Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2132

On December 1690, 12, sunny, in a villa hidden in greenery on the outskirts of Istanbul, Fahir Mustafa, the third imperial prime minister of the Koprulu family, was having talks with the newly appointed East Coast ambassador Sheng Dehong .

Fashir Mustafa is the younger brother of the former Grand Vizier Fashir Ahmed, and before him, an adopted son of the Koprulu family (not Kara Mustafa, He was executed after the Battle of Vienna), but this prince was questioned by many people because of his indecisiveness in dealing with the rebel soldiers, because Fahir Mustafa Koprulu took office in a hurry and became The helm of the big ship of Ottoman Turkey also shoulders the important task of supporting the family and rebuilding its glory.

To be honest, after so many years of glory in the Ottoman political arena, the Koprulu family has already shown obvious signs of decline.Kara Mustafa led the army to attack Vienna and failed, which almost shook the foundation of the entire Koprulu family.That is to say, their family has been operating locally and centrally for many years, and their roots are deep, so they can bear it.

But after passing this level, it doesn't mean it's over. In fact, everything has just begun.From 1684 to 1690, for six or seven years, the Ottoman Empire was almost always in precarity.They fought against the Austrians in Hungary, against the many German allies in Bosnia and Serbia, against the Poles in Western Ukraine, Moldavia, Podolia (provinces previously ceded by Poland to the Ottomans), against Russia in Azov and the Don Valley In addition, at sea, they were attacked and blocked by the fleet called by the Pope from Italy. They fought almost everywhere and every day, and the country was once on the verge of collapse.

During these difficult years, the Ottoman Turkish Empire not only faced heavy external pressure, but internally, they also experienced crisis after crisis.The first is the serious economic problems caused by war conscription. There is a serious shortage of labor in the countryside. Only the elderly, young children and women are left to manage agriculture and animal husbandry. The once affluent Rumili area has experienced serious food shortages and rising prices. The empire's agriculture and handicrafts were greatly damaged.

Secondly, the soldiers who escaped from the front line for various reasons wreaked havoc in the countryside. Some even joined the bandits and robbed local and state treasuries, causing great chaos to the civil order.As for the soldiers stationed in various towns, the number was seriously insufficient because they were transferred to the front lines. They were generally owed more than one year of military pay, not to mention their enthusiasm. It is really difficult to expect them to counter the rebellion.

Fourth, the imperial sultan Muhammad IV was deposed by the ministers and the imam.The reason was that he still spent most of his time hunting or having fun in the harem during the difficult times of the empire, and did not perform his duties well, so he was deposed by the Grand Imam in the Hagia Sophia Mosque.The sultan himself and his son were imprisoned in the harem, and the second son of Sultan Ibrahim succeeded to the throne as Suleiman II.

Suleiman II faced a series of complicated situations after he succeeded to the throne.First of all, he is not a qualified monarch. At the same time, he is worried about being assassinated by the remnants of Muhammad IV, so he hides in the palace most of the time, and throws the affairs to his prime minister, Grand Vizier Fahir Muhammad. Staffa Koprulu handles it.

Fasher Mustafa has to command the army to fight again, and he has to free up to solve production problems and financial problems.If it wasn't for the family, he might not have wanted to be such a prime minister for a long time, it was really a pit of fire.One of the most "extraordinary" things Fahir Mustafa did during his tenure was to reform the fiscal and taxation system at the suggestion of people on the east coast, and to formulate a tax commonly known as "war tax". This kind of tax requires all officials and people to pay, even the ulamas of the clergy cannot avoid it.

Fahir Mustafa used this tax to pay his soldiers back pay so they could better fight the enemy or suppress bandits inside.At the same time, he also used the money to purchase wheat from the Mamluks in Egypt to solve the food shortage problem.Just in 1687, when Sultan Muhammad was deposed, many people in Anatolia fed on grass, acorns and walnuts. This batch of food can be said to have saved countless lives.

Of course, the loans of 1688 million dinars successively issued by the people on the east coast in early 500 also greatly helped the Ottoman Empire.Because of the beautiful appearance and fineness of the dinar, and its one-to-one exchange with the silver dollar on the east coast, the currency value of the Ottoman Empire was quickly stabilized.You must know that before this, in order to raise the huge military expenditures needed for the war, the Ottoman Empire repeatedly reduced the silver content in its currency, which caused the value of the currency to plummet, but the government forced officials, merchants and farmers to accept it. The legal value of the currency, rather than its actual market value, is tantamount to passing the cost of inflation on to the people.

This was also the work of Fahir Mustafa.But he can’t do anything about it. The cost of the war is even greater than imagined. There are still a lot of officials and soldiers who need to pay for their salaries in the country. depreciated low-quality currency), so there is really no way but to sacrifice civil servants and soldiers, for which Mustafa Grand Vizier is not surprisingly hostile to the entire bureaucracy.I believe that if it weren't for the moment when the enemy is present and the country is executing life and death, he, the Grand Vigilante, would have been blown out of power.

Fortunately, the loan of 500 million dinars provided by the people on the east coast arrived in the Ottoman Empire in batches after the Haji Mint was minted.The value of the new dinar silver dollar was very strong from the very beginning. After flowing into various industries of the social economy, commerce was first restored, then handicrafts, and finally agriculture.The economic shrinkage caused by poor-quality currency is slowly recovering. The salaries of civil servants and soldiers have also been recalculated. Everyone has begun to receive new salaries in silver dinars. The efficiency of the bureaucratic system has also begun to recover. .Grand Vizier Mustafa once described with emotion that this loan from the East Coast people injected new strength into the body of the Ottoman Empire, and its effectiveness was no less than three legions!

And this seems to be one of the main reasons why Grand Vizier Fahir Mustafa offered to meet with Ambassador Sheng Dehong as soon as he took office. I am still willing to maintain considerable respect, not to mention that the cooperation between the two parties is still developing in a deeper direction.

"About the abolition of the war tax, I think it is very inappropriate. Your country is now planning a war to recover the lost areas of Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. This is undoubtedly a huge financial burden. If the war tax is abolished at this time, will it be Is it too risky?" Sheng Dehong and Grand Vizier Mustafa sat opposite each other, exchanging views while smoking hookah.

What he just mentioned is indeed something that the Ottoman Empire has been actively planning this year.In the chaos of Suleiman's accession to the throne, the coalition led by the Habsburg family crossed the Danube and occupied Belgrade. The Ottoman defenders in Slovenia, Croatia and other places were also defeated and fled one after another. A shameful rout.

Fortunately, the domestic situation has stabilized somewhat.Fahir Mustafa rebuilt the army. He cleared at least [-] soldiers from the capital Ganishari Army who entered with nepotism and were paid by the army but had no qualified combat skills. He also persuaded the Turks in the eastern region, Caucasians, Arabs, Kurds joined the army, assembled in Edirne, trained day and night, and prepared to launch a thunderous blow against the Habsburgs.

Fasher Mustafa also announced the pardon of army generals or nobles who had surrendered to the enemy in the previous few years, which was of great political significance.You know, the Orthodox Christians in Serbia and other places are a little disappointed with the Habsburg family, and feel that their religious policy is not as good as that of the Turks, so now they hope that the Ottoman army will fight again.Just like their ancestors warmly welcomed the Turks to occupy the Balkans more than 200 years ago and expelled the Catholics who persecuted them.

"The abolition of the war tax is the decision of everyone, including His Majesty the Sultan." Fahir Mustafa took a sip of the hookah and said, "Of course it will affect the government's financial revenue, but considering that the current economic situation of the empire is For the better, we agree that this is necessary, otherwise there may be a political crisis in the country. Of course, the focus of our discussion today is not these, but about the loan. Yes, we hope that the loan of 500 million dinars can be extended, and the loan will be extended. The repayment period is extended for ten years, during which we pay interest and a portion of the principal, and repay the full principal at maturity."

Shengde Hong had already communicated with the Ottomans privately before he came, and understood that the Ottomans canceled the war tax, and the government’s fiscal revenue was greatly reduced (the tax could not be collected from nobles and priests), so he hoped that the first 500 million dinars Loan rollover.In addition, for the first time, they formally proposed an additional loan of 300 million dinars, using the tariffs of the first Ottoman commercial port of Smyrna as a guarantee.

Sheng Dehong was a little surprised by their good appetite.He cannot agree to these conditions, nor has he the right to agree.Even though Grand Vizier Mustafa has already mentioned this matter, he can only say that he needs to report it to the special envoy Cai Zhenguo, and special envoy Cai may also need to ask the country for instructions before finally replying.Fashir Mustafa was a little sullen about this, but understood.

"The Grand Vizier should also pay attention to the gains and losses of Azov Castle and the North Caucasus. Russia's Golitsyn led two expeditions. Although they failed, it does not mean that they will give up. According to our analysis, the recent The Tsar Peter I who was in power was brave and courageous, and was very keen on military adventures. We all agreed that it might only take a few years. After Peter I stabilized the domestic situation, he would personally lead the army to conquer Western Ukraine, Azov, North Caucasus, etc. region, which is very unfavorable to your country's layout in the Black Sea." Sheng Dehong slowly shifted the topic to the northern shore of the Black Sea, where people on the east coast still pay more attention.

"You want to discuss the Mongols who have recently moved here?" It takes no effort to talk to smart people. Sheng Dehong has just started, and the keen-minded Vizier Fahir Mustafa has insight After understanding his thoughts, he continued: "Actually, frankly speaking, we don't have an absolute view on who will control the North Caucasus region. The only requirement is that this regime cannot fall to the Russians."

"Of course! Ayuqi Khan of Oirat Mongolia is a staunch anti-Russian monarch. The only thing he will not do is submit to the tsar's feet." Sheng Dehong said confidently: "I think that the emergence of this new regime will greatly improve Your country's strategic pattern along the Sea of ​​Azov, your country's long and narrow coastal corridor connecting the Azov fortress will gain more strategic depth. I guarantee that the Oirat Mongols will have great goodwill towards your country. Once in the future The Russians are fighting for the fortress of Azov, and they're going to flank and kick the Russians in the ass."

"Very good suggestion, but we need these Mongols to recognize the suzerainty of Sultan Suleiman II, can this be guaranteed?" Fahir Mustafa asked.In fact, this requirement is already very low in his opinion, because the main energy of the Ottoman Empire is now involved in the west, and it will not be able to look east or north for a long time in the future. Things in the Black Sea and the Sea of ​​Azov will definitely Mainly appointed to the three main forces under their control, the West Ukrainian Cossacks, the Crimean Tatars and the Oirat Mongols.Their autonomy is actually very large, and it is obvious that the Ottoman Empire could not achieve much in-depth control.

"We will try our best to promote the development of this matter. But what you need to understand is that there is a traditional friendship between Oirat Mongolia and the East Coast Republic, and our country has great goodwill towards this new regime. If necessary, we will They will provide protection for them.” Sheng Dehong cautiously put forward his own views, meaning that you should not think of using this country as a puppet who can do whatever they want. They may be able to submit to Sultan Suleiman II in name, but the East Coast Republic can also stare at it. Tight, being their guardians, the Ottomans could not enjoy the full rights of the suzerain.

"It's a very ambitious view. His Majesty the Sultan probably won't like this situation. But I will try my best to persuade them. Anyway, the land in the North Caucasus was also conquered by them. This is not harmful to the empire." Fasher Mustafa After pondering for a while, he said, "Another thing I want to confirm is, is it possible for the Oirat Mongols to convert to Allah and become Christians? If this can be achieved, the resistance will be much less, because the Ulamas will like it very much. .”

"The possibility is very small. They are devout Buddhists." Sheng Dehong shook his head and firmly expressed his opinion.

Fahir Mustafa frowned when he heard the words, and he let go after a long time, saying: "If it's just like this, then if the Russians go south in a big way in the future, it will be difficult for the empire to have sufficient reasons to send a large number of troops to Helping them fight, there is no basis for cooperation."

"Dear Grand Vizier, there are many ways to cooperate. The Oirat Mongols will help you contain part of the Russian forces on the flanks. At the same time, our East Coast Republic of China will also consider the direction of the entire situation and give your country Certain assistance, such as low-interest loans in the form of dinar silver coins.” Sheng Dehong said: “The main threat to your country lies in the West. I heard that the Grand Dukes of Moldavia and Wallachia have sent envoys to After passing through Vienna, Leopold was very interested in turning these two countries into his own vassals. Grand Vizier, Hungary and Transylvania have fallen, and your country has lost a lot of money and soldiers. If there is another accident in Lagia and Moldavia, the situation in your country will be even more embarrassing..."

Fasher Mustafa didn't want to hear any more after hearing this.But he also understands that the situation is stronger than people. Now the Ottoman Empire has lost most of Hungary and Transylvania, and many towns have fallen on the Dalmatian coast. Serbia, Bosnia and other places are also in jeopardy. Now Moldavian The two duchies of Asia and Wallachia also had disagreements, and things were indeed more difficult.

Of course he wasn't particularly worried.Because now Austria's elite main force has been transferred westward one after another, their offensive in the Balkans has basically come to an end, and the Ottoman Empire is also ready to counterattack.With the current situation, it should not be a problem to regain all the lost territories of Serbia and Bosnia, and many places on the Dalmatian coast should also be regained.But because of this, there can be no surprises now. The East Coast Republic is the most important supporter of the Ottoman Empire, and its importance far exceeds that of the Kingdom of France. Sometimes the Empire has to make concessions to them, just like what is being discussed at the moment Something about the Oirat Mongols.

The empire is also in a difficult situation!

(End of this chapter)