The Sun and the Lion

At sunrise, the Karavel sailing ship carrying the envoys slowly sailed into the port of Hormuz. The customs officials recognized the Lion and Sun flag hanging high on the mast. About a year ago, the envoys from the mainland also carried this flag. flag.

The boat was lowered after it turned sideways to the port, the oars were retracted, and the loaded bronze cannon was pushed back to the gun window, showing the ferociousness of the large bronze tube to the outside.

Seeing that the Caravel sailing ship did not dock at the berth next to the pier, but anchored in the open water some distance away, and that archers and various projectile weapons were deployed at the port, everyone at the port could tell that the caravelle was not a fool. The hostility revealed by the French and Uighur sides.

The small boat carrying the envoy and the guards slowly approached the trestle, but the people on it did not step directly onto the land. The envoy said directly to the port guard confronting them: I am sent to your place by the King of Kings of Iran. Envoys from a small city-state, I have brought you a brighter future. Go back and inform your master of this matter, my master will not give you much patience.

This arrogant speech aroused the disgust of everyone present. The envoy glanced at the Hormuz guards holding scimitars and crossbows in front of them: Why are you still standing there? Go and notify your master and ask him to send qualified personnel. Talk to boarding and negotiate!”

He looked up at the sky, and then continued to threaten: If you don't respond before the noon prayer, you will be regarded by us as rejecting peace, and you will fight to the end!

After saying that, the small boat carrying the envoy rowed back to the Caravel sailboat, while the other two small boats had rear-mounted swivel guns on their bows and were already aimed at the crowd at the dock.

The envoy's repeated urging finally made the officers present take action. Now they have no choice. The armed fleet once owned by the port of Hormuz has been destroyed by pirates, and they have lost the qualification to say no to the outside world.

In the castle, Vizilwaga Atta still firmly controls the power of this small city-state after the defeat a year ago. At this time, he is thinking about how to respond just like a year ago.

The balance of power on the Persian Gulf has long since changed. Hormuz cannot rely on its own strength to protect itself in any case. He can only consider who to rely on.

He didn't want to rely on anyone - the Sultan of Qeshm Island's operations made the pirates who were originally attached to him choose to leave, and their strength declined visibly, which made him gradually lose confidence in the military force of this lord. On the Safavid side, he once imprisoned the other party's envoy. Even if he is willing to surrender, it depends on whether Ibrahim will accept it.

After much thought, he decided to bet on both ends. On the one hand, he sent his cronies to ask for help from the Sultan of Qeshm Island, and on the other hand, he personally negotiated with the Safavid envoys. After the two sides fought, he would officially decide who to attach himself to.

Having made his decision, Hormuz Vizier stood up from the carpet and said to his bodyguard: I am going to the port.

…………

Near noon, Waqa Atta boarded the small boat provided by the Safavid side before the deadline. His escort was refused to board the ship, and only the secretary boarded the ship with him to participate in negotiations.

The sailors in charge of the oars watched in jest as the vizier boarded the ship, and even the most ordinary sailors openly showed disrespect and contempt towards him, It seems that this negotiation is a bad one, and the consequences are still unknown. This thought silently emerged in Waqa Atta's heart.

The boat slowly approached the caravel, and the moment the vizier officially stepped onto the deck, he had an unfounded feeling that his plan was about to fail.

The vizier endured the narrowness and crowding of the passage and got into the captain's cabin at the stern of the ship. Because it was far away from the crew gathering place and the windows could be opened for ventilation, the smell and living conditions here were much stronger than those in other cabins.

The two sat across the table facing each other. The charts and logbooks originally placed on the table had been taken away to prevent the vizier or his secretary from seeing something they should not see.

Since we all know each other's identity, let's not waste time on introducing ourselves and greetings. Please allow me to get to the point directly, respected Vizier.

Waqa Atta nodded: What do you plan to do to us? This is what I want to know urgently.

First of all, I want to tell you something. You may not believe it, but it did happen. The messenger paused, aggravating Waqa Atta's anxiety, and then continued: In the early hours of yesterday, we had The ruler of Qeshm Island was defeated, he himself was captured, and all the ships were taken by our army.”

Speaking of this, Waqa Atta's expression changed. If this was the case, wouldn't his behavior of sending the troops to Qeshm Port to ask for help before boarding the ship be exposed? Being on an enemy ship, he had no way of knowing the courier's progress or ordering him to stop executing his orders.

It took a few seconds to straighten up his expression and look for Shuyuan www.zhaosｈhuyuan.com. The Vizier, who had returned to normal on the face, no longer cared much about the subsequent negotiations. He escaped as quickly as possible, then went back to pack up his gold and silver and go to India or Being a rich man on the Red Sea coast was his top priority.

So, you don't need to worry. Except for us, there is no force in the Persian Gulf that can threaten you with force. But our Lord is kind. In order to prevent the innocent people in the city from suffering unprovoked military disasters, you only need to change your religion. Ye faction, just surrender and pay tribute to my lord. My lord has the ability to protect your safety, as long as you don't do anything that crosses the line.

Regarding this so-called loose proposal, Waqa Atta was just non-committal and his position was very ambiguous. After all, agreeing too quickly will make the other party suspicious and may cause complications.

However, the Safavid envoy did not really come to negotiate with him. Seeing that the Vizier was trying to delay, he directly showed his cards: Dear Vizier, we are not businessmen. Don't even think about bargaining. My master has no authorization. Give me permission to agree to more relaxed terms.”

Waqa Atta immediately stepped down, reluctantly agreed to all the conditions proposed by the Safavid side, and asked the clerk to put a monogram on the documents prepared by the other party.

Then the secretary looked through the window and saw several large sailing ships approaching not far away, with the Lion and Sun flag also hanging on the mast. He didn't think much about it.

Even if both parties reached a consensus and cooperated with each other, the complicated details and various matters still seriously delayed the progress.

Suddenly, the door of the captain's room was opened, and several elite pirates wearing armor walked in, escorting the messenger sent by Waqa Atta to Qeshm Port for help. Then the cold back of the knife touched the skin of the vizier's neck.

Looking at the captured and tortured messenger, the chill in his heart was even worse than on his neck.