The Sun and the Lion

"Your Majesty." The officials who were summoned to the palace room all knelt down and saluted respectfully to Ibrahim. After receiving permission to stand up, they bowed their heads and waited quietly for the monarch to ask questions.

"You, your herdsmen, have made outstanding achievements. Peace and prosperity have returned to Arab Iraq. This is what Huda is happy about." Ibrahim first praised the political achievements of everyone present and asked the secretary to bring out the edict drafted in advance. .

All administrative officials and water conservancy officials in the Arab Province of Iraq were rewarded with cash equivalent to at least five years' salary, two sets of formal attire for each person, horses depending on the grade, and silks and other property. At the same time, the ranks of senior official Hafez and water conservancy supervisor Mohammad were upgraded to the same level as the Vizier of Diwan. Their salary, official uniforms, and ostentation were equivalent to the highest-ranking officials in the Shah of Iran.

The last reward caught everyone off guard. Does this mean that the King of Kings regards the Mesopotamia as the most important area? In comparison, the senior officials in Khorasan who are in charge of Herat and the senior officials in Isfahan who are in charge of Gyeonggi are on the same level as other local governors.

But it’s not too early to be happy. The King of Kings’ edict did not make it clear whether this was a personal honor for these two high-ranking officials or whether all the top administrative and water conservancy officials serving in the province in the future could be aligned with Diwan’s vizier. You sit down on equal footing.

The two of them suppressed the surprise they were about to show, and quickly knelt down to express their gratitude: "I thank your Majesty for your reward."

Ibrahim signaled Hafez and Mohammed to stand up, and then asked senior officials: "If our country is at war with Roma or Egypt now, I would like to know how much military supplies can be supplied by one province of Iraq?"

As an important rear area for the future western expedition of the army, all kinds of military supplies needed by the army will basically be purchased and collected from the western provinces, and he has high hopes for the Mesopotamia and Mesopotamia.

Hafez immediately stepped forward and said: "In reply to Your Majesty, with the blessing of Monhuda, the newly reclaimed farmland in each village has experienced bumper harvests in the past few years. Although I have not made detailed statistics on this, according to estimates, the quartermaster We can successfully purchase enough grain from each village to consume at least 100,000 troops, and most of the tax exemptions for immigrants have expired, so there is also a lot of grain in the government treasury that can be used."

Ibrahim had some doubts about the senior official's reply. After all, the other party was a civilian official who had never led a soldier. Even if he consulted the emir, his understanding of military logistics would probably be very vague.

"If that's the case, then I'm relieved." He paused, but did not express his thoughts to the officials in the room, and continued to affirm the other party's achievements.

After the reward and consultation, Ibrahim had nothing to ask for the time being, and the officials had nothing to report, so the King of Kings dismissed them, and there were others lining up outside the door waiting to see him.

“Holy and Great Shaykh, Ibrahim the Liberator!”

The local Shia Ulama were very enthusiastic about the King of Kings' visit again. The goodwill of these Iraqi believers added a lot of benefits to Safavid's stable rule here.

These priests were not as formal as bureaucrats. Before Ibrahim could open his mouth, words of praise and thanks came into his ears. The new regime's repairs and maintenance of holy places and funding for religious schools have basically been implemented. The King of Kings' order to exempt all pilgrimage taxes and fees is even more beneficial to pilgrims.

Even so, they still criticize the minutiae of the current religious policy, such as the status of Dhimmi.

The two river basins have been a place of mixed ethnic groups since ancient times. Although the current population is dominated by Arab Shiite Muslims, the distribution of ethnic groups and religions is still staggered, especially after the large influx of Turkmen immigrants into Iraq.

Going north from Baghdad, the situation becomes more complicated as you go upstream. There are not only remnants of Sunni Arabs, but also Kurds of different tribes, and different ethnic groups that believe in Christianity - Assyrians and Armenians.

If divided by church, most Mesopotamian Christians undoubtedly belong to the Assyrian Church, one of the remnants of the former Eastern Church. The influence of the Eastern Church once extended to India and China, but now only the remnants of dozens of dioceses that once spanned Syria to Iran are huddled on the Nineveh Plain.

Turning our attention to the south, there are still many Africans living on both sides of the Shatt al-Arab River whose ancestors mostly immigrated to Lower Mesopotamia as slaves, traders and sailors, as well as the Mandaeans who were regarded as rare animals by Ibrahim. , among which Manda believers are also distributed in a few settlements in Khuzestan.

Ibrahim had no intention of persecuting these non-mainstream ethnic groups, but instead guaranteed their community autonomy in accordance with customary practices. At the same time, he promoted some Dhimmi who could speak Persian to serve in the palace, and could also serve as local governors in areas with a majority non-Muslim population. . For example, prominent Armenian families basically monopolized official positions in the Armenian region. Heraclius, a remote branch of the Bagrationians, ruled Georgia as a governor, not to mention merchants from the chartered trade guilds and officers at all levels in the Gulam.

Qimi's other discriminatory policies have also been relaxed. For example, no one is paying attention to Qimi's restrictions on buildings, clothing, and mounts. Find the book at www.zhaｏshuyuaｎ. ｃcom will only be processed if someone deliberately reports it.

Some mullahs and ulema with old-fashioned and even extreme attitudes believe that Dhimmi should return to their rightful place and correct the social atmosphere. Fortunately, no one is inciting believers to disrupt order. People who do not want an iron fist from heaven still have hope. on peaceful petitions.

"Dear Your Majesty, this ummah is the Muslim ummah after all. Dhimmi who deviate from the right path should be punished and obeyed. We should take active actions to lead them back to the right path and cannot turn a blind eye to the stains in society. In fact, The Dhimmi should return any land usurped from the Muslims and pay fines for building churches..."

Ibrahim watched this moral performance calmly. He discovered that this mullah was actually here for money. He demanded to be squeezed out of the Dhimmi community on the grounds that he violated Sharia law, caused a threat to public morals, and offended all Muslims. More money.

"Currently, the state is in short supply, but maintaining holy sites is a huge expense. At the same time, considering that rashly banning the industries that allow Qimi to operate will easily lead to economic decline, it is better to strictly monitor these projects and require subsidies for these projects."

There was an ulema in the back who wanted to step forward to add something, but another mullah on the side stopped him and reminded him in a low voice. Ibrahim noticed that the blocked priest was peeking with dissatisfaction, and guessed that this person's idea might be more extreme.

He waved his hand and refused: "I have asked the Dhimmi community to pay the jiziya tax for their beliefs. This is a tyranny of betrayal. How much wealth is this worth destroying the Dhimmi's influence on the Shah of Iran?" Your trust and loyalty?”

Maura, who could not see his emotions or anger, could only apologize awkwardly: "I am stupid and carelessly failed to consider these key points, and I was abrupt..."