The Sun and the Lion

Oruchi was lying on a stretcher, and his relatives wiped the sweat from his forehead with a cloth and helped him sit up and sit firmly. He stared at the forearm that the doctor had just removed with a saw. The pain of the amputation and the tied and blood-stained left sleeve told him that this was real.

"Where are we now?" At this time, the fleet was sailing along the coast. He turned his head to the coast. A close friend on the side reported: "Chief, it will take about one day and two nights to reach Tunisia."

However, the city of Tunisia is no longer a safe haven for Barbary pirates. The Hafs dynasty, which has gradually become the mayor of Tunisia, is unable to stop the Spanish invasion. They rely on Catalan mercenaries to defend the remaining royal power and After King Ferdinand of Spain signed the treaty, the Spanish garrison built a fortress in the La Goulette area. Taking advantage of the geographical location, it actually controlled the city's shipping.

The terrain there is no more open than the port of Bejaia, and it is difficult for ships to maneuver. If you break in by ship, you can only forcefully eat the cannonballs fired from the fortress.

Although the fleet is stocked with supplies in the cabin when setting off, galleys require manpower to sail. No matter how poor the treatment of the rowers on the bottom of the boat, basic survival during the voyage must be guaranteed, even if there is a serious shortage of men in the rowing positions. Dozens of mouths need to eat and drink. Such a huge cumulative consumption requires frequent replenishment of the galley to meet the needs during the voyage.

Fortunately, the situation did not get worse. After the fleet successfully escaped, there was no Spanish fleet to pursue it, and the nerves that had been tense due to the bloody battle gradually relaxed.

The next voyage back to Djerba was uneventful, not even experiencing strong winds or waves. Deliberately avoiding the strongholds already controlled by Christians, the fleet leisurely replenished supplies at many small ports along the way. The red-bearded brothers successfully returned to their lair to lick their wounds. Oruch, who was seriously injured, sat on the island and took care of various chores. Isaac traveled between friendly ports and used the savings in the castle to purchase supplies and recruit personnel to supplement the losses in the battle. Herzl continued to bring " Diplomacy" mission to Izmir.

However, he did not sail directly to his destination. He first went north to Malta and Sicily to plunder a group of people. First, he replenished a group of rowing slaves that had been greatly lost, and then selected a group of slaves that could be sold at a high price in the market as goods. As a famous pirate, if he acts arrogantly on the sea, he is likely to be intercepted deliberately. Pretending to be an ordinary merchant is not that conspicuous.

After crossing the Strait of Otranto, the galley sailed along the coast of the Morea Peninsula and then across the Aegean Sea, passing the island of Lesbos to Izmir.

While selling slaves to the local market, he visited the port town, designated as the headquarters of the Roma navy. Izmir did not suffer much disaster during the war. It avoided all the devastating blows such as massacres of cities and villages suffered by many villages and towns in the mainland. Now it has become an important port again, and its status can be said to have skyrocketed.

Nothing in Izmir was beyond his knowledge, even the groups of European merchants and the trading stations and consulates established here. In front of the more prosperous international trade in Iscandariya and Damietta, Not surprising either.

There were no more things that could attract his attention. Let's get straight to the point. Since the recruitment activities were very high-profile, it was easy for Herzl to find the officials to express his intention.

The officer in charge of recruitment, Saddam, was a galley captain transferred from the Persian Gulf and a combat hero who participated in the Battle of Goa. He was responsible for supervising and presiding over the formation of the Mediterranean fleet with galleys as the main force. Ehsan The best candidate available.

The two soon began to communicate in Arabic. Saddam, who understood the situation, looked meaningfully at the famous Barbary pirates in front of him. Herzl did not simply bring his men to accept the recruitment.

"God has blessed us, and it is a surprise to have such a prestigious Ghazi warrior like you come here. I am very honored." Saddam complimented, and then listened to his request to see the person in power.

Speaking of those in power, the first thing Saddam thought of was the King of Kings who was far away in Isfahan: "The journey from Izmir to Isfahan is not short. If you want to see His Majesty, you will have to travel a long distance." ...Then let me introduce you to Konya first."

"Sorry to trouble you." Herzl ordered a group of followers, accompanied by guides and guards, and went deep into the interior with letters, gifts, etc., skipping many settlements that were destroyed and abandoned due to the conquest of the red-headed militia, they successfully arrived in Kota Kinabalu. Nia is waiting to be received.

The person who finally decided to meet was not the Sultan of Rum, the Grand Vizier or the Grand Emir, but Sheikh Islam, who should be responsible for religious affairs. When Shah Kulu appeared in front of Herzir dressed as a frail priest, he understood He found out who was the real talker in Konya, and was more sure of impressing the other party.

"May Allah bless you, Your Excellency Sheikh Islam, and thank you for taking your precious time to care about the struggle in the Maghreb." After saying that, Herzl asked his entourage to bring all the things he had prepared and looked for Shuyuan. www.zhaoshuyuan． com Several captured Spanish, Portuguese, Genoese and Knights Hospitaller flags were displayed and spread on the ground, while other trophies captured from the Christians were presented to Shahkulu as gifts.

Herzl finally presented a navigation guide. Obviously, this manual, which compiled nautical charts of the entire Mediterranean, would be extremely important in future Mediterranean operations. Finally, the Redbeard brothers also mixed in private goods—a map of the Caribbean captured from the Spanish. , a captured officer claimed to have participated in Columbus's voyage.

He did not know that the King of Kings had already learned about the existence of the New World from the Portuguese, and wanted to use this method to stimulate the conquerors' desire for expansion and then invest in the Barbary pirates.

After showing the chips, Herzl handed the letter to Shahkulu: "Everything we ask for is in this letter. Please read it."

Oruch first repented and asked for forgiveness, because they were originally Korkut's retainers and now wanted to switch to the new master, saying that their previous allegiance to another Shahzad was foolish.

Then came the oath of allegiance, and the red-bearded brothers jumped directly over Sultan Rum to pledge their allegiance to the King of Kings, expressing their willingness to dedicate everything they conquered in the ocean. And requested support for their jihadist cause, including supplies, warships, soldiers, military expenses, etc.

"I will truthfully report everything you said to Your Majesty. I think Sheikh will be interested in the cause of jihad in the Maghreb and will not sit back and watch the infidels enslave fellow Muslims. You don't need to worry."

Shahkulu's answer made Herzl anxious. It would take a lot of time just to get the messenger back and forth. If he had to go to Iran to meet the new master, it would take even more time...

Sheikh Islam then changed the topic, seeming to see where Herzl was worried: "Before His Majesty officially replies, I can provide the best support for the jihad."