Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 1085

1085. Kill the Goose That Lays the Golden Eggs (15)

Following Selim’s decision, an immediate purge of the Janissaries commenced. The most brutal purge occurred among the Beylik Janissaries guarding the capital, Constantinople. These were the ones who had most actively blocked Selim’s forces in conjunction with the Habsburg army. As soon as Selim’s order was issued, all the commanders who had been implicated were brought to the execution ground.

It wasn’t just the commanders. The Janissary soldiers, disarmed and confined to their camps, were also attacked by Selim’s forces and the French, Italian, and Portuguese armies.

Bang! Boom! Bang!

Bang! Tat-tat! Tat-tat-tat!

The French, Italian, and Portuguese armies, having accumulated animosity during fierce street battles, bombarded the encampments with cannons and unleashed volleys from Hwachas [Korean rocket artillery].

“Escape! Escape!”

“Return fire! Return fire!”

“We can’t die like this!”

The attacked Beylik Janissary soldiers took out hidden weapons to resist or attempted to escape through any opening they could find. However, with the senior commanders gone, the Janissaries’ resistance lacked organization and was closer to a struggle based on survival instincts. After a desperate struggle, the Janissaries who escaped the encampments headed for the Sultan’s palace.

“The Sultan hasn’t changed his mind yet! Let’s beg the Sultan for mercy!”

“Let’s do it!”

However, Selim’s troops were already stationed in front of the Sultan’s palace.

“They are traitors! Kill them!”

“Fire!”

Tat-tat-tat!

As soon as the commander’s order was issued, Selim’s troops pulled the triggers. Selim’s troops had no hesitation in firing upon the Janissaries, who were once their allies. Although they had converted, in their eyes, they were still infidels. Moreover, the Janissaries were the ones who received higher salaries than them and acted arrogantly.

On the other hand, Selim’s troops were soldiers conscripted from Sunni Ottomans. They were an experimental unit to gauge the feasibility of Selim’s envisioned ‘New Army (جيش جديد) [Jaysh Jadid, literally ‘New Army’ in Arabic].’

“Agh!”

“Your Majesty!”

“Have mercy! Have mercy on us!”

“Agh!”

The Janissaries, attacked by Selim’s troops, cried out for mercy until their throats were hoarse, but in the end, they could only fall to the ground, bleeding. This purge, later named the ‘Auspicious Incident (حدث ميمون) [Vaka-i Hayriye in Turkish]’ and known in Europe as the ‘Constantinople Massacre,’ was underway.

Having eliminated the Janissaries stationed in Constantinople, who were his biggest concern, Selim quickly seized power. The nobles of Constantinople, witnessing the Janissaries’ miserable end, rushed to pledge allegiance to Selim. Upon hearing the news that even the nobles had succumbed to Selim, Bayezid had no choice but to accept reality.

“From now on, you are the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.”

“I am honored.”

“I want to move to the detached palace and rest now. I’m too tired.”

“Not yet.”

Selim immediately rejected Bayezid’s request.

“The unrest outside has not yet subsided. As soon as the unrest subsides, I will escort you to the detached palace.”

“……. I understand.”

After finishing the audience with Bayezid, Selim headed to the council hall. After looking around the nobles and officials gathered in the council hall, Selim sat on the throne and began to speak.

“As the new Sultan, I will issue my first order. First, restore the destroyed houses of the people in Constantinople and comfort the people.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to restore the collapsed walls?”

When one of the officials suggested restoring the walls, Selim clicked his tongue.

“Tsk! Didn’t you learn anything from this report? Now, outdated walls are useless. First, carefully examine how other countries, especially the Eastern Roman Empire, fortify their defenses, and then begin the restoration.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After dealing with the issues regarding the restoration of wounded Constantinople, Selim got to the real point.

“Convey my orders to the remaining Janissaries, the Jemaat [Janissary Corps stationed in frontier garrisons], and the Azemi Oglan [Janissary recruits]. ‘The Janissaries no longer exist. Join the new army or lay down your weapons and return to your hometowns. This is the Sultan’s order. If you refuse, you will be held accountable in the name of the Sultan.'”

“Yes.”

Upon hearing Selim’s order, the officials summoned scribes to put Selim’s order into writing. Soon, messengers carrying Selim’s orders in their arms rushed towards the Jemaat Janissaries guarding the front lines and military strongholds.

The first to react to Selim’s order was the Azemi Oglan. The Azemi Oglan were the Janissaries’ trainees. Although they were still immature trainees, a significant number of them were drafted and投入 [Tōnyū – Japanese word meaning ‘invested’ or ‘thrown into’] into the Siege of Constantinople and the street battles. They were sick of seeing their comrades die meaninglessly on the walls and in the city streets due to the shelling of the French, Italian, and Portuguese armies. To make matters worse, they clearly witnessed them being dragged to the execution ground or begging for mercy in front of the palace gates, only to die in vain.

In the end, all the remaining Azemi Oglan became soldiers of the ‘New Army’ instead of Janissaries, according to Selim’s order. This was not just a simple change of flags. Having seen the 모습 [Moseup – Korean word meaning ‘appearance’ or ‘figure’] of the French, Italian, and Portuguese armies moving together, Selim was determined to change the system of the ‘New Army’ once again.

Meanwhile, the Jemaat Janissaries who received Selim’s order were divided over whether to accept or reject it. The fiercely opposed Jemaat Janissaries eventually split into two. Those who accepted Selim’s order disarmed and stayed in their camps. On the other hand, those who refused the order took what they had and moved to the Anatolian highlands and the eastern desert regions.

“How about going to Korkut or Ahmed?”

“Those guys will surely use us as sacrifices to trade with Selim. The best way for us to survive is to hold out until Selim gets tired.”

Upon receiving the report, Selim issued an uncompromising order.

“Send officers to command those who follow my orders. Hunt down and kill the traitors who refuse my orders to the end.”

“I obey your command!”

It was the beginning of the ‘Janissary Great Rebellion.’ This was also a butterfly effect brought about by Hyang. In the history before Hyang’s intervention, the Janissaries were the ones who contributed the most to Selim’s accession to the throne. However, due to the butterfly effect caused by Hyang’s intervention, the Janissaries became the target of the purge.

The butterfly effect related to the Janissaries was not limited to this. The Janissaries, who would disappear due to the rebellion that occurred in 1826, disappeared almost 300 years earlier, and a new-style army emerged. There was also an event that occurred regardless of Hyang’s intervention. The Sipahi (سيباهي) [Sipahi – Ottoman Cavalry], the regular cavalry of the Ottoman army, played a leading role in suppressing the Janissaries. The Sipahis, who were in competition with the Janissaries, devoted all their efforts to suppressing the Janissaries.

* * *

Although it was noisy due to the ‘Janissary Rebellion,’ Selim quickly stabilized the internal affairs.

“My philosophy of rule is simple. It is the ‘Circle of Justice.'”

The ‘Circle of Justice,’ the traditional political philosophy of the Ottomans, was left in the following poem:

No power without troops,

No troops without funds,

No funds without prosperity,

No prosperity without morale and good administration.

Selim’s words continued.

“Those incompetent people in the palace, the snatchers, those who only covet wealth and possessions, give gifts to the god of greed and serve that god. The true slave of our palace is the one who loyally devotes himself, willingly gives his life for the cause of the empire, and provides us with camaraderie and service! Praise be to the Most High God! Since He has made me a slave and given me the power of a monarch, my generous attention will be directed towards the free people! My council will be directed towards capable and outstanding warriors!”

Although it was full of metaphors, the nobles and officials gathered in the grand hall understood Selim’s intentions.

‘He means to guarantee 확실하고 [Hwaksilhago – Korean word meaning ‘certainly’ or ‘definitely’] fair rewards and punishments and prioritize ability!’

Those with ambition sensed that an opportunity had come.

* * *

While Selim was gradually consolidating the power of the Ottomans, messengers sent by Korkut and Ahmed came to Selim.

“Did you come to leave a will?”

“We have heard that the Sultan is merciful.”

“Sultan… interesting. Yes, tell me.”

“Our lords have said that they do not covet the Sultanate. They just want to enjoy peace in their current locations.”

“Peace?”

Selim smiled as he listened to the messengers and replied.

“If they want to enjoy that peace for a long time, tell them to lie low as if they were dead in their current locations. Tell them that my eyes and ears towards their locations will never be closed or shut, so the moment they have even a slightly foolish thought, that paltry peace will disappear.”

“We will surely tell them.”

“Get out.”

At Selim’s order to leave, the messengers repeatedly bowed their heads and left the grand hall. As the messenger left, the vizier bowed his head to Selim and asked.

“Your Majesty. Are you really going to leave the rebels alone? It will surely be a future threat.”

At the vizier’s suggestion, Selim smiled slightly and replied.

“They are needed for the time being.”

“However, please consider the locations where those rebels are located. The road to Suez is blocked because of those rebels.”

“I know.”

Antalya, where Korkut was located, and Adana, where Ahmed was located, were blocking the most important transportation routes connecting Constantinople and Suez. Suez was the most important place for the Ottoman Empire.

Selim continued.

“That’s why I’m going to leave them alone for the time being.”

“This foolish subject does not fully understand the Sultan’s deep intentions. Please have mercy.”

At the vizier’s request, Selim replied concisely.

“We can use them as an excuse to build up our navy.”

“Ah!”

At Selim’s answer, the vizier exclaimed. In this civil war, France, Italy, and Portugal showed prominence in ground warfare, but they showed even greater prominence at sea. Although they suffered slightly in the naval blockade in the middle, they would completely seize naval supremacy and dominate the war situation afterwards.

Greatly impressed by this, Selim began to focus on strengthening naval power. He ordered ironclad steamships from France, Italy, and Portugal, and at the same time, he leased similar warships. The existence of Korkut and Ahmed came out as an excuse in this process.

“Why do you need warships?”

“The road to Suez is blocked because of those ungrateful rebels! In the end, we have to transport using ships!”

“If that’s the case, then merchant ships would be enough, but why warships?”

“There are too many pirates!”

“If it’s pirates, our navy will take care of them, right?”

“Those are just guys with pirate flags!”

“Ah…….”

The civil war was over, but England and Habsburg did not just back down. They were docile trading ships in places where there were warships from France, Italy, and Portugal, but in places where there were none, they became brutal pirates, robbing merchant ships and becoming a headache for the Ottomans.

“In order to properly punish Korkut and Ahmed, we must strike from both land and sea. We are still far from ready. We must train the navy in advance using the borrowed ships so that we can use them as a force as soon as we take over the ships. The same goes for the army. Now, the priority is not suppression, but raising a new army.”

“Since the Sultan is so wise, this is Allah’s blessing!”

“You flatter me. Don’t be satisfied with the present and continue to work hard.”

“I obey your command!”

* * *

While a bloody storm of betrayal was brewing in the Middle East, three generations [Likely referring to a family: grandfather, father, and son] gathered at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul for the first time in a long time.

“Hehehe…….”

“Hehehehe…….”

“Kekekekek…….”

The three generations, who had gathered for the first time in a long time, were making sinister laughs while looking at the 기물 [Gimul – Korean word referring to valuable objects or artifacts] placed on one side.