The Sun and the Lion

Inside the castle of Ardabil

"Dear Sheikh." Under the guidance of his attendants, Hussein entered the meeting hall. After taking over the city, the Order temporarily retained the original administrative structures in the city and took inventory of the city's inventory.

Ardabil dates back to classical times and was the center of the Azerbaijan region, but was soon replaced by Tabriz. The two sackings by the Georgians and Mongols and the long-term turmoil made the city appear even more declining, and it was not a blessed place.

Therefore, Ibrahim did not expect to receive large amounts of loot from Ardabil's treasury.

"The granary in Ardabil is not rich. If it were all used as military food, it would not be enough to feed our ten thousand cavalry for a month. After counting the arsenal and the ordnance bazaar, we found that there is not much armament here. There are only tens of thousands of bows and arrows. There were only 200 bows, more than a thousand swords, and nearly 400 complete sets of armor."

After talking about physical spoils, Hussein talked about finances. There is not much money in Ardabil's treasury, and business has basically stagnated due to the war. The current source of tax revenue mainly comes from the poll tax and the output of nearby villages.

However, the Qizilbash people do not need salaries or fiefdoms now. Religious fanaticism and looting are the biggest driving forces for the red-headed wars.

"Okay, then distribute all the inventory to the Qizilbas. Also, if there are craftsmen and doctors among the secular members, they must join the team. In my name, you can find the agent here. Help with recruitment.”

"As you wish." After receiving the order, Hussein saluted and left the palace.

After several days of preparation, this team of more than 10,000 people was going north to fight Shirwan Shah.

After capturing Ardabil, Ibrahim increased his mobilization efforts. The Qizilbash from Syria and Asia Minor also began to gather in Azerbaijan, and there were many followers who wanted to join the army.

But Ibrahim did not organize all these new members into the team going north. Instead, he made some reorganization and put the best quality batch into the expedition team, while the rest stayed in the city of Ardabil. . Ibrahim, who had not yet arrived, asked a messenger to send a message asking them to plunder Georgia first. If they failed, they could come to Shirvan Plain to find a large force.

The camp outside the city, the Chinese army’s tent

"I think everyone knows the meaning of the name Farooq Yassar to the Order. We sent troops to attack the treacherous Shirwan Shah not only to avenge my personal revenge, but also to punish this clown and die for him. Shirvan Shah and the brothers of the Order who are the lackeys of the Aries Sultan seek revenge.”

The Order suffered two major defeats, and the deaths of the two Shaykhs were directly related to Shirvan, who cast a shadow over the Order.

If he wins a big victory, his prestige will be greatly improved, and the warriors of the religious order will be able to get rid of this psychological shadow.

The leaders of various ministries all expressed their approval of Ibrahim's mobilization. Everyone was eager to fight and wanted to confront Shirwan Shah immediately.

"Dear Sheikh, our troops are all ready. As long as you give your order, we will immediately go north, surround the city of Baku, and seize the head of Farooq for you." Gaolabeli Kaiga, Mohammed Beg Ustaji, Khavaci Oglu and other commanders present all assured Ibrahim in unison.

"Then, please let all the leaders return to their respective ministries to make final preparations. We will set off at dawn tomorrow."

"Yes." After saying that, the leaders exited the tent and returned to their respective camps.

The next day, the Qizilbashis traveled east to Astara, then crossed the river and headed north into the Shirvan plains.

The cavalry first dispersed to plunder the countryside and robbed a lot of property. The degree of desolation in Sylvan was increasing rapidly.

After more than twenty days of happy looting, Ibrahim gathered his cavalry and began to uproot some small castles on the plains. At the same time, he sent scouts and dervishes in their true colors to monitor the direction of Baku.

Either through tunnel excavation or ant attack, most of the small castles that were easy to fight were taken down, and the religious group also seized some military supplies.

Faced with mountains of loot, Ibrahim directly distributed half of the loot to various tribes, and then marched north to Shamaki.

Baku city, Shirvanshah Palace

After nearly a month of tossing, Faruk finally understood the changes in the current situation.

First, the cult made big news in Tabriz, and then Ahmed suddenly raised troops and confronted Rostam on the shores of Lake Urmia. Rostam failed to defeat Ahmed quickly, and then Alvand and Murad also raised his own troops and established a separatist regime. The Mushasha Order chose to wait and see, and its attitude is unknown.

At the same time, the Safavids conquered Ardabil and then rushed into their own territory to run wild.

"Have the armies from all over the country been assembled?" Farouk asked his son Bahram, his tone was very calm. It sounded like the owner of the voice was not very excited, but it was a bit like a precursor to an outbreak.

"Everything is ready, father, now all that's left is your order." Bahram replied respectfully.

Since Faruk received sporadic rumors about the Safavid sect gathering followers, he began to gather troops from various places to wait in Baku and observe the situation in the south.

After learning that the troops from all over the country had almost arrived, Faruk left the palace and came to the military camp outside the city, intending to conquer it himself, just like before.

In the camp outside Baku, 26,000 people and nearly 20,000 horses were consuming the Shah's treasury and granaries. The merchants accompanying the army gathered near the camp like sharks smelling blood. Many soldiers were temporarily Wandering around the market.

Outside the camp, dozens of cavalry were monitoring these merchants and driving away the refugees from the plains to prevent spies from getting into them.

Of course, except for some people with ulterior motives, the refugees would all walk around when they saw the military master.

Farouk was waiting in the big tent, feeling a little uneasy for some reason, despite his numerical advantage.

When attacking Haidar, Faruk had the upper hand and had a numerical advantage. He also obtained support from his son-in-law Ye Ergubai with 4,000 fine cavalry. At this point, they were still locked in a bitter battle with the Order. Although Haidar died in the battle, the survivors of the Order were still able to bury Haidar on the chaotic battlefield and break out of the encirclement.

This scene gave Farooq a huge shock.

After the war, the battlefield was cleaned up, and the statistical data was not good-looking either.

But now that the cult has reached his own territory, even if he doesn't want to face it, he can only mobilize his troops and fight. He has no money to take a boat to the Caspian Sea and wait for the red-headed masters to have fun before returning to Baku. Moreover, the Aries Dynasty is now in a civil war, and no one will intercept the red heads when they return home with their trophies.

"Get out of the way! Urgent message!" A travel-worn messenger galloped through the camp, then reined in his horse and stopped in front of the big tent.

The soldiers outside the tent stopped the messenger. The messenger dismounted and said to the guards, "I have urgent military information to report to Your Majesty." The messenger's tone was urgent.

"You, wait for a moment." After saying that, a soldier turned around and entered the account.

Faruk was looking at the inaccurate map and outdated news on the table. When he heard the arrival of the messenger, he raised his head.

"Let him come in." After saying that, the messenger entered the big tent.

"Your Majesty, the Safavid Order appeared in Shamakhi one day ago. The residents in the city ran to the mountains to avoid the war. The defenders in the city were forced to abandon most of the city and could only stick to the Gulustan Fortress." The messenger. Farouk was briefly updated on the progress of the siege.

"What about the enemy's situation?"

"I don't know." The messenger lowered his head.

Farouk waved his hand, telling the messenger to retreat and rest, and then ordered the guards: "Go and pass the order to the troops and let them get ready. After noon, they will break camp and march westward to relieve the siege of Shamaki."

"yes."