I Became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire

＃10화. 시대의 흐름 속에서(1)

Yusuf, who was looking out of the carriage, turned his head toward Hasan, who was riding with him.

“Why are we suddenly going to the slave market?”

He smiled at Hasan, who looked like a ghost.

It was so obvious on his face that he could tell exactly what Hasan was thinking without even needing to guess his emotions.

“Don’t get your hopes up. I’m not going to sell you. I’d rather kill you than sell you.”

“I-I swear I wasn’t thinking that! Please believe me!”

“Just kidding, just kidding.”

Hasan was trembling so much that it seemed he couldn’t take it as a joke, but isn’t that the nature of a boss’s jokes?

That aside, it was time to evaluate just how useful Hasan really was.

“Hasan, as you already heard, I’m heading to Trabzon soon. But that place has been ruled by Brother Selim for quite some time. What do you think is the biggest issue?”

“…The followers still remaining, I suppose.”

There we go, our Hasan is indeed a useful slave.

“So what’s the solution?”

“……”

Hasan turned into a mute with a mouth full of honey.

Cold sweat dripped from his half-bare forehead, and his hands trembled.

‘If he sighs once, he might faint!’

It was time to stop tormenting him.

I hadn’t even fully extracted the visceral fat yet, and if I pushed him too hard and he had a heart attack, that would be a loss.

“When you recall why our Empire operates devshirme, it’s not an easy matter.”

Devshirme refers to the system of forcibly recruiting boys to be raised as soldiers and bureaucrats.

It primarily targeted Christian boys from the Balkans, and those selected would convert to Islam, learn Ottoman Turkish, and receive various training.

The best performers would become direct appointees of the royal family or high officials, and those who excelled in military matters would become part of the regular cavalry, the Kapukulu Cavalry, or elite infantry, the Janissaries.

This system was introduced due to the Turkic nobility’s influence.

“As you know, factions created through devshirme serve to keep the Turkic nobility opposing the Sultan in check while reinforcing the Sultan’s authority.”

“So does that mean we should also use devshirme to build our own loyal forces?”

“Are you insane? Two people who tried to recruit falsely in Trabzon had their hands cut off. Do you want to end up like that?”

Even dogs growl when you disturb their food bowl. Touching the Sultan’s food might cost you a hand.

“And I don’t have the luxury to raise people right now. That’s why your life is still intact.”

If I had that much luxury, Fatima, who felt betrayed after all those years together, would have turned Hasan into “Hot” and “Mountain” and fed him to the dogs.

In this era, the fact that traitors die without torture was considered fortunate.

Yusuf clicked his tongue at the pale-looking Hasan and stood up when the carriage finally stopped.

“This means I need loyal forces. Ideally, they should be able to be mobilized immediately as fighting forces. I came to the slave market to confirm that potential.”

According to his plan, he had to face Ismail I within three years and needed to gather forces before that.

The loyal crowd that greeted Yusuf as he got out of the carriage was massive.

Having arrived by carriage amidst this crowd was like causing a scene while driving a car on the street, but no one dared to complain, even in the presence of the fierce guards.

Of course, this crowd was not gathered to buy slaves.

Even the cheapest of slaves would be considered luxury imports in modern terms, so ordinary people wouldn’t even think about it.

“Is that the textile market over there?”

“That’s correct. It was established by the conqueror Mehmet II.”

Don’t mistake a textile market for a local market.

It was a luxury mall selling expensive fabrics, jewelry, and relics, a gathering place for all merchants coming to the capital.

Thanks to that, the commercial area, including the slave market, was intricately established and was so crowded that there was hardly a space to step.

‘I don’t have any money for luxury goods, so I’m not even thinking about browsing.’

If I had that money, I wouldn’t even bother using Hasan for a diet.

I wasn’t particularly interested in luxury goods, but becoming a Sultan meant I could play with jewels and use gold for dominoes, so I had no lingering attachments.

“Let’s go in.”

Yusuf led the way into the large building marked Esir Pazarı, meaning the slave market.

The guards glared fiercely to prevent any riffraff from entering without the ability to buy slaves, but no fool dared to stop Yusuf, who came in with his entourage.

Stepping into the slave market for the first time, Yusuf felt a cultural shock.

It felt like the first time seeing adult content in life, if I had to describe it?

Of course, that didn’t mean I started feeling sexual desire.

Slaves, regardless of gender or age, weren’t even properly clothed, and beside them stood merchants hawking their goods and customers haggling loudly.

Merchants would shove their hands into mouths to show off their teeth and rummage through the bodies, explaining just how good of a slave they were, treating the other party strictly as merchandise.

Of course, having seen heads that were beheaded because of their fault, he didn’t harbor any poor sympathy for the slaves.

‘It’s just the nature of this era, I suddenly realized.’

Although I could say it’s odd to realize this now while using Hasan as a slave, honestly, isn’t it easy to see people being treated like slaves even in modern times?

Even if it isn’t the slavery scandal that comes up on the news every so often, I can’t say that the labor intensity of a modern worker ground to dust by overtime is definitely better than the slaves being sold here.

‘Slaves sold in the capital wouldn’t be used for extreme jobs, so in comparison, it feels like living as a private soldier for life.’

Thinking this made it feel even more dreadful, but in any case, seeing the selling process firsthand felt different.

These slaves likely had a higher chance of outliving him, and with Yusuf’s memories, it didn’t take long to snap out of his emotions.

After a brief reflection, Yusuf thoroughly began to look around the slave market.

It wasn’t hard to distinguish between slave traders and customers.

Customers wore expensive fabrics and adorned themselves with luxurious accessories as if to flaunt their wealth.

Among those who would equate to landlords in Gangnam, Yusuf stood out distinctly.

Not merely because he had a lot of guards, but because every movement he made exuded elegance.

Yusuf subtly felt the gaze pouring in, but he didn’t pay it much mind.

‘As long as I’m alive, that’s all that matters.’

I’d been through too many spectacular events over the past few days to be sensitive to mere gazes.

Yusuf stopped in front of a slave.

“How much for this slave?”

It was a robust black slave.

Just looking at the muscles on his body made it clear he could put up a fight.

“You have a discerning eye for a worthy gentleman. It’s only 80 ducats.”

“That’s expensive.”

80 ducats amounts to 4,800 akçe, a sum that would take an ordinary person over four years of saving just to breathe.

He must have quoted high to initiate haggling, but considering that the cheapest slaves included disabled ones and blacks, it was still expensive.

“Don’t think of it that way. If you find something inconvenient about what’s hanging down below, we can cut it off for you. I have connections with craftsmen who create eunuchs for the palace, so you don’t need to worry. How about I leave half?”

At this remark, the slave, who had been standing like a statue, flinched.

The necessity for eunuchs was acknowledged.

While they might not stop eunuchs from playing with the queen and concubines, they at least had to prevent someone else’s child from inheriting the throne.

That would be a cuckoo taking over the nest.

But having the perverse hobby of cutting things off when unnecessary wasn’t on my agenda, and Yusuf waved his hand.

“No, that’s fine. More importantly, I have something to ask.”

Even though the trading failed, the merchant maintained a sales smile.

Just looking at the guards surrounding me indicated my unordinary status.

“Do you happen to have any Circassians among the slaves here?”

This was the reason I directly came here.

Circassians were a people living near Sochi in Russia along the Black Sea coast, often likened to Ukrainians being viewed as a nation of beauties.

So much so that in the future, both the Ottoman Empire and the Safavid Empire’s harems were filled with Circassian women, and they were described as attractive beauties in various Russian literature.

Because of this fantasy, they became a nation severely hunted for slavery, so much so that in the end, some even converted to Islam from Christianity to avoid being caught.

‘But I’m not interested because of their beauty.’

Walking on thin ice, is beauty really my concern now?

My interest in Circassians stemmed from their fame as elite cavalry known as Mamluks in the Mamluk dynasty.

‘Even if they aren’t Mamluks, they still managed to win against the mighty Timur Empire in wars, so they are born as brave warriors.’

If I could enlist them on my side, that would mean having trusty allies.

“Oh, you mean Circassians? As luck would have it, we have some. You’re quite fortunate.”

With a bright smile, the merchant led Yusuf to where the Circassian slave he was looking for stood.

However.

“Behold. Beautiful blond hair, translucent skin, and green eyes. This is the perfect face of a Circassian beauty. Contrary to what’s known, the typical hair color is usually dark, so it’s tough to find someone like this.”

The problem was that the individual right in front of him looked like she could barely be a middle schooler.

As the merchant said, with such looks, this girl shouldn’t be sold in a slave market, but rather presented as a gift to the Sultan’s harem or high officials as a concubine, but the issue was that he wasn’t here to find a woman.

Before Yusuf could speak again, a sharp voice rang out.

“Filthy scum. Trash not even worth feeding to horses.”

It was an insult, but upon hearing the slave speak fluent Ottoman Turkish, he asked the merchant.

“Is she really a Circassian? I thought they had their own language.”

“I learned this language by eavesdropping for two months just to curse.”

If that was true, it meant she was quite sharp.

Although there was no intention to buy a female slave, if she was this smart, it might be worth considering.

“What’s your name?”

“I won’t share my name with a bloodline destined for hell like you!”

Hearing this, Hasan’s face turned ashen.

She openly insulted the Sultan’s bloodline. If she knew who he was, it wouldn’t be surprising if she were subjected to a gruesome punishment.

However, Yusuf smiled as if he hadn’t heard the insult.

“You shouldn’t say things like that. It’s like spitting in your own face.”

“…What?”

As the girl expressed her confusion through her hostility, Yusuf gently curved his shiny green eyes toward her.

“Half of me shares the same bloodline as you.”

Her eyes widened as if she had just heard a hidden secret from a morning drama.