The Sun and the Lion

"Your Majesty, it is not difficult to contact the pagans in Europe. There are Iranian communities in important commercial centers throughout the world, and Bursa and Iskandaria, which are closest to Europe, are no exception." After hearing about Ibra After Xin wanted to introduce gunpowder gun technology from Europe, Turgut first pointed to various cities on the map of the Middle East and introduced to Ibrahim the scope of activities of Iranian businessmen.

Historically, Iranian merchants had a very wide range of activities, and had already opened up shipping routes to Southeast Asia and China in the classical era. After the Arab conquest, the Iranians' position in Middle Eastern commerce was gradually replaced by the Arabs over a century, but they remained active. With the rise of the Safavid dynasty, Selim I tried to suppress the Iranian economy and expelled Iranian merchants from the Ottomans. However, the Ottoman industry and commerce in big cities in Asia relied heavily on caravans from the Iranian plateau, so this move It can be regarded as killing one thousand enemies and damaging oneself eight hundred.

By the time of Abbas the Great, Iranian merchants (including Armenians) used the Caspian Sea channel and the East India Company's merchant ships to bypass the Ottomans and directly contact Europe. The connections were so close that Iranian communities appeared in some European cities, such as the Armenian Quarter of Amsterdam. Even in France, Armenian activities in Marseille aroused the anger of French merchants, who petitioned the king to expel Iranian merchants, but this was a story for a later time.

In short, at present, the Ottomans have not shown hostility towards themselves, and the Mamluks have not yet perished, so it is not very difficult to communicate with Europeans.

However, the two forces of Ahmed and Murad block the trade route from Tabriz to Aleppo. If technology is to be introduced from Europe, these two nails must be removed first.

At this moment, a guard came in and announced: "Your Majesty, the Grand Vizier and Sheikh Ismail have arrived."

After Ibrahim entered the city of Tabriz, he wrote a letter to inform Hussein in Baku asking him to move the palace to Tabriz. However, Ibrahim did not expect Hussein to be so fast.

"Your Majesty, I have to leave first." Turgut saw that Ibrahim wanted to discuss domestic political affairs with the Grand Vizier, and it was not suitable for him, the spymaster, to stay any longer, so he left.

"Okay, go down." Turgut responded and left the study.

"Gather all the viziers, including Muhammad Zakaria, to the meeting hall, let them wait for a while, and entertain them well." Ibrahim ordered the guards, and then added: "Let Hussein The tutor comes to the study."

"Yes." The guard quickly ran out to carry out the order.

As soon as the dusty Hussein dismounted, the bow bearers in charge of the reception stepped forward and said: "Dear Grand Vizier, our Majesty is waiting for you in the study. Please come with us."

Hussein nodded: "Please lead the way."

After a while, Ibrahim, who was reviewing official documents at his desk, saw Hussein. Hussein was still wearing a dark robe made of wool as usual. He was not decorated with gold, silver and jewelry to show his status, reflecting the simplicity of Sufism everywhere.

"Teacher, before going to the meeting hall, I would like to discuss with you the candidates for various viziers, especially the whereabouts of Muhammad Zakaria." Ibrahim got straight to the point.

"As for the appointment of a vizier, I think that as long as loyalty can be ensured, the civil servants in Tabriz can stay in office. As for Muhammad Zakaria, he can be appointed as the grand vizier, which will also make the handover smooth. Some." Although Hussein has not met the demoted officials, Ibrahim spent a lot of time introducing these people in his letters, so Hussein is not ignorant.

"Serve as Grand Vizier! What are you going to do? I can't raise two Grand Viziers." Ibrahim asked his own question.

"Your Majesty, I take back what I said in Baku. As the territory of the Order expands, handling government affairs is a kind of torture for me. If you rule the entire Tianfang World, then I will definitely not be able to do it anymore." Hussein smiled helplessly, and then said: "I want to be responsible for handling military affairs. I know that all military affairs are handled personally by you and your staff, but with the expansion of the army, you must feel that the situation is getting worse." The workload is getting bigger, and it just so happens that handling military affairs is what I am good at. With my prestige in Qizilbash, all the red heads will not be dissatisfied." Having said this, Hussein's face was full of confidence again. .

Seemingly seeing Ibrahim's doubts, Hussein continued to explain: "Your Majesty, those nobles who write the pen do not have an army and cannot pose an actual threat to your rule, not to mention they are just a bunch of helpless people. A waste of power. The real foundation for maintaining your rule is this and this." Hussein pointed to the red hat on his head and the monk's robe he was wearing.

Hussein just cleared his throat, and then continued to remind: "We still don't keep the viziers waiting too long."

Afterwards, Ibrahim, who had figured it out, stood up and took Hussein's hand to the conference hall. Ibrahim walked in front and personally guided Hussein. After entering the conference hall, he arranged for him to sit at the very end. Being close to his position was seen by the viziers.

"Everyone, I have summoned you here today to determine your official positions and to maintain my authority." As soon as these words came out, the viziers looked a little strange, after all, what Ibrahim said was too straightforward.

“First, there is the attribution of Grand Vizier, a position held by the venerable Muhammad Zakaria Kujuj.”

No one had any objections, including Muhammad Zakaria.

“Then came the Minister of Finance, still Tovmas Petrosyan, this dedicated Armenian man of wisdom.”

"Then..." Ibrahim slowly re-appointed everyone present. The viziers present had all passed Turgut's review, so most of their appointments were TP in place.

In short, there are four equal institutions under the King of Kings, the government headed by the Grand Vizier, Sadr who handles religious affairs on behalf of the King of Kings, the Grand Emir in charge of military affairs, and the Royal Authority responsible for supervising the bureaucracy. represent.

At this point, the central government of the empire has been truly established, and a complete government will execute the will of the King of Kings on this land.

After the appointment of officials, Ibrahim continued the meeting non-stop. The first topic was to rebuild the postal system to ensure the smooth flow of government documents. Ibrahim proposed that the station is not only open to the government and the military, but also to the private sector, as long as they pay.

Speaking of money, Finance Minister Tophmas raised the issue of coinage. In the Tianfang world, rulers cast their own coins to demonstrate their authority. If the vassal coins are minted, it is regarded as challenging the sovereign, because it means that the coiner cannot He no longer regards himself as a vassal, but as an independent monarch who can be on an equal footing with the suzerain.

"What's the name of the coin? Let's call it Iran. On the front of the coin is the portrait or name of the reigning monarch, and on the edge is written in small letters: All monarchs of Iran and non-Iranians. The pattern on the back is an archer, and the coin quality is Eighty percent." Ibrahim ended the topic with a few brief words. Tophmas wrote down Ibrahim's request very quickly, then nodded to Ibrahim and sat down.