The Sun and the Lion

Although Hisar is closer to Samarkand and Khuzel, its poor economy is not friendly to a larger army, and transporting grain from Khorasan is very expensive. After the Nowruz celebrations, Ibrahim decided to move the army to Merv after discussions with senior military officers to reduce the cost of transporting military supplies.

As for local defense, Ibrahim was not worried. The only person in Central Asia who could threaten the Safavids at this time was Shaibani Khan. Moreover, Hisar seemed further away from Khuzel and Samarkand than from Merv. It is close, but there are mountains blocking it to the north. For an army of tens of thousands, these mountain roads are really unfriendly.

Just as newly recruited civil servants arrived and began to build administrative structures, he prepared the administrative divisions of the newly conquered areas - Balkh and Herat were included in Khorasan Province as the eastern border of the province. Kabulistan Province is located at the southern foot of the Hindu Kush Mountains, mainly the four cities of Kandahar, Ghazni, Kabul and Kunduz and their surrounding areas. Finally, the Penchi River was used as the boundary, and the northern boundary and Badakhshan were integrated into the province of Tajikistan. It happened that these boundaries were also dominated by Persian-speaking people.

Ibrahim appointed Piri and Achi as governors of these two provinces respectively, reorganizing the military forces under the two governors.

The two governors will each have two regiments of red heads, totaling 4,000 people. In addition, the palace will also grant a special military budget for them to recruit local people to expand the Safavid army.

After arranging all the aftermath arrangements, Ibrahim returned to Merv with his army, and the loot he brought was then transported to Mashhad and then to Tabriz.

After the army moved to Merv, Ibrahim, who was occupying the palace, was waiting for replenishment and opportunity. He knew that the collision between Shaibani Khan and Babur would soon begin, and he only needed to send spies to understand the current process. To determine when to end.

But the senior officers did not know Ibrahim's intentions. Rorum Khan was the first to come to see him: "Your Majesty, now that we have defeated all the enemies, I think it is a waste of money, food and time to allow the soldiers to continue to gather... …”

Ibrahim was stunned. He did not expect that the Khans would worry about this for him. After inspecting the military camp, he knew that the soldiers had no complaints so far. Merv was not a barbaric place, and the local bazaar was enough to satisfy the soldiers' various needs. need.

Moreover, soldiers are paid for sitting around. In addition to the military pay in the name of "salary" received by the standing army and mercenaries, red heads who fulfill their obligations can also receive a "subsidy" every quarter during their service. The amount is usually equal to the standing army.

In the past, when the war was going well, Ibrahim could still meet this expense by plundering spoils of war. However, once the confrontation phase entered, Safavid's palace finances would be severely tested.

Agricultural taxes and poll taxes are both levied in the autumn, and military grain taxes are apportioned to various tribes and provinces. There is no fixed tax amount or frequency. In order not to cause too much resentment among his subjects, Ibrahim currently only pays taxes during mobilization. Collect once. Fortunately, various commercial taxes and monopoly revenue could provide a large amount of silver coins into the account every month, which was enough to support the operation of the military machine. However, the civil servants felt that it would be better to invest this money in the provinces or simply save it.

"Well, Rorum Khan, let me tell you this. In fact, the war is not over yet, and I also have some things that need the army to complete. I just take this opportunity to discuss my next ideas with you." Yi After replying to Rolum Khan, Brahim asked the guards to go and summon other senior officers.

Rorum Khan, Talish Khan, Afshar Khan, Kehobad, Abdul and Hashayar were gathered in the room. Ibrahim glanced at the six people, and then said: "I once mentioned the character of Muhammad Shaibani in a meeting, do you remember?"

The six people recalled it for a while, and then they remembered that there seemed to be such a thing.

Ibrahim observed their expressions and continued: "When I was preparing to conquer the East, I sent a large number of spies to Khorasan and even the Transoxiana area to collect intelligence for me. If the information is accurate, Uzbek Khan has already Having captured Bukhara, we are now preparing to conquer the Samarkand and Khwarezm regions.”

Having said that, they knew what Ibrahim's next goal was. Since the King of Kings intends to give this force that they have never had contact with a severe blow, let's strike hard. They don't want to ask more about the reason. Anyway, the war can bring benefits to them.

"Now, the entire army has moved to Merv to facilitate the transportation of supplies and the replenishment of personnel. Probably by the summer, the state of the army will return to a state that I am satisfied with. But before that, there is one more thing I need you to do."

Then he told them his idea of ​​annexing the vassal country. After listening to it, the senior officers all said relaxedly: "Your Majesty, you don't need to worry about such a simple matter. At present, Muhammad Mu Xin is still in the army, please call him over now to explain the matter directly. He has seen the power of our army and he will not dare not agree."

Hearing that King Khan and the tribal nobles proposed such a simple and crude method, he thought he could find a method of plundering that would not damage his reputation.

When the sword is sharp, no one dares to look directly into the face of the King of Kings. No matter what evil deeds they have committed before, people will succumb. And when the sword is rusty, no matter what, some people will dare to look directly at the King of Kings and disobey his will. There are only a few people in this world who are righteous, and most people succumb to power.

Under the guidance of this concept, Ibrahim decided to put aside these strange concerns. Alas, it is really inappropriate for him to still think about things he shouldn't even though he has already established his reputation as a great villain.

The annexation of Merv was not a whim of his. As the starting point for the army and the transfer hub for military supplies, Ibrahim did not want this place to be controlled by vassals. Even if he was frightened by the terrifying value, he still could not escape. His suspicion.

As expected, Muhammad Mohsin did not dare to resist. Ibrahim summoned him to see him. As a result, he knelt down on the spot, grabbed the ground with his head, and begged for mercy. The King of Kings did not kill such a submissive vassal. He just asked him to move to Tabriz with his harem and family members. The palace would arrange for him to be accommodated in a mansion, and at the same time, he would be given an annuity and allocate some real estate in Khorasan Province. as an economic source.

Just when he took control of the planned rear area, a batch of supplies of soldiers and military supplies he needed arrived. The continuous supply gave the Safavid army the strength to fight against powerful enemies again. What he needs at this time is to wait and see the new changes in the Hezhong area.