Lothar smiled noncommittally. "Since Bahram still harbors other ambitions, why would he come if I summoned him to court? It would only force him into a desperate gamble and bind all of Ctesiphon to his cause."
"I want an intact Ctesiphon, not a field of ruins."
Mustafa gave a wry smile. "You truly overestimate Bahram's resolve."
"I watched this child grow up. He excels at calculation but lacks decisiveness. Faced with your threat, he is unwilling to accept it, yet lacks the determination to stake everything on a single throw. Unless you place the opportunity before him, he will never take that step."
He said earnestly, "When the Kara-Khitan usurper Kutlug asked for aid, Bahram hesitated and refused to send his main force. He hoped both sides would bleed each other dry. Only after Kutlug was swept aside by the Tatars like autumn leaves did he hastily muster troops, trying to join forces with the people of Khwarazm against them."
"Yet even allied with Khwarazm, he still refused to commit fully. As a result, half of Persia's military strength was lost, while the remaining half could not withstand the Tatars and suffered another crushing defeat, leaving all Persia in ruins."
"He could either have held Persia firmly or stopped the enemy beyond its borders, yet he hesitated every time, bringing down a dynasty of a thousand years in a single day."
Mustafa said solemnly, "How could such a man possibly make up his mind to fight you to mutual destruction when Your Majesty's dragon fills the sky and your army stands beneath his walls?"
Lothar nodded slightly. "You do understand him well."
Having said that, he did not mention summoning Bahram again. Instead, he changed the subject. "The Tatars have already reached Huwayzeh. Mustafa, can you contact Huwayzeh's governor now?"