I was the Queen of Persia

Page 11

Shahzani's palace guards had already broken through the lines again, regrouped, and continued their fierce attack.

Their spears were so sharp, their heavy armor so sturdy, and their horsemanship so superb. This powerful combination of armor, strength, and speed allowed their fierce offensive to once again inflict heavy losses on the enemy.

Under several waves of fierce attacks from the palace guards, the Jihadi cavalry were wiped out in just a few minutes.

Due to the severe disconnect between infantry and cavalry, when the Jihadi cavalry was routed and annihilated, the subsequent Jihadi light infantry were still halfway through their charge and were completely unable to support their defeated allies.

Of course, judging from their chaotic attack formation, even if they arrived in time, they wouldn't be of much use; they would simply be a few more kills for Shahzani and the palace guards.

Abu Habib watched his cavalry vanish into thin air, his face turning extremely grim.

He originally thought that the group of women on the other side, even if they were well-armored, would not be very strong in combat. He believed that as long as his "Holy War Cavalry" charged over, those "little girls" would surely run away in panic and abandon their armor.

But the result was that his own men were the ones who suffered the most casualties.

Even worse, his Jihadi cavalry, at the cost of their entire numbers, failed to kill a single palace guard, which left him utterly frustrated.

"Charge! Charge!" Abu Habi roared furiously. "Charge forward! Tear them apart! Send these demon-born women to the fire!"

His previous arrogance and haughtiness had been replaced by fury and exasperation. He roared repeatedly, and the Jihadi followers behind him did indeed quicken their pace in response to his shouts.

However, the more mobile and combat-capable Jihadi cavalry were no match for the palace guards. What use would these brutes on foot have if they charged forward?

"Reorganize your formation and charge towards the enemy infantry!"

Shahzani pointed her spear forward, her eyes flashing with an even stronger fighting spirit.

……

at the same time.

Bahraim's 500 mounted Basij militiamen have bypassed the Jihadi forces' surveillance and successfully outflanked the weakly defended area of ​​the Behesht Oasis.

Soon, she discovered the enemy soldiers who had been stationed in the village.

"Don't alert the enemy yet. Wait until we get close before launching an attack," Bahramu instructed the female militia captains in a low voice.

Upon receiving the order, the mounted female militia members immediately carried it out. They maintained discipline and organization, each holding the whip in their mouth to control the force of the horse's hooves, trying their best to make no noise.

The Behesht Oasis is more lush with shrubs and flowers, and due to regional climate differences, although it is currently autumn and winter, the oasis is still relatively mild, and many of the trees and vegetation in the oasis have not yet withered.

This provided better cover for Bahramu's attacking forces.

Bahraim led the mounted female militia cautiously toward the village where the Jihadi militia were entrenched.

Three hundred steps...

Two hundred and fifty steps...

Two hundred steps...

One hundred and fifty steps...

One hundred steps...

The village's mud-brick houses and the Jihadi sentries standing on the rooftops were already close at hand.

The time has come!

"attack!"

Bahramu shouted and drew his bow quickly. With a "whoosh," an arrow struck the Jihadi sentry standing on the roof.

The female militiamen on horseback behind them immediately raised their guns and mounted their horses, advancing along the dusty dirt road to attack.

At this time, the 800 Jihadi members were still scattered in various corners of the village. Some were fast asleep, some were feasting, and some were about to enjoy the "jihadist brides." They never expected that they would suddenly suffer a fierce attack.

The Jihadi militia hastily picked up their weapons and prepared for battle, but scattered and unable to mount any effective resistance, they were quickly overrun by the mounted Basij militia.

Bahram led the charge with unstoppable force. While charging fiercely, she constantly switched between melee and ranged weapons, focusing her attacks on the so-called "auxiliary" followers within the enemy ranks.

She had already discerned that these "supporters" were even more fanatical and inflammatory. In every isolated small enemy unit, these "supporters" were always the ones leading the charge, and as long as these special enemies were killed, the morale of the remaining enemy troops would drop significantly.

She charged left and right, galloping east and west through the enemy ranks. Her sharp weapons, heavy armor, and fierce warhorse instilled fear in the enemy. Her heroic figure, like a heroine from an ancient epic, broke through all enemy obstacles. Wherever she went, the enemy retreated in disarray.

Bahram's bravery greatly inspired the Basij militia. Although their horsemanship and martial arts skills were not as good as those of the court guards who were skilled in archery and horsemanship and had won many battles, their courage and determination were no less.

Because Shahzani had applied a combat skill that increased mobility before the battle, their speed on horseback was significantly improved, resulting in a more powerful attack.

But more importantly, there's the [Women's Army] military talent that Shahzani initially unlocked. This buff increases their physical attributes by 50%.

According to one study, women's upper body strength is equivalent to 60% of men's, while their lower body strength is equivalent to 90% of men's.

This means that, under the influence of the buff, the female warriors' arm strength may only be barely on par with that of male warriors of the same level, but their leg and hip strength will far exceed that of the latter, which will naturally make it easier for them to control and ride warhorses.

The mounted Basij militia divided into small combat squads, advancing in all directions to encircle, sever, and eliminate the Jihadi militia along each road, in order to prevent them from regrouping.

Dust filled the air, hooves clattered, and the neighing of warhorses, shouts of battle, and cries of agony mingled together.

The villagers, who had been enslaved by the Jihadi elements, rose up in rebellion, picking up sickles, rakes, shovels and other farm tools to join the fight against these evil enemies.

The remaining Jihadi soldiers were utterly powerless to resist such a fierce attack. "Holy war," "sacrifice," and "spreading the Sunnah" were all irrelevant at this moment; survival was of paramount importance. Driven by their instinct for survival, they threw down their weapons, knelt on the ground, and cried out for mercy.

The Jihadi militia, which had been entrenched in the Behesht Oasis, was thus wiped out.

Bahram successfully completed his mission of cutting off the enemy's main force's retreat.

The liberated villagers cheered and prostrated themselves before the Bassky militiamen in gratitude.

Bahraim, meanwhile, reassured the people and planted red battle flags in the village to indicate that he had taken control. He also deployed Basij militia to patrol and defend the area, in case any remaining small groups of enemy forces.

Chapter 21 "Grab his head and shake it from side to side"

Bahram seized the Behesht Oasis, cutting off the retreat route of the Jihadi militants.

Meanwhile, on the desert battlefield...

The palace guards led by Shahzani had completely annihilated the Jihadi cavalry and were now regrouping to face 4000 Jihadi infantrymen.

Superior equipment, dashing figures, well-trained formations, and an unstoppable charge. All these factors combined to put considerable pressure on the opposing Jihadi infantry.

“They are all heavily armored cavalry, while we only have simple sabers and spears. How are we supposed to fight them?!” A Jihadi soldier wearing a coarse desert robe looked terrified, his hand holding the spear trembling.

"Don't be afraid! We outnumber them!" Abu Habib, surrounded by his men, was trying to reassure them. "As long as we stick together, they can't get in!"

With his cavalry wiped out, Abu Habib lost his mobile force, which he relied on for flanking maneuvers. After the great shock, he hastily changed his tactics, ordering all his infantry to gather together and form a defensive formation, hoping to counter Shahzani's powerful charge.

This measure had some effect; due to the large number of people and the dense formation, a direct charge by cavalry could easily lead to them getting trapped in the crowd. Faced with this situation, Shahzani did not act rashly for the time being.

Meanwhile, the "assistants" in the Jihadi army kept shouting radical slogans to forcibly maintain the morale of other Jihadi members.

"Haha, very good! That's it!" Abu Habib exclaimed triumphantly. "Archers! Fire! Shoot them dead!"

In an instant, several sharp "whoosh" sounds were heard as numerous arrows were fired from Jihadi's army formation, heading towards the palace guards.

However, these Jihadi were generally not good archers, and the distance reduced the penetrating power of the arrows. In addition, the palace guards were heavily armored, and their warhorses were also armored for protection.

Therefore, this volley of arrows did not cause any damage to the palace guards.

But Shahzani also realized that the stalemate could not continue, otherwise the longer it went on, the more disadvantageous it would be for the battle.

She scanned the Jihadi army formation ahead again and found that apart from having a large number of people, the enemy had nothing to offer. Their formation was chaotic and disorderly, the units could not be coordinated, and the configuration of various types of troops was extremely unreasonable, full of flaws.

So she quickly came up with a plan to defeat the enemy.

"Soldiers! Advance towards the edge of the enemy lines!"

Shahzani once again commanded his cavalry to charge at the weakest point of Jihadi's army.

Accompanied by loud battle cries, the battlefield was once again filled with the thunderous sound of hooves and billowing dust.

The palace guards rushed to the flanks, quickly switched to ranged weapons, and then drew their bows and arrows, unleashing a barrage of arrows at Jihadi's army.

A piercing whistling sound tore through the sky, and instantly, dozens of Jihadi soldiers were struck by arrows, letting out painful and desperate howls.

Under Shahzani's command, the palace guards did not charge straight into the enemy lines. Instead, they used their speed and formation advantage to circle around the entrenched Jihadi army and fire arrows, slowly wearing down the enemy with their long-range projectile capabilities.

After several volleys, Jihadi's army was thrown into greater chaos. Shahzani then ordered the entire army to switch to melee mode. However, she still did not send the cavalry straight into the enemy lines, but instead launched flanking attacks on the outer edges of the enemy lines.

Commonly known as the "peeling the onion" tactic.

First, gradually weaken the enemy's strength and demoralize them from the outside, then advance layer by layer, slowly penetrating deeper into the territory, and finally completely defeat this group of enemies.

This tactic caused the Jihadi followers great distress.

They watched helplessly as the female cavalrymen charged in, killing their comrades with arrows and spears. Before they could even find a chance to retaliate, one of the female cavalrymen would dash away, and when she returned, they would be pierced by another cavalryman's spear and lose their lives hastily.

This cycle repeated itself, and the morale of Jihadi's soldiers was gradually worn down. Some of them wore mournful faces, some retreated step by step, and some simply turned around and fled into the inner ranks of the army.

Abu Habib was surrounded by his men in the chaotic army formation. Looking at the panicked and demoralized group in front of him, he was filled with shock, fear, and burning anger.

"God above! Hold on! Hold on! Don't run! Charge! Kill those devilish bitches!"

Abu Habib had almost lost his mind. He yelled wildly at his men and lashed out at his retreating subordinates with his whip.

Unfortunately, the battle was already decided, and the morale of the Jihadi soldiers had been shattered. Where would they find the courage to fight to the death? Even the most fervent "auxiliaries" could no longer inspire the troops.

The time for a counterattack is fully ripe.

"All troops, listen to my command! Charge towards the enemy's core!" Upon seeing this, Shahzani immediately led his troops to turn their horses around.

The palace guards immediately regrouped at top speed, switched to melee weapons, and charged straight at the crumbling Jihadi army with the force of steel and fire.

The immense impact of the heavy armor and warhorses instantly tore apart the collapsing Jihadi army formation. The female cavalry charged left and right through the enemy lines, sweeping away everything in their path. They also broke through the enemy lines, advancing and encircling them, dividing the enemy army into several sections.

“Yes, that’s how we should fight.” Shahzani secretly cheered. “We should ‘grab their heads and sway them from side to side,’ not giving them a chance to breathe.”

Jihadi's army had lost all will to fight; no one was willing to risk their lives for this battle, which was already doomed to failure. In the hearts of many, only endless panic remained.

Then, even more devastating news arrived.

"Oh no! The Behesht Oasis has been captured! Our escape route has been cut off!"

In the crowd, someone pointed to the scarlet flag rising on the distant horizon and shouted desperately.

This completely collapsed the Jihadi army, and the Jihadi members scattered and fled in disarray.

"Chase them and crush them completely!"

Seeing this, Shahzani immediately led his army in a full-scale counterattack, sweeping away the remaining enemies like a whirlwind.

At that moment, she saw a disheveled and desolate figure amidst the routed enemy ranks.

Abu Habib attempted to escape during the chaos.

Shahzani immediately spurred his horse and approached him.

Abu Habib was urging his horse to gallop, glancing back nervously every now and then, but no matter how hard he whipped the horse's rump, he couldn't shake off the female general who was galloping forward.

Shahzani was already close to Abu Habib's side. She swiftly drew her lasso weapon and hurled it with force.

"Whoosh!—Whoosh!"

The weapon arced through the air and landed precisely on Abu Habib's shoulder.

Shahzani exerted force suddenly, and with a scream, Abu Habib fell heavily from his horse. She immediately spurred her horse forward and trampled the enemy general under her feet.

Chapter 22 Proxy Wars?

"Your Excellency...Madam..."

Abu Habib lay sprawled on the ground, his heart filled with endless fear and terror, even though the beautiful and alluring Shahzani was right before him. He dared not harbor any evil desires.

“I…I am just a lowly blade of grass! It was…it was someone who ordered me to do this! I…” Abu Habib almost buried his head in the sand, his trembling voice revealing the fear in his heart.

"Enough!" Shahzani interrupted him impatiently. "You and your followers have committed irreparable crimes. Even if you suffer eternal torment in Hellfire, it will not wash away your sins!"

"But I still need a trial before I can decide how you will die. Soldiers, take them away!"

At Shahzani's command, the palace guards immediately bound Abu Habib and the other prisoners and threw them onto horses.

Meanwhile, Shahzani sent a sergeant to the rear to relay an order for Hoslu to lead her troops to the Behesht Oasis and advance the front line.

……

Behesht Oasis.

Bahramu has wiped out the remaining enemy and consolidated the gains of the battle.

Upon arriving at the oasis, Shahzani immediately envied its vastness and abundance.

Looking around, one sees lush trees, clear springs, and a mild climate. One can imagine that in spring and summer, this place must be a vibrant scene of birdsong and fragrant flowers.

“This is a wonderful place. More importantly, I defeated the rampant Jihadi militants and liberated this place,” Shahzani thought to himself. “Now I can rightfully bring the entire oasis, along with the villages and settlements on it, into my territory.”