Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 60

The Shackles Are Off (3)

Taking a deep breath of the acrid smell of blood, Şehinşah looked around.

Among the crushed and brutally slashed corpses, faint groans of those near death could be heard.

Staggering slightly, Şehinşah dismounted and stomped on the chest of an enemy who was still gasping for air.

Crack!

The man with the collapsed chest soon went still, and Şehinşah leaned against his horse.

“Prince, hold still. You’re losing a lot of blood.”

As his subordinate took out a bandage and began to wrap it around his wound, a sharp pain surged through him.

Şehinşah took out opium from his pouch and poured it into his mouth, looking up at the sky, his mind even more clouded by anemia [a deficiency of red blood cells] and the drug.

Looking at the dark clouds that threatened rain, Şehinşah uttered a single word.

“So, this is war.”

Shouts and screams were everywhere, and he had navigated countless crises as if walking a tightrope above a cliff.

Touching the scar on his face, left by a passing arrow, Şehinşah smiled faintly. The man who approached him asked,

“What’s so amusing?”

“Is that you, İşbat?”

At İşbat Bey’s question—İşbat Bey was appointed by Ismail—Şehinşah chuckled.

“The death I feared so much feels so light.”

“The weight of death differs for each person. Don’t equate them with the prince’s.”

“Well, let’s say so. Because the brother who would tell me the price of the prince’s life has run away.”

The image of Korkut, shouting his name with an angry face, was vivid in his mind.

As was the sight of him, who had always seemed so frightening when he was young, running away pathetically.

Feeling the approaching effects of the drug, Şehinşah closed his eyes tightly.

“I’ve made up my mind, İşbat.”

“Speak.”

“Tell Şahkulu: the day of execution is next spring.”

Şehinşah, who had thrown off his shackles, smiled.

***

The boy, looking at the three small clocks with serious eyes, frowned slightly.

Although he had made them with the most identical parts possible, differences had already begun to appear in their timing.

Behind the boy, who was staring intently at the clocks, a sighing voice was heard.

“Şehzade [Prince] Süleyman, are you at it again?”

“You’ve come, Yahya.”

Yahya sighed at Süleyman, who casually dismissed his remark.

Although Süleyman was still too young to ponder life, drawing him into this project was definitely Yahya’s biggest mistake.

“If Prince Selim finds out you’re involved in this, it won’t end with just a scolding.”

“I know. That’s why I’m trying to hide it as much as possible, isn’t I? And surely you don’t think he would kill his only son.”

“I’m in more danger than you, Süleyman.”

He had only met Selim directly when he was young, but his imposing figure was vividly etched in his memory.

Süleyman gave a bitter smile at the complaint filled with fear.

“I’ll protect your life as much as possible. More than that, take a look at this.”

“What is it this time?”

“As Şehzade Yusuf wrote, the period it takes for the pendulum on the string to swing back and forth isn’t related to the weight of the bob. I’ve been rethinking how to apply this to the clock.”

After looking at the blueprint for a long time, Yahya shook his head.

“It won’t swing back and forth consistently like this.”

“I see. It’s a difficult problem.”

Süleyman looked disappointed at the words that indicated another failure, but his eyes were full of determination.

Yahya, well aware that this was a failure that had been going on for several years, handed back the blueprint and said,

“Why didn’t you meet Prince Yusuf when he came to the capital last time? He might know the answer.”

“Asking another prince for guidance isn’t such a simple matter. It would be a great disservice to my father as well.”

“I’m glad you’re aware of that much. I thought you had no awareness at all, considering you’re about to be appointed as a Sanjakbey [governor of a district] and you’re doing this.”

Süleyman simply laughed lightly at Yahya’s sarcasm.

Considering the difference in their status, it was quite rude, but it was a fair complaint considering how much he had suffered so far.

Süleyman, erasing his smile, asked seriously,

“Yahya, won’t you come with me to Kefe? I can trust you and be with you if it’s you.”

“…I appreciate the offer, but as I always say, we cannot be together.”

Yahya, whose father was Ömer, the Kadi [judge] of Trabzon who followed Yusuf, and Süleyman, whose father was Selim, could never be together.

It was a fact they had known for a long time, but Süleyman, whose heart ached today, said curtly,

“Do you really think Şehzade Yusuf can become the next Padishah [Ottoman Emperor]?”

“Only Allah knows the future, but I think so. And this isn’t just my opinion.”

Both of them knew well how much Yusuf’s position had changed in less than 10 years.

When he first came to the capital, most people didn’t even know his name, let alone his reputation.

Even those who knew him only remembered him thanks to the miraculous assassination attempt, and no one seriously considered him as an heir.

But now, his name was being heard almost every day, and especially among the younger generation, there were many who idolized him as a hero.

To the extent that Yusuf could naturally seize power if a generational shift occurred.

“I respect your wishes. But, it won’t be easy. My father will be the master of the empire.”

“That’s Murad’s catchphrase.”

“Isn’t it the same? I should try saying it in front of that guy before I leave.”

Yahya’s face hardened as he spoke to Süleyman, who was laughing while imitating Ahmed’s eldest son, Murad.

“You probably won’t be able to see his face for a while. Because bad news has just been delivered to the capital.”

“What news?”

“Şehinşah Prince attacked Korkut Prince, who was moving to Saruhan. Prince Korkut, who lost most of his forces, has retreated to Ankara.”

It was news that could shake the Ottoman Empire.

***

Clang!

As the swords clashed, a shock came that made his hand tingle.

As his arm trembled, Yusuf, realizing that there was no way to endure any longer, quickly stabbed his sword into a visible gap in his opponent’s defense.

He thought he had stabbed the gap properly, but the opponent’s sword was faster to his neck.

Arda, who withdrew the sword aimed at his neck, nodded and said,

“Still, your skills have improved a lot. If it were before, you would have already been rolling in the dust. Thanks to you, I’ve warmed up a bit.”

Yusuf chuckled at Arda’s words, which were quite complimentary.

“It just looked like you were desperately trying not to lose again in my eyes.”

“…I was unlucky then.”

He was unlucky.

Yusuf had taken advantage of the gap when sand got into his eyes and counterattacked, causing him to step back and slightly lose his balance by stepping on a broken shield piece.

It would have been fine if it had ended with just this, but the place he hurriedly stepped on happened to be slightly dug in, causing his foot to twist, and he lost.

Yusuf smiled slyly, even though he had won completely by chance.

“Luck is also a skill.”

Yusuf, who patted Arda’s shoulder—Arda was still groaning—went straight up to his office.

Because a servant had told him that Şemsi was urgently looking for him.

Şemsi was already waiting inside the office, and as Yusuf opened the door and entered, he paid his respects.

“You’ve arrived?”

“Pasha, you were urgently looking for me?”

“That’s right.”

As Yusuf sat at the head of the table, Şemsi immediately reported,

“Five days ago, Prince Şehinşah attacked Prince Korkut, who was moving to Saruhan.”

“Not Selim, but Şehinşah?”

Yusuf said with a slightly surprised face.

He wouldn’t have been this surprised if Selim had attacked Korkut.

Even if Selim lacked the motive to attack, he could have started something to check Ahmed.

“That’s right. It’s unexpected that someone who had been holding their breath has moved, but considering the route, it’s a possible event.”

To get to Saruhan on the coast of western Anatolia, you had to pass through the plains between Ankara and Konya.

It wouldn’t be strange if a battle broke out if they were determined.

‘But it was unexpected that he was determined.’

In fact, Yusuf had completely excluded Şehinşah from consideration.

He thought that Şehinşah, who was receiving his help, would be a little quieter since Ismail had just stepped down.

“What was the result of the battle?”

“Prince Korkut, who led fifteen hundred cavalrymen, seems to have fought reasonably well against twice as many enemies. The exact damage hasn’t been confirmed, but it seems that both sides have suffered great damage.”

He could roughly guess the situation.

Korkut, who had five hundred heavy cavalrymen, wouldn’t have been easily pushed back despite the difference in numbers.

“But in the end, it seems that Brother Korkut was defeated.”

“That’s right. Most of the cavalrymen are dead, and it’s said that only about a hundred survived. Prince Korkut, who took refuge in Ankara, is also said to be seriously injured.”

“Seriously injured.”

The fact that the wounded Korkut shook off the pursuit and entered Ankara meant that the damage on Şehinşah’s side was also not insignificant.

It was good news that the enemies fought each other and suffered damage.

“The most important thing is that Korkut couldn’t enter Saruhan.”

Aside from his own injuries, he couldn’t covet Saruhan with only about a hundred cavalrymen.

“The aftermath is the problem. How do you think the capital will react?”

“This time, opinions will be divided.”

During the Dulkadir period, the princes disobeyed the Sultan’s orders and raised troops.

But even then, the opponent was the enemy, so it was okay, but this time, it was a form of civil war between the princes.

It was something that would turn the capital upside down.

“It depends on how you judge Brother Korkut, who tried to raise troops and occupy Saruhan.”

Korkut, who acted ignoring the Sultan’s authority, was in some ways a traitor.

The crime seemed small because of his status as a prince and the high possibility that the Sultan would condone it, but in general, it was something that would have sent a suppression force.

“Şehinşah’s side will claim that he punished Prince Korkut on behalf of the Padishah.”

“Those who follow Ahmed will criticize Şehinşah’s actions for attacking the same prince without permission.”

If you had to determine the crime, Korkut, who created this mess, was the bigger one.

“What are you going to do?”

Yusuf pondered for a moment.

His status was different from the past, when he was struggling to create even a small network in the capital.

There were many who actively supported him, and if he wanted, he could easily sway public opinion in the capital.

“Let’s watch a little more for now.”

“Then I will tell them that.”

Anyway, even if he vehemently argued for punishment, there was little chance that a big punishment would be handed down.

“Pasha, the princes have finally clashed directly.”

This event is a kind of inflection point.

Unlike the past, when they were sending spies to each other and trying to attract support, now they would directly lead troops and try to take each other’s heads.

It meant that a full-scale civil war was about to begin.

“We need to send people to Circassia and Georgia and have them ready to send reinforcements at any time if requested.”

The fact that he gave these instructions was the same as saying that he would move within the next year, and Şemsi nodded heavily.

Because the battle that would determine the fate of the princes would begin.

While Şemsi was organizing what needed to be done in his head to keep pace with this, Yusuf, who had been pondering for a while, said,

“And contact Dukakinzade Ahmed Pasha.”

He was the Sanjakbey of Ankara and Yusuf’s hidden knife that no one knew about.

Korkut would never have dreamed that the place he entered to survive was the mouth of a tiger.

Yusuf smiled coldly and said,

“Tell him that it seems like my brother will die from his wounds getting infected.”

Korkut’s fate was sealed.