The Sun and the Lion

The attendant passed through the gently opened palace door and hurried to the room where Padisha was sitting with the latest important news to ask for an audience.

Bayezid happened to be discussing matters with the Grand Vizier. When he learned that the messenger asked for an audience, he suspended the current topic and listened to the latest developments on the front line.

"Dear Padishah, Grand Vizier, this is the sad news from Kutahiya - this city has fallen into the hands of heretical rebels, your loyal and brave Governor Karagez Ahmedpa Xia was publicly executed by piercing, and the scene was extremely cruel.”

This short paragraph almost made Bayezid take a breath. At this time, he tried hard to control his emotions and spent a lot of effort on managing his facial expressions, but the micro-movements on his body still betrayed him.

"Is what you said true? If you deceive the emperor and commit a crime, you will not be able to escape the death penalty!" The Grand Vizier, who could not believe the news, repeatedly questioned the messenger, who could only repeat aggrievedly: "Allah is above , Kutahya has fallen, if what I said is wrong, let him punish me!"

"Ahem." Bayezid, who was sitting on the sofa, came to the rescue in time: "Don't embarrass the messenger, you can retreat."

The messenger placed the document on the desk, saluted Bayezid respectfully, and left the room.

"Oh. I didn't expect, I really didn't expect that a rebel bandit organized by the Dervish monks could make such a big fuss. I really underestimated him before." Padisha sighed, why could this Shiite rebel bandit be able to make such a big fuss? Is it such a big fuss? He already had the answer in his mind, but the most important thing at the moment was to mobilize military forces to wipe out this arrogant rebel bandit as soon as possible, so as to prevent the surrounding people from developing contempt or even malice.

Now Shahkulu has controlled Kutahiya, which is not far from Bursa. Across the sea from Bursa is Kostantinye, which is too close...

"Although Karagez Pasha - may he rest in peace! -'s troops have been destroyed, it stands to reason that there is still another unit that should be engaged in the battle against the rebels." Bayezid was clearing his mind. Suddenly he looked at "Eunuch" Ali Pasha.

The edict to quell the rebellion was also sent to Ahmed, the governor of Roma Province in Amasya, but the prince's actions were not active and were only more limited than Korkut, who was relying on Manisa.

As for Selim of Trabizon, his military ability is undoubtedly higher than that of the other two brothers, but his jurisdiction is too remote and is a bit far away from the rebels. Besides, if he were to wipe out the rebels, wouldn't all the prestige belong to him?

Ahmed's inaction will naturally earn him little reputation, and the Grand Vizier, as his supporter, will have to show his support at this time.

"Your Majesty, now that Karagez Pasha's troops have been wiped out, it is really difficult for His Highness Ahmed alone to compete with the rebels, and we cannot let all the soldiers be lost in vain. From this point of view, His Highness Ahmed's decision is actually It's wise." Faced with Padishah's dissatisfaction, the grand vizier tried hard to make up for his supporters.

Fortunately, the emperor and his ministers agreed on the issue of succession. Bayezid did not intend to really hold the eldest son accountable, but it would be troublesome if he did not gain enough prestige to succeed to the throne. This was what worried him the most.

"We can't delay it any longer. My Grand Vizier, from today on, you will be solely responsible for the war to annihilate the rebels. Can you do it?"

Faced with the sudden appointment, the "eunuch" Ali Pasha could only respond: "Yes, Your Majesty, I promise to fulfill my mission."

In order to ensure that there would be no overturn this time, Bayezid was very generous. The Grand Vizier was able to mobilize not only the local troops and irregular armies of Rumelia, but also all Kapikuru.

"I can basically confirm that there are Persians behind this banditry. Corresponding arrangements must be made for this. We cannot rely solely on the army to suppress the bandits." Bayezid thought about it again and discussed with the Grand Vizier.

"Eunuch" Ali Pasha immediately came up with several strategies: "Your Majesty, first of all, the safety of the Gaomen should be ensured. The heretics in Kostantiniya and even Rumelia should be arrested and concentrated to prevent them from responding in the future. The rebels are causing rebellion. Subsequently, all caravans and travelers entering our country from Iran should be strictly inspected and prohibited from carrying all prohibited items. Violators will have their goods confiscated, fined and deported. At the same time, the Iranian merchant community and consulates in Bursa should be strictly controlled To prevent their collusion with the dervishes, and to impose restrictions on these silk merchants and reduce the profits that the Shah of Persia derived from them..."

"Okay, let's do it like this." Bayezid immediately agreed to the Grand Vizier's sanctions plan. At the same time, he was still considering whether to relax the restrictions on Selim and let him make some noise when needed.

The news that the Grand Vizier personally took command of the expedition could not be hidden from those who were interested. The citizens of Kostantiniya applauded Padisha's wise decision. After all, the Shia rebels under Shah Kuru are notorious. Find Shuyuan www. zhaoshuyuan． com committed all kinds of evil in Asia Minor, and there was no bad thing in the world that they would not do. Everyone was worried about being ravaged by these heretics and rebels.

Tens of thousands of troops were quickly assembled by boat from Kostantiniya to Bursa in just two weeks. The citizens of the old capital enthusiastically welcomed the arrival of the army. The Grand Vizier's horse-tailed banner became a symbol of security for all citizens. source.

After arriving in Bursa, "Eunuch" Ali Pasha began to quell the rebellion. The Safavid consul was summoned to Bey's official residence many times for questioning. The freedom of movement of Iranian businessmen was greatly restricted, and raids were conducted from time to time.

On the other hand, he was gathering the troops that originally belonged to Karagöz Pasha. These stragglers who had found new leaders were once again returned to the Ottoman army and used by the Pasha.

The Grand Vizier prepared with great fanfare in Bursa. At the same time, in order to deter the enemy and potential enemies, he made preparations and propaganda without any concealment, and showed the majestic military appearance of the official army openly.

News that the Ottoman army had gathered in Bursa reached the city of Kutahiya without any hindrance. It first caused a commotion among the Sunnis in the city. Seeing that something was wrong, Shahkulu directly ordered the red heads to massacre a thousand citizens and pile them up in the center of the Bazaar. Observe to stabilize people's hearts.

"This eunuch vizier is quite bluffing. I went to inspect the military camp today and found that many of the Ghazis who joined had low morale and were retreating. They did not have the courage to become martyrs."

The current state of the rebel army is very bad. It has been extremely disorganized since it took hold of Kutahya. Many soldiers are originally bandits and want to enjoy themselves after fighting a "tough battle". Only Qizilbashi could barely maintain discipline, but that was because there would be no shortage of people when gathering.

"It's not easy to fight head-on now. We must first rectify the current situation... and at the same time move eastward and find a way to rely on Shah to obtain the required resources."