Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 33

#33. The One Who Eats First (2)

The distance between Gümüşhane and Bayburt was only about 60km.

It was a short distance, only a day and a half’s ride on horseback. Unless Bayburt was a city full of blind people, they couldn’t have been unaware that troops were gathering in Gümüşhane.

Since they would have completed all the basic defense preparations, there was no point in a cavalry surprise attack. Yusuf led his troops on a slow march.

60km might feel close, but the marching speed of infantry was about 3-4km per hour, and covering 15km in a day was considered a lot for infantry.

Of course, they could move more than that, but there was no need to do anything that would diminish their combat power when time wasn’t of the essence.

It took five days to besiege Bayburt.

-The lord must immediately open the gates and welcome the brothers of faith!

“How disappointing. A brother of faith has come from afar, but you won’t meet him,” Yusuf said, a playful glint in his eyes.

Hakan, the Sanjak Bey [governor] of Lazistan, burst into laughter at Yusuf’s words.

“Isn’t it that he’s so overwhelmed to see the Prince in person that he’s frozen? He will open the gates and welcome you soon.”

“I believe so too.”

If this burning heart is not reciprocated, Bayburt could be set ablaze.

‘Our siege weaponry is weak, so we must be prepared for some loss of troops.’

Of course, they might have to seize it by force, but they didn’t come empty-handed.

They had basic things like ladders, battering rams, and catapults, but considering that cannons were already in active service elsewhere, it was like wielding a bronze sword in the Iron Age.

Of course, unlike Europe, which had been using cannons for some time, the Middle East was not yet in an era of widespread gunpowder weapon usage, and the walls in front of them were medieval walls that were built high but thin.

‘Which means we could easily smash it if we just brought siege cannons.’

He knew it would be effective, but he couldn’t use them because the Ottoman Empire’s artillery belonged only to the Kapikulu [elite central army], which was the central army.

There was no point in regretting what he didn’t have, but he had prepared some countermeasures.

‘If possible, I don’t want to use them here, so I wish they would just open the gates and come out.’

While he was thinking this, Hakan, who had been subtly watching him, cautiously asked.

“Your Highness, are you planning to prohibit looting this time as well?”

Yusuf answered without hesitation.

“If they surrender willingly, looting is forbidden.”

The road to this place was smooth without any ambushes, but it was more difficult to stop the soldiers from looting the surrounding houses.

The army of this era was worse than a swarm of locusts, which was considered a disaster.

‘At least locusts don’t go around murdering or raping.’

However, it would be a problem to think of looting as a war crime.

The Geneva Convention, which defined war crimes, was still 300 years away, and Rousseau, who provided the ideological basis for such concepts, was still 200 years from being born.

Looting in this era served to procure necessary supplies for the war locally and to suppress the soldiers’ dissatisfaction from the expedition.

Even Napoleon achieved tremendous marching speed with a plan to loot even food.

In short, it meant approaching it from a tactical concept rather than an emotional one, and Yusuf did not prohibit looting from a humanitarian point of view.

“This place will now become part of the Empire, and we must rely on the help of those who live here to stop the Shia. I will provide separate monetary compensation, so please take good care of them.”

Even if he gave them compensation, it wasn’t as good as looting directly, but it was an understandable choice.

It wasn’t easy to control the soldiers who were full of energy and thinking of filling their pockets with war.

“If something unfortunate happens and I become ashamed to stand before Allah, I will be angry, so I trust you will control them well.”

“Of course!”

“Don’t worry!”

The commanders enthusiastically agreed to Yusuf’s threatening request.

The people of the Empire had clearly felt through Burka, and the Circassians through Aisha, how persistent and vicious Yusuf could be, so it didn’t just feel like empty words.

Yagiz, the Sanjak Bey of Kনিক, threw a joke in the suddenly chilly atmosphere.

“I wish they hadn’t surrendered.”

“Haha, then we could loot justly, which would be good.”

He said it as a joke, but the commanders looked slightly tempted.

Ottoman traditionally allowed looting for 3 days after a successful attack, so it felt better to have a cool siege battle than to struggle to stop the soldiers from looting.

Yusuf noticed this change in atmosphere but just chuckled.

Because the gates of Bayburt opened and a messenger with a white flag came out.

“Did they surrender immediately because Yagiz Pasha said that? I think I should ask you to do it one more time in Erzurum.”

“Haha, it seems they were listening to us.”

Yusuf threw a joke, and they poured out words in response, creating a friendly atmosphere.

While lightly exchanging jokes, the messenger with the white flag was surrounded by soldiers and arrived in front of the commanders.

The messenger got off his horse and paid his respects to Yusuf.

“I greet the Prince of the Empire.”

“Yes, are you ready to open the gates and welcome us? I think I’ve given you enough time already.”

Despite the overbearing question, the messenger opened his mouth without fear.

“Aptum Bey, the owner of Bayburt, asked why you are doing this despite our long friendship.”

The merchants who passed through Bayburt on their way to Trabzon from the White Sheep Dynasty had to go through Bayburt, so even though it was a foreign country, their relationship wasn’t bad.

It might seem like a neighbor who had been getting along well suddenly came with a knife.

“If you have ears, you would have heard the stories about the atrocities committed by the Shia. We came to help you.”

“But that’s just rumors…”

“Have you ever seen smoke coming out of a chimney without a fire? It’s absurd to dismiss it as mere rumors.”

He was disappointed that they considered it just a rumor, after all the effort he had put into making smoke come out of that chimney.

Besides, it wasn’t completely false.

He just exaggerated it a little. He only exaggerated it to the extent of calling a cat a tiger.

“You only have two choices. Open the gates and welcome the brothers of faith, or be punished for obstructing the jihad [holy war].”

“…Allah will not forgive you.”

Yusuf raised one corner of his mouth at the messenger’s curse.

“Allah is always on the side of the victor.”

He was disappointed that they still didn’t know that.

“I’ll say it again. This is the last chance given to you. If you open the gates right now, we will treat you as brothers of faith. Go back and tell your master.”

At Yusuf’s words, the messenger returned powerlessly, and after a while, the gates of Bayburt opened.

‘Indeed, true civilized people can solve problems through dialogue.’

Of course, you can solve more problems if you have a weapon in one hand.

***

Yusuf, who entered the castle under the escort of an army with weapons raised, felt the gazes of people filled with fear and worry.

He didn’t pay much attention to it since it wasn’t an emotion that could be resolved with a few words anyway. As he entered the center, he could see unarmed soldiers and a middle-aged man standing proudly in front of them.

“Are you Aptum Bey?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Yusuf looked at Aptum with interest.

Although it ended with just surrender without a siege, the other party was technically a loser since he had been deprived of the land he ruled.

However, he stood so confidently that he looked like a winner.

“You’re quite calm for someone who’s lost his territory?”

“What importance is there in such a position? I would be satisfied if I could reduce even one person’s suffering.”

“Hoh, is that so?”

At Aptum’s calm words, the soldiers and eavesdroppers looked at him with admiring eyes.

‘I have to get Aptum’s help anyway.’

Bayburt needs to be reinforced with defensive facilities because it is a passage for supplies sent from Trabzon.

With limited troops and people, it was essential to gain the cooperation of Bayburt, and it was best to get the help of the existing ruler.

“Tarip Sobashi [police chief].”

“Give your orders.”

Yusuf gave an order to Tarip, the Sobashi of Gümüşhane.

“I will assign two Sobashis and five hundred soldiers to help Aptum manage this place.”

“I understand.”

Yusuf, who took his eyes off Tarip, who bowed his head and received the order, looked at Aptum.

“Aptum, are you willing to help?”

“If Your Highness shows us mercy, I will do my best to help.”

“Good. If you keep your faith, my army will not harm you.”

“Thank you.”

Yusuf approached Aptum, who bowed his head with a moved face, and patted him on the shoulder, saying in a small voice.

“It was a good act, but you should have been careful with your eyes.”

More important than his position was the people? What a joke.

If he really thought so, he shouldn’t have been looking at the reactions of the people around him.

‘He was trying to maintain his influence with lip service, but I’m in charge of talking.’

Aptum froze like a mouse in front of a snake at Yusuf’s gaze, which seemed to see through him.

Yusuf smiled slightly at Aptum, who was sweating.

“Honestly, whether you were being hypocritical or even shallowly sincere, it doesn’t matter to me. I just hope you don’t do anything that will disappoint me.”

“…I understand.”

Yusuf patted Aptum on the shoulder again, who slowly nodded his head, and turned his body.

He would cooperate well if he warned him this much.

“Tarip, kill him without delay if he does anything stupid.”

“I understand.”

You shouldn’t trust people easily.

The occupation of Bayburt is over.

***

“Your Highness, Bayburt was easily occupied, but Erzurum will not be easy.”

“I know. Unlike this place, they won’t surrender easily.”

Erzurum was a defensive stronghold, and Erzurum was a region famous for being cold and snowy even in Anatolia.

It was already spring, but it was still a cold time, and it was bound to be a burden on the besieging side.

Of course, it was too much to expect Erzurum, which was relatively advantageous, to raise a white flag and surrender.

‘If I waited for the weather to get warmer to make the siege easier, I might have faced the Safavid army before I even occupied it.’

In that case, they would have to retreat after making sacrifices in a fruitless siege.

That was the worst situation for Yusuf, who had a lot riding on this war, and choosing this time was inevitable.

“But it’s not like there’s no way.”

He didn’t raise an army believing that things would work out luckily because his luck was 10, and he devised his own solution.

Yagiz, who was thinking for a moment at Yusuf’s confident attitude, asked.

“Could it be related to that strange pile of dirt you brought with you using camels?”

Yusuf grinned at this question.

“You’ll probably see something interesting.”

It’s time to see the results of Hassan’s blood and sweat.