The Sun and the Lion

"Your Excellency, there is a situation at the port. A foreign fleet has arrived, not the Franks." The official who came to deliver the message knocked on the door of the office. Ahsan, who was waiting for the information, quickly rushed to the port after hearing the briefing and saw Several scarred Karak ships were moored in the nearby sea, and small boats carrying people were docked at the pier.

The guards at the port were very relaxed. They saw pennants with crescent moons and Shahadahs painted on the masts, and the crew on deck were wearing turbans. The Portuguese army, which valued religious beliefs very much, found it difficult to accept such an approach.

When the officer who was guarding the trestle saw Ahsan coming, he quickly walked to a small boat and talked with the nobleman standing on the small boat wearing exquisite clothes. Then he led him up to the trestle to meet with the commander-in-chief.

"May God bless you! You must be His Excellency the Emir Ehsan of Shahr of Iran. I am the Governor of Jeddah appointed by the Sultan of Egypt and Syria, Emir Hussein, and I was ordered to come to India to carry out jihad against the Franks. It's an honor to cooperate with you." Hussein greeted the visitors after being introduced in advance by the welcoming officer.

Ahsan, who learned the identity of the other party, nodded and said: "May Huda bless you! I won't say any polite words. I will send a pilot to arrange your ships to a suitable berth and provide supplies. Is there anything I can do? Let’s go to my mansion first and then talk.”

The group did not enter the city. Ehsan's temporary residence in Goa was chosen in the fortress used by the Safavid garrison outside the city. Due to the hard work of the Indians, the living areas of the senior officers in the fortress were both comfortable and comfortable. , giving Hussein the feeling of visiting the mansion of a certain emir of the same rank.

Arriving at the living room, the two sat on the sofa and talked about the recent war situation. When Ahsan saw the damage on the Karak ships, he knew that this Egyptian fleet must have experienced a war.

"To be honest, I did fight with the Franks a week ago, in Joul, north of Goa..." When the other party asked, Hussein told the general story of the battle.

After the wind direction changed, the Portuguese fleet did indeed collide with the Gujarat fleet at the mouth of the river as he expected. However, the Portuguese were too brave. They first shot from a high position, and then the Portuguese sailors who jumped to the rescue only used a few seconds under the cover of fire. In half an hour, the six First ships that were the first to contact the enemy were killed. Ayaz's fleet was disrupted and it was difficult for him to coordinate the ships.

The blockade of the entrance to the sea was quickly broken, which did not allow the Mamluk warships upstream to join the battle. Fortunately, the Cochin merchant ship moved slowly, allowing the coalition forces to capture several ships and send troops to destroy the Portuguese trading station on the shore.

The Portuguese warships that successfully broke through to the sea finally bombarded the Gujarati galleys at the mouth of the river and then left Joul in the wind. The coalition forces had no intention of pursuing them. According to rough statistics, the coalition suffered more than 800 casualties, mostly Gujarati sailors who were slaughtered during the breakout. The Portuguese fleet's casualties were estimated to be no more than 100.

"In this battle, it was not that the warriors were not brave, nor that the sailors were not good at fighting. It was the lack of unity that led to the current situation!" Hussein continued to criticize Ayaz for sitting back and passively avoiding the battle. "If he had followed the plan The Franks launched an attack before they were ready, and those battleships were already destroyed."

It was precisely for this reason that after the war, he ended his cooperation with the Governor of Diu, spent the night in Joul to replenish supplies, met with the Karak ship and the dhow that had fallen behind and did not participate in the battle, and then went straight south to Goa to communicate with the communication data. Month's pen pal Ehsanji.

"Alas, they are all Ghazis fighting for Allah." Ahsan continued without any end, and then assured: "Both your armies and ours are coming for the same enemy, and it is terrible to weaken our own strength. You must not do it, I can help you with repairing the battleship and replenishing the troops."

Hussein felt that there was an opportunity to make money. The fleet under his command was seriously underpaid and suffered defeats. If there was not enough food and drink at ordinary times, there would be more mutinous deserters.

So he shamelessly requested: "Your Excellency Ehsan, our army has encountered economic difficulties. This problem has been bothering me for a long time, but I have never been able to find a solution... I heard that your country has always been prosperous. God is with you." Please help our allies tide over the difficulties."

Pay foreign troops? Ahsan was taken aback and thought to himself: "Egypt is a blessed land after all. How come the regular army under the Sultan has turned into mercenaries who beg for food and drink from foreign countries?"

Since the other party dares to make this request, he must also use it to restrain this "ally". At this juncture when all forces need to be gathered, establishing the master-slave relationship within the coalition can reduce unnecessary disputes.

"Your Excellency Hussein, I personally sympathize with your army's situation, but what about the request you made... It's hard to say. Your Majesty has not given me the relevant authorization. If so, it would be easy for Your Majesty to mistake me for being a foreigner. ." Ahsan looked embarrassed and waved his hand hesitantly, pretending to refuse.

Hussein also used the value of his fleet to persuade: "Currently, our army has six warships, all of which are large ships. Your Excellency, this is not a weak force. In the current tense situation of jihad, every ship is It is crucial and indispensable. Please think about it again. I know your difficulties. Since you are the one who provides money and food, it is not easy for me as a guest to do my own thing. In the name of Allah, for the sake of jihad, as long as you are willing to provide If you need money and food, please go to Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuan.com. The fleet under my command will absolutely obey your orders."

Seeing that the other party wisely offered what he wanted, Ahsan, who thought he had taken the initiative, put on a warm and friendly face, nodded and said: "Thank you for everything you have dedicated to jihad and unity, everyone will remember it."

The first meeting did not discuss the war situation too much. There was no way to judge whether the "allies" were sincerely obedient. After seeing off the guests, Ahsan was thinking about how to add sand to the Mamluk fleet and directly fill the new recruits into those who needed to be replenished. Battleship?

The Safavid quartermaster quickly calculated the supplies and personnel needed to supplement the Mamluk fleet. Rowing boats towed all five Karak ships and one dhow into the shipyard for inspection and repair. All gunners should Hussein's request came ashore for training.

According to the assessments of Portuguese traitors and Iranian artillery, the level of Mamluk soldiers operating firearms is difficult to describe. Neither Venice nor the Ottomans provided corresponding gunnery instructors for Cairo. Artillery operation depends entirely on trial and error - this gun fires very well. Just don’t fight again.

But except for firearms, other soldiers are remarkable. Whether they are Nubians, Bedouins or Turkic archers, they all performed well in the battle of Joul. They only suffered from serious lack of pay, poor command and navigation losses. Seriously torture these excellent warriors.

It can be said that the most noteworthy thing about the current Mamluk fleet in the eyes of Ahsan is the ship itself. However, the Knights Hospitallers robbed Cansu Gauri of imported timber, and the Venetian shipwrights supporting Suez were also in trouble. You can only build so many ships without rice, which is better than nothing.

Thinking of this, Ehsan summoned his staff and asked when the new warships from Hormuz would arrive, inspected the forts and fortresses, and took the time to visit the Governor of Goa. War preparations continued intensively.