The Sun and the Lion

From spring to summer, Safavid's war preparations went very smoothly, and a large amount of military supplies were stocked in Herat's warehouses. The various red-headed tribes that received the call-up orders also sent troops in accordance with Ibrahim's request, and also recruited some guides and irregular troops from local Afghan tribes.

After two months of preparation, Ibrahim assembled a full force of 50,000 troops in Herat, including 30,000 red-headed troops, all standing troops and an uncertain number of Afghan irregular troops.

Outside the city wall, tents were pitched for miles, and merchants who planned to provide services to the army also set up stalls along the edge of the camp. The assembled 50,000 troops can be said to be a huge consumer market, and the huge demand pouring into Herat was enough to trigger cheers from the local guilds.

However, Ibrahim did not care how many merchants and craftsmen who provided goods and services to the army were registered by the quartermaster. He and other senior officers were studying the next battle plan in the palace hall where Hussin Baihara stayed.

There is a large map of Afghanistan spread on the table, with major cities, main roads, terrain and other elements succinctly marked on it.

From the map, there are two main roads from Herat to Kabul. One is the detour - there are mountains between Herat and Kabul, and the traffic conditions are poor. However, Kandahar is located in the plains and connects the two cities of Herat and Kabul through roads. Even in winter, the army can pass safely on this road.

The second is to cross the mountains. There is a direct mountain road between Herat and Kabul. Along the way, there is the small city of Chahcharan and other unknown small villages. However, this mountain road is rugged and difficult to walk, and the population density is not as dense as that of Kandahar, making it difficult to raise military supplies.

"There are two roads before us now." Ibrahim gestured on the map with his whip. "I want to hear your opinions."

Everyone thought for a while, and Abdul was the first to reply: "Your Majesty, our army does not know the enemy's situation at present. If we must make a decision, I still suggest that we attack Kandahar first and then go north to Kabul. The terrain along the way is very difficult. It is flat, and the weapons of the Mirzas of Guregani have been neglected for a long time, and it is impossible for them to come up with better cavalry than our army."

Ibrahim explained: "There is no need to worry about detecting the enemy's situation. I asked the spy chief to collect intelligence about this Ulugh Beg before gathering the troops. Moreover, Piri Bey led the Afghan horsemen to attack Kandahar the day before yesterday. Through armed reconnaissance, I already have a rough understanding of this enemy.

"The troops in the hands of Ulugh Beg and the many berks who were loyal to him were far inferior to that of Hussin Baihara. The total number of horses and infantry was only 20,000. However, the troops I assembled in Herat were more powerful than those of Hussin Baihara. It will be even stronger when pulling. At least we don’t have to worry about the outcome of the field battle.”

This is indeed a fact. 50,000 elite soldiers versus 20,000 idiots, needless to say who has the advantage.

However, spies and investigation reports were not all good news. According to spies' observations, Kandahar's city defenses were very strong, and the outer walls and towers were very tall. These stone walls were carefully maintained.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the key to all this lies in Kabul. We can make a surprise attack via mountain roads. As long as we take the lead in destroying their monarch, the remaining Burkes will surely surrender." Afshar Khan looked at the map. , directly drew a straight line between Herat and Kabul with his finger.

Kehobad retorted: "Dear Khan, walking on the mountain road is indeed hidden, but..." He pointed to the small town of Chahcharan marked on the mountain road with his finger. "This small town was also built by Gu Ligan. Nidbek is stationed here. This place is a strategic location standing on the main road. How can we conquer this place without disturbing Kabul? Moreover, this place is among high mountains and the road conditions are rugged. Although the distance has been shortened, it is not necessarily a large army. The speed that can be achieved here is as fast as the plains. Regardless of the marching speed or concealment, taking this road cannot be called a surprise attack."

As the commander-in-chief of the Model Army and Gulam, Kehobard knew that his troops brought a lot of "burden". These two troops, with a combined number of more than 10,000 people, possess more than 200 camel guns. This battle also carried 6 mortars and 40 field guns, plus thousands of matchlocks and ammunition. The requirements for logistical support are the highest.

Fortunately, when Ibrahim was building a standing army, he asked firearms workshops to cast light artillery. These field artillery, which were modeled after snake cannons, were still maneuverable. Find Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuan. ｏcom rather than those bulky things that need to be pulled by oxen.

After Kehobart finished speaking, the meeting immediately entered the free speech stage. The senior military officers continued to express their opinions and argued with each other. Ibrahim, who already had a battle plan in mind, saw that they had been arguing for a while but could not reach an agreement, so he cleared his throat to remind the generals.

After hearing Ibrahim's prompt, everyone immediately became quiet, lowered their heads and faced him, casting respectful glances at him.

After scanning the crowd, he ordered: "I have decided to attack Ulugh Beg via Kandahar. Our army will advance here first and besiege Kandahar to see if the emir is willing to rescue his Burke."

"Your Majesty..." Several senior officers who had a different plan just now wanted to persuade him again, but seeing that Ibrahim showed no doubt on his face, they had no choice but to keep their mouths shut.

Then Ibrahim began to make arrangements: "Piribey, you are responsible for the investigation work in Kandahar, so now I will appoint you as the forward, lead the Afghan soldiers under your command to remove obstacles for our army, and select Determine the camp address.”

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Piri excitedly agreed to the task.

According to Ibrahim's plan, the red-headed army and the irregular army could use their speed advantage to quickly reach Kandahar, block traffic and eliminate all resistance outside the city.

Afterwards, when the standing army and bowmen led by Ibrahim arrived, the siege officially began.

After removing the irregular army, standing army and bow holders who serve as the vanguard. Ibrahim decided to hand over 30,000 red heads to the leadership of Talish Khan and Romru Khan respectively, who were responsible for blocking the flat south and east sides.

After arranging specific combat tasks, Ibrahim ended the combat meeting after continuing the status and logistics affairs of each unit.