On the evening of the day after Alexander arrived in Erzurum, Sheikh Hassan successfully received clear instructions from his father, who was still based in Mardin.
Seeing Alexander's uneasy expression, Sheikh didn't keep him in suspense, but directly informed him of the White Sheep Sultan's instructions: "Father has agreed, and he has also asked my two brothers to bring troops to assist. They will arrive in a few days, so please wait patiently for now."
Alexander was immediately overjoyed. "May I ask who they are...?"
"My fourth brother, Ali, and my second brother, Hamza," Sheikh interrupted him calmly, responding.
At the same time, in the city of Trabzon, Badars was informing Kristo Balin and Suleiman Karamanoglu, who had just arrived, of Manuel's decision and orders.
"Is that so?" Suleiman stroked his thick beard, deep in thought.
"Lord Suleiman? Is something wrong?" Badars looked at him with a hint of confusion.
"Nothing, just a trivial matter probably related to Manuel."
Although Badars sensed that Suleiman seemed to be hiding something, given that the impending war with the White Sheep was the more urgent matter, he did not press him using his lord's name. Instead, after giving some instructions, he turned and left to notify David and others.
After confirming that all irrelevant people had left, Suleiman quietly returned to his room as much as possible. There, a trusted servant, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, had returned to his side and was awaiting his next command.
Upon returning to the room, Suleiman saw a familiar figure, similar in age but ordinary in appearance, in a corner of the room. He smiled at the figure, relieved and relaxed, "Allah must always protect you, Mahmoud Ruta Oghlu. You have worked hard these past days."
The person he was speaking to was his personal servant, Ruta Oghlu, who had not appeared before him for a long time. As for why he was here, it all started three years ago, with a series of secret talks between Suleiman and Manuel—
When Suleiman arrived in Theodosia that year, he didn't just become a militiaman to make a living; he was still actively seeking to return home and seize power. Fortunately, roughly when Manuel learned of his identity, Suleiman found a good opportunity to secretly establish contact with an Armenian merchant group from the Ramazan Beylik, who had coincidentally arrived at Theodosia port. Before participating in the Crimean War, he sent his servant, Ruta Oghlu, onto a ship to contact and win over Muhammad, the Ramazan Bey, on his behalf.
Thus, after that, Ruta Oghlu had been working for him in Adana, the capital of Ramazan. Later, due to the urgent need for cooperation, Suleiman vaguely informed Manuel of this matter towards the end of the Crimean War, and received Manuel's strong support. However, since Bosporus had little influence outside the Black Sea coast, the assistance provided was mostly spiritual and economic.
During the period when Yusuf Jakmak, the Mamluk Sultanate general from Alexandria, arrived in Phanagoria, Suleiman and Manuel both established a good personal relationship with him. It was at a banquet during that time that Suleiman took a gamble, using alcohol for courage, and in Manuel's presence, asked Jakmak to help him obtain the title of Karaman Bey, promising that he would be infinitely biased towards the Mamluk once he became Bey.
Because Jakmak was, and still is, forming factions for a possible Mamluk succession, he did not directly agree to Suleiman's request, but ambiguously kept him in suspense. However, on the night he left, he finally relented, stating that he was willing to send someone to contact Ruta Oghlu, and incidentally, indirectly inform the Damascus general, Emir Ibn Nasir, who belonged to his faction, about the matter, letting this person decide whether to intervene in the Karaman Beylik dispute.
Months had passed, and now it was time for the results. Whether he could return home and seize power depended on this moment.
"It is my honor to serve Your Highness, and it is Allah's will," Ruta Oghlu bowed.
Suleiman, with a tense expression, told him not to say more, "Just tell me directly, what is the attitude of Ramazan and the Mamluk?"
"Reporting to Your Highness," Ruta Oghlu's expression became a little excited, "Bey Muhammad has agreed to help us, and Emir Nasir has also stated that if possible, he will send a private army to fight under the name of Ramazan. Furthermore, although the old Bey ① has passed away, his loyal subjects still support Your Highness's righteous cause."
Suleiman clenched his fists in excitement, but he still did not let his guard down, "What about the attitudes of the other neighboring countries? Although I haven't communicated with them directly, my father has, after all, notified Konya for several years."
Ruta Oghlu bowed again and reported, "Your Highness, Dulkadir should maintain a neutral stance; and the Kingdom of Cyprus as well. They are quite hostile to us Muslim Beylik, and if everyone is hostile, it means no one is hostile. So, in my humble opinion, Your Highness can exclude these two countries."
"What about the Ottoman?" Suleiman finally asked the question he cared about most.
Hearing his master's question, Ruta Oghlu first froze, then lowered his head after a moment, and then gently shook his head.
"Is that so? As expected, after all, my cousin Ibrahim was personally supported by the Ottoman." Suleiman was not surprised by this answer, but the thought that the most troublesome Ottoman might very well side with Ibrahim II made his head ache unconsciously.
But since things had come to this, he didn't want to delay any longer, lest he invite more trouble. Thinking of this, Suleiman became even more serious, "I have already secured the best timing. If I continue to delay, I'm afraid there will be no chance of returning to my country. After finally returning to Asia Minor, if I have to flee in a hurry again, can I still be considered a follower of Allah?"
"Ruta Oghlu, set off the day after tomorrow to return to Adana and make arrangements with the relevant forces. Act quickly, because I will soon return to Çukurova to reclaim everything that my father and I deserve." Finally, Suleiman thus commanded his most loyal servant, making such an unknown declaration in his room.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
A few days later, Ruta Oghlu rose and once again left his beloved master's side. Suleiman, at Manuel's request, followed his people from the city of Trabzon to Akçaabat.
At this very moment, someone else was sailing from the port of Tana on the northern Black Sea coast towards Trabzon, to fulfill the mission entrusted to him.
"Now I can only hope that Manuel is in the city of Trabzon," a young Venetian noble with flaxen hair and dark green eyes stood on the ship, sighing thus.