The Sun and the Lion

The carnival that lasted for several days turned the city of Delhi into ruins. The name of Ibrahim and the Safavid army were as terrifying as the devil in Hindustan, as if this army really came from hell.

When the massacre was over, Ismail happened to have ended the occupation of Agra and joined Ibrahim with the loot he collected there. The tragic situation in Delhi made Mirza a little dissatisfied with his brother: "Punish the infidels." Why didn't you call me?"

Ibrahim had no choice but to say to him: "The previous defeat of the army under the Sultan of India was enough. As Huda's chosen Ghazi, he cannot just be satisfied with killing civilians who have no power to resist."

Then he urged: "The most important thing now is to return to Lahore with these trophies. Punishing the disbelievers along the way will only slow down the march of the team."

"I know..." Ismail immediately entered the state and reported to him in detail the spoils obtained in Agra and other matters. Seeing that there were no mistakes in Mirza's work, he felt relieved.

By the summer solstice, the Safavid army finally left Delhi and returned east to Punjab, but this did not mean the end of the war. On the way, in addition to coordinating transportation matters with the quartermaster, Ibrahim was thinking about the upcoming Indian war situation and subsequent arrangements for the aftermath.

Whether it was Punjab or Sindh, he wanted them to be brought under his rule as the crown prince. He planned to first promote officials from the local elite to build an administrative machine. Without these local lower-level officials, the few officials left in Lahore could manage Not coming to the entire province.

Things turned out as he expected. During the period when the army attacked and occupied Delhi, the temporarily appointed senior Punjab officials singled out enough active collaborators to fill the government.

A well-functioning rear area was of great benefit to the Safavid army, which had too many supplies to transport. However, until the time of departure, Ibrahim's team was still too bloated, even for the Afghan army led by Gulbuddin. Even if the cavalry returned in time, it would be difficult to take good care of all the pack animals and prisoners of war. It was just that the various forces in India were afraid of the conqueror's reputation and did not dare to do anything.

"Your Majesty, I have something I need to report to you." The Afghan cavalry who returned to the army as a rearguard accidentally found out some information through scouts. Gulbuddin immediately went to see Ibrahim and reported all the information discovered before and after returning to the army.

As soon as the Safavid army left, the Maharaja of Gwalior took action immediately. The Gwalior army first forced Agra to surrender to the foreign enemies again, then took Delhi into its hands, and began to restore the destroyed order. The Afghan tribes who moved here remained neutral for the time being against the rule of the pagan monarchs. They did not rush to oppose it and just waited to see how the situation changed.

Further east in Jaunpur, Sikandar Khan survived a desperate situation. After a month of hard work, Gwalior's partial division failed to encircle Lucknow. On the contrary, its own hasty preparations led to serious troop losses and could only loot the surrounding areas. Withdrawal hastily.

The existence of Lucknow brought the Lodi dynasty back to life. Sikandar Khan used this breathing opportunity to concentrate on the soldiers and military supplies in the Jaunpur area, intending to regain Agra and Delhi from the Rajputs. Man. It is naturally impossible for Singer to give it up. In the foreseeable future, the conflict between the two parties will only become more and more intense.

The changes in the situation in India after the withdrawal of the Safavid army made Ibrahim take it seriously. Although he does not intend to extend his lion's claws to the Ganges Plain or even the Bengal Delta, it does not mean that he can tolerate an unfriendly Indian ruler. Threat to Punjab’s border security.

After Gulbuddin resigned, because the current situation was still unclear, Ibrahim did not make an immediate decision, but planned to observe the new ownership of Delhi.

When the army arrived in Lahore, the garrison and officials who stayed behind organized a grand welcome ceremony. In addition to bureaucrats and soldiers, citizens were also forced to come out to welcome the King of Kings. The officials emphasized to these new flocks: "Meet the King." The monarch is the duty and duty of his subjects! You must not be rude."

At the same time, taking the opportunity to celebrate the triumph, Lahore officials also "called on" citizens to donate money for this grand event. Under threats and orders, the castle's treasury received far more than it spent.

When Ibrahim came to the hall to meet with senior officials and other key officials of the provincial government, this tribute soaked in the people's blood was presented to him and turned into energy for the army and the palace to continue to operate.

In addition to searching for people's wealth and money, the work of maintaining road safety and ensuring stability is also in an orderly manner. The environment gradually returns to peace, and there are no large-scale riots by the people. Both convoys transporting loot and ordinary business travelers can pass through the roads safely.

After listening to these reports, Ibrahim left them with a task: "You all know that compared with Iran, the population of Hindustan is very rich. Looking for Shuyuan www.ｽzhaoshuyuａ.com I want you to be ready to recruit local people. The labor force is sent to the interior to perform labor service when needed.”

After concluding his consultation on the civil affairs of Punjab, Ibrahim returned his energy to military affairs, the most important of which was preparing a strategy for the next scheduled target - Multan.

"Starting from Lahore, the entire army marched southwest along the river..." Ibrahim looked at the map and thought about the next march plan. He concluded that the opponent was intimidated by his reputation and did not dare to act rashly or take the initiative to provoke, so he It was planned to directly ignore the defensive arrangements of Multan Sultan Mahmud on the border and roads and go straight to the seat of his palace.

Ibrahim announced his plan the next day and ordered to set off after placing all the loot in the warehouse in Lahore. The forward troops were sent out in advance to explore the road.

Regarding the candidate to lead the forward, Ibrahim continued to prefer Ismail, and Mirza's performance was impeccable. It was unanimously agreed at the meeting that he would lead the forward.

After confirming that the senior officers present understood the tasks assigned to him, Ibrahim ended the meeting.

After the meeting, he left Gulbuddin and Mirwais alone and asked, "What do you think of the performance of the Afghan cavalry under your command?"

The two Afghan army leaders looked at each other, not knowing what Ibrahim wanted to say, so they boasted: "I am not bragging, the Afghan soldiers are full of courage, no one can stop them, and only an attack can break down the stubborn resistance." enemy……"

Ibrahim immediately stated his thoughts: "I also think that the soldiers under your command are brave and good at fighting. I want to recruit and maintain a group of Afghan soldiers in Punjab and Kabristan that are sufficient in number and loyal to me. Do you want to How about the next one?"

"Your Majesty, what do you mean..." Gulbuddin probably guessed what Ibrahim was thinking.