Steampunk Apocalypse! - 186 Genghis Khan

Ed continued to stare at the Samsara Wheel of Life, curious as to what exactly he should be hoping to learn from it. His knowledge of medicine, leadership, and warfare had improved drastically from reliving his past two lives, but that couldn’t possibly by the point of the lesson. ‘How does one escape Samsara?’ He wondered as he started sinking into yet another past life.

…

“Hmm…” Ed calmly opened his eyes and examined his surroundings. He seemed to be in a lavish library, an expensive-looking book in his hands. Glancing down at it, he saw the title. ‘Al-jabr?’ He thought to himself. Instinctively, he knew it was one of the earliest books on Algebra, which had originally been invented by the Babylonians and later developed by the Persian mathematician Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi. It seemed that he had taken a strong interest in mathematics during this lifetime.

Utilizing the chance to examine his body, Ed realized that he was starting later in life this time around. He appeared to be well into adulthood already, pushing into his thirties in age. Slowly, the information about his life came to him like memories that had never left. He was Ala ad-Din Muhammad II, the Shah of the Khwarezmian Empire. Born in 1169, he had inherited the throne from his father at the age of 31. Since then, he had worked to expand the empire’s territory, though not to the same extreme as in his next life of Napoleon. Overall, he lived a fairly good life of leisure, enjoying his prestigious status as the Shah of his great empire. Of course, Ed knew that such a thing couldn’t last. He had never even heard of this empire in his present life, and it was only upon looking at a map that he realized it occupied what would be Iran and part of Central Asia in modern times.

Days passed, followed by months and years. Ed slipped completely into his role and enjoyed his life thoroughly. It was like a blissful vacation from the extremes of his current life and other two past lives. He was like the no-good 2nd generation child of a wealthy businessman. He never had worry or want, and the members of his court praised him to the highest heavens. He was a man without equal! A man destined to rule over the lowly commoners!

In the year 1218, a group of several hundred Muslim merchants arrived, however, they were being led by an unfamiliar man. The man was fairly large and had a rough-looking face. He requested an audience with the Shah, and as the amount of trade was fairly substantial, Ed naturally obliged.

Ed sat on his throne, his head leaned on his hand with a bored look on his face. He wasn’t particularly curious as to who was wanting to trade with him. Who wouldn’t want to trade with the rich Khwarezmian Empire? They were one of the centers of the world when it came to science, wealth, and culture. In fact, he grew rather tired of dealing with these annoying merchants day after day, but money was always of importance to the welfare of the empire.

“Shah.” The rough-looking man bowed respectfully while holding a letter in his hands up towards the Shah.

Ed lazily waved his hand, indicating for a servant to fetch the letter. A skinny man hurriedly took the letter and opened it to read it aloud. “I am Khan of the lands of the rising suns while you are sultan of those of the setting sun. Let us conclude a firm agreement of friendship and peace.”

Ed frowned as he heard the message. He examined the bowing man carefully. “You serve the savage known as Genghis Khan?” He questioned.

An awkward expression appeared on the man’s face, but he nodded in affirmation.

“That savage probably just wants to use trade as an excuse to invade my lands. Unfortunately for him, I’m not a fool.” He turned towards his advisor. “Call for Governor Inalchuq of Otrar.”

The advisor hurriedly nodded and quickly left the court. The Mongolian man waited patiently, though he seemed slightly uncomfortable with the current atmosphere. Nearly an hour later, the advisor returned with Governor Inalchuq in tow. Fortunately, the governor was currently staying in his 2nd home in the capital, so things had worked out rather conveniently.

“Shah.” The Governor nodded as he moved closer, curious as to why he was called here.

Ed gestured for Inalchuq to come closer, and then whispered in a low voice. “Arrest this man and the merchants he brought along. We’ll seize their goods for the empire. Just accuse the man of being a foreign spy or something.

A surprised look appeared on Inalchuq’s face, but he hurriedly agreed to it. It wouldn’t be the first time the duo had pulled such tricks together, and in fact, he was the Shah’s right-hand man when it came to such things. He had long earned the favor of the Shah through his willingness to play the bad guy when necessary. He quickly turned around and pointed at the foreign Mongolian man. “Arrest him immediately!” He shouted. “He’s a spy sent by our enemies! Seize the merchants outside and their goods at once!”

The guards seemed to have expected such orders, as they immediately set to executing them. It only took minutes for the merchants to be arrested, and many carts of valuable goods were seized as a result. Fine jade, gold, pottery, and other goods quickly entered the hands of the empire, all at the low cost of absolutely free!

Several days later, the Mongolian merchant was beheaded as a spy by the Governor, and the Muslim merchants were set free. They had gambled on supporting the foreigner, and they had lost the gamble. As far as the Shah was concerned, the lowly merchants should just be grateful he was graceful enough to even spare their lives.

Several months later, three more Mongolian envoys arrived, though without additional merchants this time. They demanded the return of the original caravan and the head of the Governor by the Great Khan’s orders.

Not even feeling bothered to call for the Governor this time, Ed lazily waved his hand. “Shave their heads and behead them.” He ordered his guards. He wouldn’t be tricked by the savage Mongolian tribes. In fact, he was already preparing his armies defenses in case of an invasion. How could their primitive warriors possibly stand up to his mighty empire should war actually break out?

…

Genghis Khan soon received the news about the slight against his envoys. He had just finished conquering nearly two-thirds of China, and he had excess goods to trade as a result. He truthfully had wanted to establish a trade route with the Khwarezmian Empire, and he originally had no plans of starting another war to invade it. Even if he did, it wouldn’t have been for many years to come.

“Prepare the men.” He said through clenched teeth to his leading officers. Ala Ad-Din Muhammad II had crossed the Great Khan, and he would not let this slight go unnoticed. In just a few days’ time, he had 150,000 horse-mounted warriors prepared to invade the Khwarezmian Empire. The Great Khan would personally lead the war, and the world would learn what happens when his envoys are disrespected.

…

On a day like any other, Ed lazily sat on his throne while paging through one of his favorite books. ‘Ah, perhaps I should write my own book someday.’ He smilingly thought to himself.

“Shah! Shah!” A panicked man suddenly ran into the throne room.

“Hmm? What is it?” Ed calmly replied. It was unusual to see his general panicked like this, but he was sure it was something he could handle.

“Shah…” The general gulped as he nervously bowed. “The Mongols have invaded!”

“So, the time has come.” Ed nodded and stood from the throne. “How far have they made it? Are our defenses holding well for the time being?”

A dire look appeared on the general’s face. “We’ve already lost far too much. They invaded the east with a detached force and have already taken it over. For now, Otrar, Bukhara, Samarkand, and Urgench are all under siege, though they’re holding the line.

“Damn.” Ed frowned. “I didn’t think they would progress so quickly. Send reinforcements at once. We can’t afford to let the cities fall.

“At once!” The general nodded and hurriedly left to pass on orders. Of course, he had already sent reinforcements before coming to the Shah, but it was his duty to keep the empire informed of what was happening in the war.

…

A month soon passed, and things only grew worse. The Mongolians had learned siege warfare from the Chinese, and their battering rams were quickly turning the tides of war in their favor. This, combined with their strong cavalry and horse archers, made for an extremely deadly foe. Additionally, the Khwarezmian Empire proved to be less united than previously thought, and some cities had actually surrendered without even putting up much of a fight. Otrar held strongly for over a month, but it soon fell as well. Governor Inalchuq was captured by the Mongols, and rumors said that the Great Khan himself had executed the Governor by pouring molten silver into his eyes and ears, turning the man into a silver statue. After the city was conquered, the Mongols actually diverted a river and flooded the city to destroy it! Otrar was gone from the maps, and the land had forever been changed by the Great Khan’s madness!

Soon, the cities of Bukhara, Samarkand, and Urgench also fell, and there was very little left remaining to stop the Great Khan’s warpath. Millions had died as a result of the Mongol’s savage and brutal methods, and the Khwarezmian Empire was all but destroyed. Cities were razed to the ground or flooded by diverting nearby rivers. Countless historical artifacts, valuable books, and other records were destroyed. The value of such destruction was astronomical, and the deaths were more than any massacre the world had ever seen before. Even if they managed to stave off the invasion, how many centuries would it take the Khwarezmian Empire to recover? How many centuries would it take the Islamic world to recover? This was the start of the end of the golden age of the Islamic world!

Unfortunately, the chance for a comeback never came. The Mongols sent a detached force of nearly 50,000 men ahead of their ongoing sieges, and they headed straight for the capital!

Ed’s face was extremely dark after he heard the latest reports from his leading general. “They’re coming straight for my life?” He stood from his throne while sighing. “Call for my advisors and my son.”

…

A meeting was soon held in the palace. The throne was officially abdicated to Ed’s son, Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu. Perhaps this would sooth the Mongols wrath, though it seemed unlikely.

Ed fled the empire in exile through the Caspian Sea. He arrived at the Abaskun port of a small island where he planned to stay until he found refuge somewhere within the Muslim-controlled region of Khorasan.

Ed sat alone in a tiny home that he was temporarily using as his residence. ‘Where did I go wrong?’ He sighed as he rubbed his tired face. One of the greatest empires in the world had just been destroyed to the point of nearly being wiped off the map, and it was all his fault. What would his father say to him if he was still alive? What would his ancestors think of him? “I should’ve studied warfare.” He sighed while staring up at the sky. “Would things have been different if I had been born a commoner? Would I have struggled more and eventually won my rightful place as Shah?”

Little did he know at the time, these would soon be his final words. Ala ad-Din Muhammad II died of the disease pleurisy just a few weeks after having escaped to the island. Later, his empire would be completely destroyed by the Mongol Empire, and his son would serve as the very last Shah of the Khwarezmian Empire.

…

Ed awoke again, staring at the Samsara wheel. ‘What a failure of a life…’ He thought to himself in shock. Even if he was far from perfect in his last two lives, and he could even be described as absolutely vile in one of them, he had still lived successful lives. He was fairly surprised how much of a failure he had been in the life before Napoleon. He had never even heard of the great Khwarezmian Empire before, and he considered himself someone fairly well-learned when it came to history. The Mongols had so thoroughly destroyed the empire that only those that specialized in history or were truly passionate about it would likely know about it today. Well, such a thing was normal. After all, there were plenty of fallen empires that had been all but forgotten in modern times except by the select passionate few that studied such things.

‘So, Ala ad-Din Muhammad II wanted to start lower on the totem pole and struggle in his next life? Is that how Napoleon came to be? Did Napoleon want to be a doctor near the end of his life? He didn’t recall thinking of that during his life as Napoleon, but Napoleon had died of stomach cancer, so the idea wasn’t particularly farfetched.