The Sun and the Lion

The two guards slowly retreated, and with the sound of the door shaft turning, the hall door slowly opened. Abdul, wearing a formal dress, walked slowly inside, followed by the Sultan of Sistan. The guards responsible for guiding the two of them returned to the ranks of guards on both sides of the main seat.

"I will see you, Your Majesty." Abdul, who was familiar with etiquette, bowed down to Ibrahim in a polite manner. Mahmoud was half a beat slower, but Ibrahim had no intention of making things difficult for this vassal who took the initiative.

"Everyone, get up."

While Abdul stepped forward to report his work to Ibrahim, Mahmoud, who was standing aside, observed Ibrahim carefully.

After all, it was a formal occasion to meet dignitaries, and the winter had not yet passed, so Ibrahim dressed a little more luxuriously. The slightly bloated white turban is fixed with a gold brooch set with rubies and turquoise and long black feathers. His brown-red beard and hair are his most obvious features. A short-sleeved outer robe lined with fur is worn as the outermost layer, and underneath is a beautifully embroidered robe, with a belt tied to this robe. He sat formally on the carpet.

Abdul's battle report has been sent to Tabriz in advance, and Ibrahim has also read it through. He does not need to repeat his great achievements in the past few months.

"Leading five thousand cavalry to conquer Sistan without any casualties is a great achievement in any case, Abdulbey."

Then Ibrahim handed the prepared documents to the guards, and after reading them out, he handed them to Abdul. The first was his letter of appointment - Governor of the Emirate of Sistan. His duty was to ensure the obedience of the vassals. In addition to ensuring the local military presence of the suzerain, he was also responsible for collecting tribute and guiding the vassals' internal affairs.

Following the letter of appointment was a gift list. Ibrahim allowed him to occupy a certain amount of real estate and population in the Emirate of Sistan for free. He could directly suppress resistance if he encountered it, and he was also rewarded with a group of livestock and property.

Encircling a population to become a leader's tribe does not mean that the leader has everything including personal freedom. Ibrahim planned to use judges and clergy to return the ownership of the tribal population to the palace. The lords only had economic rights such as taxation rights over the population they owned. They could no longer use private law to judge or punish the tribal population.

Such a reward was generous enough for a tribal nobleman who was vassal to King Khan. Abdul knelt down to Ibrahim again before taking the document from the guard.

Mahmoud, who was listening in the audience, already knew the fact that he was being designated as the emir from the reading just now, and this Bey, who did not seem to have a high status, could still make a lot of land. You know, the Helmand Basin changed hands directly back and forth between the Mihrabanid and Guregani dynasties, creating a large amount of ownerless real estate. After he returned to Zaranj, he took the opportunity to expand the royal real estate. The Hrabannid royal family is the largest landowner in Sistan.

If you want to enclose territory, the best targets for cutting off the flesh are these vassal royal families. They have proven to be incapable of resisting Safavid. If they fight to the death, Ibrahim can directly establish a province.

In addition to royal estates, there were a large number of religious estates to choose from, and Mahmoud had no choice but to pray to Abdul to move towards mosques and wastelands.

As he continued to think, Ibrahim spoke slowly: "Sultan of Sistan, I heard that you want to take the initiative to see me. You are very proactive. This is a very rare behavior."

Mahmoud looked at the young man in front of him. Judging from his appearance alone, Ibrahim did not look like an aggressive person. His first impression had nothing to do with being vicious. However, people should not be judged by their appearance.

Although I can't tell whether Ibrahim's words are praise or criticism, since I have to take the initiative to be a dog, it's better to be respectful.

"Dear King of Kings. Your reputation is known to everyone from Syria to Turkestan." Mahmoud first flattered Ibrahim, bragging about Ibrahim's international reputation, and even wanted to take him for granted. Compared with Timur and Iskandar.

Then he changed the subject and talked about Mihrabanid's history as a dog starting from his surrender to Ilhan. Then he denounced Timur's own cruelty and the harsh rule under the rule of Guleghani, and told the Safavids "Liberation" expressed his gratitude and his willingness to become Ibrahim's loyal vassal.

Mahmoud's flattering look made Ibrahim want to laugh, and he suddenly remembered the famous screenshot from a South Korean movie. The current Sultan of Sistan is like the Korean prince who talked with the Ming Dynasty envoy.

"Yes, some wild dogs are running around without knowing who their owners are. In the end, no one cares if they are eaten or die in the ditch." Ibrahim couldn't hold himself any longer.

Mahmoud reacted quickly and took these words: "It is my greatest honor to be the hound of the King of Kings."

As soon as these words came out, everyone in the hall laughed. Ibrahim didn't expect that he could say this famous quote directly, but he had no place to share his happiness with others. Find Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuan.comｍ

"Hound, that's just right. I'm going to organize a hunting trip after spring, so you can stay here and take a good look at this event."

The eunuchs used their free time during the winter to expand the royal estate with the spoils brought back by Ibrahim. They identified multiple locations as royal horse farms and selected a group of high-quality stallions from various tribes. Because they invested enough in the beginning, they could export horses on a large scale from the first batch to supply the army, or bring them to the army. on the international market. Hindustan is the most important market for Persian horses. Only two thousand horses are shipped from Hormuz to the Indian subcontinent every year, but the rich Indians can pay nearly 800,000 Mamluk dinars for this.

It is no wonder that Albuquerque, the later Governor-General of Portuguese India, marveled in his report to King Manuel that the profit from the Hormuz-Goa horse trade could be as high as 500%.

In addition to the military horse farm, there are also royal hunting grounds that can be put into use. A group of experienced hunters has taken over large tracts of woodland and grassland near Ardabil, and hounds, falcons and other hunting supplies are ready.

Ibrahim planned to bring the imperial guards to summon tribal khans and vassal monarchs to the royal hunting grounds every year for hunting activities. On the one hand, he could show them the supremacy of monarchy through luxurious pomp and spectacular military power, and also through common Participating in recreational activities strengthens the relationship between the King of Kings and his vassals.

In addition, the spacious royal hunting ground can also be used for military training and military parades. In the free time when the King of Kings is not hunting, it can accommodate thousands of cavalry training.

After saying that, Ibrahim decided to end the interview, Abdul returned to his mansion in the capital, and Mahmoud asked the eunuch and the guards to choose a residence in the castle area that suited his status temporarily. placement.