The Sun and the Lion

Finally, the city gate was opened, and a group of envoys who came to negotiate were brought to Ustaji Khan. The invaders showed no mercy. He gave the negotiators a strong order: "You are not qualified to bargain with me, except for surrender and death." , there is no other choice.”

The tough attitude of the Safavid army caused the negotiators to fail. The citizens of Kayseri, who originally wanted to avoid the disaster through bribery and ransom payment, decided to resist. According to rumors, Kutahiya was massacred for refusing to convert to Shia right after the surrender. If these heretics were allowed to enter the city, they would probably die like this "obediently".

"General, I think it is best to hold this town in your hands before His Majesty arrives so that the following army can rest and recuperate in time." Nur Ali suggested to Ustaji Khan.

Ustaji Khan, who agreed with this plan, glanced at the various commanders attending the meeting in the tent. The troops he led happened to be a mixture of Kurdish auxiliary troops and red heads, and they needed to consider the allocation of different tasks such as ascending first.

Several captains who realized what the Lord was about to say were very active and volunteered in the hope of seizing the task: "General, our regiment is willing to be the vanguard to climb the city wall, and I hope you will give this honor to me and my subordinates. .”

Although the city wall can be used to resist, the defense of the city still depends on people. There are no elite soldiers in Kayseri City, only a group of armed citizens who lack military capabilities for defense. In the eyes of the officers, they were not considered strong enemies, and they collapsed under the attack of elite soldiers.

Thanks to the high enthusiasm of the troops, Ustaji Khan was able to quickly assign tasks, and the assigned cavalry squads went to surrounding villages to collect supplies for filling trenches.

The high efficiency of the Safavid army did not leave much preparation time for the city of Kayseri. The swift and violent multi-faceted attack successfully broke through the defense line without any suspense. Several troops who were the first to attack succeeded in the assault at only a small cost.

By the time Ibrahim arrived, Ustaji Khan had already taken care of the aftermath. The town and the surrounding rural areas had become a firmly controlled occupied area, and the resistance forces had been eliminated as far as the eye could see. In order to calm down the chaos as soon as possible, the red head only executed the qadi who served locally. The Sunni people and even the mosques and clergy were safe and sound. The enthusiasm of this army during the battle and the restraint and obedience under the orders made the local people in awe.

However, if he wanted to save his life, he would inevitably lose money. Ustaji Khan still extorted a ransom of nearly 500,000 Akche from here. Except for one-fifth of the stipulated payment, he distributed all the remaining money to his troops. As reward and compensation.

More and more people arrived at the camp outside the city, and Ibrahim made a decision in the camp tent. Shahkulu was once again ordered to carry out religious work in Asia Minor and mobilize local believers to support the Safavid army. He did not want to scatter his troops due to these areas that changed hands before the decisive battle.

As the legendary Derwig who killed two pashas in succession, one of whom was also the grand vizier, leader of the rebels, and the banner of "Servant of the Shah", which has huge influence in Asia Minor, it is no surprise that it attracts many The martyrs came to seek refuge, and the Shiite community who received the news had a positive attitude towards the army of the King of Kings, and many people wholeheartedly welcomed it.

With the cooperation of the local Shias, and the fact that the Sunni people are afraid of military power and have not been forced into a desperate situation, the current risk of harassment of the supply lines can be said to be minimal.

After determining that Kayseri would be used as a logistics base in the enemy's country, the Safavid army continued to advance westward along the road to Aksaray, where a messenger from Konya stopped Ibrahim.

The guards took the messenger to the camp tent: "Your Majesty, this is the messenger sent by the enemy chief Ahmed. He said he has something to discuss with you in detail."

Ibrahim signaled to the palace guard who was on duty today. The guard bowed and retreated through the door curtain and returned to his original post.

The Ottoman messenger took the letter out of his pocket, handed it to the King of Kings through the attendant in the tent, and bowed to pay tribute. He wanted to see with great interest how far Ahmed could spread his tongue, and then keep his tongue or skull as a trophy, depending on the situation.

In his letter, Ahmed was shocked and angry at Ibrahim's invasion: "I have long heard that you are a conqueror who pursues glory and wants to annex the world. I think you are a talented person, and now the world is rich and blessed. There are still lands that you have not conquered. Rom is just a barren land. Aren’t Michel and Sham more worthy of your attack? Moreover, since the founding of our country, the Ottoman Supreme State has stood on the border of the two worlds and conquered the pagans. Ghazi will always be the first identity of my family. Taking advantage of the chaos to attack Muslim compatriots is the most intolerable betrayal. Destroying our country will only benefit the Franks and bring shame to God and the Prophet! Since you are so powerful With your military strength, why not conquer Hindustan and Peach Blossom Stone? Trample all the powerful pagans under your feet and complete the great deeds that Timur the Lame could not do. You are the Ghazi among the Ghazis, the living Iskandar and Genghis Khan, in the future countless people will praise you for their faith and reverence for heroes. Find the book garden www.zhaoshuyuan.com What is the benefit and what is the cover? I hope you can think about it carefully. "

Ibrahim glanced at the signature at the end of the letter and saw that Ahmed had already claimed to be the Sultan of Anatolia. There is no need to refer to history books. If you think about how your uncle Jam Sultan went into exile and died in a foreign country, you will know the consequences of separatist Asia Minor.

And the content of the letter is that Ahmed is trying to persuade him to turn around and turn to other more valuable conquest goals by stating the pros and cons in this way, but avoids talking about the threat to Ottoman himself. Is this showing weakness or coaxing?

All in all, it lacks appeal and persuasion.

"Your master, I will consider the matter of Shahzad Ahmed." The King of Kings looked calm, waved his hand, and immediately asked the guards to send the messenger away.

The staff present quickly circulated the letter left behind and said uncertainly: "Your Majesty, there is actually no need to consider this suggestion. You..."

"Of course I will not consider this worthless proposal. The order remains unchanged and the army marches as usual."

Ismail, who was busy inspecting the cavalry troops, returned to the camp tent at this time. He happened to hear this sentence and asked curiously: "I just saw the palace guards escorting a person away. What happened?"

Ibrahim took the letter back, pasted it on the desk and pushed it to the other end: "Look at this."

"So you didn't consider his proposal." Ismail understood what had just happened, put the letter back and said, "But I think there is one point in it that is right. Sham, Michel, Hindustan, Peach Blossom Stone … There are still many places in the world where we need to use sword and fire to spread the truth.”

"Well, thank you to Allah, the Most Merciful and Merciful." Ibrahim responded, and then changed the topic to business.