The Sun and the Lion

The situation developed faster than Ibrahim expected. This was the first time in his memory that Bayezid and Gaomen showed such a cold attitude towards the Safavid envoy.

What turned you into this, Selim?

Pressing down on this unanswered question in his mind, the King of Kings only needs to know that the situation has changed. Perhaps the threat from Europe has dropped to the point that Padisha thinks it is not a concern? In short, diplomatic actions during the war preparation period may need to be restrained to paralyze the opponent as much as possible instead of gradually escalating the situation.

"This is what I think, what do you think?" Ibrahim covered the report document on the desk with one hand and consulted the Foreign Affairs Vizier and the Grand Vizier.

"Your Majesty." the Grand Vizier reminded: "If our country rashly changes its diplomatic attitude, will it make the other party suspicious? There is no good reason for the Roma people to believe that we really need to maintain friendly relations between the two countries. .”

Assad explained: "Your Majesty is talking about restraint and moderation, not surrender. As long as the messenger knows how to word it, I think the Roma people will not understand the wrong meaning. Your Majesty has not personally conquered the land for so many years, can't you As evidence of peace-loving?”

"You're right." Ibrahim was amused by the last compliment of the Foreign Affairs Vizier. He turned his eyes away, raised his right hand and pointed it at Assad before putting it back on the table: "As we all know, I don't send troops to win anything for myself. In terms of prestige or honor, I am not a bloodthirsty and militant person, but the situation forces me to use this extreme method to restore order in Ummah and even the world, and bring justice to the world."

After saying that, the three monarchs and ministers, as well as the clerk and guards present, all had obvious or not obvious smiles on their faces. It was obvious that no one here believed this high-sounding rhetoric, but they were all tense because they were well-educated.

"Yes, it is necessary to clarify this to Roma. His Majesty is not the cruel lame Timur. The Sultan does not have to worry about being caught in a cage in Ankara." Ahmed Kuzani also entered the state.

"Ahem." Ibrahim reminded the two of them to stop joking and start a serious discussion: "For this mission to Edirne, foreign officials will not be the main force. I plan to send a highly respected Qadi." Or the ulema expressed condolences and condolences to the affected citizens in the past, out of sympathy for fellow Muslims."

Of course, in order to ensure that this symbolic amount of money will not be used by the high sect for other purposes, these materials will be directly donated as religious property for the use of the Kadi who manages the Waqf. This proves that Safavid really cares about the unity of the Ummah and has no intention of going to full-scale war with the Ottomans.

However, Ibrahim's release was only in good faith for Bayezid, an old man who had not been alive for a few years, and for the doves in the civil and religious circles, so as not to let the Ottoman army - especially Jenicheli - attack this man. Padishah and even the entire Gaomen completely lost their patience.

Both of them, who understood the purpose of the King of Kings, praised him: "Your Majesty has a far-sighted vision, and the humble ministers obey the holy will."

"You have nothing to do next, go ahead." Ibrahim waved Assad out of the room, leaving only Grand Vizier Ahmed Khuzani alone to discuss the next issue.

He pulled out the battle report from Tbilisi from a pile of official documents. Heraclius, the governor of Georgia, left him somewhat speechless. He is indeed considered competent. There was no trouble in Georgia under his rule. The Orthodox Church, local nobles, and guilds and societies all joined the Iranian Shahr's ruling order in an orderly manner, and there were even converts seeking official careers. The Georgian wine franchise and the gold, silver, iron and other minerals in the foothills of the Caucasus have created huge profits for Diwan. The two ports of Batumi and Poti are also the pivot points for Iranian businessmen to enter the Black Sea coast.

But in terms of military affairs, this local official who was born as an officer can only be said to be unsatisfactory. Logically speaking, the governor who can control local finances and obtain subsidies of tens of thousands of yuan should use local people to maintain a strong border defense force, but The Georgians have fared worse than the Kurds in border conflicts.

The coast of Georgia and the western interior have become Selim's source of wealth. The Governor of Trabzon has sent troops to attack the Caucasus many times. In total, more than 10,000 young Georgians have been kidnapped, which turned into trade profits for the Ottoman princes in the slave market.

Heraclius did not fail to counter this attempt. The city fortifications, garrisons, and militia of the main settlements were strengthened to ensure that no city would be captured in the subsequent border conflict.

At the same time, he also first allocated an elite horse army with about a thousand cavalry to stay in Batumi to deal with the Ottoman raiders who broke into the jurisdiction as soon as possible. However, the main force of the Georgian army still remains in Tbilisi. Find Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuan． com's location in the hinterland made it actually difficult for Gerkin Khan to provide timely reinforcements.

The high-intensity patrols and interceptions of this group of Caucasus cavalry continued to attack the plundering of the small group. This was something Selim could not tolerate. After Suleiman came on board and took office, he began to organize a large-scale offensive operation. The primary goal was Encircle and annihilate the garrison forces stationed at the border.

This combination of tactics of encircling the point for reinforcements and ambush was very effective. It successfully defeated the cavalry team, the commander was also killed, and the remaining soldiers fled back to Batumi. The invading Ottoman raiders successively kidnapped thousands of young men of various ethnic groups in places such as Batumi, Ardahan and Erzincan and left safely.

Heraclius and Ustaji Khan truthfully reported their losses and began to prepare for retaliation. The fleet stationed in Batumi would attack the shipping in Trabzon, and the Kurdish horsemen would do the same to Selim's men. of countryside.

"What are the border defenses guarding against? This is to support the enemy!" Ibrahim was very dissatisfied with Heraclius's strategy. Was he concentrating the main army in Tbilisi for fear of someone trying to speed up the capital? Or does he actually not care much about the population loss on the border, as long as he doesn't attack major cities?

The Grand Vizier stepped forward and comforted him: "Your Majesty, perhaps there is something hidden in this. I don't think His Excellency Heraclius seems to be a treasonous minister. It would be better for him to write a letter in person to explain clearly."

With the war imminent, Ibrahim planned to give the Georgian another chance: "The Caucasus and the Black Sea coast cannot be ignored in the coming war. I want to strengthen the military strength of the Georgian province and form a new army in Tbilisi itself." The Gulam Army, food, salary and personnel are all handled by Diwan."

At the same time, he also wanted to send officers to Georgia to see what rotten fish and shrimps were under Heraclius. If he couldn't find a way to rectify this large-scale armed force, he would not even be qualified to go abroad to participate in the war.