The Sun and the Lion

After Mihad dealt with the affairs related to the army, he planned to squeeze himself into the ranks of tribal leaders. Ordinary leaders could not satisfy him. He wanted to be called Khan, Mosilu Khan.

At this time, in addition to a regiment given to him by Ibrahim, he also had intelligence. He only told Ibrahim the ins and outs of his rebellion, and successfully ambushed and annihilated Mosu who came out to attack the camp before the war. He didn't say anything about your garrison.

Ibrahim and the Khans thought that the defenses of Mosul were still the same as before.

Mihad and Ahmed confirmed the results of the battle, removed their own and unidentifiable corpses, and counted nearly two thousand dead corpses, one of which was suspected to be the emir of Mosul. He was sure that the best of Mosul's defenders were lost here.

After the people in the city learned that the attack on the camp failed and the entire army was almost annihilated, they all came up with the idea of ​​​​running to Baghdad through the Tigris River. That night, nearly ten boats secretly went down the river, but were intercepted by Ahmed. stay, although several ships escaped the blockade.

The cargo carried on the ship was mainly gold and silver, as well as the crew's luggage and rations. The crew members who were randomly selected for questioning also explained the situation in the city in detail - low morale, insufficient equipment, and insufficient military supplies... …

But Ahmed, who learned this information, had no chance to conquer the city of Mosul. Before the army's preparations for a new round of siege were completed, first Gaolaberi rushed into the camp and killed indiscriminately, and then the Mihad rebellion , forcing Ahmed to abandon the siege camp and all the baggage inside.

"Captain Mihad, Shah asked you to go to the big tent to attend a meeting." Just as Mihad was gathering his thoughts in his tent, a bow wielder came to the door and shouted to the tent.

"I know." After adjusting his clothes a little, Mihad walked out of the tent and arrived at the big tent under the guidance of the bow holder.

When he arrived at the ground, Mihad observed the scenery inside the tent and found that no one had arrived yet, and there were still many empty seats. Several Khan kings who were exchanging cups with Ibrahim looked up when they saw someone at the door. for a moment, and then continued drinking without a care in the world. Drinking with Ibrahim on the side was a Georgian named Heraclius. I heard that this man was brave in battle, and Ibrahim was very optimistic about him. He was a new rich man.

A little further away from Ibrahim are the begs. Their positions are determined by their military positions. Most of them are generals under the various khans. Their rank is higher than that of a commander. How many troops can they command or accept? What the task is depends entirely on the general in charge of it.

Mihad glanced around and found that he was the only one at the scene.

He had no choice but to sit down far away from Ibrahim, and then silently drank the sherbet brought by the waiter.

Different from other gathering places - there is no hookah here, tobacco has not been introduced to the Middle East, and Ibrahim banned opium and marijuana in the military. Anyone who secretly possesses narcotics will be whipped and then imprisoned in a small prison. If you quit smoking in the house, you will be executed if it is serious.

Finish a drink. He looked up at Ibrahim who was surrounded by the Khans. The Khans seemed to be saying something to Ibrahim, but Mihad did not listen carefully. Ibrahim, on the other hand, had a very forced smile on his face. When modern people see this expression and add a water drop, they can make an "almost enough" emoticon.

"Cough cough cough... cough!" Ibrahim cleared his throat, "Everyone, let's start today's meeting."

Everyone returned to their place.

"Your Majesty." Kamran opened the document in his hand and pulled out one, "And the leaders, our food reserves can still be used by the army for about half a month, but the military supplies are seriously insufficient, and the craftsmen and doctors accompanying the army are also We cannot work normally, and our financial pressure can almost crush us. It is impossible to rely on taxes from the rear to maintain a long-term siege." Kamran first elaborated on the current general situation, saying that the situation was tragic enough. It makes people suspect that he is a defeatist strategist.

"But even a strong attack is very difficult. The siege equipment Ahmed left in the camp has not yet been completed. Although our craftsmen can continue to make it, the problem still lies in the materials. Every step in making ladders and siege towers Every piece of wood has to be transported from the Caucasus, and the money and time spent are unacceptable to us."

"How much gunpowder do we have? Can we blow down a section of the city wall?" Ibrahim asked.

"This has to wait for the engineers' survey."

"Then let's reduce the number of siege engines and don't even think about attacking multiple sections of the city wall at the same time."

Then the next siege battle is expected to be very brutal, especially the first time. Who will be the pioneer is the next difficult question.

Ibrahim set his sights on Mihad.

Mihad stood up: "Your Majesty, I am willing to offer you my loyalty and Mosul, but obviously, to attack a large city, a thousand people are definitely not enough."

The other leaders looked at Mihad with some displeasure. They thought Mihad was shirking his responsibility - a surrendered general who didn't perform meritorious service and still wanted to gain a foothold here?

"Your Majesty, can you allow me to borrow your map?" Mihad was very humble, bending down so much that his face almost touched the ground.

"Can."

Mihad stepped forward and pointed with his finger at the various icons on the map.

His fingers first swept across the straight line representing the city wall of Mosul. "This is the city wall of Mosul. Except for the section along the river, all other walls can be targets of our attack. But according to the description of the clerk just now and the instructions of His Majesty, , we can only storm one section of the city wall."

He pointed his finger at the northwest-southeast city wall of Mosul and tapped, "Your Majesty, I recommend attacking here. The terrain in front of this section of the city wall is relatively flat, suitable for the movement of siege engines, and this is what Ahmed attacked by force. Main direction, lots of facilities to take advantage of.”

Everyone nodded.

"If your Majesty wants me to be the vanguard, then I hope to choose this place as the target of attack..." Mihad swallowed the second half of the sentence. He thought about it, but he still didn't want to share the success of the siege with others.

Ibrahim, who didn't notice anything strange, nodded, "I allow you."

Mihad, who was secretly happy in his heart, suppressed his emotions: "It is the honor of slaves to serve you."

After determining the siege matters, Ibrahim discussed other military matters with the senior officers. Because there were relatively few things, the meeting did not last long.

"Okay, the banquet will be held after the city is captured. By then the supplies from the rear will have arrived. Dismissed."

Then, Ibrahim thought about Mihad's siege plan, and always felt that something was wrong. "This is too crude. Does he really think that he can take Mosul with one regiment?"