Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 54

Became the Sultan of Osman – Episode 54 (54/213)

Another Stroke of Luck (2)

Living as Yusuf, I never regretted not allocating talent to intelligence, because of the knowledge in my head.

Even information I glanced at, and the story of Osman I had indirectly experienced hundreds of times through the game, were vividly remembered.

However, that doesn’t mean I know everything.

‘I wouldn’t have known if Tazlu Khanum was just one of Ismail’s concubines.’

How would Osman know the members of the Safavid harem?

The reason Yusuf knows her is because she is the mother of Tahmasp I, who became the Shah after Ismail.

Yusuf, who didn’t expect to meet such a woman here, slowly took in the surrounding situation.

The guards who barely survived showed how fierce the enemy’s resistance was, and they were about to meet their end [die].

There were dozens of gruesome corpses, and the blood-reddened ground was muddy.

Even in this situation, Yusuf clicked his tongue inwardly, seeing Tazlu staring at him sharply.

‘She doesn’t know what’s going to happen to her, but seeing her act like that, she’s no ordinary character.’

Even if she wasn’t Ismail’s spouse, her background was considerable.

Her grandfather was the ruler of the Aq Qoyunlu [White Sheep Dynasty].

It’s a bit ironic that her grandfather was Yakub, who killed Ismail’s father, Haidar.

“Who are you?”

Yusuf answered Tazlu, who knocked away the hand that was raising her chin.

“I am Shehzade [Prince] Yusuf.”

“…Osman’s Shaitan [Devil]!”

“You’re calling me by quite a grand nickname. Should I thank you?”

Yusuf grinned slyly.

High-ranking officials who knew how the Qizilbash [Safavid army] had been defeated would use such an expression.

To them, it would have seemed like he used some kind of sorcery.

“What are you going to do with me?”

“Hmm, I wonder.”

Yusuf pondered.

It’s not that strange for Tazlu to be here.

Half a century ago, the capital of the Aq Qoyunlu was Diyarbakir, and her clan held immense power in the Diyarbakir and Armenian regions.

However, meeting her like this can only be seen as a stroke of luck.

‘No matter how lucky I am, it’s too dangerous to jump at it. Ismail’s eyes will definitely turn.’

From the moment he won a great victory, they became enemies, and they will have to fight someday, but taking a woman is a different story.

After thinking for a moment, Yusuf made a decision.

“Tie her up. Take her away.”

“Yes!”

The risk was worth taking.

The Sipahi [Ottoman cavalry], who took out ropes at Yusuf’s command, approached, and a maid behind Tazlu jumped out.

“How dare you lay a hand on, Keuk! [Lady]”

The Sipahi, who received Yusuf’s signal, shot an arrow, and the maid with an arrow in her neck collapsed.

In the chilling silence, Tazlu, tied with ropes, asked in an angry voice.

“What are you going to do with me after capturing me?”

“At least I’m not taking you to make you my woman like Ismail, so take the fire out of your eyes.”

In fact, Tazlu didn’t marry Ismail willingly from the beginning.

Ismail killed the ruler of an area while waging a war of conquest, and brought his wife to the harem.

It’s not an unusual era to take another man’s woman as spoils, but Yusuf has no intention of putting her in his harem.

‘It would be a complete disadvantage to take Tazlu unless it’s beneficial.’

There’s no need to face a monster who’s gone mad over just one woman.

He had to fight with his brothers in the future, and he didn’t want to leave an angry Ismail behind him.

The best option is to take her nicely, take appropriate gains, and return her safely.

“What about the rest?”

Apart from those who were already dead, there were maids who attended to Tazlu and servants who did chores.

Yusuf looked around them and gave a cold order.

“Kill all but two maids who will help Tazlu.”

He can’t hide Tazlu’s kidnapping forever, but he needs to silence them to buy some time.

The best way to silence people throughout history was to kill them all.

At Yusuf’s command, the Sipahi wielded their swords without hesitation, and only two lucky maids survived.

“Put the three of them in a carriage and watch them closely. I will not forgive anyone who does anything foolish with this precious trophy.”

“Leave it to me without worry.”

Yusuf, nodding at the words of the Sobashi [cavalry commander] leading the Sipahi, got on his horse.

“Time will be tight.”

Because of the added burden of the carriage, the moving speed will be slow, and he may be caught.

But it’s too precious to abandon because of this risk.

“It’s a trophy that requires a lot of work in many ways.”

It’s hard to take her to Trabzon, but negotiating with the Safavids with Tazlu also has some difficult conditions.

First of all, he has to return her in good health, and the Sultan must not know that he kidnapped Tazlu.

‘Ismail is devastating Dulkadir, so she could be taken away as a bargaining chip or executed as a warning.’

In that case, he would only incur Ismail’s resentment and would likely not receive proper compensation.

Also, he shouldn’t keep her for too long.

The longer his woman stays in another man’s house, the more he will suspect that she has been up to no good.

If that suspicion grows and affection disappears, the negotiation will break down, and he will have both an enemy and a woman at the same time.

‘But the benefits of taking this risk are also great.’

Even if he only receives money, he will be able to secure solid military funds.

“Only Allah knows whether this will be a blessing or a misfortune.”

Yusuf, who briefly assessed the situation, grabbed the reins and shouted.

“Return to Erzincan!”

***

“Damn Osman bastards, what is this place!”

Nur Ali, who ruled Diyarbakir, slammed his desk.

When he first heard the report, he thought it was rebels or bandits. It was too sudden an attack to think of Osman.

However, when he heard the news that Erzincan had fallen, he could clearly identify the enemy.

‘Why does this happen when I’m in charge of this place?’

Diyarbakir was a large city that had served as the capital for a long time, and originally it should have been the place for Mohammad, who was most loved by the Shah [Safavid ruler].

However, after the great defeat of Nevazar, Ismail developed a habit of keeping his most trusted subordinates by his side, so Nur Ali took this place.

It was a kind of butterfly effect.

“Where is the enemy now?!”

“Considering the revealed route, it seems they are already retreating.”

Even if he sends a pursuit force now, there is little chance of catching them.

His head ached when he thought about the restoration of the damaged villages and the scolding he would hear later.

“First of all, form a pursuit force and send them!”

Even if it’s a waste of effort, he has to try to pursue them to receive less scolding.

He had to send a pursuit force and support those who lost their homes and food due to looting.

Nur Ali’s office, which was quickly preparing what needed to be done right away, was suddenly opened, and a soldier who rushed in shouted while paying his respects.

“Urgent news! Tazlu Khanum, who was coming to Diyarbakir, has been kidnapped by the Ottoman army.”

Nur Ali felt a sense of disorientation for a moment.

It was such a big deal that the surrounding area being looted seemed like a minor accident, and Nur Ali, who briefly wished it was a dream, jumped up from his seat.

“We must catch them no matter what! Move out immediately!”

Troops poured out of Diyarbakir.

***

Even if he drove the carriage so fast that he could hear dying sounds from inside, he couldn’t help but reduce the marching speed.

According to the plan, he should have arrived in Erzincan long ago, but he still hasn’t arrived.

He drove the horse with an anxious heart, but fortunately, he was not far from his destination.

“We only need to run for the rest of the day.”

While relieved at the Sobashi’s words, Yusuf did not let go of his tension until the end.

Still, it was enough to comfort the soldiers who were exhausted from the harsh schedule.

-Doo-doo-doo-doo

The soldiers, who were slightly relieved and exchanging light jokes, hardened their faces when they heard the sound of hooves echoing on the ground.

Their ears knew the enemy’s appearance before their eyes.

“Shall we run away?”

“There’s no point in running away anyway, they’ll catch up soon. There’s no need to waste energy.”

At Yusuf’s command, the Sipahi hurriedly turned their horses, and soon the enemies appeared, raising dust.

‘The number is about 4,000.’

The enemies who chased them in a hurry will be more exhausted, but the difference in strength by two times will not be a big variable.

When he put the carriage with Tazlu in the front, the enemies who were running slowed down, and soon entered a confrontation with a safe distance.

After a while, a cavalryman from the other side fearlessly came.

Yusuf, who greeted the messenger with a stiff face, asked leisurely.

“Well, why did you come in such a hurry? If there’s no special reason, I want to go back.”

“Hey, don’t talk nonsense! She must be safe, right? If there’s even a small scratch on her body, I’ll throw you to the dogs.”

At the messenger’s abusive language, the Sipahi drew their swords with angry faces, and even with the swords pointed at him, the messenger stared at Yusuf without shaking.

Yusuf, who made them put the swords away with a gesture, opened his mouth.

“Hmm, she’s healthy for now. Bring her.”

At Yusuf’s command, a soldier opened the carriage door, and Tazlu, looking shabby, staggered out.

Seeing that, the messenger glared with an angry face, and Yusuf shrugged his shoulders.

“It seems she had a hard time because the road was rough. You don’t have to worry because I didn’t touch her.”

“…Let her go right now. Then I’ll spare your lives.”

“Hmm, that’s a very generous condition.”

The soldier who received the gesture brought Tazlu, and Yusuf, who stood Tazlu next to him, said with a sneer.

“Then I’ll make a good offer too.”

Yusuf, who took out a pre-loaded gun, pulled the trigger towards the sky.

-Taang!

A loud noise erupted, and Yusuf pointed the muzzle of the gun, which was emitting smoke, at Tazlu.

Even if he didn’t know much about gunpowder weapons, it was a great threat to the messenger who saw something fired with a flame.

“If you back down right now, I’ll spare this woman’s life. How about it, isn’t it a good offer?”

The messenger gritted his teeth at Yusuf’s appearance, shaking the muzzle.

“You will definitely regret it.”

“That’s something we’ll have to see. Don’t worry too much. If you pay a fair price, I’ll return her as she is without any problems.”

“You pig-like human.”

The messenger, who spat out a curse, returned to the enemy camp as it was, and Yusuf handed Tazlu, who was cursing in the same way, to the soldier.

The Sobashi, who glanced at Tazlu returning to the carriage, asked.

“How do you think they will react?”

“It’s obvious that they’ll stall for time because they’re holding a hostage right now. It’s still enemy territory, and there are troops chasing us besides them.”

He has no choice because he has committed many sins.

At Yusuf’s words, the Sobashi bowed his head and said.

“I will lead five hundred and buy time. Run away.”

“That’s nonsense. No matter what her status is, I have no intention of sacrificing you.”

The soldiers had touched faces at these words, but Yusuf sincerely thought so.

Losing five hundred because of a hard-to-handle trophy doesn’t make sense.

And the support force to solve the current situation was already called.

“They’re here.”

As more than a thousand Sipahi appeared from behind with the sound of hooves, Yusuf smiled.

His expectation that Arda would be out because of the delayed return was correct.

“It’s a good thing the loud gunshot helped.”

Anyway, now that the strength is similar, he couldn’t stop it anymore.