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Chapter 1053: General Zubov Shows His Edge

In the strategic town of Damghan in northeastern Persia.

Agha Mohammad watched with narrow, pleased eyes as the executioners dispatched the kneeling rebels one by one. The metallic tang of blood drifted on the breeze, a scent that brought him a twisted sense of satisfaction.

More than two thousand corpses already lay in neat rows across the wasteland outside the city. Nearby, nearly a thousand more waited for their imminent end.

These were the remnants of Shahrukh’s forces.

Once they were gone, every trace of the Afsharid dynasty would be erased from the Persian Empire. No one would ever again dare to question Agha Mohammad’s right to be the true Shahanshah, the King of Kings.

Furthermore, this counter-insurgency operation had successfully intimidated all the tribes in the Khorasan region. This allowed him to conscript three or four thousand Turkmen cavalrymen from their ranks.

He intended to carry the momentum of this great victory, along with his reinforced legions, back to Tabriz for a final showdown with the Russians.

This time, he would not be careless. He would give the Russian army no chance to ambush him. The Caucasus would belong to Persia once more.

As the executions neared their conclusion, an officer, drenched in cold sweat, approached Agha Mohammad. He bowed low, his head nearly touching the ground. "Great Shah, General Khalil has sent a plea for reinforcements! The Russians have attacked Tabriz! The situation there is critical..."

A Persian army numbering over ten thousand passed through Tehran, hurrying westward toward the fortress of Tabriz.

Agha Mohammad looked back at the spires of the city, his eyes filled with a cold, piercing light.

He had originally planned to return to Tehran first to preside over the official capital relocation ceremony before heading to the western front. He had not expected the Russians to launch their offensive so soon.

Their interference meant his royal capital remained technically unofficial.

As the sun began to set, the blare of Turkmen ox horns echoed from the front, signaling the start of the evening camp.

Before long, the King of Kings was soaking in a medicinal bath within his tent. He was already irritable due to the recent string of setbacks when he heard the faint sound of guards whispering outside, punctuated by a low chuckle or two.

Agha Mohammad’s temper flared instantly, though a cruel smile touched his lips. "Who is making that noise?" he bellowed.

Anyone familiar with him would have been terrified by that expression—it was the look he wore when the Shah was about to kill.

The voices outside vanished instantly. An officer entered and bowed. "Your Majesty, it was your attendants, Bayezid and Veli. They were discussing the battle at Damghan..."

Agha Mohammad waved a hand dismissively. "Dismember them."

"As you command, Great Shah."

Just as the officer turned to leave, Sadikh Khan, the newly appointed commander of the Knights of Jihad, entered the tent and bowed. He offered a soft reminder, "Your Majesty, today is Jumu'ah."

Friday was the holy day of Islam, and executions were traditionally avoided.

Agha Mohammad felt his enthusiasm wane slightly. "Then let it be tomorrow."

Sadikh Khan exited the tent. Seeing several guards about to haul Bayezid and Veli away, he said in a stern voice, "Today is their shift. They must remain on guard here until dawn."

The guards exchanged glances, then released the two men and retreated.

Agha Mohammad’s military discipline was notoriously harsh; anyone who interfered with a guard’s post would face severe punishment.

Late into the night.

Bayezid and Veli stood outside the Shah’s tent, their hearts like cold ash. They knew that the moment the sun rose, they would be hacked into pieces. řâňöBëѕ

At that moment, Sadikh Khan signaled the other guards to withdraw, leaving only the two condemned men.

Ten minutes later, a blood-curdling scream erupted from the Shah’s tent. Persia’s formidable conqueror, the King of Kings, had his heart pierced by the blades of his own guards.

Sadikh Khan immediately ordered his trusted subordinates to light torches. He mounted his horse and shouted to the camp, "The tyrant has suffered divine punishment! Everyone, hear my command! At daybreak, we return to Shiraz to restore the empire’s glory!"

Agha Mohammad had been a brutal ruler. His soldiers lived in constant terror, knowing that the slightest mistake could lead to torture or death.

Hearing of his demise, cheers erupted throughout the Persian camp. Not a single soul moved to apprehend the killers.

However, few actually chose to follow Sadikh Khan’s lead.

By daybreak, the majority of the Persian soldiers followed their respective tribal leaders and headed for their homelands. Persia was a mountainous land where major tribes maintained a high degree of independence; only a strongman like Agha Mohammad could hold them together. With him dead, the army instantly became completely disorganized, like a plate of loose sand.

Two days later, news of the Shah’s assassination reached Tehran via deserting soldiers.

Fath-Ali Shah, Agha Mohammad’s nephew, quickly ascended to the throne with the support of the Qajar tribe. He immediately issued a decree pardoning the rebellious troops and ordering them to continue gathering at Tabriz.

Meanwhile, at Tabriz, Gudovich commanded twenty thousand Russian troops. After nearly a month of relentless bombardment, they finally breached the three layers of stone walls protecting the fortress.

Cossack troops were the first to swarm through the breach. Impacted by the news of the King of Kings' death, the Persians' morale was at an all-time low. Most of the soldiers abandoned the city and fled toward the southeast.

Valerian Zubov had not expected the campaign to proceed so smoothly. He quickly dispatched messengers to Saint Petersburg to report the victory. At the same time, he recalled Gudovich and took personal command of the main army, continuing the march toward Tehran.

The new Shah, Fath-Ali Shah, might not have been the warrior his uncle was, but he was steady and possessed significant political acumen.

He moved with great speed to consolidate the political factions in Tehran. He then sent envoys to Shiraz to appease the dominant Bakhtiari tribe, handing out a slew of titles and rewards to the tribal leaders.

When Sadikh Khan arrived at the old capital of Shiraz with his remaining two thousand men, he did not find the grand welcome he had envisioned. Instead, he was met by the army of the Bakhtiari tribe.

The Bakhtiari leader publicly read the Shah’s decree.

Sadikh Khan’s men had little loyalty to begin with; they began to desert on the spot.

Ten days later, Sadikh Khan’s head was delivered to Tehran.

By then, the Russian army had arrived at the walls of Zanjan, a major stronghold in western Persia.

...

In Central Asia.

Bukhara, the capital of the Emirate of Bukhara.

Inside the Ark Fortress.

The Grand Emir, Ma'sum Shah Murad, eyed the Russian Special Envoy before him with deep suspicion. After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"Distinguished Count Kozlovsky, I thank you for your goodwill. However, for the time being, we have no need for your country’s assistance."

This Russian, who had appeared out of nowhere, had just proposed a joint military operation to dismantle the Khanate of Khiva. All the Russians asked for in return was logistical support.

Bukhara and Khiva had been locked in a bloody feud for decades, fighting over the vital trade routes around the city of Merv.

There wasn't a day that passed where Murad didn't wish to see Khiva destroyed, but he was equally wary of Russia. The Russians had already established outposts on the eastern shores of the Caspian Sea and were heavily infiltrating the Kazakh regions.

Murad found it hard to believe that the Russians had no ulterior motives for this expedition.