The Sun and the Lion

"Hmph, ahhhhh!" The hanged agent screamed in pain. He had no clothes to cover his body and was covered in blood. The executioner was slowly peeling off his skin and flesh with a knife, and the fresh blood flowed smoothly. The pieces of meat flowed down the human body, and the fallen pieces of meat were picked up by onlookers, and some even ate them on the spot.

After some lynching torture, the dying Ottoman official was finally executed by the red head in charge of the execution. Cutting his throat was already a relief for him.

Under the angry and fanatical cries of the crowd, the clerk who came to collect rent from Mr. Sipaxi was laid down on the ground, his hair was pulled and his head was forced to be raised. Afterwards, the ax neatly cut off, or rather smashed, the spine and other human tissues. A bloody human head was picked up and displayed to everyone, and then was randomly thrown to the ground and disposed of at will by the angry crowd.

It was already the harvest season, and Shahkulu, who had been preparing for nearly half a year, was not affected by the diplomatic offensive between the two countries at all. He took advantage of the opportunity to commemorate the martyrdom of the Imam to organize Shiite rallies and gather all the believers he could influence. stand up.

However, this commemorative event was not a heavy mourning. Having already made up his mind to launch an armed uprising, he asked the red heads to kidnap tax collectors who went to the countryside to plunder people's property, and publicly lynched them in the village square to "revenge the Sunnis."

"All devout believers, followers of Ali, and righteous fighters, listen to me! The revelation of God has arrived!" On the temporary high platform, the dervish who had always shown love and mercy began to pray to others. The endless followers in the audience spread propaganda and incitement, and even led believers to pray to the Sheikh instead of God.

"The tyranny of the pseudo-Sultan of Roma is about to end in our hands. Everyone raises their swords to avenge Ali and the martyred Imams! Fight for the birth of the reclusive Imam!"

"Mahdi! Mahdi! Lead us!" The red head in the audience shouted loudly in Turkic. At this time, everyone was surrounding Dervihi. The influence accumulated over many years of business and preaching was exerted at this time. As long as he says something, the aroused believers will do it. Become a martyr and ascend to heaven as a martyr. What a blessing it is!

All participants formed in tribal villages and towns, with red-headed horsemen as the main force. This religious insurrectionary army of thousands of people marched along the coastline toward Anhui in a mighty manner, carrying large green flags with the Shahada and Zulfikar swords on them. Thalia was very close, and on the way, red heads of varying numbers kept returning to the group to gather.

In addition, there were other volunteers who came inquiringly and asked to join. These people were not Shias, but Sunnis who had not benefited from Ottoman rule. Among them were the poor who had received relief from the Caliph, the tribesmen and bandits who were suppressed by the high gates nearby, the former Sipashi who were deprived of the fief of Timar, and the Ghazi who failed to obtain the spoils of war.

Next to the ruins of Phaselis, the team that is about to pass through the villages of Kemer and Geinik has exceeded 10,000 people, and due to receiving assistance from the headquarters for a long time, the equipment of the core team is very impressive.

As the vanguard, the elite riders quickly broke into the settlement, rushed into the landlord's compound, and killed the Sipaxi masters who owned the local fief and their attendants. After killing them, no one could organize resistance in the village.

Although Shahkulu instigated an uprising under the banner of resisting tyranny, the red head was not a liberator, especially after Ibrahim exiled all the Qizilbashi who had been restrained and reorganized and were unruly and undisciplined to Asia Minor. Vichy could only continue to mobilize the fighting enthusiasm of these insurgents by looting trophies.

The settlement in front of you is the best trophy. The rebels who poured into the village scattered like wild beasts. All the people who stayed in the village were persecuted. Almost all the old, weak, women and children were killed, and the survivors suffered from being tortured. The misfortune imposed on them - all the young men were used as cannon fodder and auxiliary soldiers, while the women of the right age ended up as disposable toys.

Ordinary farmers usually have nothing worth searching for. Livestock and grain account for the most loot, as well as copper coins. Only landlords can find valuable items.

One village is not enough for ferocious beasts to eat. Shahkulu allowed several leaders to take their troops to attack the surrounding settlements. It was not until the evening, when the sun set, that the attacks on other villages came to an end, and these horrific atrocities continued along the way. Spread outward along the road.

Until night, Shahkulu and a group of leaders discussed the next step in the village mosque - the body of the local imam still hung on the minaret.

"Although our army is blessed by God, we still need to be extremely careful in our next actions, and we need to actively use the wisdom He has given us. I don't think the strategy of directly attacking Antalya will work. Find Shuyuanwｗw.ｽhaosｈhuyuaｎ.com " Shahkulu first reminded all participants not to be blindly arrogant and throw difficult questions to everyone.

Everyone was silent for a while, and when no one suggested it, Hawachi Oglu said: "I very much agree with the Caliph's judgment. Although we have received assistance from the Sheikh in the past, so that the soldiers can be armed and strong, but These aids do not include artillery that can knock down the city walls. Therefore, directly attacking the city is the stupidest way."

Dervish's most trusted military adviser has a rich resume. He participated in many early battles when Ibrahim raised his army. Later, he was defeated in Georgia and returned to Ottoman territory with the defeated troops to continue his activities. He never returned to Iran to return to the army.

"The best thing to do at the moment is to spread the fire that was just lit into a prairie fire and level all the surrounding undefended settlements. If Sanjak Bey still doesn't send troops to try to encircle and suppress our army, then we can just give up the attack. Antalya's idea." Havaci slowly explained his strategy to his colleagues.

"This is safer. At the same time, we cannot just focus on Antalya. On the one hand, we need to receive more fighters who come to join our just cause. The food and grass required are increasing every day. At the same time, we also need to monitor the roads. If caravans and bandits appear nearby, you will be informed in time." Shahkulu added after confirming.

The more professional red heads were responsible for tasks such as road surveillance, sentry patrols, and outbound reconnaissance. Shahkulu did not dare to leave the safety of the troops to outsiders. As for going out to rob, kill, and create chaos and panic, it is natural for the newly joined horse bandits to come. They can be said to be the most skilled and experienced.

The general combat strategy was finalized in this way, and the leaders who had no opinions were persuaded by Shahkulu and Havaci to wait until the next day to execute the order.