I Became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire

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Luck Again (3)

Aishe quietly turned the page.

She had learned many things from Fatima, Yusuf’s mother, and Nene, who had followed her for a long time.

She had studied various fields, from court etiquette to literature, dance, and music, but it was undoubtedly lacking compared to the education provided in the harem, which offered the best for women.

To fill this gap, she needed to make extra efforts.

‘It’s no longer just my problem.’

Aishe gently stroked Mehmet’s head as he slept beside her and looked at him with a sad gaze.

Although Yusuf had taken a woman named Hatice by his side, and more competitors were sure to come, she didn’t regret becoming Yusuf’s woman.

She had braced herself for everything since the moment she made her decision.

However, thinking about the thorny path Mehmet would have to walk in the future made her heart ache.

“…Mother?”

Was it because of her touch? Mehmet blinked his little eyes awake.

At the age of four, when he was strong-willed enough to be called a troublesome child, Mehmet still displayed his usual calm demeanor.

“Are you awake?”

Nodding, Mehmet slowly sat up, and Aishe set the book aside.

After a small yawn, Mehmet asked Aishe, “When will Father come home?”

As someone who had given birth to a prince, Aishe was in a position to know about the ongoing war situation.

She was aware that Yusuf had kidnapped a woman from Ismail while raiding Diyarbakır and that seven thousand enemy troops were gathering in Erzinjan.

There hadn’t been a direct clash, perhaps due to the hostages or a lack of overwhelming force, but Yusuf was stuck in Erzinjan.

‘That won’t last long though.’

The weather was already shifting into winter, and the enemy that had gathered without any preparation wouldn’t last long.

Once the siege was lifted, there was a high chance that Yusuf would return to Trabzon.

“It won’t take long. Why do you want to see him?”

“Yes, I want to see him.”

Honestly, it was surprising that Mehmet had such a fondness for Yusuf.

Yusuf wasn’t particularly warm towards Mehmet. There was clear affection, but there was also a sense of distance.

For a child, even parents could be a challenge, yet Mehmet really liked Yusuf.

‘Looking back, kids often do like the prince.’

No, perhaps it’s not just limited to children.

Considering how Yusuf’s subordinates would readily risk their lives for him, he seemed to possess a certain charisma.

“He should return before Hatice has the baby.”

At this, Mehmet slightly frowned, and Aishe tickled his chubby cheeks and asked, “Do you not want a younger sibling?”

“They say if I have a younger sibling, I’ll have to fight,” he replied.

Aishe gritted her teeth inwardly, wondering which loose-lipped human had said such things to her child.

In her arms, Mehmet snuggled up, and she gently stroked his back.

“Don’t worry. I won’t lose.”

To think a child would already be contemplating struggle at such a young age, she vowed to herself, ‘For you, Mehmet, I would stake my life.’

*

Raiding around Diyarbakır was more about achieving military feats than gaining financial benefits.

Having Dulqadir, which could be considered the front yard, raided was a matter of pride for the Ottomans.

In retaliation, they had raided the Safavid’s front yard, which was surely something to celebrate.

However, unexpectedly capturing a big fish disrupted those plans.

‘I’ll have to cease the raiding parties.’

With Tazlu being kidnapped, the Safavid was bound to be furious, and moving small forces could prove dangerous.

Thus, the value of Erzinjan, which had been intended as a stronghold for raids, decreased.

‘If the current forces return, they won’t be able to defend it properly.’

Thinking about Bayburt or Erzurum, where the walls were reinforced with cement, their defenses were also lacking.

There was no land valuable enough to struggle to reinforce.

As winter approached, the enemy forces camping outside retreated, and it was time to head back to Trabzon.

After instructing his men to gather the spoils and prepare to retreat, Yusuf went to the location of the biggest plunder.

“What brings you here this time!”

Seeing Tazlu greet him with an annoyed voice, Yusuf smirked.

“I heard you’ve been starving lately, so I came to see, yet you seem full of energy. Just a word of advice: if you think you can starve to death, you’d better give up. You won’t die from that.”

He needed to be in top form until he repaid Ismail.

After that, it’d be Al Ba’s problem.

‘Perhaps I could end up giving birth to Tahmasp, according to history.’

Now that Yusuf had influenced her, even if she bore a son, there was no chance he would genetically resemble Yusuf.

It wasn’t possible for the same day of bedding to lead to conception by the same sperm.

Either way, who would ascend after Ismail wasn’t a significant concern for Yusuf.

‘If he dies young, it would be too late to give birth now.’

After the major defeat at Chaldiran, Ismail spent his days in a drunken stupor until he died at the age of 36.

Even if he gave birth now, he’d ascend at a young age and would be dominated by his subordinates like in original history.

“This devilish human. When will you at least consider letting me go?”

“Soon, Ismail will hear that you’ve been kidnapped, and what comes next will depend on him.”

Yusuf raised one corner of his lips and continued.

“If he truly loves you, he’ll pay an enormous price to get you back.”

“…And what if the Shah abandons me?”

No one knew how Ismail would react.

Even if it wasn’t love, he might want to retake her for the sake of her influence.

He could abandon Tazlu for the sake of pride and the nation’s finances.

“Hmph, I’d rather not think about that situation.”

It’d be best to end things neatly with money, but what if Ismail refused?

Yusuf, holding Tazlu’s trembling chin as she feared abandonment, lifted her face to meet her gaze.

“I’ll have to bring you into my harem. That would be the most useful purpose for you.”

Her bloodline was politically valuable.

She could attract those following her bloodline, and if she became the Sultan one day and invaded Safavid lands, that could be of help.

Simply stealing Ismail’s mistress would also count as a merit.

“Who do you think you are!”

“Since you’ve been captured, it’s no longer up to you. If you don’t like it, just pray that Ismail doesn’t abandon you.”

If Ismail were to abandon Tazlu, it was obvious he would block merchants coming from Safavid to Trabzon.

Though it wouldn’t be a severe blow, it was an unwelcome situation given the many places they needed to spend money on.

Having dealt with Tazlu, Yusuf stepped outside and quietly told Arda, who had approached.

“Get rid of the two maids who came with Tazlu. They seem to be among the reasons she’s still full of herself.”

“How should I handle them?”

“No need to kill them unnecessarily. Just pass them over to the Sipahis who need wives.”

The two maids wouldn’t have any choices, but that was likely better than simply letting them go.

If they returned without properly guarding Tazlu, they would die a miserable death.

“Anyway, the harvest is substantial.”

Given that mobility was crucial for raiding, he had given up on bulky items, but the valuable treasures he plundered yielded a nice profit.

Yusuf planned to use part of the spoils obtained by the Sipahis to invest in armaments, which was a positive addition.

“It’s almost time for news to reach Ismail.”

With the soldiers roaming around Erzinjan withdrawing, it was already long overdue for news to reach Ismail in Dulqadir.

“I’m curious about what kind of response he’ll give.”

*

Ismail wore an irritated expression as he thought about the results of the last battle.

In the recent fight, nearly four thousand Qizilbash had died.

Of course, the enemy’s loss was threefold, so it could be called a great victory, but the loss of the main force, the Qizilbash, was a painful blow.

“Was the enemy commander Selim, the prince?”

“Yes.”

“Dangerous fellow.”

Even though he had never met him in person, it was clear just from seeing how daringly he had thrown his brother’s army into a trap to achieve two objectives at once.

“No matter how much help we provide, I can’t be sure if the Şehinşah can become the master of the Ottoman Empire.”

Compared to Ahmed or Yusuf, Selim wasn’t an alarming opponent.

However, facing him made it evident that he was no ordinary foe.

“Selim, that man could be as dangerous as Yusuf.”

It was a brief assessment, yet it was the best expression Ismail could muster. Yusuf was the only one who had dealt him a major defeat.

The tales of the princes were important, but there was an even bigger problem.

“In the end, the Ottomans have issued a call-up order. How many do you expect will gather?”

“At least over a hundred thousand.”

At such an enormous number, Ismail smirked.

“I should prepare a letter of apology in advance.”

Regardless, he would wind up as the final victor, so it wouldn’t be difficult to momentarily bow his head for the future.

Though he wasn’t sure if they would accept after the death of the prince.

“When the enemy forces have gathered, send the letter.”

“Understood.”

Even the Ottomans would find it hard to assemble a large army again shortly after calling one up.

If they accepted his apology and returned their troops, Ismail could rest easy regarding the Ottomans for a while.

Knocking at the door brought Ismail’s ears to Muhammad, his closest ally, planning their future together.

-Shah Ismail, Nuri Ali Khalifa has come from Diyarbakır.

“Nuri Ali?”

While in terms of distance it could be a short trip, it was unusual for someone governing Diyarbakır to come in person.

Feeling a sense of foreboding, Ismail hardened his expression and shouted.

“Let him in!”

With the permission given, the door opened, and Nuri Ali bowed before Ismail.

“Shah, please kill me.”

Grabbing the paper that Nuri Ali presented in a plea for death, Ismail felt a surge of fury as he read the contents.

“Yusuf took Tazlu? Is what I see real?”

“…Yes.”

Perhaps out of sheer anger, Ismail’s head cleared, and he crumpled the paper as he asked, “Why did she come to Diyarbakır?”

“I heard it was to receive the Shah upon his return.”

“And she ended up getting captured by Yusuf while he was raiding Diyarbakır?”

“Exactly.”

Looking at Nuri Ali, who had bowed his head deeply, Ismail burst into mad laughter.

Could such a coincidence happen without Allah’s intervention?

After a while of laughing madly, Ismail drew the sword he had by his waist and swung it.

Nuri Ali’s ear fell to the ground, and even while blood dripped from him, he remained motionless as Ismail said to him.

“Nuri Ali.”

“Speak, Shah.”

“Do not think that this means I have forgiven you.”

“Of course. My insignificant life is always in service to the Shah.”

Seeing Nuri Ali’s subservient nature, Ismail exhaled deeply and stated.

“Your life is secondary. You have one of two tasks. Either bring me Tazlu safely.”

Ismail stabbed the fallen ear with his sword.

“Or bring me that bastard’s head.”

“Everything will be done as you command, Shah.”

*

As the new year approached, when Hatice, who was in her final months, cried out in pain, Ismail’s envoy set foot in Bayburt.