Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 23

#23. A Bigger Picture (1)

Dudududu.

The roughly 200 cavalrymen started at a slow walk, gradually increasing their speed as they approached the target.

As they neared the stacks of straw dummies set up like enemy soldiers, they drew their bowstrings, releasing their arrows at close range.

The arrows shot with a chilling sound, embedding themselves in the straw. The cavalrymen, pulling on their reins, turned their horses in perfect unison.

Those skilled among them displayed the art of twisting their bodies to shoot arrows backward.

It was a sight that drew admiration, and Yusuf nodded.

“The Swarm tactic is good, indeed.”

Simply put, it was a hit-and-run tactic, mainly used by nomadic peoples like the Mongols or Turks.

The advantage was clear: it could force a war of attrition while accumulating damage.

If cavalry pursued, they would flee, targeting infantry separated from the cavalry. When retreating, they would use delaying tactics to harass endlessly.

‘It’s treated as invincible because of its infuriating wickedness, but there’s no perfect tactic in the world.’

It was problematic that it was only useful in the field, but the real issue was its weakness when fighting cavalry of similar speed.

If they tried to shoot and run, changing direction, they would be swept away before they could even gain speed, leaving them with no choice but to keep running or engage in a direct fight.

An army that only runs cannot win, and the horse archers were lightly armed for a direct fight.

There’s even a story of six Sipahi [Ottoman cavalrymen] being pierced by a single spear.

‘When fighting Ismail, whose main force will be cavalry, this won’t do. We’ll already be outnumbered.’

Since the enemy will also be light cavalry, either train cavalry like the Winged Hussars who charged with long spears, or hasten cement development and try to conquer land by building fortresses.

For now, those were the only two things that came to mind.

The former required pouring money and conducting tremendous training, and the latter wasn’t the Great Wall of China or France’s Maginot Line, so its effectiveness had to be considered.

Arda, with a stoic face, approached Yusuf, who was deep in thought.

“Sanjakbey-nim [Sir/My Lord].”

“What is it?”

As Yusuf asked with a serious face, Arda frowned slightly and asked back.

“You told me to teach you how to ride a horse, so why are you just standing there?”

This was the reason he had left the safe and comfortable castle.

He came to ride a horse but was just watching, so Arda’s criticism was valid, but there was a reason.

“I’m getting to know the horse.”

“Are you talking about watching from five steps away?”

“Even with animals, etiquette is important.”

Personal space is important; if you get too close, they get uncomfortable.

You need to keep some distance, chat comfortably, and get to know each other. Just like rapport is important between a doctor and a patient, it’s just that I need time to build a relationship of mutual trust with the horse.

However, this reasonable explanation did not work for Arda.

“Stop saying strange things and come closer.”

“Alright.”

He was making a fuss, but it wasn’t that he was afraid of the horse itself.

He had dealt with humans that even ghosts would run away from, so why would he be afraid of a horse?

As he stroked the head of the horse looking down with round eyes, it neighed.

It wasn’t like they had caught a wild horse; a well-trained horse was an animal that followed people well, like a cat or a dog.

“Now, get on. I’ll help you.”

The horse’s height alone was about the size of an adult woman, so it wasn’t a height that a child could climb alone.

As he was lifted onto the horse almost floating by Arda’s hand, his view changed drastically.

How did people ride horses without stirrups? He wondered as he put his feet in the stirrups, the footrests, feeling dizzy.

‘Where did this damn body sell its nomadic blood?’

Honestly, he didn’t regret not spending points on physical talent, but he regretted it every time he rode a horse.

Yusuf’s frail memories were only filled with the horror of riding lessons, which were a basic education, so it was of no help at all.

Still, thanks to his efforts, he was okay up to a trotting speed.

“Then, let’s pick up the pace a bit.”

He really couldn’t run.

Yusuf shook his head at Arda’s words as he kept pace beside him.

“How do you even run?”

As soon as he picked up speed, his body shook like crazy, but Arda said it wasn’t difficult if he adjusted his body to the recoil.

It was too much to ask of an ordinary body with a physical talent of 3.

‘It’s not like driving, and it’s not like I’ve ever ridden a horse before.’

If he were a Sultan, he wouldn’t have to suffer like this.

When these Sultans went to war, they even brought a concubine with them, let alone ride a horse.

But a prince couldn’t imitate that, and if he wasn’t going to stand idly by in future wars, riding was essential.

Even considering the succession war, he had to lead the troops and arrive in the capital, so he couldn’t just run alone among the cavalry.

“Hoo… Let’s do more than this later.”

“If you wish, I will do so.”

Yusuf, returning to the castle with his escort, sighed deeply.

He struggled hard, but he realized it for sure today.

“I guess I need the help of traits to ride a horse.”

The points required for traits are increasing exponentially.

The points required for the second trait were 20, and with the 5 points he had recently obtained, he had a total of 21 points.

“I’m worried because the trait effects are better than I thought.”

He had been using emotion detection quite effectively.

He was also interested in talent detection, which he hadn’t obtained at that time, and there were many other traits that seemed useful.

‘But the most useful thing right now is this.’

[Excellent Riding Talent]

Of course, taking this wouldn’t immediately allow him to stand on a horse or perform the skill of sticking to the belly of a running horse.

However, it would allow him to learn riding faster and easier. It was like becoming a prodigy in riding.

Yusuf, who had been contemplating, pressed the purchase button, making it his second trait.

‘The sooner I learn this, the better. If I go to war and expand my power in the future, I’ll be able to collect points to buy the next trait.’

If he moved according to his plan, he would be living a pretty exciting life, so the points would accumulate on their own.

But his life would also be in danger.

It was a world of beautiful equivalent exchange.

“Damn world.”

It wasn’t even a clichéd story where you get stronger by overcoming near-death experiences.

Yusuf, who grumbled quietly, unfolded the map.

It was crude compared to modern maps, but it wasn’t so unrecognizable that a high-ranking official couldn’t understand it.

The first thing to think about was Ismail.

“He must be moving to Erzincan by now.”

Erzincan is about 140km south of Trabzon. Easily about the distance from Seoul to Daejeon [South Korean cities].

From here, Ismail would lead 7,000 troops from 9 tribes and begin full-scale conquest activities.

Honestly, now was the easiest time to kill Ismail.

“If I were an only child, I would have taken all the troops without worry and killed the seed of the future.”

He had to have a bloody inheritance fight with his brothers, so he couldn’t kill the target to gain merit in advance.

Honestly, Erzincan was the land of the Aq Qoyanlu dynasty, so it was difficult to attack.

Since he couldn’t touch Ismail right now, he shifted his gaze to the east.

“Georgia…”

A country between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, and also the hometown of Stalin.

Because it was a gateway connecting Asia and Europe, it was always a place of bloodshed. Later, it was caught between the Ottoman and Safavid empires and became a major battlefield.

It was now divided into 3 kingdoms and 5 principalities.

Among them, the Samtskhe principality, which bordered the Ottoman Empire, was noteworthy.

“The other countries of Georgia are on good terms with Ismail, so…”

Because they helped Ismail to eliminate the tribute to the Aq Qoyanlu dynasty.

Of course, Ismail threw the promise to the dogs, and they fell into the status of a vassal state of the Safavid Empire, but anyway, they were on good terms for now.

In comparison, Mzetchabuk, who would become the king of the Samtskhe principality, was ambitious and obedient to the Ottomans.

Of course, the obedience was after Selim became Sultan.

“Still, it’s the most promising place. Then I should send someone to Circassia in the summer, and Samtskhe around winter after the current king dies.”

Because the current king is a person who coordinates with other Georgian kingdoms.

To put it coldly, it won’t be easy to bring in Circassia and Georgia.

They won’t do things that depend on the fate of the country and the nation impulsively, so they will be cautious, and that much time will be longer.

“I might not be able to get help when I fight Ismail.”

Well, he could fight Ismail even without their help.

“At that time, I’ll have to use my dad’s chance to grab the necks of the surrounding Sanjakbeys [District Governors] and go into the fire together.”

If you don’t like it, be born as a prince.”

It was a sound that would have horrified other Sanjakbeys and made them shout Allah [God].

When Yusuf established basic future policies and took a breather, Shemsi came in with a knock.

“Is it just two weeks, Pasha [High-ranking title]?”

It’s probably been that long since he completely dominated the Sanjak from the banquet hall.

Yusuf, looking at Shemsi standing in front of him with his chin resting on his hand, asked.

“So, have you thought about it?”

This was the reason he gave him a period of two weeks.

He had completely dominated the Sanjak, so he could replace Shemsi to some extent, which meant it was time to re-establish their relationship.

Still, the more talented people, the better, and he was heartbroken that he didn’t get Burka, so he hoped a good answer would come back.

“I’ve been watching you for nearly half a year, and honestly, I don’t know what kind of person you are.”

“In what way?”

“Your head seems ordinary or lacking, but you sometimes show unexpected flashes of brilliance.”

…Is that a compliment?

It hurt even though he was hit with a fact he knew.

“And your actions are also radical. You know how much commotion was caused by this internal cleanup.”

“Didn’t it turn out well in the end?”

“That’s what I mean by radical.”

The two looked at each other in silence for a while.

Yusuf was the first to speak.

“So, are you refusing, Pasha?”

Shemsi shook his head at Yusuf, who was swallowing his disappointment and bracing himself.

“Rather, I thought we should be together. Someone has to lead you on the right path.”

“There’s no reason to accept you if you’re going to get in the way.”

“I’m just a helper. That’s what I mean by fulfilling that role.”

He wouldn’t oppose it to the death, but he would give bitter advice.

This was a cheap price to pay for getting a talent like Shemsi.

‘Even the most outstanding people make mistakes. You need someone to tell you the right thing.’

Wasn’t that a fact that history has proven countless times?

Yusuf, who had these thoughts, was about to say something positive, but Shemsi’s next words were faster.

“And as much as I know you, weren’t you thinking of killing me if I refused?”

Yusuf smiled at Shemsi’s words.

Ah, I got caught.