Chapter 82: Volume 4 - CH 1.1

Many of the roads running through the eastern border of the Kingdom of Pars were filled with armed soldiers and military horses.

It was the season of flowers and bees, in April of the year 321. Both sides of the avenue were covered with orange wood, pomegranates, peonies, poppies, purple-flowered groundnut, chrysanthemums, peach blossoms, marigolds, and other kinds of flower bushes, whose petals fluttered on the armor of the knights on horseback, making for an unusually beautiful sight.

Their destination was the fortress of Peshawar, built of red sandstone. The fortress was currently occupied by Crown Prince Arslan, who was preparing to wage war against the Lusitanians who had invaded the country. The proclamation was distributed everywhere, and all the nobles who hated the tyranny of the Lusitanian army but did not know what to do, gathered their troops and ran to Arslan’s side in a steady stream.

They met in the west of Peshawar, built a pontoon bridge over the river, and gathered one after another under the crown prince.

The gates of Peshawar were wide open from dawn to dusk, as if hungrily devouring the glittering masses of armor. Their leaders paid homage to Arslan, who sat on his horse under the terrace facing the square. They removed their helmets, and proudly gave their names.

“I am Lucian, the Lord of Ray, who has come today to repel the invaders, the Lusitanians, in response to High Highness Arslan’s request. I ask Your Highness to grant me permission to follow you.”

“I am Zaravant, son of Mundhir, Lord of Oxus. I have been ordered by my ailing father to follow Your Highness Arslan. It would be a great blessing for me if I could obtain Your Highness’s permission.”

“I am Isfan, the younger brother of Shapur, who had been awarded the status of Marzban by His Majesty Andragoras. I hope to serve Your Highness in the place of my late brother, and must not let any of my brother’s killers, the Lusitanians, remain alive.”

“I am Tus, who originally served as a garrison commander at Zara in the south, and have come with my men to serve Your Highness, so I ask Your Highness to allow us to accompany you.”

The knights came to Arslan’s camp to volunteer themselves one after another.

Lucian was over fifty years old, with a robust physique and tumultuous manners, with dark gray hair and a beard. Zaravant and Isfan, on the other hand, were both about twenty years old. Zaravant’s physique could be compared to Daryun and Kishward, and he had a beard on his cheeks, perhaps because of his slightly boyish face. Isfan had a medium build, like reeds growing next to a swamp, and amber eyes. Tus was probably in his twenties or thirties, with a pair of eyes like silver coins. He truly looked like a warrior. On his left shoulder hung an iron chain.

Isfan, the younger brother of Shapur, was known as the “man raised by wolves”. It was a common occurrence in the homes of noblemen or knights that the master of the house would have a child with a female slave. The wife was so jealous that she threw the slave girl out of the house, along with the child. In the winter, when Isfan was two years old, he and his mother were abandoned in the mountains. Although his father knew about the situation, he feigned ignorance in order to avoid any turmoil within his family.

Shapur was so upset by his father’s callousness and his mother’s cruelty that he spurred his horse toward the mountains. At only sixteen years old, he was already an expert horseman. He put food, a skein of water, and a blanket in his pack and set off for his destination. The toddler was still alive, as the mother had wrapped all of her clothes around her child. Only clad in a thin coat, the mother had frozen to death. When Shapur jumped down from his horse, two wolves immediately fled from the bodies. Shapur thought that the toddler had been eaten by the wolves, but he did not expect that the two wolves were putting the rabbits they had hunted by the toddler’s body.

Thus, Isfan was saved by his brother and grew up safely and healthily. While his brother served as a military general in the royal capital, Isfan became an agent of the royal capital and stayed in his hometown to guard it. The death of his brother struck Isfan with grief and fury, but until then, he had no opportunity to seek revenge on the Lusitanians.

The soldiers were waiting in line at the front of the square, when the inner doors of the terrace opened.

Dressed in gold armor, with Azrael resting on his left shoulder, the Crown Prince Arslan appeared on the terrace. He was only fifteen years old. His pupils, the color of a clear night sky, gave a very strong impression to the onlookers.

On Arslan’s left was Kishward, and on his right was Daryun, two Marzban of Pars. Since the defeat of Atropatene, the fall of the capital Ecbatana, and the expedition to Sindhura, many people died in battle or their whereabouts were still unknown. Of the 12 Marzban, only Daryun and Kishward could be confirmed to be alive. However, the valor of these two men alone was enough to overwhelm an army.

“Long live Pars! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is glorious!”

Zaravant was the first to give a booming cheer. The other lords and knights followed with chants, and the square of Peshawar was filled with shouts that were loud enough to shake the earth. Countless spears and swords were raised to the sky, the sun reflecting off these weapons. This situation was even more spectacular than when the expedition to Sindhura began at the end of the last year.

Two women watched the sight from a corner of the square.

“It’s amazing!”

So exclaimed the young girl with reddish hair, Alfreed. The other beautiful woman, with black silky hair down to her waist, smiled and replied.

“It’s indeed amazing. That boy may turn Pars into a brand new world! But to do that, he will need the gods on his side.”

Farangis’s smile was like an overflowing cup of silver moonlight. For kahina serving the god Mithra, as well as a warrior, Farangis was a beauty that people couldn’t help but stare at.

“Perhaps we’re living in an important moment in history. Maybe we’ll appear in the poetry of bards in the future!”

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“Alfreed, the most important thing to you right now is your relationship with Lord Narsus, no?”

Farangis teased Alfreed without any malice, and the Zott Clan maiden thought deeply with a serious look on her face.

“Well, that’s certainly true. However, when I think of all the things that have happened since spring, my life has changed so much from what it was before! Though I still want to do more for His Highness.”

“That’s very good to hear. If you have such thoughts, it will be a good thing not only for the Crown Prince, but also for Lord Narsus!”

Once the number of people in their army increased, there would also be more work. Narsus and Daryun, who were always so busy with various things, were finally able to sit down to rest and drink the green tea Elam made for them.

“To be honest, Narsus, I did not originally expect so many lords to gather for His Highness.”

Daryun started the conversation like this, and Narsus laughed softly.

“I know what you’re thinking. You’re worried that the slave emancipation order will cause the shardaran to resent him and not respond to the call, right?”

“Yes! Because no matter what they say, it won’t be of any benefit to them. Although I know  of His Highness’s kindness and justice, I honestly didn’t expect you to make that abolition order so explicit.”

From Daryun’s point of view, the abolition of slavery was a measure that Arslan had to implement to become king and hold inviolable power, but there was no need to make such a declaration right at the start.

Narsus laughed again at his words.

“If they are of such a mind, they will naturally have their own plans as well. There is a subtlety in the slavery abolition order.”

What Narsus was referring to was the precondition recorded in the slavery abolition decree. The complete emancipation of slaves within Pars and the prohibition of the trade in human beings was to take place “after Arslan’s reign as king,” not at the present time. Of course, this had been carefully thought out by Narsus. If it was implemented now, it would have no real effect, and if it was not done properly, the vassals who wanted to keep the slavery system might even take it as a threat and side with Lusitania.

From the standpoint of the lords, except for Prince Arslan, there was no one who could be their ally in the battle against Lusitania. When Arslan regained all the lost land of Pars and became the king, all the property owned by the lords, that is, the slaves, would be freed. For the lords, this was a great contradiction.

Although it was a righteous battle to restore the land and kingship of Pars, the lords and nobles could not be so enthusiastic if the result was a great loss to themselves. To gain allies, it was necessary to play some tricks. That is, to give the lords the following illusion.

“Prince Arslan will abolish slavery after his reign, but the Prince also needs the power of the lords to help him. Therefore, if the lords establish merit for the prince and then unite to demand the continuation of slavery, even the prince has no way to refuse. The slavery abolition order will disappear like a water bubble without a trace ……”

Hearing Narsus’ explanation, Daryun couldn’t help but look at his friend in surprise.

“So, in that case, aren’t we deceiving them? Narsus, you were not going to accept their request from the beginning anyway!”

“You could say that.”

Narsus smiled maliciously and sipped his green tea.

“But what they want to believe is their own business, His Highness is not responsible for anything. The only path for His Highness is to recover the country by his own strength and virtue, and to implement a more just rule than the old times.”

The so-called reform would not make everyone happy, and those who gained in the previous unjust social system may suffer from the reform. If the slaves were free, the vassals would lose their freedom to own slaves. In other words, the problem is which side should have freedom.

“Daryun, I think that His Highness Arslan has an incredible power of persuasion.”

“That I do agree with.”

“So, I imagine that while recovering the lands of Pars, the thoughts of the vassals will also be influenced by His Highness. If that’s the case, that’s for the best. If things don’t go so well, with your bravery and my strategy, we don’t need to panic too much.”

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