Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 200

The Vile Things (4)

The African slave trade had dried up.

For Portugal, this was not something they could simply brush aside.

With the Eastern trade route blocked by Yusuf, Portugal began developing Brazil at an accelerated pace compared to the original timeline, and African slaves were indispensable there.

They were not only needed for the labor-intensive sugarcane plantations, but Portugal, with its small population, was also using African slaves to address the labor shortage among its sailors.

The disappearance of African slaves represented a significant blow to Portugal’s driving force, a serious matter indeed.

However, there were others who were in an uproar even before the Portuguese homeland.

“Return like this? There’s no way I can just go back!”

“We’ll have to fabricate something to take back!”

Portuguese merchants vehemently protested the current situation.

Having braved storms and the threats of Barbary pirates to get here, they couldn’t possibly return empty-handed.

The merchants, armed with guns and gunpowder brought as trade goods, ventured into the African continent, only to realize the situation was even more dire than they had imagined.

“They say they’re offering far more goods than usual!”

The chieftain, who used to trade with the merchants, pointed to the pile of guns.

“We don’t need them. Not the shoddy ones.”

The Portuguese merchant’s face crumpled at the dismissive words.

The Ottomans were the first to effectively utilize guns, and their production capacity and gun quality were on a completely different level, even for the same type of gun.

So much so that even Spanish and Portuguese commanders preferred Ottoman-made guns.

Even if they only considered the quality of the guns, they couldn’t compete, and the Ottomans were even selling bayonets along with them.

‘Ottomans, you crazy bastards,’ he thought.

Their arduous journey only revealed why the Africans were so desperate that they sold every slave they had, and even those they didn’t.

The merchants who returned empty-handed were the lucky ones.

“A, ambush! Ambush!”

Flames erupted from the dense thickets in the dark night.

Startled birds fluttered away at the sound of gunfire, and people died, unable to mount any proper resistance against the barrage of bullets.

The merchant, barely surviving by lying flat on the ground, wore a grim expression as he looked at the Africans filling the surroundings, baring their yellowed teeth.

They had no reason to accept trades from those who now had power, except when they were desperate for weapons.

The Portuguese merchants, having suffered immense losses, flocked to M’banza-Kongo, the capital of the Kongo Kingdom.

“Manikongo [King of Kongo]! Our merchants have suffered greatly. You must take measures!”

Manikongo was the title for the King of Kongo, and Afonso I, who brought Portuguese culture, attire, and even religion to create the current Kongo Kingdom, sighed.

“You shouldn’t have been so greedy for slaves.”

“How can you say such a thing?”

“Isn’t it because you desired slaves too much that the monster from the north has come all the way here?”

The Portuguese greed for slaves was excessive.

Not content with prisoners or captives, they instigated bandits and kidnapped not only commoners but even nobles to enslave them.

When a letter of protest was sent, they even received a response that Kongo was large and populous, so it wouldn’t be noticeable even if people were taken as slaves.

Of course, they later sent supervisors to the trading posts to prevent the kingdom’s subjects from being sold as much as possible, but the resentment from that time still remained.

“Are you saying that the Ottomans came here because of us?”

“What would a large country like the Ottoman Empire want from us that they would resort to such tactics? It’s more likely they intervened to hinder your affairs.”

The Portuguese, who usually looked down on commoners and royalty alike, secretly despising them as not quite human, turned red with anger.

Normally, Afonso wouldn’t have openly said things that would upset the Portuguese, but he had no leeway [no room to maneuver].

“We are also in a serious situation right now. Enemies with weapons are targeting our kingdom.”

To prevent his subjects from being sold as slaves, Afonso attacked the surrounding areas to procure slaves, but this had come back as a boomerang.

Battles were already taking place on the outskirts, and the signs were ominous.

“…I will report this to the King.”

“I have written a letter, so take it with you, and please do your best. I believe you know how much our kingdom has strived.”

It wasn’t for nothing that they opened a slave trading post in the Kongo Kingdom. No country in Africa tried to adapt all its culture to Portugal like Kongo, and Portugal couldn’t afford to lose such a valuable partner.

Not long after the merchants returned to Portugal, West Africa was engulfed in war.

***

The war, a mix of the Kongo Kingdom and various tribes, quickly turned into a civil war for the succession to the throne when Manikongo Afonso was assassinated.

Although half a year had passed since the war began, there was no sign of it subsiding.

Portugal, which had been observing due to its dislike of Afonso’s actions of sending supervisors to the trading posts, hastily sent support.

However, this support was blocked in the sea near Western Sahara.

The envoy, aboard a deck where the red flag symbolizing the Ottoman Empire fluttered, clenched his trembling hands.

The Ottoman fleet, more than double the size of the fifteen Portuguese ships, blocked their path, and the woman before them was infamous among sailors.

“Sayyida al-Hurra [Pirate Queen of Tetouan]…”

Born into a prestigious family in the Kingdom of Granada, she was exiled during the Reconquista [the Christian reconquest of Spain] and succeeded her husband in ruling Tetouan in the Strait of Gibraltar as a pirate queen.

Starting as a refugee, Sayyida proved her abilities from her early teens and earned the title al-Hurra, meaning queen, becoming a legendary figure who gained immense notoriety in Spain and Portugal.

“Why are you here?”

She was a woman who usually didn’t board ships, as she was busy governing Tetouan, despite being a pirate.

Sayyida spoke coldly to the bewildered envoy.

“It is the Padishah’s [Ottoman Sultan’s] command.”

It wasn’t that he had directly ordered her to board the ship. There was no reason to strain a woman in her fifties, and she was a woman who had proven her abilities to the extent that the title al-Hurra was tolerated.

This was merely an expression of loyalty.

It was the loyalty she could show to the benefactor who had recovered the land of Granada, which she thought she would never be able to return to in her lifetime, and it was a common sentiment shared by countless exiled Moors and Jews.

“If you know my name, this will be easy. Turn back. Further southward advance is forbidden.”

“But!”

“Be grateful that you are being sent back. If it weren’t for the Padishah’s grace, this place would have become your grave.”

Sayyida drew her sword at the hesitant envoy.

“Of course, if you ignore this warning and try to slip past us, you will be responsible for the consequences.”

The Portuguese fleet had to change direction at the warning that didn’t feel like an empty threat.

***

“Sayyida al-Hurra. I haven’t seen her in person, but she’s quite a fiery woman. To go directly on board, I mean.”

“Isn’t that why she rose to such a position?”

Shemsi was right.

No matter how noble her family was and how she succeeded her husband, it wasn’t easy to become the governor of a region as a woman.

If Barbarossa [Ottoman Admiral] was in the Eastern Mediterranean, Sayyida al-Hurra was the undisputed leader of the pirates in the Western Mediterranean, so her abilities were beyond question.

“This has blocked the Portuguese bastards’ intervention. I wonder if Murat will be grateful.”

“Wouldn’t he be grateful?”

“He’s not the type to have such shame, but he cherishes his subordinates, so he’ll be grateful.”

He’s the shameless guy who asks to put the identification tags, which are now being distributed to the Janissaries [elite Ottoman infantry] and Sipahis [Ottoman cavalry], on his slave army first.

Yusuf raised one corner of his mouth and lifted a letter.

“They say the Ming Dynasty has sent two ships to the New World. The Emperor must be quite impatient.”

It was information brought by a trade ship going to and from the Ming Dynasty, and the response was faster than expected.

If it were a typical emperor, he would have approached it more cautiously, but the Jiajing Emperor proceeded with the matter faster than expected.

“Didn’t he want immortality? That’s why he’s in such a hurry.”

“A young man not even thirty years old is quite impatient. Well, I hope he can find it. If the Ming Emperor finds it, I will be sure to obtain it and give it to you as well.”

Shemsi made a lukewarm face, far from being moved by the words that he would give it to him if he obtained the elixir of immortality.

“How much longer do you plan to exploit an old man with less than eight years left until retirement?”

Yusuf chuckled at the look as if he were looking at Satan.

“I’m just kidding. Where would there be an elixir of immortality in this world? It’s all wishful thinking born from attachment.”

Yusuf lowered the letter and tapped his fingers.

‘What are the chances of them arriving in the New World?’

The route connecting the Philippines and Mexico was discovered and utilized not long after in the original timeline.

Moving from Manila to Mexico, and crossing Central America by land due to the lack of the Panama Canal, was the main trade route to Spain.

Even with current navigation technology, it was possible to travel back and forth, but the Ming Dynasty had a lack of experience in the ocean, which was a problem.

They would probably only be able to arrive if they were lucky.

‘It would be good if they arrived for the plan, but if not, I’ll have to create a new plan.’

Shemsi asked Yusuf, who was checking variables and plans in his head.

“Padishah [Sultan]. Is there no further support for Prince Murat?”

He had already done a lot.

Even for the Ottoman Empire, the weapons poured into Africa were not something that wouldn’t be a burden, and moving the fleet at the risk of war was also a great help.

However, Africa was not easy even with this level of support.

“If I put my mind to it, there are many ways to support him. Even the Songhai Empire in West Africa would decline in an instant if we occupied the salt mines.”

The Songhai Empire is an empire in modern-day Mali, a wealthy country in West Africa that has accumulated enormous wealth through gold mines.

The problem was that the salt mines were very far from the capital, making salt extremely precious, and the salt mines could be occupied through Morocco if they put their minds to it.

“There are many other ways to help, but I can’t keep helping him forever.”

Whether he becomes Padishah or not, it was time for the princes to come out of the huge shadow he had created.

Yusuf rested his chin on his hand and spoke coldly.

“He may fail, and if he’s unlucky, he may die. But it’s better for a prince who hasn’t proven his abilities to die.”

Not only Murat, but the other princes are also risking their lives.

Kasim, who travels to and from Vienna, the enemy’s base, can die at any time if things go wrong, and so does Mustafa, who is recruiting Australian Aborigines.

Mehmet? The population of the Grand Duchy of Moscow in this era is estimated to be around 6 million. It’s called a Grand Duchy, but in terms of population alone, it’s more than double that of England.

‘Even for Mehmet, it’s not an easy task, and as always with war, he’ll die if he’s unlucky.’

No prince in the line of succession has not risked his life.

“If you’re afraid of losses and meddle here and there, you’ll only become a fool. Rather than showing such a sight, it’s better for them to die and receive sympathy.”

The parties involved may not think so, but at least that’s what Yusuf thought.

It’s not that he doesn’t have affection for his sons, but there are things he prioritizes more.

Yusuf, who had poured out a cold assessment, suddenly smiled.

“I said it like this, but they won’t disappoint me.”

The princes have grown up according to their talents.

***

“Prince Murat, preparations for departure are complete.”

At Yagiz’s call, Murat rose to his feet and said.

“I am afraid.”

“Is there anything that Your Highness fears?”

He had been with Murat for a long time, but he had never seen him afraid.

It was Murat who jumped onto the deck of the enemy ship and beheaded the enemy commander, or who wielded his sword directly against the charging nomads.

It was hard to believe that Murat, who had overcome dangerous moments countless times without showing fear, had uttered those words.

Murat slammed his massive sword, which was like his symbol, into the ground.

“The blood that has flowed so far and the blood that will flow in the future will become meaningless the moment I fail. How can I not be afraid?”

Feeling a heavy sense of responsibility, Murat spoke in a resolute voice.

“Therefore, I cannot fail.”

Murat, who had left the tent, passed by those who were paying their respects and stood on the platform.

Despite standing on the high platform, an enormous crowd was gathered to the point where the end was faintly visible, and Murat shouted loudly.

“A future where your families and neighbors are sold as slaves! A future where you fear the invasions of other tribes! A future where you are despised like beasts! There is no such future on the land you will tread!”

Murat, who had declared resolutely, smashed the platform with his sword.

“Let’s go! We are the future of Africa!”

The shouts of the 80,000 soldiers echoed loudly in the sky.

A black storm swept through Africa.