A Small Move
The gazes of the boy who had offered a greeting and those who had received it tangled sharply.
Even those called vicious and terrifying in the modern age would, compared to the people of this era, mostly seem almost cute.
The sipahis were men who, depending on orders and necessity, could kill even a child without hesitation, and the ones gathered here had slain enough enemies to make a small cemetery.
The qadis, who could toy with a person’s life through a single judgment and even scoff at the human weapons that were sipahis, were not people who could be measured by modern standards either.
For an ordinary person, merely having their eyes fall upon him would have made his heart drop, but Yusuf instead smiled brightly.
“I know my face is on the handsome side, but having you keep staring holes through it is rather burdensome.”
It was a trivial remark, but it was enough to refresh the atmosphere.
Omer spoke in a composed voice.
“Thinking that you are the prince with whom we will be working from now on, I found myself studying you and committed a discourtesy.”
Once Omer took the initiative, answers echoing his words followed.
However, those who mainly opened their mouths were the qadis, and they wore mocking expressions toward the sipahis.
After all, even if it was only a matter of his gait and greeting, it was not difficult to judge whether the other party was someone who could be dismissed as merely an eleven-year-old.
Yusuf clearly felt this uneasy atmosphere as well.
‘It’s fine for me if the two sides are on bad terms.’
That did not mean he made the mistake of thinking the enemy of his enemy was his ally.
The qadis were not showing favor toward him; they were merely keeping the sipahis in check.
“I am pleased that all of you attended despite the sudden invitation. Those who came with you should be enjoying the banquet by now as well, so let us enjoy ourselves and talk.”
At Yusuf’s glance, the doors opened and the savory smell of food spread out.
“Brother Selim treated me to the cuisine of Trabzon, so this time I prepared food eaten at court. You won’t be disappointed.”
Starting with börek, a pastry made with clarified butter and filled with meat, the dishes were more than enough to satisfy all five senses.
With their mouths satisfied, it seemed the mood might soften somewhat, but then a sharp voice rang out.
“Ahem, the taste is decent, but as expected, the food I have been eating suits my palate better. Should Your Highness not also become accustomed to the food here now?”
It was Burka who spoke, and among those gathered here, there was no fool who would take those words as a simple complaint.
Depending on what answer he gave, they could predict his future course of action, and everyone focused on how Yusuf would react.
‘If I meant to use appeasement, this would be something to let pass gently.’
Yusuf had no intention of spending much time on internal discipline, and he turned his head toward Şemsi, who was dining elegantly at his right as though nothing were happening.
“Pasha.”
“Speak, please.”
“Was what I said earlier perhaps too difficult? I did not say I disliked the food here.”
At the words that indirectly rebuked him, asking if he could not even understand that much, everyone looked surprised.
Because the intensity was higher than they had expected.
“Your Highness.”
To Burka, who spat out his anger in a low voice with a reddened face, Yusuf replied coldly.
“Subashi Burka must not have listened properly when I first introduced myself. I introduced myself not as a prince, but as the sanjakbey.”
How one defined oneself contained a great deal of information.
The fact that he had put forward the title of sanjakbey meant he intended to intervene actively in the territory, and at those words, not only the sipahis but also the qadis stiffened.
“Sanjakbey, may I offer a word?”
“As much as you like.”
“You need not overexert yourself when it has not been long since you arrived.”
Omer spoke politely, but to summarize briefly, it meant that if he did not know much, he should stay still.
As if in agreement, the others exerted silent pressure, and Yusuf readily nodded.
“It is true that I do not know much about the sanjak yet, enough to intervene directly.”
Their faces brightened, thinking at least he could be reasoned with, but one had to listen to a person’s words until the end.
“That is why I intend to learn every detail properly, one by one. So first, I will inspect the armaments of the sipahis and the training condition of their retainers.”
The sipahis’ faces twisted at once, and Yusuf laughed inwardly.
‘You’re furious, but you have no pretext to refuse, do you?’
Depending on their level of income, the sipahis had the duty to train their retainers, the cebelu, and participate in war with them.
The central government conducted inspections periodically in twenty-year intervals, but if the sanjakbey inspected them himself, there was no pretext to refuse.
It was the equivalent of a corps commander suddenly ordering an inspection of the training of all troops and the condition of military supplies, so of course their insides would be turned upside down.
As the atmosphere seemed about to erupt into fierce opposition, Yusuf quickly continued.
“There is no need to worry too much. I plan to proceed slowly, starting with the closest place. I am somewhat sorry to Subashi Burka.”
At the words that effectively meant he was targeting him to proceed with the matter, Burka was finally able to completely shake off the prejudice he had held because of Yusuf’s age.
Once the blindfold called prejudice was removed, Yusuf’s eyes came properly into view.
‘A monstrous bloodline indeed.’
They were not eyes that a mere boy who had not even finished puberty could possess.
For a fleeting moment, Burka was reminded of Selim, whom he followed, and shook his head slightly.
‘He is still far from that man.’
For his age, his ability was excellent, but in absolute terms, Selim was superior.
Even so, once he thought that Yusuf was not an easy opponent, enough to be compared at all, Burka’s face instead became calm.
Watching this change in expression in real time, Yusuf gave a bitter smile.
He had hoped Burka would keep underestimating him, but he had come to his senses sooner than expected.
“If Your Highness wishes it, then I suppose we must do so. I have much to prepare, so I will take my leave first.”
Deliberately using the expression “Your Highness” to imply that he did not acknowledge him as sanjakbey, Burka rose from his seat, and the sipahis rose as well.
With nearly half the hall leaving, the atmosphere naturally shifted toward the end of the banquet, and the qadis also left the hall with light farewells.
Only after sending out even all the male and female servants could Yusuf finally let out a sigh.
He had been so tense that if the banquet had gone on any longer, he would have made a mistake.
Men of their caliber had the experience to intuitively know the other person’s state from small actions and the tone of their voice alone.
Yusuf, who had paid attention to every hand gesture and glance so as not to be looked down on, felt deeply mentally exhausted.
Watching him, Şemsi spoke first.
“Did you confirm everything you wanted?”
“Yes. It goes without saying, but not all the sipahis are fond of Burka.”
To be honest, things like inspecting armaments and training conditions were nothing more than excuses.
He had only wanted to know what emotions the sipahis would show when Burka was put in a difficult position.
It had been a moment so brief it would have been missed if he had not watched carefully, but fortunately, he had been able to observe everyone.
“It seems I can draw in about four of them.”
“I am glad you achieved results, but had it gone wrong, it might have ended with nothing but earning their hostility.”
“There was plenty of possibility. If there is someone who receives favor, there are also those who envy him.”
Since Selim had lived in Trabzon, his closest confidant was Burka, and it was only natural that there would be people who begrudged him that.
“Even so, four people are not enough. Not only are you outnumbered, but they will not be able to exert much influence in Trabzon, where Your Highness is.”
“I know. We need to increase our numbers too.”
If it was only to fill out numbers, there was no need to draw in expensive people.
“Pasha, send me information on the sipahis who are on the verge of bankruptcy or are struggling financially.”
Even when granted the same fief, sipahis driven toward bankruptcy because they lacked ability, their livestock had been wiped out, or their farming had failed were more common than one might think.
“Do you mean to gather a faction with money?”
Şemsi’s voice was thick with displeasure.
“I have no intention of wasting money either.”
If he was careless, he would only have his money ripped away, and might even be mocked for resolving things with money in a tasteless manner like a nouveau riche.
‘If I’m a modern person, I should know how to use money elegantly.’
Was he mad enough to spend raw cash and waste it?
“I’m not going to give it to them. I’m thinking of lending it as livestock. If they borrow one pair, having them repay with four offspring should be appropriate. If they have no talent for management, I intend to connect them with people who can manage it on their behalf.”
“Is this a kind of policy?”
“Yes.”
In modern terms, one could call it a low-interest support policy and professional management.
It had the drawback of tying up a large amount of capital and could incur some losses, but if he could draw in sipahis at merely that price, it was a profitable trade.
“If the livestock die midway and they cannot repay, what happens then?”
“They will have to repay it with their bodies.”
Conveniently, the war he would be dragging them around to was not far off, so was that not perfect?
Şemsi nodded as if intrigued.
“It is an interesting policy. If applied on a large scale, there would be room for corruption, but at the level of a sanjak, it can be controlled sufficiently.”
Sipahis driven to the brink of bankruptcy would have been selling even their equipment to maintain their livelihood, so it would also help preserve combat strength.
“With this, we should be able to fill out the numbers for the urgent situation. It is the work of the sanjakbey, so they will have no pretext to oppose it either.”
He did not need many.
He only needed to grow large enough that even Burka could not move rashly.
While he tied their feet down in this way, he would cut down their power through inheritance. That was the broad framework he had settled on.
“I will take my leave now and begin making preparations. It will be busy.”
After even Şemsi left, Yusuf, now alone, looked out at the gloomy world outside.
It seemed to foreshadow the chaos that would soon sweep over Trabzon.
∗ ∗ ∗
After the banquet, an uncomfortable air spread throughout the entire castle.
The sipahis walked around the castle in full arms as if to make a show of it, and even gathered threateningly near the free soup kitchen run by Fatima.
It did not take long for the news to spread that the relationship between the sipahis and the new sanjakbey had gone wrong, very wrong.
Unlike the sipahis, who staged indirect displays of force, Yusuf’s people ignored them consistently, as if wondering whether dogs were barking.
Amid this sharp conflict, Yusuf actually gained some free time.
‘Even Şemsi can’t select candidates for support in such a short time.’
This was not an age where a few taps on a computer brought information pouring out.
They had to find and organize the materials one by one, and even if Şemsi dragged along the teachers who had taught him, it would take quite a number of days.
“I can’t let this empty time go to waste.”
Things still had not been settled internally, so he could not touch major matters like Circassia or Georgia.
What remained were internal affairs: agriculture, medicine, and hygiene. Those three.
Agriculture was being tested in his hass, and for medicine, Sinan was looking for horses and cows with cowpox.
What remained was hygiene.
“This is more ambiguous than I thought.”
If he tackled it broadly, it would grow without end, so he had to separate what he could do from what he could not.
After pondering for a moment, Yusuf reached a conclusion.
“At the very least, I should solve the problem of drinking water.”
The simplest method was to make people boil their water before drinking it, but that was not as easy as it sounded.
“If I tell them to boil it because there are invisible germs in it, they’ll treat me like a madman.”
Even if he forced them, they would not listen. It would be better if they boiled tea like in China, at least.
After drumming his fingers on the desk for a moment, Yusuf rose from his seat, went out of the room, and placed both hands on the shoulders of Ayşe, who was waiting outside.
“Ayşe, I need you.”
“…Pardon?”
Ayşe’s face turned as red as a ripe apple, and her pupils wandered aimlessly.
Looking at her as she lowered her head in embarrassment, Yusuf said with a serious expression,
“Go work in the kitchen for me.”
He thought he was going to get hit by his own slave.
∗ ∗ ∗
Considering Ottoman and European hygiene in this period, the Ottoman side was clearly better.
Europe, too, had lived fairly cleanly in the era when Roman bathing culture still remained.
That changed after the Black Death spread and venereal diseases became common from licentious behavior in bathhouses, leading the physicians of the time to conclude, “If you soak your body in warm water, your pores open and plague enters.”
‘The idea that washing will kill you must be spreading, so by now they’re probably working hard to smash up the public baths.’
The belief that touching water with one’s body would cause illness was set to continue for another two hundred years, and an era would unfold where one was fortunate if people washed their hands before eating.
By comparison, the Ottomans used Turkish baths in the form of steam rooms, where heated marble made people sweat, as social venues, and they regularly washed their hands for religious reasons in Islam, so it could be said they were far better.
‘Well, even just looking at water supply and sewage, the Ottomans are far better.’
The final boss of hygiene was water supply and sewage, and the ones who accomplished that difficult task were the ancient Romans.
This was not something that could be done simply by digging waterways.
To keep water flowing endlessly required advanced surveying techniques, as well as scientific principles like siphons, where water went up and then down.
‘It wouldn’t be strange to say alien blood was mixed into the Romans.’
How else could later Western Europeans have smashed aqueducts in most regions outside Spain and Italy, saying things like, “This defies the will of God,” or, “I don’t know what this is, but it doesn’t seem like something humans made”?
By contrast, the Ottomans repaired the water supply and sewage systems built in Roman times, and even extended them when necessary.
“Honestly, at this point, aren’t the Ottomans the true successors of Rome?”
Of course, whether they were Rome’s legitimate line or not was none of his concern.
Yusuf unfolded the map of Trabzon Castle.
As mentioned earlier, in Kostantiniyye, they made decent use of water supply and sewage, so hygiene problems had not felt especially pressing.
But once he came here, the problems were clearly visible.
“First of all, it’s good that there are public toilets.”
The toilets marked on the map alone were enough for the people inside the castle, and they were steadily maintained as well.
It was only natural, since this was a country that understood their necessity so well that it had built additional public toilets after conquering Constantinople.
“But why are they just throwing human waste outside the castle?”
It was fine that they were generously throwing it away, but the problem was that the river flowing beside the castle was this place’s source of drinking water.
There was no way hygiene problems would not arise.
One might think they could process that waste properly and use it as compost, but while using human waste was a matter of course in the East, in the West, it was the kind of thing that would earn you, “Are you insane, human?”
Because the perception that one could not eat crops grown with human excrement ran deep.
“Even if we handle it well here, if they dump it upstream, the problem remains the same.”
The conclusion was that boiling drinking water was the best solution.
As Yusuf was organizing his thoughts, a knock sounded at the door of his office, and Ayşe entered after receiving permission.
“Your Highness, I have brought what you asked for.”
“I was waiting.”
When Yusuf welcomed her, Ayşe gestured for the maids waiting behind her to come in.
Five bowls were placed before him, and the colors of the liquids inside ranged from a pale brownish hue to pitch black.
At the smell that filled the room in an instant, Yusuf nodded.
“It’s definitely barley tea.”
Since it had not been brewed with tea leaves, “decoction” would be a more fitting term than tea, strictly speaking.
To be honest, he had agonized over it a great deal.
No matter how much he promoted that it was better to boil water before drinking it, the chances of it actually being put into practice were low.
‘To begin with, making a fire and boiling water itself isn’t something easily done.’
Anyone who had tried it personally would agree, but even in the modern era with gas stoves, boiling water to drink was extremely bothersome.
Needless to say, in this age where one had to wrestle with firewood just to light a fire, it was even worse.
In the end, that meant he needed a factor that would induce people to boil and drink it.
‘Like how Britain has tea time with black tea.’
But he could not exactly tell them to drink tea made from those expensive tea leaves, so what came to mind was barley tea.
Yusuf took a sip of the properly steeped barley tea and nodded.
It was the familiar taste of barley tea.
“Your Highness, is it all right?”
At Ayşe’s question, filled with worry over whether she had made it properly according to his orders, Yusuf held out the bowl he had taken a sip from.
“Try drinking it.”
“…Yes.”
Ayşe shyly received the bowl and drank carefully, then a slight smile appeared on her lips.
Her expression made it unnecessary to ask separately whether it suited her taste.
“How is it? Savory, isn’t it?”
“It truly is.”
Well, barley was a grain familiar to the people here as well, so there was no reason for them to dislike it, and Yusuf looked satisfied.
If he was thinking of a substitute for drinking water, barley tea was better than tea.
‘For one thing, no matter how much you drink, there are no side effects. It’s good for poor appetite and weak digestion too.’
Things like black tea and green tea contained caffeine, so drinking them in place of water could cause diarrhea or stomach pains.
For drinking water, barley tea, brown rice tea, and beet tea were acceptable, but brown rice required rice, which was hard to obtain here, and while beets were cultivated in the Mediterranean, they were used medicinally and were far more precious than barley.
In other words, barley tea was the most suitable.
‘Now it’s a matter of how to package this.’
Even in Britain, when tea was first introduced, it had been promoted almost as a cure-all.
“Call Hasan and Sinan.”
At this order, Ayşe brought Hasan and Sinan a short while later, and Yusuf asked Sinan,
“What happened with what I instructed you to do before?”
“We are still searching for cows that have ulcers appearing on their udders and are dripping mucus from their noses, and we are checking whether any of those who raise cattle developed symptoms like boils and then contracted smallpox.”
Smallpox, which humans caught, and cowpox, which cows caught, were different diseases.
Smallpox was a disease only humans contracted, but cowpox was a zoonotic infectious disease that both cows and humans could catch.
Instead, because the two were genetically close, immunity formed through cowpox worked against smallpox as well.
Since they had only just arrived, it would be excessive to expect results already.
“I’ve put you through trouble with a strange request.”
“Not at all. Since it is related to smallpox, I have great expectations. But why have you called me?”
“Mm, I need you to vouch for something.”
“…Vouch?”
Sinan’s face turned slightly reluctant.
Anyone seeing him would think he had been asked to guarantee a debt.
“It’s nothing serious. It’s water boiled with roasted barley, and I only need you to vouch that it is good for one’s health.”
“If it was boiled with barley, then there should be no health issue, so that is fine.”
It was a more straightforward answer than expected.
It was better than him raising this and that issue using the knowledge of this era, but now that he responded this way, Yusuf felt somewhat strange.
As if Sinan sensed this as well, he smiled faintly.
“You need not find it too strange. If it were something that would harm people, I would not obey even if it were Your Highness’s order.”
At his upright gaze, Yusuf also nodded with a serious expression.
“I will make sure not to disappoint you.”
“That is enough. I have much to do, so I shall take my leave now.”
As if lending his name was enough, Sinan left with a greeting, and Yusuf turned his head to Hasan.
“Hasan, there are no problems with the work being carried out in the hass, right?”
“It is a little difficult to gather yonja seeds, but so far, it is proceeding smoothly.”
Since clover was treated like a weed, there was no way its seeds could be obtained quickly.
“I understand that, so don’t proceed too hastily. More importantly, from now on, I plan to sell this water boiled with barley.”
“Are you thinking of opening a shop?”
When Hasan looked puzzled, as if unsure whether it would go well, Yusuf nodded.
Since people could just draw drinking water from the river, it was natural for him to wonder whether it would succeed.
“I don’t intend to make money with this. The purpose is to make as many people as possible use it as drinking water.”
If it was boiled in bulk and sold, the unit price would be lower than boiling it at home, so the burden could be reduced.
“The barley left after boiling will be mixed in at the soup kitchen and made into porridge.”
“In that case, the unit cost can be lowered even more.”
In the modern era, people only drank the barley tea water, but in this age, even barley that had lost some nutrients was still an excellent food ingredient.
Of course, if he simply sold it as it was, it would not sell, so he had to add a little medicine to the pitch.
He had already acted like a snake oil salesman even to the sultan, so there was nothing to hesitate over.
“Before we begin selling it, spread a rumor that it is good for people with indigestion and especially good for the health of young children.”
Originally, those who suffer the greatest harm from contaminated drinking water are children whose immunity has not yet properly developed.
In fact, after drinking it for just a month or two, they would quickly feel the difference, so it would not be difficult for it to become part of daily life from then on.
Even in an age when human life was cheap, one’s children were still precious.
Hassan, who had been nodding at Yusuf’s instructions, hesitated before speaking.
“Your Highness, carrying out the work itself will not be difficult, but I already have many duties, so it will be hard for me to properly manage this shop as well.”
“You do have a lot on your plate.”
Somehow, he seemed to have lost much more weight than before.
Since Hassan was at the center of all matters related to money, he was already worn down by late nights, and if Yusuf gave him any more work, he might collapse from overwork.
‘That won’t do.’
There was so much work to be done in the future; shouldn’t he live until at least ninety, like Hwang Hui, and keep helping him?
As Yusuf briefly wondered whom to entrust it to, his eyes landed on Ayshe.
“Ayshe, would you like to try taking charge of it?”
“Me, Your Highness?”
Ayshe’s large eyes went round.
“You’re already helping Mother with the free meal center anyway. We’ll set it up on a large scale next to the meal center, so if anything happens, you can get help from Mother or Nene. Of course, I’ll also assign someone under Hassan to assist you.”
“I’m not sure if I can do it well…”
“You’ll do more than well enough.”
After thinking for a moment, Ayshe bowed her head slightly.
“If it is something that will be of help to Your Highness, I will gladly see it done.”
“Good. I’m counting on you.”
She might go through a bit of trial and error, but she was a clever child, so she would surely do well.
Having steeled her resolve, Ayshe carefully asked what she had been curious about since earlier.
“Your Highness, are you also planning to sell water brewed from barley roasted until it turns black?”
“You mean this?”
Yusuf lifted the bowl and carefully took a sip.
After savoring the flavor that filled his mouth for a moment, he wore a satisfied smile.
“I made this for myself to drink. It’s barley coffee.”
“Barley coffee?”
Ayshe tilted her head as if she had no idea what he meant.
It was orzo, a coffee substitute people in Italy had made and drunk in place of expensive coffee.
‘It’s a caffeine-free knockoff, but the taste really is similar to coffee.’
In Italy, it was a national drink enjoyed by men and women of all ages because it had no caffeine and was rich in fiber.
Its defining feature was that it tasted so similar that, when milk was added, it tasted like coffee milk.
‘Until I take Mecca, I’ll have to be satisfied with this.’
He had not made barley tea because of this.
Really.
∗ ∗ ∗
It would not be an exaggeration to say that every person of power within the sanjak was watching Yusuf’s movements.
Those sent from each city were reporting Yusuf’s every move to their masters, and it did not take long for word to spread throughout the sanjak that he was opening a shop amid much fanfare.
“He’s playing a shallow trick.”
Upon hearing the information, Burka snorted and asked his subordinate.
“Arda, what were the results of the investigation?”
“We confirmed that he made secret contact with the subaşıs of Ordu, Tirebolu, Kelkit, and Gümüşhane. As you suspected, Subaşı, the shop seems to be a diversion. What shall we do?”
Seeing his subordinate look as though he would kill even the other subaşıs if only the order were given, Burka shook his head.
“Don’t do anything foolish. However, we should give them a warning.”
“Understood.”
After the subordinate bowed his head and left, Burka muttered softly.
“So he really is still an unripe brat.”
His tone was full of mockery, yet there was a faint trace of disappointment in it.
So faint that even he himself did not realize it.