The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 276 "Separating the Big and Little Kings"

December 12, Chang'an Prefecture, Baqiao County (today's Jinstaup Town, Toowoomba City).

More than four thousand years ago, the Arab Ibrahim had a son in old age. In order to thank the true God for his gift, he often slaughtered cows, sheep and camels as sacrifices.

One night, Ibrahim dreamed of the True God, who ordered him to kill his only son Ismail as a sacrifice. After waking up from the dream, Ibrahim thought over and over again and hesitated.

That night, Ibrahim dreamed of the True God again, and the True God continued to order him to kill his only son Ismail as a sacrifice. After waking up from the dream, Ibrahim finally realized that this was a revelation from the true God and decided to sacrifice his son the next day.

When Ibrahim and his only son Ismail obeyed the order, Allah sent the great angel Jabrayi to rush to the scene with a sheep and ordered Ibrahim to kill the sheep instead of sacrificing his son.

Since then, the ancient Arabs have formed the custom of slaughtering animals and offering sacrifices every year.

After Muhammad founded the True God Religion, he inherited this custom in the second year of Hijri and designated the day of sacrifice, December 2 of Hijri, as "Eid al-Adha", the last day of pilgrimage. During the festival, each family should slaughter a sheep, or several families should slaughter a cow or camel.

And during such a traditional True God festival, the family of Azad Koprulu, who fled from the Ottoman Empire decades ago and traveled across the ocean to live in Qi as a refuge, welcomed a guest from his hometown.

"Azad, you are looking more and more like a Qi man now." Mohammad Shimshek, the Ottoman Empire's minister in Chang'an, looked at Azad Koprulu, who was wearing a large traditional oriental costume, and said teasingly: "If you appeared on the streets of Istanbul like this, you would be regarded as an out-and-out heretic."

This move was flatly rejected by the people of Qi.

The people of Qi are the largest financial backers of the Ottoman Empire. Not to mention the loans they owe others that can never be repaid, they provide millions of financial and military aid to the empire every year. Even with its own aura of being the hegemon of the Indian Ocean, it cannot tolerate anyone. Dare to offend them at will.

More importantly, the huge wealth accumulated by the Koprulu family has aroused the covetousness of Sudan and many political opponents, who are preparing to drive the entire family into a place of eternal destruction and then divide and eat.

When the political situation of the empire fell into chaos, Koprulu became the grand vizier of the empire at the age of eighty-one, thus creating a century-old history of the Koprulu family's fortune.

Koprulu vigorously promoted internal affairs and military reforms in the empire, eliminated many bad policies in the empire, strengthened the centralization of power in the empire, stabilized the political situation of the empire in a short period of time, and defeated several coups initiated by military personnel and rebellions initiated by local governors internally. Externally, it counterattacked the Venetians, recaptured the islands of Tenedos and Lemnos near Istanbul, pacified the Serbian separatist self-reliance, and restored the empire's military suppression of the Western Christian world on the European battlefield. enjoys high prestige in the world.

But at this time, the vigor accumulated in the Koprulu era had been completely lost, announcing the end of Koprulu's glorious era.

Although the Imperial Sultan and many political opponents confiscated all the Koprulu family's properties, shops, slaves, and countless pieces of land, they did not seize many "liquid assets" such as gold, silver, and jewelry.

Fortunately, the Koprulu family has been operating in the empire for a long time, and their disciples and old officials are all over the government and the public. They received the news in advance. The family of more than 30 people, old and young, immediately packed up Xinruan and boarded a Qi merchant ship and fled Istanbul.

"Haha..." Azad Koprulu smiled nonchalantly, handed him two skewers of lamb with a rich aroma on the grill in front of him, and then waved to his grandson to bring them to the guests. Tea and cakes, "As early as twenty-eight years ago when I came to Hanzhou by boat, I was a native of Qi."

These Qi people's banking institutions claim that they have the obligation to protect the privacy of depositors and the security of their accounts. No one is allowed to inquire or withdraw the money deposited by depositors in the bank unless they handle it themselves or without relevant authorization documents.

The first generation leader of the family, Mohammed Koprulu, was just a small man who was born in a remote mountain village in Albania. He initially worked in the Sultan's kitchen, and was later promoted to a chef. Later, he was appreciated and given an official position, and continued for decades. He served as governor of several provinces.

Furthermore, they did not want to break the rules of the Qi people. After all, many powerful people in the empire have more or less deposited a lot of "life-saving money" in banking institutions run by other people.

In 1703, when Sultan Mustafa II was deposed and his younger brother Ahmed III succeeded to the throne, a new round of political purges began in accordance with imperial tradition.

After his death, his eldest son Ahmed Koprulu, son-in-law Kara Mustafa, and second son Mustafa Koprulu came to power one after another, continuing the family's glory. The last grand vizier of the family was His great-nephew Hussein Koprulu also performed well as always, lending large sums of money to Qi, which once stabilized the situation at home and abroad, allowing the empire to maintain a rare period of peace.

"No, what you said is not accurate." Azad Koprulu gently leaned on the comfortable lounge chair, looking at the children drinking and eating meat in the courtyard and the grandchildren playing and playing, with a trace of tranquility on his face. The color of peace, "It's not that we have abandoned the empire, but that the empire wants to push us out as sacrificial victims, not only to deprive us of the wealth accumulated over the years, but also to completely erase us from our bodies. How many years have passed, The cycle of killing has never stopped, and the devastation of violence has never disappeared. Whether it is the noble sultan of the empire, the powerful grand vizier, or even the local pasha who rules alone, how many people can spend the rest of their lives safely. , How many families can survive for hundreds of years? Under this situation, should our Koprulu family passively wait for the butcher's knife to fall on our heads? "

"..." Muhammad Himshek was stunned when he heard this. Looking at the old Koprulu, he couldn't help but sigh, "Have all the Ottomans who have taken refuge in Qi abandoned their empire?" As a subject, he also gave up his devout belief in the True God Religion and became willing to be an ordinary Qi citizen."

Even if you, the sultan, personally issue the edict, it won't work.

This made many predators very unwilling. Some people tried to inquire about the deposit information of the Koprulu family from several financial institutions run by Qi people such as the United Mediterranean Commercial Bank and the China Overseas Import and Export Guarantee Bank, thinking about the imperial reputation. Based on the edict issued by Dan, all the deposits of the Koprulu family were confiscated.

Many political opponents of the Koprulu family only expressed some symbolic criticism and anger, and then gave up. They no longer forced Qi's banking institutions to cooperate with them in withdrawing and confiscating the Koprulu family's deposits.

The Koprulu family was definitely the most powerful and influential family in the Ottoman Empire decades ago.

Unfortunately, the Koprulu family has been in business for decades and has spread its influence throughout the central and local areas of the empire. It is a huge threat to the successor Sultan and was listed as the first batch of purge targets.

If you are subject to political liquidation in the future, you can still leave some hope for your family, right?
After dozens of members of the Koprulu family fled the Ottoman Empire, they first stayed in the Jianmen Governorate (the southwestern coastal area of ​​Yemen including present-day Aden) for more than eight months. After receiving an asylum application from the Qi government, they Then he took a boat to the Hanzhou mainland and finally settled in Baqiao County on the outskirts of Chang'an.

Over the years, many Ottoman dignitaries have taken refuge in Qi due to political losses or persecution by political enemies.

In fact, it is not only the Ottoman nobles who have lost power who like to take refuge in Qi, including Qin and Korea in the east, Annan, Cambodia, Siam in Indochina, as well as those who were persecuted or failed in political struggles in India, Persia and other countries and regions. High-ranking officials, dignitaries, princes and nobles all like to go to Qi. In addition to being protected by this powerful country for his own life and that of his family members, more importantly, Qi State is also a civilized country that pays attention to the rule of law and the protection of "private property."

Although they have left their homeland and lost their existing power, they can rely on the wealth they have accumulated through "hard work" over the years to enable them to live a relatively prosperous life in Qi State.

The Koprulu family purchased hundreds of acres of land in Baqiao County, Chang'an, built an extremely luxurious manor, and invested in several ranches and plantations in Hanzhou mainland and Weiyuan Island, enjoying a wealthy and peaceful life.

However, in view of the fact that the Koprulu family has been in power in the Ottoman Empire for a long time and is extremely familiar with all aspects of the empire, and is even more familiar with the complex political forces in the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, he was also recruited by Qi's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Black Guards, The Imperial Intelligence Bureau (established in the 22nd year of Taiping) and other departments were hired as special affairs consultants, who could provide some constructive opinions in studying and judging the Ottoman issue.

Although, because he is over 60 years old, he has long ceased to serve as a consultant to the relevant departments of Qi State, he has also accumulated a certain network of contacts through many years of dealing with many affairs departments of Qi State, especially in regard to Ottoman affairs. , with considerable authority.

Because of this, the Ottoman Embassy in Qi sometimes used his connections to inquire about Qi's policies against the Ottomans.

Sometimes, he would even pay a large amount of financial bribes to ask him to say good things for the Ottoman Empire. Even if this failed, he would try not to do evil things to the Ottomans, thereby destroying the traditional friendly relations between Zio.

"The Qi cabinet government not only temporarily suspended the special financial assistance given to our Ottoman royal family, but also rejected our latest loan guarantee, which will probably put the empire's finances into crisis." Mohammad Shimshek from the dining table He picked up a tablecloth, wiped his mouth, and then looked at Azad Koprulu with a solemn expression, "As a member of the former empire, can you provide me with some constructive suggestions? Also Yes, is Qi preparing to change its foreign policy towards the empire? In addition, I heard that with the help of the English, the Austrians may achieve some degree of reconciliation with Qi. Is this news true?

"Is Istanbul going to replace Sultan again? Or is it preparing to replace a new grand vizier?" Azad Koprulu smiled and did not answer, but asked his own question.

"...I don't know." Muhammad Himshek shook his head and said: "I received news about the empire in Chang'an not much faster than the people of Qi. Even at certain times, when major changes occurred in the empire, it was still Qi who The Chinese people learned the news immediately.”

"As far as I know, although the attempted military coup launched by the Imperial Guard last year was quelled in time, Sultan Ahmed III has lost the power and reputation he deserves as a monarch and can no longer control the situation in the empire. In order to keep his position as Grand Vizier under the attack of many opposing forces, the Grand Vizier Daoud Ibrahim Pasha may have no choice but to throw out His Majesty the Sultan and put him under his control in the end. Under this situation, neither the reformers nor the conservatives in the empire dare to sacrifice the interests of the empire easily, thereby allowing their political opponents to seize the opportunity and be fatally wounded. Attack. Therefore, Istanbul firmly rejected their request to build a naval base on Crete, knowing that it would offend Qi."

"..." Mohammad Shimshek looked at the other party steadily, sighed for a moment, "The whole story may be as you said. Istanbul had to reject the Qi people's request in order to fear that the truth would be revealed. Crete was not only a relatively prosperous province of the empire, but also had a more symbolic significance for the empire's authority. After all, the empire spent more than a hundred years and spent hundreds of thousands of lives fighting for Crete. At a great price, we finally gained the island. Oh, by the way, the retaking of Crete was only achieved under the auspices of your grandfather, Ahmed Koprululu Grand Vizier.”

"If..." Azad Koprulu heard that the other party mentioned his grandfather, he looked slightly startled, then shook his head with a wry smile, and then solemnly said: "Suppose, Qi State and the Empire were at odds, and then sent a navy to blockade Crete, and then land a large army to attack it. With the strength of the empire, is it possible to save this island? "

"Qi State and the Empire have maintained a traditional friendship for more than 80 years. How could they suddenly turn against each other and send troops to attack Crete?" Mohammad Himshek looked at the other party in astonishment.

"Haha..." Azad Koprulu smiled, "So, what I just said is if, in case we... Istanbul can't recognize the facts and completely offends Qi, not to mention that there will be no important things. Economic and military assistance may also be met with military attacks from Qi. At that time, will the empire be able to fight? "

"No, definitely not." Muhammad Shimshek shook his head vigorously, "No matter which sultan in the empire takes over the Topkapi Palace or which grand vizier comes to power, it will not happen Making the decision to turn against Qi or even become an enemy is definitely a very irrational act and a disaster for the empire.”

Are you kidding me? Once Qi and Qi turned against each other, millions of dollars in financial support every year (including borrowing new debts to repay old debts, low-interest loans, and free government assistance) were instantly gone, which would definitely cause a big hole in the empire's finances. If Qi If the empire is forced to repay its huge debt, it will inevitably cause the empire's finances to go bankrupt immediately.

The accumulated debt is more than 24 million yuan, which is equivalent to more than 800 million Akche. Even if you sell everything, you can't afford it!

Over the years, the empire has mortgaged whatever land and tax revenue it could in Arabia, the Gulf (Persian Gulf), Egypt, Tunisia and other border areas, and sold whatever it could, and almost never repaid Qi in a serious manner.

Of course, it’s not that I don’t want to pay it back, it’s really impossible!

Take the island of Crete as an example. It can be regarded as Qi's collateral. If the money cannot be repaid by then, it is said that the right to use part of the island will not be transferred to others.

However, before the repayment deadline has come, Qi State is eager to build a port and a naval base on the island. This is really not good-looking!

The question is, when the repayment date comes eight years later, can the empire repay the borrowed money?

Oh, by the way, just now Koprulu hypothesized that if Zio turned against him and they directly forcibly collected the collateral and sent troops to occupy Crete, could the empire be saved?

Absolutely no guarantee!
Not to mention the empire's weak naval strength, which even the Venetians could not keep up with before, let alone the navy of Qi, which had the largest fleet in the world.

If the conflict escalates, Qi will not need to mobilize the Persians and the Tatars of the Volga Basin to launch land attacks from the southeast and northeast of the empire. It will transfer the financial funds and military weapons that previously supported the empire to the Austrians. I believe that the other side will He will definitely be overjoyed, and then he will launch the most ferocious attack on the empire without hesitation.

Well, in this case, the big shots in Istanbul should know how to choose.

Alas, in order to satisfy their own selfish interests, everyone is fighting for power and making every calculation, and no one wants to consider the long-term interests of the empire.

However, Qi's attitude towards the empire seems to be getting stronger and stronger, no longer as "polite" as before, and it seems to be condescending.

Is this preparing us, the Ottoman Empire, to recognize the situation and adjust its position, or is it going to create a king and a king between the two sides?

(End of this chapter)