While the Parsian army welcomed the result of the battle, the Turanians could not help but be filled with disappointment and rage. The Parsians’ morale had clearly been boosted by the fact that their reinforcements had successfully entered the fortress.
Prince Ilterish angrily rebuked his comrades.
"Can you still call yourselves warriors of Turan when a woman manages to break through our defenses? You should consider this a disgrace to your names and the achievements of your ancestors!"
Being scolded with such fury, Tarkhan’s generals were silent. It was true that what they’d done was disgraceful, but Ilterish could not say that he was not also partially responsible.
"Listen up! In order to restore our reputation, we must capture the fortress of Peshawar, bring that woman here, and show them what we’re capable of!"
Tarkhan countered Ilterish’s statement.
"Please don't put the cart before the horse. Our aim is to take down the entire Parsian army and bring these years of rivalry to a conclusion. Isn't it a bit trivial to capture a woman, while screaming about your own regrets? As soon as we destroy Pars, that woman will understand that we are not that easy to mess with."
This argument was sound. Just when Ilterish was about to respond, Karluk spoke first.
"You are right. However, our current situation is extremely unfavorable. The king must be very unhappy too. Is there any good solution?"
"There’s always a solution. What do you all think of this plan?"
Tarkhan's proposal was to abandon Peshawar and move west towards the continental highway. The main Parsian army would likely turn around from the west in order to rescue their fortress. Instead of continuously attacking Peshawar and consuming time and troops day and night, it would be better to abandon the fortress and advance westward and wait for the arrival of the rest of the Parsian army. As long as Pars' main army was destroyed, Peshawar fortress would wither away without much effort, like a tree that has lost its roots.
"In other words, this will be a head-on battle with the Parsian army. Could we still lose to them?"
Tarkhan finished with a smile, and Ilterish interjected somewhat excitedly, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm confident that I won't lose. However, the problem does not lie here. Please think about King Tokhtamysh. Is this what he would want?"
Having said that, Ilterish turned his horse and left. The generals who stayed behind whispered anxiously.
"The prince is too eager to get what he wants."
"No wonder. It would be a disgrace to the Prince if he could not secure Peshawar before the King's own expedition."
"Not only the Prince, but we wouldn’t be off the hook either! The king is a stern man!"
The generals fell into a silence, which was soon broken by Tarkhan, who murmured.
"The Prince has a point. If we don't save the credit for the destruction of Parsian army for the King, we may displease him, right?"
"That means we must fight in moderation."
Karluk agreed with a deeply self-deprecating tone.
From the early morning the next day, the Turanian army’s attack seemed to become extra fierce. Once they decided to attack the fortress, they had to do their best. The strength of the Turanian army was 60,000 in total, all of them were cavalry. 30,000 now surrounded the fortress of Peshawar, shooting arrows at the fortress, hitting the gates with thick wood trunks, and nailing stakes on the walls in order to climb them. The Parsian army, on the other hand, was busy responding to the siege, and Kubard continued encouraging the soldiers.
"Don't worry, I'm the Braggart Kubard! Only for a flock of beautiful women would I ever give the fortress to those grassland shepherds!"
This man seemed to equate his nickname of "The Braggart" with prestigious titles like "Warrior of Warriors" and "Twin Blade General
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