On March 9, a shocking news came from Gulnabad that the Persian army of more than 42,000 had been routed by an Afghan tribal army of less than 18,000, that the commander of the Imperial Janissary Guard, Rostam Khan, had been killed, that the governor of Lorestan had been seriously wounded, that his brother had been killed, and that the arrogant and arrogant governor of Arabistan had fled the battlefield with more than 10,000 Arab cavalry under his command. In this battle, the Persian army lost more than 15,000 people, while the Afghans suffered little loss, only five or six hundred casualties.

What is even more unacceptable to the Qi people is that six Qi military staff officers in the Persian army died in this battle, and Qiu Xiaochun, the chief artillery instructor and lieutenant (lieutenant colonel) of Linglu, was also killed on the spot by the Afghans.

"Are the Persians a herd of pigs?" After listening to the battlefield briefing, Yu Yuanbin, commander of the second company of the 3rd Mixed Battalion and captain (captain) of the Imperial Martial Forces, scolded loudly: "They have twice the strength of the Afghans, as well as more than 20 army artillery pieces and thousands of muskets, they will be defeated by a group of tribal vagrants with ragged clothes and extremely backward weapons!" Moreover, the battlefield is also located in the core area of the empire, under the walls of the imperial capital. This...... It's unbelievable! ”

"That is, the troops of more than 40,000 people were beaten by the Afghans in less than half a day, and the army was overwhelmed, losing more than 30% of the troops, and almost all firearms were discarded. You must know that the Afghans have been fighting for more than eight months since they sent troops from Kandahar in August last year, and they have reached the limit of their endurance in terms of weapon wear and tear, military morale, and physical and mental exhaustion. But yesterday's battle in Gulnabad turned out to be really ...... It's speechless! Niu Changhao, the commander of the fourth company of the third mixed battalion and the captain of the imperial martial arts, shook his head and said hatefully.

"In fact, according to the post-battlefield deduction and analysis of the deployment of the two sides, the Afghans should have been prepared to flee at any time before the war. After all, both in terms of numbers and weapons, the Afghans are at an absolute disadvantage. Feng Peicai, the tactical staff officer of the 3rd Mixed Battalion and the captain of the Imperial Martial Army, sighed lightly, "But the intrigue between several Persian generals has made all the advantages they have come to naught. The main force of the Chinese army of the commander Muhammad Khuli Khan did not move, Wari Said, who led more than 10,000 Arab cavalry, only cared about plundering the rear camps of the Afghans and looting property, the Janissaries led Rostam's light enemy's advance, and the Persian Chinese army did not provide any cover and rescue ...... the artillery positions, all of which caused the Persian defeat. ”

“……”

"What's going on in Isfahan City?" The battalion commander Yan Shaowu waved his hand, stopped the officers from continuing the discussion, and turned his head to look at Yin Shenghui, the head of the black-clothed guard in Isfahan.

"A city-wide curfew has been imposed throughout Isfahan, all gates are closed, day and night, and we are unable to receive any news from the city for the time being." Yin Shenghui responded.

"With the identity of our Qi country's diplomatic corps, can't we open the city gate?"

"The Persians, after yesterday's defeat, have become frightened birds, and no one is allowed to enter the city, for fear that the Afghans will kill them."

"Aren't the Afghans still stuck in Gulnabad camp?" Yan Shaowu asked in surprise, "Didn't the Persians send sentry scouts to keep an eye on the Afghans?" ”

"Persian ......" Yin Shenghui showed a wry smile on his face, shook his head and said: "Most of them were afraid of the Afghans, and they didn't dare to go out of the city at all." ”

"A bunch of cowards!" Niu Changhao scolded disdainfully, "Even if the Persian army loses thirty percent of its soldiers and horses, the number of their remaining troops still exceeds that of the Afghans. What's that called...... Didn't the governor of Said still have nearly 10,000 Arab cavalry in his hands? Rush out of the city and fight with the Afghans in a dignified manner, even if you can't beat it, at least you can consume half of the opponent's strength. In this situation, the Afghans may have no choice but to flee back to Kandahar! You say, "Why are the Persians so cowered in the city?" ”

"Alright, alright, the Persians are defeated and defeated, and we don't need to peck any more." Yan Shaowu said loudly: "Now, we must be prepared to stick to the commercial station for a long time. Now, in accordance with the regulations of our Great Qi Wartime, I declare that the entire trading post will be under military control, and all people must obey military orders, and any behavior and action must be reported. However, those who do not respect military orders will be dealt with by military law. ”

As he spoke, Yan Shaowu's eyes swept around the shopkeepers and stewards of several trading companies present, and there was an undoubted expression on his face, which made people look at it, and they couldn't help but feel dazed.

"In view of yesterday's battle in Gulnabad, the Afghans may have captured all the artillery of the Persian army, which poses a serious and deadly threat to our trading post. Therefore, I order all officers and soldiers and personnel of the trading company to comprehensively strengthen the outer defense facilities of the trading station from now on. …… How to implement it is planned and supervised by the tactical staff officer throughout the process. ”

"Yes, sir!"

"In addition, on the basis of the efforts of the surrounding villages and towns to collect food, the food of all the people in the trading station will be rationed to cope with the possible long-term siege."

"Yes...... Everyone? Yin Shenghui carefully confirmed: "Those guests in the merchant station ......"

“…… All of them! Yan Shaowu knew that he was hinting at Prince Abbas's family, who had been transferred to the trading station, and after a moment of silence, he said resolutely: "All personnel are provided with daily needs in accordance with wartime ration regulations, with no exceptions. ”

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"Haddadi, do you say that the people of Qi can protect our safety?" Prince Abbas Mirza stood in front of the window and watched as several Qi people carried bags of sand into the courtyard and piled them up in the middle of the clearing, knowing that they were in response to enemy fire. All the exposed firewood, grass, and igniters in the yard were artificially covered, and several large water tanks that were urgently purchased were also filled with water. I have to admit that in the face of the possible battle, the people of Qi have deployed all the preparations very carefully.

"Your Highness, the people of Qi can definitely protect the safety of all of us, even if they only have a few hundred people, and the place they defend is not a tall and strong castle, but I still firmly believe that under their protection, we will be very safe." Haddadi Payam, Prince Abbas's faithful butler, whispered.

"Where does your faith come from?" Prince Abbas turned to look at the loyal old servant and asked with a smile, "Is it because they defeated the Omanis in a short time?" ”

"Your Highness, the strength of the Qi people is not only reflected in the fact that they can defeat the Omanis very easily." Haddadi Payam's face showed a look of fascination, "Fifteen years ago, I visited the Qi Kingdom with the Imperial Mission, and what I saw and heard along the way shocked me deeply, and I deeply realized the huge gap between the Empire and the Qi Kingdom. The extent of their overseas territories, the number of subjects and princely states they controlled, and the scale of warships and merchant ships they possessed were unimaginable to any of us. ”

"The Kharat Khanate, which is eyeing Balochistan in the southeastern frontier region of our empire, behaves like a servant in front of the Qi state; The Mughal Empire, which once ruled the entire Indian continent, also showed a respectful and humble attitude towards the Qi Kingdom; The rebellious Maratha kingdom is like a deferential kitten, not daring to show the slightest disobedience; The entire princely kingdom of southern India is respected by the orders of the Qi state; The rich Bengal has become a colonial territory of the Qi State, and the succession of the rulers and the formulation of finances and taxes are all decided by the Qi people; The once chaotic Nanyang Islands and the princely kingdoms were placed under the direct jurisdiction of the Qi State and became their imperial territory. ”

"As for their Han continent itself, it is a country that is constantly gushing material and wealth. Their city is dotted with countless huge factories, roaring machines day and night with deafening sounds, steel ingots, cotton cloth, buckets of cane sugar, and exquisite handicrafts ...... produced by the factories in a steady stream. Their pastures are scattered with cattle and sheep as many as the stars, and the fields as far as the eye can see are planted with all kinds of vibrant crops. Criss-crossed by roads and railways, stretching endlessly across the vast continent of Hanzhou. Their citizens enjoy the best material treatment in the world, and almost all of them have experienced formal schooling and can easily read all kinds of books and newspapers. What's even more amazing is that in the territory of Qi, it is rare to see beggars and homeless people who are stranded and helpless. ”

"Although the size of Qi's army is very small, it seems that it does not exceed 50,000 people. However, they were able to quickly mobilize and assemble hundreds of thousands of troops by virtue of their strong national strength. In addition, Qi also controlled and mastered dozens of vassal states and vassal states, and could call up a large number of servant troops at any time to participate in any war it fought. As far as I know, the Qi State can easily mobilize tens of thousands of servant troops, as well as countless war materials, in the Indian region alone. ”

"Hiss......" Prince Abbas took a deep breath and was speechless. In the middle of the ring, he nodded slightly, and asked faintly: "In this case, can we use the power of Qi State in the future to completely change the future political situation of the empire?" ”