The Sun and the Lion

A team of scouts who completed their reconnaissance mission returned to the military camp only one day away from Astralabad. The captain headed by him and the spies who had returned from infiltration went to the big tent to report to Gaola Beli.

As the general, Gaolaberi is discussing the next combat strategy with his commanders, and the intelligence sent by the scouts and spies will be the basis for decision-making.

General, Astarabad does not have tall and strong fortifications. There are only fragile walls and castles that separate the urban areas. The surrounding rural areas are densely populated and a large amount of supplies can be collected. The captain asked Gaolabe Lihui reports.

During the establishment of the Safavid dynasty, the city defenses of various settlements in Iran were already dilapidated. Most settlements had no city walls that surrounded the entire area, and relied only on castles that could accommodate a small number of garrisons and some residents as fulcrums for resistance. Even in the few cities with intact city walls like Tabriz, Tehran, Mashhad, and Yazd, the situation is not optimistic. Of the four examples above, the walls of Tabriz are the most dilapidated.

Relying solely on the castle as a city defense force means that there are not many defenders in the area. If we want to resist to the end, the urban areas outside the castle cannot be saved. As it happened, according to spies' reports, the garrison in the castle would not exceed a thousand.

At this time, Gaolaberi had 5,000 elite cavalry, and Ali, the governor of Tabaristan, provided him with nearly 3,000 mercenaries and private soldiers, as well as military engineers and the necessary ordnance, to deal with the Astalabad garrison alone. , that's more than enough. The only variable is the attitude of the powerful people in the city. If they choose to be loyal to Hussin Baihara, the materials and private soldiers they possess will strengthen the defense of the castle.

Everyone, the mission His Majesty has given us is very clear - capture Astarabad. We have not yet started a war with the Guregani (meaning Prince Consort, referring to Timur), and they have not noticed that we have Hostility. We can directly break camp, besiege the castle, and storm the castle as quickly as possible. Gaolaberi planned to directly persuade the captains to storm the castle.

In this case, will the casualties of the soldiers be too great? There is still plenty of time. We can also incite some forces in the city to rebel. Bey Hassan sent by Ali put forward his own opinion. If we attack by force, we will pay more casualties. Not to mention, will the red-headed and mercenaries who are so jealous of the killing let this city go? What will be handed over to Governor Ali at that time may not be a ruin that requires a lot of investment to restore.

We can't give the enemy time to prepare. It's difficult for our eight thousand troops to hide even in the dense forest. We also send spies to contact them. If they are discovered, they will alert the defenders. It's better to besiege the castle first. We can discuss any strategies at that time. .

Gaolaberi finally brought the war meeting to a conclusion. With his strong push, he will personally lead the red heads to march into Astalabad tomorrow and sweep the area outside the castle. Governor Ali's reinforcements were responsible for assisting the red heads in building siege camps, and assisting the baggage corps in collecting military supplies under the supervision of the military police and military judges.

The meeting is over and we should prepare for tomorrow's actions.

Yes. The officers accepted the order and left the tent.

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Blessed by Huda, there will be a good harvest this year!

In an orchard on the outskirts of Astarabad, a property owner was inspecting his property. This orchard mainly grows grapes for making wine, and also produces pomegranates for consumption by the middle class and wealthy people in the city.

Work hard and you will have a good harvest this year. I will reward you. The landlord continued to urge the fruit farmers to work.

The sound of horse hooves came from a distance, and the landowner didn't care at first. He thought it was a wealthy family traveling, but the sound of horse hooves, like a mountain falling apart, soon made him feel something was wrong.

Only a marching army can make such a sound!

Thinking of this, the landowner ran out of the orchard, mounted his horse, and planned to return to the city to report the matter to the local garrison.

But it was too late. The landowner heard a low horn sound from behind him. He turned around and saw a wave of cavalry rushing down the hillside in the distance, with various military flags flying as the cavalry maneuvered. This was a scene he had never seen before.

The landowner rode his horse and rushed into the city. At this time, Astarabad was already in panic. The citizens had learned that an unknown army planned to attack the place, and they packed up their belongings and planned to take refuge in the castle. However, the garrison at this time still did not understand the seriousness of the matter. Without knowing the details, they took the opportunity to blackmail the citizens who tried to enter the city.

Stop! Citizens, what are you gathering here for? Gulegani Bey, who didn't know the truth, rode out of the castle and shouted to the citizens.

Master Bei Mingjian, someone outside the city is coming. We have no choice but to take refuge in the castle. Find Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuan.com An old mullah walked to the front of the team and explained to the officer.

What kind of army is coming? Why don't I know. Guregani Bey scratched his head, looking confused.

Is he fucking deaf? He couldn't hear the loud horn sound just now? Mr. Bey's reaction did not satisfy the citizens, and some people were already secretly discussing it.

Maura wanted to say something more, but the officer shouted to everyone in advance: The castle is not a private residence. I will not let you in until I find out.

This immediately exploded, and the vicious curses of the citizens floated to his ears along the wind. Most people continued to stand at the gate of the castle, waiting for a turn of fate. Some rich people with guards planned to force their way in, while a few people shook their heads and sighed. , intending to go home, inventory his property, and collect the ransom.

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The inaction of the Bey of Astarabad failed to stop the Red Heads' offensive. Gholabery had already taken control of the suburbs, and a large amount of food in the warehouses outside the city fell into the hands of the Safavid army.

General, someone came out to die. The scout ran to report to Gaolaberi.

His eyes followed the direction pointed by the scout, and there was indeed a group of cavalry coming out of the city on the road in the distance.

Gaolaberi didn't take them seriously. He just ordered a team of 100 people to kill them all, and went deep into the city to check the situation.

The red heads quickly dispatched and intercepted the Timur cavalry who came out to check the situation. When they saw that there were real enemies and there were many of them, they immediately lost their fighting spirit and planned to retreat to the castle.

Run? Cowards don't deserve to live in this world! Kill! The red-headed men drew their bows and fired arrows. A hail of arrows hit Timur's cavalry, and many of them fell off their horses.

After rushing into the city, the red heads pulled out the Sheshier and hacked at everyone who stood in front of them. In this way, they successfully entered the city.