The Sun and the Lion

Before the Battle of Goa, while the holy war on the ocean was in full swing, this distant conflict could not affect the inland. For the residents in the hinterland of the empire, the current holy war was actually no different from peace. Ibrahim, who did not need a chariot to fight in person, also enjoyed peace and devoted his energy to dealing with internal affairs.

Since completing the new round of personnel changes in Diwan, Ibrahim can continue to use the whip composed of these loyal bureaucrats and nobles to drive the people under his rule, so that everyone can continue to work for the great cause of the Safavid dynasty. pay.

After the beginning of spring, he set off again for inspection, to inspect the western provinces - mainly the Mesopotamia and Mesopotamia - and the huge procession marched along the highway. The road guards along the way were very energetic for this purpose and prepared for all the people. The King of Kings shows good security everywhere.

For Isfahan, the continuous Zagros Mountains to the west are water sources and an excellent barrier. However, if Ibrahim wants to go west, he cannot directly pass through, so the team has to go to Khorramabad along the road. Then to Kermanshah.

However, he is not in a hurry. Although the destination of this trip is the Mesopotamia, the Zagros Mountains are also part of Shahr, Iran. In particular, the forests here are providing the wood needed by the Imperial Navy.

After a brief stay in Khorramabad, Ibrahim went to Kermanshah. Although the city had a predominantly Kurdish population, it was included in the province of Lorestan and was established as a seat of government. The jurisdiction of this province is quite vast, encompassing the entire middle section of the Zagros Mountains, bordering Azerbaijan to the north, Khuzestan to the south, Arab Iraq to the west, and Iran, Iraq and Isfahan to the east.

Kermanshah has a suitable climate, abundant rainfall, and rivers provide water sources. Humans have settled here since ancient times, and it rose to prominence during the Sassanian Dynasty. During the reign of Parvez, it once became their hunting ground and spring tourist destination. .

The flat land around the city is dotted with farms and orchards. Farther away, you can see a group of local workers organized by officials to expand canals on the river bank in preparation for reclaiming more farmland in the future. Some orchards have benefited from the rainfall and are not even using it. Irrigation facilities are needed, and the hillsides are dotted with pasture and forest.

The herdsmen occupying the pastures provide raw materials for the weavers and leatherworkers within the city walls. Livestock products such as wool, textiles and leather can be said to be goods produced all over Iran, and are purchased by business travelers and exported in large quantities.

The development of forest resources is another important local income. Charcoal, firewood, and wood products are all needed by society, and bureaucrats extract a tax from these wood. There is also a large amount of naval military expenditure flowing into this place, allowing a large amount of wood to be transported to the seaside for shipbuilding. At this time, you can already see that the woods closest to the city have been cleared, and even the shrubs have been taken away for firewood, with only saplings replanted by foresters.

From the map, this city is located in the middle of the Zagros Mountains. If the mountains are the wall that separates the two river basins and the Iranian plateau, then the mountain road where Kermanshah is located is the corridor, and the city is the door. It is not an exaggeration to call it a transportation hub, the only road for business travelers and armies to pass through. Countless caravans from Arab Iraq or Iran rush to their respective destinations through this road.

The not-so-barren river valley agriculture and prosperous commerce nourish this settlement, making it an important town in every sense of the word. When the city of Kermanshah was first brought under its rule, even after years of civil war between the Aries princes, the city still had thousands of intact houses and nearly 40,000 citizens. The Safavid rule brought peace in time. Although taxes were still heavy, the infrastructure was maintained, the bandits were eliminated, and there was no tyrant's army to extort military supplies and ransoms. The population growth changed. Right.

In order to be able to receive a large number of business travelers, there are a large number of caravanserai and attached warehouses scattered in the suburbs, city gates and even bazaars. In addition to those attached to local post stations, there are also many shopkeepers who obtain business licenses and accept supervision by registering with the post chief. The income generated by these caravanserais is allocated to the local mosque for public expenditure of the community.

At the same time, after the capital was moved to Isfahan, teams transporting taxes from the two river basins to the capital began to pass through Kermanshah. The local treasury was expanded to accommodate the temporary storage of taxes and toll taxes collected from passing business travelers. .

However, the King of Kings is here today, and no humans or animals are entering or exiting at this time. The area around the city gate on the east side of the city was cleared in advance by soldiers who came, and the citizens of the city and passing businessmen were summoned to line up on both sides of the road to welcome the monarch.

The officials and Kurdish clan leaders who were waiting on horseback at the city gate hurriedly dismounted when they saw the royal chariot approaching, and asked the servants to lead their mounts aside. Then they trotted all the way to Ibrahim and knelt down in front of Ibrahim to salute. He motioned for them to get up and lead the way.

Looking at the crowds on both sides of the road, Ibrahim found that some of the eyes were curious, aweful, and blank. At this time, he suddenly thought: "Is there someone thinking about 'the other side' in their mind?" But instead of something like that."

Ignoring these obedient people calmly, he went straight to the local government office to meet with the officials. Provincial officials gathered together, and lower-level local officials could only wait on the margins.

"Your Majesty, the Most Benevolent and Merciful Huda, Your Majesty, I have been faithfully implementing your sacred instructions over the years..." The bureaucrats showed their intention to show off and listed all the achievements they could achieve in front of Ibrahim.

Most of the contents, including infrastructure repairs, population and property surveys and tax assessments, ensuring public security, population and economic growth, etc., have all appeared in Wakil's inspection and assessment reports. Find Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuan.com

He asked the senior officials: "I know all your achievements, and Wakil gave me fair advice on rewards and punishments for right and wrong. What I want to know most now is the appeasement of these Kurdish and Lur tribes... "

The problem that Ibrahim was worried about was that the local officials sent out would discriminate against or even arbitrarily oppress these unorganized tribes, which would eventually cause local turmoil and had to mobilize troops to suppress the riots.

But the senior official's answer made him feel that he was overly worried: "Your majesty's tolerance and strong authority must make everyone obey instead of rebelling."

The king of kings' efforts to win over the tribes within his territory are seen by all officials. If the tribes or clans within his jurisdiction rebel, no matter what, they will not be able to get away with the crime of failing to appease them. Without shared responsibility, it would be difficult for these administrators to convince the emir, qadi, and censors to collude with them, let alone hidden prying eyes.

As for how to recruit people, the central government documents are very clear, and the management of the jurisdiction is also inseparable from cooperation with local forces, so it is better to implement it according to the script.

In fact, the most intense conflict between the palace and the local government has already occurred. Apart from persecuting Sunnis and forcing them to preach, Ibrahim has not done anything bad that can force the whole world to rebel. There are only a handful of Sunnis left in the hinterland of the plateau, but they dare not resist with force. The King of Kings does not want to bother to deal with these marginal people.

After listening to this report, he planned to end the interview like this: "Well, for the sake of your merit in governance, I will reward you with three years' salary. I have been tired of traveling and traveling today, and you have taken the trouble to receive me. You can go back first."