The Sun and the Lion

"Urgent report! Urgent report!" the scout shouted to the pedestrians on the road, asking them to get out of the way. His face was full of anxiety, and he kept urging the horse under him to run faster.

Pedestrians didn't know what was happening, but they still consciously moved out of the way to avoid the trampling and collision of the horses. The peddler who was harmed by his fast horse sent him vicious curses.

But it didn't take long for the citizens to realize that something was wrong. Many residents from the suburbs outside the city wall gathered at the city gate and wanted to enter the city. They were very panicked and rushed to enter the city, causing chaos.

Before the guards could maintain order, a black line in the distance was seen on the tower.

"They, it's them, they're here again!" cried a refugee trying to enter the city.

Everyone looked at the approaching black line in the distance. The conspicuous red hats and lion-sun flags had already indicated their identity - a group of Shia fanatical believers said by businessmen and travelers. They were called Safavids. Order.

While the guards were observing the approaching red heads, the red heads who came to investigate quickly stepped forward to persuade the city's defenders to surrender.

"They are coming to massacre us!" Another round of panic broke out among the refugees.

A horseman near the city wall shouted to the crowd: "Return to the right path and serve Huda in the right way, and everyone will live in peace until the day Mahdi comes to the world!"

After saying that, without waiting for their response, he quickly moved away from the city wall and joined his teammates.

The red heads were on the hillside beside the main road observing the civilians entering the city in the distance. The defenders in the city also climbed up the southern city wall one after another, watching warily in the direction in which the red heads were retreating.

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News of the arrival of the Safavid army in Mashhad also triggered panic in the city. Mirza Abul Hassan, who was stationed there, mobilized most of his troops before leaving, including most of the cavalry and more than half of the infantry. Some citizens and farmers were also recruited.

Bey, who stayed in the city, wanted to mobilize garrisons from surrounding small forts to strengthen Mashhad's defense, but he met with opposition at the meeting.

"The fact that the city's defense forces are insufficient is right in front of us! Huda, the only option is to mobilize troops from surrounding settlements. We must burn down the surrounding settlements and clear the country before we can retreat."

After a brief silence, the head of a thousand households shook his head: "Dear Bey, I think this arrangement is not appropriate. Many of the troops stationed in the fortress outside the city are cavalry. It would be a waste to withdraw within the city wall."

"Waste?" Bey stared at him: "Do you think those heretics are fools? If you let those soldiers stay outside the city wall, they will be the first to bear the brunt. After the hidden dangers are eliminated, the offensive on the city wall will begin."

"I haven't finished speaking yet, Your Excellency. All the infantry scattered outside the city can be withdrawn, and the cavalry can be united in one place, wandering outside the city wall under the command of a thousand-household chief, and interacting with the archers at the top of the city. For the horns..."

Before he could finish speaking, another head of a thousand households with whom he had a long-standing quarrel sneered: "Are you going to recommend yourself to lead our remaining cavalry? Create conditions and opportunities for your own meager existence?"

"Pah!" Bey slapped his thigh, stood up and scolded: "Mahmud, the head of a thousand households, now is not the time for you to slander your colleagues."

"Dear Your Excellency, you cannot deny the possibility of this happening." The head of the Thousand Households, known as Mahmoud, did not shut up, but turned against his boss.

"Huh, don't be too arrogant. The clerk has recorded every word in the meeting. If you don't stop, I will write to Mirza and the Emir to accuse you of stirring up trouble before the war! This Even Allah, the Merciful, will not tolerate it.”

Hearing this substantial threat, he became angry and quiet. His clown behavior also amused his colleagues, but they were polite and did not laugh in front of them.

This episode soon ended, and everyone continued the meeting.

"Anyway, you think the cavalry outside the city can help us defend the city. What if the enemy launches an all-out encirclement and suppression? Use the defenders in the city, who are of varying quality, to rescue them?"

"Yes, we can try to raid the enemy camp, where the enemy's baggage and belongings are stored. This can disrupt the enemy's morale and prevent them from leaving the camp to fight." The head of the Qian household directly showed off his cards - I just want to stud.

"This..." Everyone hesitated.

"We cannot sit still and wait for death. Your Excellency Bey, I propose that we draft a letter to Mirza for help now, immediately, immediately. We only need to persist until Mirza returns with reinforcements."

"Then...okay. But how to replenish the city's garrison? Recruit citizens? Mirza has already done so once."

"The nature of this time is different from last time. The reason we defend the home is enough to impress everyone in the city." The Ulema who attended the meeting stroked his beard and expressed his willingness to use the social influence of the priests to help the defenders supplement their supplies. member.

"There are still mercenaries inside the city walls, sir. There are quite a few caravan guards alone."

Then, with the additions from other officers, his plan became more and more detailed and seemed to be quite feasible.

"Okay, it's up to you." Bey sighed and finally agreed to the plan. The meeting officially ended after the clerk compiled the minutes and handed them to Bey.

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At night, look for the bookstore www. zhaoshuyuan.com The Ulama gathered together to exchange views on the current situation.

Mashhad is an important town both economically and religiously. The holy tomb of the eighth Shia Imam is located here. It is also one of the Shia centers in Iran, and the Shia community has become the mainstream locally.

But unfortunately, although they also respect Ali's lineage, Shias are still divided into different factions, and the Twelve Imams are just one of them. Everyone is not interested in the Safavid order. In the eyes of conservative jurists, the actions of this group of Sufi dervishes have greatly exceeded their bottom line.

Deifying leaders, drinking alcohol in public, tolerating figurative art, wantonly killing Sunni clerics, confiscating mosque property, etc. Whether it is a conflict of doctrine or a conflict of interest, they cannot tolerate it.

The clerics enumerated everything they knew about the Safavids in an exhaustive manner and then sorted out all the violations of the hadith and scriptures.

After finishing their righteous criticism of Safavid, especially the leader Ibrahim, the ulama talked about how to mobilize the believers in the city to provide money and help people, even in order to survive this crisis. During the military disaster, the mosque also had to donate extra money.

There are even bold-minded people who want to use political terrorism and send assassins to assassinate prominent Safavid figures. But the old man of the mountain and his followers have been dead for a long time, and no one has such resources.

Then the ulema turned their hostile eyes on the dervishes and Hanaka in the city. They were likely to incite riots and even rebel against the defenders as Safavid spies. Hanaka would also be confiscated, and his real estate would be allocated to various parties. mosque.

After deliberation for a long time, all the priests could do was to assist the officers and soldiers in defending the city and take the opportunity to gain some benefits from it.