I Became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire

동방무역(2)

To ease the throbbing pain, the man tipped his glass and slammed it down harshly.

As long as he didn’t get drunk, he thought he could keep pouring more.

“Damn Ottoman, worthless brat.”

The Tahirid dynasty that ruled western Yemen had vanished.

It had been a while since the Sultan’s head had fallen to the Ottoman army that conquered the Mamluks, and now he was the only remnant left as the governor of the port city, Aden.

The Amir, known as Murzan, pressed his hand over the long wound in his side, a scar left by a bratty prince.

Some claimed that surviving was a blessing from Allah, but the memory of being bested by a prince who hadn’t even reached puberty left a deeper mark than the wound itself.

“Hmph, I shouldn’t have trusted those worthless Portuguese. All they did was fuel dissatisfaction without yielding anything.”

It had barely been ten years since he’d struggled to repel the invading Portuguese fleet, and now he was embarrassingly defeated after allying with them.

The internal flow of the city was already feeling ominous.

Feeling pain and anguish, Murzan’s face flushed as the door swung open, and he drew his sword.

“What’s going on!”

“A-Aamir?!”

Startled by the likelihood of being threatened with a sword, the subordinate hurriedly bowed his head before Murzan could swing.

“I apologize for my rudeness, Aamir! But the Ottoman army has appeared at the harbor!”

Hearing the word ‘Ottoman’ made Murzan feel his drunkenness dissipate, and he finally began to hear the commotion outside.

He dashed out of the room to a vantage point that overlooked the city, feeling the force drain from his hands.

As they tried to distance themselves from their home in the harbor, people screamed and fled in panic.

Lifting his gaze a little more, the sight of the Ottoman red flags dominating the vast sea made his head spin.

“O Allah.”

He wanted to believe that the massive fleet passing through the harbor was just a dream.

Thanks to his experience of defeating twenty Portuguese ships, Aden had a bit of confidence against the Ottomans, but now it was facing a harsh reality.

The presence of the seventy Ottoman ships was dire.

Onboard one of the Ottoman ships, Shemshi stood with his hands behind his back, watching the disappearing Aden.

“I respect the prince’s methods, but one must adapt to the opponent. Sometimes, you have to instill overwhelming fear. People won’t easily part with even a single grain of wheat in their hand.”

Those who were combative like warriors possessed strength, while the weak were influenced by mercy and consideration, which was Murad’s way, but it wasn’t always effective.

Just like those stuck in Aden, there were plenty in the Arabian Peninsula who waited for their chance.

As he eased his stiff shoulders, Murad responded.

“If you’re going to instill fear, why not also make them surrender this time?”

“Of course, getting a surrender or conquering them isn’t hard.”

At a glance, it looked like a well-fortified harbor, and it was entirely understandable why the Portuguese had given up and retreated, but that depended on the opponent.

Just bombarding the harbor interchangeably would turn Aden into ruins, but there was a reason they weren’t doing it even though they could.

“Our time is not so plentiful. Thanks to the prince, we captured Vasco, and we’ve learned that the Portuguese and Spanish are trying to unite.”

“Once captured, he talks like a parrot.”

What good would it do if Vasco kept his mouth shut? The subordinate under him would spill everything, even the illicit stories, after a few caresses.

Regardless, it was crucial that the two nations were trying to unite to counter the Ottomans.

“The Padishah has bought us time, but as time passes, the enemy will catch on to the oddities.”

This measure wouldn’t last forever; they wouldn’t keep being fooled blindly.

“If Spain catches on, the admiral who was in the Mediterranean couldn’t have made it down here, could he? Isn’t that right, Admiral?”

“That’s correct. It was my job to keep watch over them.”

Kemal Reis nodded thoughtfully, and Shemshi smiled.

“I can’t express how relieved I feel to have such an experienced admiral with us.”

“Since the Padishah states that he still needs this old man’s strength, there’s nothing I can do.”

Kemal, who had intended to retire after occupying Rhodes Island, was forcibly held back by Yusuf, who said he was still vibrant in his sixties.

A voice suddenly interrupted from behind Kemal.

“Weren’t you just considering whether to send your resignation to the Padishah until recently, uncle?”

Kemal’s face contorted as he glared at the middle-aged man who spoke.

“You brat, didn’t I tell you not to speak carelessly? Go handle your own business.”

“Yes, my apologies, uncle.”

As he watched the cunningly smiling Piri retreat, Kemal sighed.

Having had him under his command for over twenty years, he often found him irksome except for matters of cartography.

After Piri left, Shemshi chuckled at Kemal’s embarrassed expression.

“You’ve certainly had a hard time, and it’s understandable to want a break. Still, you’d rather not be soaking your bread in hot qahwa than having no time at all, right?”

Wet bread soaked in coffee.

That was the most fitting description of the capital’s bureaucrats.

At least if they could soak their bread in coffee, it would be somewhat fortunate; the bureaucrats of the capital were struggling with time to the point of making bread from coffee.

Shemshi redirected the conversation, which had momentarily gone off course.

“When the situation isn’t fully grasped, we must push. We don’t have time to waste on such a small city.”

Just as Shemshi finished speaking, the guard’s voice reached them.

– A Portuguese scout ship! An enemy scout ship is spotted!

Feeling the urgency and excitement at the guard’s words, Murad fidgeted, and Shemshi chuckled at Murad’s reaction.

“There’s no need to worry so much. After all, there’s no chance for the prince to make a move.”

Both Kemal and Shemshi received one command from Yusuf.

Overwhelming firepower.

To show such overwhelming dominance that the East could not raise its head before the Empire.

This was their mission.

*

Georgo Lopes de Secqueira, the Governor of India, spent anxious hours.

It had been quite a while since Vasco had left. Even if there were no reinforcements, an answer regarding the results should have come back by now.

They were having a hard time, but the homeland should have the means to relay news through the Persian Gulf more swiftly.

He couldn’t know whether Vasco had arrived safely at the homeland or had failed to persuade the king.

And he had no way of knowing whether things were going well with Charles V, the king of Spain, which only left him increasingly anxious.

‘If we have to face the Ottomans without any support…’

Every time he thought of that, it haunted him in his dreams.

Georgo, pondering daily whether to abandon the Persian Gulf region and retreat to India, was breathless when his aide rushed in.

“G-Governor! The Ottoman navy is advancing towards us!”

Upon hearing this news, Georgo’s mind raced, thinking that the time had finally come, and he jumped up from his seat.

“What’s the enemy’s scale? How large is the enemy fleet?”

“…According to the scout ship’s report, it’s twice the size of our fleet.”

“What types of ships?!”

In naval battles, the type of vessels in a fleet mattered more than their numbers.

Georgo clung to a glimmer of hope, but the response he received was devastating.

“Most are karaks, sir.”

Even among karaks, the differences in tonnage are vast, but if all the enemy ships were small karaks, their strength would still be inferior.

Georgo bolted out of the room, and commanders, busy preparing for war, rushed towards him.

“Governor! What shall we do?!”

“Wouldn’t it be better to make a stand here?!”

“If we’re not careful, we’ll be trapped and annihilated! No matter how defensible it is, how long do you think we can hold out?!”

Georgo silenced the bickering commanders by raising a hand.

“Enough! Prepare to set sail!”

Surrounded by rocky islands and mountains, Muscat was a defensive stronghold, but it could also end up like a caged rat.

They must never forget that they were deep in enemy territory, far from their homeland.

Following Georgo’s judgment, the commanders dispersed to prepare for departure, and as Georgo returned to his quarters to set sail, he clenched his fists.

“In the worst case…”

Georgo’s resolve settled coldly in his gaze.

*

Where the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea meet.

In Omani waters, two fleets faced each other, the Ottoman fleet and the Portuguese fleet spread their wings as if ranking the birds of prey.

“A commendable effort.”

Kemal scoffed.

No matter how hard they squirmed to avoid being besieged, a scale difference of over double made any struggle pointless.

As the lined-up Ottoman fleet began to encircle them, the Portuguese fleet hastily turned to the side.

Revealing the lined-up side, the Portuguese fleet opened fire.

-Boom! Bang!

“Admiral! The lower deck bombardment preparations have been completed.”

“Not yet. Wait a bit longer.”

The enemy’s stray shells created splashes, but Kemal didn’t blink an eye.

Soon, the order was relayed to keep the cannons on the lower deck down, while the enemy hurriedly bombarded the approaching Ottoman troops.

-Crack!

As a distant enemy cannonball smashed against their railing, the signalman, receiving Kemal’s gesture, waved the flag high.

With creaking sounds, the ship tilted and altered course, revealing its cannon ports densely punctured to face the enemy.

-Fire!

With a barely audible voice, the cannons fired, and gray smoke billowed up.

Cannons from nearly seventy ships unleashed a catastrophic barrage.

Excluding the duds, over a thousand cannonballs rained down on the Portuguese fleet.

“Gahhh!”

The shock from being hit caused the ship to lurch violently, and a soldier stumbled overboard, but there was no time to worry about that.

-Bang!

-Fire! There’s a fire!

Not only were holes torn through the deck, but the cannons, which were just about to fire, were struck and exploded.

The ship engulfed in black smoke teetered and sank slowly, while soldiers who didn’t want to share the same fate as their ship jumped into the sea.

Watching a comrade turned to a bloody mess from a cannonball, the Portuguese soldiers shook as they fulfilled their duty.

-Crack!

It was a melee.

The main mast of the Portuguese ship that was hit splintered and crashed into the sea, and the waters were filled with debris, bodies, and drifting soldiers.

Despite both sides battling fiercely, the tide was swiftly turning in favor of the Ottomans.

Bang!

With the firing of the rear cannons pushing back, they got stuck on a rope, causing a sudden halt, and the soldiers moved quickly.

“Load faster! Load!”

They hurriedly cleared the debris stuck in the cannon muzzle and stuffed in gunpowder and cannonballs.

Even with just one extra rope added, the difference between losing three to four meters of momentum and just forty to fifty centimeters was immense.

The loading was completed at least a half-ship faster, and as the already outnumbered Portuguese fleet fell behind in loading speed, it quickly crumbled.

Kugugugung!

-Aaaah!

As another ship with a hole in its bottom sank beneath the waves, Georgo slammed his fist down on the railing.

“Damn it! What kind of sorcery is this?!”

Seeing the enemy’s loading speed was too fast, Georgo’s aide shouted.

“Governor! At this rate, we’ll all be dead! We must withdraw!”

What had once been nearly thirty ships had already seen six sink, with more than nine heavily damaged.

In contrast, the Ottoman fleet had only lost one ship.

Georgo, with bloodshot eyes glaring at the enemy, issued the order.

“Wave the yellow flag and the blue flag together.”

“Governor! Are you really planning to abandon our forces?!”

This retreat order only applied to five ships in the rear, including the flagship, and Georgo grabbed the aide by the collar as he protested.

“To get away, someone has to sacrifice their life! Are you offering yourself?!”

The aide bowed his head, unable to speak in retort to Georgo’s growl, and soon two flags flew in the air.

It was a ruthless betrayal, using their forces as bait.

*

“Still moving like a filthy cockroach to the end.”

Murad glared at the sea with vexation.

As some of the enemy, including the flagship, retreated, he could clearly see the remaining ships floundering.

This wasn’t at least the promised movements.

“What can they do with just five ships? Even if they escape, it’s just prolonging their lives a bit.”

With the Empire blocking the west, there was no way they could return to their homeland.

“More important than those matters is what lies ahead.”

As the sound of thunderous cannon fire gradually subsided, Shemshi unfurled a map.

“From now on, it’s a race against time. The Portuguese have retreated, so the land without a master belongs to the one who takes it first.”

Muscat, Bahrain, Goa, Malacca—territories occupied by the Portuguese must be absorbed by the Ottomans.

Only then could they use it as a foothold for Eastern trade.

Of course, the original owners would clamour for their return.

‘If they didn’t want that, they shouldn’t have let the Portuguese take it in the first place.’

If they didn’t want to be slapped by cannon fire, they should stay quietly where they were.

It was like chasing away the fox, only to have the lion arrive.