In December, Mahmoud, the leader of the Gilzai tribe in Afghanistan, became impatient after besieging the city of Kerman for nearly five months, and considered retreating to Kandahar for the winter. But at this time, the governor of Kerman in the city suddenly fell ill, and the treatment was ineffective, and the city immediately fell into a leaderless state. After some heated discussions, a new successor was put forward with great difficulty.

Perhaps intimidated by the brutality of the Afghans, the new governor immediately sent emissaries to the Afghans, hoping to save the city's countless hungry refugees in exchange for the withdrawal of Mahmoud from the siege.

Without any heavy siege artillery to collapse the walls, the Afghans had to force the defenders to surrender in this most primitive and difficult siege. But Kerman's tenacity far exceeded their expectations, more than 20,000 tribal warriors, after five months of fighting, plus various epidemics, have lost thousands of people, in addition, many discouraged tribes fled directly back to Afghanistan, so that Mahmood's troops only numbered more than 18,000, and they had long lost the confidence to continue the siege.

When Kerman's envoy came to the camp and demanded gold and silver for the city, Mahmud immediately agreed. Mahmoud then received about 2,000 tomans (1 toman is about 2.7 taels of silver) of gold and silver from the city of Kerman, and then led his troops and left in a hurry.

But instead of returning to Kandahar, the Afghans galloped straight northwest, bypassing Rafsanjan and rushing to Yazd. For, in exchange for the safety of their city, the Kermans had a strong sense of revenge for not receiving any help during the siege, and they told the Afghans almost everything about the garrison in Persia.

Mahmud, who had not managed much oil and water, decided to try his luck and continued deep into the Persian hinterland, finding a few easily attacking cities and breaking them down to satisfy his men's desire to plunder.

More than 18,000 tribal warriors, most of whom were cavalry, accompanied by a large number of mules, horses and camels, moved extremely fast, and were not afraid of being surrounded by the Persian army.

In the face of the surging Afghans, Isfahan's court suddenly exploded. The Shah and his courtiers did not know whether the Afghans were targeting Yazd or the imperial capital. For a time, it fell into fierce quarrels and debates.

"The Grand Vidsman of the Empire, Muhammad Kurihan al-Shamru, advocated that all the troops near Isfahan be gathered in the city to wait for work, and at the same time, asked the Imperial Shah to order the conscription of troops from other provinces of the empire to come to King Qin."

Zhang Guangping, the Qi envoy to Persia, arranged a simple welcome dinner for the arriving army officers, during which he briefed everyone on the news of Isfahan's court.

"It stands to reason that the Imperial Grand Viqi's suggestion is a serious move by the old man. The Afghans have traveled thousands of miles deep into the heart of Persia alone. Considering that the Afghans failed in the siege of Kerman, it is enough to show that they are not good at fortification. If the heavily fortified Isfahan could be used to kill and injure a large number of Afghans, their strength would be greatly reduced. At that time, the Shah's Guards and Imperial Janissaries in the city will launch a counterattack at the right time and will be able to defeat the Afghans. ”

"Even if the Afghans don't end up attacking Isfahan, that's fine. After the troops from all over the country were ordered to gather in Isfahan, the imperial Shah could send a good general to lead a large army to launch a counterattack on Afghanistan and then attack Kandahar. Even if it can't completely eliminate Mahmoud, it can take the opportunity to attack and weaken the Afghan insurgency. ”

However, factional struggles in the Safavid dynasty had become a common practice at court. The governor of Arabistan (present-day Khuzestan Province in Iran), Warisayed Abdullah Mushasha, relied on the favor of the Shah and resolutely opposed the proposal of the Great Viqi, and he advocated that the 30,000-strong army currently in Isfahan's possession should be used to directly meet the Afghans who had come from afar. While they were alone, they besieged Mahmud with superior forces and slaughtered him in the heart of Persia to prevent future troubles. ”

"And which side does their Shah prefer?" Yan Shaowu asked at the right time.

The Shah was still hesitant, but he himself preferred the advice of the governor of Arabistan, who felt that it would cost a lot of money to gather troops from all over Isfahan and even disturb the peace of the capital. And the Imperial Janissaries and the Shah's Guards were well-armed and well-trained and should have been able to defeat the Afghans. In addition, the Shah believes that a quick strike will not only stop the Afghans from continuing to wreak havoc on other cities in the country, but will also solve the problems of Afghanistan once and for all. Annihilating Mahmud and his forces in Persia would be a great demonstration of the Empire's prestige, as well as a deterrent to the Afghan tribes who continued to raise the banner of rebellion. ”

"It is said that the Afghans were almost entirely cavalry, and would not have watched the Persians come from all sides. They could have quickly evacuated Persia and fled back to Afghanistan before the Persian army attacked. Yan Shaowu couldn't help but shake his head when he heard this, "It's not impossible for the Persians to take the initiative to attack, but the premise is to first clear the walls to a certain extent in the areas where the Afghans passed, and then organize a crack cavalry force to constantly attack the Afghans, slow down their march, and provide the necessary assembly time for the armies of all walks of life to launch a siege." ”

"Hehe......" Zhang Guangping chuckled a few times, and said sarcastically: "The current Safavid Dynasty, from the Shah to the ministers, and even the governors of various places, there are few people who are really willing to devote themselves to this country. Don't you think that the current situation in Persia is very similar to the southern invasion of the Jin Kingdom during the Jingkang period of the Great Song Dynasty hundreds of years ago? ”

"Jingkang? …… Will Persia also stage a show of shame? ”

The crowd burst into laughter.

Speaking of which, in addition to not having the high artistic attainments of Song Huizong, the imperial Shah Sudan Hussein is mediocre, incompetent, greedy for pleasure, cowardly and other character traits, all of which are similar to the "frivolous" king of the Great Song Dynasty, and he is also indulgent, keen to expand the harem, and search for beautiful women throughout the country.

Rumor has it that the Imperial Shah had 3,000 "maidens with rose-like eyes and honey-lips" in the royal palace of Farahabad outside the city, and that he and at least 2,000 others were "like cypresses...... The young woman who is charming and charming has had a wonderful relationship.

A devout Shia believer, the Imperial Shah was an out-and-out drunkard. Alcoholism made him even lazier and more eager to be alone—mainly because he didn't like to be with his ministers, not to mention the beautiful women of the harem. He did not like to hear bad news, lest it spoil his drunkenness, so much so that almost all the ministers withheld all information about him, consciously or unconsciously.

Especially in 1699, after the death of the Shah's most revered Grand Vidzi Muhammad Bagir Majeresi, Sultan Hussein began to ignore state affairs for a long time, and all government affairs were taken over by his aunt, Prince Mariam Begham, harem eunuchs, and several Grand Viziers.

"Therefore, in the face of the increasingly chaotic political situation of the Safavid Dynasty, we must take precautions and make various plans in advance. Bringing that prince of Abbas away from Isfahan to a place of safety, and then taking him under control of our kingdom is an important matter that must be done. ”

After ridiculing the "secrets" of the Safavid royal family, and the dinner came to an end, Zhang Guangping restrained his smile, looked at several army officers present with a serious expression, and began to talk about business.

"Given that Prince Abbas is currently under house arrest, it may take some special means to smuggle him out of Isfahan and into the port of Bushehr. However, this operation must not involve our country, and this task must be completed under the premise of absolute concealment. If this matter is revealed, our country will probably face unpredictable diplomatic risks. Be prepared. ”

"Minister, two hundred and twenty officers and soldiers of our department have been ordered to rush to Isfahan, people and land are born, and all actions and behaviors are only ordered by the minister." Yan Shaowu said solemnly.

"Well, that's good." Zhang Guangping was very satisfied with Yan Shaowu's attitude, but he was afraid that when these army leaders arrived in a prosperous metropolis like Isfahan, they would not know how to restrain themselves, and they would make some troubles and bad things.

"Next, there will be a black-clothed guard Yin Shenghui Xuanjie Captain (Major) to give you a detailed introduction to this action plan."