Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 67

Became the Sultan of Osman – Episode 67

Time Fight (2)

With the ringleaders of the rebellion, Şehinşah and Şakulu, dead, the rebellion was effectively over.

The rebels, trapped in the encirclement and struggling, threw down their weapons and surrendered, while those who refused to believe Şakulu’s death, resisted, or tried to escape through the gaps were immediately executed.

The cleanup took much longer than the battle itself, and it took a full day despite the haste.

“Enemy casualties, eight thousand; our casualties, two thousand; and eleven thousand prisoners.”

It was a great victory with a massive number of prisoners, but it was also a headache.

Yusuf spoke to the Grand Vizier.

“Managing the prisoners will require at least 3,000 troops. There are many wounded as well.”

“That is correct.”

Casualties refer to both the dead and wounded, and one cannot abandon their own wounded soldiers, let alone the enemy.

Although every soldier was precious, 3,000 were needed considering the possibility of a prisoner revolt or the manpower required.

“Have 3,000 troops escort the prisoners to Ankara, and send a messenger to Konya to take care of the cleanup here and the wounded.”

“A reasonable decision.”

It would have been difficult to refuse the wishes of Şehinşah, a prince and sanjakbey [governor of a district], but it is true that the people of Konya participated in the rebellion.

The rebellion has already failed, and it is time to take responsibility for their decisions.

If they can atone for their sins by disposing of the bodies scattered on the plains and providing funerals and treatment for their own casualties, they will do anything.

‘Then the remaining troops are thirteen thousand. The Pasha’s [high-ranking officer] troops to join later are twenty-five thousand.’

No matter how much Ahmed gathered his troops, there was a difference of more than double the forces.

To overcome this numerical disadvantage, Ahmed had to choose a defensive strategy.

‘The problem is that Ahmed can never choose a defensive strategy.’

Even if Ahmed holed up in Bolu or other cities and defended, there would be no need to conquer them with difficulty.

They could simply ignore him and head to the capital.

The only advantage Ahmed has now is that he is closer to the capital than Yusuf, but he is throwing that away himself.

He was not foolish enough to make such a stupid choice.

“Grand Vizier, what kind of person was Ahmed in your eyes?”

“Although he may be lacking compared to the Prince, Prince Ahmed was also a successor sufficient to lead the empire.”

What kind of country is Osman, that the Sultan and officials would support him just because he was older?

It was possible because he had shown that much ability, and Yusuf also acknowledged Ahmed’s ability.

“Then he will find the only way out.”

The road to the capital was blocked, and the army was pressing from behind.

It was the worst situation, but it was not as if there was no way for him to try.

Yusuf left the command tent and looked around.

Wild animals and birds were gathering on the enemy’s corpses that filled the plains, drawn by the smell of blood, and the corpses of his own soldiers, separated, were well covered with tents not far away.

The smell of rotting corpses was already faintly brushing the tip of his nose in the hot weather, and the soldiers were chattering, wearing clothes stained with blood and filth.

“Do you still see this as a skewer?! Hurry up and give me your mustache! I’m going to cut it off.”

“You damn brats?! Do you think you’d be standing here intact if you didn’t have that weapon?! Let’s see that weapon. Just let me look at it and I’ll give it back.”

“Are you crazy, asking for a weapon?!”

It sounded like they were fighting, but their faces were full of smiles.

The fact that the Janissaries [elite infantry units], who were united by pride as elite soldiers, were chatting with Yusuf’s soldiers meant that they had acknowledged each other’s abilities.

It was a welcome sight for Yusuf. Of course, that wasn’t why he came out.

Yusuf asked the Grand Vizier, who followed him out.

“Grand Vizier, can you ride a horse?”

“Of course.”

The Grand Vizier had been leading armies since before Yusuf was born.

It was a question that didn’t need to be asked, but Yusuf’s intention wasn’t simply whether he was good at riding a horse.

“I mean, can you keep up with a more intense ride with your old body?”

Yusuf’s gaze turned to the more than ten thousand horses obtained with the prisoners.

***

“Damn it! Did you really convey it like that!”

“…Yes.”

Ahmed gritted his teeth at the returning envoy’s confirmation.

Although the method of advancing to the capital, taking advantage of Yusuf’s descent to the south, was a last resort, it was not an impulsive decision.

Because he had previously communicated with the manager of Maltepe, who was essential to get help in crossing the Bosphorus [strait connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara] with the army.

However, when they arrived near Maltepe, they declared their support for Yusuf and refused the request.

“Yusuf! Yusuf! Is that his trick again!”

Ahmed was furious and frustrated.

There was no way the manager of Maltepe would have suddenly changed his mind, and it was highly likely that he had been deceiving him from the beginning.

To lure him to Maltepe.

“Wouldn’t it be better to occupy Maltepe instead?”

He had as many as fifteen thousand soldiers following him.

It was thanks to his four sons becoming sanjakbeys that he was able to summon the Sipahis [cavalrymen].

With this much, they had enough power to occupy Maltepe, the gateway to the capital, but there was another problem.

“Occupying Maltepe is not the problem. To move troops, we need to build a pontoon bridge with Maltepe’s small ships, but if they are in danger of being occupied, they can take all the ships and head to the Balkans.”

“There’s another problem. According to information from a spy, a dozen galleys, presumed to have come from Trabzon, have entered the port recently.”

This meant that they could attack and interfere with building a pontoon bridge or moving by ship.

“Then what about borrowing ships from the merchants?”

“I am sorry to say, but that is not easy either. They say they have threatened the merchants who enter and leave the Black Sea from Kefe and Trabzon.”

The merchants, who were sensitive to the surrounding news, knew the situation well.

No merchant would help Ahmed without listening to the warnings of Yusuf and Selim, who were likely to be the next Padishah [Ottoman sovereign].

The width of the strait was narrower than the width of the Han River, but they were in a situation where they could not even cross that distance.

Ahmed let out a hollow laugh that Yusuf’s plan had even involved Selim.

“Hahaha, those two joined hands to catch me.”

If only Korkut, who was already dead, were alive, there would be no such humiliation.

If it was his request, there would have been plenty of sailors who would have risked helping.

No, fundamentally, if he had taken Yusuf’s life for sure when he was still young, this would not have happened.

A terrible regret washed over him, but Ahmed clenched his teeth.

“It’s not over yet. The Padishah’s seat is mine!”

“That’s right. It’s not over yet. Give us your orders.”

Those who were meeting with Ahmed were in the same boat as him.

They could not give up so futilely, and Ahmed quickly racked his brains and came to a conclusion.

“The biggest threat now is not that we cannot cross the strait by ship.”

Not being able to cross the strait was the biggest problem at hand, but it was not a life-threatening problem.

The reason why Ahmed and his subordinates were anxious was because Yusuf’s soldiers were tightening their grip.

It was obvious that they would become rats in a trap as time went on.

“Bring the map.”

Ahmed pointed to Trabzon on the unfolded map and drew a line to Bolu.

“The approximately 25,000 troops chasing us from Trabzon have now reached Bolu.”

At the same time as advancing to the capital, they could not have been unaware of the enemy’s troops following from Trabzon.

As the large army of 25,000 advanced, Ahmed’s sanjaks, from which troops had been drawn, could not withstand it and surrendered.

Ahmed’s sons fled and joined Ahmed, and Murat, who had been in Bolu, came to find him recently.

“And Yusuf is probably fighting the rebels near Konya.”

No one knew how long it would take to suppress the rebellion, but even if they won easily, the distance between the two armies was too far to join immediately.

This gap was the only way to survive.

“Murat, what did the enemy look like the last time you saw them?”

“Most of them were infantry, and when I saw them marching, their training and armament did not look good.”

It was unavoidable that the troops sent as reinforcements were not in good condition.

Because the national power of Georgia and Cherkessia was that weak.

Ahmed smiled broadly at Murat’s explanation and said.

“Did everyone hear that? They are enemies that we don’t need to be afraid of at all. We will defeat them one by one.”

Ahmed’s army turned their horses.

***

Şemsi had clearly done his part sufficiently.

Following the path that Ahmed had passed, Şemsi cut off the supply lines.

Of course, since they had already taken a lot of supplies, it was not a big blow, but it could give psychological pressure.

In addition, he created a situation where Ahmed’s sons, who would be obstacles, could be gathered to Ahmed’s side and dealt with at once.

However, not everything was going smoothly.

‘It’s not easy to control.’

The soldiers’ deviant behavior was getting worse over time.

Soldiers cause trouble even when passing through their own country, let alone a foreign country.

In particular, the Georgian troops were at the level of conscripted soldiers, and they did not even listen to the commander’s orders properly.

“…Still, it’s a relief that the Cherkess troops are not causing any major problems.”

“Hahahaha, Pasha, you are suffering a lot.”

İvan, who had the supreme command of the Cherkess troops, burst into laughter.

He had been with him once when he occupied Erzurum in the past, so he had a close relationship.

“If you just tell me, I will step up and maintain military discipline.”

Arkes, one of the five Cherkess people Yusuf had bought with Ayşe at the slave market, had become İvan’s closest aide.

Şemsi shook his head at Arkes’ words.

“It’s okay. It will only cause unnecessary disputes. Everything will be resolved when the Prince comes.”

Deviance was not limited to soldiers, and some Georgian commanders were also condoning it.

Forgetting how scary Yusuf was.

“A rough storm will blow later.”

“What can we do? It’s their choice.”

When Şemsi burst into laughter, a urgent voice was heard outside the tent where the three were.

-Pasha! It’s a big problem!

“What’s going on!”

The messenger, who came sweating profusely, knelt down and reported.

“Ahmed’s army is approaching at a rapid pace.”

“The distance?!”

“It seems they will arrive before evening.”

At these words, Şemsi made a ferocious face.

“How did they get so close, and the report was so late!”

“…Some of the Georgian troops who were in charge of reconnaissance were late in discovering them because they were looting nearby villages.”

Şemsi, who was furious, gritted his teeth, but that was not the urgent matter right now.

They were discovered too late, and the enemy would arrive before they could take refuge in a nearby castle.

Şemsi gave the order.

“Inform all troops! We will meet the enemy here.”

***

The soldiers trembled in fear as they saw Ahmed’s Sipahis filling the plains beyond.

Neither the numerical superiority of 25,000 nor the hastily erected wooden fences to stop the cavalry gave them a sense of security.

“…Pasha, how about surrendering instead.”

Şemsi, who rebuked the terrified Georgian commander, looked at Ahmed’s army.

It was understandable to be afraid. To the Sipahis, who were light cavalry, these infantry were just toys.

‘The last thing I have to do is to inflict as much damage on the enemy as possible.’

Even at the cost of my life.

Because that is the last way to help Yusuf.

-Booooo

With the sound of a long horn from the enemy’s unit, the Sipahis, who had lined up, slowly moved.

It was when the hand holding the weapon was trembling as they watched the approaching cavalry.

-Taang!

The explosion shook the sky, and the eyes of those gathered on the plain turned to the hill where the loud noise came from.

Yusuf, who was looking down at the scene from the hill, sighed deeply.

“I feel like I’m going to die because of my brother who moves unnecessarily quickly.”

If he didn’t have the characteristic, he might have been left behind like the Grand Vizier.

Yusuf, who aimed the black smoke-emitting gun muzzle at the enemy, smiled brightly.

“But it’s not too late. Isn’t that right?”

“…If it’s too late even after this, I’ll pray in the opposite direction of Mecca from now on.”

With Arda’s joke, Yusuf’s soldiers, who had endured the harsh march, appeared on the battlefield.