1453: Revival of Byzantium

Chapter 342: A Dangerous Woman

"The edge of the sword is far more curing to the sick 

It is worthier to attain the right when it is needed. 

Do you not see me seeking comfort for the night journey?"

-        Abu'l-Qasim Muhammad ibn Abdallah, Second Caliph of Fatimid Caliphate

It is only then did the two men finally got their attention on to the thirteen years old child who was seating there quietly for the entire time like a puppet. The child, donned in his full ceremonial Sultan attire bearing the full weight of the Sultan's crown paced himself to his two new mentors. Following the Ottoman Court Etiquette set by his father Mehmed II, the child Sultan, still remaining silent, slowly but steadily bowed down forward, and went down kneeling down on one leg with both of his hands on one knee, just like what his father used to do last time.

Mahumad Pasha Angelovic and Gedik Ahmed could still hardly recover from this sudden change of position standing up to move out of the direction the Sultan is kneeling towards, only to be stopped by the Sultan Dowager, who also stood up from her seat and stood beside her son. "Please, honourable Pasha, valorous commander, accept my son, your Sultan as a student, and teach him well enough to be a capable ruler like his father and grand father." 

The Pasha and the Janissary commander could not find any more excuse to object this nomination, they sighed and accepted this proposal and held the hands of the Sultan together, making an oath restating their undisputed loyalty towards the Sultanate and their sovereign, vowing that they shall strictly follow the agreement they have discussed today, and then left this place each with a different set of thoughts. However, they knows from now onwards that this woman, the Sultan Dowager, is not a random woman that can be messed with, which means she is dangerous, in some level even more dangerous than the Rumelians outside.

Mahumad Pasha Angelovic became the first one to retreat from the capital city lifting the encirclement and marching back to his posts in the Eastern theatre just as what he has promised. He came here more for the worries of the state entering a state of chaos which might lead to ultimately another interregnum. But now after being convinced by that woman he has trully decided that it is the best time for him to leave. He do not know whether this twenty plus years old woman has the capabilities to solve the current political struggle, but he knows that she can definitely handle the situation better than him.

It is now time to leave the capital, Mahumad Pasha Angelovic took a final look at the city of Edirne. Standing there tall and firm like a monument on the land forever against the sun and wind despite it has witnessed generation after generation of people coming and going. Its dark coloured bricks still reflecting the sun light of the dusk casting the city walls in a layering of luminous holy light that just makes it looks like it has been blessed. Mahumad Pasha Angelovic sighed and accelerated his horse, catching up with his troops and disappeared in the horizon.

The Janissary commander Gedik Ahmed, on the other hand, is pretty reluctant about making the decision of leaving the capital city. As he knows that almost all of his foundation and influence is inside the capital city. If he chooses to leave the city wandering into the North it would be like a bird losing its sky, a whale losing its waters and a man losing his home. That is something that he cannot tolerate.

However, it is only after hearing one of his advisor's words that did he decide to change his mind. The advisor mentioned that all the things, no matter whether it is power, titles and influence he is able to build up now is fully dependent on the gratitude of the Sultan; If he decides to disobey the Sultan Dowager's orders further agitating that dangerous woman after promising her some thing, she might ask the Sultan to ripe that legitimacy off from him which can place him under an extremely unsecured position.

The Janissaries, if gone uncontrolled and buffed with the inappropriate ambition to soothe their greed in every aspects, can potentially turn to rogue mode trying to divert government decision making towards the side where they will benefit by assassinations, kidnapping, purges, and other extreme means. They have not done it yet, but the leader of the Janissaries can even decide on who is the next Sultan, or whether the current Sultan is fit for his throne But as the leader of the Janissaries, he himself might be thrown out of office once he loses the support of his men, or if he loses the legitimacy given by his upper authorities.

And in the current situation where by Gedik Ahmed is unable to ensure a complete advantage over the Sultan Dowager in the city, he cannot risk challenging the authority of the Sultan, so he must comply with the order stated in the agreement which has already been made in to public.

With a meeting session and only less than one thousand city guards in hands, the still young Sultan Dowager successfully curbed the evolving negative political trend, pulling the brakes before the city of Edirne is bursted in to the fire of civil war.

But she too has a promise to make, that is she said openly to the government and mass public to go to the front line with the Sultan. There is definitely no turning back now, despite much objections inside the government the Sultan Dowager still set off with her son towards the west with only two hundred men, carrying all sets of royal banners, war flags, insignias, and also the Grand Mufti with other notable religious personnel throughout the capital offering spiritual reinforcement to the war going on ahead of them.

The petite little army of the Sultan, perhaps the smallest in since in all of the Ottoman Sultans since Osman, marched towards the west deliberately picking a very complicated road, making sure that they march past every single Ottoman settlement in the region,  making sure that every single Ottoman son and daughter has the chance to take a look at the troops for propaganda purposes.

When the Sultan's army marched through the first town, under the suggestion from the Grand Mufti, the Sultan Dowager ordered the loud voiced soldiers to shout slogans like 'The cursed Rumelians are now on our door steps! Join the Sultan's army and expel the Rumelians! Before they come for you!" However, the people of the town watched the army pass with pairs of cold eyes, with almost no one willing to join the service for a very obvious reason; Being so near to the capital only means that they are the first to be drafted, and most of the youths willing to find a fortune on the battle field have already either died under the walls of Constantinople, or in the now crop lands of Thessaloniki.

Realising this the Grand Mufti quickly changed his tactics, at the next settlement she ordered the soldiers to add on another line of. "Those who fight against the Rumelian invaders, shall be removed of all the sins they convicted while alive, promised a place in the holy lands and seventy two virgins in Jannah." This proved to be effective as around a dozen people out of this little settlement came up and joined the army of the Sultan, but still, this is far from enough.

The Sultan Dowager, with the Grand Mufti made the conclusion that it is only because the rewards they promised is not satisfying enough to the people that is able to cover up their fear and anxiety for death against the Rumelians, whose image are ridiculously overly exaggerated by some nonsensical rumours spread by people after the two crushing defeats. What is the thing that sparks human's greed and thirst since ages ago? That is non other than land, respect and wealth.

Thus for the subsequent settlements the soldiers added on another line to their shouts. "Anyone who fought against the Rumelian invaders shall be rewarded heavily by the Sultan! One ear for one dinar! Two ears for a piece of land! Three ears for a piece of land plus five dinars of silver! Five heads and you can earn yourself a noble title! Join the Sultan's glorious force now!"

These words did prove to be useful, many people who are already impoverished from the recent drafts, famines, droughts, wars and death came out of their homes and have a look. Some older folks remembered the glorious days of following the foot steps of the previous Sultan under that exact same banner, they wept taking out their old gears and joined back to the group. While for the others, they joined only for the fortune laying ahead of them, betting on to the Sultan thinking that they would win a living with their own life as the chip, for they already have nothing more to lose.