Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 147

Red Flags Over the Red Sea (2)

The man holding the brush stared blankly at a painting.

He was so engrossed in the painting that he didn’t even notice the sharp smell of oil mixed with paint thinner.

The sight of a girl with radiant blonde hair and sparkling green eyes smiling innocently stirred his heart, even though he himself had painted it.

How long had he been staring at his masterpiece, painted two years ago, without creating a new one?

A sigh escaped his lips.

“Titian.”

At the sound of his name, the man, Titian Vecellio, turned his head.

It was Giovanni Barbaro, whom he had befriended during his time with the Venetian delegation to the Ottoman Empire.

“I’ve called you several times, but you didn’t even turn your head, still gazing at that painting. You’ve postponed all your commissions because of it.”

“It’s not *just* because of that painting.”

“But that painting is the biggest reason, isn’t it?”

Giovanni Barbaro looked at Titian with concern.

Art flourishes where money circulates, and in Italy, Florentine and Venetian paintings are the two major pillars of Italian art.

Although still only 29 years old, Titian was the most renowned figure in Venetian painting after the death of Giovanni Bellini, a master of the Venetian style that emphasized color.

It was disheartening to see someone who was poised to lead Venetian art in the future fall into such a slump.

“Isn’t it time to accept the commissions that are piling up? Nobles tend to hold grudges, especially those in high positions.”

“I should take on commissions.”

As Giovanni said, he couldn’t ignore the commissions from nobles and palaces forever.

Seeing Titian put down his brush and only look at his painting, Giovanni spoke with a hint of helplessness.

“Would you like to come with me to the Ottoman Empire again this time?”

“To the Ottoman Empire?”

The Ottoman Empire was physically close but culturally distant.

This was why many people, including Titian, harbored fantasies about the Ottoman Empire but hesitated to visit.

“I heard that a canal has finally been completed in the Ottoman Empire. I’m planning to meet the Padishah [Ottoman Emperor] to get permission to use the canal. What do you say to coming with me instead of staying like this?”

Titian, who at least wanted to see the statue again, showed a slight interest but soon hardened his expression.

“Weren’t the paintings of the Ottoman princess sold to the nobles? I’m worried that I’ll be in big trouble if I go there…”

The painting he kept was the best of several paintings, and the rest had been sold to nobles who came after hearing rumors.

He had been tempted by the nobles’ pressure and the enormous sums of money, but that was now holding Titian back.

Giovanni patted Titian’s shoulder at his concern.

“Isn’t it just a transaction with the nobles? Even the Emperor won’t know about it, so don’t worry too much. Do you think he has so little to do while managing that vast empire?”

“If it’s okay, I’d like to go.”

“Yes, and if there’s a chance, I’ll arrange a meeting with Michelangelo Buonarroti, who made that statue.”

Titian clenched his fist at Michelangelo’s name.

He was an artist who had been kidnapped by pirates and沦落 [fallen] as a slave. Interestingly, his reputation spread even further after he became a slave.

That was how powerful the title of an artist favored by the Ottoman Emperor was.

“Is that really possible?”

“Isn’t it common for artists to exchange inspiration through交流 [exchange]? And even though he’s nominally a slave, he’s not in a repressed state, so it’s possible.”

“Then I’ll join you.”

Titian gave a definite answer with a bright face.

He was a representative painter of the Renaissance who had received commissions from all over Europe, including Charles V, who had recently been crowned Holy Roman Emperor, and King Francis I of France.

In the distant future, he would be overshadowed by the fame of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, and Raphael, but at the time, he was the most famous painter in Europe.

Titian, who had an anecdote that Charles V himself picked up his brush and said that he was qualified to be served by the Emperor, boarded a ship to the Ottoman Empire again.

***

The canal connecting the Mediterranean and the Red Sea was completed. The shock and value of this fact were immense.

Of course, the fact that the Ottoman Empire was digging a canal following in the footsteps of the Mamluks was also known in Europe.

It was impossible to keep such a large-scale construction project secret.

However, most people were skeptical even after hearing the news, and many skeptics firmly believed that it was impossible.

‘Now it’s a meaningless past story, and Portugal must be feeling the heat.’

In the first place, going to India by绕过 [bypassing] Africa is no easy task.

The fact that they named the southern tip of Africa the Cape of Good Hope indirectly shows how arduous the long voyage along the west coast of Africa, which stretches for 10,000 km, was.

‘The risk of the voyage itself is also enormous.’

The risk was so great that if half of the sent ships returned, they had to thank God for a great success.

However, they continue to sail because it is profitable even if only a few return.

Even Magellan’s fleet, which crossed the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, only returned one out of five ships, but it is said that all the costs of the voyage were covered and there was still profit left, so the profits from maritime trade go without saying.

Anyway, with the addition of a new risk called the Ottoman Navy here, Portugal must be going crazy.

“Portugal, with its lifeline cut off, will struggle desperately.”

“Isn’t that why you sent the fleet to the Red Sea?”

“That alone is not enough to eliminate Portugal’s capacity for resistance.”

To the words of Dukaginzade, who had become the new Grand Vizier, Yusuf replied firmly.

Portugal is a country that has been trying to open a new eastern route to replace the Mediterranean for a hundred years.

Now that they are about to taste the sweetness, taking it away will surely lead them to resist with their national destiny at stake.

“The enemy is not only Portugal. With the opening of the canal, Egypt’s value has risen to an unprecedented level, so they may try to launch another crusade.”

“If they dare to confront the Empire without fear, I will turn all of Europe into a sea of fire.”

Yusuf clicked his tongue at the hyperbole of trying to accelerate global warming.

“The Grand Vizier hasn’t had much kahwa [coffee] yet. Can’t you see the resentful gazes over there?”

If they waged war against all of Europe, the Ottoman Empire would also have to put all its efforts at stake.

That meant the workload would increase exponentially, and the vassals glared at Dukaginzade enough to soak him in coffee.

The Grand Vizier spoke on behalf of their resentment.

“Grand Vizier, your loyalty to the Padishah is admirable, but it hasn’t been a year since you started leaving work before sunset.”

“…I misspoke.”

Although many officials are being appointed every year through exams, the Ottoman Empire has a large administrative vacuum to the point where there are areas where they have given up collecting taxes.

To fill that, no matter how many talented people they 뽑아도 [recruit], they were sucked in like a black hole, and it hasn’t been long since they started living a human life.

How much would it be that after Yusuf’s accession, the birth rate of the vassals dropped sharply?

“If we can avoid war with the West, it’s better to avoid it. The place we need to reach out to right now is the East.”

If trade expands, it will extend beyond Southeast Asia to East Asia, including China, but the top priority now was India.

‘Spices are important, but saltpeter is even more important.’

How long can we make gunpowder by making saltpeter with dung?

Putting India, where saltpeter can be made by simply digging in the ground, in our hands was the top priority, and before that, it was better to avoid war with Europe.

Yusuf turned his head to the other side.

“To buy time, we need to create discord between the Western countries. So your role is important, Hassan.”

“I will only do my duty.”

Hassan, who had earned the reputation as having Satan’s tongue, bowed his head.

Yusuf, who was pleased to see a talent specialized in煽动 [incitement], fabrication, and discord, left the meeting place and turned to leave.

Yusuf, who came out of the conference hall, turned and climbed to the fortress overlooking the Bosphorus Strait.

Yusuf, standing with his hands behind his back, opened his mouth while looking at the strait flowing like a flood.

“Hassan Pasha.”

“Yes, Padishah.”

A 탁하고 [hoarse] and dry voice.

It’s not just because the black and bushy hair has aged to the point where not even a speck remains.

“Did you send Nene off well?”

“Thanks to the Padishah and Valide Hatun’s [Queen Mother’s] concern, she was able to rest comfortably in Allah’s arms.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

To put it 냉정히 [coldly], she was just a maid, but Nene was not a woman to be judged by her status.

When Yusuf first became Yusuf, she was one of the few people he could trust other than his mother, Fatima.

‘If it wasn’t for 노산 [childbirth], she wouldn’t have gone like this.’

She safely gave birth to her son, Al-Hassan, but it was inevitable that her healthy body would weaken.

Nene’s death was not trivial to Yusuf, who had seen many deaths, and it was especially so to Hassan.

“Has your heart calmed down a bit?”

“Thanks to the time the Padishah gave me, I was able to be with her until the end. She told me to serve the Padishah well with her son. She didn’t even worry about me left behind.”

It was a Nene-like remark.

Hassan let out a hollow laugh as if he was dumbfounded, but Yusuf gave him time to sort out his emotions because he sensed a terrible longing in it.

After a warm wind swept over Hassan’s heart as if caressing it, Yusuf opened his mouth.

“If Nene said so, I should entrust you with work now.”

“Give me your orders.”

Yusuf pointed to the Bosphorus Strait.

“I’m going to build a bridge across this strait.”

“A bridge across the strait?”

The shortest width of the strait that divides Europe and Asia was 700m, which was similar to the Han River.

Building a bridge of this length was not only difficult in this era, but there was a high possibility that the pillars would not be able to withstand the fast currents.

He already had a sense of how difficult it would be, and Yusuf patted him on the shoulder at the gaze asking if he really intended to entrust it to him.

“Sadness can be forgotten through work. This is all a thought for you.”

“…I will follow your orders.”

Hassan helplessly agreed to Yusuf’s thinly veiled excuse.

Now that he was caught in the web of labor, there was no way to escape.

Yusuf, who forcibly gave Hassan work, looked at the strait where countless ships were passing.

Envoys from Venice and France were scheduled to arrive soon.

‘Even if we monopolize the canal, it will only 심어주고 [sow] resentment and give them a chance to unite, so we need to share the profits to some extent.’

François, who had a deep 악연 [grudge] with Charles V because of the competition for the position of the next emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, was someone the Ottoman Empire could leverage.

There was someone running urgently to Yusuf, who was even thinking of an alliance with France.

“What’s wrong?”

“The Portuguese fleet and our fleet have clashed in Mocha!”

In the original history, it was the port that became the origin of all words starting with Mocha, like Cafe Mocha, because it was the world’s largest coffee market, and it was the capital of Ottoman Yemen.

In other words, it was the city where Murat was.

***

The man who wielded a sword half as big as the swords wielded by others wiped the blood splattered on his face with his hand.

The man on the horse stuck his sword into the pile of corpses and shouted.

“Are there any more of you who want to go to Allah’s arms!”

The voice that echoed through the battlefield made the approaching enemies slowly back away.

Murat, who made the long scar on his cheek a symbol of terror, spat as the enemy retreated.

“Annoying things.”

Murat indifferently pulled out the sword stuck in the corpse and listened to the faint cannon fire.

The cannon fire had definitely decreased compared to a few hours ago.

Yagiz Pasha, who came as an advisor to Murat, who was wiping the blood and human oil묻은 [stained] on the sword with a cloth in his arms, sighed.

“Prince, why are you pushing yourself so hard? The Padishah will scold you if he sees you.”

“These are strong people, so I have to show them my strength to suppress them.”
The Bedouins, Arab nomads who came here and felt, were like beasts.

It doesn’t mean they’re like barbarians, but it means they’re hard to control and bare their teeth to bite their necks whenever they get a chance.

Murat, who roughly wiped off the blood, put the sword away and smiled.

“And isn’t it because there’s fun like this that I’m here?”

Yagiz lightly shook his head.

There were many cases where Bedouin warriors were 반해 [captivated] to Murat’s power and submitted, so it was not easy to stop him.

As the Tahir Dynasty’s forces, who had lost the western region of Yemen to the Ottoman Empire and were using Aden, a southern port, as their last stronghold, retreated, Murat asked.

“How did the naval battle go?”

“They only fired from a distance and then retreated. I guess they’re trying to gauge our strength.”

“This will be the Empire’s main battlefield in the future.”

Murat, who smiled lightly, trampled on the corpses and returned to Mocha Port.

***

Michelangelo stopped sculpting.

It was unusual for him to be so distracted, but there was a good reason.

“You drew a picture after seeing the princess statue I made?”

‘I don’t know what this fearless guy is talking about.’

Michelangelo hurriedly looked around, grabbed Titian by the collar, and whispered.

“Run away right now, unless you want to be castrated.”

Titian’s face turned pale as he lowered his head following Michelangelo’s gaze, and he faintly heard the footsteps of the Janissaries [elite Ottoman soldiers].

It was one day when the meeting with the envoy was postponed due to the naval battle with Portugal.