"Oh, Uzun Hasan… Hmm?!" Uzun Hasan, wasn't he the formidable ruler who led the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty to sweep across the Iranian Plateau and even contended with Muhammad II of the Ottoman Empire (though he lost)?
Recalling his knowledge from his previous life, Uzun Hasan in official history was born about 10 years ago, wasn't he? The timeline also matched, and now the family tree was clear… Thinking of this, Manuel felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.
However, on second thought, Uzun Hasan in official history wouldn't come to power until 1453. In the current year of 1433, he was still just a child. Thinking of this, his rapidly beating heart calmed down again. Moreover, if the Bosporus's plan succeeded this time, whether the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty, deprived of a large part of West Armenia, could sustain its conquest of Persia remained a question mark.
Thinking of these things, he composed himself, smiled gently, "Ah, I mean, what a beautiful name."
Fortunately, Manuel had concealed his expression very well just now, so Ali, who was in front of him, did not notice anything amiss.
Afterward, under Manuel's guidance, Ali, though still cautious, gradually became willing to reveal some irrelevant information. And when the conversation turned to the numerous and complex family ties of the Komnenos family, Ali suddenly stroked his beard and smiled slyly, "Indeed, for example, even the neighboring Black Sheep Dynasty is related to us through the Komnenos family's cousins."
"Hmm, are there relatives of mine among the Black Sheep Dynasty's imperial family too?" Manuel did remember that the Komnenos family had married several princesses to both the Black and White Sheep sides, but this was only mentioned once by his mother Zoe when he was young, so he subconsciously forgot about it. If Ali hadn't brought it up now, he wouldn't have remembered.
Ali nodded, "To be precise, it's the current heretical Sultan of the Black Sheep Dynasty, Kara Iskander, who believes in the Shia pseudo-faith. His successor and we are related as cousins or second cousins. Because the wife of his son, Jahan Shah, is the daughter of the recently deceased Basileus of Trabzon, Alexios IV, which means she is your cousin. In other words, Jahan is your cousin-in-law."
So both the Black and White Sheep are his distant relatives, right? If Uzun Hasan married John IV's daughter, just like in the official history of his previous life, would the Safavids of Persia also end up being his distant relatives? Thinking of such a fantastical development, Manuel felt his head swell, "Enough already, how many families has the Megas Komnenos family intermarried with?" Calculated this way, he himself didn't know how many countries and dynasties he was related to, more or less, through the Komnenos family.
However, this relationship might be a way to force a truce with the White Sheep? After all, due to their faith and geography, the Black and White Sheep have always been at odds. Looking at Ali, who was sitting in front of him and completely unaware that he had revealed important information, Manuel roughly formed a vague plan in his mind.
And Ali was indeed completely unaware of the thoughts of his second cousin sitting opposite him. After all, he always believed that as an in-law of the Komnenos family, the other party should have a considerable understanding of their marriage ties, so he did not know that he had inadvertently conveyed information that could affect the course of the war.
At the same moment Manuel was preparing to leave, in the palace of Tabriz, the capital of the Black Sheep Dynasty, the Black Sheep Sultan Kara Iskander, who ruled Mesopotamia, Azerbaijan, and parts of Anatolia, sat on his throne wearing a loose, gold-embroidered black caftan. At this time, this middle-aged man, with a pure black turban on his head, looked slightly tired but was listening with interest to his beloved son, Jahan Shah, reporting on the situation at the Black and White Sheep border, served by eunuchs and female slaves.
"So, in summary, the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty has started fighting with the Romans from across the Black Sea, right?" After listening to his son's report, Iskander straightforwardly pointed out the main point of the report.
"Yes, Father." Jahan looked at his father with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.
"Hold your position."
"Good… Huh?"
"Don't be in a hurry to act," Iskander carefully tapped the jade armrest of the throne, "After fighting with the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty for so many years, haven't you learned not to clash with them at an inappropriate time?" Although he indeed wanted to give the White Sheep a good beating, the losses he had suffered over the past decade were not in vain.
"Yes, Father." Jahan, as his successor, was still a bit disappointed. "So we'll just watch the White Sheep heretics regain their strength?"
"You don't really think those Romans can hold out until Kara Osman's army besieges the city, do you? They're probably relying on an information advantage to launch a surprise attack, and if we intervene rashly, it will likely be the same as in the last decade." While Iskander was enlightening him on this point, he suddenly changed the subject, "Speaking of which, the Shirvanshah state to the north seems to have been flirting with the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty recently. Tsk, mere heretical wretches, secretly forming alliances."
"Oh, yes, there's one more thing. Also, help the Viziers in the country to compile a list of all those messy religious sects. Like Ibrahim Safavi, who succeeded the Ardabil Sufi order a few years ago, these types all have their own selfish motives; ultimately, we must guard against them."
"Yes, Father."
As the conversation between the father and son concluded, the Black Sheep Dynasty's stance on the West Armenia region was temporarily determined. At least for now, without new intelligence and without being incited, they would temporarily focus their conquest efforts on the restless vassals in the Azerbaijan mountains.
And as the father and son finished their discussion, Manuel, far away in Bayburt, also concluded his casual conversation with Ali. Although he didn't get critical intelligence about the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty this time, he already had a way to force a halt to the counterattack from Diyarbakir.
"I need to find a way to spread some rumors and stir up more trouble." For this purpose, he called Badars over shortly after sitting down, wanting the Dark Department to deepen the rift between the Black and White Sheep, making their already bad relationship even worse.
And five days after the victory of the Battle of Bayburt, Manuel, through a mix of coaxing, trickery, and both soft and hard tactics, gathered over a thousand Armenian soldiers and integrated them into his own forces, organizing four thousand troops. He then led this Bosporus Army towards Erzurum. At this time, Sheikh Hassan and his brother Hamza, who were anxiously awaiting news from Diyarbakir, did not know that in a few days they would once again face the Roman army that had previously driven them back repeatedly.