Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 205

Became the Sultan of Osman – Episode 205 (205/213)

Conspirator (2)

A strange atmosphere hung in the air as Spanish envoys frequently visited Osman.

It wasn’t the usual prelude to war.

Having been defeated not long ago, Spain wasn’t foolish enough to provoke another fight with Osman.

However, it was clear that Spain’s attention was diverted elsewhere.

Even Murat’s army, which had stabilized the conquered territories, began moving south, the Spanish seemed unconcerned.

The reason soon became clear.

-Spain and Osman clashed in the East, and Osman emerged victorious.

A merchant, bringing spices from Malacca [a historical Southeast Asian port city] or even further east instead of the more common pepper, delivered the news.

Initially, people were puzzled.

Spain had never ventured into the East before, yet suddenly they were there.

However, as more merchants returned, the rumor solidified into reality.

-A fleet from the New World attacked Manila.

-The Eastern Fleet rescued Manila from being looted. The citizens of Manila willingly sought the Empire’s protection.

It was called a rescue, but it was essentially Osman seizing prey caught by Spain.

Although truce negotiations were underway, the Ottomans, still harboring resentment over the attack on Rome where Yusuf was, reacted with satisfaction.

Conversely, Spain was in turmoil.

Joy and sorrow were reversed, but Spain was powerless.

Even formal protests would be ignored, and they lacked the means to pressure Osman, either militarily or economically.

If they had possessed such means, they would have used them before the Barbary pirates [North African pirates] turned the Caribbean into a lawless zone.

When Charles V secluded himself, reeling from the failure of his ambitious project, the news from the New World was enough to drag him out of his room.

“Cortés has returned?”

“He should be arriving in Cadiz [a port city in southwestern Spain] by now.”

“Bring him here immediately!”

Charles demanded upon hearing that Cortés had arrived in Cadiz, the southern port for ships traveling to and from the New World.

What exactly had happened, and what punishment was warranted?

After agonizing over these questions, he finally faced the man he now despised.

“The Marquis of the Oaxaca Valley greets Your Majesty.”

Charles chuckled humorlessly as Cortés confidently offered his respects, as if he had achieved a victory.

“I have already heard of the defeat. How dare you show your face?”

“I am sorry.”

He wanted to punish him immediately, but more pressing matters demanded attention.

Suppressing his anger, Charles steered the conversation to the main issue.

“Tell me in detail what happened.”

“Occupying Manila across the sea proceeded as planned, until fifty Ottoman ships appeared.”

At the mention of “fifty,” Charles and the assembled nobles gasped.

Even with equal numbers, Osman held the advantage, but with more than double the force, defeat was inevitable.

Of course, those envious of Cortés’s accomplishments seized upon this outcome.

“Ha, even with inferior forces, shouldn’t you have at least retreated?”

Easier said than done.

Manila is situated within Manila Bay, a natural harbor that is essentially a trap.

He could have rebuked them for their ignorance, but Cortés remained silent.

As Cortés kept his mouth shut, the nobles grew bolder in their rebukes, further darkening Charles’s expression.

“Silence! Who authorized you to speak!”

Charles glared with bloodshot eyes, silencing the nobles.

Even a king ridiculed for repeated failures was still a king.

Charles, having silenced the nobles, gestured with his chin.

“Continue.”

“I fought the Ottomans to the best of my ability, but as you know, defeat was unavoidable, and I was taken prisoner.”

“But how did you manage to return?”

“The enemy commander, Barbarossa [likely a reference to Hayreddin Barbarossa, a famous Ottoman admiral], requested a trade.”

At the word “trade,” Charles tilted his head.

“Trade?”

“Yes. He said that if I brought treasures or new plants from the New World, he would exchange them for goods from the East.”

“Suspicious.”

The trade itself wasn’t a bad idea.

Unlike Osman, who sold coffee in the East, Spain, lacking goods to sell, had to purchase goods with gold and silver. Now, it seemed they had something to offer.

But the trading partner was the problem.

“Yusuf, that man is Satan. He is not to be trusted.”

It was unusual for Charles to say such a thing, considering he was often blamed for undermining Christianity, but no one had experienced Yusuf’s wickedness as personally as he had.

“I know. But it’s true that he released me so I could return to the New World and even compensated me with goods from the East for the damages.”

“The problem is what that man is planning.”

Cortés had pondered this throughout his return journey.

No matter how rich the New World’s culture was, how valuable could it truly be?

If the plants consumed by the natives and the treasures crafted by those who couldn’t even work iron were so valuable, they would have already attracted attention.

After much deliberation, Cortés arrived at a conclusion.

“Isn’t the infidel emperor’s abdication approaching? I know that the situation in Osman is turbulent. It will only worsen with time.”

While the most likely candidate, Mehmed, remains silent, Kasim, who is building a large bridge connecting Buda and Pest [cities that form modern-day Budapest], and Murat, who is waging wars of conquest in Africa, are rapidly gaining prominence.

Since Osman does not adhere to primogeniture [the right of the firstborn son to inherit], the uncertainty surrounding the next Padishah [Ottoman ruler] will only intensify.

“Does that mean that Osman is also wary of provoking conflict with us?”

“Yes. With Osman’s rapid growth, the succession must be handled with utmost care. Otherwise, the empire could fracture.”

“That makes sense.”

Of course, even if Osman is in a vulnerable position, he has no intention of actively interfering with the abdication.

He’s not afraid of the plan failing, but…

‘The worst-case scenario of giving up the abdication could unfold.’

Does it make sense that Yusuf, who is nearly fifty, looks like a young man?

If he continues to defy aging, it means he might have to face Yusuf indefinitely. That was absolutely unacceptable.

He’d rather die headfirst.

“It means he showed goodwill to weather a dangerous period.”

Charles tapped the armrest.

The safest option is to simply refuse the trade. That way, there would be no risk of deception.

However, it was too tempting to forgo the Eastern trade, which promised immense wealth.

After a moment of contemplation, Charles reached a decision.

“Cortés, I will not hold you responsible for this. And I will authorize the trade.”

“Thank you.”

Cortés’s rivals felt a pang of regret, but their immediate concern was figuring out how to participate in the Eastern trade.

Cortés stopped Charles, who was about to conclude the meeting, thinking everything was settled.

“I have one more thing to report, Your Majesty.”

“What is it?”

“Surprisingly, the Eastern Fleet knew in advance about our attack on Manila.”

He had only solidified his suspicions through the envoy, but Cortés spoke with certainty.

“How could they have known? Most of the people gathered here were unaware.”

“According to information gathered before departure, the person who leaked the information to Osman is Antonio de Mendoza, the Viceroy of New Spain. He is the culprit.”

Cortés’s bombshell threw the palace into chaos.

***

Yusuf poured the coffee he had brewed himself.

Only a select few in the empire received such treatment, and the kindly old man with wrinkles was one of them.

“Hasan, you’ve lost a lot of weight. Are you taking care of your health?”

“My son is urging me to do so. You don’t have to worry.”

Yusuf poured coffee for Shemsi and himself, smiling as he took a sip.

“It’s been a while since the three of us have gathered. You’re useless subjects for not showing your faces.”

Their bond dated back to their struggles as princes, and the years had only strengthened it.

Yusuf feigned a sullen expression as Hasan laughed off the scolding, which was laced with concern.

“So, is the bridge you’re so engrossed in building, that you neglect to show your face, progressing well?”

“Thanks to Allah and the Padishah’s concern, it is being built smoothly. I will definitely complete it while you are still Padishah.”

“There’s no need to overdo it.”

It is an 800m long bridge connecting the Bosphorus Strait [a strait connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara].

It was similar in length to the Jamsu Bridge on the Han River [a bridge in Seoul, South Korea], and it would be a great achievement just to succeed with the technology of this era.

“It is important to build it sturdily, even if it takes decades. Think of it as a bridge that will connect the empire for centuries to come.”

The bridge itself is valuable, but it also symbolizes the connection between Europe and Asia.

There are cathedrals that are still under construction after over 100 years in modern times, so a more important bridge cannot be built with shoddy workmanship.

Hasan bowed his head at Yusuf’s firm words.

“I will strive to build it as sturdily as possible, even if it takes time.”

“Yes, you have to live until it’s completed, so if you’re not feeling well, let your son take over. I heard he grew up wonderfully, like the son of Nene.”

“Are they as good as the princes or the sons of the Grand Vizier?”

He showed humility by mentioning Shemsi’s son, who is serving as the Beylerbey [governor-general] of Cairo, but he couldn’t conceal the pride within.

They exchanged light greetings, but the conversation soon shifted to various matters concerning the empire.

“How are food prices these days?”

“Prices were on the verge of rising sharply due to the food being sent to Africa, but thanks to the bumper crop, the increase was insignificant. It is thanks to the Padishah’s foresight in creating fertilizer.”

Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are most easily deficient in farming, are known as the three essential elements of fertilizer, and supplementing phosphorus is the most challenging.

It was natural that a bumper crop occurred because he supplemented that phosphorus with phosphate rock fertilizer.

“That’s a relief for now. Keep an eye on the situation. The more Murat expands his territory, the worse the food situation will become. And when Africa becomes somewhat self-sufficient, the remaining food will be allocated to the Arabian Peninsula.”

In modern times, it is the land where Saudi Arabia is located, but it has not been formally incorporated into the empire’s territory because it is so barren and the Bedouin nomads are fierce.

Even if it is land with a lot of oil, there is no need to forcibly absorb land that cannot be used right away.

But if there is a surplus of food, it was worth reaching out.

“I will pay close attention. And the Spanish are trying to identify the informant.”

“They must be having a hard time looking for someone who doesn’t exist.”

It seemed they were very eager to find out if the real viceroy had leaked the information, seeing them blatantly poking around.

“If they want it that much, we should give them the answer.”

Yusuf smiled mischievously.

While Spain was making every effort to uncover the viceroy’s treachery, Osman officially announced:

-Our empire does not care who the Viceroy of New Spain is! We have never provided them with information, and there is no reason to collude with such a person! We will not forgive you if you continue to try to destabilize the empire with false rumors!

It wasn’t a lie.

He just denied it suspiciously vehemently.

Some time later, the viceroy, who was pleading his innocence, was dismissed, and Cortés became the viceroy.

It was the moment when another victim was created by the con man.

***

The Guangzhou Maritime Trade Supervisor [an official in charge of maritime trade in Guangzhou, China], responsible for coastal defense, tribute trade, and diplomatic affairs, welcomed the giant man with the red beard.

“Welcome, Redbeard. I have heard of your reputation from the previous Maritime Trade Supervisor.”

Urji, whose nickname was Barbarossa, meaning red beard, was known in Ming China [China under the Ming dynasty] as Redbeard.

It was a variation of the nickname Moustache Duke of Guan Yu [a famous general in Chinese history] in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms [a famous Chinese historical novel], and it was a nickname that showed how impressive he was seen in suppressing pirates.

“Nice to meet you too.”

The two shook hands firmly, exchanged brief pleasantries through an interpreter, and immediately got down to business.

“I heard you occupied Manila this time.”

“It was unavoidable. They are the same root as the Portuguese. They are no different from pirates.”

The Maritime Trade Supervisor frowned, recalling the memories of being greatly troubled by pirates due to Portugal.

“If they had taken that place, Ming merchants would have experienced great inconvenience. Of course, our empire intends to guarantee the trade of Ming merchants as before.”

Guangzhou is a place where trade is freely conducted even under the maritime ban.

Manila, a trade hub, was that important, and if Osman guaranteed it, there was no reason to escalate the situation.

“Considering the past relationship with Osman, I will trust you this once.”

“You will not be disappointed. More than that, do you know that the fleet sent by your emperor was attacked and annihilated?”

“Of course. His Majesty was very angry and told me to find out if it was true.”

“If you consider the attack on Manila this time, there is no room for doubt.”

There were too many coincidences to dismiss it as mere chance.

“So what do you want to say?”

“I am trying to tell you how to gain favor with the emperor.”

“Tell me.”

Urji, leisurely sipping the bitter tea and causing the Maritime Trade Supervisor’s body to heat up with anticipation, finally spoke.

“From now on, their ships will come to Manila for trade. How about attacking them on their way back and asserting the emperor’s authority?”