Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 88

The Rising Beacon (2)

Ismail lightly closed his eyes.

In Tabriz, the capital of the kingdom he had built, was everything he had ever taken.

Beauties captured during the conquest wars filled the harem, and delicacies gathered from all over the kingdom always pleased his palate.

Those who faced him knelt and obeyed, and he could have everything he wanted with a single gesture.

It was as if he had brought the life of paradise to earth.

‘But that’s not enough.’

Ismail gripped the reins tightly.

The more he indulged in the luxurious life of the capital, the emptier his heart felt, as if it were whispering about where he truly belonged.

“Shah, preparations for departure are complete.”

At his subordinate’s words, Ismail slowly opened his eyes.

Dust swirled on the rough ground, and he had to chew on jerky that strained his jaw, instead of meat soaked in oil and spices.

You never knew when you might be struck by a stray arrow, and a smiling comrade might become food for wild beasts tomorrow.

That was the life of the steppe [a vast, semi-arid grassland], the life of a conqueror.

“This is my true life.”

Ismail murmured to himself.

A life of constantly fighting and conquering, proving that he was the one chosen by Allah.

It was a life to fill his empty heart, and the throbbing of his heart, as if anticipating the brutal times ahead, was like the beating of a drum announcing war.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, we are.”

There was no need to be bogged down by cumbersome supplies.

Within the kingdom, they could just take from the passing cities, and when they arrived in Trabzon, supplies would be received through the ships of Samtskhe, as planned.

All he had to do was grab the leash before the prey ran away.

‘There’s no turning back now.’

It was a moment of choice, but Ismail spoke without hesitation.

“Depart!”

With this declaration, Ismail swung a massive scythe towards Trabzon.

***

The period from when Yusuf was appointed Sanjakbey [governor of a district in the Ottoman Empire] to when he ascended to the Sultanate was 10 years.

It was the time he spent as the master of Trabzon, and the traces he left behind were by no means shallow.

It wasn’t just about material things like walls reinforced with cement or roads laid between major cities.

Like a dynasty that had ruled for hundreds of years, Yusuf’s presence was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people of Trabzon.

So much so that upon hearing the news that he had predicted the earthquake, they immediately regarded Yusuf as a saint.

‘Presumptuously, an ordinary Sanjakbey would have hated this atmosphere.’

Arda, who became the new Sanjakbey thanks to his past achievements and Yusuf’s favor, assessed coldly.

Even though Yusuf was the Sultan, as a Sanjakbey who independently managed the Sanjak, the shadow of his predecessor was quite unsettling.

It wouldn’t be strange to feel jealous when people longed for the previous ruler no matter what he did.

However, for Arda, who considered himself a vanguard preparing for war while temporarily in charge of Trabzon, it was not a problem.

Rather, he felt a strong sense of pride in being able to act as Yusuf’s proxy and was smoothly carrying out his assigned duties.

Until the bad urgent news was delivered, Arda thought so too.

“…It’s my mistake. I have no face to show the Padishah [Ottoman Emperor].”

Arda clenched his teeth so hard that blood flowed from his lips.

Recently, the spies in Tabriz were discovered and crushed, creating a gap in information.

So much so that they only belatedly learned that Shah Ismail was leading the Qizilbash [a Shia militant group] and advancing from Tabriz.

At Arda’s self-reproach, Ömer, the Qadi [judge] of Trabzon who was a judge and influenced administration, comforted him in a low voice.

“There’s no need to blame yourself for something you couldn’t do. Frankly, did we have anyone to send to Tabriz right now?”

“…We didn’t. But if we had pulled people from Georgia…”

“Nonsense.”

Ömer cut him off firmly.

“Reorganizing the kingdoms of Georgia was the Padishah’s will. It doesn’t make sense to disobey orders because of a possible risk. If you had tried to do that, I would have stopped you.”

Even though there were circumstances of allying with the West, no one knew that Ismail would come out so aggressively.

There was no logical basis to abandon Georgia, which was facing a major event right away.

A soft female voice intervened between the two.

“That’s right, Arda Pasha. It wasn’t your fault. Both I and Hatice think so.”

“…Thank you, Hatun [a title of respect for women in the Ottoman Empire].”

Arda bowed to the two women looking at him.

They were the two most esteemed women in the Ottoman Empire, excluding Valide Hatun [the Sultan’s mother], and even though they were women, they were qualified to be in this position.

“So, what is Shah’s current movement?”

At Ayşe’s question, Arda unfolded a map and drew a line from Tabriz to Erzincan with his finger.

“The Qizilbash led by the Shah are estimated to be 30,000. The Shah’s target is probably our Trabzon.”

The south of Trabzon is made up of rugged mountains, so it is not easy to invade, and they must pass through one of Erzurum, Bayburt, or Gümüşhane to enter.

Or they could step into the rugged terrain where Yusuf had wiped out 5,000 Qizilbash last time.

As it was a region bordering the Safavid Empire, Yusuf had put a lot of effort into the defense facilities, and even the Qizilbash could not easily invade.

“The problem is that the Shah, who has arrived in Erzincan, is making a big detour.”

Avoiding the heavily defended southern and eastern regions, Ismail was maneuvering as if making a large cut with a scythe.

There was no way to stop the 30,000 Qizilbash in the west, and they were advancing at a tremendous speed.

“We estimate that it will take at most three days to reach Trabzon.”

The conference room fell into deep silence at Arda’s explanation.

It meant that in three days, the peaceful land of Trabzon would turn into a battlefield.

Ayşe asked with a calm face.

“What about reinforcements?”

“We have already sent messengers. However, it will be difficult to expect a large number. The advance speed is too fast, and they could be defeated piecemeal.”

Although he had only experienced victories following Yusuf, Arda did not underestimate the power of the Qizilbash.

Even if they gathered and sent reinforcements from the surrounding area, the maximum would be only a few thousand, and with that number, they would be crushed before they even showed their faces in Trabzon.

It would not be an easy fight to face 30,000 Qizilbash with the pure forces of Trabzon, and Arda said in a firm voice.

“The Shah’s target is probably the two Hatuns and Princess Hasna. So you should escape now.”

No matter how much the Safavid Empire was a rising sun, the national power difference with the Ottoman Empire was overwhelming.

Ismail’s attack was a huge risk, and he had to inflict a major blow on the Ottoman Empire.

That was the three women staying in Trabzon, and Hatice, who had been silently silent, replied in a stiff voice.

“Okay. I will follow your will.”

Taking Hasna, who was not even one year old, on a long journey was a dangerous act, but staying here was even more dangerous.

“Thank you. The ship preparations have already been ordered. Please prepare so that you can leave right away.”

That was why he had hurriedly called the two Hatuns after receiving the urgent news.

He was relieved that the clever women did not insist uselessly, and it was when Arda was slightly relieved.

-Sanjakbey! It’s a disaster!

“Come in!”

With Arda’s permission, the soldier who rushed in immediately prostrated himself and shouted.

“The Samtskhe fleet has appeared in the harbor!”

Samtskhe, ruled by Mzechabuk, who had a long friendship with Yusuf, had a firm alliance with the Ottoman Empire.

However, Arda felt a sense of foreboding at the story that the fleet had appeared without even asking for help.

This foreboding was accurate.

“The Samtskhe fleet is blocking the harbor and attacking the ships coming out.”

“Damn it!”

Arda, who was angry, felt as if someone had put their hand into his head and stirred it.

Samtskhe betrayed us? Mzechabuk? What should I do?

When complex questions floated in his head, a sharp voice was heard.

“Arda Pasha!”

“Yes, yes! Hatun!”

Arda, who answered Ayşe’s shout, could face her calm green eyes.

“Calm down. You are the only one we can trust now.”

“…I’m sorry for showing you such an unsightly 모습 [Korean word for ‘appearance’ or ‘figure’, implying a shameful display].”

“It’s okay. The harbor is blocked, so it will be difficult to leave by ship, right?”

Arda pondered for a moment at Ayşe’s words and nodded.

“If Samtskhe has betrayed us, we cannot break through the siege with the ships currently in the harbor.”

“Then how about moving by land?”

“I’m sorry to say, but that will be difficult too.”

The main force will arrive in three days, but the advance team running day and night was scheduled to arrive in Trabzon sooner.

In addition, with Ismail’s army entering the west like a scythe, there was a high possibility that they would be caught before they could escape to another city.

Since they had waged war, there would be many spies watching around Trabzon, and it was more dangerous to go outside Trabzon.

“Then there’s only one answer. Let’s hold out here in Trabzon. Until the Padishah’s help comes.”

The number of troops that could be gathered in a short time was only about 4,000, and they had to endure against 30,000 enemies.

While waiting for reinforcements that might not come.

Three days later, a scythe was aimed at Trabzon.

***

Yusuf crumpled the urgent report from Trabzon in his hand.

No one dared to raise their head at the sight of his eyes spewing anger to the point of making their knees weak.

‘Ismail, you finally moved.’

Was I careless? That’s not it.

The opponent was none other than Ismail. Not in a state of being a wreck after a major defeat, but in a state of conqueror who wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call himself a god.

Yusuf was not foolish enough to be careless with such an enemy.

However, the current situation occurred for two reasons.

‘My eyes were blurred by the spy purge that started in Tabriz, and Samtskhe betrayed us. These two things were the problem.’

Spy activities in the Safavid Empire were shrinking, and it was difficult to operate noticeable messengers, let alone secretly transmitting intelligence.

It wasn’t that the spy gap was long.

It had only been about three months since he heard the news that all but one of the spies in Tabriz had died.

It was an impossibly short time to summon the personnel to be dispatched and refine the intelligence network again.

‘Even if the spies were properly operated, it wouldn’t have been easy to avoid this one move in the first place.’

Even when he was in Trabzon, he couldn’t deal with the affairs of Tabriz, which was five times the distance between Seoul and Busan [major cities in South Korea], as if he were looking at the palm of his hand.

‘And Samtskhe’s betrayal was the biggest problem. If it weren’t for this, it wouldn’t have been a threat.’

It may sound cold, but Trabzon is just one of many Sanjaks.

Even if it were occupied, it would not be a big threat, and he would have said that he was hastening his death unless the two Hatuns and his daughter were in danger of being taken hostage.

Anyway, it seemed that Mzechabuk, who would be in power for another five years, had been pushed out of Samtskhe, and the work had already begun.

Yusuf gave cold instructions.

“Grand Vizier!”

“Yes, Padishah!”

“Send an urgent message to the fleet in Gelibolu. The destination is Trabzon.”

Fortunately, the fleet gathered from Venice and the Papal States had not moved, and they could move the fleet immediately.

If the fleet arrived before Trabzon was captured, Ismail would have to leave empty-handed.

“And prepare the Janissaries [elite Ottoman soldiers]. I will personally lead the campaign.”

“I understand!”

That the Padishah was leading the army himself meant that it was an important battle, and it showed how angry he was.

Looking at the officials moving in a hurry, Yusuf had a grim face.

‘Ismail, don’t cross the line. Unless you want to turn your kingdom into a pile of corpses.’