This is a continuation of the previous post, so no narrative is included.
The Empire Strikes Again - 1634-1636
Back in the southern Empire, after a few years of relative peace small raids took place across the newly defined Oman-Saruhan border. Understanding that this represented a challenge to the stability of his still young rule, Ahmet I spent little time before agreeing to send the armies back into Arabia.
The armies moved first to secure the border provinces; these would be the goals for the war. They then moved south to protect against counterattacks and to force the Omani leadership to submit to the Empire's demands.
The first major battle took place in Jabal Shammar: a depleted Saruhani army that had recently completed a siege was attacked by the main Omani army. Luckily, the Empire's allies in Iraq came to the army's aid, helping to hold this force off long enough for the second Saruhani army to come from the north and drive them off.
After this fight, the two Saruhan armies split to push the war further into Arabia. The smaller army turned to Qatar; there it would lay two successful sieges, but would be set upon by another major Omani army and be wiped out.
Shocked at the unexpected loss of this army, the Sultan agreed to cut the Empire's losses. A peace was negotiated with Oman in which the Empire took control of their desired region, but unfortunately before the allied Iraqis could gain sufficient support within the war to claim their own war spoils.
Shortly afterwards, colonization of the final Qara Koyunlu province was completed.
The first order of business after the 2nd Omani war was to raise a replacement army for the one that was lost. There were rumblings of war coming from the North, and the Sultan wished to be prepared if the armies of Europe came to liberate lands that were being converted to Islam.
As it turned out, these rumors of war were true... but the hidden sword was not pointed at Saruhan.
Where this war would lead between the two powers, nobody knew, but Ahmet I ordered multiple armies to the northern borders to prevent any spillover from the conflict.
The Sultan also had one other task he felt he needed to complete to feel secure in his rule. The Saruhanoglu family had comfortably been ruling two domains for some time: the nation of Saruhan and the remnants of Syria. Ahmet decided that this arrangement was no longer needed, and he demanded that the Syrian lands be officially folded in to the Empire at large.
This would be Ahmet I's last act as Sultan. After 20 years of rule, the stress of the office was too much for him, and he suffered a heart attack. His son, Hizir V, would take the throne.