Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 123

The Stage for War is Set (1)

Cilicia, where the Ramazan Emirate was located, is a plain nestled between the Taurus and Nur Mountains. These rugged mountain ranges served as a natural fortress, protecting the emirate from external enemies.

More than just an isolated area, Cilicia was a vital gateway connecting Syria and Anatolia, boasting a crucial Mediterranean port.

Geographically, it was a land ideally positioned for commercial prosperity.

During the Roman Empire, Tarsus, the region’s administrative capital and the birthplace of the Apostle Paul, was renowned for its cultural sophistication, rivaling even Athens and Alexandria.

Furthermore, the Cilician Plain’s fertile soil allowed for three harvests a year.

‘Easy to defend, a transportation hub, and blessed with fertile plains…’

It was a land of plenty. Perhaps the emirate’s inhabitants simply hoped to avoid being caught in the crossfire of the looming large-scale war between the Ottomans, Safavids, and Mamluks.

Until recently, the Ottoman army’s eastward march had likely been a source of reassurance.

Yusuf, leading his army through the Nur Mountains east of Ramazan, spoke with a hint of regret.

“I hear the ruler of the Ramazan Emirate is Mahmud Bey. He’s become truly unfortunate, having chosen the wrong neighbor.”

Yusuf saw Bozkurt as a character from a children’s story, like the foolish older brother in ‘The Three Little Pigs,’ whose flimsy house was blown away, leading the wolf to his younger brother’s sturdier home. Or like the frustrating character in a zombie movie who hides their bite and then runs into a crowded shelter, infecting everyone.

Bozkurt had handed the Ottomans a perfect pretext to attack Ramazan.

“It’s not as if Mahmud Bey is entirely blameless. Shouldn’t he have actively prevented Bozkurt’s invasion?”

“His army is said to be 30,000 strong, so it might have been too much for him to handle. Though, even if he had stopped them, the outcome likely wouldn’t have changed.”

Even if the Ramazan Emirate had delivered Bozkurt’s head on a platter, the Ottomans would have found another excuse to justify their occupation.

Of course, they would feel wronged, but in the ruthless arena of international relations, the voices of the weak are rarely heard.

To avoid such unjust treatment, people and nations had to become strong.

‘Otherwise, they will be trampled, just like this place.’

That was why Yusuf was determined to make the Ottoman Empire the greatest empire of all.

The conquest of Ramazan, initiated with their entry into the Nur Mountains, proceeded with remarkable ease.

For the Ramazan Emirate, accustomed to a prolonged period of relative peace, the battle-hardened Ottoman army was a devastating force.

Small cities, intimidated by the sheer size of the Ottoman army, often larger than their own populations, surrendered without a fight. Fortresses that dared to resist were simply bypassed.

There was no need to waste precious time and energy on drawn-out sieges.

The Cilician Plain, which they reached soon after, was so fertile and bountiful that it immediately captivated Yusuf.

Orchards, their fruit trees delicately adorned with blossoms, stretched across the vast plain. Fields of crops, already grown to knee-height, swayed gently in the breeze.

As befitting the season of spring, bees buzzed busily among the flowers, suggesting that the region prioritized agriculture over livestock farming.

“Good land. Land worth coveting.”

Yusuf felt a surge of satisfaction seeing so many crops thriving, a stark contrast to the dusty, arid lands or the sparse meadows where only grass grew for livestock.

Of course, the people living here wouldn’t exactly welcome these uninvited guests.

A quick glance at the farming tools left abandoned in the fields revealed their true feelings.

Yusuf, after a moment of contemplation, spoke.

“Grand Vizier.”

“Yes, my Padishah.”

“Instruct the soldiers to exercise restraint. These are people who do not resist, and they will soon be my subjects.”

Under Yusuf’s cold gaze, the Grand Vizier and other officials quickly knelt on one knee.

“We… we understand, my Padishah.”

“I am not forbidding looting entirely. I am simply saying it should be done only when necessary, and only when permitted.”

Looting can be an effective tactic and a good way to maintain morale, but it must always be kept within appropriate limits and under strict control.

Otherwise, a tragicomedy could unfold, like Napoleon’s army during the invasion of Spain, abandoning weapons and food in their obsession with loot, only to surrender to starvation.

At Yusuf’s warning, the Grand Vizier responded from his kneeling position.

“I will be careful not to disturb the Padishah’s mood!”

“Yes, be careful. If this happens again, even you will not be exempt from punishment.”

“…I will keep that in mind.”

Yusuf turned his gaze away from the Grand Vizier.

He had no intention of actually punishing the Grand Vizier.

He had received reports that the cavalry in charge of scouting were becoming lax in their duties, so he had orchestrated this warning with the Grand Vizier’s cooperation.

As expected, it had the desired effect. Not only the other officials but also the soldiers appeared visibly tense.

They had become complacent, feeling no particular threat since the start of the war. It was necessary to tighten things up a bit.

“My Padishah, a messenger sent by Mahmud Bey has arrived.”

He must have been anxious, seeing the Ottoman army trampling through the plain he was so proud of.

Yusuf stroked the neck of his horse, which purred as if enjoying the attention, and addressed the approaching messenger.

“Is he here to surrender?”

“He says he came to clear up a misunderstanding.”

“Is that so? Not surrendering, then.”

Bringing him here would only lead to the same뻔한 [뻔한 means obvious or predictable] story.

He would explain in excruciating detail that their actions had absolutely nothing to do with Dulkadir.

Yusuf’s expression remained unchanged as he spoke casually.

“Kill him and send him back. I will accept nothing but surrender.”

It was a ruthless decision.

***

“That pig-like Bozkurt! If you’re going to die, die alone!”

Mahmud cursed in a fit of rage, but the damage was already done.

The Ottoman army, which had followed the fleeing Bozkurt, now regarded them as accomplices of Dulkadir.

He had tried to clear up this misunderstanding, but the Ottoman army remained unyielding.

Mahmud Bey nervously chewed on his nails as he stared at the head of the messenger, which had been salted to prevent decomposition.

“I had heard that the new Ottoman Sultan was ruthless, but I never imagined he wouldn’t even listen to reason.”

The face, frozen in shock, clearly showed how bewildered he was by his demise.

Through merchants traveling to and from Ramazan, stories of Yusuf’s ascension to the Ottoman Sultan had been circulating frequently.

He had repeatedly outwitted the Shah of Persia, who had achieved amazing victories, and was so capable that he had eliminated all of his formidable brothers.

The story of him predicting an earthquake and his childhood overcoming hardships had become very popular throughout the Ottoman Empire, making him a ruler with solid support from his subjects.

He was a Sultan known for his cruelty to other countries, cutting off the fingers of rude messengers and beheading those who dared to request peace.

The fact that such a person had become his enemy was enough to instill a terrible fear.

“Damn it. I should have killed that bastard, even if it meant taking a loss.”

He had hesitated because he was burdened by the 30,000 troops that Bozkurt had led in the invasion, and in that moment of indecision, the quick-witted old man had fled to Mersin.

He wanted to summon the army and go kill him right away, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, weighed down by the approaching Ottoman army.

Regretting it now was pointless. He was likely to lose his head before that bastard did.

“We must negotiate.”

Surrender was the last resort. They had to at least attempt a proper conversation.

At these words, the official asked worriedly.

“But they don’t seem to want to listen to us. I fear that we will only increase the number of victims.”

No one here wanted to return soaked in their own blood. Mahmud hardened his heart as he saw them subtly avoiding his gaze.

“I will face the Ottoman Sultan directly. If he has any sense of reason, he will not take my life.”

***

Clang!

“Are you Mahmud Bey?”

Mahmud Bey’s hands trembled as he was confronted with the long piece of metal pointed directly at his head.

The pain in his right toe, caused by his chronic gout, vanished in an instant.

He didn’t know exactly what the long piece of metal pointed at his head was, but it was undoubtedly a weapon capable of ending his life at any moment.

“…That is correct.”

As he answered as calmly as possible, Yusuf raised one corner of his mouth in a sardonic smile.

“You have quite the mettle.”

As the muzzle of the gun slowly lowered, he breathed a sigh of relief inside.

But the muzzle didn’t go down for no reason.

-Bang!

As the trigger was pulled, the flint spat out sparks, and gray smoke billowed out.

The deafening roar and acrid smell stung his nose. Mahmud hurriedly turned his head.

Where the smoking muzzle had been pointed, he saw his own official collapsed with a large hole in his head.

Mahmud, belatedly smelling the blood, asked in a trembling voice.

“H… how could you commit such a terrible act?!”

To this question, Yusuf handed the gun to the Janissary [elite Ottoman soldiers] next to him and replied.

“He presumptuously raised his head in my presence without permission to lower his courtesy. A justifiable reason to die.”

It was the end of a loyal official who had raised his head upon hearing the sound of a gun pointed at the Amir [commander, or lord] he served.

After answering, Yusuf plopped down on the ornate chair placed at the meeting place.

The armies of the two countries faced each other on the plain, and the meeting place was located in the center.

It was a place that could erupt into a battlefield at any moment, but Yusuf’s face was calm and composed, as if he were in his own home.

It was a sight that could easily be mistaken for arrogance, but it was so natural that such a thought didn’t even occur.

“Now it seems like we’re in a mood to talk. What is it that you wanted to say to me, calling me all the way out here?”

“…Please withdraw your troops. Our Ramazan has nothing to do with Dulkadir’s actions.”

“You’ve come all the way here just to tell me to go back empty-handed?”

Sarcasm dripped from Yusuf’s voice.

“We will definitely capture Bozkurt and send him to the Padishah [Ottoman ruler].”

“I can capture that bastard anytime. And I don’t believe that you have nothing to do with him.”

“I swear to Allah that we have nothing to do with it!”

“Isn’t lying for the sake of life and power an easy thing to do? What’s so difficult about a false oath? You can just go to the mosque later and ask for forgiveness.”

Someone easily sold their own castle to get one.

Mahmud was shocked that he would say such a thing so openly and asked.

“P… Padishah, there are rumors that you are a prophet of Allah. Is it okay for you to say such a thing?”

“I have never directly claimed to be a prophet, and I can go to the mosque in Adana today and apologize to Allah. The merciful Allah always forgives human mistakes.”

Mahmud swallowed the words that it wouldn’t be strange if he were charged with disrespect, let alone forgiveness.

“Anyway, I don’t believe your oath. If you really want to prove your innocence, open the gates of Adana. I will personally confirm your innocence.”

Saying it was proving innocence was, in effect, no different from telling him to surrender.

Mahmud’s face turned angry at Yusuf’s coercive attitude.

“Do you really have to see blood to feel satisfied?”

“If I was afraid of seeing blood, I wouldn’t have started this war. And in my opinion, the blood that will stain this plain will not be ours.”

If this meeting broke down, it would mean war right away.

The battle wagons loaded with cannons were already at the front of the army, and the Sipahis [Ottoman cavalry], waiting for orders, did not hide their aggressive stance.

There was an overwhelming difference in strength compared to Ramazan’s forces, which had scraped together soldiers, some of whom didn’t even have proper weapons and were wielding farming tools.

Mahmud, who had secretly hoped that it wouldn’t end like this, lowered his head.

“…I surrender. Show your mercy, Padishah.”

“Good. I will protect your position.”

Either way, even if he occupied it, he couldn’t immediately send people to govern this place.

There was already a mountain of administrative work needed to manage the many places they would occupy in the future.

‘Come to think of it, I wonder if Shemshi and Hassan are doing well in Georgia.’

He had heard that they were working hard to normalize Georgia, but he didn’t know if they were still alive.

No news is good news, so they must be okay since he hadn’t heard any news of their deaths.

“Mahmud.”

“Yes, my Padishah.”

“Where is Bozkurt, who ruined your country?”

‘I knew it from the moment he threw away the capital right away during the Safavid attack, he was a truly quick-witted human.’

At Yusuf’s words, Mahmud gritted his teeth and replied, his resentment deepened.

“He went to Mersin. It seemed like he was trying to occupy that place, take a ship, and escape to the Mamluks. We must catch that bastard quickly!”

Yusuf chuckled and waved his hand dismissively at the words he shouted with an excited face.

“Mersin is enough. He has entered his grave.”

***

It was good to occupy Mersin, which was resisting.

There were some sacrifices among the troops, but they burned with revenge until they requisitioned all the merchant ships and even fishing boats and left the port.

‘I will definitely take revenge with the Mamluks.’

They couldn’t load all of them because they didn’t have enough ships, but the Mamluks would welcome this many troops.

Bozkurt’s hope for revenge did not last half a day.

-Bang! Kwaang!

“Oh, Allah.”

The ship filled with subordinates was sucked into the sea by the cannonballs fired by the fleet that had blackened the sea.

It was the Ottoman fleet that had received orders to occupy Mersin by force while bringing the next supplies.

Finally, the stage for war was set.