Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 194

Became the Sultan of Osman – Episode 194

Further Away (3)

I put down the letter and blinked.

I’ve handled a lot of documents today, but not enough to cause presbyopia [age-related farsightedness]. I’m not that old yet.

Yusuf looked at the letter again, but the content wouldn’t change.

‘If not a kangaroo, at least a marsupial.’

Marsupials are animals that typically give birth to underdeveloped young due to placental issues and raise them in a pouch on their belly.

There are marsupials in America, but based on the description, it’s a kangaroo-like animal.

‘This means Mustafa did go to Australia.’

The rest of the content isn’t particularly special. It’s a story about replenishing food and drinking water through simple bartering with the natives and then returning.

Yusuf closed his eyes and briefly explored his memories.

Oceania, one of the seven continents, and Australia, which occupies the largest area within it, were pioneered by the British, but the first European to discover it was a Dutchman.

Before that, there were a few records of ships sailing from Java, similar to Mustafa, being swept away by storms and arriving in Australia. Of course, they just returned after seeing the desolate northwest of Australia.

‘It’s not strange that he discovered it. It’s very close to New Guinea, an Indonesian island and also part of Oceania.’

There are also stories of Indonesians occasionally visiting the northern coast of Australia.

If you have as much luck as Mustafa, you might accidentally discover it like he did, but the important thing is what to do next.

“Padishah, is there a problem?”

Seeing Yusuf’s serious face while reading the letter, Shemsi asked worriedly.

It was understandable to be worried since the person who had been smiling while reading the letter was now deep in thought.

“It seems Mustafa has found an interesting island.”

“An island? I’ve heard there are many islands in that area. Prince Mustafa might have discovered something.”

Shemsi didn’t take it seriously since Mustafa was known for his knack for finding things since he was young.

“It’s not just an island, it might be right to call it a continent.”

“…A new continent?”

Yusuf’s lips quirked up at Shemsi’s wide-eyed surprise.

“Isn’t ‘new continent’ a funny term? There are natives living there, but we call it a new continent just because we didn’t know about it. Anyway, it’s not like we’ve explored the whole thing, and it’s likely just a large island.”

“But doesn’t that mean it’s a pretty big island?”

“And the level of civilization seems low. At least not to the extent that the Imperial Army would be in great danger.”

A vast land that is easy to occupy.

Shemsi’s eyes gleamed, and Yusuf put the letter in an envelope and asked.

“Do you think it would be good for the Empire to occupy it?”

“We need to explore it properly, but wouldn’t it be better to occupy it? Even if not, I think it’s necessary to explore it.”

“You’re right, we need to explore it. We can’t just cover it up as if nothing happened.”

Mustafa wasn’t alone on the ship, and sooner or later, rumors would spread, and there would be movements to explore it.

Even if he had only discovered wasteland, he discovered land where natives live, that is, land where people can live.

‘Mustafa, for one, won’t leave Australia alone.’

In a situation where a prince is taking dangerous voyages because he likes adventure, there’s no way he’d just leave something he discovered with his own hands.

It’s not that things have gone wrong. Thanks to him, there was no need to issue separate instructions to discover Australia.

It’s not because of the mission given by the system to create a great empire spanning six continents, excluding Antarctica, that I’m paying attention.

‘I don’t know what the reward of choice is, but I’ve decided to live and die as Yusuf. Rewards are meaningless.’

It’s just that I’m acting that way because it benefits the Empire.

Anyway, Australia has been discovered, and it was more important to decide how to approach it.

“Grand Vizier, if we were to occupy the island, what do you think we should do?”

“The simplest and most common method would be to occupy it by force, like the Iberians [people from the Iberian Peninsula, mainly Spain and Portugal], wouldn’t it?”

“Forcible occupation, huh.”

It’s a way of creating a colony, but Yusuf frowned slightly.

It’s not out of compassion for the natives. I’ve already walked a path stained with blood, so there’s no point in considering humanitarianism.

It just didn’t seem like a suitable method.

“Assuming we’re going to develop it, no one will go voluntarily, so we’ll have to mobilize prisoners or slaves, right?”

“That’s right.”

How many people would want to settle in a harsh place where they don’t know when they’ll die? There was no other way but to mobilize people by force.

England also initially mobilized prisoners.

“How many prisoners or slaves can we send? We won’t see any proper results until we’re old and dead.”

“If we’re going to tie it to us, aren’t you still young, Padishah? I have trouble reading these days.”

“Still, resignation is not allowed. Didn’t we agree to retire together?”

“…I never made such a promise.”

It was a brazen statement, but such coercion was accepted because Yusuf was the master of the Empire.

“Anyway, sending prisoners is not enough. There are many uses for prisoners and slaves within the Empire as well.”

Of course, it’s not like there’s no way at all.

“If we discover a gold mine on the island, people will flock there voluntarily, won’t they?”

“If there is one, we will.”

Gold rush.

There were many gold mines exposed on the surface in Australia, and in the original history, the population exploded due to the gold rush to find these gold mines.

The problem is that it wasn’t a good time to use this method.

“Whether there are actually gold mines or not, you and I recently discussed the problems caused by the accumulation of gold and silver in the Empire.”

“Yes, that’s the problem. If a gold mine is actually discovered and rapidly developed, a huge amount of gold coins will accumulate in the Empire. It will be really hard to handle then.”

Prices could go crazy to the point of mocking the price revolution of the original history, and the effort to minimize the damage could become meaningless.

If mobilizing prisoners or slaves is not appealing, and we can’t use the lure of gold mines, then there’s only one conclusion.

“We should try to incorporate the natives into the Empire as much as possible and make them Imperial citizens.”

“I think that’s the best way too. It’s better not to shed unnecessary blood. That’s all labor.”

The number of natives living in Australia at this time is estimated to be around 750,000.

If pro-Ottoman forces start to grow, wars will surely break out among the natives and the number will decrease, but it’s better than sending a few hundred people at a time.

“I’ll entrust this island to Mustafa. Fortunately, judging from the letter, he seems to have started off on the right foot.”

“Then I will contact Prince Mustafa to come to the capital.”

“Do so.”

In the past, it would have been a big deal for a prince who had become a Sanjakbey [governor of a district] to come to the capital, but that precedent had already been broken long ago, so there was nothing to be burdened about.

After Shemsi left, Yusuf, who was left alone, organized his thoughts.

The plan is to use Mustafa to attract natives to Australia.

The path to America from Spain will be harassed by pirates led by Dragut.

‘But, it’s a pity to just harass Carlos with this.’

It’s not enough for the Ottomans to get involved in the New World like this, and the solution has already been prepared.

“Bring the envoy who visited the Empire to me.”

***

“Heo! How can you treat an envoy from the Great Ming Empire like this?! I knew it from the moment you carelessly used the title of Empire!”

“Please calm down, sir. Wasn’t there a war situation until recently? It wouldn’t have been a good time to meet with the envoy.”

Kim Anro comforted Eom Sung, the representative of the Ming Dynasty envoy, with a gentle face as he showed an anxious appearance.

Of course, like Eom Sung, who was showing an impatient appearance, Kim Anro also felt frustrated.

Eom Sung had to achieve results with this envoy in order to receive even greater favor from Emperor Jiajing, and Kim Anro had to push out Chief State Councilor Jeong Gwangpil, whose foundation had become solid since entering the Ottoman Empire.

However, he had no choice but to feel frustrated as he was wasting time in a situation close to confinement.

“If I meet the emperor of this country, I will definitely say something! Aren’t these people without etiquette?!”

“That’s right.”

While roughly agreeing, Kim Anro slightly lit up his eyes.

Even though he was cursing, the fact that he called the other party an emperor rather than a king meant that he inwardly acknowledged the Ottoman Empire.

‘That’s understandable.’

Seeing the scenery of the prosperous capital, he couldn’t help but feel that way.

Of course, the palace he glimpsed was humble compared to the Forbidden City [the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty], but the national power of the Ottoman Empire, which he directly experienced while coming here, could not be evaluated simply by the palace.

‘If he wanted to, he could build a huge palace like the Forbidden City.’

The Ottoman emperor he had heard of so far would never do such construction that would burden the people, so it was right not to do it.

As usual, when he was complaining about the frustrating situation for a long time, a knock was heard.

-I’ll go in.

“Come in!”

The door opened with Eom Sung’s angry words, and Ibrahim Pasha entered.

Seeing Ibrahim, who had successfully completed his mission and even obtained the title of Pasha [a high-ranking title in the Ottoman Empire], Eom Sung glared at him.

“When on earth can I carry out the envoy mission?!”

Different words came out of his mouth, where he would normally say to wait a little longer.

“Get ready. The Padishah has ordered you to enter the palace.”

“Finally!”

As it was a long wait, Eom Sung straightened his clothes and moved forward confidently.

The words that he would meet the emperor and argue were not empty words, and there was strength in his steps, and Kim Anro followed behind him, worried that he might argue wrongly and the fire might spread to him.

However, this worry became meaningless the moment he saw the Ottoman emperor himself.

“Are you the envoys from Ming and Joseon [ancient Korean kingdom]?”

A face so young that it would be okay to call him a young man rather than a middle-aged man.

Since they came from a cultural sphere that valued age, they might take the other person lightly because he looked young, but the envoys couldn’t think that way.

‘Is he really the emperor?’

It was natural for emperors or kings to gain weight, but his face, which had no fat, was also amazing, but more than that, the atmosphere was different.

‘More like a general than an emperor. And one who has experienced many wars.’

Just as scholars smelled of ink, generals who roamed the battlefield smelled of blood, and that blood smell flowed from the emperor.

Eom Sung, who had been full of vigor, couldn’t even open his mouth properly at the sight of the emperor, who exuded a terrifying atmosphere that made it hard to breathe just by looking at him.

“Do I have to ask again?”

“Y-yes, I am Eom Sung from the Great Ming Empire.”

“I am Kim Anro from Joseon.”

Yusuf, who nodded, said to them.

“I received the gifts you sent well. The porcelain from Ming looks precious. And did you say that what you sent from Joseon was a medicine good for health?”

“That’s right. You have to use it according to your constitution, so you have to get a diagnosis from the doctor you brought, but it is a medicine that shows effects in many ways, including relieving fatigue.”

“Ho, did you say relieving fatigue?”

Shemsi, who received Yusuf’s gaze, answered with a stiff face.

“Padishah, the best medicine is sleep.”

“Who said what? Still, it’s said to be good for the body, so check it and take it.”

Shemsi, who couldn’t refuse in front of the envoy, just bowed his head.

Yusuf, who smiled satisfactorily, said to Kim Anro.

“I will use it well. If it is effective, I will import it separately through merchants.”

“I understand.”

“That’s enough about the gifts. Did you say that the reason you came all this way was to build a friendly relationship with the Empire?”

Eom Sung, who had finally calmed down, answered Yusuf’s question.

“That’s right. The emperor of the Empire is very interested in the distant Ottoman Empire. As we have established a good first relationship, we hope that friendship between the two countries will continue in the future.”

“An emperor of the Empire would be curious about new things. I think it’s good to build a friendly relationship.”

Since they were far apart, there were few things to fight about, and even if they built a friendly relationship, it would only make trade a little smoother.

Since it was not a burdensome relationship for each other, the topic of conversation that followed was also light.

The relationship between the two countries was too short to translate difficult words, and naturally the conversation was close to small talk.

What changed this atmosphere was when Yusuf brought up a topic.

“Come to think of it, did you say that your emperor is very interested in new things?”

“That’s right.”

“Then you must know about the New World?”

The two envoys nodded.

By now, they would be working hard to open a new sea route connecting north from Wa (Japan) to restore relations with Ming.

“If you take the sea current that continues from the Tondo Kingdom [a historical polity located in the Manila Bay area], you can go to the New World.”

The Tondo Kingdom was a kingdom located in the Manila Bay area of the Philippines and had deep political and commercial ties with the Ming Dynasty.

It was a country very familiar to the Ming Dynasty, and Eom Sung’s eyes widened at the words.

“Is that true?”

“The master of the Empire does not lie. You can believe it. It would be okay to tell your emperor to launch an exploration ship. You will be able to obtain results that the emperor will like very much.”

Eom Sung’s eyes sparkled at the words that he could please the emperor, and Yusuf smiled slightly.

He thought that Eom Sung, a famous traitor during the Jiajing era, would take the bait.

‘If you follow that sea route, you will arrive in Central and South America, not North America. If you establish a friendly relationship with the Spanish guys who set foot there first, you will be able to achieve good results.’

Of course, greed is overflowing, and if you can properly connect with the New World invaders who don’t properly follow Charles V’s control, that is.

I can bet the Padishah’s seat that Emperor Jiajing will be furious.

‘Then shall we continue to fan the flames?’

Yusuf twisted his lips.

It’s another gift for Carlos.