The Sun and the Lion

In the palace in Baghdad, Murad was still worrying about gathering troops. There were few Turkmen tribesmen who had taken refuge with him. Murad's military chief, Barik Beg Bonak, wanted to gather a force that could compete with Aha. The troops in the Mede War not only mobilized their own tribes to the maximum extent, but also spent a lot of money to hire Bedouin nomads in the desert.

But it was still not enough. Murad continued to negotiate with the Musassah Order, hoping to win their support. Finally, Murad agreed to give a large amount of real estate to the Musassah Order after the war and recognized Sufism. legitimacy of doctrine.

Just when Murad was congratulating himself on having assembled a strong force, the report from Erbil City was handed to him.

Mosul was besieged, Erbil was besieged, and control of northern Mesopotamia was no longer in their hands.

"Your Majesty, the army is ready..." Barrick entered the study and was about to report the status of the army to Murad, but something was wrong with Murad was almost written on his face. Barrick hurriedly swallowed what he had not finished. Asked: "What's wrong with you? Did something happen?"

Murad nodded and handed the paper full of words to Barik.

After reading, Barik was not as nervous as Murad, but he persuaded with a relaxed look: "Your Majesty, although we have lost the northern part of Mesopotamia, two beasts will not allow the other We coexist in the same narrow area with ourselves. If one of the beasts tries to ignore the other and bites us, the other will definitely seize the opportunity to bite it in the butt. Whether they are in confrontation or conflict, we can With this respite, what we lost in Mesopotamia may be regained in Fars.”

"I hope that's the case." Murad did not feel relaxed and just replied perfunctorily.

"Your Majesty, your loyal servants are ready to obey your orders. We are waiting for your trumpet, no matter how long it takes." Balik believed that further persuading Murad would only be counterproductive, so he humbly exited the room and let his family The monarch thinks carefully about his next move.

Late at night, after drinking several cans of grape juice, Murad finally gave the order - to lead his troops to station in Kirkuk.

In the city of Erbil, the local emir came out and surrendered after the city wall was blown down. He was escorted by bow-wielders to the camp, and then knelt down in front of Ibrahim under coercion. Then without even giving him a chance to speak, Emil was dragged down again.

"Kamran, have the statistics been calculated?" Ibrahim said as he pushed the plate full of snacks in the direction of the clerk.

"Not yet, but most of the officials are very cooperative. I believe you will gain the loyalty here in a few days." Kamran flattered him, then picked up the coffee just served by the waiter and drank it. Looking at the table full of sweets, Kamran couldn't help but worry about Ibrahim's teeth. The monarch he served loved sweets so much that he had to taste the sweetness even when drinking coffee and yogurt. .

"So, my secretary, what do you think of this war?" After another sip, the coffee in the cup had reached the bottom. At this moment, Ibrahim suddenly changed the subject.

"If your Majesty asks this kind of question, you should consult the generals for their opinions. Your Majesty is just a small clerk. He can only use his stupid skills to handle paperwork for you." Kamran didn't know that Ibrahim What he wanted to say was carefully declined at first.

"You are not only a scribe, but also a glorious historian. How can you not have an opinion on a war?" After saying that, Ibrahim stared at Kamran's face, which made people feel scared.

"Yes, yes." Kamran responded quickly, then lowered his head, not looking at Ibrahim.

"That's all, I won't embarrass you, I want to rest too." Ibrahim originally wanted to have a simple chat, but gave up when he saw that the other party was reluctant.

"Your Majesty, please leave." Kamran quickly walked out of the tent and disappeared from Ibrahim's sight.

Ismail, who was flipping a book on the side, took a snack from the plate very naturally, seemingly indifferent to what happened in the big tent.

"Ismail, how much have you learned today?" Ibrahim grabbed his brother's hand holding the dessert and asked with a smile.

"Brother, I don't want to read the Bible anymore..." Ismail felt guilty and pushed the Bible to Ibrahim with his unbound right hand.

"You cannot communicate with the Lord by relying solely on scriptures and etiquette. Only with devout faith in your heart can you communicate with the Almighty Lord. I am sure about this." As a time traveler, Ibrahim is very relaxed about religious issues. open.

"Then what do you want to see?" Although Ibrahim knew clearly, he still asked knowingly, and deliberately carried Ismail to the table so that he could see clearly and carefully. to maps and documents.

"I think swords are better than books. I want to chop off the heads of disobedient people with a sword like my brother, and make those who want to live surrender to the blade." Ismail answered in a childish voice without hesitation.

Ibrahim just touched Ismail's head and said nothing, which made Ismail think he said something wrong and looked at Ibrahim with a strange expression.

The reason for Ibrahim's silence is simple - he himself only knows a little about military affairs, let alone teaching.

"In this case, then I will designate a few teachers for you, and I will check your level regularly." After Ibrahim finished speaking, he pushed the plate with snacks to Ismail, and then picked up the document and thought about it. got up.

Ismail just nodded obediently, then took the dessert aside and played with himself.

Mosul, siege camp

The banquet has lasted for three hours and has come to an end. The prepared food has almost been eaten. Ahmed also remembered that he would inspect the preparations for a new round of attack today. Finally, with the exit of the musicians and dancers, the banquet ended.

Ahmed, who had just finished enjoying himself, stayed up all night again. He couldn't help but yawn, took the pipe from the servant, took a few puffs of smoke to refresh himself, and then started the day's work.

"Your Majesty, although I shouldn't disturb you, I think you should know the news." After a while, Ahmed's spy chief came in.

"What's the news?" Ahmed, who was in a happy mood, asked.

"Erbil fell in just one day. Your Majesty, in addition to Murad in the south, you now have to deal with Ibrahim on the flank."