The crusade begins
In Ramadan 874 (April 1470), the three crusading armies of Emperor Reginald, Duke Charles and duke Ulrich II started for Poland. They previously gathered in the town of Landsberg awaiting Ladislaus's arrival. When it was clear the Luxembourg monarch would not be arriving soon, the army of 25,000 started east. Of this, 12,000 belonged to the Holy Roman emperor comprising of his own troops, Hanseatic mercenaries and a small contingent of Teutonic order. The second largest troop number was sported by Ulrich II who had about 8,000 under his banner. The smallest contingent by far belonged to Charles, duke of Anjou which included his uncle Rene's retinue as well, numbering at 4000. The rest 1,000 were a bit of strange bunch, led by Anne of Lorraine who contested her father's will of Charles inheriting Provence. Most historians say Anne was coaxed into this endeavor by her husband Jaques d'Armagnac
[1] who coveted the lands inherited by Anne's cousin Charles. Besides this, there was another intriguing aspect as Anne had gathered some 600 nuns and young noblewomen from her domain and marched alongside the crusading army, armored and mounted like men yet dress still made them different. Anne's retinue would give birth to the famous French phrase "Amazones de fleurs" or 'Flower amazons' about women trying to emulate men without considering the risks.
Image: Anne and her retinue of female crusaders
As the crusaders entered Poland, things became grim. The Poles were very much reluctant to let the crusader army pass through their territory. After long round of negotiations and threat of Hanseatic sanction, the Poles agreed to let the crusaders pass through if only their retinue didn't exceed 10,000 at once. This meant that crusaders had to pass through Poland into their destination of Prussia in 3 separate detachments one at a time, compounding the woes of Emperor Reginald and putting strains on the already worsening supply situation. Ulrich II was furious as he threatened to withdraw from the crusade altogether. The bickering reached a breaking point but the arrival of papal envoy Luigi Bartolmeo eased the tension. Soon the crusaders and the Polish Lithuanian Monarch Wladislaw II signed 'the covenant of Poznan'. This glorified 'alliance' entailed boons and duties for the signatories. Under this alliance treaty, Poles can accompany a 10,000 strong crusader detachment with similar number of their own forces through their territories until they reach Prussia. The Poles selected some towns along the way which would be used for supplying the crusading army under Emperor Reginald's payment. This drained the imperial coffers to some extent but helped alleviate the bullion crisis as fresh coins entered the circulation.
Image: Signing of 'The Poznan covenant'
After this the Crusaders smoothly and swiftly passed through Polish lands to their destination in Prussia. A few incidents happened which were quickly diffused. Thus by Saffar 875 (August 1470), two thirds of the crusaders were already across Poland. When it was Charles of Anjou's turn, a trivial event caused a rift between him and his cousin Anne. Two young nuns from Anne's retinue decided to abandon their vows of celibacy and fornicated with two teenage sons of a family who were their host. Apparently the nuns promised the boys of going on the crusade as their 'squires'. Not wanting to lose two future breadwinners, their father complained to an officer of Charles who stripped the duo of their positions and also kicked them out of the crusader army. After the matter was brought into the attention of Anne, she was furious and whilst she was unable to reinstate their nun status, she reincorporated the couples in her army as logistic personnel. Their previous rivalry was fueled by misadventure of four lustful young people that threatened to disrupt the cohesion of the crusader campaign. The Poles received this with glee as they provided Anne's faction with horses and mules and didn't even sent an escort army after them as they crossed into Prussia. Her husband Jaques was presumably behind this as he secured their separate crossing. For now it seemed that Charles would have to go alone, outnumbered by the Polish-Lithuanian escort force. But an arrival from Hungary assuaged his concerns and angered the Poles. It was Ladislaus, king of Austria who just helped Ladislaus Hunyadi defeat the Polish King Wladilaw's brother Casimir, his Taborite hussite and Wallachian allies in the battle of Nagyvarad 4 years ago. There were already veterans from that war inside Ladislaus's crusader army but he kept them in check. The two kings traversed the Polish lands and reached Prussia in Rabiul Sani 875 (October 1470).
But the presence of a large amount of foreign military in Prussia caused tensions between Prussian nobility and their Teutonic overlords. following an incident where a drunken crusader commander was beaten to death by women as he tried to force himself upon a married and pregnant noblewoman of a castle his army was residing , all hell broke loose. Prussian confederation, a group of Prussian nobility and clergy opposing the arbitrary rule of Teutonic order rose up in rebellion and offered to Wladislaw to be their protector, which the Polish monarch accepted with enthusiasm. The crusader escort forces that had been piling up on the Prussian border now advanced under Jan Lubesowski. By now Hanseatic league had shipped off Reginald and Ulrich's army off to Rus lands. So the joint forces of charles and Ladislaus defeated the Poles in the battle of Malborg.
Image; Battle of Malborg
But the conflict was far from over. Jaques d'Armagnac offered help to Poles in exchange for making his son Jaun as ruler of areas under Leslau diocese. Jaques was not alone in this endeavor as Hanseatic league opted for an semi independent ruler that would both appease the Polish giant and cater to the trade interests of the league. The more hands on policy and rapid centralization of the 'sneaky king'
[2] Louis XI prompted Jaques to look for an alternative place for his descendants outside France. The Polish general agreed to the proposal for now and resumed his campaign against the crusaders. The participation of Jaques and his retinue in support of the Poles and Prussian league culminated in the defeat of crusader forces in the battle of Kwidzyn where a Prussian cavalry flanking assault destroyed many crusader artillery. This was crucial as Ladislaus carried half the artillery of the crusader forces. The crusaders retreated to Frombork after suffering a causalty of 1000. Once again, the intervention of the papal envoy ensured ceasefire and the crusaders continued to Russia whilst Teutonic order was forced to cede control of a large amount of territories in West Prussia to Poland and cede the Pomesania diocese to Hanseatic city of Elblag. This effectively wiped off the existence of Teutonic order as a military entity in Prussia and restricted its administration to eastern Prussia.
Meanwhile The crusading force of 28,000 gathered on the Swedish city of Vyborg. From there they reached Oresek. But before the crusaders could go south towards their main objective, Emperor Reginald had to pay his Hanseatic benefactors by capturing Novgorod. in Rajab 875 (January 1471), the crusader forces besieged Novgorod amid winter, a first since Alexander Nevasky's victory over the Teutonic order 3 centuries prior. As with many crusades, the Nazarenes decided to settle old scores before moving onto the main objective.
(From
'Age of Chivalry' by Thomas Siegfried)
[1] He married Anna of Lorraine ITTL and was very much a trickster in OTL as well
[2] He used to hold surprise visits to meet officials and catch them off guard about irregularirites
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The Castilian civil war and the Al Mutwahereen
In Rabiul Awwal 874( October 1469) Charles ascended the throne of Castile as his father Henry IV
[1] became sick and died two years later. He already married Margaret of Foix under much pressure. But the flame in his heart for his beau Isabella still burned bright. He allegedly housed Isabella and Margaret in the same palace and slept with both of them. He made a separate area for his wife( and lover) like a Muslim harem where entry of any man other than his own was prohibited under the fear of death. The only time the populace and noble were able to see the Queen was during imperial hunts.
Charles was a strange man who was fascinated with distant lands and held a particular interest for lands outside Europe. He would dispatch merchants who would bring him exotic trinkets, different crops and fruits from all over middle east and Africa. His fascination with food items was so extreme that he made a building for housing different food items which were not to be eaten, these were placed inside glass squares so that they would not rot but to no avail. This was the first ever recognised attempt at building a food Museum. When it came to food, Charles was also picky. He always avoided alcohol and whilst pork was cooked in his palace he never ate any dish of pork. These quirks along with his fascination for East gave ample propaganda for Charles's enemies who termed the king as 'El Oculto Moros' or the hidden moor. Despite all the negativity surrounding his personal life, it would be during Charles's reign when he would establish relationship with Habshi nazarenes with a successful marriage between his favorite duke Martinez and an Axumite princess Negasi
[2], daughter of Zara Yaqob. This was the largest and most successful Axumite delegation to any European Kingdom which avoided Mamluke Egypt and received help from Venice.
Image: Charles and Margaret meeting envoys from Grenada
Problems began to arise when Charles promoted Martinez, cousin of his concubine Isabella as 'condestable'. His first move after assuming office was to sack duke of Albarquerque Beltran de la Cueva on the account of monetary embezzlement. Beltran was a powerful duke during Henry IV's reign and had a large support among other nobles. Together with the internal problems and negative impression on King's personal behavior, the nobles revolted on Rajab 874( January 1470). Whilst their primary fear was of losing the power, the prospect of a centralized Castile Kingdom where nobles were mere servants of King was more difficult for the nobles to digest. The rebels gathered around Charles IV, an Aragonese prince in exile who was the maternal uncle of Charles I of Castile. The rebels based themselves around southern and Eastern part of Castile, mainly around Badajoz and La Mancha region. At first the rebels boldly marched towards the King's palace in Toledo. The rebel force of 4,000 was defeated in the battle of Pico Cerro Marica led by the king himself who proved to be no slouch in battle. The rebels first retreated to Ciudad Real and then attempted another breakthrough at battle of Calatrava but again were defeated. Losing morale rapidly the rebels fell back further south practically surrendering La Mancha to victorious Charles. The rebels under Beltran attempted one final stand near modern day town of Genave where he hid a substantial cavalry force on a nearby hill.
Image: Battle of Genave (circa 1100 AH)
16 Dhul Qadh, 874 ( 17 May 1470). The rebels are in their desperate last stand against the Royal forces. The battle begins and like the previous two engagement the royal almost route the rebel forces. On one occasion a royal cavalry wing gets overextended in chasing the fleeing rebel counterpart. It was then when the hidden rebel cavalry descended from the hill and massacred the unprotected Royal infantry. By the time the cavalry realised its mistake and hurried back, the line of Charles was in chaos. To save his life Charles and his bodyguards dropped the royal standard and fled. This led to the rumor being circulated about the King being killed. The Royal army scattered following this shock news and the remaining rebels regrouped. But to claim the throne of Castile they must bring Charles IV who was hiding in Murcia. as the rebels approached the city, they were surprised to see Aragonese forces guarding the gate. John II of Aragon had taken his son under his wing and wished to 'accompany' his retinue to Toledo in fanfare. But it was clear that the Aragonese monarch would use this opportunity to rein in his rebellious son.
As the rebels neared Toledo, they began facing resistance from Martinez, who gathered up the rest of Charles loyalists with the news that queen Margaret was pregnant. The combined army besieged Toledo but the cracks were beginning to form. It was clear that John II resented his son taking control of a more powerful Kingdom. Thus Beltran contacted the French about a possible alliance. But soon news of Moorish siege of Tarifa and a large army approaching Seville reached the rebels. The 'hidden moor' King Charles had come out, with the actual moors supporting him. He had about 20,000 troops from Grenada and the remaining Hafsid realm. He was joined by 300 troops from Brittany. Soon after Breton presence was confirmed France declared war against Aragon and Brittany. Portugal was forced to support her ally in Brittany as well as ally with King Charles I. Thus the Castilian civil war became thirty years war or
War of the 3 crowns as crowns of Navarre, Brittany and Castile were being fought over.
As the war raged on in Europe, an educational institution in Sahel was acting as a beacon in the Maghreb. Long gone was the glory days of Mansas yet the door of Sankore University ( Jamiah Sankore) kept open even as Hintata and Banu Hilal replaced the Mandinka populace. With turmoil in Morocco with the rise of Saadi dynasty, many learned men of Islam traveled south towards the burgeoning new state in late 9th century AH. Hafsids were considered vile due to their 'friendliness' with nazarenes despite the economic prosperity they provided. But due to Castilian pressure on strait of Jabal Tariq, Hafsids briefly helped the dying Trans Sahara trade route to flourish in the period from 855 to 862(1454 to 1466).This meant a lot of students from Hafsid realm as well as Morocco studied in this University
Image: Jamiah Sankore in 10th century
A righteous yet pacifist movement arose from a university graduate named Abd Ar Rahman Al Qasi. The group was as mystic as it was devout and it avoided many creeds of contemporary sufi schools which made modern scholars put this group as another socio political movement in Dar Al Islam rather than a religious one. They didn’t invent or put emphasis on certain special religious rites that were cardinal to sufi orders. Yet due to their abstinence from 'Kabira (major) sin' they were termed by other Muslims on a rather mocking note as 'Al Mutwahereen'( Almotarids) or 'the pure ones'. Mocking though it might be, this would go down in history as the name of this movement.
Though Apolitical at first, the newly educated scholars soon denounced many practice of both Saadi and Hafsids. One scholar named Umar Ibn Khalid decried the mass procurement of Muslim blacks for a slave army by the Marinid Sultan Muhammad Abdullah. This resulted in the infamous rebellion in Rabat. But the allegation of Almotarids being Hafsid lapdogs were unfounded as many Mutwahereen scuffled with authorities in Hafisid realm concerning the spread of 'nazarene culture', Wine and free movement of women across far way cities without a male Companion. This problem was particularly bad in coastal cities where Almotarid 'qadhis' created strongholds where they established the 'correct' form of Sharia to protect the population from 'evils of European influence' in a more direct manner. These areas, called 'Mutawwaqun Al Mansura' housed people from all walks of life and even attracted investments from Europeans whom they detested so much. Eventually the leaders of these enclaves started behaving more like rational political leaders than paranoid religious zealots which gradually helped the central government to accumulate them in the administration, albeit with a more autonomous nature. One important thing which Almotarids achieved in Hafsid sultanate was the abolishment of class hatred within their enclaves, which was very much prevalent in the Marinid state and the Nasrid emirate. Frequent marriages would occur between families of different strata that would have been frowned upon elsewhere. A Venetian clergyman Patricio called these enclaves as
'islands of Justice and tranquility in an ocean of depravity and hedonism'. Their presence was particularly strong in regions of the previous Tlemcen emirate. But their pinnacle was yet to come as the world would see the Almotarids in a new light.
(From
'Journey to the sunset lands' by T.S Lewis)
[1] OTL he was rumored impotent and his daughter was supposedly from duke Beltran De la Cueva
[2] daughter of Zara Yaqob by his wife Eleni
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Fall of Trebizond and Beyazid's misadventure in Moldavia
In Ramadan 870 ( May 1466), The Timurid princes of Iliyas and Jahanbeg requested Ottoman sultan Muahammad II to restore them as rulers of eastern Anatolia and I'raq. At first Muhammad was skeptical but after Ilyas secured two victories against skeletal Timurid forces near Van, Muhammad entrusted him as an Ottoman vassal. Ilyas was an ambitious person and he soon turned his attention to north. He conspired with bey of Tabriz Jalaluddin in expanding the latter's influence over Azerbaijan. In the battle of kura river, the combined armies defeated the tired and outnumbered armies of Farrukh Yasar and captured both Shirvanshah heirs, Gazi and Ibrahim. While Gazi was in custody of Jalaluddin, Ilyas was able to sneak Ibrahim and sent him off for Ottoman lands. But this success was short lived as Georgian forces under prince Alexander ambushed the Timurids near Kars and killed Ilyas while obtaining Ibrahim. With the death of Gazi during an assault by Shamsuddin, the sole surviving heir of shirvanshah was in Georgian hands thus forcing Farrukh Yassir to accept himself as the vassal of David X
[1].
But Ilyas's death, instead of fizzling out Ottoman interest in Eastern Anatolia and Kafkas, reignited it. And it was clear what Muhammad wanted when his best general and Grand vizier, Iskandar Pasha besieged Trebizond with allied Timurid faction under Jahanbeg. Fortunately the Roman emperor John V Megas Komnenos retreated from his capital and took refuge in the Georgian controlled citadel of Artvini. Here king David X and his heir Alexander reunited with their ally and sought to relieve the siege. It was decided that the city's defenders be resupplied by sea while Georgian and allied Turkmen troops would attack the reconnaissance troops of Jahanbeg, deemed weaker than the besieging Ottomans. But Iskandar Pasha was no slouch. He already blockaded Trebizond by sea and suspected that the Roman ally, Timurid ruler Mirza Shamsuddin would soon arrive from the east. He interchanged the besiegers and reconnaissance troops and sent scouting forces north and east. In the subsequent battle of Rize the Georgians were smashed by Iskandar pasha and Suleiman aga's army, being caught unprepared. Prince Alexander was killed while David X managed to escape with wounds. The siege, which began on 6 dhul Hajj, 871 ( 15 July 1467), ended in mere 2 months on 12 Saffar, 872 (September 1467)
Image : David X and emperor John V in Artvini
It seemed that Iskandar gave his foe more credit than due as Shamsuddin would not arrive to avenge his vassal until rabiul Awwal 872 (November 1467), despite being in Qazvin. In the early winter , the Timurid army of 21,000 would encamp in near a village named Baskale in Van region. Shamsuddin was opting for waiting out the winter before advancing west. But once Ottoman scouts informed Iskandar of this army, he wasted no time in bringing his 18,000 troops including allies to the enemy site. Iskandar deployed his 200 Janissary marksmen on a naerby hill and organised his army into 3 rows of infantry center and cavalry flank. In the morning of 5 Rabiul Sani 872 (11 November 1467), Shamsuddin discovered the Ottoman position and hurriedly deployed his troops. Iskandar Pasha ordered his artilleries to fire as Timurid cavalry galloped forward. Despite the losses, the Timurids struck upon the Ottoman lines as Iskandar's infantry began to falter. An Ottoman flanking assault by the left wing cavalry was able to alleviate the pressure somewhat before being countered by Timurid reserve this time being led by Shamsuddin himself. Iskandar slowly retreated his right flank towards the hill, creating a gap between them and their infantry. Sensing an opportunity, Shamsuddin led a full frontal assault to envelope the enemy. But Ottoman artillery, once again proving their superiority over their Timurid counterparts fired and grounded this assault to a halt. Now Iskandar unleashed his reserve force and left wing cavalry which trapped Shamsuddin between them and the hill. A stray arrow to the neck caused the Timurid leader to fall off his horse and soon his army routed. Shamsuddin was captured alive but died on the way to Konstantinyye. This was known to historians as the 'revenge of Diyarbekir'. This battle also firmly established Ottoman hegemony in the Furat region. But before Iskandar could consolidate his claims, he was hurriedly recalled to Konstantinyye as Sultan Muhammad made a new enemy in Balkans, Vlad the voivode of Moldavia. This allowed the Georgians under David X to regain some semblance of honour by recapturing territories in Rizini region. But there would be no reclaiming of Trebizond and a treaty formalized the Agri mountains as the border between Georgians and the Ottoman vassal Timurids. David X would die in 873 (1468), plunging Georgia into a succession crisis with noble cliques fighting for control over the child monarch Giorgi.
Image : Fall of Trebizond and battle of Baskale in a 'Silsila' style art
Back in Moldavia, Shehzade Beyazid's campaign had gone awry after the Dorbuja tatars abandoned their posts, allowing the Moldavian army to silently creep upon the sleeping Ottomans. Beyazid's harsh warning against any unauthorised sackings so far prevented anatrchy but displeased the Tatars who were brought to Dorbuja 5 years ago after finishing the Golden Horde campaign. In the battle near Tecuci, half of the Ottoman forces were killed including their commander Mahmud pasha Angelovic. Beyazid was able to cut off 3 of Vlad's finger in a melee but he had to retreat as the camp fell. The wily prince detonated the gunpowder boxes under his bed during his flight which caused a lot of chaos, allowing some Ottoman troops to escape the encirclement. This was a terrible defeat and the first one suffered by Sultan Muhammad. Since Vlad and his allies' defeat in Transylvania against Ladislaus, he began a harsh rule over Moldavia. His impalement of Russian merchants when they refused to provide him additional taxes and his nailing on the heads of ottoman envoys were reasons enough, now Muhammad had a blood feud with him and he would also send Vlad's own blood against him. Iskandar Pasha and Radu, Vlad's brother landed in Kilia on Ramadan 872 (April 1468) with 6,000. He would be followed by Muhammad's main army of 21,000 which included many Tatars from Qimir. This time there would be no surprise ambushes as the Turkish army chased Vlad all the way to the capital Suceava, witnessing his various atrocities. Vlad knew he didn't have the army nor the support after his brutal reign as nobles and peasants alike flocked to Ottoman camp to support Radu. Finally near Ceremus river Vlad attempted to take a stand on the day of Eid Ul Fitr of 872 AH ( 2 May 1468)
Image: Vlad Tepes in battle
The Ottomans had 15,000 against Vlad's paltry 6,000. Yet the Wallachian was determined to make a glorious last stand. He made a gamble on 500 Transylvanian mercenaries hidden on a nearby forest. But this time he met his match in both Muhammad and Iskandar. The overconfidence of ottoman infantry however would be their undoing in the first phase of battle as Moldavians would drive a wedge through them. The Sipahi cavalry would try to flank them but would be stopped by the Transylvanain mercenaries. A Tatar assault would fail to dislodge the tough sellswords as a frustrated Muhammad ordered his janissaries to join the fray. All the 500 mercenaries would be killed. But the defining moment would be when a thousand Tatar horsemen would cross the river and strike from the rear. Now it was not a battle but a massacre as almost the entirety of Vlad's army would perish but not before taking 3000 Ottomans with them. But Vlad, whether alive or dead still eluded Muhammad as no soldier could tell his whereabouts. Perhaps he escaped or he drowned in the river. Muhammad would reach Konstantinyye on Dhul Hajj 872 ( July 1468). But His battle on Carpathians were not over.
(From
'History of Ottoman empire' by Hayat Arghiros)
[1] remember this guy from Georgia update?
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Isfahan, Timurid empire
Rajab, 872(February 1468)
Two men walked along the garden of a grand palace. One of them was in a white robe and another in a more formal attire.
"So the situation in Mwerunnahr is bad. Now how much chance is there for the Tatar Khan to arrive there?" the pale man in formal attire asked the robed man.
"Mirza Suleiman, we don't know much but we saw a large area being cleared and tent pegs being set on three seperate places. If we consider the space available, no less than 50,000 troops can be stationed." the white robed man replied.
"What of the Aqbars heir in custody of Chinese?"
"We have not been able to know anything about him yet. But if the Chinese do intend to use him then we have little choice. Our army is in shambles and the heir apparent is missing after a campaign in Gobi against rebellious faction."
"What of the Shaybanids? Is the possible Tatar invasion the reason behind their more amicable approach to us?" Suleiman asked.
"I honestly didn’t get that part, I mean they are Related to Jochids. So it is more likely that they might ally with them against us."
"While that might be true haven’t they been at war with Jochids since the usurper Qizil took power?" What they want is their own realm in Khurasan and Mwerunnahr."
"I agree that your presumption has merit to it. However, one thing I've heard is that your sayyid Khaydar wrote a letter to the new Khan?"
"I actually don't have any hint on that, it might be a rumor circulated by his enemies. By the way, I've heard that the Aqbars heir is quite popular in Moghulistan and Mongolia due to his mother’s origin as a Chagtaid?" Suleiman quickly changed the topic.
"Yes, Alauddin Muhammad Yusuf Mirza. His mother Khurram Jan was very much respected. Only if he returns he can make a difference. The Chinese know it very well and unfortunately they don't have any unfinished rebellion distracting them unlike last time[1]. It's a wonder how Nafeez Sultan was able to grab such a woman."
"Love works in strange ways, Maulana Jalaluudin . No one knows that more than me." Suleiman spoke not meeting his companion's gaze.
"I understand Mirza. Now I think I should take my leave." he slowly began to walk away.
Just as Khaydar was about to take his leave as well when 3 men suddenly arrived.
"Mirza Suleiman, message from Emir Khaydar. Sultan Shamsuddin has been captured by Ottomans in battle." one man quickly spoke.
"Inna lillah, what of his emirs?"
"Almost all killed or captured. Emir Khaydar said he'll go to Baghdad to ward off any rebellious upstarts. He has ordered you to immediately start off for Herat for the Shaybanids would use this opportunity."
"Understood. Send my regards to him." Suleiman was now racing down the streets to reach his residence. How was he going to break this news to Firuze , he wondered. She was delicate as a flower and while she and her brother weren’t that close still she would be devastated and she won't be able to properly care for her 3 kids if it progresses. At least Gulhan would be there to support her. But again the latter was pregnant for the first time in 5 years since her marriage to him. Those two were a strange bunch, seemingly more like sisters than co wives. Gulhan's depression since her sister Alfiye's disappearance were cured by the bubbly Firuze. Well, on a related note he should give a thought on alliance with Shaybanids for in his home there was an even stranger one.
(6 years ago)
Gulhan was startled to hear voices after she answered her nature's call. Who would be crazy enough to venture this deep into a forest rumored to be lion habitat?
She crept over to the source and saw 2 women standing over another dead or unconscious one. Their aura was disturbing and she immediately knew something was wrong.
"- who the hell wears ring on left hand?" one thin girl spoke
"Look, let's Just smash both her hands and get out of here, this place creeps me out." a more mature looking woman replied in coarse voice
Gulhan threw her dagger at a nearby tree and whistled. The hooves belonging to her trusted Companion were soon heard.
"Let's get out of here! We'll never outpace a rider with a cart."
"But our job-"
"Screw the job, we'll tell Amina Khatun that a bunch robbers attacked us. Who else comes to this wretched place anyway".
Gulhan smirked as the duo sped off on their horse drawn cart.
At least the woman was still alive, just knocked out.
" Hey, wake up." Gulhan splattered water on her face as she blinked her eyes open.
"Look, two women I don't recognise wanted to smash your fingers. They spoke of someone named Amina."
"Thank you! Allah sent you as an angel to save me. Amina is one of my brother Shamsuddin's wives and she is jealous of my sewing skills. I'm Firuze."
"You are sultan Shamsuddin's sister? I'm Gulhan, Emir Khaydar's daughter."
"Emir Khaydar? Gulhan? You are the one Suleiman talks about so much and your other sister Alfiye. Come on let's go see-" Firuze winced as she attempted to stand up.
"You were knocked pretty hard on the head it seems." Gulhan said not so subtly.
She brought her horse and helped Firuze mount.
"So, how do you know Suleiman?" Gulhan asked though she already knew and dreaded the answer.
"Why of course my dear Gulhan, I'm his wife."
[1] I meant to clear that up in my Timurid invasion of China part but here we are. due to Timurid threat deemed bigger by Yongle he wasn't able to snuff out the Jingnan rebellion as effectively as OTL. So following his debacle against Timur, few stragglers rose up in southern China so he missed an opportunity when Timur's empire was near civil war in the aftermath of his death. Jalaluddin meant the Chinese would have no such problems now and they can expand in tarim basin easily.
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Salam viewers, here's a new update and sorry for not maintaining my schedule.
So the crusader nobles are bickering as always with Hanseatic league attempting to outdo everyone involved. Bye bye for Tuetonic order in Prussia but Polska has hard times ahead, this is the end of Poland wank for now.
Iberia is becoming a big mess and a new movement rises in maghreb, what can go wrong?
Ottomans do their part and Timurid realm in Persia is in big trouble now. Also I ain't telling you whether Vlad is alive or dead. Who do you think will spread the 'dracula' legends like OTL Saxons here?
So now it's the mercenary commander in charge off the entire Timurid realm for now. I really wish I could have shown how relation between Gulhan and Firuze progress to the point where they decide to share Suleiman but yeah, space and time.
Also one thing I've noticed that compared to most other TLs, mine is an image bucket. Do you readers think that my style of involving images is too distracting or is it helpful. Do tell! Until next time.
