The Sun and the Lion

On the first day of 1496, Ibrahim, who worked all year round, was still in his study processing official documents and meeting with ministers as usual.

Now he is meeting with the Financial Vizier, an Armenian who has a sad face every day and complains about financial problems every time he sees him. And when he came today, it was no exception. Thomas, who was bald due to his dutifulness, handed over another report to Ibrahim, attached the account books, and told him that the finances were going to be in trouble again.

"Your Majesty, I do not recommend loans now. Businessmen in Bazaar have already given us at least five loans. If our financial situation does not improve, the businessmen will refuse to give us a sixth loan because of our insufficient repayment ability. A loan..."

This heavy blow immediately silenced both of them.

"Are my finances really that bad?" Ibrahim asked reluctantly, although he knew that this was useless self-deception.

"Your Majesty, Tabriz and the entire Azerbaijan region have been ravaged by war throughout the year, so the only places we can actually collect taxes are Shirvan and Georgia. Even if our progress in Tabaristan goes well, It will take several months for the huge revenue from raw silk to enter the national treasury..." Thomas originally wanted to talk about the structure of expenditure, but he found that there was nothing to say, because most of it was on military expenditure, and he always wanted to talk about it. It cannot be said that the main reason for the financial collapse is that you raised too many troops. The army should be dismantled now.

The second-ranked item is the allocation to the religious group, which is used to carry out various activities inside and outside the territory. This cannot be said. The next step is the dead salary of civil servants. If this is cut, his political career will basically be over.

After reading the report, Ibrahim knew that Tofmas was unwilling to talk about expenditures, and he also knew that none of the three major items could be cut. If we can’t cut costs, we can only increase revenue.

"My vizier, have I only issued an order to devalue the currency once?" Ibrahim asked suddenly. He found that this was the only way. He couldn't borrow money from the Mamluks and Ottoman sultans, right? .

"Yes...Your Majesty." Thomas replied with difficulty.

"Then, please make relevant plans after you return, and be sure to fill this hole." The King of Kings ordered solemnly.

"Yes." The Armenian bowed respectfully and left.

As soon as Tofmas stepped out of the door, the guard came in and announced: "Your Majesty, your mentor, the respected Emir Hussein has asked to see your Majesty. He has been waiting outside the door for a long time."

Ibrahim ignored the respectful tone of the guard's voice and asked, "How long have you been waiting? What's going on?"

"When we came, we told him that you were meeting with the Financial Vizier, so he waited in the hall, and the attendants entertained him with the treatment he deserved..." the guard hurriedly explained to Ibrahim.

"Go and invite him over. Forget it, let me go there and you lead the way." Ibrahim waved his hand and asked the guards to lead the way. Soon the two of them walked to the living room.

Hussein was still dressed simply as usual, wearing a dark robe and a red turban like ordinary priests. He did not abandon his original life style because of his prominent position and authority.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for disturbing you when you are busy, but this matter is very important." Seeing Ibrahim's arrival, Hussein put the half glass of wine in his hand on the ground, and then stood up , skipped the greeting and went directly to the topic.

"My mentor, what can make you put down the heavy city defense affairs?" Ibrahim directly asked his question, "Is there any unusual movement in Alvand?"

"Yes and no." Hussein cleared his throat first. "There was civil strife in Arvand's army. His vassals captured him and planned to sacrifice him to you."

Ibrahim was a little dizzy from the sudden joy. Could it be that Allah was really blessing him?

"I want to know more about this surprising thing, mentor." Ibrahim finally controlled himself and kept himself from acting abnormally, but the trembling in his words still revealed his excitement. Then he led Hussein to the study. After the two sat down, they looked for the study. www.zhaoshuyuan.com Ibrahim hurriedly asked: "Is this true? Alwand forced his vassal to rebel?"

"Your Majesty, I only have a general idea." Hussein first gave Ibrahim a vaccination, and then said: "At first, Alwand, a coward, wanted to withdraw his troops when he saw that the siege was not going to work, but he was worried about me. The army attacked them while they were withdrawing, so they wanted to leave behind the vassal troops who followed him to attack the city."

"But things are not that simple, because about a week ago, the defenders in Tehran rebelled and withheld military supplies and taxes stored locally. Then Alvand got a legitimate reason to lead his troops to leave, but he soon Unfortunately, he encountered our army on the road, and Alvand lived up to his title of coward, abandoning the army and returning to the camp alone. With his strength and prestige greatly damaged, he completely lost the ability to control his vassals, and after several major wars After defeat, the vassals also lost confidence in Alvand, and the former supporters decided to sacrifice this former master for their own survival."

Hussein's simple summary allowed Ibrahim to roughly clarify the incident.

Then Ibrahim stood up, gathered the bow bearers accompanied by Hussein, and went to receive his spoils.

Under the gaze of both parties, the east gate of Tabriz slowly opened. The bow holders poured out of the door in an orderly manner according to their respective formations in units of hundreds. Soon, the bow bearers filled the open space in front of the city gate, and then opened a passage in the middle for Ibrahim and his guards to pass.

Seeing that the rightful owner had arrived, Daoud, the leader of the surrendering army, promptly presented his surrender certificate - Alvand, who was covered in wounds, gagged and had his hands tied behind his back.

Looking at the surrendered generals headed by Daoud, Ibrahim nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile: "Everyone, you have made a right decision."