The Sun and the Lion

The chaos in Central Asia is still intensifying, and the chaos in the Eastern Mediterranean, which is thousands of miles away, is also continuing. A Venetian galley bypassed the Ottoman navy and pirates and arrived in the Lebanese port of Beirut without any danger.

Three years have passed since Francesco resigned as consul in Aleppo, and he set foot on the land of the Levant again. But this time he was no longer on a mission to Aleppo or the governor's residence in Damascus, but to the Safavid Palace in Tabriz to meet the King of Kings.

After finding a translator in Aleppo, a group of people disguised as a Muslim caravan headed towards the border between the two countries. Crossing the Euphrates River, they entered Safavid territory.

Before the mission officially set off, it sent a courier to deliver a message to the Kurdistan Governor of Diyarbakır. The messenger did not bring back the attitude of the governor, and Francesco did not know what the official attitude of the Safavids was.

Less than a day after arriving at the station closest to the border, a group of scouts broke into the caravanserai here to search for the Venetian envoy.

After some searching, the Venetian who was resting and preparing to go on the road was quickly found. Francesco led the scouts into his room and talked with him accompanied by an interpreter.

"Your Majesty the Envoy, are you the leader of this mission?" the red-headed officer asked, looking at the Frank in front of him with an unkind expression.

"Yes, are you the escort sent by the Governor of Diyarbakır?" Francesco answered cautiously. He was still not sure about the attitude of these red heads towards him.

"Very good." The red-headed officer restrained his hostility towards Francesco. Ibrahim taught the red-heads many times in his preaching speeches to be peaceful and friendly towards obedient and friendly pagans.

Then he explained to Francesco: "I am sent by the Governor of Kurdistan, Ustaji Khan, to guide you. We will first escort you to Diyarbakır to meet the Governor, and then send you to Tabriz. During this period, you need to keep pretending to be a caravan, and we are just acting as guides."

As for why they continue to disguise themselves as caravans, it is because spies and guards in Kurdistan Province just recently captured a group of Ottoman spies. Some of them could not withstand the torture and revealed a lot of information, which directly raised Ustaji Khan's vigilance level by several levels.

At the same time, he happened to know that the Ottomans and Venice were at war at this time. Francesco did not explain the purpose of his trip to the governor of a province. He had also seen factional struggles. If this senior official happened to be pro-Ottoman, then there was a high probability that they would not be able to reach Tabriz.

However, there were no pro-Ottoman factions in the Safavids at this time, and Ustaji Khan's mission when he was appointed governor of Kurdistan Province was very clear. This was the frontline for defending Arab Iraq, and it was also the place where Tabriz supported the Ottoman Red Heads. aisle.

Under Ibrahim's personal confession, he clearly knew that the biggest enemy in the future would be Osman.

Therefore, ensuring that the Venetian mission can reach Tabriz safely is what he is currently considering. At the same time, this also needs to be kept secret. If the Ottomans learn about Venice sending envoys to Safavid, it is likely to cause some trouble.

After getting back on the road, these scouts took off their red hats, so that the caravan that could be escorted by the army should not be too conspicuous or abnormal.

Francesco arrived at Diyarbakır without any danger. Under the arrangements of the castle guards and servants, he and a group of entourages waited in the castle hall to be received by the governor.

They didn't wait long. First, Ustaji Khan's entourage and soldiers filed in, waiting in line in front of the main seat in order of official rank. Finally, Ustaji Khan entered from the side door of the hall, strode to the main seat, and then scanned the crowd in front of him.

Francesco immediately stepped forward and bowed: "Dear Governor, I pay tribute to you and sincerely hope that you will be favored by your monarch until the day of judgment."

Ustaji Khan responded happily: "Thank you so much for the envoy. I hope Huda can help your country win."

"Your Majesty the Governor, this is exactly the purpose of our coming. Although your two countries have not had in-depth exchanges before, I hope that the two countries can forge a profound friendship." Francesco followed Ustaji Khan The words continued.

The governor did not intend to continue wasting time: "What the envoy said is what I hope. But I am just a local governor. Such important foreign affairs are obviously beyond my scope of authority. All I can do is report the news of your arrival. to the court, and say something good for you in the letter.”

"This is enough to make us grateful. How dare you bother us anymore?" Francesco continued to lower his posture and waited for Ustaji Khan's arrangements.

"map!"

The two attendants quickly hung up the map and looked for Book Garden www.zhaoshuyuan.com. Francesco's eyes immediately looked at the map. Naturally, the more we know about this potential ally, the better.

"According to my idea, after leaving Diyarbakir, your envoy should go southeast to Mosul and Erbil, cross the Zagros Mountains and then go north along the road, and then you will Can reach Tabriz.”

Ustaji Khan arranged the route in this way to keep the mission away from the border. From the map, it was closer to starting from Diyarbakır, passing through the city of Van and then arriving at Tabriz. But this road is much more rugged than the long detour. However, the border between the Ottomans and the Safavids is very chaotic, providing a breeding ground for unstable factors such as spies and horse bandits operating here.

"According to your arrangement." Francesco bowed again and planned to leave and prepare to rest before continuing on the road.

Ustaji Khan suddenly said: "I have something else to tell you, Mr. Messenger. As far as I know, my monarch is not in Tabriz at this time. He is in the east to eliminate the descendants of Timur the Lame. I don’t know how long it will take to come back.”

After saying that, the attendant brought the tray with the documents to Francesco. Seeing his confusion, the attendant explained in time: "This is the guarantee made by the Governor for your side. I met other officials and troops on the way. This document can be produced.”

Francesco asked his entourage to take away the documents and looked at Ustaji Khan in confusion: "In that case, where is your monarch at this time?"

"Ha, I advise you to go to Tabriz first. These questions and requests of yours are beyond my ability to handle." Ustaji Khan shook his head at the Venetian envoy.

"Then, thank you for your hospitality." The Venetian delegation exited the hall.