The Turkic world was vast, stretching from the Karakhanid Khanate to the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, and was occupied by the Turks during this period.
The Seljuk Empire was the main empire of the Turkic people.
But this empire was actually more like a united empire of multiple khanates.
Sanjar was merely the most powerful of them all.
The defeat of Sanjar and the fall of Isfahan foreshadowed the collapse of the Seljuk Empire.
The Song army was invincible in the vast Turkic world.
From the moment Yue Fei conquered Baghdad, the entire Turkic world was shocked.
Where is Baghdad?
Baghdad is located on the banks of the Tigris River.
West of the Tigris River is another river called the Euphrates, which is the famous Mesopotamian region.
Here we must mention another person.
who?
Zangi, whose original name was Imaddin Zangi.
He was originally a slave, but because of his outstanding military skills, he was appointed governor of Basra by the Seljuk Sultan Mujisudin Abu Qasim Mahmud ibn Muhammad ibn Maliksha in the year Zhao Huan ascended the throne.
The Seljuk Empire remained unstable until Sanjar regained power. He initially planned to wage war against the West, but the arrival of Yelü Dashi changed the military center of the Seljuk Empire.
This gave Zengi an opportunity, and he proposed his own kingdom in Mesopotamia, with its capital at Mosul, north of the Tigris River.
It is 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers) from Baghdad to the south.
Just this year, he led the Turkic army to recapture the city of Edessa on the banks of the Euphrates River in the west, successfully blocking the eastward advance of the Crusaders.
Furthermore, his cavalry seized the opportunity to advance westward toward Constantinople, the capital of the Roman Empire, sweeping all before them.
But now, he can't sleep.
I hadn't taken it too seriously when I first heard that Isfahan had fallen.
But unexpectedly, the war spread so quickly to the banks of the Tigris River, and even Baghdad fell.
His stronghold is in Mosul to the north.
On October 2nd of the 18th year of the Jingkang era, Zanji sent his eldest son, Saifuddin Ghazi, south to Baghdad, where he met Yue Fei.
The mission had two objectives: first, to ascertain the strength of the Song army; and second, to achieve a peace agreement.
Zengi is very powerful; he defeated the Crusaders, and now the Emperor of Constantinople is deeply worried.
However, after hearing about the situation of the Song army from those who had fled from Isfahan, he decided to immediately reach a peace agreement with the Song army.
If he fights on two fronts, he will undoubtedly be defeated.
But his eldest son, Saifuddin Ghazi, thought differently.
Over the years, he followed his father, risking his life and winning many battles.
Especially this year, after annihilating the Crusaders in Edessa, the young people are basking in the afterglow of their great victory.
When he learned that he was to go south for negotiations, he volunteered and promised his father that he would negotiate well.
But in reality, he was already mentally prepared for war.
Before arriving in Baghdad, Saifuddin Ghazi told his men, “My father wants an alliance between the two sides, but in my opinion, it is unnecessary. We have defeated the Crusaders and can take advantage of our momentum to march south and take Baghdad, a rich city in the south.”
His men agreed with him.
Therefore, he now seems quite proud in front of Yue Fei.
"This is a letter from my father to you."
Saifuddin Ghazi presented the letter written by Zangi, and a special translator translated it for Yue Fei.
After listening to it, Yue Fei knew that it was a relatively friendly letter and that the other party did not want to start a war.
Fortunately, Yue Fei did not intend to start a war immediately. They had fought their way from Suyab to here and needed a relatively long period of rest.
Many soldiers missed their hometowns. In order to stabilize the soldiers' emotions, Yue Fei began to allow some soldiers to marry local women, so that they could have a home and alleviate the depression and anxiety of war.
Saifuddin Ghazi said, "My father is willing to make peace with you, so you had better not act rashly or think of attacking us when we are not paying attention."
Perhaps wanting to show off, Saifuddin Ghazi deliberately shouted, "We have 100,000 iron cavalry. The infidels of the West have collapsed under our iron cavalry. The Roman emperor is now planning to make peace with us. The war there is truly brutal, beyond your imagination."
The translator translated it accurately, and the generals present immediately became angry upon hearing it.
Yang Zaixing, in particular, stood up and laughed loudly, "What arrogance! Marshal, give me 30,000 elite troops and I will wipe them out within three months!"
After the translator translated Yang Zaixing's words, Saifuddin Ghazi was furious: "I brought the voice of peace with good intentions, and your attitude and ideas are meant to provoke war?"
Zhang Xian, standing to the side, said, "So what if I hit you!"
Saifuddin Ghazi was furious. He glanced around at the Easterners who looked completely different from him, and his eyes flashed with murderous intent: "Don't think that just because you defeated that coward Sanjar, you can do whatever you want in our sacred territory. I'll give you a chance to apologize, or our iron cavalry will be on the march to Baghdad!"
Yang Zaixing suddenly drew his sharp longsword and was about to slash at Saifuddin Ghazi.
Seeing this, Saifuddin Ghazi also quickly drew his knife.
Yang Zaixing was stopped by Yue Fei, who said to Saifudin Ghazi, "Go back and tell them that we have been ordered by His Majesty the Holy Martial Emperor to come and carry out our education. If you do not want to fight, you can accept our education."
Saifuddin Ghazi snorted coldly and led his men out.
Yang Zaixing said, "General, why not just execute him here?"
“Killing him would not benefit us either, as it would only unite the enemy against us. This man is very arrogant and has different ideas from his father. When we return, there will inevitably be disagreements between them. Their arguments will weaken each other, and then our attack will be much more effective.”
Yue Fei's words convinced the generals, and they stopped dwelling on the matter.
I have heard that an envoy has come from Isfahan, and the court plans to establish a protectorate here.
Yue Fei then sent someone to welcome him; it is said that the person who came was Lu You's father, Lu Zai.
News also came from the east that a group of people migrating westward were heading this way.
In recent years, the territory has grown larger and larger, and the battle lines have been stretched very long.
To ensure the safety of the migrants, the Song army stationed troops in every major city and set aside a special force to protect the westward migrants.
However, in order to seek their fortune here, some people hired local armed forces in Gaochang and traveled westward along the Silk Road.
With the imperial court's clearance letter, the journey was very smooth.
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