The Sun and the Lion

It was not hot in Samarkand in late spring, but the innermost shirts worn by the sentries on duty on the city wall were already soaked with sweat. Since the siege of Samarkand by Shibani Khan, the Uzbeks, who have an absolute numerical advantage, have continuously launched strong attacks on the city walls through ladders.

Burke, who was stationed at the city wall, commanded his companions and the temporarily armed citizens to resist desperately. Fortunately, the Samarkand wall was high and the pool was deep. The Uzbeks, who were not good at attacking the city, could not take advantage of their numerical advantage and were defeated time and time again.

Although they had repelled many strong attacks, the huge Uzbek army outside the city still put heavy psychological pressure on the Guregani army. All the defenders realized that they were like deer that had lost too much blood, chasing after them. The pack of wolves only needs to hold on for a while longer to see the prey fall on its own.

"His Majesty."

The people on duty at the top of the city bowed down one after another. Babur, who came to inspect the city defense work, first listened to Burke's report and then paid attention to the soldiers. He looked at the Uzbek army camp in the distance, and the word worry was written on his face.

In order to break the siege, Babur had previously written to his uncle Khan in Tashkent and his brother who stayed in Fergana to ask for help. However, he has not seen a single soldier until now, as if the whole world has abandoned him.

Fortunately, the citizens of Samarkand shared his hatred. Even in such a desperate situation, their emotions were high, and no one said they would surrender.

The direction Babur was looking at happened to be where the sweat tent was. Shaibani Khan, who was resting in the tent, was also in a complicated mood due to the sudden turn of events. Not long ago, a messenger from Bukhara arrived and informed him of the emergency.

He was shocked by the sudden siege of Bukhara. He did not expect that someone would dare to snatch food from the tiger's mouth. Fortunately, the battle of Samarkand was a foregone conclusion and would not put him in an embarrassing situation where he was unable to advance or retreat.

The next day, he summoned all the sultans under his command to discuss the matter: "I received a letter from Bukhara last night asking for help. Someone suddenly invaded Ben Khan, but now our army is still besieging Samarkand. What do you think we should do now? "

"Great Khan, now the little thief Babur who is guarding Samarkand has lost the power to resist you. Our army can now draw troops to fight. We only need to leave some troops to watch him. But I think it is necessary first. Inquire about the enemy." Abu Said took the lead in making suggestions, which attracted everyone's attention.

Shaibani Khan immediately ordered: "Call in the messenger from Bukhara."

The messenger walked into the Khan tent, first carefully saluted the Khan King and the Sultans present, and then knelt down to wait for Shaibani Khan's order.

"Tell us in detail who the troops from outside Bukhara belong to, and how many there are?"

"Yes, Khan." The messenger nodded repeatedly, and first described the flag of the Safavid Army: "The most conspicuous flag they fly is a green background with a golden lion and sun. The general's flag is also green with a white background and gold. The lion and the sun. The enemy’s camp is endless, with countless tents and military flags, and the camp is well-fortified.”

Upon hearing this, Shaibani Khan and the sultans all said that they had never seen such a flag. But the turning point came in Shaybani: "I heard from businessmen in Bukhara who used such flags."

The Khan's attendants quickly hung up a very abstract map, with only major mountains, rivers, and cities marked on it. Shaibani Khan pointed at Herat, Merv and Hisar successively: "According to the news from the caravan, these cities have now been conquered by the Persians. The descendants of Timur are a bunch of trash. Even the Persians have beaten them." However. Now they have controlled all the land south of the Amu Darya River, and they want to attack Bukhara to get their hands on the river."

When he said this, he touched the boundary of his cognition. He had never paid attention to the figure of Ibrahim before. For the change of ownership of Herat, Kunduz and Hisar, he relied entirely on hearsay from caravans and travelers. .

Previously, he thought that the news, which he could not believe or not, had nothing to do with him. He just listened to it and passed it without realizing that a new enemy was rising. He was still immersed in the joy of frying fish in the fish pond bureau.

The Sudanese expressed their understanding of the recent changes in the situation.

Shaibani Khan looked at the messenger again: "Have the sentries in Bukhara gone out of the city to detect the enemy? How many troops are there specifically?"

The messenger lowered his head, not daring to look directly at Shaibani Khan: "Not yet."

"Huh." Shaibani Khan was a little dissatisfied when he learned that his subordinates were so panicked. He looked for Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuan.com and became a little worried after thinking of the exaggerated description of the messenger. He left less than a thousand troops in Bukhara. And although the attitude of the local people is not as resistant as that of Samarkand, it cannot be said to be supportive.

In the end, he decided to assemble his troops, leaving only 2,000 men to be handed over to Hu Chunchi to continue the siege, intending to meet the new enemy in person.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty." Early the next morning, Bandang suddenly knocked on the door to report, disturbing Babur who was still resting. After putting on his clothes and armor, he asked, "What happened?"

"Uzbeks, they have withdrawn." Bandang said excitedly.

Babur's mood was first surprised, then ecstatic: "Is this... is Allah coming to help me? Why did Shaibani withdraw without any reason? Did someone send a powerful reinforcement?"

He quickly walked to the city wall and observed the Uzbek army marching in the distance. Shabani Khan's banner was still very eye-catching, which further confirmed Bandang's report.

News of the Uzbek withdrawal immediately spread in Samarkand, and more and more Burke and Bandan rushed to the city wall to watch this scene. For a time, the sound of victory filled the city.

"Please don't be anxious, Your Majesty. It's impossible for Shabani Khan to withdraw without leaving a single soldier behind. Until he and his troubles decide the outcome, the fate of Samarkand will be considered settled." Ha, who just arrived. Smubok observed for a moment and hurriedly gave Babur, who was still in high spirits, a basin of cold water.

After coming back to his senses, Babur restrained his ecstasy: "You are right, the city defense cannot be relaxed yet. What if this is actually his trick?"

He sent several companions to serve as sentries to inquire about the news. Hasim was right. Shabani Khan left a team that Babur could not defeat.

His fate is still in the hands of his enemies.