I Became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire

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#34. The One Who Eats First (3)

People are as they are made to be.

Normally, one might think it’s good to have no treacherous officials and only loyal subjects around, but sometimes it’s more convenient to have those self-serving officials who can flatter and deceive rather than a loyal subordinate who nitpicks everything under the guise of sincere advice.

Types like Abdum, who almost lost his hand starting from some sly schemes, have their own advantages too.

‘They value their own life greatly, so if you just threaten them with a knife to the neck, there’s no need for concern.’

It’s like a political version of Hasan, if you will.

It means they’re useful, and for Yusuf, someone like Abdum was better.

‘If they were an unpredictable character, I’d have been worried even with them behind me, so it’s better this way.’

Talip, the Soba merchant, was manageable enough to grab by the collar, allowing Yusuf to turn his attention to Erzurum without worry.

As Yusuf headed to Erzurum, he felt the all-too-familiar reason why armies don’t move in winter across ages and oceans.

“It’s ridiculously cold.”

Even though spring had already arrived, snow was still piled up all over the mountain, and the distant peaks were still covered with eternal snow.

Having grown too accustomed to the mild climate of Trabzon, where it rarely dipped below zero, the cold was torture.

Moreover, with the roads poorly maintained, the marching lines continued to stretch longer, and there was one more annoying thing.

“Your Highness, more scouts up ahead.”

“Let them be. It won’t change anything if we catch one or two. Just make sure to prepare for any surprise attacks.”

Scouts, likely sent from Erzurum, continually clashed with those assigned to reconnoiter.

They only fled upon seeing each other’s faces, so there hadn’t been any bloody clashes yet, but it was quite bothersome.

Of course, it was easy to tell just by observing the scout movements.

‘They clearly have no intention to surrender, and the commander of Erzurum is not someone to be underestimated.’

The distance between Bayburt and Erzurum was over 100 kilometers.

Operating scouts densely over that distance meant they had laid plans before we even arrived at Bayburt.

Probably, everything from the capturing of Bayburt was fed back to the enemy.

“Well, it doesn’t matter.”

No matter how skilled a commander is, in the end, all they can do is ambush when you let your guard down or holes up in their fortress.

Since we were also closely managing our scouts, there would be no obvious ambush, and predictably, our movement went smoothly.

The villages along the route opened their gates without resistance, as the entire defensive army had been taken to Erzurum, while we continued moving with a small garrison.

By the time we reached Erzurum, ten days had passed.

“That’s the Erzurum fortress. It won’t be easy to capture.”

The fortress walls built on a hill had eight towers protruding from them, and soldiers were on high alert behind thick walls over two meters thick.

Compared to Bayburt, it looked worthy of its name as a fortress.

Yusuf’s evaluation was affirmed by Hakan.

“A fortress that’s been held for a long time must have its reasons.”

The Erzurum fortress was constructed back in the era of Eastern Rome’s Emperor Theodosius II a thousand years ago, known as Theodosiopolis.

It had endured countless invasions, suffering serious destruction each time the city changed hands, only to be rebuilt again and again.

That alone gives it significant value.

“Let’s first try to offer a surrender.”

It was clear the atmosphere wasn’t one for surrender, but offering surrender was standard procedure.

At Yusuf’s command, a cavalryman approached the fortress gates, and as if waiting for him, the gates opened.

A moment later, when the gates opened again, we received the anticipated result.

– You filthy swine! Leave this place before the wrath of Allah descends upon you!

In Islam, pigs are considered impure, so calling someone a pig is among the worst insults.

Just looking at the blood-red faces of the commanders who received the letter was enough to tell.

‘What’s so significant about calling someone a pig?’

Yusuf, who remembered a country where ‘pig’ is even used as a term of endearment, was completely unfazed.

He thought coolly.

It might not hit home for him, but the cavalryman who delivered the envoy somehow returned unscathed after delivering the terrible insult.

The cavalryman returned, bound to his horse with a humiliating expression, but considering that being an envoy involves risking one’s neck, it was merely a small outlet for frustration.

‘This is hardly a vehement reaction; there might be room for surrender.’

Of course, they wouldn’t surrender just with a warning like they did in Bayburt, and Yusuf addressed the commanders watching him.

“Having received such hospitality, we should properly greet the masters of this place.”

To properly greet your opponent, one must meet their gaze.

“Draft the surrounding people.”

To have a conversation, shouldn’t we stand at the same height?

If they aren’t coming down, we must go up.

*

Inside the Erzurum fortress, tension was thick.

Erzurum was a military stronghold and one of the main battlegrounds in numerous wars, but the Ottomans had enjoyed a long peace, primarily focusing their efforts toward Europe.

It was an unusually long period of peace.

‘The end of this peace isn’t far off.’

Even though Erzurum was built on a high plateau, the news wasn’t entirely grim.

The new king who had captured Tabriz was ravenously devouring the territories of the White Sheep Dynasty.

They would likely target this military stronghold.

But the empire coveting this place was unexpected.

“Ahun! Are the enemy forces still present?”

“They’re mobilizing the people drafted from the surrounding area to demolish the stone buildings.”

“Are they looking for stones for the catapults? I can’t understand their intentions.”

It wasn’t that he regretted the desolation outside the fortress.

Outside the walls, unprotected, it was practically abandoned, and supplies had already been moved inside.

He just couldn’t fathom their actions.

“They can’t just be destroying things out of frustration.”

Unless the opposing commander is an idiot, they’d know that the longer they stall, the worse it is for the siege forces, so there must be a reason behind their actions, though he couldn’t speculate.

They weren’t even assembling catapults yet if they were looking for stones.

Having the enemy act unpredictably only added to his anxiety.

“How’s the atmosphere inside the fortress?”

“There are many people feeling anxious. Conversations are circulating that it may be better to surrender than to lose in a siege.”

Ahuun’s words made Abadan smirk bitterly.

“There’s nothing we can do about fear.”

Traditionally, when a siege tower strikes the gates, the lives and property of the defenders are not protected, and the people of a fallen city face either plunder or slaughter.

“Especially those who have heard bad rumors about Shah Ismail think it would be better to surrender to the empire.”

“Those are just baseless rumors.”

Abadan had sent people to Tabriz to verify the facts directly.

However, it mattered little to dismiss them as rumors, as too many people were convinced the news was true.

Abadan let out a small sigh.

‘This isn’t going smoothly.’

Upon hearing that imperial soldiers were gathering in Gumushane, he hurriedly began preparations for defense, but there were numerous shortcomings.

Moreover, with unsettling rumors circulating internally, it was frustrating as a commander.

If their anxiety increased further, they might not hold out long.

“Lord Abadan, wouldn’t it be better to surrender? There’s no need for us to fight for Shah Ismail.”

As Ahuun suggested, he wasn’t a vassal of Ismail.

In any case, whether it’s the imperial prince right in front of him or the army of Ismail arriving soon, surrendering was inevitable.

Yet, there was a reason Abadan leaned toward Ismail.

“Ahuun, if those gathered here were to face Ismail’s army, who do you think would win? I don’t believe they will.”

Having defeated an army of thirty thousand with just seven thousand on two occasions, there was no way they would lose to a prince who hadn’t even reached maturity.

If they surrendered and then lost, Erzurum was bound to become a sea of flames.

“I wish they would at least show me something. Something that could instill faith in me to entrust Erzurum to them.”

Genuinely thinking so, Abbas had been keeping an eye on Yusuf’s army, and Yusuf lived up to that expectation.

A hill began to rise on one side of Erzurum.

*

High walls greatly favor the defending army.

To overcome this, either siege towers as high as the enemy walls must be constructed, or mounds must be erected with earth.

‘But both of those options are too challenging for me.’

Siege towers made of wood and iron must be crafted to match the height of the enemy’s walls, and their size made them cumbersome to operate.

Especially since the main material is wood, they’re vulnerable to fire.

Earthen mounds pose difficulties as well; anyone who has played with sand knows that soil collapses surprisingly easily when piled up.

Moreover, to build them high, it requires a massive amount of soil, literally heaping up a mountain.

‘But if there’s cement, it’s a different story.’

Yusuf nodded in satisfaction at the results.

“Not bad.”

The gray hill made from stones brought in from around and mixed with concrete was almost like a steep rock column.

Even the commanders observing the process were captivated by its uniqueness.

“I thought it was just a mix of lime, but this is surprisingly sturdy. It’s like a massive mountain of stone.”

One commander lightly tapped it with his sheathed sword in admiration.

“This could be very useful for fortifications.”

“Having this alone would significantly ease our difficulties.”

Building a fort was no simple task.

Constructing a castle out of stone requires skill, cutting the stones to fit their shape, and using bricks means firing so many bricks isn’t trivial.

However, if only there were cement to firmly build between the stones, constructing a castle wouldn’t be that hard.

“They were probably quite astonished. The moment they locked eyes with me, they jumped in surprise.”

Ibn, the Circassian commander, burst into laughter.

The hill, built far more quickly and easily than making an earthen mound, was tall enough to see clearly inside the fortress walls.

Yusuf sported a mischievous smile as he watched the catapults being assembled atop the hill, which could hardly be described as anything less than a concrete mass.

“I hope they appreciated my belated greetings.”

A moment later, a stone was launched from a type of trebuchet that utilized the principle of leverage, and screams and shouts erupted from within the fortress.

“That reaction seems excessive for just knocking at the door.”

Did I make too much noise when knocking?

As Yusuf observed the catapult being readied for fire, Yagiz asked him.

“Your Highness, what will you do if they still don’t surrender after this?”

It wouldn’t be easy to break down the walls with the catapults, and as Yagiz said, they could hold out without yielding.

If it came to that, there was no choice.

“Then I’ll just have to build another wall around the fortress.”

Let’s see how long they can hold out.

*

“Your Highness, they’ve surrendered! The lord has been gravely injured by the catapult!”

I felt like it had become quite noisy all of a sudden.