A/N: Here it is readers, episode two of season three and today we're pitting two famed Muslim generals from the 16th century against each other! This is one of the most anticipated battles of all time and I'm glad to say it turned out pretty well. It was a difficult and close fight to resolve and my deadliest warrior panel had a hard time deciding on who would be the most likely winner. In the end I'm satisfied with the results so here we go. Once again, thanks to DeadAliveManiac, Zivon96, MKDemigodZ-Warrior and Metal Harbinger AKA Deadliest Warrior's new panel.
XXXXXX
(A Turkish man wearing Ottoman with plated chainmail and a turban helmet points his halberd at the camera before thrusting it.)
Suleiman the Magnificent: The Ottoman empire's greatest Sultan who brought the empire to it's greatest extent.
(Suleiman is seen leading his men into battle against an army of Hungarians. His Janissaries open fire on the Hungarians while his Sipahi charge forth and break their lines.)
vs.
(An Indian man wearing plated chainmail takes his sword and slashes toward the camera.)
Babur the Great: The founder of the Mughal empire whose use of guns and artillery captured India.
(Babur personally leads his men into battle during Panipat. He rushes up to a defending enemy soldier and slices his throat with his talwar.)
WHO...IS...DEADLIEST?
To find out, we've assembled a team of world class fighters to test history's most lethal weapons. Using 21st century science, we'll see what happens when two warriors go toe to toe.
No rules. No safety. No mercy. It's a duel to the death to decide who is…THE DEADLIEST WARRIOR!
Here in our elite fight club we have gathered doctors, medical scientists and weapons experts to test out the lethal arsenals wielded by each of our combatants to determine who would win a fight between two great 16th century Muslim generals.
Suleiman the Magnificent
Circa: 1526 A.D.
Age: 31
Height: 5'9''
Weight: 145 lbs.
Armor: Ottoman Warrior Cuirass, Steel Turban Helmet
Babur the Great
Circa: 1526 A.D.
Age: 43
Height: 5'9''
Weight: 155 lbs.
Armor: Kavacha Plated Mail
''This is one good fight that I have been looking forward to since this show started.'' DeadAliveManiac said in excitement, ''Two of the Muslim world's greatest conquering generals go head-to-head as the Ottoman empire's Suleiman the Magnificent takes on the founder of the Mughal empire Babur the Great. Out of all the general episodes we've had this one is easily my favorite.'' Ancient weapons, tactics and strategist DeadAliveManiac started off.
''It's certainly a great match but in the end I think I'll side with Suleiman because he was the reason the Ottoman empire became the most powerful state in the world. That's something you accomplish by being a good leader and having some seriously great warriors in your army.'' Medical expert Zivon96 said explaining his choice.
''Well, I side with Babur because he managed to conquer India while Suleiman did manage to conquer some parts of Europe, he wasn't able to completely take it over. The fact that Babur beat another empire to start his own gives him my edge.'' Weapons geek MKDemigodZ-Warrior countered.
''We have matchlocks, polearms and sabers. We'll see which Muslim general will prove superior as well as which empire would've won if they met. Let's get this started. Now, these two leaders utilized bows and muskets in their armies but since we've already seen similar bows these two used in past episodes we'll be giving them muskets since that's what these two were best known for so other than that, let's begin.'' Modern warfare, history and weapons specialist PFC Rice Man concluded.
Suleiman I, commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the West and Kanunî Sultan Süleyman in his realm, was the tenth and longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1520 to his death in 1566. Under his administration, the Ottoman state ruled over 15 to 25 million people.
''He annexed much of the Middle East in his conflict with the Safavids as well as areas in North Africa up to Algeria. During his rule the Ottoman fleets dominated the Persian Gulf, Mediterranean and the Red Sea.'' Rice Man explained.
At the helm of an expanding empire, Suleiman personally instituted major legislative changes relating to society, education, taxation and criminal law. His reforms, carried out in conjunction with the empire's chief judicial official Ebussuud Efendi, harmonized the relationship between the two forms of Ottoman law; sultanic and religious. He was a distinguished poet and goldsmith; he also became a great patron of culture, overseeing the "Golden" age of the Ottoman Empire in its artistic, literary and architectural development.
''He was easily one of the greatest and longest reigning Ottoman Sultan to ever grace the empire. Babur has a new challenge coming his way and I hope he's prepared.' Rice Man concluded.
The Ottoman Sultan came equipped with a well-balanced arsenal that allowed him to bring his empire to it's greatest extent.
Short Range: Shamshir
Mid-Range: Ottoman Halberd
Long Range: 16th Century Ottoman Matchlock
Special: Khanjar
However, the Ottoman Sultan will confront a man who conquered India and created an empire of his own.
Babur was born Ẓahīr-ud-Dīn Muhammad and was a conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the base for the Mughal dynasty in the Indian subcontinent and became the first Mughal emperor.
''He is a direct descendant of my favorite generals, Timur the Lame of the Barlas clan through his father and Genghis Khan through his mother. Persian culture played a big influence on him which gave rise to Persianite ethos in the Indian subcontinent.'' Explained Rice Man.
Babur was the eldest son of Umar Sheikh Mirza. He ascended the throne of Fergana in 1495 at the age of twelve and faced rebellion from his own relatives. He conquered Samarkand two years later, only to lose the city of Fergana soon after. In his attempt to reconquer Fergana, he lost control of Samarkand. In 1501, his attempt to recapture both cities went in vain as he was defeated by Muhammad Shaybani Khan.
''Like we've said with the Mughal warrior before, he brought in new weapons and ways of war and combined it with those from the lands he conquered. Suleiman better be ready to fight him off because Babur might just end his empire and claim more territory.'' Rice Man concluded.
The Mughal empire founder conquered India with weapons that spilled the blood of those who dared to oppose him.
Short Range: Talwar
Mid-Range: Tabar
Long Range: Torador Musket
Special: Kard
When the battles came to close range both generals relied on two deadly curved swords to slice through all opposition. Up first will be Suleiman with his shamshir.
''The shamshir was a saber that was very universal in the Middle East as the saif was. The blade was deeply curved but thin blade the ended in a sharp point making it a great piercing weapon. Altogether it was 35 inches long and weighed under 2 pounds.'' Suleiman expert Aydin Bayram explained.
''Damn, that blade looks scary as hell.'' DAM said before pointing towards the test set up. ''Anyway, here we have two gel torsos one unarmored and the other dawning the kavacha plated mail that Babur would've worn. We'll give you three strikes each to both targets to gauge your saber's damage capabilities.''
Nodding, Aydin readies himself and gets into position in front of the two torsos. ''I'm ready.''
''Okay then, on 3...2...1...attack!" DAM shouted.
With a war cry, Aydin readies his shamshir for a swing at the unarmored torso and slices clean through the neck in a functional decapitation. Despite that he still takes his saber and thrusts it into the target's torso with an audible squish, the blade's tip protruding out from the torso's back. His third strike being a thrust into the target's heart.
''Damn, poor bastard.'' DAM commented.
With the unarmored torso dealt with he moves on to the armored torso and moves in for a powerful thrust into the chainmail portion of the armor getting some penetration. When he withdraws his sword however blood is visible on the tip. Rearing his sword back for a swing he strikes the plated portion of the armor leaving a moderate dent in the plates. Undeterred by this failure Aydin makes up for it by thrusting his sword into the center of the armor where the lacing was and severed it sending the blade into the target's body.
Withdrawing his blade Aydin turns to look at the panelists. ''I think that'll do.''
''Alright, let's see what we got here.'' Zivon said walking over. ''For the unarmored target you struck him with a functional decapitation and this is an obvious kill. With the second strike you thrusted the saber into the target's torso and upon further inspection you managed to pierce his aorta for an instant kill and lastly, the attack to the heart is self-explanatory.'' Zivon then moves over to the armored torso. ''For your armored torso I'm seeing about an inch and a half of penetration and it was enough to cut the man underneath but only a little bit. Next with your swing to the plated portion of the armor only struck him with enough force to knock the wind out of him so no real significant damage done here.'' He then inspects the center of the armor where the plates were laced together. ''For the lacing I'm seeing that it has been cut through and you managed to achieve some degree of penetration and cause a superficial cut here so just like before you're only wounding this guy at best.''
''The saber is too thin and that curve is insane, my sword has been proven before and will triumph again.'' Babur the Great expert Jahangir Shah said, clearly unimpressed by the shamshir's performance.
Since we have seen Babur's talwar before in 'Mughal Warrior vs. English Longbowman', the team will need to perform the necessary test on it's performance against the armor worn by Suleiman.
''Alright Jahangir, it's the same test for you except you'll only be attacking an armored torso. Three strikes each got it?'' Said DAM.
Jahangir nods and gets into position in front of his target and waits for the signal.
''On 3...2...1...attack it!" DAM called out.
Unleashing a feral war cry, Jahangir swings his blade as powerfully as he can he strikes the circular chestplate with a loud 'dong', however there was no visible penetration and only a dent was left in place. Frowning at his failure, he then takes the talwar and thrusts into the chainmail portion of the armor and manages to pierce through it drawing some blood. Not satisfied yet, he rears back for a swing and in one mighty swoop sends the target's head flying as blood spurts from the wound.
''Well, that looked really painful.'' Demigod commented as he and the others walk over.
''Alright, let's see what you produced for us.'' Zivon said walking up to the target. ''I'm seeing only a minor dent in the chestplate portion of this armor and again with Aydin and his shamshir you only managed to knock the wind out of this guy. For the thrust into the armor you achieved one and a half inches of penetration and it was enough to only cut into the skin underneath so you're not hurting this guy much. Lastly, that decapitation is self-explanatory.''
''I planned that ahead of time just in case I couldn't make it through the armor.'' Jahangir joked.
After testing the ability of both swords to both deal damage to human flesh and their performances against armor, which one do our experts believe takes the edge?
''I was going to call this comparison as a draw from the start, but then I realized how the talwar has greater hand protection for the user and it's one of the best cutting weapons we've ever seen on this show. Despite the armor failure I give this to the talwar.'' DAM said.
''This is a draw in my opinion, they're both excellent sabers that can hack and slash through bodies like nobody's business.'' Zivon countered.
''I say talwar, the shamshir is too thin and that curve is just insane and won't cut as well as the talwar.'' Demigod inquired.
''I'm going with the talwar as well, like DAM said it has the hand protection and cuts way better than the shamshir, seriously that sword is too thin for my liking and I feel like it would break when I use it.'' Rice Man said.
In short range weapons, the edge goes to Babur the Great for the talwar.
Coming up, both generals bring out their vicious polearms and then later, things are taken to long range when two deadly firearms collide.
XXXXXX
When the use of a reliable polearm was needed, these generals brought with them two deadly designed weapons capable of leaving mutilated corpses on the field. Up first will be Babur with his tabar.
''The tabar is known as the saddle-axe. It was the standard weapon for Indian armies and the reason it was called the saddle-axe was because it was used in both cavalry and off elephants. Typically it weighed 4 pounds and was 4 feet in length.'' Jahangir explained before unscrewing the end of the weapon revealing a knife. ''Not to mention I can unscrew this part and bring out this 21 inch long knife as an extra means of attack.''
''Damn, looks like it can cause some serious damage.'' DAM said before pointing towards an armored torso clad in the Ottoman warrior cuirass and steel turban helmet of Suleiman. ''There we have a gel bust that is clad in Suleiman's armor. We will give you 15 seconds to deal as much damage as you can on the armor. Do what you can to inflict pain.''
''You got it.'' Jahangir walks over to the gel bust and gets into a ready position.
''Okay then, on my mark. 3...2...1...Attack it!" DAM called out.
Given the signal Jahangir gives off a war scream and brings his tabar onto the steel turban helmet leaving a noticeable dent and sending the torso rocking from the impact. Taking his tabar he then rears back for a horizontal swing at the target and strikes the plated portion of the armor sending an audible 'dong' ringing throughout the fight club.
''Damn, that was pretty loud.'' Rice Man commented.
Readying for his final blow, Jahangir then unscrews the end of the weapon and grabs the torso by the shoulder. He then thrusts the knife into plates in the armor and manages to pierce through though achieving minimal penetration.
''Time! Let's see what we've got here.'' Zivon said walking over. ''Despite the fact that you obviously did not penetrate the armor, there are some positive things going for you Jahangir. For the first strike onto the helmet you left a noticeable dent, will it kill instantly? No, but you've got to remember that you struck with enough force to give him a moderate concussion and if you struck even harder, you can achieve either a skull fracture or even cause that ticking time bomb we all know and love. Second strike saw a hit into the plated portion of the armor.''
Reaching under the armor Zivon places a hand onto the gel bust's chest and nods. ''You struck him enough that you managed to break a rib underneath, not a kill of course. Finally, the thrusting attack with the knife got about an inch and a half of penetration, again it's not a kill it's only a superficial cut.''
''And it looked like with each failure you seemed a bit more focused on trying your absolute hardest to pierce the armor but continued to fail. However, with the knife you did achieve penetration.'' Demigod said.
''He achieved penetration yes, but it wasn't enough to seriously harm the man. With my weapon I'll leave more than a dent and a hole in your armor.'' Aydin said unimpressed.
Suleiman the Magnificent responds to the tabar's challenge with his own lethal polearm.
''So can you explain to us the polearm Suleiman would've used?'' DAM asked.
''Of course.'' Aydin then takes his weapon and presents it for the panel to see, ''This is the Ottoman halberd. Remember the Spanish Conquistador's alabarda? It looks very similar to it except that the axe head and fluke are smaller but the spike was much wider than the alabarda's. This weapon is 7 feet long and weighed pounds total and I think it'll do some serious damage to Babur's armor.''
''Damn, this is just as scary looking as the alabarda and I'm dying to see it's performance against the kavacha plated mail.'' DAM said.
With a new gel torso set up, the team now clads this one in the kavacha plated mail worn by Babur. Much like Jahangir Aydin will have 15 seconds to dish out as much damage as possible.
''Okay Aydin, whenever you're ready I'll begin the clock on your first strike.'' DAM called out.
Nodding, Aydin takes a breath in before taking the halberd and thrusting the spike into the plated portion of the mail armor and to no surprise, the spike pierced through the plate with no trouble. Retracting his halberd, Aydin then readies for a strike with the axe head and strikes the chainmail portion of the armor breaking away several chain links exposing the skin underneath.
''Holy hell, I knew halberds were strong weapons but damn, look at how much of the armor he broke off.'' Rice Man commented.
Seeing the exposed skin underneath, Aydin spins his halberd around and swings the weapon getting the skin with the weapon's hook as DAM calls out time.
''I liked what we saw Aydin, let's see what kind of damage you caused.'' DAM said as Zivon walks over.
''Damn, where do I start?'' Zivon said as he looks at the torso. ''For the thrust with that spike of yours you got through the plates and managed to get enough penetration to hit this guy in his aorta for an instant kill. For the attack with the axe head you did strike with enough force to break off links in the armor but the force was only enough to break say, one rib causing just injury. However, the broken part of the armor had skin exposed and you took that fluke and basically jammed it into this guy's chest and managed to get him in the right lung dropping it. All in all, you have one instant kill, one injury and one injury that can eventually cause problems later.'' Concluded Zivon.
''This weapon is so scary looking, it's probably more scary than the alabarda and it was already terrifying enough.'' Demigod said a bit uneasy.
After testing the two favored mid-range polearms of our two generals, which one does our panel believe takes the edge?
''I like the harder hitting tabar and that knife but the Ottoman halberd proved to be more effective against armor so it gets my edge.'' DAM started off.
''The tabar has the power behind it but in the end, it's just an axe. Edge Ottoman halberd.'' Zivon seconded.
''We've seen comparisons like this before like in Saladin vs. Attila the Hun. The more versatile weapons win every time.'' Demigod added.
''It can hack you to death, it can impale you with it's spike and when dealing with cavalry the halberd's hook can dismount a man on horseback. It's frankly obvious. Ottoman halberd all the way.'' Rice Man finished.
In mid-range weapons, the edge goes to Suleiman the Magnificent for the Ottoman halberd.
Coming up, things are taken to long range when two famous matchlock muskets are brought for a duel.
XXXXXX
Now, things are taken to long range as these two generals unveil their matchlock muskets that allowed them to gun down all opposition. Suleiman used the 16th century Ottoman matchlock and Babur brings with him the Torador musket.
''Alright Aydin, Jahangir. We know that these two generals used muskets in their armies and since we've seen the miquelet rifle before and since the Ottoman's 16th century matchlock would've functioned no differently, of course except it's a matchlock and not a miquelet lock we'll just test it against the armor worn by Babur.'' DAM said.
The team now heads out to the shooting range where our experts will test their respective muskets against the opposing armor to gauge their penetration power. Up first will be Babur the Great. Lastly, each expert will fire two shots.
''Alright Jahangir, before we begin your part of the test can you explain to us this musket?'' DAM asked.
''The Indian musket is called the toradar. Firearms were introduced into north India at large by the founder of the Mughal empire, Babur. He used them in great quantities during his invasion of the Indian subcontinent from Central Asia. This particular musket measures about 69 inches, fires a .58 caliber round and weighs 7 pounds.'' The Mughal expert explained.
''And that's a pretty weird looking musket too but let's see what it's capable of.'' Demigod said pointing towards the armored target.
''Your targets this time will be foam torsos outfitted with ballistics clay that is made to FBI standards so it would give us an imprint on the kind of damage your weapons will do to your targets.'' DAM said.
''I'd be happy to show you. Stand aside men.'' Jahangir said getting into position as the panel and Aydin head over to the computer set-up.
Jahangir loads in his shot and after doing so takes aim at the target and shouts. ''I'm ready to fire guys so give the signal.''
''Alright then, 3...2...1...Fire!" DAM shouted.
Hearing the signal Jahangir slowly squeezes the trigger, the team watches in anticipation as the matchlock mechanism slowly activates and soon enough the weapon fires with a blast. Hearing the sounds of the lead ball colliding with the Mughal armor the team looks down range and begin to cheer as they see a massive hole in one of the plates.
''Holy crap, look at the size of that hole!" DAM exclaimed.
Smirking in satisfaction, Jahangir proceeds to reload his musket and after doing so he takes aim at the target once more only this time he aims a little higher at the steel turban helmet. Taking a few seconds to acquire his target he finally squeezes the trigger and the musket fires off it's second shot and was met with another clang.
''No way, he hit the helmet did he?'' Zivon said.
''Yep, look at it it's on the ground.'' Rice Man said pointing at the grounded helmet.
The panel then walks over to inspect the damage.
''Okay, I love when we test muskets against armor because..'' Zivon goes to remove the armor and there where the struck plate was, was a large, gaping hole. ''This right here. You struck him in dead center in the chest where the aorta would be for an instant kill.''
''And the beauty about using clay is that it's giving us an imprint of what would happen to your body without us having to use a living person. Thank god.'' Demigod said.
''Not to mention the lead ball made it out of the back of the armor too. Looks like it would hurt.'' Zivon commented as he puts a finger through the hole in the armor.
DAM then turns to face Aydin. ''So Aydin, how do you think you'll do?''
''I'm not worried that much, his armor has that one area in the center that can cause it to fail so I can just aim for that.'' Said the Turk.
Now it's Aydin's turn to test out Suleiman's Ottoman matchlock musket against Babur's kavacha plated mail.
''Alright Aydin, whenever you're ready go ahead and fire.'' DAM called out.
Taking aim at his target, Aydin slowly squeezes the trigger and the gun soon fires. The results leave our panel pleased much like it was for Jahangir. A large hole was blasted through the plated portion of the armor.
''Holy crap, that hole is just as big as the one in Suleiman's armor!'' DAM exclaimed.
Taking his second lead ball, Aydin proceeds to reload the weapon and after doing so, takes aim at the target once more and takes a few seconds to acquire his second target. The laced portion of Babur's armor. After getting his sights on said laces Aydin wasted no time in firing off his second shot and to the amazement of the panelists, it connects.
''Son of a bitch, he struck the lacing of the armor..'' DAM said.
With his shooting done, Aydin gently sets his musket by his side before looking at the panelists. ''I think that'll do.''
The team then walks over to gauge the damage.
''I'm liking your shot placements. The first one got him in one of the steel plates where it would hit him in the left lung dropping it, he's not dead immediately but it's still a horrendous injury. For your second shot you managed to hit the lacing where his most vital organ, his heart would be and you struck it dead on killing him instantly. The cavities displayed here is just horrific.'' Zivon commented.
''My problem is that Aydin aimed at the lacing and not the chainmail or plates in my armor. I know he was trying to prove something but come on, that's a risky shot and if you miss I can fire back and drop you.'' Jahangir said unimpressed.
''Still, you can't deny that big weak spot in your armor and I just exploited that weakness perfectly.'' Aydin retorted.
After testing out each warrior's respective muskets. Which one does the panel believe takes the edge?
''I would give the edge to Suleiman the Magnificent because his Janissaries were expert marksmen, however I noticed that Babur and his Mughals were just as good with their muskets as well so I'm gonna call this edge as even.'' DAM started off.
''I have to agree as well, both did their job in piercing the opposing armor. It comes down to the warrior behind the weapon. Even in my book as well.'' Zivon seconded.
''I call this even, they're both pretty much the same musket to me and I see no difference whatsoever.'' Demigod said.
''Both will easily penetrate each other's armor. Whoever gets the first shot, and that kill shot wins the battle. So I'm gonna call this even as well.'' Rice Man concluded.
In long range weapons, both warriors are even.
Coming up, two deadly sidearms come forth to draw blood and then later, our battle between the Muslim world's famous conquering generals begins!
XXXXXX
Now, we conclude the weapons testing by bringing out the favored daggers of these two leaders. Up first will be Babur the Great with his kard.
Jahangir walks over to the panel with his weapon in hand.
''So, what would the weapon Babur used as his sidearm be?'' DAM asked.
''That weapon would be this baby here. This is the kard. It's a dagger that had a watered steel blade and a slightly curved handle. It had a reinforced bit at the end of the blade that enabled it to pierce through any kind of armor it goes up against.'' Explained the Indian man.
''That looks like a weapon that can do some serious damage.'' Demigod said before pointing towards two torsos set up for the kill. ''Here we'll have you test that kard out by attacking two torsos, one unarmored and the other wearing Suleiman's armor. You will have 15 seconds total to inflict as much damage as you can on these poor saps. Think you can do it?''
''I know I can.'' Jahangir said getting into position.
''Okay, on my mark, 3...2...1...attack!" DAM shouted.
Jahangir lunges forth and grabs the unarmored torso by the neck and proceeds to ram the kard into it's neck, a torrent of blood spilling out of the wound. He then delivers several stabs into the torso's gut before kicking it over.
''Goddamn, he put some rage into that one.'' Zivon commented.
With his first target dispatched Jahangir sets his sights on the armored torso and lunges right at it. He thrusts the kard into the plated portion of the armor managing to achieve penetration. Satisfied with his attack penetration, Jahangir takes his blade and violently stabs into the target's side before finishing it off with a stab up through the nose just as DAM calls time.
''Damn man, I've never seen someone stab a target so violently before.'' Demigod said as they all walk over to assess the damage.
''I don't even need to put my gloves on for the first guy because all the strikes he did on this poor bastard all resulted in kills.'' Said Zivon as he kneels down next to the target, ''The first attack was an obvious thrust through this man's throat and you cut through the spinal cord with just this one move resulting in death right away. For the second series of attacks you turned his stomach into mush. He won't die immediately but the heavy bleeding he is suffering will kill him if he doesn't get treatment.''
Zivon then moves on towards the armored torso.
''The second target didn't fare any better than the first one. Looking at the plate you penetrated you got about two inches of penetration which won't kill since you only managed to cut his skin underneath. Despite this you more than made up for it with the final stab going straight through his nostril and into the bottom portion of the brain getting yourself an instant kill. All in all we have two men dead and reduced to bleeding messes.''
''What do you think Aydin?'' DAM asked.
''He did a good job, but he couldn't get through the plate enough to cause any serious damage. I believe I can do that with my khanjar.'' Spoke the Turk.
Since we've already seen the khanjar before in ''Germanic Ghost Warrior vs. Hashashin'' we will only bring it back to test it against Babur's kavacha plated mail.
''Alright Aydin, it's the same deal for you. Two targets with one armored and you have 15 seconds to dish out as much damage as possible.'' DAM explained.
Nodding, Aydin takes his khanjar and gets into position in front of his targets.
''Okay on my go. 3..2..1..GO!"
''Osmanlı imparatorluğu için!'' Aydin shouted out maniacally as he lunges towards the unarmored torso and proceeds to jam his khanjar into the target's chest before taking it and ramming it through it's face several times leaving it a bloodied mess. With the first target out of the way Aydin moves on towards the armored target and viciously stabs it multiple times in the chest before thrusting the khanjar into the plated portion of the armor achieving some penetration.
''Time, let's see what we've got shall we gents?'' Zivon said walking over. ''Well, the first target is self-explanatory because you jammed that dagger into the target's heart getting an instant kill. The face shots alone would've been kills on their own because you are getting through the facial bones and some of these attacks got into the brain. Moving on with the second target you got multiple strikes through the chainmail portion and are any of these kills? No but the heavy bleeding will lead to death if left untreated. For the plated portion of this armor you did penetrate it, but it's just like Jahangir with his kard, you got an inch and a half and left only a small wound in the skin underneath. One guy is dead and the other will bleed out to death.'' Explained the Canadian.
''I got two confirmed kills while you only got one guy who can survive if he gets medical help. I don't think we can compare the two daggers.'' Jahangir said.
''My dagger is made to go through helmets and since Babur isn't wearing one I think it'll easily go through his head.'' Aydin shot back.
After testing out each blade against both flesh and body armor, which do our experts believe takes the edge?
''I am going with the kard on this one because it has that reinforced tip which will allow it to penetrate deeper into the body. It may not be a great slashed but thrusting attacks do more damage going in and out.'' DAM started off.
''I disagree and call this one even. The khanjar can slash and stab plus it can go through helmets and went through the kavacha's chainmail portions like a blowtorch through butter. So I'm giving this all to the khanjar for that reason.'' Zivon countered.
Demigod and Rice Man however, had different opinions.
''They're both basically the same kind of blade and the designs slightly differ, however both can go through the chainmail portions of the opposing armor easily and to me, they do the same amount of damage on a body.'' Demigod said.
''I have to agree with Demigod on this one. The khanjar can slash and stab efficiently and can go through helmets. The kard's reinforced tip allows it to go deeper into the body and get the job done. I have to call this comparison as even all across the freaking board.'' Rice Man concluded.
For special weapons, both warriors are dead even.
Now, we compare the armor these two warriors wore into battle.
''I have to give the edge to Suleiman the Magnificent because the plates in his armor prevents Babur from getting a direct hit and he'll have to work his way around the steel plates. Babur's armor does the same too but the lacing in front kills it for me.'' DAM started.
''I'm calling this even DAM, the chainmail in Suleiman armor is finer but the plates in Babur's armor is thicker. I think I'll have to call this one even because they both not only incorporate chainmail, but steel plates as well providing superb protection against most weapons.'' Zivon inquired.
''I think I'll call this even as well. Both sets of armor will fall to few weapons the competition brings in. The Ottoman halberd will easily destroy Babur's armor, but the tabar, well that knife part and the muskets will plow through Suleiman's armor. Even in my opinion.'' Demigod added.
''I have to agree with both Zivon and Demigod. Both are protective of the man wearing them, fall to two weapons from each other's arsenal. It's even across the board.'' Rice Man concluded.
In the armor category, the edge is even.
Coming up, Metal Harbinger will gauge the x-factors of these two generals and then after that, our battle between the Muslim world's most famous generals begins. Who will be the deadliest warrior!?
XXXXXX
Welcome back to the fight club, here we've tested and compared the respective weapons and armor of the 16th century's greatest Muslim generals to prepare them for a battle to prove who is deadlier.
For short range weapons, Babur's talwar saber proved more deadly over Suleiman's shamshir.
''The talwar provides superb hand protection and it cuts much, much better than the shamshir who's blade is just too curved and thin for our liking.'' DAM explained.
Edge: Babur the Great
For mid-range weapons, Suleiman's incredibly versatile and lethal Ottoman halberd proved more useful than Babur's tabar.
''It can hack, thrust, and take away your weapons all in one. I think it's self-explanatory on why the Ottoman halberd wins this one easily.'' Zivon said.
Edge: Suleiman the Magnificent
For long range weapons, both muskets proved to be accurate and deadly on both human flesh and piercing armor.
''Both the muskets show off some great accuracy for matchlock firearms. They each pierced the respective armor with no problem and when they're placed ont he right spot it'll be an instant kill.'' Demigod said.
Edge: Even
For special weapons, both the khanjar and the kard proved to be equally lethal.
''These two have pros going for both of them which results in this being a tie. The khanjar can slash and stab easily while the kard has a reinforced tip allowing it to go deeper into the body with it's thrusting attacks but it isn't that great at slashing. They each can pierce the chainmail portion of the opposing armor easily.'' Rice Man explained.
Edge: Even
And finally, the armor of these two generals were determined to be equally protective.
''Suleiman has a helmet and his armor has the finer mail, but Babur's armor has the finer and thicker plates to his advantage. It's a total wash.'' DAM concluded.
Edge: Even
And now, Metal Harbinger, our resident metalhead and computer whizz will now gauge the x-factors of both generals.
''Alright bronanas, let's get the x-factor evaluation out of the way.'' Said the metalhead.
''First and foremost I looked into troop training and I rated this as even. Both these generals lead well-trained troops into battle during their life times. In Suleiman's case he had the Janissaries and the Sipahi under his command and Babur had the Mughal warriors using both muskets and having cavalry as well. Both men will get a 91 each.''
''For strategy, I had to give this one to Babur because he managed to create the Mughal empire after he won the battle of Panipat where he used supply carts to his advantage by protecting his men. He also kept his men in order while Suleiman didn't really rely on any real strategic finesse and instead used numbers and his troops' training to his advantage. Babur has an 89 to Suleiman's 83.''
''Next up is physicality and this one goes to Babur and even though we are using Suleiman in his prime, Babur is believed to be a very strong guy who can easily carry two full grown men on each shoulder. It's still close though since Suleiman is younger. Babur has a 91 to Suleiman's 90.''
''Fourth is endurance and this relates to physicality because again, Babur is able to carry two grown men on each shoulder while Suleiman was constantly on the move with his army and it was only when old age got to him that he rode a carriage into battle. Since he had to be carried into battle via a carriage, we gave the edge to Babur because the guy is swimming rivers and, once again he carries two guys on his shoulders up a hill. Babur scored an 89 to Suleiman's 85.''
''For influence and this one went to Suleiman. During his reign the Ottoman empire reached the apogee of it's military and political power. He captured Hungary and went as far west as Vienna. Their navy also dominated the Mediterranean. At the end of his reign the Ottoman hegemony extended over a great portion of Asia, Africa and Europe. So Suleiman scored high with a 93 to Babur's 90.''
''Last but not least, we have generalship and this one goes to Babur because while Suleiman did bring the Ottomans to the height of their power, he quickly lost military power from his failure at Vienna and was forced to put down rebellions. Babur has an 88 to Suleiman's 78.''
Our panel has concluded the respective weapon testing and the x-factor evaluation. Now Metal Harbinger will run the simulator one-thousand times in a battle to the death pitting Suleiman the Magnificent and 4 Ottoman Janissaries against Babur the Great and 4 Mughal warriors who will all be wearing the same armor as their leaders.
Ottoman empire
(Suleiman the Magnificent is seen celebrating his victory over the Hungarians after the battle of Mohacs. The bodies of dead Hungarians littering the battlefield.)
vs. Mughal empire
(Following the battle of Panipat, Babur and his men march through the corpse-ridden battlefield.)
The longest reigning Ottoman Sultan who brought the empire to it's greatest extent
(Suleiman stands before his men as they all cheer for him before they commence their siege of Vienna.)
vs. The first Emperor of the Mughal empire that lasted 400 years
(Babur and his army march into the city of Panipat following the defeat of Ibrahim Lodi.)
Which Muslim general will lead their empire to victory?
''One of the most anticipated battles in Deadliest Warrior history will now go down. Let's see which generals reigns supreme.'' Metal said before pressing the enter key.
XXXXXX
The battle takes place in the Thar desert, in north India and we see five men clad in chainmail armor with plates in the front. Leading the group of men is none other than Mughal empire founder Babur the Great. He has received word of the Ottoman empire wanting to challenge his empire for dominance in west Asia and he is determined to stop them.
With him he brings his four best men and they are ready to defend their empire.
Babur the Great: 5
Meanwhile, about half a football field away five figures clad in similar armor emerge from the brush and we see the mighty Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent with four of his best men.
Following their victory at Mohacs he has decided to move further east in hopes of expanding his empire even further and knowing the Mughal empire stands in his way he was ready to face this new challenge.
Suleiman the Magnificent: 5
The Ottoman Sultan spots Babur and his Mughals, looking at the two men with matchlocks muskets he shouts, ''Ateş etmeye hazır olun!''
Complying with their leader's orders, the two musket armed Janissaries quickly take aim at the Mughals.
Hearing the commotion, Babur looks up and spots the Ottomans and before he can shout out orders the two Janissaries have already opened fire on him and his men. One Mughal takes a lead ball through his his chest perforating his heart and knocking him dead on the ground.
Babur the Great: 4 - Suleiman the Magnificent: 5
Growling in frustration, Babur orders his man with the torador to take aim and fire back while the other men charge forth. Doing so the Mughal takes aim at one of the Janissaries reloading his musket and after acquiring the man in his sights he fires off his musket hitting the Ottoman in the neck tearing his carotid artery.
Babur the Great: 4 - Suleiman the Magnificent: 4
Looking at his man on the ground dead, Suleiman draws his shamshir and orders his men to charge back at the Mughals. Both sides unleash war cries as they charge and once they come within reach of each other both sides meet in a clash of steel that echoes throughout the desert.
A Mughal armed with a tabar duels with an Ottoman wielding a khanjar. The Mughal uses his longer weapon to his advantage and uses the end of the shaft to shove the Ottoman away. His opponent stumbling backwards the Mughal follows up by charging forward and raises his tabar high and brings it down onto the Ottoman's helmet.
The force of the blow knocks the Ottoman down to his knees and with his opponent open for another attack, the Mughal swings his tabar sideways knocking the helmet right off whilst also sending the Ottoman to the ground. He finishes the man by swinging his tabar downwards and cleaves the Janissary's head right in half at the temple.
Babur the Great: 4 - Suleiman the Magnificent: 3
His victory is short-lived however when a massive spiky protrudes out from his chest. He screams in agony before the Ottoman wielding the halberd twists the polearm voraciously before yanking it out. Now on his knees the Mughal never knew what hit him as the Ottoman takes the hook end of his halberd and jams it into his face.
Babur the Great: 3 - Suleiman the Magnificent: 3
Elsewhere, Babur is seen engaging an Ottoman armed with another halberd and the two exchange blows repeatedly unable to achieve a hit on the other. Babur waits for the Janissary to thrust the spike end of the halberd. The Ottoman does just that and Babur twirls around the halberd's shaft and quickly swings his talwar downwards and severs the Ottoman's hands right at the wrist.
Screaming at his bleeding stumps, the Ottoman's cries were silenced as Babur swings his talwar sideways slicing deep into his face.
Babur the Great: 3 - Suleiman the Magnificent: 2
In another part of the battleground Suleiman and his last man duke it out with the other two Mughal warriors. The Janissary was armed with a shamshir and parries a swing from the Mughal's talwar and swings his blade upwards creating an opening. Taking the chance the Ottoman swings his shamshir downwards and manages to slice the Mughal's face downwards.
Grunting in pain, the Mughal is kicked to the ground by the Janissary and his life ends as the Janissary takes the khanjar strapped to his belt and quickly stabs him in the throat killing him.
Babur the Great: 2 - Suleiman the Magnificent: 2
The Janissary smirks in victory but gives out a quick cry of pain as a kard is shoved through the back of his head courtesy of Babur the Great himself. Babur twists the kard before pulling it out and letting the dead Ottoman fall to the ground.
Babur the Great: 2 - Suleiman the Magnificent: 1
Back to Suleiman and the last Mughal the Sultan dodges a barrage of swings from the Indian warrior and is backed up into a tree. The Mughal warrior sees the Ottoman Sultan trapped and rushes forward to try and finish him off with a thrust from his talwar.
Seeing this, Suleiman swings his shamshir sideways and knocks the talwar right out of the Mughal's grip catching him completely by surprise. The Mughal shoves Suleiman away to try and make a break for his talwar but the Sultan quickly dispatches him by grabbing him by the forearm and head butts the Mughal warrior leaving him with a broken nose.
Suleiman follows suit by swinging the shamshir and slices clean through the Mughal's neck slicing it clean open spraying blood everywhere.
Babur the Great: 1 - Suleiman the Magnificent: 1
With the last Mughal warrior dealt with, Suleiman sees a shadow making it's way towards him. Looking up he sees Babur standing before him with talwar in hand. The two leaders stare each other before holding their respective swords protectively in front of themselves as they step towards each other.
The two men then rush towards each other unleashing vicious battle cries and they clash steel as they exchange blow for blow unable to gain the edge over the other.
Babur uses his thicker blade to parry a swing from Suleiman's thinner shamshir sending the man's arm jerking upwards leaving him open to attack. Seeing the opening the Mughal Emperor swings his talwar horizontally hoping to at least score a hit but Suleiman jumps back and swings his shamshir striking Babur in the side.
Grunting from the force of the hit Babur clutches his aching side and sees Suleiman going in for another swing. Babur raises his talwar to defend from the incoming blow but the force of the shamshir's impact sends the talwar flying out of the Mughal Emperor's grip.
Growling in annoyance, Babur watches on as Suleiman goes for another swing with the shamshir but the Mughal side steps and avoids the attack. Babur then grabs Suleiman with both hands and tackles him to the ground. The force of hitting the ground knocking the wind out of the Ottoman Sultan.
Babur proceeds to punch the Sultan several times before rolling off of him to make a break for his grounded talwar. Despite the beating he took from Babur, Suleiman manages to rise up and spots the Mughal running towards his talwar and picks up his shamshir to give chase.
Running up to his talwar, Babur quickly scoops it up and upon doing so, hears Suleiman yelling as the Sultan charges towards him. Now that he has his talwar Babur turns around swinging the saber horizontally and hopes to have the sword meet Suleiman's flesh.
However, the talwar had only struck Suleiman's helmet knocking it off but the Ottoman recovers quickly from the strike and with his opponent open from the swing, Suleiman quickly swings his shamshir downwards and slices through the lacing of Babur's armor.
The shamshir cutting the lacing causing the armor to to open up slightly.
Suleiman hears Babur give out a cry in pain and looks on to see the Mughal Emperor holding his chest with both hands, blood oozing from the wound the shamshir had caused. Suleiman then quickly follows up with another swing of the shamshir and slices both the fingers off both the Emperor's hand before forcing the man down onto his knees.
Defeated, Babur can only look up at the Sultan as he readies his shamshir for the final blow. With one fell swoop, Suleiman swings his shamshir and slices the Mughal Emperor's neck nearly decapitating the man to the point where a thin piece of skin held his head in place. Blood spraying sporadically from the severed vein and arteries.
Babur the Great: 0 - Suleiman the Magnificent: 1
His enemy dead, Suleiman lets the corpse fall over as it bleeds out and raises his bloodied shamshir into the air shouting; ''Osmanlı İmparatorluğu için!''
XXXXXX
Winner: Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman the Magnificent: 521
Shamshir: 112
Ottoman Halberd: 218
16th Century Ottoman Matchlock: 101
Khanjar: 81
Babur the Great: 479
Talwar: 120
Tabar: 153
Torador Musket: 101
Kard: 105
X-Factors
Troop Training: 91/Troop Training: 91
Strategy: 83/Strategy: 89
Physicality: 90/Physicality: 91
Endurance: 85/Endurance: 89
Influence: 93/Influence: 90
Generalship: 78/Generalship: 88
Armor Failure Rate
Ottoman Warrior Cuirass: 9% - Kavacha Plated Mail: 9%
Steel Turban Helmet: 2% - No Helmet
Following a tiring back and forth struggle between the 16th century's greatest Muslim generals. It would be Suleiman the Magnificent who reigns supreme with over 52.1% of the wins compared to Babur the Great's 47.9%. It was thanks to his more diverse halberd and his slightly superior armor that led to his victory. Babur however, had the better sword and his armor was just as protective as the Sultan's. His talwar proving overall more deadly than the shamshir and was able to match the Ottoman at long range.
''Suleiman won a close fight. His armor didn't have to be laced up in the front which would've left his most vital area unprotected and his halberd really proved to be a necessity in leading him to victory.'' DAM explained.
''I myself was skeptic on who would win. Both these men were evenly matched up but with what DAM said in regards to the armor and the diversity of the halberd, it makes sense on why the Ottoman Sultan won this.'' Zivon said.
''Babur gave Suleiman a run for his money and he easily could've won this had it not been for the halberd's superior usage. However, Babur had the better strategy that made it harder for Suleiman to pick up a win.'' Demigod inquired.
''It seems that today, the Ottoman empire reigns supreme. Suleiman the Magnificent triumphed over an equally lethal and determined adversary. I think we know now that if the Ottomans and Mughals met, there's no doubt the Ottomans may have been the winner. Congratulations, Sultan of the Ottoman empire.'' Rice Man concluded.
(Suleiman is seen marching back toward the camp where his army awaits his return. Strapped to his side is Babur's talwar saber. A tool he will have produced in his army and a memoir of the greatest opponent he has ever had the honor of facing.)
XXXXXX
Next time on Deadliest Warrior: Rice Man's Edition. It's a battle between two of the 11th century's fiercest front-line soldiers.
Saxon Huskarl: The elite backbone of England's Anglo-Saxon army who kept an iron nerve and fought to the last man at Hastings.
vs.
Byzantine Infantry: The front line soldier of the Byzantine empire who serve one of the most successful armies ever to grace western Eurasia.
WHO...IS...DEADLIEST!?
Translation for Suleiman the Magnificent: ''Shoot back now!'', ''For the Ottoman empire!''