The Sun and the Lion

Ibrahim stared at the killed cheetah, still recalling his recent hunting experience, and felt an indescribable sense of joy and satisfaction. Whether it was ruling political power, military wars, or hunting wild beasts, he could only do these things through a screen in his previous life, but now he has experienced them all in person.

Especially when commanding a large group of cavalry to hunt gazelles, the rider who can accurately execute the orders and the large group of prey without resistance - even dozens of rabbits - greatly satisfy his desire for control.

Perhaps, traveling through time and becoming a prince with the ability to seize political power is his greatest reward.

The noble children who came with him approached Ibrahim, who was thinking wildly, and congratulated him on hunting this big trophy.

Hunted wild animals can be said to be a major source of luxury goods. Among them, fur is the most common commodity. The rich and powerful are keen to use fur to show their wealth and status. The huge profits from the fur trade also promoted the development of Siberia and other places.

Thanks to Ibrahim's precise shooting skills, the arrow's damage to the leopard's skin was not serious, and a rider with rich hunting experience had already pulled the arrow out of the body.

Under his command, the cheetah would be tied with ropes, hoisted by bowmen and displayed throughout the camp, and finally handed over to craftsmen to be broken down to realize its economic value.

After handling the cheetah and counting the entourage, the group returned to the temporary camp.

………………

When Ibrahim returned to the camp, it was evening, and campfires were lit between the military tents. The red heads were eating the gazelle meat from today's hunting with the cold naan and goat's milk.

Many red heads noticed Ibrahim returning late. They stopped what they were doing and planned to go forward to pay tribute to their monarch and spiritual leader.

Ibrahim accepted the tributes from the believers as usual and "accidentally" showed them the spoils of his late return.

Four bow holders carried a makeshift frame made of lances and ropes, with the lifeless cheetah hanging underneath. There were no wounds on the cheetah's skin, and it looked like it had died quite neatly.

The King of Kings and the nobles returned directly to the big tent, leaving only the four bow holders responsible for carrying the cheetah weighing more than fifty kilograms around the camp.

Although hunting a wild beast is a reason to hold a banquet to celebrate, while we are still on the march, it is not too late to entertain the entire army after the victory.

Returning to the main tent, he rejected all the visiting officers, just took off his boots, sat on the carpet and had a simple dinner, and then prepared to go to bed. He did not bring his wives, concubines, and slaves to the camp to accompany him like other nobles, which made his nightlife very boring.

After reading for a while, Ibrahim put on his boots again and walked out of the tent. It was just getting dark. Seeing the King of Kings walking out, the bow-bearers who were responsible for guarding him bowed and nodded to him.

Ibrahim nodded in response, then stood at the door of the tent and looked up at the stars, wondering what he was thinking.

"Your Majesty, there is a team of outstanding entertainers in the camp. They perform stories from "Kings" to their colleagues every night. Many soldiers and officers are willing to pay for them."

Ibrahim turned around and looked at the ten-capion: "Have you ever seen it?"

He didn't expect that there would be a troupe of actors among the military personnel to provide entertainment for his troops. Performing a play is troublesome and requires the right venue, the right props, and actors with different divisions of labor.

The captain's words aroused his strong interest. In the past, he had only watched the musicals "Cats" and "Phantom of the Opera" in music classes at school.

"Then take me there."

"yes."

Under the leadership of the captain of ten, Ibrahim walked through the camp and came to a large open space outside the fence. Many officers had gathered here, and some soldiers were also gathered in the corner.

There is no elaborate stage in this open space. Only torches and campfires in the desert provide lighting for the actors so that the audience can see clearly.

The performance venues in Taziyeh, which performed religious and historical events, were all temporary and were dismantled after the performances. Only Shah Naser al-Din of the later Qajar dynasty built a permanent theater in Tehran.

In addition to the audience and actors, there are also vendors selling drinks and food on the outer edge and servants walking back and forth to serve the officers.

The officers soon discovered Ibrahim, and they respectfully asked him to sit in the most convenient position to watch the play. The captain of ten who was supposed to be at the entrance of the big tent was also allowed to watch the play.

While Ibrahim was waiting for the actors to come on stage, several servants brought them drinks and nuts, and he got a glass of date wine.

The prepared actors finally came on stage, and according to prompts, the audience learned that tonight's performance was about the warrior Rostam passing the seven trials.

The narration begins with a brief synopsis - Shahkai Kaus's expedition to Mazandaran failed, he was captured by demons, and Rostam went to rescue his monarch.

The so-called Seven Trials is to break down the process of Rostam's rescue of Kai Kavus into seven sections.

What follows next is the story of Rostam completing his mission through seven trials. Find the bookstore www.zhaoshuyuan.com

Ibrahim remained curious about the upcoming performance. In the past, he only understood the stories in "Kings" through text and illustrations.

Rostam was the first to appear. The actor was tall and burly. In order to restore the image in the book, he dyed his hair white with henna. The only flaw was that his equipment was unflattering, but what does it matter?

However, what is shown in the first scene is not his bravery, but his love horse - in the book, it is described as having a coat color like "rose leaves on the saffron field", with shoulders and shoulders like a lion. breast, as strong as an elephant, and so loyal to its master that no one but Rostam had ever ridden it—so loyal to his duty.

A lion suddenly jumped out while Rostam was resting. Rashkh failed to wake up the owner and had to face it alone. However, because the actors could not perform the real lion performance, the beasts were played by people wearing special costumes, which made the fight between humans and horses look a bit funny.

It was not until Rasheh killed the lion that Rostam woke up and found the wounds on his beloved horse and the mess around the reeds.

Then Rostam crossed the desert, slayed the dragon in the midnight forest, killed the witch disguised as a devil at a mysterious banquet who tried to seduce him, defeated the first warrior of Mazandaran, and killed He defeated the devil and the sorcerer king of Mazandaran, rescued Kai Kavus, and lifted the witchcraft that made him blind.

After watching the whole play, although from Ibrahim's perspective, the performance level is far lower than that of modern film and television works, it is enough to attract audiences from agricultural societies.

After the performance, the satisfied officers paid them silver coins. Ibrahim did not come forward in person, but just ordered his attendants: "In my name, reward them with two thousand silver coins."