Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 4

#4. The Stakes Are Life and Death (3)

Sabak.

To young Yusuf, the road to the heart of the empire was always an exciting place.

Even late at night, lights illuminated the path, and the sight of Janissaries [elite infantry units of the Ottoman army] standing guard with gleaming weapons was simply magnificent.

Walking along that road, Yusuf cursed inwardly.

‘You thought that even after seeing this scenery?’

Yusuf was certain.

The callow youth in his memory was definitely different from who he was now.

The Janissaries he once thought were cool now seemed like nothing more than killing machines hiding their bloodlust.

To them, neither the status of a prince nor the appearance of a child would be a reason for hesitation; if it were the Sultan’s command, they could kill him right now.

‘Moreover, what you see isn’t everything.’

Even the gardener trimming the trees over there was the Sultan’s eyes and ears, belonging to the Bostanci corps [imperial guards and gardeners of the Ottoman palace].

Yusuf endured the overwhelming pressure, feeling his mind grow faint, and walked with dignity.

It was better this way. Time was not on his side.

How many times would he see the Sultan before the expedition? He had to seize the opportunity to be appointed as a Sanjakbey [governor of a district], so the more chances he had to show his changed self, the better.

Arriving in front of the Sultan’s residence, Yusuf spoke to the eunuch standing at the door.

“Inform him.”

Surprised by Yusuf’s demeanor, so different from his hesitant past, the eunuch still did his duty.

“Prince Yusuf of the Sultanate Empire requests an audience with the Padishah [Ottoman Emperor].”

Padishah meant emperor, while Sultan meant king.

Since the empire had been established with the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire, the title of Padishah was more accurate than Sultan, but just as Tsar was used even after it was replaced by Emperor in Russia, Sultan was still commonly used.

In formal settings like this, the term Padishah was mainly used.

-Let him in.

With a low voice, the door slid open, and Yusuf carefully entered.

Before he could take in the splendid interior decorated with geometric tiles and gold, Yusuf knelt and paid his respects.

“Yusuf greets the Padishah.”

“Raise your head.”

At the kind voice, Yusuf was finally able to meet the face of Bayezid II.

The thick white beard and the white turban covering his head made him look like a kind grandfather at first glance, but Yusuf did not let his guard down based on appearances.

To a Sultan who turned the succession to the throne into a survival game and regarded his sons as mere whetstones for a single heir, a benevolent appearance was just a small facet.

There was no need to be wary, but there was a need to be cautious.

“Come closer.”

As he got close enough to hold hands, Yusuf could see the cold eyes hidden behind the kind smile.

The Sultan, who scrutinized him as if to see through him, stroked his beard.

“You’ve become mature in a short time.”

“Thank you.”

“Haha, seeing you, who only showed a weak side, change like this relieves me.”

Smiling pleasantly, the Sultan was surprised.

It had only been a few hours since he had almost died.

Even for an ordinary person, not just the frail Yusuf, it would have been difficult to find peace of mind in such a short time.

Yet, Yusuf did not seem like someone who had just overcome a life-threatening crisis, which was quite remarkable.

“I heard you were almost in a dangerous situation. Is your body alright?”

“Thanks to the Sultan’s concern, I only suffered some bruises.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief.”

Responding, the Sultan gestured to the eunuch standing next to him, who handed over a well-wrapped silk cloth.

Unfolding the covered silk revealed the vest he had worn today.

“I heard an interesting story during the report. Before that, you had this vest made?”

Five pockets were visible on the turned-over vest.

Looking at the small pockets that could barely hold coins, Yusuf felt like laughing, even though he had ordered it himself.

It was too insignificant to entrust his life to.

Since he had succeeded in such an absurd gamble, it was time to extract the stakes, and Yusuf bowed his head and replied.

“I had a maid make it.”

“Why did you do that?”

As the Sultan asked, touching the pocket torn by the knife, Yusuf swallowed hard.

From now on, he had to deceive the Sultan.

“I had a dream.”

“A dream?”

Before the Sultan could question the sudden dream story, Yusuf continued.

“While walking among busy people, I was attacked by an ominous figure, but five lights protected me.”

“Five lights, huh…”

The Sultan muttered as if intrigued.

In Sunni Islam, the state religion of the Ottoman Empire, five was a sacred number.

The five most basic rituals of Sunni Islam—declaration of faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage—are called the five pillars and are considered obligatory duties and the foundation of life.

‘It’s hard to believe, but it’s appealing, right?’

If he didn’t get scolded for talking nonsense, he was already halfway successful. Still, he couldn’t let his guard down.

As Yusuf steeled himself once again, the Sultan frowned and asked.

“Are you saying you’ve become a prophet?”

“Of course not.”

He quickly denied it.

In Islam, Muhammad, whom they especially revered, had declared himself the last prophet in the Quran.

‘Yes, I am a prophet.’ The moment he said this nonsense, he could be strangled to death.

“Isn’t it just because Allah’s grace is upon the empire?”

“Allah does watch over the empire.”

Seeing the Sultan nod, Yusuf breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

It was like walking a tightrope.

The moment he slipped, he would be forced to meet Allah.

Despite Yusuf’s excuse, the Sultan expressed doubt.

“Then why did you wander the streets even though you knew it was dangerous? Don’t even think about saying it was just for sightseeing. I’ve already heard that you wandered the streets for a long time without a destination.”

It was the question he had been eagerly waiting for, and Yusuf gladly gave his answer.

“The dream I had wasn’t just that, and I had to confirm if that dream was true.”

“Was it a dream worth risking your life for?”

“Yes. It was a dream of ten pillars descending to the east of the empire.”

At those words, the Sultan looked surprised.

He knew the group that could be represented by ten pillars very well.

“Are you talking about the Shia [a branch of Islam]?”

“I think it means that a Shia state will soon be established in the east.”

“Huh!”

The Sultan revealed his displeasure.

Just as Christian denominations are divided, Islam can also be broadly divided into Sunni and Shia.

Just as Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran are in sharp conflict even in modern times, their animosity was so deep-rooted that it had to be traced back to the 7th century, after Muhammad’s death.

Of course, even Sunni countries don’t always get along, but Shia countries were destined to be enemies no matter what.

“The Aq Qoyanlu dynasty [a Turkoman dynasty] will soon collapse. It’s already devastated by civil war, so it’s not impossible.”

“…Yes, I think the same.”

The Sultan was lost in thought.

He had been able to confidently launch an expedition to the west because the Aq Qoyanlu dynasty was faltering, but if a new state was really born, it could become a major obstacle later on.

The Sultan would probably dismiss it as mere nonsense, but.

‘The birth of the Safavid Empire [a Shia dynasty that ruled Persia] in Iranian lands is an unstoppable trend.’

It wasn’t for nothing that he wanted Trabzon, which was biased towards the east.

To become a Sultan, he had to gain the favor of military forces like the Janissaries and Sipahi [cavalry soldiers], and he had to achieve military exploits.

Just like Selim I, who would become the next Sultan.

“I will go to Trabzon. I will stop the enemies of the empire there. I think the reason I had such a dream is because I must become the shield of the empire.”

“Trabzon? Isn’t that where Selim has been Sanjakbey for a long time?”

“That’s right.”

Yusuf nodded.

Şehzade Selim, the prince who would later become Selim I and the next Sultan.

“It’s not good to say this, but I heard that Trabzon is far from Constantinople, so he has a lot of complaints. I’m worried that he might revolt because of this dissatisfaction in the future.”

“…Nonsense.”

He cut it off sharply, but it was enough to shake the Sultan’s heart.

‘He actually revolted in real history too.’

For someone like the Sultan, even though it was something that would happen 10 years later, he would be able to predict it well enough.

“If you entrust Teke to my brother instead, I think you can alleviate some of the dissatisfaction.”

Teke was a Mediterranean coastal port city, later known as Antalya.

The Sultan, who had been lost in thought for a moment, sighed lightly and said.

“I’ll think about that a bit more and give you an answer.”

He postponed the answer, but since he didn’t reject it outright, it could be seen as more than halfway there.

The Sultan, whose mind was complicated by the sudden talk of the princes’ whereabouts, changed the subject.

“What do you want to do with those who were in charge of your protection?”

It wasn’t just giving him the power of life and death, but a kind of test, and Yusuf bowed his head and replied.

“A great war is ahead. You must kill everyone, including the person in charge, to set the military discipline straight.”

Being able to decide someone’s life with just a word was a more disgusting feeling than he thought, but this was the answer the Sultan wanted.

In a family of survival of the fittest where even brothers killed each other, mercy was just a symbol of weakness, and it was also a declaration of a complete break from the Yusuf of the past.

Whether it was a satisfactory answer, the Sultan nodded readily.

“I will respect your wishes. It’s late, so go back now.”

There was one last move left before he simply retreated.

“Before I leave, there is something I would like to give to the Padishah.”

What Yusuf took out was a silver coin.

It was also the lowest value, an akçe [Ottoman silver coin].

With a puzzled mind, the Sultan received the akçe and could see a large wound in the center of the silver coin.

“This is the akçe that saved my life today. I will now take my leave.”

He had placed the silver coins in layers just in case, so fortunately, it wasn’t pierced through.

After paying his respects to the Sultan, Yusuf left, and the Sultan, who had been silently examining the silver coin for a long time, ordered the eunuch.

“Bring the Grand Vizier here now.”

“Understood.”

As the bowed eunuch retreated, the Sultan looked at the silver coin again.

The front had the phrase ‘Sultan Bayezid, son of Mehmed Han’ stamped on it, indicating that it was an akçe he had issued, and the back had another phrase.

“’May you always be victorious’… He gave me a good gift.”

A small smile formed on the Sultan’s lips.

***

The devil is in the details.

The phrase in the silver coin, which had become a symbol of luck rather than a mysterious prophetic dream, was trivial but more touching.

“I’ve done everything I can for now.”

He didn’t just blindly trust in luck and start things.

If the assassin didn’t come in the end, he was even thinking of taking the risk of being caught and hiring one himself.

Surviving was purely based on luck, but it wasn’t a slim gamble.

‘There’s also the saying of beginner’s luck, and the saying that a shaman who has just received a deity is the most powerful, right?’

He had 10 luck, so he believed it would save his life at least once.

Of course, he could die without luck.

‘Then I have to die. If I stay still, I’ll die anyway, so I have to risk my life and look for an opportunity.’

Honestly, just surviving by luck isn’t a huge stroke of luck.

For example, the luck of Saladin, the hero of Islam, was at a level that would be criticized as lacking plausibility if it were a novel.

In the Egyptian expedition where he was forcibly dragged along, the vizier died of dyspnea while eating in just two months, and he was appointed as the vizier of the Fatimid dynasty.

Six months after becoming vizier, the Crusader-Eastern Roman allied forces invaded Egypt, but they disintegrated on their own due to internal strife and lack of supplies.

Nureddin ordered the deposition of the Fatimid king, and while hesitating due to public sentiment, the king died alone.

While Nureddin was preparing for an expedition to punish Saladin, he died of illness, and after that, Amalric, the ruler of Jerusalem who was preparing for an Egyptian expedition, died of illness along the way, etc.

Compared to the luck of this human Saladin, surviving once wasn’t even a huge stroke of luck.

‘Even if you have the ability, it’s impossible to become a Sultan if you don’t have luck like Saladin anyway.’

If he didn’t have luck, it would be better to die this time.

Fortunately, the heavens hadn’t abandoned him, so he had luck.

“Now I have to prepare for the next step.”

What this gamble brought him wasn’t just the Sultan’s attention.

[Assassination Defense, Score +8]

Finally, the score reached 10 points.