Alright guys, here we are with chapter twenty-eight of Romans. This is going to be a Russia chapter and the last chapter of active warfare in The Russo-Ottoman War. We'll follow the action at Tabriz and at Baghdad. Hope you enjoy.
The Legacy of The Romans.
Act II.
The Russo-Ottoman War.
Chapter XXVIII.
True Heiresses of Rome.
In antiquity, the Roman and later the Byzantine Empires were constantly at war with the Persians. These wars would lead to ruin as the Arabs crushed them both underfoot - Persia became an Islamic country under the rule of the Caliphs while Constantinople itself was under siege in the 8th century. The Byzantines would repel these Arabs in the end and they would fight off countless more Islamic powers, from Arabs to Persians to Turks, however, constant in-fighting and the machinations of Catholic powers such as Venice and the crusaders would eventually doom the Byzantines. Constantinople would fall to the Turks in 1453 and the Sultan added a plethora of Persian titles to his long list - chief among these titles was Padishah, essentially meaning Great King and somewhat of a Turco-Persian equivalent of Emperor - a title still worn by the Sultan today. Now, however, purple banners were flying over an army marching into Persian land once more. Tabriz, the new bulwark protecting The Ottomans from the Persians, would fall to Russian cannons. Then, the road would be open for my troops to plunder Baghdad, giving me more money and more bullion for my increasingly ambitious plans for The Tsardom of Russia. If I could, I would cover all of Muscovy in gold at the expense of my enemies.
Well, not literally, that would be rather gaudy, not to mention impossibly expensive, however, this money, when combined with the money I took from the Polish treasury and Russia's own coffers, would fund the transformation of Russia from a rural Kingdom on the fringe of Europe to a superpower at the center of European politics. My palace, my citadel, and my administrative building in the heart of White Square forms the key to a new Moscow, a city that, just like my palace, will be the envy of Europe. My investments in southern Russia will transform the wild steppe into fertile farmland and the food source of many new cities and fortresses that will spread my authority well beyond the Muscovite core of my Tsardom. Finally, the rest of the gold will go towards my armies. My armies will grow even larger and remain on the cutting edge of technology, allowing me to cut through my enemies just like I did the Poles and the Turks. Russia is a vast land and thus we have a high population, even if it is spread across far more land and far less valuable land than the rest of Europe. Even in parts of Muscovy, the distance between cities can rival the distance between opposite ends of Kingdoms. However, the turmoil in Germany presents an opportunity for me.
The Holy Roman Empire is being ravaged by constant warfare and that definitely doesn't seem to be changing soon. Meanwhile, Russia is a massive and victorious realm with great tracts of arable land just waiting to be cultivated. Winters may be cold and long and famine is possible anywhere and everywhere, but in the lonely steppes of southern Russia, Germans farmers will at least be free of constant groups of foreign armies ravaging their farms regardless of religious affiliation. Not to mention the various Caucasian peoples such as Crimeans, Tatars, Armenians, Azeris, Georgians, and even some Turks, Persians, and Kurds from Ottoman Crimea and Caucasia who will have the opportunity to spread across Russia as well. I envision a ring of southern fortress cities stretching from Ochakiv and Azov in the west across the steppe all the way to the Pacific. These cities and fortresses will hold the line against Turks, peoples of the steppes, and eventually perhaps even the Chinese. The future of Russia is bright, because two Tsarinas of Russia are united together in every way possible, fully prepared to vanquish our enemies, expand our borders, and settle the endless lands to the south and east. Fittingly, all of this will be directed from the new Anastasia and Yelizaveta Palace in Moscow.
"You seem happy." Yelizaveta smiled as we walked hand in hand next to our carriage with our troops. We were heading down a gentle descending mountain path towards Tabriz and, given that this was an easier part of the journey, we wanted to walk with the troops to raise morale. In our green uniforms, purple neckties, and my tricorne hat, we could pass for some sort of female soldiers. That idea was interesting, if I decided to add women to my army, I could double the size of it - now, let's go for a harsh and conservative estimate and say that a female soldier could be, at best, half as effective as a male soldier, such an advantage in numbers would be a huge benefit. On paper, it seemed like female soldiers were a good idea, however, that doesn't take many things into account. First of all, wives and daughters tend to manage farms and estates while their husbands, fathers, or sons are off fighting wars, second of all, going on the harsh estimation, female soldiers were half as effective as male soldiers but required just as much food, finally, the implications of a female soldier being captured by enemy troops were less than pleasant. I believed that female soldiers could be more effective than just half as good as male soldiers, however, I couldn't justify the other two problems. Female soldiers weren't going to happen, at least not now in the world of pikes, gunpowder, and cannons.
"How could I not be? The war is going well, Russia is on top of the world, and I have the most beautiful girl in the world in my hand." I smiled and gave her a quick peck on the lips - just long enough to not be noteworthy or suspicious - the soldiers, not particularly focused on a pair happy sisters, likely figured we were just affectionate with each other. They were not entirely wrong either, the fact that all of this started with me straddling my little sister over a book of erotic lesbian literature is illuminating to say the least. Speaking of that incident, I had a bit of a question for Yelizaveta "Speaking of, the book about Yekaterina and Tatiana, I practically crawled on top of you to take the book. I silent and blushing...it wasn't entirely about the book, was it?"
"Nope." Yelizaveta admitted shamelessly...she's only aged one year since then but she's come out of her shell ever since she came out of the closet for me "It was always about you. Even the servant girl I kissed...I never told you which servant girl it was. I kissed Kseniya, that blonde servant girl that kind of looked like you but with those weird, creamy, light brown eyes. I thought that was the closest I would ever get to you, so I kissed her and pretended she was blue eyes and I think I even asked her to put on one of your old dresses that mom didn't like and was going to throw away. She left and I was sad and lonely again, all until I found out you were gay too. I had hope then...and now, it's led to me being happier than ever. It led to us being happier than ever."
"So...did you scooch next to me in Minsk too?" I asked, wondering if that night in the tent was all just a clever bit of planning on Liz's part. I wouldn't even be mad to be honest, that kind of planning and willingness to do whatever it takes to get what she wants is exactly what will make Yelizaveta a wonderful Tsarina of Russia. Nevertheless, I would prefer if the incident truly did develop naturally. At this point, I was certain that I was absolutely in love with my little sister and I loved the idea that our mutual love was so strong we subconsciously found ourselves in each other's arms.
"That one I had nothing to do with, but I definitely didn't mind." Liz admitted. I was satisfied with that explanation, it was the best of both worlds. It meant that our mutual attraction was indeed incredibly strong but it also meant that Yelizaveta was a crafty one and that recognized an advantageous opportunity when she saw one. That was necessary for a truly successful Tsarina. My partnership with Yasamin Mirza Shahi al-Bahmani was certainly not premediated but she offered me a chance of denying the English, the French, and the Dutch parts of India. If I want to be a major player in Europe, I will sooner rather than later find myself entangled in the complex web of alliances between these colonial powers. The French and the English are bitter rivals while the English are also supporting the Dutch in the rebellion against the Spanish, meanwhile, the French are supporting the Protestants against the Habsburgs, despite both France and Austria being Catholic. Thus, despite being rivals, France and England have currently found themselves both at odds with the Habsburgs.
This is complex system of interlocking alliances and rivalries will soon involve Russia, meaning that it is of strategic benefit for me to take India away from my rivals. After all, I have already established that it will be decades if not centuries before Russia will be able to reach India by itself and, while the Portuguese are our allies and currently have the largest presence in India and indeed the Indian Ocean as a whole, I do not trust that to last. The Portuguese approached us to join this war and I was all too eager to accept their help, however, they have done this because of how quickly their overstretched presence in the Indian Ocean crumpled against The Ottomans in Arabia. Terezia did well to never actually promise them Bahrain or Muscat back. That was their goal in this war but I wanted to preserve the strong Ottoman Empire after this war so I'm taking as little land as possible. That will likely lead to the alliance with Portugal crumpling. There is no real strategic reason for two realms at opposite ends of Europe with different enemies and allies to remain allies once our common war against the Turks was over and the Portuguese leave with drained coffers and nothing to show for it. Politics were opportunistic and I was ready to use the Portuguese, but, at the end of this war, they will have outlived their usefulness and the alliance will no longer be of use to me. My attention will shift from the Mediterranean and Black Sea region to the Baltic.
The Kingdom of Sweden has grown strong and seeks to become even stronger. Scania and Gotland have fallen from Denmark, Jamtland from Danish ruled Norway, and currently occupies various coastal territories along the northern edge of The Holy Roman Empire. The fact that the Swedes have invested in building up fortifications and docks in Pomerania and Bremen suggests that they have no intention of giving up these German territories. Adolphus Rex likely envisions himself as the first Protestant Holy Roman Emperor in the waiting, waiting to be crowned by various Protestant German electors whilst the Habsburgs grovel at his feet, defeated and humiliated. I didn't want this to happen, I had no religious stake, other than perhaps being sympathetic to the Catholics due to our alliance with Lady Krystyna, but I did not want Sweden getting any stronger. The Livonian Order, a Catholic order reigning over the Baltics, is increasingly coming under the control of Lutheran German nobles with links to Stockholm. The secularization of The Livonian Order will likely trigger a massive war throughout the Baltic Sea region, a war where I intend to call in The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. I will have Swedish Livonia surrounded from east and south. The Poles have become my subjects, The Ottomans are already crushed and will likely beg for a treaty soon, and soon, Sweden will fall too, then the Khanates to the east, then, anyone else who dares resist my rule.
"Well I'm glad we're together. It seems right in a way. I want to share everything with you - my ideas, my success, my failures, my conquests, all of Russia - I couldn't do that with Krystyna. We couldn't be equals because I needed her to be subservient politically while she needed to do everything in her power to strengthen The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Here, we're on the same side. My success is your success. Your success is my success. I love Krystyna and I want her to be happy, but juggling a dominant political relationship and a healthy romantic relationship is a toxic situation. The only thing toxic with you are the labels people will put on our relationship...but I don't care about these, if anything, they're a turn-on now. Letting go of all that was the best decision of my life and I cannot wait until we're finally sharing a bed in our palace together." I whispered to Yelizaveta. I wanted to pour my heart out to her. Everything was going so well and I could finally enjoy it, free from the shackles of social expectations and bloodlines. We were together now and nothing was going to change that. The present and future Tsarinas, united in beauty, united in blood, and now, united in love.
We were unstoppable together and Tabriz would be the first target to feel our combined wrath. Seventy thousand Russians commanded by two of the most powerful women history will ever know, when the Russian Imperial Army and the Army of the Caucasus unite at the walls of Tabriz, Turks and Persians alike will shake before the power of Russia.
"Hello my Tsarina." General Feodorov bowed before me. Rising back up, the General detailed the Siege of Tabriz. The Army of the Caucasus had surrounded the city and the added forces and artillery from the Russian Imperial Army will solidify our grasp, doubling the number of cannons beating down on the walls and filling any potential gaps in our defenses. Tabriz would either watch as its walls fell, suffer as its people starved, or watched as its garrison is imprisoned following a humiliating surrender. They seemed too stubborn to take the third option, but we had the entire year ahead of us, we were more than capable of spending all of 1624 laying siege to this city, kept strong by our supply lines extending from occupied Yerevan and Baku. True, we were far from Russia and we would only get further as we pressed for Baghdad, however, considering that our caravans were able to cross that distance safely after we crushed any and all Ottoman resistance in the area, we were never too far away from Russian supplies. Mikhailovich and Feodorov were quick to divide up sectors of the siege, moving around their troops so that neither General would be in command of a single one of the other's troops. Seeing the generals preoccupied with the chain of command and getting to be the one who gets the glory for breaking Tabriz, Liz and I retreated to the camp site. We sat down next to the campfire while the troops worked on setting up all the tents. We were soon joined by Yasamin, the Indo-Persian noblewoman with far-reaching ambitions was quickly becoming a friend of mine.
Yelizaveta took my hand and, after seeing that the coast of clear, the two of us shared a kiss. I gave Liz a quick peck on the lips, just long enough that I could savor the feeling of her lips against mine. We had to break contact sooner than I would like but it was necessary. The happiness Liz and I were sharing would all be torn away if news of such sin ever got out. No amount of absolutism or success could justify incest to the people. I controlled the Russian Orthodox Church but that didn't mean that I could sin and get away with it. If Yelizaveta and I were caught in an incestuous relationship, the Church, the pious peasants, and the opportunistic nobles would band together to rip us off the thrones we were born and raised to occupy. So, Liz and I had to settle for fleeting kisses, held hands, and needy glances. We were in one of those long glances when we heard Yasamin giggle. Blushing, we turned to the Persian woman with a South Indian mother. We did not regret our kiss, but both of us had to admit, her giggling at our kiss was rather embarrassing.
"You two are so cute together." Yasamin pointed out. I didn't appreciate being made fun of, however, I would likely feel a similar way if our roles were reversed. It was hard not to feel jovial when in the presence of two people utterly in love with one another. Her glistening brown skin looked wonderful with a pleasant expression on her face. Yasamin had gone through various outfits during her time with the camp - some more militaristic, some feminine but still practical, other outfits were just loose dresses - but today she was in a light dress that, while not particularly fancy, would not look too out of place in a European court. It certainly looked beautiful on her, perhaps that was because she elevated the outfit to a higher standard, with almost any garment looking beautiful on her. Yelizaveta was on the same level, my little sister was beautiful in anything and I'm sure she would say the same about me. Yasamin was not my type but she was certainly an attractive woman and the dress suited her well. I was glad to see her in it. I figured that this would be a longer siege and I would see her go through a plethora of outfits, but I liked this one. Liz and I too would likely be in a similar predicament, even with the resources to wash clothes, we don't have enough of these feminine military uniforms to get us through a lengthy siege, we would have to switch to various dresses and outfits through the duration.
"Have you ever had someone?" Yelizaveta asked, trying to shift the subject away from our own embarrassment. I was interested in this subject too, after all, I still didn't know all too much about Yasamin's romantic life other than she was attracted to me and that she doesn't intend to reproduce. She intended to pass the succession along through her uncle and her cousins, similar to how Liz and I wanted to pass Russia to our nieces or nephews via Sofiya. I wanted to accomplish this through a matrilineal marriage, meaning that these heirs would be tracked through the matrilineal line rather than the patrilineal - meaning that, when Sophie has children, they will be of our dynasty rather than her father's - this is obviously against the typical practice of Europe, however, there is a chance that we could accomplish this in Europe, in the Islamic world, such a move would not be possible. Therefore, perhaps Yasamin may be a bisexual or something along those lines but needs to pass the dynasty through her relatives anyway ensuring that her second Bahmanid Sultanate is truly a Bahmanid Sultanate. Lesbian, bisexual, or otherwise, I was eager to find out more about Yasamin, after all, the woman would come to Moscow to form a government and prepare for an invasion of the Deccan in south India. This would likely take a long time and thus leave the woman in Moscow for a long time, allowing me to incorporate Yasamin into my government and use her to benefit Russia as much as possible. In order to work with the woman in such a capacity, Yelizaveta and I had to get to know her.
"Yes, twice." Yasamin answered before telling the story "My father's third wife was my mother, but he married once more after that when I was thirteen. My stepmother, Gulnara, was a sixteen year old Azerbaijani woman whose father married her off to mine. Gulnara had no interest in my father, but she quickly became interested in me. For a precious few months, we were absolutely in love with each other. She touched me in ways I never thought possible and I tried my best to do the same to her, but it couldn't last forever. Eventually, my father got sick of her stalling and trying to avoid consummating the marriage. He offered her an ultimatum - consummate the marriage that night or be sent back to her father without her dowry returned. Gulnara had too much pride and she was completely unwilling to bend. She went home and, the last I heard, her father had disowned her for such a disgrace. I don't know what's become of her since."
"Why didn't you mention this when I told you about how I felt for Liz? I didn't realize you had a similar experience." I asked, sure it still would be abnormal, but I would have felt way better about starting this relationship if I at least knew that such things happened in the world. Of course, now I can't understand how people could possibly resist this, but before realizing this, I almost denied myself happiness and love. Sure, in the end, Yasamin managed to get me to convince myself regardless, but still, such information would have been an utter revelation back down, even now I find it surprising and relieving. Yasamin is a completely different person from me, coming for an utterly different background, and the relationship she had with her stepmother was different as well, but the end result was still the same. She found incestuous love. Knowing this, I almost wanted to openly and fully kiss Liz, but I knew better than that and I managed to restrain myself.
"It's not quite the same. You two grew up with each other and share a blood relation, you are family in ever sense of the word. Gulnara was married to my father, sure, but she wasn't my mother, nor was she ever a maternal figure for me. From my perspective, she was a slightly older girl who was in love with me in a false marriage with my father. The marriage wasn't even fully carried out because they never had sex. I don't mean to offend but...if incest is a sin, what I did doesn't hold a candle to the relationship you share. Don't get me wrong, I think what you have is beautiful and, if I were you, I would be in that relationship too, but I've never been in such a situation and I don't think I ever will be." Yasamin explained. I thought about it as she spoke and I could see where she was coming from. She was a stepmother, sure, but her true mother was alive too and Gulnara was barely older than Yasamin was, it was hardly a true maternal relationship. The fact that the marriage was never consummated also would lead some to say it was never really a marriage at all, so, from a certain perspective, there was no real relation at all in Yasamin's case. Islamic societies allow for polygamy and, while the practice is really only still carried out by farmers, nobles, and rulers - not even ubiquitously in those cases - in cases where it does happen, like Yasamin's life, I guess it produces a family dynamic very unlike that of Europe.
In Europe, I would only have a stepmother or stepfather if my mother died before my father did or if my mother decided to remarry for whatever reason, respectively. If I had a stepmother, she would have to assume the maternal role because there is no clear other source for it, not for me anyway, however, I suppose that is different in a society which allows for polygamy. Yasamin's mother fit the maternal role for her quite well and thus, there was no room for Gulnara in her family unit. In fact, looking at Islamic history, there are incidents in which the wives of a deceased Sultan would actually fight each other to put their sons on the throne. So perhaps, Yasamin may be conditioned to see Gulnara as just some other woman who happens to be married to her father. I would especially get this impression if Yasamin's south Indian mother made her particular family unit a bit of an outcast compared to her father's other wives, who, from the sounds of it, are Persian or Azerbaijani or from another such culture hailing from the region, perhaps a Turkmen or a Kurd or even an Arab. Persians, Azerbaijanis, Turkmen, Kurds, and Arabs have all impacted the Caucasus region at one point or another in history and all of them have left their mark in one way or another, so it makes sense for the Persian administrator of Yerevan to have married into those cultures before getting pushed out by Ottoman conquest. The south Indian wife would be somewhat of an outsider in that scenario. I suppose it made sense as a family dynamic, as foreign as it was from my perspective. With so many wives and children, it makes sense that these more polygamist Muslim families would sort of adopt a families within a family sort of model. Satisfied with her explanation, I decided to inquire about the lingering strand of Yasamin's love life.
"The second time was a bit more recent, after I already left my father and began plotting my conquests. I came across this beautiful Afghan and Gujarati Muslim girl while on a trip to India to see the political situation for myself. She was captivated with me and my ideas for a grand new Sultanate in southern India, something to breathe life into southern end of the subcontinent after the Mughals were halted by Vijayanagar. I loved talking with her, I loved how she bad a similar background to me - caught between the Indian and Persian worlds, and I loved how, with her, I could press my conquests and my ambition further than the old Bahmanid Sultanate could ever hope for. She certainly had admiration for me, but she didn't love me the way I loved her. She was heterosexual and even somewhat homophobic. I couldn't bare to keep in contact with her after that. Once I left Ahmedabad to continue my tour of India, I didn't try for another relationship. I was attracted to other women, one in particular, but she had her sights on someone else already." Yelizaveta probably thought that Yasamin was referring to some other Persian or Indian women, but I knew better than that. Yasamin felt something for me, something which compelled her to stay with our army at the camp, something which compelled her to accept our incestuous relationship, something which compelled her to reveal her relationship with her stepmother. Krystyna fell for me, Yasamin fell for me, hell, my own little sister fell for me...I wasn't complaining, but what was it about me that attracted powerful women?
I was beautiful, that was true. I had come to appreciate my blonde, blue-eyed complexion and my smooth pale skin more once I realized how mesmerizing I found those very same qualities in Yelizaveta. I could see myself falling for me, but I was my own type - Krystyna and Yelizaveta were proof enough that I had an attraction to pale blondes - but what about the others? Well, Liz definitely has a type that looks like me, but I think that's more because of her fixation with me than me happening to meet the look she liked. Terezia was a bit of an exception to Liz's pattern, but even then, Terezia has some features in common with me. The pale skin being a superficial commonality and her nature as a talented stateswoman was another thing we shared. Krystyna, meanwhile, I didn't know much about her type, however, from the Polish noblewomen she associated with, I could definitely see that she had at least an implicit preference for fair complexions. Yasamin defied this though, between an Azerbaijani girl and an Afghan-Gujarati girl, it is clear that, until now, Yasamin has preferred darker complexions. Caramel skin and silky black hair, not ivory skin and rich blonde hair.
I suppose then it must be something derived from my personality. I had already theorized that Yelizaveta's love for me stemmed from admiration for her older sister. She wanted to be with me because she was impressed by my ambition, how effortlessly I could manage those Muscovite nobles Liz considered so bothersome, and how time and time again I managed to broaden my horizons and raise my goals. I would not be satisfied with doing the impossible and utterly defeating The Ottomans, I wanted the Swedes and Khanates crushed under foot as well. I could see how attraction could develop for that and, once Liz realized it was possible, she showed incredible growth as a political, social, and military leader for Russia. I gave her a reason to look at what she considered the dreadful side of Moscow and she overcame all of it. I understand that love. As for Krystyna, I was actually trying to get her to love me in order to forget Yelizaveta and, because of her sexuality and the fact we were similarly ambitious and powerful women, we seemed like a natural match. The only problem is that we found our ambition and our power to be on opposing ends. Yasamin could be a combination of these reasons and a development of the fact that she was grateful to finally find a ruler and a court willing and able to help her with her plans for India. So attraction mixed with admiration mixed with commonality, I suppose that can explain how I've managed to get the future King of Poland, the future Tsarina of Russia, and the potential Sultana of a Sultanate on the Deccan to fall in love with me. I was flattered by it all and I hoped that Yelizaveta would appreciate me even more now, if such a thing were even possible, but I did think it was all a little excessive.
The spring of 1624 turned into summer as the Siege of Tabriz continued. Russian cannons from two armies battered the walls of the Ottoman fortress city and our troops marched around the cities. Gold and black flags and purple banners circled Tabriz endlessly. Other groups of soldiers began digging trenches near the weaker areas of the wall - our soldiers wanted to establish a position from which they could attack if the walls fell - these were the same areas which our cannons were hitting the hardest time and time again. The defenders must have been desperately hoping for a relief force to arrive, but we already knew that there was nothing coming. We defeated the Turks from Anatolia while General Perevernykruchenko and our naval forces won the Crimean front with the Battle of Theodoro - taking Azov was now just a formality. In Europe, the situation for the Ottomans was dire as Lady Krystyna lead her troops through Wallachia into The Ottoman Empire proper. The Ottomans had no response for us, their armies in North Africa and Arabia were too far away and too concerned with holding their Empire together to have any effect on this war. So, once again, our cannons fired and the walls of Tabriz shook.
"My Tsarina," General Mikhailovich greeted with a slight bow - he still did not like my rule, but at least he was making an effort to pay respect and show appreciation for his ruler "News has arrived from the Balkans, the Poles met the Turks in battle at Varna. The Ottomans were outmaneuvered and slaughtered at the battle and Lady Krystyna is spreading word of her victory throughout Europe. She has written you personally of her victory."
"Thank you, General." I thanked Mikhailovich and dismissed him as I grabbed the letter. I sat down next to Yelizaveta and we began to read it together. The future King of Poland had very deliberately marked the letter as secret and urgent. She wanted it to reach me just as soon, if not before, news of her victory spread to the Middle East. Opening it up, however, I saw that there was another reason she marked the letter as secret. Lady Krystyna was clearly still in love with me and she made no secret of that in her letter.
My beloved Anastasia, Tsarina of all Russia,
We won. The Armia z Besarabia absolutely demolished the Turks at Varna. News of my victory is spreading throughout Europe like wildfire. Bela, Hungarian priest who was with me, called it the Second Battle of Varna. He said that the King of Poland and the Prince of Transylvania, under the command of a woman who claims both lands, avenged the death of Wladyslaw IV, the King of Poland and Hungary who died at Varna on November 10th, 1444. This victory is exactly what I need to get the respect and admiration of the Catholic world. I am now certain that, between my victory and your influence, the Sejm will choose me to replace Jan the Prussian once he dies. Prince Matyas, meanwhile, has declared that, if he does not have a heir when he dies, Transylvania will be mine. Everything is set for my election in The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and my inheritance of the Hungarian throne. The battle could not have gone better.
I know you, my pretty. The Siege of Tabriz must be blazing just in front of you but your mind is already working hard to figure out how I did it. I won't keep you in suspense though, I love you too much for that. The Ottoman campfires left trails of smoke a mile high in the sky, we knew we were walking into an ambush. I sent my scouts ahead to observe their positions and they revealed everything. The Turks planned to force us into a valley between two hills and slaughter them. I moved my infantry through a forest to distract them, making them think we were about to advance out of the woods and into their trap, however, all the while my cannons and cavalry moved around the position. Once they were ready, Johann led the cavalry charge and artillery against their rear. Sultana Helena and her Grand Vizier rushed to turn the army around to counter us, however, I then ordered Prince Matyas to advance the infantry through the trap and hit the Turks in their new rear position, meanwhile, I led a small contingent of the infantry to seize the Ottoman cannons. We had them surrounded by both sides halfway down a hill with their own guns turned against them. It wasn't even a massacre, it was an execution.
I let their leadership flee, as you had commanded. This is the perfect moment for us my dear, the Turks are shattered on every front. Ransack Tabriz and Baghdad, tear the wealth from The Ottoman Empire just like you did to my country, then, it will be time for us to rip The Ottomans apart piece by piece in a treaty. I cannot wait to see you at the negotiations, it will finally be a moment of closure for the both of us. You will be on top of the world and I will be riding a wave to glory that will take my ambitions all across eastern Europe. My name is circulated throughout Europe as the one who defeated the Turks in battle and I will use that reputation to justify an opportunistic move. Adolphus Rex, the King of Sweden, is tearing across Saxony, wreaking havoc on the Catholic Electorate. It is obvious that his next target is Bohemia, the place where this religious struggle began. I will wait for Bohemia to fall to the Swedes and I will swoop in like a heroine, saving the Czechs from the villainous Swedes and doing what the Habsburgs could not.
I will need to be ambitious and strong, I will need to face many enemies, and I will need to negotiate the politics of Europe, but I am sure that I can do it. I learned from you, the most beautiful, intelligent, and wonderful woman Russia has ever seen. We may only meet in person once more, but know that I love you and always will, even if both you and I must move on and find other women to love and cherish. You taught me everything I need to know to be a great woman and give you a wall of powerful and diverse allies to protect your western border. Never again will Russia have to wage border conflicts with The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sweden, or anyone else in Europe. I will ensure that Moscow becomes the center of an impenetrable sphere of Russian influence. We will all be united and we will all be sovereign, we will be strong apart and invincible together. Just like I wish we could have been. I love and miss you Anastasia, the months we shared at Kolomenskoye were some of the best in my life.
With love,
Krystyna Wlodzislawa, Szlachianka.
I smiled softly as Liz ran her finger across a tear falling down my cheek. Krystyna really did love me and despite the fact she wanted what was best for Poland and I wanted what was best for Russia, she valued my teachings and my ambitions. We may disagree over just how sovereign the states she establishes will be - she would like them to be willing allies of Russia, I see them as glorified client states - but we agree on what they are supposed to represent. This is a compromise that I can live with. I also am eternally impressed at her ambition and her energy. Just like I am already plotting on battling the Swedes before the war against The Ottomans is even over, she is plotting to become Queen of Bohemia before she is elected to be King of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania. I am also impressed at her deal with Prince Matyas, she has laid the foundation of her Kingdom of Hungary while merely being a particularly powerful Polish noblewoman. I looked up from the letter to see bricks falling from a section of Tabriz's walls and a group of Ottoman Persian defenders rushing to patch up the damage as quickly as possible - Krystyna was right, it would indeed soon be time to negotiate with Sultana Helena and her Grand Vizier - I would, of course, plunder Baghdad first, but, sooner rather than later, we would be making peace. I turned to Yelizaveta, my tears replaced with a grin, I knew exactly where to host the negotiations.
"The walls have collapsed! Charge!" General Feodorov shouted to his men as the wall collapsed in one of his sections, much to Mikhailovich's chagrin. The bricks hit the ground and the dust had only just cleared when Russians poured in, slaughtering the Persians forced to defend the city by the Turkish commanders who fell next. The defenders turned inward and that allowed us to shatter the walls and defenses in countless areas. Mikhailovich turned his attention to a section of wall that collapsed ahead of his own men, Dmitri shouted at them and scrambled his forces into the walls, desperate to beat his rival general to actually taking the city. Discipline amongst the Ottoman defenders shattered. Some Turkish commanders tried to flee, others were killed by our men, others yet were overthrown by their own. Suddenly, just as our men were pouring into the city, Persians began pouring out with their armies raised above their heads - they would rather surrender to the Russians than die fighting for the Turks. I watched as Yasamin smirked and approached the Persian soldiers.
The surrendering Persians definitely seemed to be surprised to be speaking to a Persian noblewoman all the way around here and I couldn't quite identify what was going on, however, I watched as their expressions turned to surprise, then shock, but then, elation. Yasamin raised her hand and halted the celebrations before turning to me, an expectant expression on her face. The woman effortlessly switched from her natural Persian accent speaking in her mother tongue to her perfect Russian, asking me a rather surprising section.
"What do you think about letting this men free? After all, they killed about as many Turkish commanders as we did just now." Yasamin pointed out. I saw the slight smirk on her face and I knew that she was up to more than she was letting on. This wasn't about them overthrowing the Turks at all, this was about her plans for India and the fact that she had a couple hundred Persian veterans standing in front of her.
"What are they going to do once they are free?" I narrowed my eyes and I prodded. I Knew what Yasamin was up to and I was likely going to approve it, however, I needed her to be honest with me and I wanted to know how exactly she intended to get from free a couple hundred Persians to having an army waiting for her in India when she hasn't even began forming a Bahmanid government in Moscow yet.
"They are going to return to their homes and spread news of my ambitions. Those who want to create a Shia state in southern India are welcome to come and fight for me when the time is right, those who do can expect titles and status appropriate for their contributions." Yasamin answered. I understood now, this wasn't about forming an army now, this was about spreading the word throughout Shia Persia, so that she could attract soldiers, bureaucrats, and officials to her cause from right out and under the Turkmen lords of Persia...doing this out of the former Qara Qoyunlu capital no less. Very well then, just as I received news of Krystyna's plans for the Czech lands, I would allow Yasamin to put her plans for the Deccan in motion.
"Very well then, let the spread of Russian influence begin!" I cried out and Yasamin followed. Tabriz had fallen, Turkish control of this border region was now questionable at best, and Yasamin's plan for creating a Russian ally in southern India was now made into reality. Word would spread throughout Persia, letting her future soldiers learn of the cause and likely bringing many of her potential government members to Moscow. With one siege, I defeated the Turks, undermined the Persians, and made sure my enemies would be denied ports in India. The Russo-Ottoman War was virtually ever and I guaranteed that Russia would go from the periphery to the focus in both Europe and Asia. Now, all there was left to do was to leave Baghdad in ruins and take the riches of the Golden Age of Islam to Moscow, for now, it was time for the Muscovite Golden Age.
The Abbasid Caliphate moved the Islamic capital from Damascus to Baghdad, the crossroads of the Arab and Persian worlds. The city was the home of The Abbasid Caliphate until the Mongols sacked the city. The city would recover, never quite as major as it was during the Abbasid era, however, it remained the capital of Iraq and hosted a number of Emirates and even a Sultanate or two. Baghdad would be sacked once again by the Timurids and then wound up under Qara Qoyunlu rule for a time before The Ottomans expanded into Mesopotamia. The history of Baghdad has been tumultuous to say the least and I will ensure that it is sacked once again. The wealth and riches of the Iraqi city will flow to Moscow.
The Tigris and Euphrates rivers have hosted civilizations ever since the dawn of human history. Ancient Mesopotamia breathed life into the world with agriculture and the first cities. Next came the reign of the Babylonians and the Assyrians, the first of the city-states gave way for the first Empires - contrary to what the Europeans insist, large and powerful Empires are the natural evolution of civilization. Russia will stretch from the Baltic to the Pacific, an Empire spanning the northern half of the world, unmistakable on a map - Mesopotamia would then become the geographical center of the ancient Persian Empire. This feature would be exploited by the Macedonians when Seleucus, one of the Diadochi, made his capital in the region. Seleucia became Ctesiphon under the Parthians and remained Persia's capital until the Islamic conquest. Now, Baghdad stands over the ruins of Seleucia and Ctesiphon, an extension of the ancient Persian world. Muscovite troops, representing the true heirs of the Roman world, would finally sack Baghdad and bring the countless Roman-Persian Wars to the conclusion they never really had because of the unexpected arrival of Arab Muslim interlopers on the world stage. Centuries of history have unknowingly built up to this event.
Purple banners encircled Baghdad just like the Romans and Byzantines had wished they were able to encircle Ctesiphon. Primordial walls and modern defensive works alike came together to keep us out of Baghdad. I had to imagine that some of these defenses dated back to when the Byzantine Empire itself still existed. The Byzantines wish that they were able to circle Baghdad like this and stop their Abbasid enemies. Now, Baghdad may not be as significant as it once was and it is far from the capital of The Ottoman Empire, but the city remains wealthy, populous, and a regional center...perhaps this sacking may change that but the Mongols couldn't change that and the Timurids couldn't change that. The Mongols were masters of the steppe, so much so that they forced my Medieval ancestors to capitulate and pay tribute, then the Timurids slaughtered thousands upon thousands of people on their rampage across western Asia, however, The Tsardom of Russia dominates the steppe in a way that both of them have failed to replicated. The Tsardom of Russia has accomplished that which our rivals on the vast plains could not - we actually tamed the steppe and we are on the cusp of settling and cultivating those lands.
Yelizaveta and I sat on a tarp over a sandy hill with a parasol over us, shielding our pale skin from the harsh sun. We were very far away from Russia now. Leading the Russian army on campaign has brought us to places where we would never go otherwise. Even Minsk and Kiev, one a major city of Russia, the other the former capital and historical center of Russian civilization, are not places that the Tsarina of Russia and her heiress would necessarily go to. Warsaw is not a place we would necessarily go to, however, we went there, we we brought down the city, and we signed a treaty there. I certainly would not have found my way to places like Yerevan or Tabriz or Baghdad. I was glad that Liz and I decided to lead our armies together. I love that we first had intimate contact in Minsk, I love that we slept in the same bed outside of Warsaw, and I love that we had a borderline sexual experience at Trebizond, the place where many of our common ancestors reigned. I treasured all of those experiences, but it felt right that we had those experiences and then we would return to Moscow to see the city reborn in order to finally make love within the walls of our new palace, the palace bearing our names. Though first, we had to sack Baghdad and we had to sign a treaty with The Ottomans. I felt my cheeks blush and my body fill with anticipation was I realized that, everyday, we were getting closer and closer to the day that I would take my little sister's virginity. I would be the only person to ever have sex with the next Tsarina of Russia, that made me feel more powerful than any title.
"Do you think they're calling for peace yet?" Yelizaveta asked. The Ottomans were soundly defeated and they knew that, the longer this war lasted, the more damage we would do to their Empire. Of course Sultana Helena and her Grand Vizier would try and make peace before we did something as outrageous as sacking Baghdad. Their calls for peace would fall on death ears, however, as my army has already reached Baghdad and we have not marched seventy thousand men all the way down here just to leave empty-handed. Helena should consider herself lucky that we aren't going to target Damascus or Anatolia before the end of the war. The reason why I won't is because I don't want to cripple The Ottoman Empire, I don't want to cause any radical changes in the balance of power or leave a vacuum for my enemies to fill. I may have to accept that the Turks may lose a bit of land to our enemies. The Persians will almost certainly make a move for Tabriz once their treaty is over and I have to believe that the Habsburgs will attack The Ottomans. I can accept the Persians retaking Tabriz but I do not want the Habsburgs getting much stronger. The so-called Holy Roman Emperor not only lays claim to a Roman inheritance which is rightfully mine, but the Austrian Habsburgs reign over Bohemia and parts of Hungary whilst the Spanish Habsburgs reign over Naples, the exact regions which Lady Krystyna lays claim to. The Habsburgs and The Ottomans will both lose land to my dear friend and former lover, but wars against each other will complicate Krystyna's conquests.
"I'm sure they already are, but I see an easy target in front of me and a beautiful woman next to me on this tarp. I see no reason to stop now." I smirked before stealing a kiss with Yelizaveta. Baghdad was defended but so were Tabriz, Trebizond, Yerevan, Baku, Azov, Iasi and any other fortresses and fortified cities that fell to Russian, Polish, Lithuanian, Georgian, Portuguese, Transylvanian, and Yveson's troops one after the other. This coalition of The Tsardom of Russia, The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, The Principality of Transylvania, The Kingdom of Georgia, The Kingdom of Portugal, and English economic interests in the form of William Yveson and his Black Sea Company - represented by that group of Scottish mercenaries he hired to fight for our cause - has accomplished more than countless alliances and coalitions against The Ottomans ever have before. We defeated their armies, occupied their lands, and now, we're going to drag the wealth of one of their greatest and largest cities back to Moscow.
Baghdad, the crossroads of the Middle East, would continue to resist through the rest of the summer of 1624 and into the fall, but its fall was inevitable. We cracked through the walls and our soldiers tore into the city. General Mikhailovich and General Feodorov competed for which army would confiscate the most wealth. Banks were raided, mansions were ransacked, and treasures were ripped from their hiding places. The most impressive part of the sacking was the relative order of it all. The soldiers did not descend into slaughter or savagery - the commanders kept them in line - they only took wealth from where we allowed it. Our soldiers did not pillage Mosques, defile women, or turn over houses in hopes of finding something shiny. That was the most impressive accomplishment of Mikhailovich and Feodorov, they gave me two large, powerful, and disciplined armies.
By the end of it, our joined army was escorting a convoy of carriages back to Russia. Mikhailovich was in charge of getting the wealth back to Moscow - where Terezia would make sure nothing was left unaccounted for when compared to Liz and I's manifest - while Feodorov would be in charge of demobilizing the troops. Terezia would handle paying the generals before meeting Yelizaveta and I at Konstantinovskaya, King Constantine IV's Russo-Georgian retreat in the Caucasus mountains. Our mother had taken us there a few times during our childhood and I felt it represented the perfect place to make peace between. It was in Georgia, a country where much of the early fighting of this war occurred, it was located between The Tsardom of Russia and The Ottoman Empire, and it was relatively secluded. We would be able to negotiate exactly what we wanted without being disturbed. Sultana Helena and her Grand Vizier would need to be there, obviously, but I was also going to invite Lady Krystyna, Prince Matyas, King Constantine, and the rest of our allies. Our victory would be a celebration.
Alright guys, this has been chapter twenty-eight of Romans. The final two chapters of act two will follow The Treaty of Konstantinovskaya from first the Ottoman and then the Russia perspective. Chapter thirty-one will start act three. Next week I will post chapter eight of Secrets of The Outer Rim, that's all I got.
I love you, peace out!
