The Sun and the Lion

While Shah Kuru was wreaking havoc in Asia Minor, Ibrahim was handling a major event that could influence the international situation in his palace in Isfahan.

The palace hall was brightly lit at night, prominent figures and waiters serving distinguished guests gathered together, delicacies and wine were inexhaustible, and beauties danced and played endlessly. It is obvious that such a standard of extravagant enjoyment only belongs to the King of Kings, and it can make all people feel happy. The distinguished guests that the King of Kings entertained in such a grand manner were obviously of extraordinary origins.

"Your Excellency Ibrahim, I am so flattered that you protect and entertain me, an embarrassed and worthless exile, so enthusiastically. I don't know how to repay your kindness." The visitor smiled and took the silver cup filled with wine. Lift it up and take a sip after saluting the King of Kings.

The middle-aged man who was talking to the King of Kings was wearing prairie clothes. Although the coat looked a little dirty and old, it could not hide the complexity and luxury of the clothes and decorations and the superior temperament of its owner.

"Balandu Hehan, you and I are old friends who have been friends for a long time. We are just doing a favor out of friendship. It is just a small effort." Ibrahim also said politely, and the two of them chatted happily in Turkic language. talk to each other.

Shahr of Iran is currently preparing to fight with the Ottomans, but at this time, something big happened in the northern grassland. Hasim successfully launched a coup, supported the troops and drove Balanduhei out of the Khan's tent, established himself as Khan, and suppressed it in time. Eliminate all the opposition forces in the Khan's tent that threaten him.

After some ingenious political maneuvering, Hasim Khan's position within the Kazakh Khanate was quickly stabilized. All tribes immediately chose to obey, and the change of power did not cause any ripples.

At this critical moment when he could not make a comeback, Baranduhei had no choice but to take his family and a group of cronies and go south to seek refuge. After crossing the Syr Darya River, he was generally safe. The first place he settled in was Samarkand, where he became the retired man. A key tourist destination in Khan.

This important capital opened the eyes of the Kazakh Khan. Just across the river, the settled society on the south bank of the Syr Darya River was much richer than the nomads on the north bank. The number and scale of the caravans, the types and quantities of goods, the population and income of the citizens are all much greater than that of Signak, the settlement where the Khan's tent is located.

The riverine governor initially received the distinguished exile with caution—treating him with generous material courtesies and temporarily restricting his guest's freedom of movement.

The royal messenger delivered the report to the Grand Palace as quickly as possible. This heavy news could not be ignored by Ibrahim. He immediately ordered a regiment from the Shah's friends to escort his old friend to Beijing.

The Khan, who was "escorted" by these guard cavalry, was able to observe the Safavid army at close range. Considering the financial and military strength, he was sure that the good-neighbor policy with Ibrahim was correct and most in line with the interests of the Kazakh Khanate.

Hasim Khan, who learned that Baranduh had gone south to defect to the Safavids, responded quickly and negotiated the matter through letters. It happened that both the man and the letter were delivered to Isfahan on the same day.

The newly ascended Kazakh Khan is very understanding: "In the name of Allah, the most merciful and merciful, the respected King of Kings of Iran, Ibrahim, heard that an important figure from our country suddenly visited your country. I hope it will not cause you any trouble..."

Hasim Khan actively expressed his willingness for peaceful coexistence to Ibrahim, hoping that the two countries could continue the policy of peace, friendship, and prosperous trade, and "treat" Balanduhe "kindly."

In order to further express goodwill, Hasim Khan also proactively informed the Ottoman envoy of the secret visit, and emphasized: "I know that colluding with Roma is of no benefit to our country, and his envoy intends to instigate our country to attack your territory in a large scale, etc." Only a foolish king would take actions that harm others and not benefit himself, but you and I are both wise rulers."

Ibrahim, who had no desire for the Kipchak grassland and the Seven Rivers, went along with the situation and maintained the status quo with the Kazakh Khanate under Hasim Khan. The Safavids neither sought the land north of the Syr Darya River nor interfered with the Kazakh Khanate. The country annexed the Nogai tribe on the east coast of the Caspian Sea. Baranduhe continued to be treated as a distinguished guest and settled in Isfahan.

During this period, Ibrahim also wanted him to convert to Shiaism, and he personally advised him many times during the meeting. However, the exiled Khan was determined and politely refused them all, and the King of Kings did not give him any more trouble.

However, he planned to show off his martial arts to outsiders in the coming war, and Baranduhe was honored to be the first member of the army's tour group.

When the banquet was reaching its climax, the guard quickly walked to his side, bowed and whispered: "Your Majesty, urgent news from the west."

Ibrahim glanced at Balanduhei, who was talking to the Grand Vizier, and shook his head gently: "It is not appropriate to interrupt the banquet now. You will report to me in detail after it is over."

"Yes." The guard respectfully retreated to the corner of the room.

Already a little drunk at this time, he took the initiative to put down his wine glass to avoid falling unconscious in the middle of the night and delaying important work. He asked the attendant to bring other snacks and non-alcoholic sherbet, and also hinted Ismail and other dignitaries to go Get Barandu Black drunk.

As the banquet drew to a close as the guests grew weary and intoxicated, Ibrahim was free to browse through the letters brought by his attendants.

It turned out that Shahkulu sent a letter a few days before the official uprising, informing the Safavid consul in Bursa that he was going to incite a major riot that would sweep across Asia Minor, so that diplomats could prepare accordingly.

It's just that the transmission of the news took a lot of trouble. It wasn't until Karagoz Pasha took the lead in Kutahya that he knew that the increasingly powerful bandits were friendly forces, so he actively cooperated and helped Shahkulu and Diwan passed on all the information he knew.

Secret messages from consuls and dervishes were sent to Isfahan through the Ustaji Khan and the post system, allowing the King of Kings, thousands of miles away, to understand the progress of the situation with delays.

"Such a big fuss? Just publicly executed a pasha? It seems that Osman will not let it go." Ibrahim is a little pessimistic about the development of the war. The current rebel army seems to be in full swing, but there are elite soldiers and strong generals in Gaomen. Isn’t it still broken and vulnerable to a single touch? But he couldn't micro-manage the game, and his fate depended entirely on what decision Shahkulu could make.

In the afternoon of the next day, he summoned all the important ministers to hold an impromptu meeting on the matter and ordered: "The war in the west has been ignited. The moment of sword-to-knife between Sultan Rom and I is coming soon. All troops are mobilized and go to Di immediately." Arbakir assembled and stood by. In order to facilitate the coordination of the war, Mirza and the Grand Emir and I went to the border to sit in command. The ministers who stayed behind were to maintain the security of the Diwan and the rear of the army under the leadership of the Grand Vizier and the regency of Shahbanu. working normally."

The sudden major event surprised the participants, but it soon returned to normal - the expensive preparations for war cannot be in vain.

In addition to issuing orders to the bureaucracy, Ibrahim also cut off all trade with the Ottomans through the eunuch generals to the trading guilds of the Royal Estates Department, and transferred all trade resources to the Levant and even westward to actively expand trade in Christian European countries. Open a business website.

However, the work of shifting the focus of trade will not be accomplished overnight. Losing raw silk exports from the Ottoman market will inevitably have a significant impact on Safavid's fiscal revenue, and this pain will last for a long time.