Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 196

The Moving Princes (2)

Twenty-five years had passed since Yusuf crushed all his siblings and ascended to the throne as Padishah [Ottoman Emperor] at the age of twenty.

In the West, Yusuf was initially perceived as a heretical emperor spreading rumors of being a prophet, but this perception quickly changed.

He seized vast territories through conquest and amassed immense wealth through canals.

In particular, his aid to Rome, which was being plundered, and his breaking down of religious barriers as a heretic, caused a greater shock than the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire.

In that sense, the defeat in the Siege of Rome, the last chance to suppress the Ottomans, was fatal, and they had no choice but to grasp at one last straw of hope.

-Only nine years remain until the Emperor’s abdication. If we can just hold out until then. No matter how talented the princes are, can they compare to the current Emperor?

-It is the last hope given to us by the Lord! In just nine years, we won’t have to deal with that wretched Emperor.

The succession was no longer just an Ottoman affair, and the princes were the first to feel this atmosphere.

Inside a room filled with the subtle scent of coffee.

A low voice flowed out.

“I pray that you become Padishah, La.”

Mehmet was no stranger to those words. It was the greeting he received from the Pope and cardinals when he left Rome.

Except that those words came from the mouth of the current Padishah, Yusuf.

Unable to withstand the gaze fixed on him as Yusuf rested his chin on his hand, Mehmet’s lips twitched.

“…Padishah.”

“There is no need to make excuses. I have no reason to care about the words those fools carelessly utter.”

As Yusuf smiled faintly, Mehmet felt the blood that had turned cold finally circulating through his body.

Only when his stiff body relaxed did Mehmet bow his head.

“Even so, I am sorry, Padishah. I should have pointed it out when they said those words.”

He couldn’t deny that it was a greeting that infringed upon the Padishah’s authority, and Mehmet quickly apologized, racking his brain.

‘Only six people heard those greetings at the time, excluding me. And they were all my closest aides.’

He had no idea how many eyes and ears were hidden that such information reached his father so quickly.

Yusuf took a sip of coffee and said.

“Mehmet, you are good, but sometimes you think too much. Anyone who knows your personality would find it easy to understand you. You are too vulnerable to unexpected situations.”

“Is there a way to fix it?”

“Well. If I told you to act with your heart like Murat, could you do it?”

“Like that guy?”

Being told to act like Murat, who moved before he thought, was like being told to live upside down.

It didn’t make sense.

Yusuf chuckled at Mehmet’s sullen face.

“There’s a saying that you should believe if a mountain moved overnight, but don’t believe if a person has changed. How easily can a person’s nature change? And there’s no one in the world without flaws.”

“Not even Padishah?”

“Me? I appreciate the high praise, but I am also human. Why wouldn’t I have flaws? Teasing you like this could be considered a flaw.”

Yusuf chuckled softly.

He must have broken out in a cold sweat when he brought up the words he heard from the Pope. If his desire for power had been strong, Mehmet would have had a hard time.

‘Anyway, they’re finally starting to move.’

News of those approaching not only Mehmet but also the other princes continues to come in.

More and more people are reaching out to the Ottomans for their own personal gain or for the sake of their country’s security.

‘I won’t be bored until the abdication.’

Yusuf, who briefly wore a mischievous smile, said to Mehmet.

“I wonder if I’ve left your Sanjak [Ottoman administrative division] empty for too long. It has become a very important place in the empire.”

“No, I’ve heard that there haven’t been any major problems thanks to my mother holding the center.”

“Aisha would have done well.”

It would be nice to spend time with the women he would have to send away if he abdicated.

Of course, he didn’t know if they would want to be with him, who had coldly sent them away.

Shaking off his slightly heavy heart, Yusuf brought up the reason he had summoned Mehmet, who was about to return to Donbas, to the capital.

“Mehmet, while you were away, some reckless people targeted Donbas several times. Are you aware of this?”

“I am aware.”

Donbas, which produced a tremendous amount of iron, had grown into the largest steel city in the Ottoman Empire, making it a target for those around it.

From nomads who came to plunder the city’s wealth to spies who infiltrated to steal technology, all sorts of attempts were being made.

“Isn’t it about time we gave them a proper warning?”

“Where should we attack?”

“Slowly start by clearing out the surrounding nomads, and the final destination is Moscow.”

At the mention of Moscow, Mehmet nodded.

It was a less burdensome target than attacking Lithuania, which was in a personal union with Poland.

“What is the deadline?”

“The deadline is until I am no longer in this position. There is no need to rush. Occupying Moscow is important, but improving the quality of iron and the glass you are researching is also important.”

In the end, the given task included not only occupying Moscow but also improving the quality of iron and glass.

Mehmet, who already knew that Mustafa had visited the capital, asked.

“Is this a test given to me?”

“You could say that.”

“Have the other brothers also been given tasks?”

“You’re stating the obvious. Kasim is already moving.”

Kasim was the first of the four princes to receive orders.

***

“It’s been a while.”

“You don’t seem very happy to see me?”

“I don’t think we’re in a position to be happy to see each other. Until recently, we were pointing swords at each other.”

Kasim smiled smoothly at the rebuke from Ferdinand, the Archduke of Austria and brother of Charles V.

“I don’t know what grudge you have against a sword you didn’t even get to swing.”

“Ha, that’s ridiculous.”

Ferdinand’s face twisted.

When the Siege of Rome took place, the Archduchy of Austria and the Holy Roman Empire were preparing for an Ottoman invasion.

Thanks to Venice’s betrayal, it ended up being a useless preparation.

“I heard that your brother is shifting the blame for the defeat. Is it true?”

Charles, who was manipulated by Yusuf, needed someone to shift the blame for the defeat, and Ferdinand, who had stood by and watched, was the target.

The claim that they could have captured Yusuf if the forces of the Holy Roman Empire and Austria had joined forces seemed plausible.

There was also the responsibility for being late in discovering the enemy’s movements in the Balkans.

“Did you come here to scratch my nerves?! Do you think Vienna is your playground? This could be your grave.”

Spain suffered the most damage, but Austria, being under the same Habsburg umbrella, also suffered a defeat.

Kasim’s actions, entering Vienna so calmly when the atmosphere of war had not yet subsided, seemed reckless.

However, Kasim didn’t even blink an eye at Ferdinand’s threat.

“It would be easy to take my life if you wanted to, but could you handle it? The nobles and soldiers here seem worried that something might happen to me.”

It was obvious what would happen if something happened to Kasim here.

The barely concluded armistice would be torn to shreds, and Vienna would be burned by the enraged Ottoman army.

“I don’t recommend taking me as a prisoner either. My father wouldn’t bat an eye at my life.”

“Ha, are all the Ottoman royals like that?”

To Ferdinand, the Padishah who entered Rome using himself as bait and the prince who threatened him with his life didn’t seem sane.

“Our royals are a bit special, and I’m just about average.”

“Thinking about it more will only give me a headache. So, what’s the reason you came all the way here? I don’t think your real purpose is to reopen the coffee shop.”

“Nine years from now. Do you know?”

Of course, he knew.

It was a key topic of conversation in European aristocratic society.

In a few more years, even monks and nuns who lived a life detached from the secular world would be talking about it.

“Then, do you know which of the princes is closest to the Padishah’s throne?”

“I trust you’re not thinking of saying it’s you.”

To put it coldly, Kasim is the least prominent of the four competing princes.

Kasim shrugged at Ferdinand, who was sneering.

“Who said it was me? The prince who is most ahead is my brother Mehmet. Then, who do you think is next?”

Prince Murat, who had won several wars? Or Prince Mustafa, who created the Eastern Trade Company and built a huge merchant group?

Kasim gave Ferdinand, who seemed deep in thought, the answer.

“It’s me.”

“Ha! You?”

“Listen carefully to what I have to say. Then you will understand. First of all, do you know why Mustafa established the Eastern Trade Company? It was because he wanted to sail.”

Ferdinand listened intently as the inner workings of the Ottoman royal family, which could not be heard even with the keenest senses, flowed out.

“Originally, Mustafa was supposed to be appointed to Tabriz, and Tazlu Hatun had already built up her forces in advance, but Mustafa rejected it. The reason is what I said earlier. If you were to make a prince with wanderlust the emperor, would you?”

“…It would be difficult.”

Leaving aside neglecting state affairs to go on adventures, the country would be turned upside down if he died at sea, and there was no reason to abdicate to Mustafa when there were other princes.

“The reason why the Padishah holds more than half of the rights to the trade company is also that. It is to allow the next Padishah to hold the reins. It would be an unnecessary measure if he intended to hand it over to Mustafa.”

“Then what about Prince Murat?”

“Prince Murat has a problem with his successor. The eldest son is a mixed-race from Africa. Would the officials properly recognize him?”

Of course, as long as Yusuf had the will, everything would be done in the Ottoman Empire, so it wasn’t a big obstacle, but Kasim didn’t bother to mention that fact.

“A mixed-race from Africa. Prince Murat will also have a hard time.”

To European aristocrats, Africans were just cheap slaves, so it was not strange to make this judgment.

“So, you’re saying you’re second?”

“That’s right. And I’m not a distant second. Some people already consider my brother Mehmet to be the next Padishah, and they are irritating my father.”

“Didn’t you say he was abdicating?”

“Still, how can people’s hearts be like that? Even you would be upset if you were in the same situation.”

Ferdinand inwardly agreed.

As a powerful person, he knew very well that power could not be shared even with his children.

“Hmm, I’ve heard the story well. So, what do you want to say?”

“Is it necessary for the Ottomans and Habsburgs to be in conflict? If we establish a friendly relationship with each other, what is there to fear in this world? That’s what I think.”

He was asking for help, albeit indirectly, and Ferdinand leaned back in his chair.

“Is there a chance of success? What’s the method?”

“If you accomplish just one achievement that my father can use as a justification, I can ascend to the throne as Padishah. For example, building a bridge connecting Buda and Pest would be sufficient.”

“Is it possible to build a bridge over the Danube? It’s so far away.”

“The empire has already built a bridge over the Golden Horn [an estuary in Istanbul]. The technology is already there. It’s just that we don’t have the capital to build it.”

Ferdinand’s head became complicated.

He didn’t know how much it would cost to build the bridge, but if Kasim became Padishah, he could reap enormous benefits.

‘Just getting permission to pass through the canal would be a profitable deal.’

The problem was how credible Kasim’s words were.

“By the way, it won’t be good for you if my brother Mehmet becomes Padishah. Don’t forget that he was with my father in Rome during the Siege of Rome and spent a long time with the Pope.”

There was a high possibility that he had deep animosity towards the Habsburgs, and Ferdinand pondered before coming to a conclusion.

“I need time to think.”

“It’s not something to decide easily, so that’s fine. But you need to know this. Nine years is not a long time to build a bridge.”

Kasim, who was getting up from his seat, added one more word as if he had forgotten.

“Oh, and soon you will hear news that will let you know that my father is secretly fond of me.”

Kasim left after throwing those meaningful words, and soon news came that the Grand Vizier [chief minister] had visited Buda.

The news that the Ottoman Empire’s firm number two had come all the way to Buda to meet Kasim was enough to shake Ferdinand.

***

The endless blue sea unfolded.

That was Dragut’s impression as he set foot in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time.

The voyage, relying on compasses and constellations, gave him anxiety as to whether he was going in the right direction.

‘I have to succeed no matter what.’

Just as land seemed likely to appear, a guard who was scanning the surroundings with binoculars on the mast shouted when he was filled with anxiety.

-Ship! I see two ships!

“Ship?!”

Dragut jumped up.

They couldn’t have met by chance in the open sea, and there was a high possibility that there was land nearby.

This prediction was correct.

-Island! It’s an island!

The voice was heard again when the ship discovered by the guard could be seen with his own eyes, and Dragut clenched his fist.

For now, the first button was properly fastened, and when he was relieved, the pirate scratched his head and said.

“Captain, those bastards are spacing out.”

Dragut bared his teeth as he watched the ship that was just going its way without running away, as if the pirates couldn’t have imagined it.

“Let’s start 영업 [business/operation]!”

The pirates’ secret 영업 that set foot in the Caribbean Sea began.