sultan's crescent

Chapter 39 The Overlapping Monarch

Selim never expects anyone to understand him, and since he came here, he has felt that he has been surrounded by loneliness.

Father Mustafa III and uncle Hamid I both thought about reform, but this was only because the Russians were becoming more and more aggressive in the north.

No one would have thought that this ancient empire had stepped into the abyss of collapse step by step. After all, not everyone had the prophetic advantage like Selim.

The more there is to do, the more difficult it is for Selim

500 years of history and glory, pain and fragmentation, were wrapped around the Ottoman Empire like chains. The more he struggled, the more suffocated Selim felt.

Selim had already thought about the opinion of Patriarch Nicholas.

But he couldn't stop, the ship wandered more urgently, and the broken ship of the Ottoman Empire was about to reach the most dangerous moment in human history.

In fact, he really wanted to hide in the deep palace alone and enjoy the life of the Sudan. He is not a great person, and he can be intoxicated by the material enjoyment of the world.

However, the broken ship of the Ottoman Empire could not find another helmsman. If Selim left it alone, the broken ship would disintegrate when the waves beat again and again and the reefs collided again and again.

At that time, the Islamic world will usher in eternal sinking, its glory will be buried, its splendor will be forgotten, and her people will be ravaged by power at will.

Out of the respect of one great civilization for another great civilization, out of compassion for the people of countless empires.

"Since the whole world is decaying, let the balance reset someday."

Selim recited another poem of the original owner in a low voice, and the voice spread in the showroom, with wailing and determination, hitting the treasures of the previous sultans, as if nostalgic for someone.

"Your Majesty, is this?"

Seeing what Selim had in hand, Patriarch Nicholas couldn't help asking.

"This is what remains of my father, Mustafa III. A chain mail of iron, inlaid with gold and silver jewels, and his gilt sword, gilt stirrups, and shield."

After briefly explaining the utensils in his hands, Selim talked about the past of his father Mustafa III.

"Father was one of six sons of grandfather Ahmed III who survived to adulthood.

At the age of 13, he experienced the Khalil rebellion, his father was deposed and the throne changed hands.

He was then imprisoned in Topkapi Palace until 1757, when he succeeded his cousin Osman III at the age of 40.

Although Osman III only reigned for 3 years, he left a good legacy to his father in his last days. "

Selim cleared his throat and continued.

"Osman III appointed Mehmet Pasha Grand Vizier in 1756, and he was one of the most famous grand viziers in the history of the empire.

The grand vizier introduced administrative and financial reforms to the empire, allowing the empire's revenues to exceed expenditures for the first time.

A proponent of a policy of peace, Mehmet Pasha was able to keep the empire out of conflict despite a tenure that almost coincided with the time of the Seven Years War in Europe. "

As if seeing the last prosperity of the empire, Selim couldn't help but paused, then continued.

"Perhaps due to the perennial prison life, my father yearns for justice and happiness.

Soon after his accession to the throne, the father showed a special concern for justice, that is, checking that the laws he made were obeyed.

He took many measures to ensure Constantiniya's prosperity - regulating the coinage, building large granaries, maintaining aqueducts, and enacting strict fiscal policies.

Under his father's rule, everything seemed to be going well in the empire until another Russo-Turkish war broke out in 1768. "

Selim looked at the chain mail and said in a low voice.

"Father always had a dream that he wanted the Russians to understand that the territory of the empire was inviolable.

Under intense pressure, the imperial army was reformed with French assistance (including an initial modernization of the artillery and the opening of the Naval Engineering School in 1773), but this did not seem to help.

Rumyantsev and Suvorov easily defeated the imperial army, and the battle of the Kagur River is the eternal shame of the empire.

His father finally died six months before the end of the war, and Ekaterina shattered his dreams.

The signing of the "Kuchuk-Kanarji Peace Treaty" made the Russians step on the face of the empire.

The Empire lost the suzerainty of the Crimean Khanate, the forces of the Russians entered the Black Sea and acquired the status of protectors of the Orthodox Christians living in the Ottoman Empire. "

"His Majesty!"

Seemingly aware of Sudan's violent mood swings, Patriarch Nicholas immediately shouted.

"Don't panic, Nicholas, I just find it ironic."

Selim laughed.

"A small principality eventually became the behemoth it is today, and an ancient empire is just lingering.

What made a country that was unknown in the time of Suleiman the Magnificent so powerful? "

Patriarch Nicholas remained silent, as if he suddenly understood what was different from the previous sultans in front of him.

There seemed to be an invisible barrier separating the sultan from other people, and no one could guess what the sultan was thinking.

"Your Majesty, you can't expect one generation to do what several generations have done!"

After deliberating over and over again, Patriarch Nicholas finally expressed his thoughts. He was sure that the loneliness and worries in the Sudan came from this.

"You are right, dear Nicholas. I really cannot accomplish such a huge task."

Selim said flatly.

"But I can't just sit back and watch the empire go to ruin. As long as there is still a little strength left, I should struggle and leave a little hope for life."

Selim put down the things in his hand, turned and left here, followed by the Chief Treasurer and Patriarch Nicholas.

The heavy door closed behind him, kicking up a cloud of dust, and the history of the Ottoman Empire was hidden behind the door.

But the worry about the future in Sudan seems to have disappeared.

Selim recited the poem again in a low voice.

"Since the whole world is decaying, let the balance reset someday."

It's just that this time compared with the previous nostalgia, a kind of high fighting spirit rose from it.

The treasurer looked at the back of the sultan going away, and he remembered the paintings of the sultan's triumphant return in the history of the empire.

The sultans in those paintings are also facing the sun. They are riding tall horses, wearing armor and holding machetes.

Obviously there is a huge difference between the two, but the chief treasurer found that those different figures seemed to be superimposed on the sultan.

"Perhaps the great sultans in the history of the empire have always been just one person. They have always been the caliphs of the world, burning themselves for the prosperity of the empire."

The Treasurer shouted: "Your Majesty, I will always support your great cause.

Although I don't understand your thoughts, I understand your greatness.Please persevere and revive the empire. "

　Seek to read and collect

　　
　
(End of this chapter)