I Became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire

---

#29. It’s Time to Step Up (2)

Plagues, along with wars, are matters that draw deep concern from the state.

Even if one is captured in war, powerful people can still pay their ransom and be freed. Illness, however, is one of the few elements that threatens their lives.

As much as they value their own lives, they have no choice but to pay attention.

Moreover, plagues cause immense financial losses.

A city struck by plague cannot function properly, to the point where not only do they fail to collect taxes, but they also have to provide support. Maintaining lockdowns, dispatching doctors, and controlling the tumultuous public sentiment all require money.

‘If the plague is in the city, that’s fortunate in a way.’

‘Oh dear, if a plague strikes during wartime…’

A military commander would be horrified at the mere mention of plague.

In wartime, maintaining sanitary conditions is impossible, and an army traveling through the world in dirty states is literally a bundle of germs.

With large-scale armies always on the move, all kinds of diseases lurk, often leading to disastrous defeats in crucial battles due to plagues.

Naturally, letters from Trabzon went straight to the Divan, the parliament of the Ottoman Empire.

“There’s a preventative measure for smallpox. Have you heard anything, Minister of Finance?”

In response to the Grand Vizier’s inquiry about the letter’s contents, the Finance Minister responsible for the Asian region shook his head.

“As you can see from the methods outlined, this isn’t a matter requiring financial support. It’s something that can certainly be attempted at the sanjak level.”

Although the position of Finance Minister seemed impressive, it wasn’t a role with considerable power.

As long as taxes were paid faithfully, there was no way to intervene in the affairs of the sanjakbey with autonomy.

“Then it appears none of us were aware of this beforehand.”

The Grand Vizier glanced at a distinguished guest specially invited to the meeting.

An old man with white hair and beard, he was a respected scholar and physician.

“Onoor Effendi, how credible is this letter’s content?”

“It’s hard to believe the information.”

Onoor, who had received the letter’s contents beforehand, began his remarks on a negative note.

“Smallpox is a disease that, once contracted, does not reinfect. Consequently, there have been light discussions about intentionally contracting it for prevention.”

“And?”

“It was dismissed as nonsense. Intentionally getting sick to avoid a disease is absurd. It’s also a way to kill a healthy person.”

Those assembled at the meeting nodded as if they understood.

“In contrast, cowpox is not a dangerous disease for those who contract it. However, using it to prevent smallpox seems unbelievable.”

“Does this mean it’s a lie?”

While one would naturally expect a negative response, Onoor shook his head.

“It’s too early to dismiss it as a lie; there’s already been practical verification in the Circassian region. The claim that they ended the plague in just two months signifies that there’s likely effectiveness—assuming, of course, the content of the letter is true.”

“That’s something we can only confirm by checking directly.”

Though the words were said, the likelihood of it being false seemed slim.

No matter how much the princes would go to great lengths to gain the Sultan’s attention, speaking such a blatant lie would only backfire.

Those who had considered this were left deep in thought.

‘If this is true, supporters for Yusuf the Prince might emerge.’

‘Though Trabzon is quite distant, the Sultan may still call for him.’

While still in the realm of speculation, one thing was certain.

This situation would solidify Yusuf’s recognition as a legitimate heir.

That alone was enough to surpass the Grand Vizier’s capacity to handle matters in the Divan.

“This needs to be brought to the attention of the Padishah.”

With that, the Grand Vizier made a decision, and the news quickly reached the Sultan, who was out at war.

*

Having conquered Modon and Coron, the Sultan thought he had secured the upper hand, yet his mood had soured significantly.

Suddenly, Spain intervened and took over Cephalonia Island, blocking the path to Venice.

The bigger problem was the uncertainty of when other Western nations might decide to intervene.

“What about the captured prisoners?”

“Why ask about those who couldn’t even do their job? Let them be.”

The Sultan had no intention of paying ransoms for the defeated, responding coldly as he reviewed news that had come from the capital.

Most of it was unremarkable.

After starting with praises for the Sultan, the usual mundane tales he had grown tired of during his time in the palace filled the bulk, but one document drew his attention as he monotonously flipped through.

“A boy named Ismail, who follows a Shiite path, has won a victory in battle.”

Even just seeing it in writing confirmed a great success, yet it was hard to think that this would topple the White Sheep Dynasty.

If Yusuf hadn’t given him prior warning, he likely wouldn’t have been concerned at all.

The Sultan fiddled with the silver coins gifted to him by Yusuf.

“I wonder if you’ll be right this time as well.”

Though he had taken a hit from Spain, at least up until now, the Ottomans had the upper hand.

Moreover, as Yusuf predicted, the Shiites were gaining ground in the east, naturally piquing his interest.

As the Sultan continued handling the documents, another mention of Yusuf caught him by surprise.

“There’s a way to prevent smallpox?”

A remarkable achievement, but hard to believe. Even a Sultan, hearing all sorts of news, found this to be a first.

Even if it were true, it was something that could shake the line of succession, so perhaps it would be wiser to keep it under wraps.

After some hesitation, the Sultan’s gaze fell on the flawed silver coin, and he made a resolution.

“There’s no need to stop a child struggling to survive.”

A minor whim.

“Let’s see if your words hold true this time.”

An order was quickly dispatched to implement it from the outskirts of the empire, and thus the prince, who had been out of everyone’s attention, suddenly entered the center of the succession dispute.

*

“That hardheaded human. What’s wrong with being an engineer?”

Kadiin Omer Effendi was a rather hardheaded man.

He had once claimed that he would rather send his precious son to become a surgeon than see him become a mere technician.

“How can you say you’ll make your son a surgeon?”

Had his companion Sinan been there, he might have vomited blood over such statements, but Yusuf actually thought that being a technician would be a hundred times better than becoming a surgeon.

Surgeons in this era primarily did amputations. Without any anesthetics whatsoever.

To lessen the pain, they either asphyxiated the patient halfway or resorted to alcohol or opium, but the effects were insufficient.

It was no wonder that some patients would commit suicide upon hearing they required surgery.

For a surgeon to wrestle with a patient in agony was no easy task, especially without the comfort of sobriety.

‘You can tell just by looking at Sinan, who isn’t normal.’

From carrying around surgical instruments that resembled weapons, it was already a lost cause.

Anyway, having assured that he would send someone to study in the capital, making Yahya into a technician was, in essence, a failure.

Yusuf spread out the blueprints for the firearms he had designed on his desk.

The designs he had shown Yahya were only a minuscule part. It was just the matchlock gun.

“Anyway, matchlock guns are already in existence.”

The matchlock, the precursor to the arquebus used in Japan, had already been introduced in Hungary.

To be honest, even just introducing matchlock guns would be usable for a hundred years, but they had many inconveniences compared to those that would come later on.

‘You have to keep twirling the fuse not to let it go out, and if it’s windy while loading, the priming powder blows away.’

The term matchlock referred to the fuse, and while heading into battle, they had to keep spinning it around to prevent the flame from going out.

‘It would be hilarious to see a whole bunch doing that.’

Because of the inconvenience, skip forward a bit and the next thing to come out were firearms using flint.

These guns would be in use for a long time, even through the American Civil War.

“The problem is that after firing a few dozen rounds, you need to replace the flint, and it’s disgustingly expensive.”

It’s no wonder that apart from the then-superpower Britain, nobody could even practice shooting due to costs.

For Yusuf, even guns using flint were still unappealing, and to move past flint, various chemicals needed to be concocted.

“I can’t do this. Whether an engineer or a chemist, I need someone to work on it.”

The best option was to throw out the basic sources and let someone else do the hard work.

“I wish I could kidnap an alchemist from Europe.”

Alchemy wasn’t solely about making gold for money.

Many believed that producing the perfect metal, gold, would also perfect their souls and thus faced persecution from Christianity, their infidels.

There was no group more skilled at mixing substances than alchemists, so his desire to kidnap one wasn’t irrational.

Yusuf tapped on the table where the blueprints lay.

“Either way, it might not be usable when fighting Ismail.”

Even if Trabzon’s engineers were to churn out guns, obtaining gunpowder wouldn’t be easy.

The west would be consuming gunpowder vigorously, and even acquiring it would only be enough for a few dozen people at best.

With that few people using guns, it’d be better to shoot arrows.

Moreover, there might be a headache if Ismail became aware of the usefulness of gunpowder.

“Guns are not something I’ll use when facing Ismail.”

He planned to use them to bond with his brothers and build a reputation.

In the eyes of an Ottoman prince, there were only dead brothers who were good.

Once he overcame Ismail, an opportunity would arise to put lead into Selim’s head.

Yusuf safeguarded the blueprints and returned to his work when Shamsi arrived.

“I have a message from the capital.”

As Shamsi handed him the paper, his face, which was usually devoid of expression, showed a glimmer of excitement and Yusuf received the paper that elicited a reaction from him.

– By the order of the Padishah, the name of Shezade Yusuf will be associated with the implementation of cowpox vaccination in the outskirts of the empire.

The letter’s contents were astonishing, but the ambiguous reward being thrust before him was also considerable.

[Implementation of Cowpox Vaccination, Points +30]

…Is the system finally losing it?

Thirty points was too high for merely implementing something. Usually, such policies had points awarded based on their results.

With that many points, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he were destined to die of smallpox.

As Yusuf stared in surprise, Shamsi nodded in agreement.

“It’s remarkable. Given that the name of the prince is attached, success would bring great fame, but on the flip side, failure means forfeiting the right to succession.”

“The method is solid, so no worries there.”

Smallpox was the first disease eradicated by human hands, so there was no need for concern.

For whatever reason, the Sultan had given him a great opportunity, which was a good thing.

More importantly, he was puzzled as to why the system bestowed so many points, and as Yusuf pondered repeatedly, he realized the reason.

‘The cowpox vaccination can change not just the population, but the climate as well.’

One might question how smallpox could influence climate change, but history proved to be more unbelievable than fiction.

Currently, in America, there were around 60 million people, which was 10% of the world’s population, whereas, at the time of colonization, Europe’s population plummeted to 6 million.

That was a 9% global population evaporation.

As a result, the land equivalent to France reverted to forests and grasslands, increasing plant life and reducing carbon dioxide levels.

In contrast to global warming, temperatures dropped, opening the doors to the Little Ice Age.

‘And smallpox was the leading cause of death for most Americans.’

Of course, the causes of the Little Ice Age remain unknown, and saying it started due to smallpox is merely one theory, but the fact that it lowered temperatures remains true.

‘This is absurd.’

Just by spreading a vaccination, the ripple effects were beyond the realms of prediction.

Yusuf couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.