Mount and Blade Central Asia

Then, Mushtaq planned to repeat the plan. After the Iranians retreated, he would kill Sayyib and regain the title of Qara ...

Because this will be a classic political tactic, and with the Black Sheep King's "enlightenment", he will definitely not mind his own expedient measures.

Of course, Mushtaq is now taking things one step at a time. After all, the threat from the Iranians outside the city is imminent, and he must respond.

So on this morning, as the Iranians were about to begin their preparations for the siege, a huge three-pointed flag was hung on the walls of Erbil Fort, fluttering in the wind.

After all, Erbil Fort was a key defensive stronghold of the Khanate a few years ago, and this kind of flag can always be found if you look carefully.

Not only the Iranians outside the city were confused, but many Black Sheep soldiers inside the city were also at a loss.

The show must be done in full. Verbal promises are meaningless. Even if Mushtaq is thinking of changing his ways in the future, he has to accept the fact of surrendering to Li Rufeng now before Sayyib can fulfill his promise.

Of course, Sayyib did not try to deceive Mushtaq with just his words. What he promised Mushtaq was that he was willing to act as a representative and encourage those Iranians to explain their interests to the other side to ensure that the two sides would not fight against each other.

The Iranians outside the city were silent for about an hour, and then completely ignored the three-yuan flag flying on the city wall, intending to continue attacking this sturdy fortress.

They have stayed here long enough, and the arrow is on the string and must be shot. There is no way they will stop just because of a flag.

But at this time, inside the Erbil Fort, Mushtaq was surrendering to Li Rufeng represented by Sayyib in a quite formal manner in front of the assembled army.

Speaking of which, Li Rufeng's name is quite famous among the Black Sheep people. After all, no matter whether these Black Sheep people are willing to accept it or not, Li Rufeng has achieved victory after victory in the war against them.

In addition, the centurions who had been suspicious before had been secretly dealt with, so although the soldiers fell into confusion, they did not cause too much trouble.

Mushtaq's previous rough work was to show his position to Sayyib and to intimidate these soldiers.

Sayyib calmly accepted Mushtaq's surrender, and then walked towards the city gate alone. The next step was for him to fulfill his promise.

It was naturally impossible for the Erbil Castle to open the gate for Sayyib alone when it was besieged by a large army. Sayyib was lowered from the city wall in a small hanging basket.

He carried two flags, one was the three-pointed flag of the Great Conqueror, and the other was a white flag representing armistice.

Sayyib left decisively. This was the most dangerous part of his gamble. If those Iranians had simply shot him to death with an arrow from a distance, there would have been no follow-up to the whole thing.

This situation is naturally very likely to happen. As the saying goes, a general is not always subject to military orders when he is away from the army, let alone some emirs who have frighteningly large amounts of autonomy.

If they wanted to, even the presence of the two heirs themselves would not be able to stop them from doing what they wanted.

All of this is nothing more than a dispute over interests. There is nothing that cannot be done, the only difference is whether it is worth doing.

Sayib dared to come out and negotiate with the Iranians because he had two trump cards:

The first trump card is that Erbil Fort is not a city, but a fortress that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Anyone who wants to capture this fortress will suffer heavy casualties, and the potential wealth within the fortress is inversely proportional to the strength of its defense.

Erbil Fort is not a city, and there is almost nothing to be gained from it except for the warriors of the Black Sheep, unless the Iranians come here just for the food and fodder in the fortress.

They wanted to attack the fortress only for the city of Mosul behind it, where wealth was concentrated.

But if that city has already been captured by Li Rufeng, and the current Erbil Castle is willing to pledge allegiance to Li Rufeng, then it would be meaningless for the Iranians to capture this place.

Sayyib was not a prophet, and he did not know whether Li Rufeng had already captured Mosul at this time, but one fact was that Li Rufeng did lead his troops to besiege Mosul.

If these Iranians were not blind and deaf, they would always get this news through various channels.

Therefore, as long as Sayyib insisted that the city of Mosul had been conquered by Li Rufeng, the Iranians' reason for attacking Erbil Castle would completely disappear.

Another trump card is Li Rufeng's identity as his son-in-law. Although Li Rufeng and Princess Parisa have not yet married, in Sayyib's words, they have become a model couple in the Khanate.

Moreover, the wedding was blessed by Sultan Khalil of Samarkand, who was thousands of miles away. In this way, in addition to the disputes over interests, there was an additional political risk in being hostile to Li Rufeng.

As long as the Iranians think the cost outweighs the gain, it will be done.

Of course, like Mushtaq, Sayyib’s plan also has a second half. If everything goes well, the second half of his plan will still require the cooperation of these Iranians.

If you want to get rich overnight, you naturally have to take more risks. Sayyib has come this far and he doesn't mind increasing his stake.

Chapter 582 How bold people are, the ground...

To be honest, when the three-pointed flag was suddenly hoisted in Erbil Castle, the Iranian officer in charge of the siege outside the city, Barez, started to feel overwhelmed.

He never expected that these black sheep people would be so shameless. What do they think of themselves?

Do they think they can act capriciously just by hanging a flag?

Is there any justice left in this world? Can it ever be better?

And that man approaching with a white flag, who does he think he is? Can he decide the ownership of a fortress with his eloquence?

But Barez still didn't order the other person to be shot to death. After all... there had to be a reason. After all, Barez was not the Emir. He was just a centurion with relatively high power, and many times he could not make decisions for his master.

"Bring him here!" Barez looked at the three-yuan flag fluttering over there and gave the order with a complicated expression.

For most Iranians, the authority of the great conquerors is more like a cold wind that blew in one winter, and all the unfortunate people who were not careful died in the cold wind.

As for the rest of the people, they continue to live the same lives as before.

Specifically for Barez himself, the significance is that the Emir above him used to call himself Sultan, but after the great conqueror came, he did not dare to call himself that because the great conqueror was also a Sultan.

"I come here on behalf of His Majesty Li Rufeng, the husband of Her Royal Highness Princess Parisa, the grandson-in-law of Timur, the chosen shaman of Eternal Heaven, the rebuilder of Aleppo, the recapturer of Mosul, the defender of the western border of the Khanate!" Saib called out Li Rufeng's name in the loudest voice in front of the army.

In fact, he could also add a destroyer of the Black Sheep, but considering that if he still had a chance to survive, he would have to return to the Erbil Castle behind him and live with the Black Sheep people day and night, so Sayyib deleted this item.

Sure enough, the title of the Great Conqueror was still very intimidating. After Sayyib finished reporting the long list of titles, the Iranian officers immediately gathered together and started a meeting.

"Take the messenger away first and treat him well!" Barez now felt even more overwhelmed.

He did know that Timur had a granddaughter who had been living in Mosul, but they all thought that with the fall of Mosul, if the princess was lucky enough to survive, she would most likely be kidnapped by the Black Sheep.

I didn't expect that she would cause such a big fuss!

"Mosul has been retaken!" Unlike Barez, other senior officers were more concerned about the immediate interests. "Then why are we still fighting?"

This group of people came in response to the Emir's call, of course, for profit.

The land ravaged by the Black Sheep People was cleaner than the land eaten by locusts. They had not seen much spoils of war so far.

It can be said that the entire army is hoping to make a fortune in Mosul after taking down Erbil Castle.

As a result, some people now say that someone has taken the lead in Mosul, and the morale of the army has suddenly been demoralized.

"Send someone back to report to Lord Anis, and also send scouts to Mosul to find out what's going on. Whether to fight or not, we'll wait for Lord Anis's decision." Barez tried his best to maintain morale, but the effect was not obvious.

From the moment the three-dollar flag was suddenly hoisted in the Erbil Castle to the appearance of that damned messenger, everything was out of Barez's control.

Saib waited in the military camp for almost two hours before he was summoned by the other party. This was actually a good thing because it proved that his trick was successful, otherwise the other party would not be so cautious.

"Who are you? Where are you from?" After the two men met face to face, Barez was almost 80% convinced, because at first glance he could tell that the other party was a veteran who had fought with the Great Conqueror, and he might even be a veteran from Central River.

"You can call me Saiyibu. I belong to the Badak Thousand-Man Team. I was stationed in Smyrna before, and was just brought back by Lord Rufeng not long ago." Saiyibu did not hide his identity. It was easier to weave a lie that was nine true and one false than to be seen through.

"Smyrna..." When Barez heard the name of this place, he felt as if he was in another world.

He even felt that he almost forgot that the Khanate had fought all the way to such a far place. That was the last base of the Knights Hospitaller in Anatolia and proof of the liberation of the Islamic world.

"As you can see, even if what you said is true, we have already surrounded the Erbil Fortress. The defenders inside the city are insufficient and cannot stop us." Barez looked at Sayib and asked, "I can't give up this opportunity just because of your words."

"But this is meaningless. With all due respect, what use is there for you to have such a castle?" Saib asked in return. "Aside from garrisoning troops, it can't generate any benefits. Unless you plan to continue your attack on Mosul, it will be useless."

"You may have a point, but my mission is to capture this castle." Barez acted very cold in front of Sayib, without the worried look he had when facing other officers just now.

"The defenders of Erbil Castle have surrendered to Lord Rufeng!" Saib took a step forward aggressively, looking at the other party fiercely, "You are offending Lord Rufeng!"

"I don't know who the Lord Rufeng you are talking about is, and I didn't know there was also a Princess Parisa." Balez's guard stepped forward and blocked Saib with his unsheathed scimitar, preventing him from getting any closer.

"You are making a huge mistake! Lord Rufeng is not only the husband of Princess Parisa, but also the spiritual leader of the Mughals and even the Mongols. He has more than ten thousand cavalrymen under his command!" Saib began to raise the banner.

And what he said was not a lie, because including the nomadic tribes under Li Rufeng, he could indeed form a cavalry team of over 10,000 people.

After all, the tradition of nomadic peoples is that both young and old are soldiers. As long as one can ride a horse and wield a sword, he is considered a qualified warrior. Li Rufeng is just used to the policy of elite soldiers.

Barez remained unmoved because he knew how much water was in it.

"Lord Rufeng is helping Sultan Khalil manage his fiefdom in Armenia!" Saib finally revealed some shocking news, whispering, "If something happens to Sultan Khalil in Samarkand, Lord Rufeng is very likely to inherit the throne."

This time, Barez was finally moved. After all, Khalil Sultan was still the legal ruler of the Khanate.

Although the Iranians prefer His Highness Shah Rukh, they do not intend to have a head-on conflict with Sultan Khalil. What they want is to hedge their bets.

Now, Barez must carefully consider the relationship with the Mongolian shaman on behalf of Lord Anis.

Chapter 583 Laboratory

While Sayib had already touted Li Rufeng as the heir to the Sultan, Master Li was still working hard in the city of Mosul.

This is not a metaphor, but a real realistic description.

If we say that Aleppo was in ruins back then, it was a dry pot with nothing but a pitifully small population. Even bricks and tiles had to be bought from outside by Li Rufeng.

Mosul was like a boiling pot, the boiling water inside was about to overflow and burn people.

Those dark wizards may not be good at other things, but they are the best at causing destruction.

There didn't seem to be many damaged areas in Mosul, but the four wizard towers and the roads opened for the construction of the wizard towers were completely unplanned.

These dark wizards simply took the easy way out and opened up a path using the shortest possible straight line between two points.

The only problem is that the wizard tower itself has very strict requirements on the location, so although the four wizard towers are completely symmetrical, they do not correspond to the gates of Mosul that have been continuously expanded outward as it develops.

The two intersections, one horizontal and one vertical, seem to be drawn with a brush in the city, and are completely asymmetrical with the four existing city gates...

Every time Li Rufeng looked at the strategic map, he felt upset. However, there was also good news, which was that after Mosul was rebuilt, it would have an extremely convenient transportation environment.

After all, any ruler with interests in mind, normal thinking and behavior patterns would not waste their property like those dark wizards.

What Li Rufeng needs to consider now is whether to take advantage of the fact that the people of Mosul have no power to object and replan the city gates. This is a plan that directly affects the lifeline of the city's logistics efficiency.

Unfortunately, after thinking it over again and again, Mr. Li gave up this plan.

He did not have enough food to support such a project. The people of Mosul were frightened after experiencing such a disaster. Many people would rather set up tents in the ancient ruins on the other side of the river than return to their once warm homes in the city.

Li Rufeng could only ask people to cook porridge and rice, using the temptation of food to lure the refugees back, while at the same time he used work-for-relief to restore order in the city.

Moreover, except for the laborers selected by the dark wizards to build the wizard tower, the other Mosul people were basically in a state of mild to severe malnutrition, and Li Rufeng could not do anything to them.

The first priority is to prevent people from starving to death, and the second is to organize as many people as possible to search for corpses in the city.

Those dream monsters are not dedicated to their jobs. Some of the sleepers are not in a good position for them to enter and exit, so these dream monsters simply let them starve to death on the spot.

Therefore, if Li Rufeng did not want a plague to break out in Mosul soon, he had to clear out all the corpses and burn them all.

Otherwise, who knows if after the Azure Wind visits this city, it will be targeted by the Corrupt Green Wind in the blink of an eye...

Following Li Rufeng's route, the newly annexed cities and Aleppo itself were trying their best to squeeze out their potential and transport more food to Mosul.

But this act of traveling thousands of miles just to deliver food is not worth the cost after all. For every 100 kilograms of food sent from Aleppo to Mosul, 300 kilograms of food will be consumed on the way.

It was because Mr. Li had a wealthy family, otherwise he wouldn't have had the chance to fight so far away.

But there is good news. With Li Rufeng's reputation among businessmen, the news of his capture of Mosul will spread quickly.

Mosul is a famous commercial city. Previously, the dark wizards forcibly cut off the trade routes in the direction of Mosul, which coincidentally led to the prosperity of Aleppo.

When Li Rufeng was restoring order in Mosul, Fakhr al-Bawali, the leader of the Sleepless, with whom his personal guards had previously cooperated, became his most useful assistant.

First of all, he is a "local" and has a high reputation among the people of Mosul. Compared with obeying Li Rufeng's orders, people are more willing to listen to Fakhr.

Li Rufeng didn't mind this at all. He had too few people available. If the city of Mosul itself could produce a qualified governor, Li Rufeng would be happy to let Fakhr take over.

Master Li was sure that apart from himself, there was no one else in this land who could give Fakhr such an opportunity, so he didn't have to worry about the other party's loyalty at all.

Fakhr had never thought that he would have such an opportunity at middle age. It would be a lie to say that he was not excited.

He has devoted himself to the task of restoring order in Mosul during this period. Even if the shaman replaces him immediately after everything returns to normal, he is willing to do so.

"Masood! Come here! Come to me!" Fakhr shouted to a chubby boy.

At this time of year, the other party's size is quite conspicuous. He is a Sleepless, the smallest and most loyal member of the Sleepless.

Fakhr has always trusted Masood. He is simple-minded and has almost no flaws except that he is a little greedy.

"What's wrong! Fakhr, I'm counting the food reserves. Even if we only drink porridge, we will soon starve!" Masood said with a worried look on his face, biting the tip of his pen.

The amount of food Li Rufeng delivered to them every day was fixed, and the amount was decreasing.

It's not that Li Rufeng is stingy, but he has to ensure the normal supply of the army. Just suppressing the army's desire to "do something big" in Mosul has exhausted his thoughts, not to mention taking food out of the army's rations.

"I know, Masood, we have to continue eating that... kvass." Fakhr smiled bitterly and told the bad news.

Li Rufeng had just informed him that the food liquefaction project in the North Tower, run by Misia, had yielded initial results. He had produced a batch of kvass sufficient to sustain the people of Mosul for a while...

"Fakhr, people will go crazy..." Masood shrank his head. He was a greedy man. When he saw those nightmares feeding unknown food to the sleepers every day to survive, he also tried to get some for himself.

As a result, the incident became a nightmare for Masood and has been haunting him for some time.

"Just one week will be enough. Lord Rufeng promised that food will be delivered within a week." Fahr glanced in the direction of the South Tower and could only hope that the shaman would keep his word.