Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 31

#31. Sowing Discord (2)

As seen with the White Sheep Dynasty, which nearly collapsed due to succession issues, inheritance was a critical matter.

Consequently, various methods were devised. Among nomadic peoples, there was the practice of granting inheritance to the eldest son early on, allowing them to establish separate households, with the youngest son inheriting last. There was also fraternal inheritance, where brothers inherited instead of sons upon the monarch’s death.

Compared to other places where inheritance methods were determined to minimize disputes among siblings, the Ottoman system was peculiar.

‘Even if it were just about power, they’d start a civil war. Since their lives are at stake, it’s natural for brothers to fight to the death.’

Would you rather die quietly, or would you like to resist? If asked this way, most would choose the latter.

There’s a reason why the Ottoman Empire remained intact despite using a method that could easily lead to the country’s division.

‘The Sultan is too powerful.’

No matter how much a prince, as a Sanjakbey [governor of a district], gathered troops, it was fortunate if they could muster 3,000 men.

That number of troops was laughable to the Sultan, who commanded tens of thousands of Janissaries [elite Ottoman infantry] armed with gunpowder and armor.

Once someone became Sultan, they could easily subdue any internal strife caused by their brothers.

‘The reason they prefer being around the capital is to quickly seize the Sultan’s position if he suddenly dies.’

The Sultan himself sometimes arranged and passed on the succession during his lifetime.

The Sultan had absolute influence in designating a successor, as it was up to him to decide which territory to grant and whom to support as the heir.

Therefore, it was never good to be disliked by the Sultan.

“So, I have to report before going to war.”

“The Padishah [Ottoman Sultan], upon receiving the report, might oppose it.”

As Shemsi said, this was the problem.

In the original history, the current Sultan was passive in the war against Ismail.

“It would become a two-front war, so even with a good plan, he wouldn’t easily allow it.”

Even for the Ottoman Empire, fighting Ismail in the east while at war with Venice and other Western countries in the west was a burden.

“If the Padishah opposes it, what do you plan to do?”

“Proceed regardless.”

Yusuf answered Shemsi’s question without hesitation.

‘The Sultan’s favor is just a nice story, after all.’

In the worst-case scenario, even if he relied solely on the Sultan, the Sultan could become senile and suddenly raise another prince as the heir.

So, it was better to gain the support of officials and the military by accumulating achievements, even if it meant incurring the Sultan’s displeasure.

“Then, it’s okay to proceed with the work first without waiting for a response.”

“Yes.”

Yusuf hadn’t just been watching while Ismail I occupied Tabriz.

He had already sent those who would sow discord to various parts of the White Sheep Dynasty, and they were waiting for orders.

As Shemsi left after receiving instructions, Yusuf smiled playfully.

“I hope they like my gift.”

It was a shame he couldn’t see the faces of those who would be pleased to receive the gift.

***

Spreading rumors.

It seems like nothing, but it’s not as easy as you think.

A rumor can travel a thousand miles, but not all rumors spread that quickly and far.

To spread rumors effectively, Yusuf dispatched people to approach nomads and refugees first.

“Who are you!”

Even with cities and villages, not everyone settles on land.

There were many nomads who didn’t belong to one area and wandered around, and they were on edge due to the ongoing civil wars and recent major battles.

“Calm down. We didn’t come here to fight.”

The group that approached answered with a smile, but they didn’t lower their guard.

In the wilderness, you can’t trust anyone.

“We are the ones sent by the ruler of Idir.”

“…Why did you come?”

The nomad asked in a slightly softened voice upon hearing that they were sent by the person who ruled this area.

Even if it was hard to fully believe, it would cause many problems to be on bad terms with the powerful.

“You’re not those Shiite bastards who have been running rampant these days, are you?”

“We’ve been Sunni since long ago!”

The man nodded, saying, ‘It’s fortunate that we’re brothers in faith,’ and lowered his voice as if telling a secret.

“Our ruler told us to warn the Sunni brothers around here.”

“Warn?”

“Yes. Do you know that the one who occupied Tabriz this time and called himself Shah is a Shiite [a follower of Shia Islam]?”

“There’s no one who doesn’t know that.”

The Qizilbash [Shia militant group] wearing red turbans were already well-known, and they had achieved unbelievable victories one after another, so it was impossible not to know.

Including Ismail, whom they followed.

“After declaring that he would establish a Shiite kingdom, he’s been oppressing Sunnis [a follower of Sunni Islam]. Tabriz is already covered in the smell of blood because of those who died for refusing to convert.”

“Is that true?”

“Why would I lie to you?”

The nomads’ faces immediately darkened.

Changing faith is not an easy decision.

“Moreover, he claims to be the seventh descendant of the Imam [Islamic leadership position], but that’s a complete lie. They’re killing anyone who questions it, so be careful. It’s also a good idea to avoid going near Tabriz if possible.”

“We weren’t planning on going that way anyway, but we’ll be careful. Thank you.”

As it was information that could cause hundreds of families to suffer, they expressed their gratitude sincerely.

“If you’re so grateful, be sure to tell the people you meet along the way. Aren’t they all brothers of the same faith? Here’s something to help with your living expenses.”

The nomad, who received the jingling pouch, nodded greatly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to tell them.”

“Then be careful.”

The man, who even gave a farewell greeting with a gentle face, asked the group that moved with him as he moved away from the nomads.

“Where do we move to next?”

“There’s a group of refugees not far from here.”

In this era, armies are no different from looters.

Still, they don’t cause much trouble for their own people, but in a country where civil war is taking place, where are their own people?

The places where Ismail’s army passed turned into ruins, and many refugees fled.

“There’s no rumor more credible than the story you hear from the victim.”

The man smiled brightly.

“Let’s move as quickly as possible and return. The prince said that if the tail is too long, we’ll get caught.”

The people who spread fabrications mixed with impersonation and truth were not the only ones, and the rumors spread quickly.

***

No matter how much he occupied the capital, the land of the White Sheep Dynasty that Ismail occupied was less than 20%.

Since it was impossible to occupy this vast area entirely by force, he had to receive surrender from as many areas as possible.

‘Originally, it wouldn’t have been that difficult. Ismail has already shown a lot.’

He held the legitimacy of being the grandson of Uzun Hasan, and in the last battle against 30,000 enemy troops, he directly led the army and personally defeated one of the main commanders, proving his command ability and courage.

That was the reason why he was able to occupy Tabriz, the capital of the White Sheep Dynasty, without much effort.

‘Honestly, how can you resist a war machine that has won two consecutive battles of 7,000 against 30,000?’

Except for the bloodlines of the White Sheep Dynasty, there were plenty of areas that would surrender to Ismail if he gave them appropriate carrots [incentives].

That’s why he was able to occupy the entire vast region of Iran in less than 10 years.

‘But it won’t be easy this time, will it?’

It hadn’t even been two months since he spread the rumors, but the atmosphere was unusual.

Many people were uneasy because of the ominous rumors, and those who firmly believed in Sunni Islam began to leave for other countries such as the Ottoman Empire and the Mamluk Sultanate.

He had properly sown discord on Ismail’s table.

‘He won’t collapse with just this, will he? Just annoying?’

It only served as a sandbag, so he had to occupy Erzurum during that time.

Yusuf’s gaze turned to the map.

Between Trabzon and Erzurum, there was a fertile highland area called Bayburt.

“I have to occupy this place first to reach out to Erzurum. I have to occupy it quickly.”

Sorry to Bayburt, but he had no intention of spending a long time in such a small city.

If they refused the surrender offer, he was going to occupy it by force.

“I wish the Sultan’s answer would come back quickly.”

The answer was later than expected.

He was going to move after hearing the answer if possible, but he was getting frustrated because time was constantly being delayed.

As he took a sip of barley coffee with an annoyed heart, Shemsi came in.

“Prince, the Padishah has returned an answer.”

“Did you read what it says first, Pasha?”

“How could I do that?”

It wasn’t sent by someone else, but by the owner of the empire, so even Shemsi couldn’t read it first.

The reason he asked knowing that was because his expression was good, as if he had already seen the answer.

While thinking suspiciously, Yusuf first checked the contents of the letter and clenched his fist.

“It’s done!”

It was permission with the condition that he had to occupy Erzurum as planned, but permission was permission.

Moreover, the Sultan’s support was added.

As requested, he strongly warned the Crimean Khanate not to plunder the Circassians, and he was able to receive the help of other Sanjakbeys around him.

With this much, the start was very good, and Shemsi said to Yusuf, who was happy.

“Prince, you need to go to the port for a while.”

“Port?”

“You’ll know when you go.”

While wondering about Shemsi’s mysterious attitude, Yusuf went to the port and was able to see the ships filling the port.

Hassan, who was busily instructing to unload the luggage, shouted with a bright face as he saw Yusuf.

“Have you come, Prince!”

“Hassan, what is all this?”

“These are the items bestowed by the Padishah. Let’s take a look.”

When he opened the tightly sealed wooden box, what he saw was iron armor.

It wasn’t the plate armor made of metal plates that you usually think of when you think of a knight, but a brigandine [a type of armor] that organically combined iron plates and chainmail.

‘This armor is much better than plate armor.’

You’ll die of heat if you wear armor made of iron plates in hot regions like the Middle East.

That’s why chainmail with good ventilation was mainly used in hot regions such as the Middle East and India, and the Ottomans favored the brigandine form with added iron plates because chainmail was vulnerable to weapons such as arrows and javelins.

‘So much so that the word Yushman, which calls brigandine in Russia, came from the Ottoman Empire.’

Of course, even if they favored it, it was never cheap armor.

This brigandine is more expensive than most mass-produced plate armor.

“How many suits are there?”

Wooden boxes were constantly being unloaded from the ship, so the number was definitely not small.

Hassan answered immediately to Yusuf’s question.

“I’ll have to check directly, but it’s said to be about five hundred suits. In addition, he also sent various weapons and gold coins.”

This amount is not just a matter of money.

It would have been impossible to produce that much in Trabzon in a year.

“Hassan, which way is the capital?”

With this much, he shouldn’t be praying towards Mecca, but towards the capital.

The lacking parts were resolved thanks to the Sultan’s grace.