Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 99

The End of Fools (4)

Were they negligent? Or were they simply naive?

To conclude that would be an understatement, as the Ottomans’ movements were unexpected.

After capturing Ardahan, it was assumed that the Ottoman army’s next destination would be Akhaltsikhe, the capital of Samtskhe.

It was the closest city and home to Kvarkvare, the instigator of this situation, making that assumption seem logical.

Amidst these expectations, the moment of bated breath arrived.

-The Ottoman army has begun its advance!

The news that the Ottoman army, which had been working to stabilize Ardahan after entering bloodlessly, had moved, caused people to start calculating.

Even if Akhaltsikhe were to be captured, they thought it would buy them time.

The Ottoman army had lingered in the cities they occupied for quite some time, whether for destruction, looting, or stabilization.

They would waste a long time digesting Akhaltsikhe, a city larger than any they had occupied so far, during which they planned to ally with other Georgian kingdoms or flee to the Safavids.

However, the Ottoman army began to move as if mocking these thoughts.

“Why, why is the Ottoman army coming this way!”

Simon, an Aznauri [a lower-ranking nobleman], governing Aspindza, a day’s journey from Akhaltsikhe, shouted with a pale face.

Aspindza was a large village of 50 households with gardens and orchards, but it was not a city.

It would have been stranger to remain sane upon hearing that an army dozens of times larger than the village’s population was approaching, and the messenger who brought the news was just as pale.

“Four Ottoman armies, each consisting of ten thousand men, have begun advancing in all directions. The Mtavari [a Georgian prince or ruler] has ordered me to inform you first.”

“Is it enough to just deliver the damn news!”

Mtavari, derived from the word prince, now referred to the rulers of the five duchies of Samtskhe, Guria, Svaneti, Abkhazia, and Mingrelia.

Simon gritted his teeth, thinking of Kvarkvare, who had delivered this news.

It was practically telling them to survive on their own, and the reason the Ottomans were advancing here was not hard to guess.

‘They’re trying to advance into Kartli!’

One of the roads to Kartli without occupying Akhaltsikhe led through Aspindza.

He knew why they were heading here, but knowing the reason didn’t change the situation.

After trembling and pondering for a moment, Simon jumped up from his seat.

“We must flee. We must flee before the underlings notice.”

Fifty households might seem small, but it was large for a village, and being close to the capital, they were well-informed.

If the Ottoman army was approaching and he tried to flee, he didn’t know what they would do, given the current atmosphere.

It was then, as Simon was trying to escape with his family and valuables, that an angry voice reached his ears.

-Kill all who resist!

Unlike the resounding voice, it was in an unfamiliar language, and not knowing what it meant allowed him to understand the situation more accurately.

The Ottoman army had already arrived.

Only then did Simon realize that the main force didn’t need to come to occupy a mere village.

Simon knelt before the vicious Sipahi [Ottoman cavalry soldier].

“I, I surrender! Spare my life!”

It was a scene happening simultaneously throughout Samtskhe.

***

As if the leisurely movements until now had been a lie, the Ottoman army swept in like a typhoon.

The forces, divided into four armies, operated reconnaissance units of about 200 to 300 men, quickly occupying villages, and did not attempt to occupy cities or fortresses when they encountered them.

First, as was customary in siege warfare, they sent an envoy to urge surrender.

“We have no intention of surrendering! Leave at once!”

The soldiers and people who had heard the news of Ardahan hoped to surrender and save their lives, but the nobles who made the decisions could not easily surrender.

The nobles who defended the cities and fortresses had either assisted in the Ottoman betrayal or had knowingly condoned it.

The Ottomans, who were moving as if they would wipe out the nobles’ lineage, would not spare them even if they surrendered.

To the noble’s answer, the envoy replied plainly.

“Understood.”

He didn’t try to persuade them, nor did he even threaten them with regret.

He simply answered briefly, turned around, and left, which only left the nobles dumbfounded.

Whether the nobles felt uneasy about the behavior that deviated from common sense or not, the envoy returned, and soon the Ottoman army moved.

-Kwang!

The soldiers, who were tense about the upcoming battle with the news that surrender had been rejected, felt their hearts drop at the loud noise.

Among the ominous rumors circulating throughout Georgia was the story of the cannons that had crushed Artvin and Şavşat, and just hearing the sound made them realize that this weapon was the main culprit of the rumors.

The sound of the walls crumbling was heard, but the soldiers felt strangeness rather than fear.

“Th, the enemy is retreating!”

“I see it too.”

The cannon that was fired was only one, and the Ottoman army, which had only scratched the walls, began to move again as if nothing had happened.

It might be good news that the feared enemy is passing by on their own, but if the reason is unknown as it is now, only unease remains rather than joy.

When they couldn’t even bring themselves to shout for joy, one soldier cautiously said.

“But if this happens, did we even fight the Ottomans?”

They were unilaterally attacked, and since there was no significant damage on either side, it was embarrassing to even consider it a fight.

However, from a certain point of view, it could be seen as a siege, and thinking so made them feel cold all over.

It was believed that once a siege began as a formality, the defending side lost the rights to their lives and property.

It was not difficult to realize that the one cannon shot was an act of putting this place on the list of killings.

“…Oh, God.”

The soldier clutched a wooden cross with trembling hands.

The current situation in Georgia is that even the advance of the Ottoman army, which has been split into four, cannot be stopped.

There was no need to occupy small and medium-sized cities or fortresses right now to occupy Georgia. Because they would eventually wither and die anyway.

At that time, the Ottomans’ action to settle today’s debt caused extreme fear, and an ominous atmosphere pervaded the cities that the Ottoman army had passed through.

“R, rebellion! A rebellion has broken out!”

After that, it was not so strange that rebellions broke out in fortresses and cities alike.

It was because those who had not realized that the destruction of Georgia was imminent realized the reality after being hit by a cannon.

The larger cities that were barely holding out were also being isolated, so they could not be sure how long they could last.

“The nobles who surrendered are being disposed of as the Padisha [Ottoman Sultan] has ordered.”

The disposal of the nobles who surrendered was carried out mercilessly according to Yusuf’s will.

Those who had colluded in the Ottoman betrayal were all executed even if they surrendered, and those who had knowingly condoned it were all reduced to slaves.

However, it was not that the nobles who knew nothing about it were able to pass without any problems.

Most of their property was confiscated, and they were all scheduled to be forcibly relocated to the Balkans.

‘Since they have lost their roots, they can no longer be called nobles.’

Moreover, it would not be easy to live even after moving.

As external traffic did not occur frequently, each community was closed, and the lives of immigrants were not easy due to localism.

It was a move to remove all those who had long been rooted in Georgia, and it could be seen as a thorough retaliation for the betrayal.

It was when he was lightly discussing future stories with Şemsi.

-Padishah, the people of Cherkess have arrived.

“Let them in.”

He had already heard the news that they were coming, and a familiar face entered as the door opened.

“I greet the great Padishah.”

“You have worked hard to come a long way, Ivan. You may raise your head.”

When Ivan raised his head at his command, Yusuf smiled.

“Seeing the wrinkles, you have aged a lot since I first saw you.”

“Wouldn’t that be because of the passage of time? The Padishah, who was a boy when I first saw him, is now like a giant.”

“As time has passed, your words have become softer.”

He was so fluent that he could not be thought of as Ivan, who once stammered in Ottoman.

It was a sight that indirectly showed how much he had worked for the connection between the Ottomans and Cherkess.

As this meeting was not just for greetings, Yusuf went straight to the point.

“I have not forgotten that Cherkess has stepped forward. So, is there anything you want?”

Even if Cherkess had come into the arms of the Ottomans, they had to properly reward them if they had made contributions.

Reward and punishment must be properly implemented.

Ivan, who had already been instructed to think about the desired reward through the envoy, said with a slightly hardened face.

“Rather, Trabzon has become endangered due to our actions. How can we ask for compensation?”

“That’s not wrong.”

By cutting off supplies, Ismail tried to besiege more fiercely, and at the end of it, Trabzon went to the point of being captured.

However, Yusuf had no intention of blaming it.

“Who would have thought that Ismail would make such a judgment? You made the best choice you could. And it wasn’t entirely unhelpful.”

At least the supply of siege weapons was not properly carried out.

At Yusuf’s words, Ivan swallowed and said.

“Then, I will say it shamelessly. I would like you to accept the women of Cherkess into the harem.”

“That’s an interesting idea.”

It was different from being kidnapped by the Crimean Khanate and entering the harem as slaves.

It was like opening a formal route for commoners to enter and marry high-ranking officials.

“I will think about it.”

“Thank you, Padishah.”

Ivan, who had not been granted permission immediately, stepped back with regret and asked something else.

“I have heard the news. The work in Georgia is almost finished, so is only Safavid left now?”

“That’s right. And I’ve already sent the right person. He’s a very talented person.”

Yusuf smiled playfully.

***

“Damn it, I’m here again!”

Hasan despaired in a land he didn’t miss at all.