The Sun and the Lion

The Ottoman army's pursuit and interception made the rebels' sense of crisis continue to escalate. The leader who originally disapproved of streamlining the team thought of snowballing again. When the army was defeated, he would have room to maneuver. He could use his soldiers and veteran bandits to run away in time to stop losses and infiltrate. Waiting for the opportunity to rise again in the mountains.

After entering the Karaman area, they began to persuade the Caliph to use the looted gold, silver, property and rice to recruit local horse bandits and poor people to expand the team. As one of the areas that had resisted the Ottoman conquest for a long time, there are still many people willing to resist hidden in the mountains here. Warriors of the High Gate, and even Turkic-speaking Christians - Karamanlides. Even though they were infidels, Shahkulu still saw them as people with whom he could unite.

He first spent time raiding several pastures near Konya, looting mules and horses, and killing all the livestock that could not be taken away. He also sent scouts to detect whether there was a large army gathering in the surrounding area. After receiving a negative answer, Shahkulu and Khawaqi continued to lead the team eastward and became vigilant because there was news that the Ottoman army that wanted to intercept them was gathering in Karaman City or Aksaray.

"If this is the case, then we still have to fight a war, otherwise this enemy will not be able to escape without detours." Shahkulu thought.

"Time is running out now, and there is no time to recruit Ghazi on the spot. Moreover, in the eyes of outsiders, we are just a group of embarrassed and failed exiles. Only by defeating this obstacle in front of us will the fighters who are determined to oppose the Roma high school have the confidence to join us. "

Besides, does the news spread so fast? Especially in areas far away from transportation hubs, these Karaman Turkmen who are anti-Ottoman have very limited news channels. Even if the rebels capture Konya on the spot, they may not be able to learn about it quickly.

Foreign armies always make people vigilant and wary, but due to the size of the rebel army, the tribes along the way rarely show hostility when they come up. This is true from Antalya, Kutahya to Konya, and the local tribes This is how the Karaman tribe made first contact with the rebels.

"I don't know why, but the army has begun to gather in Aksaray, and they want to recruit some soldiers to work hard." A man, tightly wrapped in a woolen robe and huddled against the cold, stepped into the small felt tent and greeted his companions inside. Mentioned it casually.

"What, you want to go? Or do you want to rob?" The nomad sitting cross-legged on the blanket handed him half a bowl of milk wine. He was not very concerned about who Osman was going to use his troops against.

However, the food and salary of a high-ranking family is always much more promising than grazing and hunting in the mountains. After all, it can still attract many young people. Many nomads are usually doing the business of licking blood from the edge of a knife. As soon as they hear the news of the war, they Some people packed their luggage and went to report to Mr. Bey with the scraps of metal in their hands.

As for fishing in troubled waters to rob the army's food, grass, and supplies, that is even more of an act of rebellion. Although he resents the Ottoman rule, he is not crazy enough to actively provoke high-ranking officials to suppress him. He occasionally goes to the countryside to interact with the villagers and has nothing to do with it.

The visitor shook his head, drank the bowl of cold goat's milk in his hand, and opened his mouth: "Winter will be over soon, and we have to think about migration. We have to negotiate with other tribes about which pasture and which way to go, so as to avoid conflicts. …”

Several people in the tent immediately became serious, but just as they were planning to delve deeper into this topic, this unexpected thing happened.

"Chief, there are horse thieves! They even injured our brother!"

The shouts outside the tent made the young man tremble. The inheritance he inherited was not rich, and any missing animal in the enclosure would be a heavy loss.

As soon as he thought of this, he immediately drew his sword and walked out of the tent shouting: "Where did the thief come from?"

The leader who immediately gathered dozens of young men and rushed to the scene of the crime saw a scene that shocked him - there were at least hundreds of unknown cavalry waiting for his arrival, and they were holding unfamiliar green flags. He saw I don’t understand the above string of Shahadahs, nor do I know the holy sword Zulfikar. It was obvious that these were not officers and soldiers sent by the tribe next door or the high sect.

"Are you the owner of this pasture, these livestock, and the felt tent?" The leader, the red-headed man, saw that the person coming seemed to be the real owner, so he asked with certainty.

"I am Bey Osman here. Who are you? What are you doing in our pasture?" Everyone put their hands on the handles of their knives, ready to deal with conflicts at any time.

The scene suddenly became tense. The red-headed bey glanced at the livestock first, and then said slowly: "You are too poor. I am not coveting your pasture. I just want to find a place for the army to camp. I think this is a good place. How about you?" Will you take your people and move out of here immediately to make room for our army? Or if you join our just cause, you will be guaranteed to have a better life than you herding sheep. If you sacrifice your life to resist oppression, you will definitely go to heaven. There is endless food there. Good food, endless wine, and no need to struggle to make ends meet.”

To enhance his persuasion, the red head also grabbed a handful of Akchi silver coins and threw them directly into the open space between the two. Find the book garden www.zhaｏshuyuan.com

The leader of the Kalamanites, who was very unhappy with his arrogant attitude, did not dare to get angry at this time, especially since the opponent clearly had a numerical advantage, and many of them wore pointed red hats. Qizilbash was well-known in this area. of religious fanatics. They can charge and fight, and they are very strong-willed, but they are giant bandits appointed by the high sect.

Seeing them, the leader understood why the officers and soldiers were gathering in Aksaray. He knew that such a group of ill-intentioned militants had to break into the territory and they had to prepare their swords, bows and arrows.

With his brain running at high speed, he immediately came up with a plan: "I can bring my soldiers to join you. At the same time, I know something important, maybe it is related to you."

Seeing that the current Karaman was a man who knew the current affairs, the red-headed Bey nodded and said, "What's the matter?"

In order not to arouse unnecessary suspicion, Osman did not exaggerate, but only told the other party the important news and some rumors he had learned during his last transaction.

He also volunteered: "I am familiar with everything here, including the roads, settlements and surrounding tribes. I can serve as a guide."

After learning the important military information that the army was recruiting troops and waiting in Aksaray, the red-headed Bey ordered the release of the hostages and said: "You wait here for a while, I will report this to the Caliph."

The accidentally obtained intelligence attracted the attention of Shahkulu and Havaci. The two people, who were still worried about losing the initiative on the battlefield due to the lack of information, immediately wanted to confirm the authenticity of the news. Several teams of scouts quickly rushed to Ah Waqi. Kesarai.

As for the Kalaman tribe that was accidentally "recruited", Shahkulu instructed: "First count the young people, then distribute money and food according to the number of young people, and then give some gold and silver to the leader. Don't give to the young ones." ”