Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 185

Became the Sultan of Osman – Episode 185

Feeler (1)

Yusuf sat in his chair, chin propped on his hand, watching the little boy.

The child, diligently stirring the ice granules in his cup with a spoon, was of kindergarten age by modern standards.

Yusuf, gazing at the boy with golden hair like his mother, asked,

“Orhan, is it good?”

“Yes, yes! Father. It’s delicious.”

Startled by Yusuf’s call, Orhan spilled some of the contents of his cup, and before Hasna, who was sitting next to him, could wipe it with a handkerchief, a large figure moved.

The lion’s rough tongue brushed his hand, and Orhan burst into laughter as if tickled.

Yusuf frowned slightly at the sight of him being more comfortable with the beast than with his own father.

“Don’t bring that shedding cat inside. Or shave it all off.”

“It would be too unsightly without its mane. I will train it well.”

As if knowing it was about to lose its fur, the lion sauntered over and acted cute, but Yusuf irritably pushed away its large head.

“Quick to catch on. Anyway, you like the new sherbet.”

The drink called ‘sharab’ in Arabic, ‘sherbet’ in Turkish, and ‘sorbet’ in French, refers to frozen fruit juice.

It’s been a drink enjoyed in the Arab world for a very long time, and what Orhan ate was a sherbet closer to ice cream with added milk.

Unlike Orhan, who was savoring his portion, Hasna, who had already finished hers, smiled.

“Perhaps because of the hot weather, Valide Hatun [the Sultan’s mother] also enjoys it, saying it’s refreshing. Thanks to you, she seems to have regained a lot of energy these days.”

“That’s a relief.”

Eating frozen sherbet is a luxury, but it’s not a burden.

‘Freezing ice is possible with just saltpeter.’

It’s a thing of the past to dig up eternal snow or build deep ice cellars to eat ice in the summer.

Dissolving saltpeter in water can lower the temperature below freezing, allowing ice to be made, and this method has been used for quite some time.

However, it’s not a method that anyone can use, as saltpeter is also needed for gunpowder.

‘Freezing and refrigeration are good technologies for long-term food storage, but it’s difficult to utilize them right now.’

Yusuf looked at a small stone-like object placed in a corner of his room.

It was phosphorite that arrived from Western Sahara, which Murat had occupied.

“A weapon in times of chaos, fertilizer in times of peace.”

Even just looking at deposits like guano, you can refine saltpeter, a material for gunpowder, or create high-quality fertilizer.

The same substance can be a weapon that kills people or a tool that saves many lives, depending on its use.

As Yusuf spoke softly, he heard the voice of a eunuch.

-Your Majesty, the envoy has returned to the audience chamber.

“I understand. I shall go.”

Yusuf, who had taken some time to meet with his two children for the first time in a while, rose from his seat.

He doesn’t have the luxury of spending time with Orhan to the point where he’s more unfamiliar with him than with the lion, but this is an unavoidable sacrifice when ruling a vast empire.

“Hasna, when the time is right, return with Orhan on your own.”

“Understood.”

Yusuf lightly patted their heads, erased the gentle smile he had been wearing, and walked to the audience chamber.

Silahdars [sword-bearers] with sharp auras, swords at their sides, ready to kill the Padishah’s [Sultan’s] enemies at any moment, and an envoy who dared not look at the empire’s ruler and was paying his respects.

It was a more familiar atmosphere than spending time with children, and Yusuf, sitting on the high seat, spoke coldly.

“Report.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The envoy, who had visited both the Wattasid and Saadi dynasties, which were fighting over the land of Morocco, bowed his head and spoke at Yusuf’s command.

“They have impudently rejected the proposal Your Majesty offered.”

“I see.”

Yusuf nodded without any sign of displeasure.

He would have been surprised if they had readily agreed to provide a path to invade Portugal.

The armies of this era are only a paper’s width away from being bands of robbers. It wouldn’t be strange if they looted a city along the way at any time, and if they turned their swords, there would be no way to resist.

No country would accept such ridiculous conditions.

“Still, the Wattasids showed a slightly more moderate attitude compared to the Saadi.”

“It’s understandable since the Saadi are not the ones with a fire under their feet right now.”

The North African coast south of the Strait of Gibraltar is the territory of the Wattasids, and the area bordering Ottoman territory, Algiers, was also Wattasid.

Of course, the Saadi also bordered Western Sahara, which Murat had conquered, but there were not many troops stationed in Western Sahara.

‘Because we haven’t started mining guano in earnest yet.’

Like the guano that arrived recently, they secretly searched for guano mines after the occupation, and the results have only just come in.

Except for a very few like Shemsi and Hasan, many people knew that the reason for occupying that useless land was to provoke Spain.

It was a wasteland that was considered so out of sight, and there was no need to station many troops when others didn’t know its importance.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of reaction they showed. What matters is that they rejected our proposal.”

“That is a wise statement.”

“You have worked hard on a long journey. I will give you a separate reward, so go back and rest.”

Having committed an act that was virtually a declaration of war, even an Ottoman envoy could have lost his head.

Like in Hungary, the retaliation will be certain, but that doesn’t bring the dead back to life, so it’s necessary to give them a reward accordingly.

As the envoy, offering his thanks, retreated, Yusuf flicked his fingers.

‘The war is imminent. So, to what extent can we move?’

It’s necessary to strike a good balance.

If we overdo it, we can invade not only Spanish territories in Africa like Tunis but also the Iberian Peninsula itself.

We could occupy some of the southern coast and plant stakes, but the problem is whether those who have driven out Islam from the Iberian Peninsula for over 700 years through the Reconquista [the historical period of Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula] would remain silent.

“Should we open a rat hole, or not?”

Charles V’s only hope is the New World. He believes in the potential of the vast, unknown land, so he has bet his future on it.

If the Ottomans overdo it, they can inflict damage on the coastal areas to the point where Charles won’t even be able to think about the New World for a while.

Instead, we may have to watch Charles grit his teeth and create an anti-Ottoman alliance.

“That would be a bit of a hassle.”

The promised 15 years pass quickly.

Already four years of the promised time have passed, haven’t they?

With those who are greedy for the Ottomans, who have become a goose that lays golden eggs by digging canals, the scale of the war was unpredictable, and there was a high possibility that the war would not end within the remaining 11 years.

He wanted to avoid a large-scale war for the sake of the damage caused by the war and the smooth transfer of power.

‘It’s not like we’re going to reach out to the New World right now.’

Even if it was the stage of just starting to advance into Spain, there were already millions of converts in the New World, and the Ottomans, who had their hands full in many places, couldn’t turn their attention to the New World’s development.

It was necessary to strike a good balance in how much greed to indulge in.

“Summon the Grand Vizier.”

“Understood.”

At Yusuf’s command, the eunuch hurriedly ran out of the audience chamber.

Perhaps because the eunuch moved quickly, Shemsi arrived at the audience chamber faster than expected.

“Did you call for me, Your Majesty?”

“Summon the army. It’s war.”

What’s so difficult to think about?

If you don’t know what the right level is, you can just poke at it to test the waters.

***

When the envoy who had left for the Ottoman Empire returned, Spain was turned upside down.

When they first sent the envoy, some even said that there was no need to send an envoy and stir up trouble, but the answer the returning envoy brought back was virtually a declaration of war.

They didn’t even say that they would wage a desperate struggle with Portugal, but they were forced to become one with Portugal and wage war with the Ottomans, so it was like a bolt from the blue.

“What are you going to do about this!”

“Perhaps they were just waiting for something to use as an excuse.”

“Then why did you give them that excuse!”

Charles glared at the envoy from Portugal as if he would kill him, and the envoy was sweating profusely.

Spain wasn’t the only one surprised by this news. No, Portugal was beyond surprised and in a state of extreme fear.

‘At this rate, the country might really collapse.’

With the Eastern Route they had pioneered blocked, their finances were already in severe decline, and the earthquake in Lisbon was like driving a stake into their heart.

Even if the existing route was still alive and there was a source of money, it would have taken at least ten years to recover, but since they couldn’t even count on that source of money, they didn’t know how long it would take.

With the reconstruction of Lisbon a distant prospect, the possibility of war with the Ottomans was enough to make them feel hopeless.

“We are mobilizing soldiers to arrest those who spread false rumors, including the monks.”

“Then will you go right now and appease Yusuf, that man?”

At Charles’ words, the envoy became speechless.

Even as an envoy, going to Spain and the Ottoman Empire was like heaven and earth.

In Spain, he might suffer all kinds of insults, but he would at least save his life, but if he went to the Ottoman Empire, he would return as a corpse, not an envoy.

And it would be fortunate if only his head was cut off without torture.

“Useless thing.”

Charles spat out in frustration, and the envoy could only listen in silence.

After all, it was Portugal that created the pretext, and Spain was the one that got caught in the crossfire.

“Go back and tell your king. If you are not confident in somehow calming the Ottomans’ anger, then prepare for war.”

“A, understood.”

As the Portuguese envoy left, Charles let out a deep sigh and leaned back in his chair.

“We should have formed a blood alliance with the Ottomans.”

Charles, who had pushed for a marriage alliance with Hasna, felt regret.

Was it because of the conversion? It was a marriage that was rejected outright, but if it had been successful, the situation would have been completely different now.

He would have been the one benefiting from the canal, not France, and his army sent to Rome wouldn’t have been crushed, and he wouldn’t have gained the notoriety of looting Rome.

It was a past event, and even if he went back to the past, he couldn’t be sure that the marriage alliance would be successful, but he couldn’t help but feel a great sense of regret.

As he gazed at Hasna’s painting hanging on the wall, he heard an urgent voice.

-Your Majesty, there is something urgent to report!

“Come in!”

The person who came inside paid his respects and shouted.

“The Ottomans have summoned their army!”

Thinking that things were finally turning out this way, Charles gritted his teeth and shouted.

“We too will summon our army and hire mercenaries!”

***

Malta is an island just below Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean.

It has been a major trading base connecting North Africa and Sicily since ancient times and can be said to be an important stronghold.

“It’s not easy to make money these days.”

A merchant working on the island of Malta sighed.

On an island with a small population, the only thing to rely on is ships traveling between Africa and Sicily, but visitors have been rare lately.

Since the peace treaty between the Habsburgs and the Ottomans, the Barbary pirates have become more rampant, and it has become difficult to move ships freely even in Tunis, an important stronghold in North Africa.

As the merchant felt the island becoming increasingly isolated, he could only sigh deeply when he heard a shout.

-A fleet! A fleet has appeared!

“What’s going on?!”

At the news of the fleet, the merchant ran out barefoot.

If it’s called a fleet, it must be at least a few ships, so there will be quite a bit of crumbs falling.

The merchant, who had run out with a bright face, quickly realized that the situation was not what he had imagined.

Ting-ting-ting!

The bell signaling danger rang madly, and the soldiers, who had been moving in a relaxed manner, hurriedly ran up to the walls of the harbor.

It was clear that the situation was not good, and soon people could see the fleet that they were shouting about with their own eyes.

On the ships that filled the horizon and surged in like black waves, vivid red flags fluttered.

“This is not the kind of guest I wanted.”

The merchant said with a blank face.