LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 191
A Great Negotiator (2)
Charles V gripped his wine goblet tightly.
A severe headache throbbed in his temples as nausea settled within him, accompanied by phantom voices ringing in his ears.
“Your Majesty! The coalition forces attacking Rome have been annihilated!”
He thought it was nonsensical.
The one shouting in a trembling voice seemed to mock him with falsehood.
No, at least he wished that were the case. However, the news that followed shortly served to remind him of the chilling reality.
“The French Army is marching toward Milan! The Duke of Milan has requested assistance!”
“The Principality of Ferrara has been occupied by the Republic of Venice!”
“…The Ottomans have captured Málaga and Gibraltar.”
With no good news in sight, he wished to become deaf from the incessant bad news.
The meaningless remarks of the ministers hastily assembled seemed to blame him for his incompetence in causing the current situation.
It was from this point onwards that he began to shut himself away in his room. He preferred not to see or hear anything.
But Charles finally stepped out of his room after quite some time.
“Well, what do you have to say?”
In response to Charles’ bloodshot eyes and sarcastic inquiry, the envoy from Portugal bowed his head.
“Oh, we’ve arrested and punished all the monks who insulted the Ottoman Padishah.”
“Ah, well done indeed. And what else?”
“They say they will summon an army to oppose the Ottomans. About twenty thousand can be supported.”
Given that the route to India was blocked and Portugal had already experienced a major earthquake, even twenty thousand was an overestimation.
“When will this be possible?”
“It will take about four months until we can set out…”
“Did you just say four months?! Should we just ask the infidels who have occupied our harbor to wait for four months?!”
The envoy, struck by the thrown goblet, collapsed, blood oozing from his forehead, and Charles marched toward him.
Gripping the envoy by the collar, rage surged through Charles.
“Why should I be the one to suffer for the mess you all created! Do you think I’m unaware of how you intentionally let Yusuf be insulted?!”
The incident that triggered this war was his shallow judgment to soothe the restless public.
In fact, it was Portugal that caused problems, yet Charles felt Spain bore the brunt of the damages, clenching his fists tighter.
After all, the most wrong decision, the attack on Rome, was initiated by Charles’s will, but he needed something to blame.
“Your Majesty, please calm down.”
The ministers fidgeted nervously at the sight of Charles, who seemed ready to kill the envoy if unimpeded.
Killing the envoy wouldn’t spark war between the two countries, but friction between them was undesirable at a time when unity was crucial.
It was not the ministers wringing their hands that stopped Charles, who had been displaying signs of psychological instability.
– An urgent messenger has arrived from the south!
News of the Ottomans treading into the south.
It was easy to predict that it wasn’t good news, and though he wanted to avoid hearing it, the words spoken outside were different.
“Let it be known.”
The messenger who entered the hall presented the letter, and Charles hesitated slightly before unfolding it.
– Armed Muslims have pillaged Granada. Based on testimonies that they spoke fluent Castilian, they are presumed to be Mudéjars who have hidden in the mountains. The armed matchlocks are suspected to originate from the Ottoman army.
“Yusuf!”
Charles bellowed at the pitiful trickery.
*
Having won the siege in Rome, there was no longer any reason to stay there.
Yusuf returned to Constantinople with the escort that arrived later and saw the weary faces of his ministers.
“Have you been struggling all this while?”
“When I heard the plan, I should have protested harder. No official in the capital felt a sense of threat.”
Thinking back to when news reached the Ottomans that the coalition forces were gathering in Rome, Shemsi sighed.
The letters urging him to summon troops to rescue the Padishah were somewhat mild compared to the urgency of the situation.
When Yusuf was besieged by the coalition forces, there were even movements to remove officials who had put the Padishah’s welfare at risk.
“If the Janissary agha had heard of the Padishah’s plan in advance and had acted properly, the Janissaries might have revolted.”
“Surely that wouldn’t have happened.”
Of course, it could have.
The Janissaries were not typical Muslims but followers of Islamic mysticism, and Yusuf had corrupted that mysticism.
Many regarded Yusuf as equal to Muhammad, and if the commander had not interfered, they could have acted impulsively.
Yusuf, sipping coffee nonchalantly, shifted the topic.
“Murad has sent word. He claims they have distributed weapons per our plan.”
Even though two ports were nearly under blockade due to the enemy’s fleet, it wasn’t impossible to send letters.
When the Barbary Pirates pillaged the Spanish coastline, they often used local disguises to create inside support, so sending letters was manageable.
Upon hearing Yusuf’s words, Shemsi spoke with slight concern.
“While the Padishah is not wrong, I wonder if it will prove effective. It might be better to concentrate on defense with the materials instead.”
“Do you have any idea how many Muslims have their roots in the Iberian Peninsula?”
“I’ve heard that number is quite considerable.”
The Muslims residing in the Iberian Peninsula are called Moors, with a history stretching back nearly 800 years.
The population of the Emirate of Granada was predominantly Moorish, comprising about 250,000, and a third of Valencia’s population were converted Moriscos, indicating a significant population remained.
“Not only is that number large, but they also face a multitude of injustices. Carlos issued an edict banning the use of Arabic and Moorish attire, and Moriscos once paid 80,000 ducats to halt this edict for 40 years.”
Merely giving those who are accumulating grievances a slight nudge towards rebellion.
“If they do become bandits, opposing Carlos, it would be hard for him to choose to suppress them. This would only make him more anxious since his power is not as strong as mine.”
Unlike Yusuf, who could end lives at a whim as Grand Vizier, Charles’s position as King of Spain was not secure.
When he left Spain to vote on becoming Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, a rebellion nearly cost him Spain itself.
‘With ongoing failures casting doubt on his capabilities, no need to say more.’
Looking at the results, the label of “Antichrist” that Carlos had initially earned should rather be attached to him.
He played a significant role in the downfall of Christianity.
‘Antichrist Carlos. It would be amusing to spread this rumor in the West.’
In an already complicated era intertwined with the Reformation, predicting what kind of reactions such rumors might stir was challenging.
Having already attacked Rome twice, Christianity wouldn’t easily defend him, and Charles could very well collapse from high blood pressure.
“What mischievous thoughts have you got to be smiling like that?”
“Did it show?”
“It’s been a long time since we’ve spent days together, Padishah. When you wear such a smile, there are often memorable events tied to it.”
Recalling that time, Shemsi’s face darkened, and Yusuf merely smiled lightly.
He bore the responsibility of making his ministers dependent on coffee, so continuing the conversation would only be disadvantageous.
“Anyway, while they are nothing but bandits for now, if left unchecked, it could escalate to rebellion. It will provide enough motivation for Carlos to act urgently.”
“Then an envoy should arrive soon.”
To sort out the tangled web of issues, they first needed to resolve matters with the Ottomans.
The predictions of both were on point, and not long after, an envoy from Spain arrived, and Yusuf granted him an audience.
On the platform of the guillotine.
*
“You’ve come here without fear?”
“Y-Your Majesty?”
Seeing Yusuf sweep his hand over the guillotine with a fierce blade hanging there, the envoy took a step back.
Failing due to the firm grips of the two Janissaries around his arms.
“Why? It’s fine for you to try and kill me, but it’s not okay if I tried to kill you?”
The envoy glanced around with anxious eyes.
The door to the Janissary courtyard, typically open to regular subjects, was securely closed.
– Open the door! I have to kill them all!
– They are enemies of the Padishah! They must be killed immediately!
Though overwhelmed by the chaotic noise, it was clear from the angry shouts that it was a dangerous situation.
The problem was that the inside of the fortress was not safe either.
The Janissaries, who had lost comrades in the recent siege of Rome, were glaring at him with piercing eyes as if ready to take him up to the guillotine.
“The Padishah’s anger is justified, but please calm down for the sake of the Ottoman troops in dangerous places.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“These words are offered in light of your usual love for the subjects of the Empire, Padishah.”
“Your tongue still lives.”
At Yusuf’s scoff and a gesture, the envoy finally managed to gain some freedom.
Of course, the rest of the envoy team was still held at gunpoint, but at least he was grateful to have a chance to speak.
“The King wishes to stop this meaningless war and discuss matters now.”
“We can continue the war as it is.”
“Think of Prince Murad, who is at the port of Málaga. If the Kingdom puts forth all its might, it can reclaim the harbor.”
“Try to capture him if you can. He’s the type of person who would rather lose his life than be captured by the enemy.”
At Yusuf’s words, the envoy broke out in a cold sweat.
No matter how fortified the Ottomans have made Málaga, it could still be captured with pressure, but Murad was the reason that didn’t happen.
The offering of surrender echoed the same words Yusuf had just spoken.
‘If the prince dies, everything is truly over.’
Given that he was human, he would naturally value his own life more, wanting to dismiss it as mere bravado, but the members of the Ottoman royal family were all quite beyond the realm of commonsense.
The envoy, who had visited the Ottomans repeatedly, knew well enough to deny that notion quickly.
“I’m not threatening you. We can’t keep the prince in a dangerous place forever, can we?”
“With Murad, I wouldn’t be too worried, but you have a point.”
Given Yusuf’s attitude that allowed for dialogue, the envoy cautiously spoke up.
“Since both sides have suffered greatly, how about we end this here?”
“Let’s hear the conditions first.”
“I will recognize the rights to the territories you’ve occupied.”
For Spain, this was a decision made after much deliberation.
Losing Malta and Tunisia was a painful blow, but allowing even small ports to become Islamic strongholds in the Iberian Peninsula would not be something reached lightly.
It was a condition offered with significant backlash anticipated, yet Yusuf simply scoffed.
“Claiming to give up land already captured by the Empire is simply laughable.”
The envoy, taken aback by Yusuf’s disregard for his conditions, asked in a subdued voice.
“What conditions does the Padishah want then?”
“The cost for threatening my life must be paid. Three million ducats.”
The staggering sum momentarily clouded the envoy’s mind.
The amount Carlos had distributed to bribe the electors to become the Holy Roman Emperor was 850,000 ducats.
Before digging canals, Ottoman revenue was around nine million ducats, so the enormity of the demand was self-evident.
Demanding an amount equal to the national budget of considerable nations left the envoy flustered.
“That’s too excessive! I would choose war over that amount!”
Even though Carlos inherited a multitude of countries, he was not necessarily wealthy.
He couldn’t even afford to pay mercenaries properly, having to borrow money to bribe electors.
“Then we will continue the war.”
“…You will regret this. Our naval strength is actually greater on the side of the coalition, and England has decided to join us.”
“Is that so.”
While England may seem like a minor island nation, it could present a significant danger if their naval strength were added.
Even knowing the threat, Yusuf reacted calmly.
“I will watch how long that sentiment lasts.”
*
As negotiations faced deadlock, time slipped away mercilessly.
When the envoy saw the seasons change in Constantinople, a piece of news arrived in the capital.
“Your Majesty! Of the fleet that went east, fifty ships have reached Cairo!”
Upon hearing the report, Yusuf set down his coffee cup and inquired from the pale-faced envoy.
“And what was it you said would lead to regret?”
In that moment, the envoy felt the sky turn a sickly yellow.