The Sun and the Lion

The news that Ibrahim defeated Sikandar Khan at Karnal and captured Delhi and Agra successively reached Gwalior. This made Man Singh Tomar, the Rajput who ruled Gwalior Jun, the old enemy of the Sultan of Delhi—uncovered the letters previously sent to him from Lahore.

"Why didn't this bastard Sikandar die in Karnal? It's such a pity." Man Singh was smiling from ear to ear in his palace at this time, and he was planning to apologize for the fact that this time did not belong to him. Victory celebration.

Originally, when he was invited by Ibrahim's letter to attack Sikandar Khan, his attitude was very ambiguous. After all, he was not sure of defeating the Sultan of Delhi. He felt gloating that his old enemy had provoked a powerful enemy, and then decided to sit back and watch.

Man Singh's wait-and-see attitude succeeded in keeping Gwalior neutral, but now the outcome has been decided. According to inertial thinking, these conquerors from the northwest will not stay permanently in the hinterland of India. He plans to fight with Ibrahim Make good friends in order to take over the leftovers that the Persians can't finish.

He knew that these conquerors would take away the property and even the population of Delhi and Agra, but the Maharaja did not expect to get these most direct wealth. What he wanted was to fill the vacuum created by the withdrawal of these conquerors and expand his rule to Ganges plain.

What if Delhi and Agra were reduced to ashes? As long as the geographical conditions remain unchanged and order remains, a large number of foreign populations will move in to restore production in this area. However, India is very rich in population resources.

The Tomar dynasty, which annexed Delhi and Agra, and even the entire Jaunpur region, will become the most powerful among the Rajput clans.

The Maharaja immediately sent a letter to the Safavid army in Agra to express friendship to Ibrahim. At the same time, he ordered the troops to be mobilized. The main force was assembled in Tolpur, which is only more than 50 kilometers away from Agra, and was on standby. A partial division was sent to Edawa to capture the Jaunpur area under the rule of the Delhi Sultan.

Since the rule of the Delhi Sultan had basically collapsed, the Gwalior messenger arrived in Agra smoothly, and Ismail was currently riding a war elephant in the palace's large courtyard and watching an animal show under the instructions of the breeder.

In addition to these elephants, there are nearly a hundred war elephants left by Sikandar Khan here. Ismail did not waste these transportation capabilities, and they were all used to transport trophies. Although they moved slower than camels and mules, they The advantage lies in the large transport volume. One trip by a transport team composed of elephants is equivalent to several trips by the same number of other pack animals.

"Your Highness, a pagan messenger came to the palace, saying that he had a letter to deliver to the highest commander of our army." The soldiers who suddenly entered the courtyard from the side door saluted in front of the elephant and reported to him.

Ismail climbed down from the elephant saddle skillfully and reached out to take the letter. The soldier handed it to him, and he started reading the letter on the spot.

Although Persian had no official status in the court of Gwalior, contacts with the court of Delhi and commercial trade among the people still created a demand for the use of Persian. This diplomatic document was written by Man Singh Rang who was originally responsible for writing an account of the Lodi Dynasty. Diplomatic documents were translated into Persian by officials.

The content of this diplomatic document was nothing special. It was just a verbal congratulations from a foreign monarch to Ibrahim. There were no gifts or anything attached. It was just a bunch of beautiful words and rhetoric that were a waste of paper and ink in his opinion.

After reviewing it, he handed it directly back to the soldiers and emphasized: "Send a messenger back to Delhi and deliver this letter to His Majesty. This is a diplomatic document of a foreign monarch. Don't lose it."

"Yes, Your Highness." The soldier saluted and retreated.

The transport team from Agra to Delhi happened to be setting off at this time. For safety reasons, the messenger accompanied the team and took four days to reach Delhi and deliver the letter to the King of Kings.

"I will come here to show my courtesy after I win the battle." Ibrahim disagreed with Man Singh's congratulations. He did not want to consider diplomatic relations with Gwalior now, nor did he want to put more effort into setting up a trap in Delhi. , after all, the Safavid army will soon leave Delhi and return to Punjab.

However, out of considerations of diplomatic etiquette, he still asked the secretary to write a reply on his behalf, and out of spite, he took out the diplomatic document and publicized it: "An Indian monarch has recognized my authority in Hindustan and has come to perform Hajj with a letter. I hope other people can take care of themselves and think about their future."

Soon, false news spread around Delhi that the Maharaja of Gwalior recognized Ibrahim's authority and performed Hajj. Find Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuan.com Other Indian monarchs discussed this a lot. Some said he was cowardly, while others felt that he had found a reliable backer and could not be provoked.

Other Rajput clans had different attitudes towards Ibrahim. Some, out of caution, gathered troops in various forts to prepare for defense, but more people wrote letters, sent gifts and sent envoys to appease the conqueror, hoping that he would be able to conquer him soon. Leave India.

In order to receive these envoys from all over India, Ibrahim specially set up tents in the open space outside the city to accommodate the visitors, and moved the big tent here to receive these envoys one by one.

The humility of these Indian envoys greatly satisfied Ibrahim's vanity. Seeing the conqueror's face, these envoys were relieved.

After receiving the interviews one by one, Ibrahim arranged a military parade to show off his force. The red-headed and standing troops showed off their capabilities in combat formations on the temporary school grounds. The impact of the Safavid cavalry and the shooting of the musketeers, camel cannons and field artillery shocked everyone present. The messenger was deeply impressed.

After hearing the news, Man Singh said he couldn't accept it. I just wanted to say congratulations to you and that's it. How come I want to recognize you as the sect master? However, he was afraid of the Safavid military power and did not dare to openly refute the rumors. He could only accept these rumors silently and entertain the Safavid messengers who sent the letter.

But at least, he could confirm that these conquerors did not continue to fight in India and point their fingers at other surrounding monarchs, and there would be no obstacles to the subsequent special military operation against Sikandar Khan.

Ibrahim's propaganda also scared away many soldiers who stayed with the Sultan in Lucknow for him. By the time the troops led by Man Singh's eldest son besieged the city, Sikandar Khan's men were old, weak, sick and disabled. They can't even raise 10,000 people. As for the final fate of the Delhi Sultan, that was beyond the concern of the King of Kings.