I Became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire

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Chapter Conclusion and Crafts (3)

Currently, the war of the Ottoman Empire is taking place in two locations.

There is the war between the expedition army led by Yusuf and Georgia, and the naval battle between the Ottoman navy led by Kemal Reis and the Western fleet centered around Venice.

Even the Ottomans would find it burdensome to have fronts on both sides, but this case was manageable.

In the case of the expedition army, the difference in military power was overwhelming, and leading the army was Yusuf.

Since his teenage years, he had led armies and had killed all his formidable brothers to ascend to the Sultan’s position, making it impossible to doubt his military acumen.

The only concern was supply, but transportation by sea was feasible, and as the conquests were progressing rapidly, they could sustain themselves with food supplies.

This meant that the officials left in the capital had no reason to worry at all.

As for the war with the West, including Venice, there was no need to worry in another sense.

Although no envoys had exchanged hands, both sides had accurately grasped each other’s situations.

The West wanted to divert attention to obstruct the Safavid campaign, and the Ottoman navy knew this, but they had to respond nonetheless.

Despite differing objectives, there was a commonality in not wanting a full-scale battle, and it was closer to a standoff than an actual naval engagement.

Like dogs that don’t bite, they merely growled at each other without engaging in real combat, so perhaps they were a bit too complacent.

“Pirates?! Is it reasonable for our Papal States to be attacked by pirates?!”

“P-Pope, please calm down.”

Cardinals and others broke into a sweat in response to the furious yell of Julius II, whose face was flushed.

He gritted his teeth, suppressing the desire to swing the staff in his hand.

“Which scoundrels dared to set foot in the holy land of God without fear?!”

“According to survivor testimonies, it was headed by Barbarossa, who operates from Tunisia.”

Tunisia was a port close to the island of Sicily and one of the main bases for the troublesome Barbary pirates of the Mediterranean.

If pirates appeared, they were bound to be from there, and Barbarossa was a nickname the Pope was quite familiar with.

“Barbarossa?! Isn’t that the scoundrel who captured two of my ships years ago?! How did I not know he had come this far?!”

“It seems Spain, having detected his movements, couldn’t properly warn us as they were busy preparing for an attack.”

The pirate ships that raided the port numbered in the dozens, and for Spain, which had occupied Southern Italy, it was more important to establish a defensive posture than to warn the Papal States.

With the swift speed typical of pirate ships, it was hard to provide warnings, and since they were engaged in containing the Ottoman navy, their defenses against pirates were lacking.

Whatever the reasons, the important matter was that the port had been attacked.

“Then what’s the damage?”

“Fortunately, the damage itself is not great. They had set sail to face the Ottoman army, so there were not many ships, and they were able to pillage quickly and retreat before the army arrived.”

“…This attack must have had the hand of an infidel empire behind it. They must not desire merely material gains.”

“That is the judgment we’ve come to.”

To put it bluntly, this port raid made no sense in terms of cost versus benefit.

Even if they learned of the raid late, they were not completely unprepared; there was a garrison including coastal artillery.

They must have incurred significant damage, yet they barely had the time to loot properly.

This raid wouldn’t have happened without someone promising adequate rewards; it was clear beyond a doubt that the Ottomans were involved.

“And what’s public sentiment like?”

“It is not good. People are complaining that they’ve unnecessarily provoked the Ottomans and caused such damage.”

In this case, they had no choice but to pull the fleet engaged with the Ottomans back.

Moreover, there was unluckily one more piece of unfortunate news for the Pope.

“And it seems that Michelangelo Buonarroti has been kidnapped by the pirates.”

Though they didn’t have a good relationship with Michelangelo, they recognized his talent.

If they hadn’t, they wouldn’t have contracted him for the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the sculptures for their grave.

The fact that not only the ceiling painting they were looking forward to but also the sculptures for their tomb could no longer be hoped for made the Pope grab his neck in frustration.

Simultaneously, on the sea, a man was also feeling his blood pressure rising.

“Why does this painting look so strange? Is it because it’s different from the one I saw at the palace? I wonder if picking up such a guy will just get me in trouble.”

“Whose painting looks strange?! And I’m a sculptor! Bring me marble! I will fix that crusty-eyed monster’s gaze!”

“Whose marble is just lying around?! Can’t you keep it down before I toss you into the sea with the stones?!”

“Hey, toss this picture into the sea. Why are the proportions so off? It’s disgusting.”

“Ugh! Ignorant pirate fools who don’t understand perspective!”

*

When a big fish was caught from the west, Yusuf was too busy to pay attention to the distant sea.

The king and the main forces of Kakheti had been captured at once and had lost the will to resist, leading to a declaration of surrender.

With the complete conquest of the three kingdoms that make up Georgia, the Georgian campaign was essentially over.

The campaign took just over two months, and if some compromise had been made with the Georgian nobility, it likely wouldn’t have taken this long.

In any case, the campaign was finished, and the expeditionary force, having left some cavalry to command the surrenders in each city, began to gather back around the Sultan.

“It’s finally over.”

The plains of Akhaltsikhe, where Yusuf had settled, were covered with Ottoman tents, and the number of assembled soldiers was enough to instill fear in the local subjects.

At the highest point of Akhaltsikhe, the flag symbolizing the Sultan fluttered, marking the change of ownership of Georgia.

Since this was his first conquest after becoming Sultan, he felt a certain sentimentality, and when comparing it to the land he was yet to conquer, he felt a thirst for more.

He felt he understood the mindset of historic sultans who had lived their lives devoted to conquest.

“Şemsi Pasha, what’s the supply situation?”

“Thanks to the materials gathered from across Georgia, food supplies are satisfactory. However, if there’s fighting with the Safavids, we might be short on gunpowder.”

“That can’t be helped.”

When using artillery that uses up gunpowder indiscriminately, this was unavoidable.

Moreover, the fleet that had moved to keep the West in check also required gunpowder, so there was a limit to what supplies they could procure.

This issue of gunpowder would continue until they seized the saltpeter-producing regions in India, and they needed to secure a saltpeter field.

Having felt it during the campaign, dry Georgia was a good place for cultivating such fields.

“Pasha, what do you think about assigning Hasan if we’re short on manpower?”

“He’s a talented individual. It might lighten my burden a bit. However, didn’t you promise to take him to the capital?”

“I said I would bring him, not that I would keep him in the capital.”

“Then I’ll gratefully accept him. I will be in charge of the financial issues.”

“There are some specific matters I can’t hand over, so don’t exhaust him to death.”

If Hasan had heard this, it would have been a terrifying conversation, but it couldn’t be helped.

In this era without public education, the quantity of capable people was absolutely insufficient, even if the quality was questionable, and those with abilities had no choice but to suffer more.

‘When I return, I’ll have to seriously think about the issue of public education.’

Of course, it wouldn’t be possible to provide public education all the way through higher education, but it would be better to establish a system to teach reading, writing, and basic arithmetic.

Only then could they emerge with talented individuals.

Education is a long-term project, and it made sense to execute it as quickly as possible since the results might not show for some time.

This was something that needed to be done upon returning to the capital, and since the Georgia campaign was complete, it was time to go back.

“Janissary girl, is there any dissatisfaction among the Janissaries? There must be something you feel discontent about.”

At Yusuf’s question, the Janissary girl immediately knelt and bowed her head.

“We are the hands and feet of the great Padishah. How could we have any complaints?”

“Perhaps you could.”

“Please believe us. We will always pledge our loyalty to the Padishah.”

Yusuf looked coldly at the Janissary girl, who was sweating with her declaration.

Fundamentally, Yusuf did not trust the Janissaries.

No matter how much loyalty was fostered, if they held military power, they could easily harbor ulterior motives, and the Janissaries were individuals who could change at any moment.

“It’s only natural to envy the spoils brought back by the cavalry who led the charge in the Georgian campaign. Anyone would feel that way.”

The cavalry who had led the Georgian campaign had earned additional income according to their efforts, which could make the Janissaries, who were with Yusuf, feel relatively deprived.

Considering that such an atmosphere was indeed present, the Janissary girl kept her mouth shut, while Yusuf comforted the Janissaries kneeling beside her.

“Don’t rush. My conquests are just beginning, and you will always be with me.”

“We will always keep that in mind!”

With such nonchalant words indicating that there would be plenty of opportunities ahead, the impure atmosphere that had been circulating among the Janissaries lessened somewhat, and Yusuf nodded.

The Janissaries were a core force in maintaining Sultan power, and they clearly understood this fact, so it was necessary to reassure them from time to time.

‘This kind of attention won’t last forever.’

As troops armed with guns proliferated, they would be restrained, and as Yusuf’s achievements accumulated, it would become increasingly difficult for the Janissaries to harbor different intentions.

The commanders, watching Yusuf handle the Janissaries deftly, felt admiration mixed with a slight fear.

They couldn’t help but wonder how much more of a monster the young Padishah would become once he started to acquire experience.

“Arda.”

“Yes, Padishah!”

“How are the updates from the Safavids?”

“As you predicted, they are moving as expected. They are prepared to scorch my territories in anticipation of the empire’s attack.”

It wasn’t a hard prediction, even without knowledge of the future.

For the Safavids, who were outmatched in strength, this was their only option and the most effective tactic.

If Ismail from the original history had not declared full-scale war by claiming the chivalry of Muslims, the outcome might have been different.

‘And Ismail will never claim chivalry in front of me.’

Unlike the Ismail of the original history who only achieved victory, he had turned into a smart wolf who learned from his defeats, no longer a brave lion.

To overcome the opponent that continually handed him defeat, he had reached a state where he could display some patience.

‘Nevertheless, the situation will not change.’

With the failure of the siege of Trabzon already slipping the flow into his hands, Ismail had no choice but to dance in the play he had set.

He had stacked enough firewood through planted spies, and it was finally time to ignite the fire.

“It’s about time to head back. Is that not so?”

“Yes, indeed.”

Yusuf asked the gathered commanders.

“I’m thinking of taking a roundabout route home; is there anyone with grievances?”

“None at all.”

“How could anyone hold any grievances when we’re going to have some fun sightseeing on the way?”

Those who had already heard the plan burst into cheerful laughter.

The Ottoman army was planning a grand return by striking deep into Safavid territory.

‘For Ismail, he’ll have no choice but to carry out the scorched earth strategy.’

If he doesn’t, Yusuf was planning to mount an offensive against the Safavids.

If the scorched earth strategy turned the Safavid lands into a mess, Yusuf’s army would exit the Safavid lands with ease.

How would those who pathetically lost their own territory react?

Would they understand it was an unavoidable choice? Or would they…

“Would they insult Ismail as a coward?”

Yusuf smiled deeply.

Ismail was already trapped in a snare from which he could not escape.