The Sun and the Lion

The sound of lead bullets and arrows hitting shields and human bodies startled him. The pirates on the roof were really annoying. There were fewer people and there was more trouble. Besides, the narrow and messy streets didn't have much room to move around. Many of his comrades had already been knocked down, and he didn't know if he could withstand the test given by Allah.

It seemed that he was lucky enough that the lead bullets fired from the metal pipes flew around him, and a few arrows also hit the shield. After all, he had no armor to protect himself.

Step over the corpses at your feet and follow the crowd carefully. Being at the front will make you the target of public criticism. If you get behind the group, you won't be able to grab any loot.

The new archers faithfully fulfilled the Sultan's orders and used arrows to drive away the pirates and force them back.

He looked at the retreating pirates and saw the man lying on the ground - the man was knocked down just in front of him - and cursed secretly: "What did these cowards do just now?"

This complaint could not change anything. He still had to march with the crowd along the main road, bracing himself against the arquebuses on the rooftops that kept harassing the team.

Different from the initial obstacles, the obstacles behind the main road are nothing, and the removal work is much easier even under the insurmountable interference.

Not long after, the news that the passage was cleared was reported to the Sultan who was waiting outside the city.

"The Sultan has ordered you to rush along the streets to the bazaar and the castle."

He and other cannon fodder were once again driven deep into the city. The pirates who were ambushing in a nearby building suddenly came out and cut the team into two sections. The Bedouins in the chaos were unable to fight back and could only allow the sailors to scatter and defeat them.

…………

When the news of the failure of the exploratory attack was reported, the Sultan did not show any disappointment or dissatisfaction, but simply ordered more manpower to be sent to continue executing the original plan.

The Sultan's main goal was not to be the ruling center of the city. Those who were entrenched in Qatif were pirates, and they would not necessarily value castles and mosques. No matter what their purpose was, their real destiny lay in the port.

The scouts had helped him plan the route for the raid on the port, and it was only up to the sultan to decide when to launch the attack.

The countless driven cannon fodder was just a tool used to mobilize the enemy's attention, but this tool was not so easy to use. He didn't know how much it would cost to make the pirate leader feel pressure.

"Your Majesty, if you just let the soldiers march along the streets, it is difficult to say whether the reinforcements will repeat the same mistakes." The emir reminded the Sultan, hoping to slightly change the battle plan.

"What do you think should be done?" Sudan asked.

The emir immediately gave a suggestion: "I think there are too many elite troops used to raid the port, and it will be difficult to mobilize them without being noticed by the enemy. You can use the excess troops to clean the buildings on both sides of the street first, without giving the ambush any chance."

The Sultan held the scabbard in his hand, thought for a moment and then ordered: "I will do as you say. I allow you to draw a hundred people for your disposal."

"Yes." Emil saluted and ran away quickly with his guards.

These elites who were originally used to raid ports looked much stronger than ordinary soldiers. Kufuf's trade allowed the Sultan to purchase equipment for them. The most important ones were chainmail and soft fabric armor used as linings. Many shells All because samurai and bandits spend their entire lives unable to possess it.

There is no longer any military formation to fight in narrow alleys and buildings. The armor alone is enough to kill the pirates. Apart from matchlock guns, the sailors have no means to break through the defenses.

The originally fierce sailors retreated one after another and were unable to harass the large group marching towards the castle. This advance was quite smooth and they entered the center of Qatifu without suffering much losses.

Until here, they didn't know what the real line of defense was. Large vehicles plundered from Bahrain Island and large and small firearms unloaded from battleships formed a vehicle array with their backs to the castle.

After only one round of artillery and matchlock firing, the cannon fodder group showed a tendency to collapse again. Taking advantage of the situation, Ahsan ordered the sailors to charge for a while and once again defeated the Bedouins who were advancing deeply.

Another defeat on the front line shocked the Sultan. He had never heard of such ferocious pirates, and even if they surrendered to a powerful monarch, their nature would not improve.

Somewhat anxious, he immediately ordered the remaining soldiers and horses to be escorted, and said that he would personally enter the city to supervise the battle.

"Dear Sultan, there is no need for you to act like this..."

He stared at the emir who spoke and said distractedly: "You promised that the last attack would not repeat the same mistakes. What are you going to say now?"

These words directly choked Emil. He swallowed what he wanted to say and shut up and watched.

At the same time, the elites who were originally prepared no longer wait. They will also set out to attack the port at the same time to cut off the connection between the pirates and the ocean. As long as they can capture and hold this place, they can find the book garden www.zhaoshuyuan.com or burn the ships. No matter where else the pirates won, they could not reverse the defeat.

The Governor, who was watching the battle at the top of the main building of the castle, received reports of two simultaneous attacks. He was originally worried about fighting the cavalry in the wild, but now the enemy is trying to shake his firearms advantage with short attacks, but in the cabin of the battleship. Full of ammunition.

At the same time, a bold plan sprouted in his mind. If the enemy army invested almost all its troops in the city, could he deploy some troops and artillery to go around the gap in the city wall to block their retreat?

This plan is really too crazy. He only knows that Sultan Jabrid has brought many troops. If all these troops can be annihilated in the city, the situation in the entire eastern part of the peninsula will probably be destabilized.

And he "merely" wanted the Sultan to recognize the Safavid court's ownership of Bahrain, Qatar and the coast of Oman.

Under the castle, the sailors once again relied on the terrifying power of firearms and obstacles to repel the Bedouin attack. By evening, several failed attacks left countless stumps and broken arms in the square. This scene The psychological impact on the soldiers was huge.

Repeated attacks were ineffective, and the attack on the port also fell into a stalemate. The unsatisfactory fighting had shaken the Sultan. Even though he himself was sitting behind to supervise the battle, the fighting spirit of the soldiers that they had mobilized since the morning had been worn away. Almost exhausted.

"Perhaps these are not real pirates..." He silently began to find another reason for the unfavorable situation of the battle: "Yes, there must be Ajam Shah's men among them, otherwise ordinary pirates would not even have the courage to go ashore to invade. , let alone occupy the city!”

He immediately ordered a temporary retreat outside the city to rest. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but they didn't know that a greater disaster was waiting for them.