The Sun and the Lion

Smoke and dust billowed in the distance, and the guards on the city wall looked into the distance, trying to identify the person coming.

"The army of the King of Kings is coming! Everyone, open the city gates and prepare to welcome them." The rider who was sent to check the situation returned and reported to his colleagues and superiors.

A torrent of riders, beasts of burden and raised dust arrived at the gates of Tehran, and the uniform red hats and bundles on camel shoulders gave the town guards a glimpse of the world.

But the group of red heads who came had no intention of entering the city. There was no space in the city to accommodate a large army. After some selection, the camp was built with a nearby small castle as its core.

"Look! What a spectacular scene!"

Just as the guards on the city walls and towers were watching the red heads busy around the castle, a thunderous sound came to their ears from far to near, from small to loud.

Countless military flags fluttered in the wind, and calligraphy with scriptures as the content was dyed on the flag surface, supplemented by patterns such as the crescent moon and the Zulfikar sword to express the army's respect for their faith.

Under the military flag are a large number of cavalry. They march on the ground in a relatively orderly manner. Even if there is no reflection of the armor under the sun, the dense and endless black line composed of the cavalry and the dust raised can be seen. Can give enough pressure.

The most eye-catching thing is the tallest flag. The green background flag is more than a little wider than the surrounding military flags. The golden lion holding a sharp blade and the sun hidden behind the lion undoubtedly represent the supreme royal power and nobility. faith.

After this large flag, there are five smaller flags, also with scriptures and a Zulfikar sword.

"Honor Huda! Is this our monarch?"

After approaching Tehran, the large army divided into two teams. Most of the riders and baggage rushed to the camp, while Ibrahim and his attendants came to the gates of Tehran. The distance was so close that the guards on the top of the city could see his face clearly.

The guards opened the city gates, and a welcoming procession composed of local nobles came out to greet their monarch.

The guards who had been fishing at the top of the city also joined the welcoming team. The King of Kings and senior officers rode on white horses, followed by six flag bearers and a number of fully armed bow bearers. Behind them was a military band following on foot, playing exciting military music as they marched.

Ibrahim glanced around. The guards and citizens in the welcoming team lowered their heads, not daring to look at him. The nobles and bureaucrats in costumes knelt down and kissed his riding boots.

The King of Kings did not enter the city, but summoned the local officials in a camp outside the city. The guards watched Tehran's magistrates, high-ranking officials, warehouse managers, market supervisors, and their own superiors riding out of the city, following the heavily armed bow-wielders to the castle to meet Ibrahim.

He returned to his post, maintaining order at the city gate, and watched the carts loaded with various belongings slowly drive out of the city, pulled by oxen and mules.

The curious guard secretly counted all the carts leaving the city while he was looking at the gate: "Fifty-four, fifty-five..."

After a while, the carts were gone, but the mules and camels carrying supplies were still coming in and out. These carts and pack animals were more than any caravan had, and were far beyond the scope of their knowledge. He finally gave up calculations.

At the same time, a large number of traders, prostitutes, doctors, craftsmen, etc. took their luggage out of the city and formed a chaotic team on foot to the camp, staying outside the wall to provide different services to consumers inside the wall.

Just in time, the changing of the guard has come, but for this group of guards today, the changing of the guard does not mean rest as usual.

………………

Under the orders of the officers, the guards gathered in the city square. They didn't know what was happening yet, and they were all whispering to each other.

"Quiet!"

The militia captain's order calmed the discussion of the town guards. The discussion among the people paused, and then slowly weakened.

Seeing everyone shut up, the militia captain began to read out the order: "There is an order from above that the local troops - that is, us town guards and road guards, as well as the militia groups of rural landlords - from now on until the end of the war, It is necessary to assist in maintaining the logistics and transportation of the army."

In order to maintain the logistical supply of the army during wartime, Ibrahim decided to establish transportation routes starting from Tehran, and established a network of military depots based on various settlements, inns and caravanserais along the main roads to transport soldiers, military supplies, the disabled, trophies, etc. .

In order to ensure that the army can move freely within the territory, the King of Kings also considered expanding the post station to serve as a permanent military station to take on the responsibility of entertaining passing armies. Under the work of the military vizier, this project is being carried out in an orderly manner. In order to build a warehousing system and expand the transportation capacity of the post station, a lot of money has been spent.

At the same time, as the territory expands, he is also considering setting up a special military treasury in important areas that is independent of local treasury. All central funds used for local affairs can be stored and easily accessed. After all, there were no modern banks and electronic remittances at the end of the 15th century, nor were there any modern means of transportation. The delays in transporting boxes of metal currency and other property from the capital to distant frontiers in carts relying solely on animal power were prohibitive.

In this way, Tehran's local troops have become tools to maintain smooth supply lines. They not only have to clear all obstacles that threaten the transportation team and take care of military supplies and civilians, but also do a series of chores under the direction of the quartermaster.

As soon as this statement came out, the guards below started complaining. They thought that some good things would happen if they took up their rest time.

But fortunately, these jobs will not draw away all the local troops. The guards who go to the military station to help every month are determined by drawing lots by the captains. Moreover, the King of Kings also took into account issues related to enthusiasm, and specifically ordered that all local troops participating in the work will receive double military pay on the next pay day, and the bounties or pensions will also be doubled.

The normal income of these guards is not high, and even doubling the salary of some will not have a big impact on local finances.

"Fuck." The guards heard the final results of the lottery, and their team was responsible for the first month's work.

As for the document mentioning double or something, he didn't care. On weekdays, they also have gray income. Whether they are small traders or local gangsters, they will pay filial piety to them, the vigilantes. Tehran is a prosperous commercial city. The developed handicraft industry and active commercial activities have created a large citizen class, which also means that there is a lot of money to be made.

If they were assigned to look after civilians and military supplies outside the city, it would mean that they would lose a whole month of gray income and the opportunity for corruption. The so-called double salary compensation is much less than gray income.

But even with all the reluctance, the orders of his superiors are not something that a little guard like him can disobey.