The Sun and the Lion

It was not until it was getting dark that Ibrahim returned to the tent full of joy of the harvest. At this time, Piribey's messenger had been waiting all afternoon.

When Ibrahim learned of the urgent military situation, his expression quickly changed, and the joy he had accumulated during the day's hunting was swept away: "Send the messenger from Pili Bey in quickly."

The waiting messenger bowed exaggeratedly when he saw Ibrahim: "Your Majesty, the enemy's reinforcements have appeared in the nearby valley. They are only one or two days away from here. Piribey tried to The ambush and raid failed, and now our troops are doing our best to block the enemy's march, and I hope your Majesty will make an early decision."

"Who is the commander-in-chief of the reinforcements? How many people are there and what is the specific situation?" Upon hearing that Ulugh Beg sent troops to support Kandahar, Ibrahim immediately paid close attention to the issue.

Based on pre-war reconnaissance and observations during the battle, Piri guessed that the Guregani army was over 10,000 in size and well-equipped, and its fighting spirit was not high but not low either. As for who the commander was, he did not know, and Piribey did not recognize the flags of the nobles of the Kabul court.

"I understand, please step back first."

Ibrahim immediately summoned the senior officers to the big tent for discussion.

"Everyone, the enemy we are waiting for is here. Ulugh Beg has sent reinforcements. They have just defeated Piri Bey and are less than two days away from Kandahar." Ibrahim got straight to the point and explained this to the emirs. focus of the meeting.

Ibrahim was very excited. He was sure that the strength of this supporting army was far inferior to his own. If the two armies faced off, he would only be able to crush the other. It just so happened that he could take advantage of this battle to make Ulug Beg understand the strength gap between the two sides.

He decided to dispatch troops to eastern Kandahar to proactively attack. The question is, how many troops should be dispatched?

"Your Majesty, in order to ensure the blockade of the city, I believe that too many troops should not be deployed." Romulukhan put forward a suggestion that was like nonsense.

Ibrahim looked at Rorum Khan with some displeasure: "I know this."

After discussing with senior officers, he planned to mobilize 12 regiments of cavalry, including red-headed and standing troops, plus all bow-bearers. Fifteen thousand cavalry and more than 50 camel cannons would be led by him to the east. Enter Daman. According to the scout's report, it was a small settlement without city walls and only a small castle. The surrounding area was very flat and was only about 15 kilometers away from Kandahar.

"I plan to meet up with Piri tomorrow morning. I hope to see 12 commanders reporting to the big tent on time, and the quartermaster must prepare supplies. In the meantime, you can besiege Kandahar as usual."

…………

The day and night after the early morning raid was a torment for the Guregani army. A large number of mules and horses were plundered and they had to give up part of their baggage to ensure their marching speed. However, the harassment by the Afghan riders failed to go as he wished. The Guregani army was so nervous and exhausted that they were constantly harassed. They could not rest peacefully even at night. Some experienced Afghan horse bandits would try to steal the army during the night. remaining livestock.

Until a new order from Ibrahim was sent to Piri: "Stop all ambushes and raids against this army, lead your troops to join me in Daman, and leave only the necessary scouts to continue to monitor and harass the enemy." military."

He had no doubts about this order. Ibrahim did not need a special order, and he had no ability to continue taking risks and try to attack Zongnong. At the time of departure, there were still three thousand Afghan horsemen following him, but at present, no more than a thousand people returned to the camp.

The arrogant Zongnong also guessed this. The enemy army was newly defeated and no longer had the ability to organize another large-scale raid. After approaching Kandahar, the terrain was flat and it was difficult to ambush. They could only rely on raids to hinder the advance of the Guregani army. .

"General, now we..." the officers surrounded him and asked.

Pili ordered without any doubt: "Follow the order and retreat to the west. Those who have not come back will not wait."

Then he walked out of the tent and mounted his war horse with the support of his own soldiers: "Put all your things away now and break camp in an hour." He also assigned a messenger to report the latest developments of the troops to Ibrahim.

The irregular cavalry scattered throughout the camp immediately gathered chaotically under the organization of the officers, and many satisfied riders planned to petition to leave the army.

"What are you going to do?" Piri asked the group of Afghan riders gathered together. They all happen to be from the same tribe.

"Master Bey." The leader of the petition stood up and tried to put on a flattering expression to him: "The brothers have just suffered heavy losses in the war. We have no ability or willingness to continue fighting. We just want to return to the tribe with the spoils and find Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuan.com I hope you will be considerate."

He glanced around and found that the troublemakers were only a small group, not the entire army, so he did not intend to compromise: "Since you have chosen to take the pay from the King of Kings, you must obey management and abide by military discipline. If you escape, Acts of cowardice and shaking military morale can be punished by death."

Then, Pili pulled out his saber and slashed at the petitioner leader. He couldn't dodge, and his woolen hat and turban fell off, leaving shocking scratches on his forehead.

He did not give them a chance to resist. The soldiers swarmed forward and carried out a bloody massacre of all Afghans who planned to resist. Many of the frightened Afghans took advantage of the chaos to desert and leave.

Until the situation was stabilized, less than half of the Afghans remained in the camp to obey orders. Piri knew that he was leading an insignificant partial division, and it did not matter how much Ibrahim was lost. So he didn't care about this situation and headed directly towards Daman with the remaining people.

After Piri Bey broke camp and withdrew westward, the Guregani army marched desperately along the main road and arrived at a place less than a day's journey from Daman at night. The Afghan riders who left the team went back to various tribes in the mountains after grabbing the spoils of war, with no intention of returning to the team. Some Afghans who deserted even chose to seek refuge with him and told him everything about what happened not long ago.

The small report from the grassroots immediately put Zongnong into a dilemma. If what they said was credible, then he would have to face an enemy army several times larger than his own, but he had to save Kandahar. If he backed down, he would be in trouble. How will Rubeus deal with him?

He quickly forgot these thoughts. The scouts sent out to inquire about the situation had not yet returned. The intelligence of these defectors may not be trustworthy. Due to the current situation of the Guregani Army, he thought it was better to let the soldiers and companions have a good night's rest.