Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 96

The End of Fools (1)

This Georgian conquest is to ensure a swift retaliation for the betrayal, to prevent the territories that have fallen under Ottoman rule from entertaining foolish notions of rebellion, and to present a show of overwhelming force, compelling Ismail to adopt a scorched-earth strategy that ultimately harms his own interests.

Of course, achieving the latter requires careful maneuvering and cannot be guaranteed, but it is enough to cause Ismail considerable concern.

If the former reason is external, the internal reason is to unite the populace by creating an external enemy and to identify internal issues through this personal campaign.

‘Among them, identifying problems is the most crucial.’

Having eliminated all his remaining brothers and ascended to the throne while even assuming the mantle of a prophet, he had secured power more firmly than any previous Sultan.

This meant there was little cause to worry about minor internal dissent, and the focus inevitably shifted to identifying underlying problems.

-Kyaaak!

-Uwaaaah! Mom!

The looting ended, and those who had been enslaved were dragged along with the spoils toward Ottoman territory.

No matter how commonplace this was in that era, it was a brutal sight, but Yusuf observed the scene with a cold detachment.

Disheveled women were bound together and herded along, and children were piled onto carts like mere baggage.

Seeing this, the feeling he had to cultivate was not sympathy, but a fierce determination to ensure that those under his protection would never suffer such a fate.

If the rescue of Trabzon had been delayed, an even more horrific scene would have unfolded.

“Shemsi Pasha, what is the condition of the Urban cannons?”

“Of the thirteen we brought, the one fired first was completely destroyed. The others remain intact, as they haven’t been used.”

“Issue a stern warning to the artillerymen. They must not assume Allah will favor us again as he did this time.”

The fact that the first cannon fired in the test breached the gate was purely a matter of chance.

Considering that the ballistics of cannons were developed with the frequent naval battles of the Age of Exploration, their current use amounts to little more than guesswork.

Even with a smaller cannon, practicing firing with the Urban cannon, which consumes over 100kg of gunpowder per shot, is impossible. It’s akin to scratching a lottery ticket.

There was no guarantee that their luck would hold next time simply because they had been fortunate once, and it was fortunate that the shot even hit the wall.

‘More than that, a siege cannon…’

Large and impressive cannons like the Urban were undoubtedly attractive.

Their mere presence could demoralize the enemy, instill fear, and their destructive power, when they hit, was undeniable.

‘There are still useful ones.’

The paradigm of war doesn’t shift without reason.

As cannons became more prevalent, defensive methods evolved to mitigate their impact. Earthen walls were built in addition to stone walls, which were vulnerable to cannon fire, and the defenders also began employing cannons.

Naturally, the attacking side required greater destructive power and longer range, leading to the widespread adoption of siege cannons.

As gates and walls, painstakingly constructed, were shattered by siege cannons, the tactic of holing up in fortresses was abandoned, and the paradigm of war shifted from siege warfare to field battles.

The era of large cannons with immense destructive power waned, giving rise to the era of mobile and easily operated field guns.

‘But still, this is an era where siege warfare is more prevalent than field battles.’

Cannons had to be employed in accordance with the prevailing trends, and siege cannons still held considerable potential.

“Don’t you think the Urban cannons are excessively large?”

“Isn’t their value self-evident?”

“It may appear so at first glance.”

Yusuf answered, his gaze fixed on the Urban cannon, which was visible even from its position outside the castle.

“Frankly, I question the necessity of operating such a massive cannon.”

He believed it would be more beneficial to melt it down and produce several field guns of a more practical size.

When Shemsi hesitated to respond, Yusuf waved his hand.

“That’s enough. This is something that can be gradually assessed throughout this war. You are not an expert, and I asked a pointless question.”

“I apologize.”

“It’s preferable to that than spouting nonsense in an attempt to please me without sufficient knowledge.”

Altering the weapon system should not be undertaken lightly.

As mentioned earlier, this personal campaign served as an experiment, and there would be ample opportunities to test different approaches.

There was still time before a war with the Safavids or the Mamluks, so a decision could be made after this conflict concluded.

“Padishah [Ottoman Ruler], all preparations are complete.”

“I understand.”

As the Janissary Agha [commander of the Janissaries, the elite Ottoman infantry] knelt and reported, Yusuf slowly surveyed the scene of Artvin.

A place that had been home to many for generations, now a desolate ruin with only countless corpses remaining.

He passed through the castle gate where the heads of the Artvin nobles, who had begged for their lives, were displayed, and soon flames erupted from the castle, accompanied by black smoke.

The flames, consuming the wooden structures within the castle and the piles of straw, grew in intensity and engulfed the heaps of corpses.

Feeling the black smoke rising so high that it was visible from afar and the intense heat of the flames, Yusuf spoke softly.

“It’s like a beacon, isn’t it?”

It was like a beacon announcing the disaster that would befall Georgia.

With the news of Artvin’s destruction, the Ottoman army resumed its advance.

***

The Ottomans, who had seemingly wasted time in Artvin, began to advance toward Ardahan, approximately 80km to the east.

Upon hearing this news, the Georgian states were thrown into disarray, with Samtskhe [a Georgian principality] particularly panicked.

“M-Massacre! No one survived their onslaught!”

One nobleman exclaimed, abandoning all pretense of dignity, but no one took notice.

They themselves felt on the verge of screaming at any moment.

When Artvin was initially occupied, they hadn’t been this afraid. There was still a sense of disbelief.

However, the disbelief had turned into reality, and the Ottoman army was acting as if they intended to erase Georgia from the map.

Kvarqvare [a Georgian noble] subtly smirked at the resentful glances directed his way.

“Are you blaming me now? It wasn’t solely my decision.”

Those gathered there were the ones who had betrayed Mzetchabuk [another Georgian noble] and joined forces with Kvarqvare in pursuit of greater power.

They were the ones who had agreed to betray the Ottomans, and they were now too ashamed to place blame.

No matter how accurate the words were, they were enough to worsen an already tense atmosphere, and the mood quickly soured.

“Everyone, calm down! There is no time for this.”

The atmosphere was so charged that they were on the verge of forgetting their social standing and exchanging harsh insults, but fortunately, the person who intervened quickly prevented a complete breakdown.

Rusudan [a Georgian noblewoman], seizing control of the situation, spoke in as calm a voice as she could muster.

“Our Samtskhe has been abandoned. Isn’t that so?”

As it became increasingly difficult to appease the Ottomans’ anger, they had sent an envoy to the Safavids [a rival Persian dynasty], but that had also yielded no results.

They had only received empty promises of assistance, and the other Georgian states, with the exception of Samtskhe, had united amongst themselves and were waiting for the Ottomans’ wrath to be spent on Samtskhe.

A heavy silence descended at Rusudan’s blunt statement.

“Then what are we supposed to do?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to attack the Ottoman army instead?”

The eastern part of Samtskhe consisted of rugged mountains, so someone suggested that, but…

“Don’t say such foolish things! Do you think attacking is even possible!”

Even if they fought using the natural barrier of the mountains, they lacked confidence in facing the Ottomans.

They had concentrated troops in Artvin with that very idea in mind, but it had been captured in a single day without even delaying the enemy, so they had no reason to be optimistic.

“Besides, hasn’t the news arrived that they have already reached Shavshat, a city at the edge of the mountainous terrain?”

“Then shouldn’t we abandon the other cities and focus on the capital, Akhaltsikhe?”

The capital was only 80km away from Ardahan, which had become the next target, so it was obvious that Akhaltsikhe would be next after Ardahan was conquered.

“…Do you think they will willingly relinquish troops from other cities?”

The authority that the name Samtskhe once held was long gone, and it was unlikely that the lords would willingly give up soldiers to protect their own lives.

A heavy silence settled at the words that exposed their weakness, and in a situation where no opinion was being properly considered, one nobleman shouted.

“Then what are we supposed to do!”

As a heavy silence fell, an urgent voice was heard.

-T-This is an urgent report!

“…Let him in!”

There would be no good news among the reports delivered with such urgency, but that didn’t mean they could ignore it.

The messenger who entered through the wide-open door knelt roughly and announced the urgent report.

“A, a riot has broken out in Ardahan!”

It was news they desperately didn’t want to hear.

***

Yusuf had been attempting to incite riots in Georgia since before the invasion.

Not simply to facilitate the occupation. Frankly, with the military strength of the Ottoman army, which was nearing its peak, defeating Georgia was almost too easy.

‘Betraying the nobles they have served for so long is important.’

They would not forget those they betrayed with their own hands, and even if the escaped nobles returned, it would be difficult for them to regain the support of the Georgian people.

He had been scheming with this in mind, but he hadn’t expected it to be easy.

The Georgian people had been steeped in the feudal system for so long and were generally passive. He thought it would be difficult to incite riots, no matter how dissatisfied they were.

He believed that at least Samtskhe would have to be devastated to achieve results, but events often unfold in unexpected ways.

Clang, clang

Ardahan was placed on high alert upon hearing that the Ottoman army was approaching.

Armed soldiers patrolled the streets with grim expressions, and those who had hastily evacuated sought shelter in every alley, unable to escape the rain.

“It seems Shavshat has also been occupied!”

Several times, a rumbling sound was heard, and the people of Ardahan stared blankly at the smoke rising in the distance.

The distance between the two cities was only 30km, and the terrain was mostly flat, making it close enough to reach in a day’s march.

Everyone trembled with fear at the thought that the threat they had only heard about was now imminent, and the children, separated from their parents, chattered nervously.

“There’s something amazing! Once it spits fire, even thick walls crumble! Right?”

“Yeah! Some uncle told me that. He said the walls over there will collapse in an instant.”

The children, who didn’t fully grasp the implications of Ardahan’s walls collapsing, spoke excitedly, and their parents quickly tried to silence them.

Unfortunately, their words reached the ears of someone who shouldn’t have heard them.

“Say that again!”

A nobleman who was patrolling nearby grabbed the child’s neck and lifted him up, his face contorted with rage. A woman, presumably the child’s mother, rushed over.

“I’m sorry! Please spare my child! He didn’t know what he was saying!”

“Shut up!”

The nobleman, as if disgusted, kicked away the woman who was desperately clinging to him and snapped the neck of the child, who was suffocating and turning red.

The nobleman, discarding the child’s limp body, pointed his sword at the woman, who was holding the dead child with vacant eyes, and said.

“I will not forgive anyone who spreads false rumors!”

With that, the nobleman swung his sword at the remaining child, and in an instant, two children lost their lives.

As everyone stood speechless, someone shouted loudly.

“Let’s kill these demonic nobles! Why should we die because of them!”

The parents who had witnessed their children’s deaths were the first to react to the voice that resonated in their ears like the whisper of a demon.

Starting with the woman’s desperate act of biting the nobleman’s face to avenge her child, even after being stabbed by his sword, the people began to move.

“…Spread this news widely within the castle.”

As the person who had initially raised his voice stepped back and spoke, the group quickly dispersed.

Looking toward the smoke rising in the distance, the man said.

“All for the Padishah.”

It was the beginning of the riot.