1453: Revival of Byzantium

Chapter 330: What Are You Scared of?

"Honourable Grand Vizier!" The merchant kneeled to explain for himself. "I am not a Rumelian! I am a humble subject of the majestic Sultan who was forced to flee following the wicked Rumelians expanding their reach of paws in to the Sultan's lands" 

These words made even a few more veins popping up on the hands and face of the Grand Vizier.

"Besides! Honourable Grand Vizier! I am selling my stocks in a relatively cheaper price only because I, by the grace of the Mighty Allah, am born with the heart of a true Muslim willing to lower down the already awful grain price in this city for the better living of other people who are starving and struggling to survive. I did this purely out of my good intentions! Grand Vizier!" 

"By disrupting the trades orders of the market?" The Grand Vizier made a cold laugh, though just as he is about to continue his eyes took a glimpse of some thing lying on the table. "What is that piece of paper lying there? Bring it to me." 

A Janissary guard acknowledged and went forward taking this piece of paper from the table, and his expressions too changed when he took a brief look on what the content on the paper is about. "Honourable Grand Vizier! This twit has a propaganda paper from the South?" 

Hearing this Candarli Halil Pasha narrowed his eyes staring at this man kneeling and trembling before his feet. "What do you still have to say? Spy?... Never mind, guards! Execute this man right beside the road, and I want all of his stocks to be confiscated." 

"No! Grand Vizier! Honourable Grand Vizier! Please! Pardon me! I am not a spy, I am just a humble merchant! Please! Do not do this!." The sound of the grains merchant vanished in the distance after a while being dragged away by four of the Grand Vizier's Janissary guards. 

"Confiscate all of the grains in the shop." Ordered the Grand Vizier. "Our brothers on the front line facing those Rumelians are also starving, we cannot forget about them." 

"Honourable Grand Vizier!" A Janissary guard interrupted pointing towards the outside. "You might want to have a look at streets on the outside." 

The Grand Vizier frowned and walked back to the streets opening that door that is separating him from the outside world, only to be shocked taking a gasp of cold air by the sight he saw. The grains shop is crowded with people, mostly the poor begging for food on the streets eyeing at him with a high level of anticipation hoping that this old man who seems to be very prestigious will come and perform some justice by distributing them with food. While there is also another group of people who are just standing in a distance away observing the situation and jeering upon these poors as if they got nothing to do with them, making hard for people to believe that these two groups of people are actually the same people from the same back ground, and the same country. 

The Grand Vizier, instead of being halted and scared back by the sudden surge of people, walked forward to the direct front of the crowd clearing his throat and shouted. "Citizens of Edirne! I am the Grand Vizier of the Sultanate, and today with the blessings of the teaching of the Great Prophet and the Mighty Sultan I have descended justice upon this wicked shop owner who is a Rumelian spy that sneaked in to our glorious capital city, to disrupt our normal market orders! Cheer for the Justice being down! Citizens!" 

However, these things are definitely not what the starving mass wants to hear. A mom with a baby in her hugs whose ribs are almost visible came out of the ground kneeling down and pleaded. "Please! Honourable Grand Vizier! Please grant us poor fellows with some food from the store since the wicked merchant is already put on justice. Please! My daughter is starving for days!" 

The Grand Vizier squeezed his wrinkles and eye brows. According to his original plans made these grains are for the troops on the front line, which is the foundation for his power. However, he also knows that if he do not adhere to the requests from the starving mass in front of him the situation would soon escalate in to a civil crisis for him and his government only to give more advantages to those crooked Rumelians eyeing on his beloved country like crocodiles hiding themselves in the swamps staring at their prey waiting for it to show a sign of weakness and strike.

With this thought in mind the Grand Vizier took a deep breathe and shouted. "Fine, I shall grant thou wish by offering you people each a meal! Please! Wait here for further instructions from any of us! I can make sure that today you people shall have a meal that is able to fill your appetite to the brim!" 

However, before he hear cheers and cries of happiness from the crowd beneath him he heard some thing else; A young noble standing among the crowd in one side being separated from their relatively poorer country men sniggered and taunted loudly. "I can only say that who ever that believes in this man's words is unbelievably gullible as a person; he is the person who caused all of these sufferings descending the punishments from the Mighty Allah on to us, the innocent country men instead of himself. And now you people are kind enough to believe that he shall provide you free food with out making you pay or do any thing? Foolish!" 

These comments instantly caused an up roar within the crowd as their emotions of desperation and panic soon over took their only bit of reason and intellect. Even before the Grand Vizier could finish his next sentence the crowd stood up raising their fist bursting in to waves of curses, complaints and protests, one wave louder than the other leaving no room for the Grand Vizier to react.

Seeing this the young noble smirked vanishing in to the crowds off in to the streets. Of course, he is neither a spy from Rumelia nor some one who sympathises with Zaganos Or Abbas Pasha. Instead, he is just used to be a junior Janissary officer who had a bright career future only to be abruptly stopped as the Grand Vizier decided to replace his role with a man he could trust. Thus, with this kind of hate he has always been finding trouble for the Grand Vizier and this time, he succeeded.

The Grand Vizier is still trying his very best to pursue his citizens to calm down, but these collective strength of the crowd combined with their hunger for food, rage for mistreatment and eagerness to protest for their lives soon replaced their fear and awe for the Grand Vizier and his guards holding blades. The crowd rushed forward attempting to push the Janissary guards to one side and storm in to the grains shop to get their prize of the day. While the Janissaries on the other hand are trying their very best to keep the situation at bey and at the same time resolve the situation with out the use of martial law or the weapons in their hands.

"Grand Vizier! My Grand Vizier! Please! Leave the situation to us!" Urged the Janissary commander acting as Candarli Halil Pasha's personnel guard ass he stopped the Grand Vizier from going out again to talk to the crowd. "Leave the situation to us and leave before these rogues storm in to shop and harm you honourable Grand Vizier! Then how are we going to repent our sins!"

"Yes! Grand Vizier!" Followed another Janissary commander. "I have searched the shop, there is a way out through the window on the second floor, where by you can crawl out of the window and jump on to a cart filled to the brim with haystack, then we can escort you to safety with out having any casualties in the process"

"Shut up! What are you people talking about! How dare you!" Instead of following their advice the already fuming Grand Vizier bursted in to rage once more. "These are my people! My country men! The foundation of my Sultanate! And you are asking me to run away from them? Let me tell you two what, I shall never again run away from my battle ground, not in the past, neither in the present, and shall not in the future! Go! Do your job! And maintain the order."

Just as the Grand Vizier is raging by grabbing the collars of the pitiful but faithful Janissary commander by yelling on to his face and grabbing his collar, the protest is still going on and it seems like it is escalating towards the more extreme end. While the Janissaries scrambled in to their defensive positions holding their weapons firmly in hands and some others making an escape to call for reinforcements.