The Sun and the Lion

Hailbey, who was waiting in the mansion that served as a guest house, paced uneasily in the room. Even if he was the governor of Aleppo, he might have angered the King of Kings and might still be detained or even punished—— If the Shah of Iran wants to break up.

Concerned about his future, he desperately sought medical treatment and thought that he could repeat his old tricks. He had secretly colluded with Osman. As a high-ranking spy, he provided important information to Padisha, and when necessary, secretly tipped the battle to Osman's side.

However, neither Selim nor the Ottoman Sultan in the future could become a strong competitor to the Mamluks, and this secret relationship was cut off by him. It happened that Selim usurped the throne and came to power. In addition, his rapid defeat made his domestic political situation a mess, and he couldn't care less about the Mamluks' internal agents taking the initiative to cut off contact.

Perhaps in order to protect his own life and future prospects, should he strive to show his unique value to another powerful foreign monarch? Even if he is a heretic who acts cruelly and has inconsistent ideas?

After arranging his appearance in front of the mirror placed on the wall, Hailbey strode out of the room: "Where is the residence of the Ambassador of Venice? I want to visit the Ambassador."

His impromptu idea made the attachés and the Safavid officials responsible for connecting with him look at each other. Fortunately, no one said anything to ask why, and they followed the order.

When the Governor of Aleppo followed the officials and affairs in charge of reception to the Venetian Embassy to disturb Franco, the King of Kings, who had shut himself in his study to think, summoned several viziers and advisers to discuss Cansu Gowri. this wave of diplomatic operations.

The inexplicable diplomatic request made by the Mamluk envoys has been regarded as a humiliation by Diwan. Both civil servants and military generals have voiced their immediate expulsion or even detention to demand an apology from Malik and the Caliph for this offense.

After Ibrahim calmed down, he thought about why the Mamluk Sultan would risk irritating him by sending an envoy to meet him like this. Even if he had already realized that he would become the next target of Safavid conquest, he should not be so fussy. , wouldn’t it be more effective, concealed and safe to prepare for war silently and make some small moves?

Really unable to think of a reasonable explanation and wondering what Kansu Gauri was up to, he gave up thinking about the matter and began to counterattack this "offensive".

Regarding the handling of the mission itself, Ibrahim's measures were not considered tough. He did not order the forcible detention of all Mamluk officials from Khail Bey on down, nor did he invite them to stay to show off their power to deter or intimidate. ——Already has a record of winning every battle, and other acts of showing off force are just the icing on the cake.

Finally, he refused all the gifts offered by the mission and summarily deported all its members, sending them back to Cairo with unkind replies.

Hailbey's diplomatic rhetoric fully exposed the Red Sea anxiety of Saladin Castle. In this case, let's have a good tit-for-tat confrontation on the pain points.

Calculating the time, the two fleets that Ahsan was ordered to mobilize ships and manpower should be ready to go. The newly forged sword will be unsheathed and displayed. Not only must it be displayed openly, but it must also be performed in front of the audience. Spend fun.

The Hajj convoy that departed from Hormuz completed supplies in Aden and then visited Jeddah and then sailed to Aqaba, Suez and other Red Sea ports under the Mamluk regime.

"Ah~, maybe it can be like this..." For some reason, he suddenly renamed this fleet "Red Sea Guards", and this trip abroad to show strength was called "Sea of ​​Peace".

How Malik and the emirs react to this matter is not of concern to Ibrahim. If Cairo intends to invest more of its limited financial resources in the construction of the Red Sea Fleet and port and coastal defense, then naturally it will It could not be better.

Time passed quickly to evening, and Ibrahim, who had prepared orders to handle government affairs as usual, planned to go to the harem after dinner. Since his victory, he would take time almost every week or even every day to "make up" for the time he could not see each other due to the war abroad. Wife and daughter.

The guard guarding the door interrupted his distraction before leaving get off work: "Your Majesty, Franco, the Venetian ambassador, has requested an audience and is currently waiting outside the palace."

"Call him in."

This time Franco took the risk of coming as a broker to represent Hail Bey. Although he had no experience as a consul in Aleppo, nor had he ever been to Bazaar in Syria as an agent, he had no relationship with the governor. There is no personal relationship. His willingness to act as Hailbey's lobbyist was mainly based on Venice's interests. He did not want the two countries to become too stalemate.

In places where the Republic cannot project military power, peace must still be valued. Only peace and stability can generate wealth.

"Dear His Majesty Shah, foreign ministers have heard that you want to expel all the envoys from the Sudan of Egypt. Maybe you don't have to be so anxious. Please listen to me and it will not be too late to deal with them."

Through the layers of rhetoric of the Venetian ambassador, he understood that Hailbey currently hopes to meet again and give him another chance to talk. As for what to talk about specifically, Franco didn't know, but he just promised that it would definitely be beneficial to the King of Kings.

"I understand. You tell him first. If he fails to seize this opportunity, it will not be just as simple as expulsion. Tomorrow, let him come to the palace alone."

"As you wish." Seeing that his goal was achieved, Franco immediately bowed and left.

The Mamluk mission, which was about to pack up and leave, soon learned of the good news. Hailbey, who successfully reversed the diplomatic failure, was regarded as a "hero" by his attachés and was publicly called an "outstanding diplomat." , "a glib talker".

He accepted all the flattery with a smile. Only he knew that he was only uneasy in his heart. The nervousness had already made him think about other things, and he walked along the avenue towards the Grand Palace as if he was rushing to the execution ground.

Following the expressionless eunuch into the small room, the feared King of Kings appeared in front of him, took the initiative to kneel down, and then said: "Dear Shah, I hope you will calm down, sir. I have a suggestion, please listen patiently, and it will not be too late to decide whether I will live or die after careful consideration."

Immediately afterwards, Ibrahim watched in surprise as a foreign official proposed to him that he would secretly pledge allegiance to him. He could maximize the convenience for the Iranians to carry out various activities in Aleppo and reprint the importance of the Mamluks in a timely manner. information to Isfahan, and promptly defected during the war to accelerate the development of the war.

In order to enhance his persuasiveness and demonstrate his value, Hailbey immediately revealed the contacts between Selim and Kansu Gauri. Ibrahim, who was incapable of monitoring Ottoman shipping, learned about it for the first time. Mamluk envoys set foot on Rumelia, and contact between the two countries had begun.

Ibrahim, still suspicious of his motives, continued to scrutinize him warily, but showed a much softened attitude and readily accepted this secret "allegiance."