Chapter 24: First Move

In fact, Mamluk is a very old term.

The group of people who made up the Mamluks were originally slaves, and they first appeared in the "Turkic Gulam" system during the Abbasid Dynasty.

Although most of them are Turks, they also include Greeks, Egyptians, Caucasians, Slavs, etc.

Most of the Mamluks came from non-Muslims who were abducted in the Caucasus and the northern Black Sea. Some were captured by slave traders and sold to the Middle East, and then organized into mercenaries by the caliphs and sultans.

Others came from some tribes in the East, and were favored by the caliphs and sultans and became their mercenaries.

The most famous of these ethnic groups are the Turks who were expelled from the desert by an empire in East Asia.

By the way, the current Ottoman Sultan can also be said to be a Turk, although his blood is not pure.

The real characterization of the Mamluks was completed in the late period of Saladin. During his reign in Egypt, Saladin made considerable reforms to the original Arab Empire's slave guard system.

In order to stabilize his family's rule, Saladin abandoned the original gulam selection system. Instead of slave soldiers mixed with free mercenaries, he completely selected strong men from private slaves for military training and uniformly distributed equipment, thus gradually forming a unique military aristocratic group.

Rather than saying that the Mamluks are real "slaves", it is better to say that they are powerful mercenaries. From the ninth to the sixteenth century, they gradually took control of Egypt.

In January 1517, the Ottoman Sultan Selim I led the Ottoman army to fight a decisive battle with the army of Tumanbay, the last Sultan of the Mamluk Dynasty, in the suburbs of Cairo. Tumanbay's army was annihilated and the Mamluk Dynasty perished.

But this does not mean the demise of the Mamluk group. As a centipede, the Mamluks are not dead. Although they can no longer become the Sultan of Egypt, they still constitute the core of the army and are appointed as government officials.

During the Ottoman occupation, the Mamluks have always been an important class in the Egyptian political structure and have a considerable influence on society.

Even in the decline of the empire, eight of the 23 governors sent by the empire were dismissed by the Mamluks.

In the original time and space, taking advantage of Napoleon's crippling of the Mamluks, Egypt's new ruler Muhammad Ali Pasha massacred the Mamluks.

After this massacre, the power of the Mamluks declined.

As for this era, Selim estimated that the other party would die early.

While Selim was planning the future of Egypt, Napoleon's army had arrived in Mansoura, with a total of 5,000 troops, 3,000 private soldiers of the Janikli family, and 2,000 new troops. Accompanying him was the new governor sent by Selim, the unwavering centralist - Haji Ibrahim Pasha and a group of officials who were ready to take over Egypt.

However, the Mamluks did not care about the arrival of the new governor and the army. After all, it was normal for an Egyptian governor to have such a few private soldiers.

They held a banquet as usual, expecting the new governor to give them some surprises.

In March 1789, the Ottoman army arrived in Cairo, Egypt. Haji Pasha specially organized a banquet and invited senior Mamluk generals.

As for why these people were invited, Hassan Pasha has to be mentioned here.

In 1786, Selim's uncle Hamid I sent Admiral Hassan Pasha to lead a fleet to Alexandria to collect Egyptian tribute that had not been paid during the Ali Bey and Zahab Bey periods. (These two are typical great Mamlukists. The former even declared independence from the Ottoman Empire and colluded with Arabs and Russians to fight against Turkey. Later, he died in civil strife.)

At this time, the two Mamluk Beys in Egypt, Murad and Ibrahim, tried to resist Hassan Pasha's army, but were defeated.

After Hassan Pasha ruled Egypt, he carried out a series of administrative reforms, restricting Egyptian Mamluks from trading in the Istanbul slave market, forcing Mamluks to move to other areas.

But as the Russian Empire's influence in the Caucasus gradually expanded, the number of slaves in the region was greatly reduced, which in turn weakened the Mamluk military power and re-imposed social restrictions on Christians and Jews.

Murad and Ibrahim Bey tried to expel Hassan Pasha from Egypt many times, but all ended in failure.

The coronation of Selim and the outbreak of the Russo-Turkish War in 1787 caused Hassan Pasha to return to Istanbul, and he handed over control of Egypt to Ismail Bey.

In the original time and space, Ismail controlled Egypt until his death in 1791, and Murad and Ibrahim Bey resumed control of Egypt until Napoleon invaded in 1798.

So, if Ismail spoke, Murad and Ibrahim Bey would definitely come.

In Cairo, a group of Egyptian military and political leaders were feasting in Ismail's mansion. As for whether the new governor would be unfavorable to them, this was not a question for the Mamluks at all.

Even if Selim I (the Cruel) conquered Egypt, they were still the ruling class of this place. Without them, how could the Ottoman Empire rule this place?

When the banquet was in full swing, Haji Pasha walked to the center of the hall, cleared his throat, and said loudly.

"Dear distinguished Beys, I am very happy to be able to gather with you today.

As a loyal subject of the great Ottoman Sultan, I believe that everyone wants to work hard to build a great empire.

But the situation of the empire is not optimistic. Although we won the Russo-Turkish War, it only delayed the collapse of the empire.

Here, I hope to borrow something from everyone so that I can better promote the revival of the empire. "

At this time, a Bey named Ayub stood up. He seemed a little drunk, and the whole person was staggering. He said heroically: "Whatever Haji Pasha wants to borrow, just say it."

"Then I won't be polite. I'll borrow your heads for use. "

Haji Pasha had not finished speaking when he pulled out a pistol and shot Ayub Bey.

Ayub Bey, who had not yet reacted, did not even know how to dodge. He was hit in the middle of his brow by the bullet and fell slowly.

A group of Mamluks suddenly panicked. The timid ones ran out quickly, while the brave ones rushed to the new governor, hoping to subdue him to ensure their own safety.

At this moment, a group of well-equipped soldiers poured into the hall. They were the Ottoman Empire troops belonging to Napoleon.

Haji Pasha slowly retreated behind the scenes, waiting for the final result.

Under the night, the mansion with brilliant lights and walls was occasionally heard with explosions. The lights in many places had gone out, mixed with shrill shouts, and a massacre had begun.

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