Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 97

The End of Fools (2)

He was just a child. Too young to be of much help, spending more time playing than working.

When the mother, driven mad by the loss of her child, charged at the nobleman, the crowd erupted in fury.

Whether fueled by the nobles’ long history of contempt or by the looming terror of the Ottomans redirected into anger, the result was the same.

Those consumed by their rage didn’t fully understand why they acted as they did, but the reason ceased to matter.

“He’s, he’s dead! He’s dead!”

Awakened by the shout, the people finally grasped the situation.

The nobleman, responsible for the act, lay covered in blood, having died alongside the child’s mother, whom he had stabbed.

The only small mercy was that the five soldiers who tried to quell the surging crowd were merely injured, not killed.

Of course, this offered little comfort.

“What’s all this commotion!”

As soldiers rushed in, drawn by the uproar, the assembled people exchanged furtive glances before scattering.

The commander, finally understanding the situation, was aghast.

“It’s a noble’s murder! Catch them! Don’t let a single one escape!”

Though his face was mangled beyond recognition, his attire betrayed the deceased’s identity.

Killing a nobleman was a capital crime, and if things went awry, even the nearby soldiers could be implicated.

At a glance, there were nearly a hundred accomplices, and the current soldiers couldn’t possibly apprehend them all. The commander drew his sword.

“Capture them, even if you have to kill them!”

With the commander’s order, the soldiers, swords drawn, mercilessly swung their weapons at the fleeing figures.

The problem was that the city teemed with refugees, and those fleeing in fear of the soldiers charging with swords were also mistaken for culprits and lost their lives.

To those unaware of the situation’s specifics, it appeared as though the soldiers were massacring innocent people.

“The soldiers are crazy! They’re trying to kill us all!”

“If you don’t want to die, fight back!”

The commander, his judgment clouded by the noble’s murder and the impending arrival of the Ottoman army, was jolted awake by the resounding voice.

The soldiers, who had been stabbing the backs of those who appeared to be criminals, now faced fierce gazes directed at them.

Things were spiraling out of control.

“No! We are after the ones who murdered the noble…”

Before the commander could explain, people who had witnessed their friends and family bleeding at the hands of the soldiers were consumed by rage.

“Die! You bastards!”

A man, having smashed a soldier’s head with a rock he found on the ground, picked up the dropped sword as the soldier clutched his head and collapsed.

The man, skillfully seizing the sword, stabbed the soldier’s heart.

As the soldier crumpled with gurgling sounds, the man pulled out the sword, threw the soldier aside, and shouted, raising the weapon.

“If you don’t want to die, fight back!”

The soldiers, stunned by their comrade’s sudden death, looked back at their commander as the crowd surged forward, their faces contorted with fury.

However, they saw their commander being strangled by a man who had rushed from behind.

As the commander’s body went limp after a brief struggle, the soldiers, lacking confidence in surviving the angry mob, threw down their swords.

Quick-footed men picked up the weapons and bound the surrendered soldiers with their clothes, and the man who had killed the soldier first shouted.

“Why should we die fighting the Empire! Who betrayed the Empire with us!”

“It’s the nobles! The nobles who should be torn to pieces!”

At someone’s response, the man shouted even louder.

“The Sultan of the Empire is merciful, so let’s kill the nobles and beg for forgiveness! Then we can live!”

People hesitated to agree to the idea of killing the nobles they had served all their lives.

For those who had been taught and raised to serve the nobles from birth, it was a fundamental violation of their lifelong values.

However, they had a compelling reason to abandon their lifelong beliefs.

“Look at this! The nobles who treat us worse than livestock will never let us live after seeing this!”

In the distance lay the corpse of a nobleman, and the soldiers who had been killed and disarmed were lying on the ground.

The nobles they knew would never let them live after this, and they couldn’t be sure they could escape within the confines of the castle.

Realizing that they had to kill to survive, they shouted.

“Let’s kill them! Let’s kill the nobles!”

The commoners, who had never imagined they would utter such words, found it easier than they thought once they had broken the taboo.

The cry to kill the nobles echoed throughout Ardahan.

***

The Tavadi [a Georgian feudal title, roughly equivalent to a duke] of Ardahan, Shadiman, was speechless at the sight before him.

Shadiman, who had indirectly confirmed through the smoke that the last stronghold, Shavshat, had fallen, was contemplating whether to flee now.

He had only about five thousand soldiers, and he didn’t believe he could hold out with such a small force.

‘I don’t want to die.’

He thought it would be better to flee to Safavid [referring to Safavid Persia] than to have his whole family wiped out like the lord of Artvin, who had died miserably.

Fortunately, Ardahan bordered Safavid, so he believed he could escape.

Shadiman, having instructed his trusted vassals and family to pack valuables, went outside at the sudden commotion and witnessed the scene.

A huge crowd surged towards his fortress like an angry wave.

“Tavadi!”

“W-What’s going on!”

Aznauri, a lower-ranking nobleman he had appointed, rushed over and shouted.

“It’s a rebellion! The people have rebelled!”

“Why!”

He could see with his own eyes that it was a rebellion.

The commoners and the soldiers who had sided with them were pointing their swords at the fortress, and even the soldiers who had not betrayed him were seen surrendering to the overwhelming force.

Aznauri was rendered speechless when asked how things had come to this.

The flames of rebellion had engulfed Ardahan before he could even comprehend the situation.

“Useless thing!”

Enraged, Shadiman slapped his subordinate, who couldn’t even answer properly, and shouted.

“We have to escape! Prepare quickly!”

“Yes, yes!”

The reason was no longer important.

The rebellion was already too difficult to contain in the short term, and they couldn’t stop the Ottoman army, which even the soldiers and commoners couldn’t stop with all their might, in this state.

Just as he thought he had to escape to survive, he heard a heart-stopping sound.

Thump!

-The fortress gate has opened! Catch the nobles!

It was like a death sentence.

***

In the occupation of Artvin, its significance was obscured by luck, but in the occupation of Shavshat, the strength of the Ottoman army in this era was clearly felt.

The stone walls, rather than earthen walls, easily collapsed under the continuous barrage of artillery fire, and the soldiers who rushed through the breach mercilessly cut down the enemy.

The Ottoman army, which occupied the castle that was built to serve as a fortress as easily as twisting a child’s wrist, followed the same procedure as Artvin.

Yusuf, who was trampling on Shavshat as a revenger and conqueror, smiled with interest at the news from Ardahan.

“They’re faster than I thought.”

“Yes, I didn’t expect a civil uprising to happen so soon.”

Like Wat Tyler’s Rebellion in 14th century England, civil uprisings usually occur due to severe economic exploitation.

A civil uprising is when people can’t endure their circumstances any longer, when they feel they can’t make a living. It is an extreme measure born of desperation.

In other words, peasants only rise up when they feel their lives are threatened, which is why he thought civil uprisings were rare.

No matter how harshly they are oppressed, it takes immense courage to turn the sword inward, even if they regret it later.

“It’s an interesting situation in many ways.”

The news that arrived as an urgent report on how the civil uprising occurred was written in detail.

This was natural, because the spies he had planted played a significant role in instigating the uprising.

It was also the spies he had planted who incited the people to follow the dead child’s mother and who encouraged them to seize the swords from the soldiers and kill the nobles.

“I should give them a separate reward. Shemsi Pasha.”

“Yes, Padisha [Ottoman title equivalent to emperor or sovereign].”

“Inform the entire army. We will go to Ardahan.”

They didn’t even fully observe the traditional three-day looting period, but those below didn’t complain.

Yusuf’s reputation and the ability he had demonstrated with two victories were enough to completely win the hearts of the soldiers.

Leaving only the soldiers to secure Shavshat, they began their march, and the music of the Janissary [elite Ottoman infantry] military band echoed in the plains heading towards Ardahan.

“They’re, they’re coming.”

“The Ottoman army is coming!”

As the Ottoman army swarmed in, a dark mass, accompanied by the faintly heard Turkish music, those who climbed the walls trembled.

On the one hand, they felt relieved that they didn’t have to fight them, but on the other hand, they were worried about what would happen if their surrender was not accepted.

However, it was too late to turn back now, and they had to desperately hope that they would show mercy as rumored.

“It seems a civil uprising has definitely occurred.”

The ones densely packed on the walls were not just soldiers, but rather mostly ordinary people without even weapons.

The gates were wide open even before they arrived, and although there was fear and anticipation, there was no will to fight.

“Someone is coming out.”

A group came out through the open gates.

They dragged those tied tightly with ropes like cows going to the slaughterhouse, and they knelt down at a distance of about 100m.

“Padishah?!”

“That’s enough. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Surprised to see Yusuf moving forward even though security had not been secured, Yusuf waved his hand nonchalantly.

He could clearly sense their emotions, and there was nothing to fear.

Yusuf, who had been carrying his gun slung over one shoulder, approached, and a loud voice was heard.

“I greet the great Padisha!”

Yusuf smiled slightly at the man who wore ragged clothes but spoke with a strong voice.

“You’ve suffered a lot. What’s your name?”

“My name is Aleddin.”

“I’ll remember it.”

“Thank you, Padisha! May Allah [God in Islam] be with you forever! It was an honor to illuminate the path of the Padisha!”

Those who were listening to the conversation between the man who led the civil uprising and the Sultan were shocked.

Not only the captured nobles, but also those who had participated in the civil uprising following the man were stunned.

“You’ve played a cowardly trick! You will be punished by God!”

Yusuf turned his head at the voice filled with resentment and looked at those tied to the rope.

Whether they had suffered severe hardships in just a few days, pus and severe wounds were visible through their tattered clothes, and most of them had broken bones.

No, in some ways, the men might be fortunate.

The women looked even worse, their hair disheveled and their eyes vacant.

“Who is that guy?”

“He is the Tavadi of Ardahan.”

“He’s just a guy who can only talk big despite being incompetent and defeated.”

Yusuf lightly sneered and stepped on Shadiman’s back.

His face was buried in the ground, unable to escape the crushing weight.

“And I don’t really like those kinds of guys.”

-Bang!

The flame burst from the already loaded gun, and Shadiman, with a hole in his head, became a cold corpse.

Those who were trembling and watching the situation were speechless, and Yusuf said to Aleddin.

“Go back and tell those who are afraid that my mercy will be shown to them.”

“I understand, Padisha!”

Yusuf, who watched Aleddin returning to the castle to carry out his orders for a moment, turned his body indifferently to the dozens of nobles tied to the rope.

“There’s nothing to salvage. Kill them all.”

At the Padisha’s order, the Janissaries who were guarding beheaded the nobles, and cheers rang out in Ardahan, where Aleddin had arrived.

It was the cry of those who had saved their lives in exchange for causing a civil uprising.

It was also the moment when the wheel of civil uprising was set in motion.