The Sun and the Lion

The surprise attack of the rear troops had achieved its purpose. The stagnation of the Ottoman forwards caused the two armies to temporarily break away from contact, and their westward advance also distracted the attention of the Ottoman heavenly soldiers. The Grand Vizier needed to divide his troops to pursue this rebel army. At the same time, he also wrote a letter to Prince Korkut who was staying in Manisa, symbolically asking him to send troops or even personally lead the troops to help intercept it.

Asking Korkut to send troops is more of a political operation. After all, the prince has publicly stated many times before his defection and return that "he will not obey anyone's orders until his father dies." Even Padishah can't handle it. Move him. The Grand Vizier simply took advantage of this to continue to destroy his image. Will the bureaucrats and warriors of the Ottoman Supreme State accept a weak and incompetent Padisha who is unwilling to take responsibility and control the herd?

Agha, who also commanded the forward troops, was arrested on the spot at the military meeting. Controlled by the Grand Vizier's bodyguards, he struggled desperately and shouted: "What are you going to do? I'm here for a meeting! Give me someone who can convince Allah The reason!”

He yelled, but failed to break free and rushed towards the Grand Vizier. His momentum could not help but weaken a lot: "I have done great service for the high gate! I have shed blood for the Sultan! You can't do this to me, I want to see Padishah !Well……"

The Grand Vizier, who disliked his noisiness, blocked his mouth, and then said: "It is an unforgivable evil to abandon the troops and run away from the battle. Unfortunately, he made this terrible mistake. Out of justice and military law, I must punish him." to curb this behavior."

Aga, who was uniformly accused by his subordinate officers, looked horrified but could not defend himself. He "visited" his trial by the military judge from the perspective of a bystander. At the instruction of the Grand Vizier, he was finally executed in public.

Due to the inaction of the junior officers of the forward troops, "Eunuch" Ali Pasha needed more remedial measures to turn the tide of the war.

"It is very inefficient to follow bandits like thieves nowadays. Since our army already knows their current intentions, there is no need for the entire army to follow them closely."

He traced his fingers on the map, from west to east. The marked Konya and Kayseri were very eye-catching along the way. Finally, he clicked on Kayseri: "Since the heretics want to go east to seek support, then our army Just go directly to the eastern border and intercept them at a necessary place in advance, so that you can wait for your work."

In order to increase the marching speed, the Ottoman army did not carry heavy artillery, and after landing in Anatolia, they collected pack animals along the road to ensure that both baggage and soldiers could be transported by animal power.

In addition to strengthening himself and weakening the enemy, he still needs an army to track and continue to harass the heretical bandits. The irregular cavalry that had just been attacked and damaged was not suitable for immediate combat. The "eunuch" Ali Pasha selected another deputy general with a lower status from among the senior officers attending the meeting to take charge of the remaining army to rest in place as a backup for the westward advancing division. .

Then the task of containing and harassing Shahkulu from the rear would have to be left to the remnants of Karagez Pasha. Their military strength was not strong, but they were still able to put pressure on the rogue bandits.

Then, the Grand Vizier's attention turned to Konya. He wanted to ensure that the rogue bandits ran slower than the main army and needed the help of Karaman Province. Military needs trumped political calculations. Contact Ahmed when he went south from Amasya. Far water cannot quench near thirst.

After everyone planned the marching route and battle plan in the camp, the messenger took the autographed letter of "Eunuch" Ali Pasha and rode out of the camp and rushed to the governor's residence in Konya.

…………

More than one messenger entered the governor's residence at the same time. The emissary sent by Shahkulu arrived in Diyarbakir again to ask for an audience with Governor Ustaji Khan.

The emissary briefly explained the latest situation and Shahkulu's arrangements to Ustaji Khan: "Your Majesty the Governor, the current struggle of fellow believers in Roma has been set back. The pseudo-Padisha has become angry and has deployed all his best troops to encircle and suppress him. Our army. Under the leadership of the Caliph and the blessing of Huda, our army fought many times. Although we achieved victory, we suffered a lot of losses in military supplies and were unable to fight against the Roma army..."

Hearing that Shahkulu was going to run from Kutahya to Sivas with at least 20,000 people and countless belongings, Ustaji Khan expressed surprise at this feat of crossing the enemy's hinterland: "There are many things along the way. If many Sanjak Bey and the Governor can reach Sivas safely, wouldn't Roma be as fragile as a spider web? Their previous strength was all fake?"

"With Huda's blessing, no matter how powerful the power of the world is, it can't stop us. The sword of faith will pierce all blasphemous obstacles and overcome all difficulties." The emissary responded enthusiastically to the governor's surprise.

After coming back to his senses, Ustaji Khan first raised the first problem: "As we march southeast to Karaman, we must first deal with Konya. This is the seat of Karaman and there are many troops stationed there. In addition, the local The Sipaxi and Karaman people are even more troublesome. Find Shuyuan www.zhaoｓhuyuan.com"

Originally, the governor wanted to make some suggestions on the march route, such as taking the coastal road through Ramazan and crossing to Durkadir. But he thought that the emissary never came back. He also didn't know the current location of Shahkulu after leaving the main force. He was here to report the message. Except for Sivas, the place Shahkulu agreed on, he had no way to contact the other party.

Moreover, the large rebel army is like locusts. It lacks a stable supply of military supplies from the rear. In addition, it plunders a large number of pack animals for transportation. It must go to populated areas to eat. If it takes the barren and sparsely populated mountainous roads, although it is safe, the team will have to go. Hungry.

"Your Excellency, there is no need to be so pessimistic. The pasha who tried to stop our army has been shown his head. No one can stop our army from crossing Konya."

The secret envoy and the governor estimated that it would take about five to six days for the rebels to march to the place. This time was not enough for the Governor of Karaman Province to summon the troops of the entire province after receiving the news. It was not impossible for Shahkulu to pass safely. possible.

Ustaji Khan did not continue to raise his doubts. After all, the emissary was not the decision-maker, and raising doubts and suggestions was pointlessly difficult for him and could not interfere with the actions of the rebels.

After rejecting the emissary, the governor was very worried about how to deal with this friendly force. He could not provide much help. If he mobilized the auxiliary cavalry to directly invade the Ottoman territory, it would directly disrupt the plan of the King of Kings and risk his life.

All he could do was to send scouts to explore through Durkadir's territory, let spies carry out sabotage operations, and at the same time prepare military supplies and caravans for blood transfusions. Although Bayezid has ordered the border to be closed, the demand for trade still exists. The mountainous and complex terrain facilitates smuggling, and he can recruit guides who are familiar with smuggling channels.