The Sun and the Lion

Sunlight squeezed into a seemingly abandoned house through the cracks, and a pair of eyes was furtively observing the outside world. The main streets were filled with dust as the red-headed men entered the city on horseback, followed closely by auxiliary troops and baggage trains. Those eyes even saw Dada and Abdul entering the city surrounded by guards.

"This one is even more heavyweight." The dead man thought to himself. He made a rough calculation while looking at the red heads entering the city. When he calculated that about ten thousand people had entered the city, he felt that it was about the same.

The Mohammed leader did not panic when he learned that the Safavids were aggressively sending troops to Shiraz. He first took advantage of the popular riots in Yazd to seize control of the city, massacred the local Shia and incidentally He persecuted the Zoroastrians, whom everyone despised, and raided the countryside around Isfahan to attract the attention of the Safavids.

Then he plundered the treasury, plundered the population, and moved his tribe to the mountains southwest of Yazd. He also selected dead soldiers from his own bodyguards to ambush him in the city to find the right time to notify him, so that he could lead his tribe to cross. The already destroyed city defenses quickly raided the red heads in the city.

The dead man first took out the pigeon cage from the hiding place and released the trained pigeons. But maybe it was fed too much during the past few days in the hiding place, so it looked fatter and not as flexible as before. Drool rolled in his throat, but he swallowed it with difficulty along with the undue desire.

He climbed up to the roof and observed the movements of the red heads for a while. He found that they were still busy in the Zoroastrian community and the castle and mosque in the city center, and no one had time to hunt. He released the dove, hoping it would make it back to camp safely.

Because of the Zoroastrian practice of sky burial, most of the birds in Yazd are scavengers, such as vultures. The dead man could not imagine how a pigeon would be killed.

The sentry who climbed to the top of the castle to keep watch saw the pigeon, but because it was almost dusk and the distance was too far, he did not see it clearly and thought it was just an ordinary bird and paid no attention to it.

The dead man did not watch the pigeons fly out of the city. In order not to arouse suspicion, he immediately went down to the ruins and pretended to be a survivor.

In the meeting hall in the castle, Dada, Abdul and the captains gathered together to discuss the next step.

"We took the city of Yazd without any effort. The enemy retreated without a fight and tried to clear the field to delay our army. I think the soldiers are very fast and we should attack Shiraz immediately. If we let those cowards run back first, When the time comes when we are on guard, it will be difficult to fight." General Dada explained his thoughts to everyone present, and then asked additionally: "What do you think?"

The cautious Abdul contradicted him again: "Don't you think this is a bit suspicious? It is true that the enemy gave up Yazd on his own initiative, but what if he didn't flee? I sent engineers and craftsmen to investigate when entering the city. After passing by, the city defenses were severely damaged, and there are many traces showing that they were deliberately damaged by the defenders in the city."

"The enemy was able to occupy Yazd only by force. It is normal for the fortifications to be damaged." Dada was a little unhappy.

"Sir, you are also a veteran. Can you come with me to conduct an on-site inspection? Many sections of the city wall were completely destroyed and turned into rubble. Is this possible in a storm that lasted less than a day? There is no direct access to the foundation of the city wall outside the city. There are no signs of using any heavy siege equipment in the tunnel. Moreover, he took advantage of the riots in the city to attack the city. There was no need or time to destroy multiple sections of the city wall. It couldn't be the rioting Sunnis, right? The Greeks The citizens have been engaged in riots for hundreds of years, but I have never heard of anyone being able to tear down the city wall." Abdul refuted unhurriedly, and also showed his knowledge reserve that was not in line with the personality of a tribal nobleman - —He even knew the history of the pagans.

Dada did not explode after all, he just asked: "Then what do you think we should do?"

Abdul blurted out: "I currently have two conjectures. One is that the enemy is using a trick to make us suspicious. By creating doubts, we will be restrained and dare not pursue a large-scale pursuit, thus creating enough time for ourselves to escape. The second is that they are here to deceive us. A sneak attack, a quick retreat to allow us to misjudge the situation, and then relaxing our vigilance or being highly nervous will create loopholes for him to attack."

Seeing that Abdul's analysis was well-founded and well-organized, Dada, a veteran who came up through mixed seniority, and a group of captains unconsciously shifted the center of the conference to him.

Seeing that everyone around him was turning their attention to him, Abdul suddenly became a little nervous: "Everyone, I think we should first send scouts to survey the surrounding terrain and look for valleys where the army can hide, and even be a little crazy - just in case. The enemy is hiding in Cavil..."

"Well, let's arrange it like this first. In addition to surveying the surrounding terrain, we must also conduct reconnaissance along the road. What will the army do? If the enemy's original intention is to escape, how much time will the scouts waste in going back and forth?"

"Sir, they can't run fast. A nomadic herd with property and prisoners can march faster than a simple cavalry?" Abdul first made some assurances, and then continued to suggest: "I think the main force should be hidden in Nearby enemies let their guard down and misjudged the situation, luring them out for a surprise attack."

"Then who are we going to show off to, sir?" asked a long-haired man.

"Refugees and rural herdsmen, refugees may have their work carried out to deliver information on time, and every herdsman active in the surrounding countryside may be their scouts."

"Then." Dada knocked on the table with his knuckles: "Tomorrow I will personally take charge of the rewards for meritorious soldiers and the resettlement of refugees. The supply camp and engineers will mobilize young people to repair the city wall. Then I will stay the day after tomorrow after finishing the day. Do you understand that some of the remaining troops and the main force are making a large-scale pursuit?"

"My subordinates know." The captain and Abdul responded.

"Very good, let's go and rest after the meeting. Let's study tomorrow's activities with your subordinates tonight."