Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 169

Became the Sultan of Osman – Episode 169

African Prince (2)

Inorganic phosphate rock refers to sedimentary rock that readily contains phosphorus (P).

‘In simple terms, it’s a lump of bird poop.’

Guano, another name for inorganic phosphate rock, originates from a word meaning excrement used as fertilizer.

When growing plants, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are often deficient inorganic elements, are called the three elements of fertilizer. Unlike nitrogen, which can be synthesized, phosphorus relies on inorganic phosphate rock, making it important even in modern times.

This bird poop has triggered wars and turned small island nations into incredibly wealthy countries, making it an important resource.

Morocco and Western Sahara are among the regions with abundant inorganic phosphate rock.

After staring at the land Yusuf pointed out for a while, Shemsi sighed.

“Whatever fertilizer is in that land, I doubt Padishah mentioned it to harass Prince Murat.”

“Why would I needlessly harass Murat?”

“I can’t say there’s no reason. You even gifted a baby beast to Princess Hasna.”

“It’s fortunate I brought a baby.”

With Murat, it wouldn’t be strange if he dragged in a fully grown lion.

“Or there’s the issue of the woman with dark skin and her child.”

I was surprised when I first heard this news.

Osman’s aesthetic sense favored fair-skinned, blonde women like his mother Fatima or Aisha.

But, I was only surprised because it was unexpected.

“What’s so strange about having a grandson with a slightly unique skin color? As long as he has the ability, it’s fine.”

Yusuf replied, resting his chin on his hand.

He believed that anyone who could help the empire was fine, regardless of race, religion, or gender, but unfortunately, the Ottoman Empire was not yet ready to escape these prejudices.

Allowing the prince and Hatun [a Turkish title of respect for women, similar to ‘Lady’] to enter the capital but not their grandchildren was also for Murat’s sake.

If the eldest son was of mixed black heritage, many officials would view him with prejudice.

‘I wonder if that guy noticed my consideration.’

Even though he’s my son, he might not have noticed because he doesn’t pay much attention to his surroundings, to the point where even the intelligent Mehmed gives up trying to understand him.

He might have noticed since he has a good sense, even if he seems reckless.

‘It’s not like I did it to look good to my son, so it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t notice.’

Yusuf gave instructions with a leisurely gesture.

“Tell Murat to conquer that land and incorporate it into the empire. Tell him to request any necessary assistance through Barbarossa of Algiers.”

“Understood, Padishah.”

That was enough instruction for Murat.

It was both a conquest for the future of the empire and an assessment of Murat, so it was better to leave it to him to see how he handled things.

Yusuf quickly thought about the other princes besides Murat.

‘Mehmed will do well on his own. I need to secure a majority stake in the company Mustafa is establishing and keep an eye on it.’

In an era where merchant ships had to focus on self-defense, a growing company would become a group with both capital and military power, so it was necessary to seize the shares.

‘Kasim has a sly personality, so he’ll know what to do.’

It was common for foreign countries to secretly intervene in the Ottoman succession, and now that the stage was set, the West would surely intervene.

They would probably push Kasim, who is the easiest to contact among the four princes and seems friendly to the West.

If they underestimate him and support him, they will be badly burned by the sly Kasim.

“I wonder how Suleiman is doing in the East.”

“He is intelligent, so he must be doing well. We received a message that he is fortifying the port not long ago, didn’t we?”

If he had successfully settled on Taiwan Island, it would be half the battle, so even if he was curious, he had no choice but to trust and wait.

***

“Your Majesty! Suleiman Pasha, a Huihui (回回人) [a Chinese term for Muslims] from the Ottoman Empire, has arrived.”

“Let him in!”

As King Jungjong’s permission was given, the doors of Geunjeongjeon Hall in Gyeongbok Palace opened.

The civil and military officials and Jungjong carefully examined those who walked in through the wide-open doors.

It wasn’t because of their exotic attire, wearing turbans and colorful silk clothes. It was because of the dangerous situation where the fleet that had shown overwhelming power could turn into an enemy.

‘They easily subdue even the Wokou pirates with that fleet, but they made excuses to the Ming Dynasty.’

The coastline would probably have been devastated.

Hiding his chilling feelings, Jungjong spread his arms wide and welcomed them.

“I am Suleiman Pasha from the Ottoman Empire.”

“Nice to meet you! Thanks to your help, we were able to avoid great damage to our people.”

“We only lightly assisted to promote friendly relations between the two countries.”

There were over 4,000 Wokou pirates on the hundred Wokou ships, but Jungjong felt a slight fear at his relaxed attitude, as if he hadn’t even warmed up.

Jeong Gwang-pil, the Chief State Councilor, stepped forward, replacing Jungjong, who seemed intimidated.

He was one of the few wise ministers during Jungjong’s reign, who was upright enough to give dangerous advice and had the flexibility to run the country practically.

“I am Jeong Gwang-pil, the Chief State Councilor. Our country is unfamiliar with the country of Osman. Could you tell us exactly where your country is located?”

“I happen to have a gift, so it will be helpful if you look at this. Ibrahim.”

“Yes, Pasha.”

Ibrahim, who was standing behind Suleiman, handed over a long tube he was carrying on his back.

If it were a dangerous object, they wouldn’t have been able to bring it in, so the civil and military officials, including Jungjong, looked at the tube with curious eyes.

Suleiman opened the tube and took out a rolled-up leather.

“This is a simplified map of the empire.”

“Bring it here.”

Jungjong, who received the map, had a slightly shocked face.

Joseon also had a world map called the Honil Gangni Yeokdae Gukdo Ji Do [Map of Integrated Lands and Regions of Historical Countries], made in the 2nd year of King Taejong, which included Africa and Europe.

However, in that map, the land of the Ming Dynasty occupied about half of the map, but in the map brought by the Huihui, even the vast Ming Dynasty was drawn small.

He knew that Joseon’s map was exaggerated, but he couldn’t help but be shocked when he realized how exaggerated it was.

“How accurate is this map?”

“You can navigate by looking at that map.”

It was a bit exaggerated because it was simplified, but it wasn’t far from the truth.

Jungjong, who had been looking at the map for a long time, asked with a hopeful heart.

“What is the area marked separately here?”

“That is all the territory of the empire.”

Jungjong let out a faint groan at the territory, which was not significantly less than that of the Ming Dynasty.

Except for the Ming Dynasty, he couldn’t freely use the expression “empire” and called himself a kingdom, but he was not at all lacking in calling himself an empire.

Just looking at the fact that he could send so many ships this far away, he could roughly estimate his national power.

Jungjong, who handed the map to Jeong Gwang-pil, asked with a slightly tired look.

“Thanks to you, I think I know a little about what kind of place Osman is. So what can you give us?”

“Just tell us what you want.”

“Is pepper possible?”

Jungjong’s eyes lit up slightly.

In Joseon, pepper was used as a medicinal ingredient for heatstroke rather than a spice, and after Prince Yeonsan, pepper imports increased significantly, making it possible for the common people to purchase it, but it was still an expensive product.

‘If we can obtain pepper through them, there is no reason to maintain unfavorable trade with the Wokou.’

Joseon, which relied on the Wokou for pepper imports, gathered with expectant eyes, and Suleiman asked with a relaxed posture.

“How much quantity do you need?”

“The most recent pepper brought in from the Wokou was about ten thousand geun. Is that amount possible?”

“Ten thousand geun, how much is that?”

The eunuch who received Jungjong’s gaze brought a small pouch after a while.

“This is about one geun [approximately 600 grams].”

Suleiman, who touched the pouch handed over by the eunuch, burst into laughter.

They had a flustered face as they looked at the Huihui who suddenly burst into laughter, and Suleiman, who stopped laughing, returned the pouch and said.

“I was surprised that one geun was so light. Did you say ten thousand geun? If we put our minds to it, we can easily bring a hundred times that amount.”

In a situation where he occupied the sea route from India to Malacca and Taiwan, bringing in pepper was an easy task.

The Joseon people were shocked by the words that lightly mentioned 600 tons of pepper, and Suleiman smiled brightly.

“We accept anything useful besides silver and gold.”

It was the day the Joseon people felt the world.

***

Murat sheathed the sword he was wielding.

It was a sword that had recently been used to cut down nomads who had fearlessly rummaged through the coffee plantations while he was away for a short time.

“Father still treats his sons harshly.”

“What are you going to do?”

“What can I do? I have to follow the order.”

Murat replied briefly to Yagiz Pasha, then hugged the child who was running towards him with hurried steps.

“Father!”

“Ali, you’ve gotten quite heavy in just a few days.”

Ali, who was bigger than his peers, though not as much as Murat, burst into a bright laugh when his beard tickled his face.

Murat, who was lightly playing with Ali, whose skin was noticeably darker compared to his own, which was tanned by the hot sun, handed the child over to his concubine who approached.

Yagiz cautiously spoke to Murat, who was watching the two who were making way for him.

“Prince Murat.”

“Don’t worry about unnecessary things.”

Murat, who knew what his supporter Yagiz was thinking, said firmly.

“Honestly, I didn’t like my father’s consideration either. He is my son, and there was nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Padishah was thinking of you, Prince.”

“So, although I don’t like it, I am grateful.”

He was confident, but if he had gone to the capital, the two would have had a hard time with discriminatory gazes.

It was obvious from the way the officials subtly recommended new women even though he didn’t bring them.

“After visiting the capital, I definitely felt it. The empire still has a long way to go.”

If they discriminate based on skin color, there is no way there won’t be disputes if the language and religion are different.

It means that they have not yet united as one under the name of Osman.

“If you become Padishah, you will be able to change the empire.”

“Well, I can’t be sure that I can do what my father, who is so full of himself, couldn’t do.”

Even his older brother Mehmed, who lives for his own ego, defers to his father, so he didn’t believe he could do it.

“But isn’t it worth spending a lifetime trying?”

Murat gave a cool smile, and Yagiz bowed his head.

Perhaps the driving force behind governing the land, where fierce sailors, cruel Arab nomads, and Africans with distinctly different cultures were mixed, was that heart.

“To do that, I have to do the work my father entrusted to me first. Yagiz Pasha, prepare the ship. I have to go to Algiers.”

“Understood.”

Murat glanced at Yagiz, who was stepping back to carry out the order, and closed his eyes.

The sunlight felt heavy today.

***

Barbarossa Urudz, who occupied part of North Africa centered on Algiers, was in the position of Beylerbey [Chief Governor] of Osman.

Urudz, who had received prior notice to support Murat, welcomed Murat and held a banquet.

Enjoying the dancers dancing to the cheerful music, Urudz handed Murat a drink.

“Is the food to your liking?”

“It’s a luxury compared to the food I eat on the battlefield. The meat is also good.”

“Haha, it’s thanks to the spices that came in cheaply thanks to the canal that Padishah dug.”

“There is a limit to what can be covered with spices. Lion meat had a strong odor even when sprinkled with spices.”

Urudz nodded at the words, pointing to the lion skin he had brought as a gift.

“It’s hard to get rid of the smell of wild animals.”

“Still, it’s a smell you get used to when you eat it. It’s just that there’s no reason to catch it just to eat it.”

Murat poured the strong liquor into his mouth.

The atmosphere ripened, and Murat, who had dismissed the dancer who was flirting with him from his arms with her bare body, asked.

“What is the situation of the territory that needs to be occupied?”

“I don’t know why Padishah wants such land. It’s almost abandoned, desolate land. However, Pas, the country on the way, is currently fighting between two forces.”

It was called Morocco in English and Maghrib in Arabic, but in Osman, it was called Pas, derived from the capital city of Fes.

Murat asked with interest at the words that two forces were fighting.

“There will be no resistance to occupying the destination?”

“We indirectly control it, but it is blocked by mountains, and the two forces are fighting, so they are not very interested in such land. There seems to be little resistance.”

“That’s good news.”

Urudz cautiously asked Murat, who was nodding.

“But how are you planning to get there?”

The Atlas Mountains, which are 2,400 km long, stretching from Morocco to Algiers and Tunisia, are located in North Africa.

It was not easy to cross this and reach the destination, and Murat replied lightly to Urudz’s question.

“There’s no need to think hard. It’s an easy task.”

***

“Captain! It’s the Ottoman fleet!”

The Spanish admiral stared blankly at the fleet passing through the Strait of Gibraltar with the Ottoman flag proudly displayed.