Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 40

#40. The Sultan’s Summons (2)

Except for a few powerful figures, most people wouldn’t even know the prince’s name.

If you asked them if they knew Ahmed, the eldest son and the one with the most support, they’d probably say, ‘Ahmed? There are dozens of Ahmeds living in this neighborhood!’

In that regard, Yusuf was the most widely known among the princes.

The smallpox vaccination, still debated among scholars, was being implemented with Yusuf’s name attached, and news of the great victory against the Safavids was spreading rapidly, especially in large cities with quick access to information.

Many people had at least heard his name.

Of course, the Sultan wasn’t chosen by vote, and this kind of recognition didn’t help much.

‘It’s different from a situation where they’d just say, “Oh, there was a prince like that?” if I got stabbed to death in the street.’

Yusuf had become too big to be killed by a simple assassination.

It would be better to attack him directly and show off one’s skills by slitting his throat rather than killing him with a petty assassination.

That’s why the current situation was unexpected.

“Seize him!”

The chaotic port situation created an opening, but the bodyguards who came with him were not ordinary.

Those with shields surrounded Yusuf to prepare for any future attacks, and the remaining bodyguards rushed towards the assassin who fired the arrow.

As the bodyguards and soldiers guarding the port swarmed in, the assassin acted quickly.

“Shah Ismail is great!”

The assassin shouted in a voice loud enough to shake the port, and then stabbed himself in the neck with the dagger in his hand.

The assassin died instantly, leaving behind those words, and Arda approached Yusuf, who was watching the dead assassin from afar.

“Yusuf-nim [a respectful suffix used in Turkish culture, similar to ‘sir’],”

“I know. This can’t be Ismail’s doing.”

If it were really Ismail, he wouldn’t have bothered coming all the way to the capital; he would have done it in nearby Trabzon.

Since the assassin died like that, rumors would spread that Ismail was behind it.

Yusuf picked up the arrow that was stuck nearby.

He frowned slightly as he examined the sharply honed arrowhead.

‘It seems like it’s poisoned.’

You might misunderstand because of the scenes in movies where people collapse and die after being shot by an arrow, but unless you hit a vital spot, a person won’t die from one or two arrows.

Rather than dying from the impact, they often died from tetanus or infection because they didn’t receive proper treatment, so applying poison to increase lethality was a common practice.

However, the poison on the poisoned arrow wasn’t so dangerous that you’d die instantly, so there was plenty of time to react.

‘So, that means they might not have been trying to kill me.’

Yusuf’s head became even more complicated, and he handed the arrow to Arda. A moment later, the Janissaries [elite Ottoman soldiers] rushed in.

The commander, who approached with a stiff face, probably because an unfortunate incident had occurred in the capital they were responsible for defending, bowed lightly to Yusuf.

“Sehzade [Ottoman Prince] Yusuf, I have heard much of your fame. I regret having to greet you in this situation.”

“I have no intention of blaming you. However, I hope you catch the culprit for sure.”

The unfortunate people who were near the assassin were already being arrested by the Janissaries and taken to the investigation site, so a thorough investigation seemed likely.

One more noteworthy point was that the Janissaries showed visible favor.

‘I was a little worried, actually.’

Even though their sects were different, the Janissaries believed in the Bektashi Order, a Shia mystical sect.

It was a syncretic sect that mixed various ideas such as shamanism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Gnosticism, and it was a humanistic sect that sought salvation in humans rather than scriptures or crosses.

Because of that, they didn’t observe Ramadan [Islamic holy month of fasting], during which they had to fast during the day, and they openly drank alcohol.

‘Of course, it’s heresy, but no Sultan cares about that.’

As long as they listened to him, that was all that mattered to the Sultan.

Anyway, seeing them show favor even after he had crushed the same Shia sect, it seemed like they didn’t care much.

“They are waiting for the Padishah [Ottoman Sultan] to arrive. You must enter the palace immediately.”

Since they were waiting, what could he do? Of course, he had to go.

Yusuf moved his steps as calmly as if he hadn’t almost died a moment ago.

Yusuf crossed the Topkapi Palace, which he still remembered vividly, and could feel the changes.

‘It’s only been three years.’

The people of the palace, who had only shown curiosity, now showed respect without hesitation, and the Janissaries who had threatened him with the severed heads at the entrance of the Second Courtyard showed subtle favor.

He could now stroll through the imposing Topkapi Palace, which had felt so suffocating to even breathe in.

It was a moment when he felt that he had grown both internally and externally.

“Padishah, Sehzade Yusuf has arrived.”

-Let him in.

As permission was granted, the eunuch opened the door to the Sultan’s chambers.

Bayezid, sitting in the same seat of honor as before, greeted him with a benevolent face, and Yusuf bowed respectfully.

“Great Padishah, it has been a long time. I have come at your call.”

“Welcome. You’ve grown so much that I almost didn’t recognize you.”

His small height had become similar to Bayezid’s during the three years of his growth spurt, so it was not strange for him to say that.

“So, you experienced an unpleasant incident as soon as you arrived in the capital?”

“Allah [God in Islam] protected me, so there was no major problem.”

“I’m glad you’re unharmed.”

As if that was enough to ask about his well-being, the Sultan immediately got to the point.

“Things happened as you confidently said they would. Even the victory.”

“Isn’t that because the Padishah helped in every way possible?”

“Haha, I’m glad you say so. Have you heard the news that Sehzade Alemshah has died?”

“It is a pity that a brother has died like that.”

Alemshah was the Sultan’s eighth son.

He was the second son to die, following Abdullah, the first.

‘If there are no changes, then Mahmud and Mehmed, the sixth and seventh sons, will die in the future.’

Excluding Abdullah, who died a long time ago, the youngest ones had died in succession.

It was an unsettling result to simply dismiss as coincidence.

“So, the position of Sanjak-bey [governor of a district] of Saruhan is vacant. Are you interested?”

Saruhan was the region that would later become Manisa in Turkey, a city not far from Istanbul.

Considering that the Sultan places the son he considers his successor close to Istanbul, it might be a good opportunity, but.

“I will follow the Padishah’s command, but I still have work to do in Trabzon.”

Yusuf refused gently, expressing his apologies with his whole body, and thought to himself.

‘Who would want to go to a place where you could die?’

Whether the flow of history could not be changed, Selim was moved to Teke, and Korkut, the third son, was ordered to move from Saruhan to another region.

That was last year, and Alemshah, who came after him, died without lasting even a year.

‘There’s a high possibility that Korkut was involved in this death.’

He might have thought that he could return to Saruhan if Alemshah died, but considering that Selim almost killed him when he first arrived in Trabzon, the possibility was high.

Other princes might have happily taken the poisoned apple even knowing it was poisoned, but Yusuf, who valued his life, had no intention of doing so.

‘Besides, I’ve already established a foundation, so there’s no need to leave Trabzon.’

The Sultan stroked his beard, perhaps because Yusuf’s refusal was unexpected.

“Work?”

“I plan to conquer Georgia, which helped Ismail, and make it a vassal state. I have already spoken with the Principality of Samtskhe and plan to set out next spring. Also, I have established a strong friendship with the Circassians, so my role will be needed to bring them into the empire.”

The Sultan stepped back after hearing Yusuf’s explanation.

“If that is your plan, then I cannot force you.”

“Thank you. I will not disappoint you.”

Since the Sanjak transfer of a prince is one of the Sultan’s powers, asking for his opinion in advance and withdrawing the plan itself can be said to be a great consideration.

The Sultan brought up an unexpected problem for Yusuf, who thought things were going well.

“Since you say you will continue to stay in Trabzon, I have no choice but to point out this problem. Many people say that Trabzon has become too big to be kept as just one Sanjak.”

It had almost doubled in size, so it was not strange for such a story to come out, but it was faster than he thought.

‘The checks are already coming in.’

That meant that they felt threatened by his achievements, but it was not welcome news.

The good thing was that he had somewhat anticipated this move and had a solution prepared in advance.

“If the Padishah thinks so, you can send a new Sanjak-bey to the areas acquired through war.”

“Are you really okay with that?”

“Of course. However, I hope you will distribute Timars [land grants given in exchange for military service] to those who have made meritorious contributions in this war.”

The retainers who participated in the war following the Sipahi [Ottoman cavalrymen] can be distributed Timars according to their meritorious contributions and become Sipahi.

‘The existing local forces are following me, and that means I can fill the Sipahi with my people.’

Even if a new Erzurum Sanjak was created, it would be virtually his territory since he would have taken all military power.

The Sultan knew this, but instead smiled with amusement.

“It is natural to receive rewards for meritorious service. Report those who have made meritorious contributions, and I will dispatch an official to distribute the Timars.”

“Thank you.”

“Yes, I will choose and send someone who will not face an unfortunate death by resisting Yusuf for no reason.”

That meant he would send someone who would not resist Yusuf and face an unfortunate death.

The Sultan leaned back deeply into his chair and said.

“You must be tired from the long journey, so I cannot keep you for too long. Go and rest, and let us have the rest of the conversation later.”

“I understand.”

Yusuf bowed and left the Sultan’s chambers and was escorted to the detached palace assigned to him.

His party had already unpacked their luggage in the detached palace, and Yusuf asked Arda.

“Have you looked for Koca Mustafa Pasha and Dukaginzade Ahmed?”

“I have informed Mustafa Pasha that the Prince wishes to see him, and I am looking for Ahmed.”

“Good job.”

Koca is a nickname attached to high-ranking officials from Albania. In other words, it means Mustafa Pasha from Albania.

Dukaginzade meant that he was from the Dukajini family, a strong family in Albania.

‘The former is one of the high-ranking officials who supported Ahmed, and the latter is a person who supported Selim and played an active role as a vanguard.’

Both of them were people who had not shown great prominence, but they were talents who rose to the position of Grand Vizier, the highest position after the Sultan.

‘This is an undervalued blue chip stock.’

Yusuf smiled.

***

After Yusuf left, the Sultan called out to a person standing on one side of the room like a eunuch.

“What do you think, Grand Vizier?”

Hadım in the name of the Grand Vizier, Hadım Ali Pasha, meant eunuch, and the Grand Vizier, who could be said to be the Sultan’s confidant like any other eunuch, bowed his head.

“Despite being tired from the long journey and facing an assassination threat, he shows such a figure, so I think he is bold and intelligent.”

“Yes, he has grown wonderfully. Before he left, he was a child who tried to hide his fear by scolding.”

The Sultan smiled with amusement, and the Grand Vizier asked carefully.

“However, what would you have done if his life had been in real danger by mistake?”

Even though he had made several preparations to prevent him from dying, Allah could be capricious.

“Still, thanks to that, we knew that he had an excellent mental strength. But if he had died…”

The Sultan fiddled with the silver coin Yusuf had given him in the past and continued.

“It would have been unfortunate.”

There were many sons anyway.

Unlike his words, the Sultan answered with a cold attitude, and then gave instructions to the Grand Vizier.

“As planned, let it be known that the Shia were behind this assassination.”

“I understand.”