Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 58

The Shackles Are Off (1)

To behead an envoy, a special messenger, is essentially a declaration of war.

Yet, Yusuf acted boldly.

‘They must have known the envoys they sent could be killed.’

It would be absurd if they brazenly plotted an assassination and expected to return unscathed.

He even spared someone to deliver the negotiation results, showing considerable patience.

As Yusuf predicted, the Safavids agreed to the terms as if nothing had happened.

‘First, 15,000 Venetian gold ducats [a historical gold coin].’

The other princes had been active as Sanjakbeys [governor of a district] for twenty years longer than Yusuf, and their accumulated capital was different.

This amount of gold would somewhat narrow that gap.

Venice, a wealthy nation, had an annual revenue of about 4 million ducats, so this was a significant loss for the newly established Safavids.

“The gold is important, but the non-aggression pact is more so.”

The non-aggression area includes Trabzon and the surrounding regions, including Georgia.

Georgia, especially, which was sending taxes to Yusuf, was a place where Ismail could invade at any moment.

Shemsi warned Yusuf in response.

“You must not forget that a non-aggression pact can become a mere scrap of paper at any time.”

“I have no intention of blindly trusting this treaty either.”

Even with alliances, you never know when you might get stabbed in the back, so a non-aggression pact can be overturned at any time.

Yusuf wasn’t naive enough not to know that.

“We don’t even need the promised five years. If peace continues until the succession war, they’ll have no excuse to refuse military support.”

Except for Samtskhe, which had close ties, other Georgian states could use the Safavids as an excuse to refuse military support.

The non-aggression pact would make these excuses seem flimsy.

“The Safavids might attack, taking advantage of the troop deployment.”

“That would be unfortunate. If I ascend to the position of Padishah [Ottoman Emperor], I’ll have to avenge them.”

Yusuf, who nonchalantly uttered words that would frustrate any Georgian, rose from his seat.

“It’s almost time to depart.”

Both Yusuf and Ismail distrusted each other, and the exchange was scheduled to take place midway between Erzincan and Bayburt.

Two thousand cavalrymen would move in preparation for any possible enemy attack, but there was no need for Yusuf to risk going with them.

Yusuf visited Tazlu’s room to say goodbye. She was sitting quietly, waiting for the moment to leave.

“Did you come to say goodbye?”

“Yes, I’m curious how you feel about returning.”

Tazlu, whose heart had grown cold from this incident, retorted.

“What answer do you expect when you ask such a question? I’m truly delighted to be able to return.”

“An excellent answer. When you meet Ismail, you should even shed tears of emotion.”

Tazlu chuckled in disbelief.

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”

A knock sounded on the door, signaling that the preparations for departure were complete, and Tazlu rose gracefully from her seat.

The root cause of all this was Yusuf, who had captured her, yet in the end, she had joined hands with him.

It was quite ironic, and Tazlu said as she passed Yusuf.

“I suppose we won’t be meeting again.”

If not for the absurd misfortune that could only be blamed on Allah [God in Islam], she would never have met Yusuf in her life.

Thinking this, Yusuf shrugged at Tazlu’s words.

“We might meet again. If I were to occupy Tabriz.”

If he were to occupy Tabriz, the capital of the Safavids, they might meet again, as it was where Ismail’s harem was located.

Tazlu burst into laughter and said.

“Someone who might die at any moment has grand ambitions. First, survive and become the master of the Ottomans.”

“You speak the obvious.”

Tazlu paused for a moment, then opened the door and said.

“I’ll be watching from afar to see if you can survive.”

With these words, Tazlu left, and soon after, chests of gold coins and letters containing the non-aggression pact arrived in Trabzon.

***

The letter in Ismail’s hand was like a receipt.

A receipt created by a single misfortune, whether it was the devil’s trick or Allah’s whim.

Ismail chuckled and said.

“Mohammad, have you ever embraced a woman worth fifteen thousand gold coins? I might be able to soon.”

“Wasn’t she the Shah’s [Persian King] woman even before that?”

“Back then, she was a woman without a price.”

The words sounded strange.

It could simply be heard as a woman who had no value now had a price, but it also sounded as if she was no longer a precious woman beyond measure.

“Are you thinking of abandoning her?”

She was the woman Ismail loved most, but he thought it was possible.

She was a woman who had been kidnapped and held captive for months. It was enough to doubt her purity.

“If I were thinking of doing that, I would have killed her through the envoy sent for negotiations, without spending so much money.”

“Don’t you doubt her purity?”

“I don’t doubt it.”

Mohammad looked surprised at Ismail’s resolute words, and he explained the reason.

“Prince Yusuf swore by Allah that she is pure.”

Mohammad’s face showed a slight embarrassment.

It meant he believed the kidnapper’s words. But Ismail’s belief had a reason.

“That man is also a human chosen by Allah. Such a person would not invoke Allah’s name lightly.”

It was a statement that Yusuf, who believed in luck more than Allah and could sell Allah thousands of times if necessary, would find insane.

Ismail, unaware of this, pushed the letter aside and changed the subject.

“There’s no time to waste on things that are already over. We have urgent matters to attend to.”

Winter passed, and spring came.

The soldiers who had been conscripted in winter began to gather quickly, and their numbers grew day by day.

Already, the number of gathered troops far exceeded his own army staying in Elbistan, but Ismail remained calm.

“What is the current number of enemies gathered?”

“The enemies gathered in central Anatolia, including Ankara, number over thirty thousand, and fifty thousand troops have already departed from the enemy’s capital.”

The Balkan Peninsula and the Anatolian Peninsula, including the capital Constantinople, are divided by the sea.

The strait that separates them is called the Bosphorus Strait, and without crossing it, one had to go around the wide Black Sea.

It took a tremendous amount of time, and during marches, temporary bridges were often built with small boats to cross.

If the news of their departure had reached Elbistan, the fifty thousand troops must have already crossed the strait.

“It must be over a hundred thousand.”

It wasn’t just a collection of riffraff; most of them were cavalry.

Even Ismail, who was confident that he had been chosen by Allah, couldn’t dare to win against such a difference in power.

Ismail, who knew how to distinguish between courage and recklessness, had no intention of fighting.

“Has Nur Ali said that the preparations are complete?”

“Yes, he says he can devastate it in a month.”

The scorched-earth tactics of burning everything rather than giving it to the enemy were effective but had significant drawbacks.

Burning all the farmland had severe aftereffects, and there was also strong resistance from the people. It took quite a bit of time to see the effects.

Ironically, most of these drawbacks were resolved by Yusuf’s looting.

The area around Diyarbakir, the most dangerous during the war with the Ottomans, was already devastated.

“Still, it would be best if war didn’t break out.”

He planned to flee from Elbistan to Diyarbakir before the enemy’s assembly was complete.

“Mahmud, bring me a letter and a pen.”

If the enemy pursued and followed him to Diyarbakir, he would have to endure a lot of damage, so he intended to leave a letter for Bayezid.

Ismail took out the pen.

***

Bayezid, who had embarked on a personal campaign for the first time in years since Venice, felt his body changing day by day.

The march, which lasted for twenty days, was not easy, even though he traveled comfortably.

Already, more than 100,000 soldiers had gathered in central Anatolia, and countless tents were pitched on the plains.

When Bayezid appeared in Ankara, one of the key cities of Anatolia, the Sanjakbey of Ankara paid his respects.

“Dukakinzade Ahmed Pasha greets the great Padishah.”

“It’s been a while.”

Ahmed had become Sanjakbey after meeting Yusuf, who had come to the capital, so he mistakenly believed it was thanks to Yusuf’s help.

Bayezid received his welcome with a benevolent face, and Ahmed quietly took out a piece of paper from his chest.

“What is it?”

“It’s a letter recently sent by the enemy commander, Ismail.”

At those words, Bayezid unfolded the letter.

Written in a graceful style, befitting a person who left 1400 verses under the pseudonym Khatai, meaning ‘one who makes mistakes,’ and had a great influence on Persian and Azerbaijani literature.

The letter, which began with ‘Glorious Bayezid,’ contained content praising the Sultan and reflecting on his own mistakes, but it was not servile.

In any case, the content of the letter was that he had no intention of fighting the Ottomans, and Bayezid passed the letter around to his subordinates.

“What do you think?”

The first to answer Bayezid’s question were the Janissary [elite Ottoman soldiers] commanders.

“It’s just lip service. We cannot forgive them with just a letter.”

“If we miss this opportunity, they will surely ignore the empire and invade again.”

Bayezid showed a slightly uncomfortable mood at their words that they should be punished immediately, and Grand Vizier [chief minister] Ali Pasha, noticing this, stepped forward.

“According to the letter, the enemies have already returned. Are you then thinking of invading the Safavids?”

“Of course.”

“I am against it. There are also Turkmen, who are potential rebels, and supplies for the expedition are not properly prepared.”

The Grand Vizier spoke bluntly, and soon the arguments between the military and the officials escalated.

As loud voices continued to be exchanged, Bayezid slammed the desk.

“Who dares to make a commotion in front of me!”

Silence fell at Bayezid’s fierce rebuke.

“Yakub Agha.”

Agha was a title meaning high commander, and Yakub Agha, who was called by Bayezid, was the commander-in-chief of the Janissaries.

Yakub paid his respects politely.

“Speak.”

“What do you think?”

“I think our debate is meaningless. Do as the Padishah wishes.”

Bayezid stroked his long beard at Yakub’s words.

Although he was still in good shape, he was not sure if his aging body could withstand a long expedition.

He might even die during the expedition.

However, he couldn’t just send the army because the internal situation was not reassuring.

‘We cannot send a large army when the interior is in turmoil.’

Considering not only the Turkmen but also the princes who were revealing their ambitions, he needed soldiers to protect himself.

In the end, the only decision Bayezid could make was one.

“The army is to be disbanded.”

***

As the conscription was lifted and the army dispersed again, Yusuf clicked his tongue.

‘If you draw a sword, you should at least cut something.’

With a meaningless conscription, the Sultan diminished his own authority.

It’s not that he couldn’t understand his choice, but it couldn’t be seen as a good one.

Although Mahmud was called a fool who died in a successful night raid, it was still an incident involving the death of a prince.

‘The murder of a prince of one’s own country is a matter of pride [an ironic statement].’

The relationship between the Sultan and the military became more distant, and it became difficult to mobilize a large army for a while since he had already ordered a conscription once.

A power vacuum had emerged, and there was no longer any reason to fear the Sultan.

Yusuf’s eyes gleamed coldly.

“The shackles that bound the princes have been released.”