The Sun and the Lion

The Safavid army marched toward Multan in the southwest as planned. As expected, Ibrahim arrived at the city of Multan without any obstruction and camped on the city wall within sight of the sentries.

The arrival of the uninvited guests made the Sultan of Multan feel heartbroken. With trembling hands, he took over the surrender letter from Ibrahim. After briefly reading it, he lost all resistance and thought about how to reply to the visitor.

"This guy slaughtered Delhi but annexed Wuhe. It seems that he wants to bring Multan under his rule. He is definitely not simply trying to extort tribute. Alas!" Mahmud was very entangled, and finally agreed. Make a tough decision.

The next day, the envoys from Multan were put into the tent. Afraid of the conqueror's reputation, almost no one dared to look up at Ibrahim's face, and only heard his voice, which was mixed with Contempt and anger: "A few days ago, I sent a letter to the monarch of your country, but there was no reply. It was not until I came over in person that I stopped treating it as a joke. This can be considered rude. "

Seeing that the King of Kings was about to get angry and did not dare to think about the flaw in the other party's words, the messenger knelt down and knelt down to beg for mercy. He hurriedly excused Sultan Mahmoud and said: "Your Majesty, things are not what you think. , In fact, the Sultan of our country plans to give you a surprise. He will try his best to prepare a generous gift in the city that matches your status and prestige. I hope you will stay calm..."

"Hmph, then I'll have to look forward to the gift you call it." Ibrahim stretched out his hand to signal the other party to hand over the reply letter.

The messenger took a few steps forward on his knees, held the reply letter tremblingly in his hands and presented it to Ibrahim, who was handed it to him by the bodyguard standing beside him.

"To the great conqueror, King of Iran. For your request..."

After reading the main text, Ibrahim saw that the Sultan of Multan just wanted to become a vassal of Safavid and retain the right to rule the territory, and tried to get through with it. He threw the letter on the ground directly: "This is what you said. Surprise, huh?”

The messenger, who was afraid of being tortured or even executed, knelt humbly, with his upper body lying on his back and not daring to get up. He just trembled and waited for his next fate.

"Go back and tell your master, don't do any tricks. I want him to obey me completely and not be rebellious and double-dealing." After Ibrahim finished speaking, he waved the messenger to leave.

"Yes, yes, thank you for not killing." The messenger ran back to the palace in Multan like flying, and reported Ibrahim's anger, threats and demands to Mahmoud with added details.

"What an unreasonable request! May Allah curse him!" Mahmoud gritted his teeth, knowing that he was unable to resist and he did not intend to stick to it, but to find another way to survive.

He immediately ordered his troops and secretly left Multan with only his most trusted guards and went to a dangerous border fortress next to the Thar Desert. Once there, he would decide whether to recruit reinforcements from other Rajput clans or Go and take refuge. The court and people in Multan were left here to be torn apart by wild beasts outside the city.

The Sultan's escape allowed Ibrahim to easily occupy Multan, which he added to the jurisdiction of the Punjab Province. Collaborators were called into the camp and appointed as local officials under the selection of the King of Kings.

In order to appease the citizens of Multan, Ibrahim ordered not to allow the army to enter the city, and to protect local traders who went out of the city to provide goods and services to the soldiers. He also proposed to exempt the local city redemption fees, which gave local citizens a lot of peace of mind.

He did not occupy the palace in the city, but continued to stay in the large tent in the camp outside the city. Only the storage in the granaries, treasury and armory were used by the Safavid army. As for the harem abandoned by Mahmud, most of the low-level female slaves and eunuchs were given directly to senior officers. The Sultan's mother and spouse were not embarrassed. Ibrahim allowed them to leave with their entourage to meet the Sultan.

Ibrahim, who stopped in Multan, also sent troops to pursue the fleeing Mahmud, and gradually made other territories of the Sultan of Multan subject to his authority and raised military supplies on the spot.

Multan is the commercial center of southern Punjab and an important horse and slave trading hub in the Indus River Basin. Various agricultural products from surrounding rural areas are also concentrated in the bazaar. At the same time, the city is close to rivers, and inland shipping is also an important mode of transportation.

As a result, under the management of the quartermaster, the horses, ships, and grain and grass needed by the Safavid army were greatly replenished, and the good logistics situation was able to support its continued march southward.

…………

In the continued operations of the Safavid Army, the Multan Army scattered around were disarmed one by one, and control of the various places in the bookstore www.zhaoshuyuan.com immediately changed hands. Only a border fortress where Sudan is located and its surrounding areas are still struggling to hold on.

The persistent pursuers failed to kill or capture the Sultan before he entered the fortress. The pursuers, who lacked the ability to siege the city, had to block traffic and plunder the rural areas around the fortress.

The Sultan's messengers crossed the Thar Desert to the east to ask for help, but none of them brought good news. The various Rajput princes did not want to get into trouble for Mahmud. They not only sent reinforcements, but also refused to take refuge.

Such a reply made Mahmoud fall into the abyss. He knew that running eastward was no longer feasible. The other party was likely to use him as a hostage to trade with Ibrahim to gain the favor of the conqueror.

"He took over Punjab, and his ambitions must not stop there. It is very likely that Sindh in the south will also suffer disaster." Mahmud thought, planning to continue running before the army arrived, and fled to the Shuma dynasty that ruled Sindh. , conveying the warning of the impending military disaster to the Sudan of Sindh.

Moreover, Thatta City, the ruling center of the Shuma Dynasty, is connected to the sea through a river. If you really can't fight it, you can still take a boat to the sea. You can seek asylum in Gujarat or other Indian palaces, or even go directly to Mecca for refuge. It's just right. He had never made a pilgrimage to a holy place in his life.

That night, the Multan Army launched a breakout operation. The sentry responsible for night vigilance was quickly defeated in the surprise attack. The large group of people in the temporary camp failed to react in time. By the time the Afghan cavalry was ready to pursue, Mahmud had already escaped. There is some distance.

The Safavid soldiers pursued them until they reached deep into the territory of the Saima dynasty before returning angrily. However, they "succumbed" and captured Mahmoud's family members on the road. It was easy to learn about this. Brahim laughed uncontrollably.