The Sun and the Lion

Your Majesty, your Vizier Assad requests to see you. The eunuch reported to Ibrahim softly, for fear of disturbing Ibrahim who was concentrating on reading.

Ibrahim tucked the bookmark into the page, closed it and put it aside, You can invite him in.

Assad then entered the study and knelt down in front of Ibrahim: Your servant salutes you, the great King of Kings.

Well, what was the result of this trip to Cairo? Is Malik from Egypt willing to cooperate with me? Ibrahim chose to enter the topic directly.

Assad took out the letter from Saladin's Castle to Ibrahim, which started with a series of majestic royal titles and titles: Malik Annasir, by the grace of Allah, Sultan of Egypt and Syria, Jerusalem, Mecca and The Protector of Medina, the Servant and Guardian of the Caliphate… pays homage to Ibrahim Safawi, the Shah of Iran.”

Then came the formal reply to the King of Kings: I heard the news that you defeated the Aries Dynasty and ruled Iran and Iraq. I congratulated you and tried my best to entertain your envoys in return for your goodwill. I also I hope to form a deep friendship with you personally, but the persecution of orthodox believers in your country is disturbing and has shocked the whole world. Even God will be sad for it. I ask you to stop the persecution to preserve the peace between you and me. Fang’s friendship.”

Seeing the Mamluk Sultan's euphemistic condemnation of him, Ibrahim just shrugged and continued reading.

Afterwards, the issues of consul posting and right of passage were discussed, and Annesir agreed readily to these two matters. In fact, a group of Lebanese Shia jurists who were originally restricted from leaving the country followed the mission and entered Ibrahim's rule. However, they did not come to Tabriz immediately. Instead, they first went to Najaf and Went on pilgrimage to the holy place of Karbala.

Finally, regarding the alliance with Osman, this matter was prevaricated by Anasir: Osman is located on the edge of the two worlds. He is the pioneer in launching jihad against the infidels and spreading the teachings of the prophets. He is the cutting edge of renewing the world... Therefore, we We cannot stab our compatriots who are fighting on the front lines in the back.

Seeing this, Ibrahim could only feel speechless. His father, the former Sultan Qatebey, had repelled the Ottoman attack a few years ago. If he had known that the Mamluks were destroyed by this compatriot, Can I still write this paragraph shamelessly?

A beast wants to watch two other beasts bite each other in order to profit from it, but he doesn't know that he will be the one who suffers the disaster in the end. Like a prophet, Ibrahim dissatisfiedly told the final outcome of the Mamluks .

Obviously, after learning about Ibrahim's hidden hostility towards Osman, Saladin Castle chose to sit back and watch, intending to let both Safavid and Osman suffer. For the Mamluks, who had little desire for expansion, maintaining a balance of power seemed to be the best option.

You have done a good job. As a vizier, you will get the treatment you deserve. After reading the Mamluks' reply, Ibrahim assigned a servant to lead Assad to his new home - —A mansion in the city that is standard for every vizier.

In the dungeon of the castle, Ahmed, who didn't know how much time had passed, suddenly saw the door open, and two red heads were escorting a man with weak legs and feet limping inside.

The dim light prevented him from recognizing him for a moment, but the bored Ahmed leaned against the door with great curiosity, squinting and observing the man walking gradually in the corridor.

He came closer and the light illuminated his face. Although the face looked tired and desperate, with messy beard, hair, and disheveled clothes, Ahmed recognized him as Murad.

Ha, isn't this the owner of Baghdad, the Sultan of Iraq? Why are you here as a guest? Are you here to visit me? Ahmed then mocked, while Murad, who had his head lowered, just looked up and turned around. He glanced at Ahmed, said nothing in reply, and continued to walk towards his cell with his head lowered.

Shut up, why are you making such a fuss? The food you've been eating lately has been too good. Are you still itchy because I didn't punish you? You don't have a clue, you're just a half-hearted guy. The guard captain in charge of escorting Dissatisfied with the sudden noise, he drew his sword and knocked on the door of Ahmed's cell, scaring him to take a few steps back.

Then he heard the sound of the cell door next door being opened, then being slammed shut and then locked.

Lying on the quilt, he had no choice but to close his eyes and continue sleeping.

Shah Khan Shah has arrived!

An announcement woke up all the prisoners in the cell. When they leaned against the door and looked outside through the gap between the railings, the guards had already assembled and stood at the gate.

Scanning the prison guards in front of him, looking for Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuan.com Ibrahim accepted their salutes, and then ordered: Take me to Ahmed and Murad's cell.

yes.

Under the guidance of the guard captain, Ibrahim and a group of guards came to the door of two adjacent rooms. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the jailer opened the door with a key, and several bow-wielders entered the room and escorted the two unknown people out.

Hello, it's a beautiful sunny day today, my dear cousins. Ibrahim said to Murad and Ahmed, who were being served by two strong men respectively.

You have got what you want, and I have lost everything I can lose. What else do you want to do? Ahmed asked bravely.

You still have your lives.

The two of them felt that their death was imminent, but they couldn't kill more than just nodded. As losers, they can only accept this ending.

But Ibrahim didn't want to simply kill them.

You won't all die. One of you can survive, but it's up to you.

What do you mean? they both asked at the same time.

You fight each other and kill each other, and the winner will be free. I will give you a travel fee for you to leave and live in seclusion in the Holy Land.

Looking at the two people who were deep in thought, Ibrahim added: You don't need to think about it. This is not a discussion, this is a notice, this is an order. As prisoners, you have no choice. Whether you want it or not, when the time comes, I will The guards will drag you out and fight in my garden for my pleasure.

Then Ibrahim ordered the jailers: Find them a doctor and improve their food. The weak slaves do not have the strength to fight. Then he left the dungeon.