I Became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire

＃30 Chapter. Replanting (1)

I don’t know what others think, but considering I woke up in the body and memories of an unwanted Ottoman Prince, I think I’ve done pretty well.

I’ve dodged all sorts of landmines and managed to survive, establishing myself properly as a prince.

‘At this rate, I’m not just hoping to become a sultan, but I’m actually capable of it.’

There’s quite a difference.

As Yusuf’s life became more familiar, my thoughts about this place gradually changed too.

‘At first, I simply thought it was like a game. No, was I supposed to believe that?’

On one side was my will to survive, and on the other a thought lingered: If it’s just a game, can’t I restart? If I die, won’t I go back?

This thought was a kind of defense mechanism.

As time passed, however, meeting more people and gaining experience, I realized that where I was was indeed reality.

‘In a game, I could never have developed gunpowder or spread inoculation.’

Even without such things, just laughing and crying together made it hard to think of this place as just a game.

Of course, I couldn’t tell if I had gone back in time or entered a parallel dimension.

Now, why am I talking about identity?

“Damn rebellious puberty.”

This wasn’t the time for philosophical questions about who I am; maybe my hormones were going haywire, leading to such silly thoughts.

I sat there drinking barley coffee with no milk as my act of rebellion.

‘Well, I can excuse it this way.’

At least I was liberated from the awful taste of coffee with milk, which I consider a plus.

Yusuf glared at Aishe, who was smiling brightly next to him.

“What are you staring at?”

“Oh, nothing much. I just hope you grow up quickly.”

Just the other day, I had watched Aishe grow little by little with fondness, but now, receiving this treatment in return felt strange.

If I had an eventful wet dream, I’d probably be praised for it.

Feeling that further teasing might get her kicked out, Aishe changed the subject.

“I heard there’s a lot of talk because of the preventive measures regarding the prince’s name?”

Stirring things up and creating falsehoods wasn’t the only specialty of the princes who, instead of siblings rooting for each other, could erupt with jealousy.

“There are those who refuse to get the cow pox because they think it’s absurd, and there are rumors that people turned into cows after being vaccinated.”

Who on earth would believe such a thing? Surprisingly, people do.

Some regions were actively implementing it, believing since the empire acknowledged their autonomy, they had nothing to lose, while others dismissed it as nonsense.

‘This much was to be expected, and it wouldn’t be bad.’

Preventive measures shine brighter when there’s a comparison.

Still, it’s fascinating to see similar fake news to what circulated when the vaccination started in England.

Perhaps it’s because people think alike.

“What can one do if they themselves don’t want it?”

After all, the dice had been cast and I had no intention of worrying about vaccination anymore.

Over in the east, Ismail was stirring up the storm just as history would have it.

Baku, the heart of the Caspian Sea trade, was a impregnable fortress, quite similar to Constantinople.

It had triple layered walls and deep moats, surrounded by the sea except for one wall.

After a brief siege, Ismail took this place and turned his blade toward the White Sheep Dynasty, engaging in a large battle on the Shahroud Plain.

The White Sheep Dynasty led an army of thirty thousand, while Ismail commanded seven thousand Qizilbash.

Despite such a massive difference in troops, Ismail won yet again.

‘No matter how history is, does this make any sense?’

Honestly, if I had rolled a ten on luck and also obtained a trait system, shouldn’t life feel a little easier?

With such a monster roaming around, I can’t gain confidence, even with future knowledge and a system.

At least I have this; it gives me a spark of hope to push back.

‘Ismail’s existence is a scam. Had a novel been written with Ismail as a protagonist, it would have been treated as a fantasy, not historical fiction.’

A child who had been hiding ended up establishing a nation at fifteen and occupying all of Iran in his mid-twenties was literally the stuff of founding myths.

I’d have believed it if there were records of Ismail hatching from an egg.

‘What about Selim, who defeated such a monster?’

Because Ismail had been riding high on his victories, his confidence had shot up, and this did connect to his eventual downfall, but there was no reason to underestimate Selim.

How could one look down on someone who had more than doubled the land area of the empire?

“It’s not easy.”

After a while lost in thought, Aishe, who had been behind Yusuf, massaged his shoulders.

With her gentle touch, Yusuf closed his eyes.

He knew full well that monster-like humans were everywhere around him.

‘Ismail truly is the eye of the storm right now.’

From now on, the east would change rapidly with Ismail’s movements, yet it wouldn’t mean we couldn’t make a move.

“Aishe, how’s the communication with the Circassians going?”

“Of course. They agreed to provide troop support as long as the Crimean Khanate keeps its distance.”

“That’s not difficult.”

In the usual scheme of things, even when Circassians sent tributes and asked for a halt to the raids from the Crimean Khanate, the Ottomans couldn’t care less.

They didn’t feel the need to do so.

But now, since the sultan was wary of Ismail, he would willingly put a leash on the Crimean Khanate.

‘Of course, the Crimeans wouldn’t like it, but they can’t resist.’

They were recently occupied in a state of being countered and made to swear eternal loyalty to the sultan after reclaiming their khanship, less than thirty years ago.

While the one who struck might forget, the one who was struck would remember, so they would obediently listen.

“No matter how small the aid may be, it’s better than nothing. Next is Georgia…”

The kingdoms of Georgia were providing support to Ismail.

Having helped them break free from the White Sheep Dynasty, Ismail captured Tabriz, the capital of the White Sheep Dynasty, and wiped his hands clean, making it a vassal state.

‘Could we incite a civil war in Georgia if we time this right?’

With Mzechabuk by my side, stirring things up among other nations could very well work.

There must be those willing to seize the opportunity to expand their power.

‘If things go this way, it might lead to a one-on-one showdown between the Ottomans and Safavids.’

The problem was that the Ottomans were currently engaged in a brawl in the west, leaving them with little room to shift towards the east.

Without a strategic advantage and having succeeded in consecutive victories, the war with Ismail required a careful approach.

After a brief contemplation, Yusuf turned to Aishe.

“Aishe, where do you think the best place to fight a war is?”

The sudden question made Aishe tilt her head.

“I’m not sure. Where?”

Yusuf smiled widely.

“The best place to fight is at someone else’s house.”

His eyes were directed at the area marked as Erzurum on the map.

*

It was autumn of 1501.

It had already been two years since I arrived in Trabzon, and I was actively introducing the four-field crop rotation system, which had already shown its value.

No matter how much of a Sanjakbey I was, I had no right to command on someone else’s land, but thanks to the Sipahi support policy, I was able to implement it in many places.

Those closest to Yusuf had seen the effects of the four-field crop rotation system first-hand, so anticipation for next year’s results was high.

However, the expressions of those gathered for the meeting were stiff and serious.

“Pasha, please share the information we received yesterday with them.”

“Understood.”

In a meeting attended by cadis and subashis, Shamsi read from the paper.

“The grandson of Ujun Hasan, Ismail, has captured Tabriz and declared himself Shah of the Safavid.”

To use the Persian word for king, Shah, was to declare that he had founded a state.

Ujun Hasan was the emperor of the White Sheep Dynasty, and his grandson Ismail firmly claimed this fact and grasped legitimacy.

“Wow… hadn’t he just turned 15 years old?”

Exclamations mixed with shock erupted from all directions.

Everyone knew that the White Sheep Dynasty wasn’t in good shape. The civil war that arose after Ujun Hasan’s death had been going on for over 20 years.

It had involved not just the sons, but also the grandsons, and the White Sheep Dynasty had definitely been shaken badly.

Yet still, imagining that this newly emerged Ismail could conquer the capital of the White Sheep Dynasty was hard to fathom.

Naturally, their gaze turned towards Yusuf.

‘Could it be that this was the reason he had been preparing for war all along?’

It was strange how hastily he had trained troops, simply for the sake of succession.

Realizing this, it was a mix of astonishment and fear.

“Now is not the time to be shocked. It’s time to plan ahead. Omer.”

“Speak away.”

“What do you think we should do?”

Without any hesitation, Omer replied.

“I think we should fortify our defenses to prepare for any potential invasion.”

It was the safest option, but not the answer they wanted.

“We will occupy Erzurum and conduct the defense from there.”

“Sir Sanjakbey?!”

Yusuf raised his hand at those who looked surprised and seemed about to object.

“Since we have to engage in a defensive war, it’s better to do so on someone else’s territory. Even if we succeed in defending ourselves, we will incur massive losses.”

Usually, when a war breaks out, the area outside the walls becomes devastated.

Of course, there was a high probability that Ismail, who had no immediate thought of fighting the Ottomans, would not attack.

‘If he dodges the battle like this, then coming here would be pointless.’

If we had to fight anyway, it was better to do so on someone else’s land, especially prime land.

“Erzurum is a strategic point in the plateau; if we hold it, we can keep a check on Ismail for as long as we need.”

“On the contrary, that makes it hard to occupy.”

It would be naturally difficult to seize it using brute strength.

“I’ve heard that after capturing Tabriz, Ismail is oppressing the Sunnis.”

This would be an expected move for Ismail.

His main justification was to establish a Shiite empire, and it would solidify his power even more.

“I plan to spread this news as widely as possible.”

We will sprinkle ashes on Ismail’s banquet and transition towards making a foothold in Erzurum.

Yusuf chuckled softly.

While Ismail boldly declared Iran as his own land citing legitimacy,

‘The one who eats first is the one who lays claim.’

I planned to make my mark on Ismail’s table first.

*

Sometimes chance encounters do happen.

The still young Yaya realized that fact.

“It’s been a while, Suleiman.”

“Yaya, I’m glad to see you.”

Having grown up like siblings, neither could hide their joy at seeing each other again from the far capital.

While chatting lightly, Suleiman’s gaze fell on the book Yaya was holding.

“What book is that?”

“Oh…”

After a quick glance at the book, Suleiman tilted his head.

“A mechanical clock?”

“Wow, Prince. So, Prince Yusuf advised me to learn it when I have some spare time. He said it would surely spark my interest.”

“Prince Yusuf did?”

Suleiman remembered the warm touch in stark contrast to his father and felt curious.

Why would he suggest such a book to Yaya?

Finding it odd, Suleiman thought for a moment before speaking.

“Curious, huh? Let’s take a look together.”