The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 87 Osman’s Expectations
"Father, has the Emperor of Qi agreed to our request?" Seeing his father Celebi Muhammad getting off the carriage with a smile on his face, Said Muhammad took a step forward and gently supported him.

"Envoy, what did the Emperor of Qi say?" Mustafa Atatürk, the Ottoman Empire's minister to Qi, also looked at Celebi Muhammad with an earnest look.

"The Emperor of Qi agreed in principle to implement a package of assistance to our Ottoman Empire, including providing necessary military equipment and low-interest loans, as well as building a railway from Istanbul to Wallachia (today's southern Romania)." Celebi Muhammad said with a smile: "Moreover, Qi has conditionally agreed to sign a military mutual assistance contract with the empire to promote the purpose of a military alliance between the two countries."

"Great!" Said Muhammad excitedly clapped his hands and praised, "If we have strong military assistance from Qi, we will definitely have enough confidence to face the threats of Austria and Tsarist Russia!"

"Does Qi have the conditions to sign a mutual military assistance contract with the empire?" Mustafa Atatürk heard something unusual in Celebi Muhammad's words, "What conditions did they propose?"

"When a war breaks out in the empire, the people of Qi will not directly send combat troops to participate in the war. However, they are willing to provide the empire with more professional military guidance, as well as coastal defense, sea transportation of materials and personnel, and necessary merchant ship escort." Celebi Muhammad walked towards the embassy and said easily: "As for the conditions, it is nothing more than to obtain the tax rights of the entire Egypt and to build a railway connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. At the same time, Qi also hopes In the event of war with European countries, they can allow their armies to pass through Egypt and enter the Mediterranean without any authorization, as well as stop at ports along the Mediterranean coast of the empire and obtain supplies.”

"Is there any more?" Mustafa Atatürk frowned and continued to ask.

"They also hope that the empire will carry out in-depth changes in finance, taxation and the army, without any recurrence of policies due to changes in the political situation. The people of Qi are willing to help the empire establish a central bank and provide active and effective support for the empire's currency reform. Material and technical assistance... Oh, and one more thing, they hope that we can respect the territorial integrity of the Persian Safavid Empire. Well, that is, they require us to withdraw from the occupied Persian territory."

"Oh, these conditions don't seem to be very harsh. I personally think that His Majesty the Sultan and the Grand Vizier should agree to the conditions of the Qi people." Mustafa Atatürk breathed a sigh of relief.

Today, almost all of Egypt's economy and trade are infiltrated and controlled by Qi's commercial capital. The empire's granting of taxation rights to the people of Qi is actually of little significance. It is nothing more than indirect tax collection from the people of Qi. It turns into directly asking the people of Qi to pay additional taxes.

As for building a railway connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, it was probably for the people of Qi to increase the volume of goods passing through the border and to better expand commercial trade.Of course, this also has huge benefits for the empire. After all, as trade volume increases, taxation will naturally increase, which can contribute more wealth to the empire.

And lastly, if the Qi State breaks out a war with European countries and hopes to use Egypt to send their troops and use the Empire to rest and resupply at ports along the Mediterranean, it is very likely that the Empire will be dragged into a meaningless war. among.

Combined with the recent tense relations between Qi and Britain, Mustafa Atatürk has reason to believe that Qi is likely to be making diplomatic and military preparations for the upcoming war between Qi and Britain.

So, is the empire willing to offend Britain, a European maritime power, in order to obtain strong economic and military assistance from Qi?Perhaps only His Majesty the Sultan and the Grand Vizier of Istanbul can make the final decision.

In recent years, the Ottoman Empire, under the rule of the peace-loving Ahmed III, has greatly promoted the economic development of the empire through a series of reforms.Especially in terms of military reform, Sudan fully listened to the suggestions of many Qi officers, re-adjusted the organizational structure of the army, promoted a large number of officers with high military literacy, and effectively improved the combat effectiveness of the army.

In order to make up for the fiscal deficit and increase government revenue, the empire also strengthened foreign trade and encouraged the development of commerce and industry.The empire drew on the concepts of commodity economy and consumerism from Qi and Europe, and carried out drastic reforms in business. In addition to continuing to strengthen commercial cooperation with Qi, it also widely attracted businessmen from Europe and Asia to check and balance the increasing penetration. With the development of Qi's commercial capital, he vowed to rebuild the Ottoman Empire into an important trade center.

Perhaps in order to weaken the influence of the Qi State, the Ottoman Empire actively introduced European culture and scientific knowledge-nothing else, the Qi people just wanted to sell their industrial products and attack the fragile local handicraft industry of the empire. At the same time, they were also very " Stingyly restricting the introduction of various advanced industrial technologies and scientific knowledge - showing a certain degree of Europeanization and beginning to position itself as part of Europe.

Two years before Ahmed III succeeded to the throne, French King Louis XIV provoked the War of Spanish Succession.To this end, Louis XIV sent Ambassador de Ferriol to lobby the Ottoman Empire, trying to get the empire to form a military alliance with France, and urged the Ottomans to go to war against the Habsburgs in Hungary to provide military support to France.

However, the Empire did not want to get involved in this war between pagans and kill each other, and draw chestnuts from the fire for the French.The ruling class, including His Majesty the Sultan, was more willing to enjoy the pleasures of peace, especially as the war situation became increasingly unfavorable to France, and the empire became more reluctant to participate in the war.

However, although the empire was fortunate enough not to be involved in the European war, it did have a conflict with Russia in Moldavia.

In 1709, Tsarist Russia dramatically defeated King Carl XII of Sweden at the crucial Battle of Poltava.With the victory of Tsarist Russia in the Great Northern War, its power reached an unprecedented peak and began to covet the Ottoman Empire.

The defeated Swedish King Carl XII had no way to escape after his defeat and chose to take refuge in the Ottoman Empire.Originally, the Ottoman Empire was hesitant to accommodate Karl XII, fearing that such a move would offend Tsarist Russia and trigger a war between the two countries again.

However, under the strong persuasion of Qi's minister in Istanbul, who repeatedly emphasized that the enemy of his enemy is a potential ally, Sultan Ahmed III finally agreed to the asylum request of King Carl XII of Sweden and tried his best to return him to his country. Reset and provide active help.

As a result, the arrogant and rude Russians began to look for various opportunities to invade the Ottoman Empire and prepare to encroach on the Black Sea region.After the Great Northern War, Tsarist Russia has been encroaching on Ottoman border lands, harassing the tributary Crimean Khanate, and sending spies to incite rebellion in Moldavia.Soon, the Tsarist Russian army raided the area and captured a small group of Swedes who had taken refuge here.

In order to protect Karl XII, the empire sent a powerful force to Binjeli to protect him, and an armed conflict subsequently broke out with Tsarist Russia.When the Sultan and the Imperial Grand Vizier learned of Tsarist Russia's war actions, they were furious and the main militant faction demanded an immediate attack on Tsarist Russia.

In the end, the main war faction persuaded Sultan Ahmed III and declared war on Tsarist Russia with Qi's promise to provide corresponding military supplies. In 1711, the Sultan mobilized more than 5 Guards, New Army, and Sipaxi troops to Moldavia, and imprisoned Tolstoy, the envoy sent by Tsarist Russia, in the Seven Towers Prison. In mid-May, at the suggestion of the Qi Military Staff Group, the imperial army and the Crimean Khanate cavalry quickly crossed the Danube River and surrounded tens of thousands of hurriedly arriving Russian troops in Prussia with lightning speed. On the banks of the Tet River, Tsar Peter I was also trapped in the battle.

However, when the Military Staff of Qi State insisted on annihilating the Russian army at all costs, Damad Ali, the Grand Vizier of the Empire and the commander-in-chief of the army, actually agreed to the ceasefire and begged for peace from Tsarist Russia because he did not want to consume too many troops. Require.By July, the two sides signed the Prut Peace Treaty, which stipulated that Azov and its surrounding areas would be returned to the Ottoman Empire, the fortresses on Taganlog and the Dnieper River would be dismantled, and Karl XII would be allowed to return home safely through Russia.

Although the Battle of the Prut River did not completely wipe out the main force of the Russian army, it was definitely a battle of strategic significance. It not only changed the balance of power between the Ottoman Empire and Tsarist Russia, but also had a major impact on the political structure of Europe. Austria looked sideways.This battle also demonstrated that the Ottoman Empire's army could still explode into powerful combat effectiveness after some reforms and adjustments.

In the following years, the Ottoman Empire seemed to regain its former glory, achieving great victories on multiple fronts. In 1715, the Ottoman Empire attacked Venice and captured Corinth after a three-week siege.Next, the Ottoman army successively recaptured the Venetian-controlled fortresses including Morden, Coron and Navarino, and finally recaptured the entire Morea and nearby islands.

However, the following year the Ottoman Empire suffered heavy losses in a war with the Habsburgs. In 1716, the Ottoman army marched towards Belgrade again, but was defeated miserably by the famous European general Prince Eugen. Grand Vizier Damad Ali also died in the battle, and more than ten officers of the Qi State Staff and Observation Corps were lost in the battle.Moreover, Prince Eugen finally captured Belgrade, reversing the entire battlefield situation and causing Belgrade to fall into the hands of the Austrians again.

After the battle, Austria and the Ottoman Empire reached a peace treaty through the mediation of England and the Netherlands, which established the territorial boundaries of both parties.According to this peace treaty, Austria obtained territories such as Hungary and Serbia from the Ottoman Empire and established its dominance in southern Europe.The outcome of this war made the future of the Ottoman Empire in southern Europe unclear. It also made it impossible for the empire to expand spontaneously into Europe, and it was temporarily in a strategic defensive posture.

This dilemma led to another violent political turmoil within the Ottoman Empire. After Sultan Ahmed III purged officials and military generals, he settled in Sa'ad Abad, located deep in the Golden Horn, in the European spring. In the summer palace, you will be fascinated by the natural beauty of the birds singing, the fragrance of flowers, the shadows of trees and the waves of water.He left the affairs of state in the hands of his grand vizier, Daoud Ibrahim Pasha, who in turn initiated a new round of reforms.

Over the past 100 years, the Ottoman Empire seemed to have entered an endless reincarnation.Suffered a defeat on the European battlefield - started reform - the blood tank was filled again - launched a new round of war in Europe - encountered new setbacks - retreated to lick the wounds, restarted reform, slowly regained health - resurrected with full health After that, he continued to show his fangs...

After 1660, due to the continuous borrowing and lending from Qi State, the Ottoman Empire recovered much faster than before. It often took less than 20 years for the Ottoman Empire to recover into a "spiritual young man" after suffering heavy losses on the European battlefields. ", continuing to show off its solid and powerful muscles to European countries.

It stands to reason that after the disastrous defeat in Belgrade in 1715, although the Ottoman Empire was not lying in the "intensive care unit", it was at least "broken for a hundred days" and would have to rest at home for at least ten or twenty years before it could recover. We will heal our wounds and face the challenges of European countries again.

But the Ottomans received alarming news from Vienna. That was that the Austrians were colluding with the Russians and were preparing to sign a military alliance and mutual assistance contract against the Ottomans. It was reported that the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was also interested in joining. Attack on the Ottoman Empire.

In addition, two years ago, the Safavid dynasty of Persia was destroyed by the Afghans. The Ottoman army took advantage of the situation and invaded the hinterland of Persia last year (1723).The Russians also came to take advantage of the situation and captured large areas of territory in the southwest and south of the Caspian Sea.This caused strong uneasiness in the Ottoman Empire, which was preparing to expand its power in the Caspian Sea and Caucasus.Although the empire united Qi and France to put pressure on Russia and threatened the Russians with war to withdraw from the Caucasus, Peter I refused.

Under such circumstances, the Ottoman Empire suddenly found itself facing military threats from several directions from Russia, Austria, and Poland, and the situation was extremely unfavorable.

Initially, the Ottoman government sent envoys to France to seek a military offensive and defensive alliance to jointly fight the Austrians, but Louis XV declined.

In desperation, the Ottoman Empire had no choice but to turn to its consistent "friend" - Qi, hoping to receive strong support from Qi.They also know that although Qi's navy is relatively powerful, its army is relatively small, and they probably cannot expect Qi people to send troops for reinforcements.

But it doesn't matter, your Qi country only needs to provide money and supplies. The rest of the work of killing people can be done by us Ottoman warriors ourselves.

Before leaving, the special envoy of the Ottoman Empire, Çelebi Muhammad, received ardent instructions from the Grand Vizier. In addition to trying his best to obtain military assistance from Qi, he was also asked to "visit fortresses, factories and various products of Qi civilization." , come back and tell me which ones can be used for us."

For this reason, Celebi Muhammad deliberately brought his most trustworthy son Said with him when he visited, taking the opportunity to increase his knowledge and prepare for his future entry into the center of the empire.Said was also one of the first Ottomans in the empire to learn Chinese. After he arrived in Hanzhou, he seemed to have seen a new world. Whether it was science, technology, culture, art, or social features, the young man was shocked.He also saw that some women "enjoy the same social status as men and can work and study according to their own wishes, and can go wherever they want." He expressed great surprise and appreciation for this.

In the accompanying memo, Said raised a series of questions: "Why did the once extremely weak Qi State become so powerful? Why did those Christian countries that were far less powerful than the True God countries dominate more and more countries during this period? Land, and even defeated the once invincible Ottoman army several times?”

Of course, through careful thinking, the young Ottoman also came up with what he thought was the correct answer, "All true believers should immediately wake up from their careless slumber. We must open our eyes to observe and understand advanced technology." Everything in the country, as well as our European opponents, must be foresighted and familiar with the new ways of doing things, organizational structures, strategies, tactics, and military affairs of Qi people and Europeans.”

He also emphasized that the empire should build a large number of schools like Qi State to increase the scientific knowledge of the imperial subjects.As devout believers in the True God, we cannot let ignorance cover our eyes. We must take the initiative to learn geographical knowledge to broaden our military and political horizons, and study nautical charts to understand and discover the new world.

He even suggested that the Empire should learn from their Russian neighbors, because their Tsar Peter I “brought in experts from foreign countries who were proficient in various scientific knowledge, trusted them unreservedly, reused them, and relied on their advice and recommendations. and helped transform Tsarist Russia’s army.”

We Ottomans have always been known for our strict observance of law and order, far surpassing other peoples in this regard.If we can learn new military science and technology, our empire will be unstoppable.

(End of this chapter)