Thanks to the Moroccan's use of gunpowder weapons such as the arquebus and cannon, Songhai power was pushed back eastward across the Niger where they formed the smaller but still robust Dendi Kingdom.[3] With Songhai out of the way, the ruler of Mali Mansa Mahmud IV set his sights on rebuilding his moribund empire.[4] The first step in this grand plan would be to seize the valuable city-state of Jenné, which controlled trade along the inland Niger valley.