36)

In normal times, the kings of kings and Shahs-e-Farshana of all dynasties would handle government affairs and hold court meetings here. It is a very solemn and dignified place where glory and authority coexist.

Of course, there are times when the sacred throne of light is stained with blood due to the selfishness, hatred, and anger of mortals.

......

Artaxes IX.

The Lord of Light and Flame, the invincible super warrior, the victorious Lord of Armies blessed by the Holy Fire, the divine heir flowing with aurora and white flame...

The ruler of Alan.

Imperial Emperor.

King of kings.

From the outside, the current emperor is a middle-aged man with a majestic appearance and a luxurious and dignified beard.

At this time, Artasis IX was sitting on the "Throne of Light" which was made entirely of white and gold, translucent, and seemed to have flames flowing inside. He rested one hand on the armrest, supported his chin with his fist, and looked at the groups of men, women, and children who were escorted by the emperor's guards in the middle of the palace.

They were all dressed in gorgeous clothes, and it was obvious from their clothes and appearance that they were of noble birth. However, they looked miserable at this moment. Most of them came here with their families, holding young boys, holding babies, and bringing their wives and concubines.

Artasis's attention was mainly focused on a few special targets. They posed a huge threat to the emperor and even brought their blades to within half a step of his heart. Just a little bit, they could kill the invaluable King of Kings, the ruler of the empire, on the bright throne that ruled the empire, just like they had done to his ancestors.

But, almost is almost.

If the emperor wins the battle, then, in turn, the emperor's enemies will be brought before the emperor to await judgment by the King of Kings.

"The time has come."

Looking at his former rivals who were no longer worthy of being his "enemies", Artasis suddenly lost interest. He waved his hand and called over the fire-serving priest.

177: Fire Prayer, Fire Sacrifice

Among those detained by the guards in the palace of Iskhan Fahad were the vizier, who was a high-ranking official and served as a councilor, and the commander-in-chief Faris, who was famous for his command of the army.

Sultan (governor), Sharif Bey (noble person, leader, clan leader), provincial satrap, Pasha Basha (military and political high-ranking official)...

Even two of those who bore the title of Shah, meaning King, were among those who fell prisoners of the King of Kings.

It is not surprising in the Alan Empire that there are multiple royal titles in the empire. After all, the title of the supreme ruler of the Zoroastrian Empire has always been the "supreme, noble, and unique" King of Kings, also known as "Shafasha" in ancient times.

In this situation, the empire was not reluctant to grant the title of "Shah" to prominent domestic dignitaries, respected foreign allies, and those who could be won over.

Their names were once dazzling and extremely famous in this vast empire, but after today, everything will become a thing of the past along with the destruction of their bodies.

The existence of the King of Kings is not really "supreme and noble" and cannot be violated. There have been many reasons throughout history:

He was killed by the mutinous guards, by the Grand Vizier who controlled the government, by the rebellious eunuch slaves, by the concubines, by the cook...

Although this does not diminish the authority of this position, whose words are final and who has the power to make the final decision in worldly affairs, Shafasha, who sits on the throne of light, has never been truly "safe".

Even the wise rulers, great emperors, and conquerors who are adored by their people may, because of a trivial matter, such as the unsatisfactory service of their concubines, jokingly say:

Since you have nowhere to go, leave now and I will send you home tomorrow.

The jealous concubine smothered him with a bed sheet in the middle of the night, triggering a palace coup.

The Aegeans called the Throne of Light truly invaluable in the mortal realm. Shafasha, the King of Kings, was the oldest, most honorable, and most powerful title among the secular kings of Tartarus, but it was cursed; this referred to the high frequency of coups in the Zoroastrian Empire and the fact that kings rarely had a good end.

In this situation, the Shafashas of all generations lacked a sense of security. After all, they themselves were living in a kind of...

There were ten people who had sat in my current position, not counting me. Of those ten, two had been poisoned, two had been killed by "accidents," one had been attacked by swords, and two had been puppets who had never left the Forbidden Palace...

In this environment.

"Lessons from the past" make them lack trust in anyone, so the "supreme power" is combined with the negative feedback of always feeling that life is threatened.

The methods used by Shafasha and others to treat their political opponents are extremely cruel.

This led to the fact that those who were enemies of the emperor would not consider whether to compromise or give in;

Chapter 234

Because once they are regarded as enemies by Shafasha, the emperor's attack will not easily bypass them.

At that time, the outcome was mostly the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire family.

The most merciful punishment is to be exiled after being subjected to corporal punishment, and never have the chance to play the game of Iskhan in this life.

So they also have the courage and determination to say "I, I, I! Dog-foot I!" or "I have kept you here for today, and I don't care about anything about today!" when necessary, and then face the danger of "a knife in the back".

After all, retreat or loss at this point would be disastrous. If they tried their best and the coup succeeded, they could control the government and have immense power for at least a generation.

In the end, this extreme situation arose. On the one hand, the emperor was concerned about his own safety. After all, there were so many lessons from his predecessors. As long as he felt threatened, the retaliation would be extremely harsh. On the other hand, because the emperor's methods were cruel, the ministers were afraid but no longer had any "worries". After all, if they lost, their entire family would most likely be wiped out. As a result, things were either not done, or if they were done, once there were signs, they would inevitably develop in an extreme direction.

Then they "promoted" each other, causing the political struggle in the Alan Empire to become increasingly severe over the past few hundred years.

Compared to his "predecessors", Artasis was not a tyrannical emperor by nature, although due to the blessing of power and lessons learned, he had a relatively normal disregard for life, especially the life of his enemies, as both an emperor and a Zoroastrian noble.

His personality was relatively "gentle" and his fighting wisdom was quite good. The ending he prepared for the enemies who once threatened his life was a way to generously preserve the dignity of the nobility for them, enhance the prestige of the throne, and warn those sneaky coveters:

Burning at the stake.

Or "fire sacrifice".

This was a punishment exclusive to the Zoroastrians for their nobles, and was also one of the "gifts" given by the victors to the captives, that is, to throw them into the fire and burn them up. Cremation was a sacred method revered by the Zoroastrians, and kings of all dynasties had done so. In ancient times, the sacrifices to the fire were originally selected from the royal family and the nobility. It was both a responsibility and an "honor". It was not until later that it gradually became a sacrifice to the fire with livestock and slaves.

Now it is just a restoration of the ancient system. Fire worshippers believe that this sacred ritual can liberate the body and soul of those who go to the fire. It is also a special treatment given by the emperor to those who have committed crimes but have extenuating circumstances or those with prominent status.

......

The fire priests commanded the slaves of the sect to build a tall sacrificial stove in the Iskhan Palace, which was more than ten meters long and wide.

Two rows of fire attendants stood on both sides of the road leading to the high platform for worshiping the kitchen god, each holding a sacred object, ritual implements and other things. There were also several people holding porcelain bottles and trays padded with silk, on which were placed many golden pills.

The rituals of the upcoming palace barbecue party are no different from the fire prayer ceremony held before Prince Ahmed's northern expeditionary force launched an attack.

First, a sacrifice of seven bulls and seven horses was offered to the blazing altar of fire, but the specifications of the subsequent human sacrifices were different.

Slaves were no longer used. The Iskhan Palace was a sacred and solemn place, and ordinary slaves were not qualified to set foot here.

The sacrifices offered to the flames were the nobles who not long ago were able to call the shots in the imperial capital, formed cliques, and once threatened the throne of light.

"Clap!"

On the throne of light, Shafasha clapped his hands.

The fire priest who presided over this bloody fire prayer immediately sprinkled a ball of gold powder into the fire, causing the flames to surge in momentum instantly.

The eunuch, the chief wardrobe officer, who was standing at the foot of the throne, immediately bent down and climbed a step. Then, turning back to the prisoners, he straightened his back and said to them, as if representing the authority of the King of kings:

"I hereby present... (omit the name of the dish), I, with my heart of mercy, cannot bear the treason you have committed, which has tarnished our honor, severed our family name, and condemned us to eternal darkness and frost after death. I will immediately enter the fire, bathe in the holy flames, and wash away the sins of the world. For one day, I will stand with you as king and subject, fulfilling my mercy and fulfilling my righteousness!"

The chief eunuch read out Shafasha's decree in a shrill voice.

The guards soldiers took those who were targeted out of the crowd and sent them to the fire priests in due time.

Mostly men.

Women and children were separated separately, which showed that the emperor would not completely eradicate them this time, but would retain these people who were his enemies and at the same time the bloodlines of the empire's prominent families.

Some of the prisoners who were dragged before the Fire Priest sniffed, knelt down before the throne, and shouted loudly:

"Your mercy is like the blazing white flame of the sun hanging high in the sky, illuminating all things and lasting forever!"

"In the kingdom of light and flame, I will bless your reign to be long and lasting, like the eternal sun that will never go out!"

"Shafasha! Shafasha!"

They shouted the title of King of Kings in thanksgiving.

Then they took a pill from the tray in the hands of the fire attendant and swallowed it, and then drank the secret potion from the bottle. These things would take effect quickly, making them lose their perception of pain and at the same time promoting combustion, aiming to end their pain as quickly as possible through the fire prayer.

Please take a leave

rt

188: "Conqueror" and "Emperor"

A sacred yet twisted execution marked the end of this palace political struggle.

After swallowing the medicine provided by the acolytes and priests, the Alan nobles who were defeated by a few moves in the struggle, spent about a quarter of a second waiting for the effect of the medicine, and then their eyes turned red and their bodies kept twitching, but fortunately they still had control, so they and

Chapter 235

Loved ones said their final goodbyes—a tearful glance at best.

All regrets and all unwillingness were destined to end in this painting. They lined up and shared the grace bestowed by Shaphasha, the King of Kings:

One after another, under the guidance of the monks, they climbed onto the Kitchen God and threw themselves into the sea of ​​fire.

Chapter 127: Ardabil (37)

Sparks were swirling in the palace.

The whole ceremony was solemn and dignified. Except for the moment when the noble person threw himself into the offering to the kitchen god, no one made a sound. It was not because they were extremely patient, but because the drugs had paralyzed all their senses. Even their throats gradually closed and could not open, so they could not make any sound.

The fire used in this sacrifice at the Iskhan Palace was not what the fire worshippers boasted about:

The eternal fire that never goes out, taken from the highest sun, has great divine power.

But it is indeed not very popular.

Beneath it is a small magical device made by a wizard of the Fire Cult, which can keep the flame burning for a long time and reach an intensity beyond that of ordinary fire.

There is also a special storage structure inside, which can preserve ashes and remains left after a person is burned as much as possible. Otherwise, the scene of roasting a living person in the hall with ashes flying all over the sky would be very unsightly.

Less than an hour later, the core of Shafasha's recent hostile forces had all thrown themselves into the sea of ​​fire and turned into ashes. Thanks to the grace of the victorious king, after being purified by the flames, their souls were able to ascend to the kingdom of light and flame to enjoy a prosperous life, no longer having to wander in the world or fall into the dark land, suffering from endless bitter cold.

After the last person walked into the fire, Shafasa stepped down from his bright throne. The palace steward took the golden basin filled with water from the servant and presented it to the emperor with great humility.

Shafasa picked up a whisk-shaped tool made of date palm leaves and waved the coconut leaves at the families of the losers, mostly women, children and the elderly, who were still trapped and tightly guarded by the guards, sprinkling them with clean water that represented the forgiveness of sins.

Zoroastrians believe that fire, which burns everything, is a symbol of purification and cleansing. Although water, which can extinguish fire, is essential to life, it is not a good image in traditional concepts. The accident they fear most is drowning. In spoken language, wishing or cursing others to drown is considered a very vicious curse word.

But water has been indispensable to most of the existence in the world of Il since the birth of intelligent life. Therefore, the Zoroastrians still give it some positive meanings in their culture, such as water can nourish life and wash away dust...

Shafasa sprinkled clean water on the families of his enemies with coconut leaves, which meant that "the punishment was over" and "the old mistakes had been washed away." With great mercy and authority, he forgave the relatives and families of the defeated, allowing them to survive and partially maintain their old dignity.

In this regard, Artaxes IX indeed showed a broader mind and greater political wisdom than his father and brothers.

A king who is both capable and generous is often more likely to make people feel that there is no need to take risks and go straight into the Forbidden Palace. Only by combining kindness and power can one gain the loyalty of his subjects.

Afterwards, the palace steward, on behalf of Shafasha, issued several subsequent measures to deal with the losers and their huge forces. The two most important ones were to deprive these people and their families of two-thirds of the slaves they owned and send them to the palace as royal slaves. Of course, they would not be sent directly to the palace to serve the royal family, but would be dispersed to various places to take charge of various chores, or be given to other people or families by the emperor as rewards.

In the Zoroastrian Alan Empire where slavery is prevalent, the number of slaves owned is the standard for maintaining the size of individual and family power.

The scale of the royal slaves reached millions, and in its heyday the number exceeded tens of millions, which was even more than the total population of an entire country. The second-class, those Zoroastrian noble families with a long history, had family slaves ranging from thousands to tens of thousands. The number of loyal servants and slaves hidden in the dark, and the death warriors who were brainwashed since childhood were unknown.

This punishment method of Artasis was quite acceptable. By depriving slaves, he greatly weakened the power of the losers, strengthened the royal family, and retained a part of them without letting them completely decline and be divided up by their competitors, or using them as support to once again plot to seize the throne.

As for the second article, Shafasha ordered the families and wives of these losers, whether they were widows or unmarried men and women, not to marry with "more than 500 household slaves" within ten years. This was to prevent them from quickly switching to other camps through blood marriages with their remaining forces. Whether the latter would become Shafasha's enemies was still unknown.

Five hundred household slaves do not mean just five hundred slaves. The household slaves here refer more to "private soldiers" or family slaves, a type of slaves who are dependent on the master and are even allowed to continue the bloodline. Then each generation continues the mission of the previous generation and serves the master. In fact, the number of slaves they can control is far greater than this.

The relatives of the losers would more or less harbor some resentment towards Shafasha. If they were allowed to freely marry into powerful families of equal status and then secretly incite them, they would probably create a group of potential competitors. Therefore, Artasis wanted to use this method to eliminate the remnants of these losers.

Chapter 236

Stay for at least twenty years to completely drive away the Iskhan Palace - the Grand Hippodrome, so that it can no longer be a threat to the royal family. At the same time, it also expresses the attitude that as long as the other party lives a wealthy life in peace, the throne will not pursue it anymore.

Afterwards, Shafasha would specifically designate marriage partners for those widows and unmarried daughters and issue a decree of "granting marriage".

The targets would be some side branches within the other family, or side branches of other famous families. Although they also have the blood of a famous family, they are men who have been separated from them for a long time or have fallen into decline for some reason. Their social class is several levels higher than that of even the relatives of the loser. Some of them can simply be described as "poor and destitute", with nothing to show for themselves except their traceable genealogical bloodline.

The emperor's marriage will allow these men who have "nothing" to obtain the qualification to marry into a famous family from a small distant branch in a legitimate way, so that they can immediately enjoy great wealth. They will be grateful for Shafasha's favor and will remain steadfastly loyal to the throne.

Moreover, these people have jumped from being ordinary and poor to becoming nobles, and it is easy for them to indulge in pleasure. With them as nails and checks and balances, the throne does not have to worry about the revenge of these remnants.

......

The relatives of the loser knelt down and saluted the Supreme Shafasha, expressing their gratitude for the mercy bestowed by the Throne of Light.