When the Serasker, Ibrahim Pasha, saw that the signs of defeat were spreading among his troops he shouted at them saying, “I am not one of those who turn their backs on fighting when the going gets tough. Look at me and see my forehead stained with blood and sand.” He then pulled his sword from its sheath, dismounted from his horse, and marched forward through the water until he was submerged up to his neck . . . On seeing this, the soldiers were filled with faith and courage and soon followed their commander depending on no one but God who said in His Book, “It was incumbent upon Us to assist the believers.”

XREF: Connects to earlier claims about Ibrahim's motivational speeches and battlefield conduct (loc 647, 646) — here the same leadership principle appears in the Syrian campaign, showing the pattern recurs. FICTION: The image of a commander striding into the sea to his neck while invoking scripture offers a vivid scene for historical fiction. Builds on: "Ibrahim's motivational letter urged soldiers to obey without thinking."

Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed…, loc. 1311