Last King of Kings

Chapter 65: To reclaim the jewel

Yazdegerd was enjoying some fine wine and cheese, together with grapes and some chicken. He suddenly got an irresistible urge to eat something good. Maybe it was due to the stress he was under for the last few days. He felt as if the sky was about to fall, and he was the only one trying to hold it and prevent it from falling. After some minor confusion following the victory, plans were made and orders were given, and the Persians were marching to Hira. To reclaim the fallen jewel, to reclaim what was stolen from them.

Yazdegerd ordered to take the Arab prisoners with them, just in case Arabs didn't desert the place. They could come in handy as a blackmailing material. Maybe the city would fall without siege. Because costly siege was the last thing Yazdegerd, or any other general wanted.

After two days long march, they arrived to Hira, to see it still occupied by Arabs. Did they not get the message that the main force was defeated? Or perhaps they got the message together with an order to hold Hira. Yazdegerd had his royal tent laid out, next to commander's tent, as if preparing for a long and bloody siege. In his mind though, he just wanted to enjoy a bit of comfort and relaxation.

He was thinking about a lot of things. For starters, he thought about how this time of turmoil and war will end, fairly soon, just after capturing Hira. That presented the second trouble. He could just have siege engines built and let the city be stormed. And while that would provide a quick and fairly effective solution, it would be extremely bloody. And he didn't want that. No one did. He couldn't bear he feeling of guilt from such an order, especially not before meeting his Shahanshahbanu.

At that thought, he rose up from the bed he was lying in, and went out of the tent in search of Rostam. He found him fairly quickly. He was in the commander's tent, together with general Jaduya, Piruz Khosrow and Jalinus. Andarzaghar was there, too. It looked like he incorporated himself fairly quickly. They were all sipping on wine and talking, most likely still about the recent achievement. The first one to notice Yazdegerd was the man in question, Rostam. He quicky stood up and bowed, greeting his Shahanshah. As the rest of them realized what was happening, they followed in suit. Yazdegerd waved his hand on them, to gesture that they could stop.

"My Shahanshah, what brings you here?" asked Rostam in a bit of an embarrassed tone. Maybe he felt uneasy being caught partying in the middle of a day.

"Initially, I wanted to speak only to you, my spahbed, but since I have the opportunity, I am announcing a meeting of the command staff of the Persian army. General Jalinus, general Khosrow, general Jaduya and general Andarzaghar, come too. I wish to speak with all of you. The more minds, the safer the solution."

A bit perplexed, they all gathered around the table that stood in the tent, with Yazdegerd at the head.

"My generals, today I need to discuss with you the inevitable capture of Hira. I have spent not one long night thinking and wondering at the right course of action. I have considered every option I could, from negotiating to bloody assault, but I wasn't able to decide. I want your help with my indecision. We need to be decided by the time sun sets, so we can put the gears into motion."

The lot of them looked on him, thinking deeply. The meeting burst into session and loud chatter erupted, while they were considering every detail, every pro and con and every small thing, exploring every possibility that could arise. In the end though, the only thing they were able to agree on is that straight on assault would end horribly. But what then? Negotiation? Trap? Or just plain starvation? No, they couldn't wait that long. They had to decide. But no progress came and they just blandly spoke and talked. But then, suddenly, Yazdegerd spoke up.

"That's enough. I hoped we could come to a conclusion, but we got nowhere and time is running out. Let us send the Arabs a message containing the terms of surrender, guaranteeing them safe passage to their lands. Should they accept, then we have nothing more to worry about. We will recapture the city, let the previous inhabitants back inside and that's it. But should they refuse, which I fear is the more possible option, we would have no choice but to use a different strategy. We will use the weapon most cruel and most destructive. A weapon that is bound to break their spirits and crush their morale. A weapon that will make them hate us till the end of their lives. A necessary evil, if you will."

Rostam, Bahman and Andarzaghar grimaced as they heard what the Shahanshah said. This all sounded all too familiar to them. This talk about necessary evil, a weapon cruel and most destructive. Rostam wondered, should his assumption be correct, where did that small child even heard of such tactics? But then, suddenly, his mind wandered into a thought that he feared. What if such line of thinking wasn't Yazdegerd being influenced by someone, but rather his own mind that came up with such a plan. But before jumping into conclusion, he had to confirm it. But he was interrupted before he could ask anything.

"My spahbed, I see that you know what weapon I am talking about." said Yazdegerd with a forced smile. Rostam's eyes widened.

"My Shahanshah, you can't-" shouted Rostam. Bahman and Andarzaghar were on the same page as him, while Piruz Khosrow and Jalinus were realizing what the young Shah was talking about.

"I can't? Why shouldn't I? You should know very well what the Arabs caused – not only to our country, but to our people and to us! Rostam, you should understand – you were forced to leave your wife with you newborn child just to take part of this military campaign. No one knows when you'll be able to see him for the first time. What they did to us, to our lives is unforgivable. But they won't back down just after few defeats. They will retreat, maybe leave us for a while, but they will still think of us as a lion that is all roar and no bite. We have to show them that they were messing with the wrong lion. My will is absolute! We shall commence our plan tomorrow. And ready the prisoners. Their fate will be decided by those in the city."