Chapter 218: A Loving Father, a Filial Son (Part One)

Eid al-Fitr is one of the principal festivals of the Heavenly Square faith. Together with Eid al-Adha, it is called one of the two great festivals of *** Islam, and at this time in Persia it is called Ruzi.

Before Eid al-Fitr, adult men and women *** are required, in the ninth month of the Heavenly Square religious calendar — that is, the fasting month — to observe a full month of fasting.

In the Heavenly Square religious calendar, odd months have thirty days and even months have twenty-nine, making a full year of three hundred and fifty-four days.

This year, the ninth month of the Heavenly Square religious calendar falls from the end of the third lunar month to the end of the fourth lunar month.

During this month, all believers of the Heavenly Square faith, every day from before dawn until sunset, must abstain from food, drink, marital relations, and all improper conduct, so as to examine themselves and wash away their sins.

To put it simply, on Eid al-Fitr, from the moment day breaks, you cannot eat a single thing — you can only go hungry. Even at night you cannot eat or drink heavily; you can only have a bit of flatbread and some water.

As for this festival, Zhang Zhao's mood was one of pure delight. No matter what warriors you have, no matter how well trained they are, if they go hungry all day and eat only a bit of flatbread at night, after a whole month of such torment, they probably would not even have the strength to hold a blade, would they?

For such warriors to still think of donning several dozen jin of iron armor and fighting — is that not sheer delusion?

At dawn, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, the gates of Bukhara boomed open.

The Ark Citadel Guards and the Ghulam Guards, bearing banners painted with golden lions, wild boars, fierce tigers, fine horses, white elephants, soaring eagles, and even date palms, marched out of the city.

The Ghulam Guards mostly wore black-and-white armor that looked exceptionally sturdy, but in truth this armor was not made of iron, but of woven fabric and oxhide.

They looked awe-inspiring, like heavenly warriors, but in reality offered little protection — much like the paper armor used for ceremonial display in Chinese history, relying mainly on the painter's art to achieve their "defensive effect."

Unlike the Ghulam Guards, the Ark Citadel Guards under Nasr II wore long robes of blue and white mixed with black square patterns, as well as robes whose dominant tone was tender yellow mixed with petal-shaped patterns of various colors.

In this era, dyeing cloth was an extremely time-consuming craft. The brighter the color, the more precious it was — to say nothing of a single garment bearing several colors.

Such cloth was exceedingly expensive. The citadel guards marching out at this moment numbered some two thousand, and these two thousand sets of exquisite robes were the clearest proof of Samanid Persia's wealth.

Besides the long robes, the Ark Citadel Guards also wore ancient Persian headdresses called triple crowns.

This set them apart from the Ghulam Guards, who wore headscarves or felt caps that could be pulled down to cover the face against wind and sand. Their style was more Persian than Islamic.

Their weapons were the traditional wicker shield, short spear, sword or long dagger, and bow and arrow. Beneath their outer robes they usually also wore scale armor or mail.

The gleaming long spears were also decorated with spheres made of silver or gold — the former for ordinary soldiers, the latter for officers.

This equipment and style closely resembled that of the ancient Persian Immortals. Even after several hundred years of Islamization, the Persians had in fact maintained a certain cultural independence.

Amid banner after banner of every color and design, the great royal standard symbolizing the Emir stood tall. Surrounded by dozens of nobles in magnificent silk robes, Nasr II, Emir of Samanid Persia, sixty-three years old this year, wore a golden crown and held the scepter symbolizing royal authority, though he looked somewhat listless.

Of course he was listless, for Nasr II was still fairly devout toward the Heavenly Square faith, and he generally observed the rules of Ramadan.

Of course, the greater reason was that he had no choice but to observe them, because ever since converting to the Shia sect, Nasr II had faced opposition from a great number of Sunni believers within his realm.

Many Sunni imams and akhunds had long been watching Nasr II's every move. The moment Nasr II dared to break the rules of Ramadan, someone would leap out to confront him.

Do not assume these imams would not dare. Empowered by fanatical religious faith, there were absolutely iron-headed men bold enough to challenge secular power.

In Samanid Persia and in the ages that followed, the political struggles of Central Asia were in truth always waged between royal power and religious power.

Sometimes royal power attached itself to religious power; sometimes royal power suppressed religious power.

Thus the rulers of Transoxiana, unlike the rulers of the Central Plains whose word was absolute, also had the dark clouds of religious power hanging over their heads.

Though it never became as perverse as what the Europeans made of it, with religious power towering above royal power, the strength of religion was not to be underestimated.

After Nasr II's carriage passed, behind it came Prince Hamid.

Though the prince still did his utmost to put on a show of strength in numbers, all the citizens of Bukhara along the road looked at Prince Hamid with pity.

For in Eid al-Fitr celebrations of previous years, the person closest to Nasr II, riding almost neck and neck with him, had always been Prince Hamid.

He was, after all, the heir apparent, the second most powerful man in Samanid Persia, and ought rightly to occupy that position of being second only to one and above ten thousand.

But today, all the princes — led by Prince Hamid's greatest rival, Prince Sadid — gathered around Nasr II. Only Prince Hamid had been sent away on the pretext of arranging the escort.

Hah! Prince Hamid laughed coldly. They said they were sending him to arrange the escort, yet they also forbade him from mobilizing Bukhara's Ghulam Guards, on the pretext that the Gurkhan was about to invade.

Those taking part in guarding the Emir were Ghulam Guards from Samarkand and Herat.

As for the proposal by the Grand Vizier Balami that the Bukhara and Samarkand Ghulam Guards exchange garrisons, Nasr II adopted a compromise.

The Bukhara Ghulams did not exchange garrisons with the Samarkand Ghulam Guards, but this year's Eid al-Fitr escort was assigned to the Ghulam Guards of Samarkand and Herat.

After crossing the moat, Prince Hamid turned and looked back at the city of Bukhara.

His confidant Hussein would, once Eid al-Fitr began, slip quietly back into Bukhara. At a single order from him, Hussein would shut Bukhara's four gates, then lead out the finest ten thousand men to purge the court of the ruler's evil advisers.

Of course, what Prince Hamid hoped for most was that the Gurkhan's army would arrive on time. To that end, he had even brought the two envoys sent by the Gurkhan along with him, so that he could communicate with the Gurkhan at any moment.

"Father, if you mean to move against me, then you cannot blame Hamid for being ruthless!"

Prince Hamid muttered under his breath. He too had clearly sensed that his father Nasr II very likely intended to seize him outright during this Eid al-Fitr — otherwise he would not have summoned Prince Sadid back.

It must be understood that Prince Sadid had all along been at Herat, holding the Daylamites in check. The Ghulam Guards who had come from Herat were in fact already under Prince Sadid's control.

And around Prince Hamid, these Ghulam Guards who in name were placed under his command for escort duty were, to a man, Herat Ghulams.

This was not letting him command the escort at all, but rather having these Herat Ghulam Guards keep him under watch. When the time came to do away with him, they would be the ones to act.

That way, it would not be Nasr II doing away with his own son, but Prince Sadid assassinating his elder brother.

This whole scheme fit Nasr II's hypocritical, cruel character perfectly!

If the festivals of the Heavenly Square faith are observed strictly according to religious rules, they are exceedingly dull.

No drinking, no song or dance, and at every turn there are collective khutbahs and praises of Allah, with tedious prostrations and other rites in set after set.

The ban on drinking in particular — tender roast whole ox, crisp roast whole sheep, all manner of fine white-flour flatbreads, sweets, and fruit, yet no wine allowed. Roast ox and roast sheep without a bit of wine always feel as though something is missing.

Eid al-Fitr, however, was somewhat different. After a month of collective fasting and plain eating, even without wine, the mere sight of meat and sweets was enough to set people gorging themselves.

At this moment, on the banks of the Oxus River (the Amu Darya), about five li from Bukhara, after the tedious praises had concluded, the crowd fell straight to devouring their food.

A month of Ramadan had pent everyone up — whether Emir Nasr II or the nobles and religious figures under him, all alike.

The crowd kept slicing great chunks of meat from the roast oxen, roast sheep, and roast camels before them with their small knives. Everyone was busy eating, no one speaking, and the scene was filled with the sound of chewing.

Even the Ark Citadel Guards and Ghulam Guards standing watch around them had adopted a shift system — only one third of the men remained on duty, while the rest ate and drank.

There was, however, one difference: according to the unwritten rules of Samanid Persia, the Ghulam Guards did not strictly observe the Ramadan fast.

For one had to consider: what if the enemy chose to attack right after Ramadan?

Therefore, among the Ghulam Guards, who were mostly of slave origin, one could still eat and drink normally during Ramadan — only without feasting or drinking heavily, and keeping out of sight as much as possible.

This was also the last reason Nasr II wanted to get rid of Prince Hamid.

The Juer Khan had already arrived. Nasr II had already sensed the danger, and he wanted to take the post of Grand Salar himself, seizing military power to ensure the stability of the state.

Everyone was immersed in the pleasure of eating. Only four people appeared to be eating, but their hearts were churning with anxiety.

The Grand Vizier (Chancellor) Balami kept sipping his honey tea in small mouthfuls. Though called Grand Vizier, he knew that he was merely Nasr II's chess piece for keeping Prince Hamid in check.

In himself, Balami did not wish to offend Prince Hamid. Taking part in a succession struggle had always been an extremely risky affair.

He was already Grand Vizier, an old man nearing seventy. Why should he make an enemy of someone who might one day become Emir?

But he had no choice, because Nasr II had demanded it. So Balami very decisively "stepped on the accelerator."

Since he was going to offend him, he might as well offend him thoroughly and give Prince Hamid a direct push toward the cliff.

That way, when the next heir apparent appeared, Nasr II would send him away.

Because by then the heir apparent would not need a powerful chancellor to serve as a counterweight, and Balami could retire in peace and spend his remaining years in comfort.

Prince Said looked at his elder brother, Prince Hamid. As Nasr II's sixth son, Prince Said was the most ambitious of all the princes.

In his own view, of course, he was also the most talented of all the princes.

In the ten years he had garrisoned Herat, Prince Said had suppressed the restless Daylamites and secured the safety of the southwestern border.

Prince Said felt that compared to his elder brother Prince Hamid, who had nothing but a handsome face and a timid, obsequious manner, he was far more suited to become heir apparent and future Emir.

And Nasr II sat upright on the throne at the center of the northern side, dressed in a magnificent purple brocade robe with round floral patterns, smiling as he received the greetings of one noble and minister after another, looking very pleased.

Only when his gaze swept over his sixth son, Prince Said, did the corner of his mouth lift in a meaningful smile.

He would not appoint another older heir apparent. The candidate most suitable in his heart was his eleventh son, only nine years old.

Said was merely a tool for eliminating Hamid. After all, a father killing his son was not a glorious affair, and brothers killing each other was not very glorious either, but it was better than doing it himself.

As for Said, if he was clever, perhaps he might be allowed to spend the rest of his days in the cold palace.

For the power in his hands, Nasr II did not mind losing one or two sons. After all, he had thirteen sons to choose from.

Prince Said sensed his father's gaze, and at once felt a warm current rise from the bottom of his heart.

He quickly straightened his back and conversed with those around him with impeccable etiquette, striving to make a good impression on his father, Nasr II.

As for Prince Hamid, for the first time he stared back at Nasr II without flinching, his gaze gradually growing fervent.

He was determined to sit on the Emir's throne, determined to vent all the grievances he had suffered over the years, fiercely and thoroughly.

Nasr II looked at Prince Hamid, and a surge of disgust rose in his heart. The boy was growing more and more ignorant of the rules, daring to stare directly at his father, his sovereign!

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