---

#45 Chapter. Breathing Room (2)

The most noteworthy place in Trabzon Mountain is undoubtedly Trabzon Citadel.

While it was economically important before, it is now the first place where Yusuf tries out new things.

For parents with young children, barley tea, which has become an essential item, was first introduced in Trabzon, and the four-crop rotation system that spread throughout Trabzon also started there.

After taking Erzurum, they began paving roads with cement and creating sewage systems for disposing of waste.

This means that it has always been a place of interest for gossipers and those sensitive to information.

However, those who pay attention to Trabzon Citadel are merely curious individuals looking for small gains, while those with ulterior motives focus on entirely different places.

If you ride for about an hour from Trabzon Citadel, you’ll reach a location.

The fortress on a small hill began as a wooden fence but has now become a fortified area protected by thick concrete.

To enter, one must pass through two checkpoints, and the cavalry can be seen regularly patrolling for training.

Into such a place, Hasan entered with three guards, greeted by a passing artisan with a familiar face.

“Welcome, Hasan!”

“Wiemit, how have you been?”

Hasan nodded solemnly and asked back, and Wei mit, a middle-aged man, answered with a light smile.

“What can I complain about? I’m doing well.”

“That’s good to hear. If there’s anything lacking, just let me know.”

“Thank you.”

Though everyone here knew that Hasan was a slave, the artisan politely expressed his gratitude.

The social status of a slave follows that of the owner, and Hasan, being a prince, wielded the most power here.

Moreover, since the initial reason for establishing this place was cement production, Hasan and the artisans had been together for a long time.

Thanks to this, they knew just how favored Hasan was by the prince, and even the artisan had no hesitation in bowing his head.

‘It’s all an illusion.’

Despite being treated with excessive respect for a slave, Hasan’s heart was not at ease.

Hasan knew better than anyone where he stood. He was well aware that the guards accompanying him could just as easily take his life at any moment.

‘This is madness, pure madness. Why does escaping from the status of a slave matter so much?’

Regretting his past actions as if possessed by a demon felt far too distant now.

The people of Trabzon often spoke of Yusuf as a great and benevolent ruler without reservation.

Contrary to Selim, who was only interested in the Turkic elite, Yusuf showed concern for the lives of the majority of the subjects and achieved much improvement in a short time.

But Hasan knew just how meticulous and brutal Yusuf could be.

“Weimit, hang this over there.”

As Hasan took out blood-stained clothes from his bundle, Wei mit’s expression darkened.

“Sertak, it’s his clothing. I had a bad feeling since he said he would be back after a few days with his family…”

Identifying the owner from just the clothes, Wei mit accepted them with a sorrowful expression.

To give a warning, bloodstained clothes were nailed near the castle entrance, yet foolish individuals continued to appear.

“What happened this time?”

“It’s a common occurrence. Caught trying to escape at dawn.”

There were those trying to uncover the secrets of cement, or spies sent by Yusuf’s rivals who lured people gathered here.

When sent out to relieve their discontent, some would fall prey to such temptations.

Of course, until now, there had never been a successful instance. Yusuf’s network of information was more elaborate than people here could imagine.

If those present were to know, they’d be stricken with a deep distrust of humanity.

“What a foolish friend.”

With a light click of his tongue, Wei mit moved to hang the clothes in the castle, and Hasan quickly moved on.

If he didn’t want to hear the wrath of the guards, he needed to carry out orders quickly and return.

On one side of the citadel, the noise of cement being fired and ground into powder erupted continuously.

While it was the place with the most personnel involved, Hasan’s destination wasn’t there but a location occupied by a handful of artisans.

Among those working the bellows to feed the forge, there were those forging steel plates with hammers, and a man checking the quality coolly spoke in a gruff voice.

“What brings you here again?”

“Tahir, why are you being so gruff? I just came to check if everything’s going well.”

Responding smoothly to the coldly spoken Tahir, Hasan picked up one of the guns set aside.

“How’s the production going?”

“There’s nothing we can’t make. One poor fellow nearly died trying to test that damn weapon.”

Incidents like these were common when making guns.

Barrels would explode under pressure, or accidents would occur due to poor management of gunpowder.

Nevertheless, thanks to adhering to safety, there had been no fatalities, a stroke of luck indeed.

“Still, that’s better than a cannon blowing up, right?”

“Don’t compare it to that pig of a gun that just consumes gunpowder! If that had blown, I wouldn’t be here.”

Tahir, who had made cannons and hand cannons, replied roughly and then tossed the gun he was holding away.

“If you’re so curious, why don’t you try shooting it yourself!”

“My body belongs to my master, so I can’t treat it unsuitably.”

“Hmph, the prince wouldn’t stop you if you said you were shooting.”

Though Hasan hadn’t met Yusuf much, he knew roughly how their relationship was, and he merely shrugged at Tahir’s words.

“If I lose an arm, I won’t be able to do paperwork properly, and he’d hate it.”

He said it as a joke, but knowing it to be true made Hasan feel slightly gloomy.

Of course, Yusuf, always telling him to be grateful for still being alive, showed no concern for Hasan’s feelings.

“Enough with the nonsense already. I’ve made it exactly like what the prince gave me, so it should be usable.”

One of the matchlocks that Ismail received from the Sultan before the war, Tahir stated confidently.

It took a lot of effort, but it was certainly possible to produce.

The real issue was that he had merely tossed down a blueprint for a design.

“On top of that, I can’t make the weapons that need springs right now! Do you think they’re made of regular iron?”

Springs required elastic metals, and that belonged to the expensive category.

Though he admired the design at first glance and thought about trying to make it at least once.

“To arm soldiers with this, the prince will have to eat only gruel starting tomorrow.”

“Then I’ll report it that way. Starting tomorrow, if he’s going to eat gruel, I’ll say I was told to make it.”

“Get lost! If you’re going to say that, bring the materials first!”

With a loud voice, it was no different than swinging a steel pipe, and Hasan bolted outside.

It seemed he had no intention to really hit him; he sighed at the sound of the blacksmith’s door slamming shut.

Of course, he couldn’t say to Tahir as he had that he should only eat gruel.

‘If I said that, he’d hang me from the castle walls.’

I don’t understand why life is so dangerous when there’s no war.

*

Upon hearing Hasan’s report, Yusuf lightly tapped the desk.

Thinking he would be reprimanded, Hasan entered hunched up but had anticipated the outcome.

‘It’s true it’d be difficult to use flintlock or wheel lock guns right away. Matchlocks are still usable enough.’

Matchlocks might be a bit cumbersome in managing the sparks, but it wasn’t to the point of being useless.

‘Right now, without even effectively utilizing matchlocks, there’s no need to rush into it.’

For weapons that would make a significant mark in history, their treatment was poor, and it would take at least another 20 years before they were widely introduced across Europe.

Of course, introducing flintlock or wheel lock weapons didn’t transcend the eras.

The wheel lock mechanism, similar to a lighter, would have already been created based on the designs by Leonardo da Vinci, who would be painting frescoes at the Florence City Hall around now.

‘Perhaps Da Vinci is painting frescoes in Florence. His rival Michelangelo would be working on his frescoes next to him.’

He must have also started painting the Mona Lisa.

Raphael, famous for the School of Athens, was also alive at this time, so it would be entertaining to invite these figures if Yusuf were to become a Sultan.

‘Of course, there’s a high chance they wouldn’t come.’

In any case, if it’s expensive, there’s no need to force its creation. That would only be the case after he became Sultan with overflowing funds.

There was still time before the official succession and still a stage of accumulating technology.

The West didn’t even know about the high-grade steel used since the era of the Han Dynasty and was unable to produce steel in quantities.

‘The West became aware of high-grade steel by seeing its use in colonies like India.’

If they were informed of the existence of high-grade steel, it would be almost like entering a new world.

There were plenty of other things to attempt directly.

“That should do for now. There’s no need to be overly tense; I don’t plan to scold you.”

At this, Hasan barely straightened his hunched body.

Finding gunpowder was more of a challenge than manufacturing guns. There is enough potential for solving bullet production by continuously introducing known techniques, but gunpowder had many obstacles.

“How’s the procurement of saltpeter going?”

“For now, we’ve requested it from the conquered Georgia and Circassia.”

In nature, saltpeter can only be found in some places like China, India, or the mountainous regions of Spain near the coast.

The rest of the time, they would have to create saltpeter beds themselves or scrape off the white crystals left in places like basements.

‘The best option is to create saltpeter beds.’

Unfortunately, conditions weren’t great for making saltpeter beds in Trabzon.

Saltpeter, or potassium nitrate, dissolves easily in water, so saltpeter beds need to be in low humidity, which is difficult to achieve in coastal Trabzon.

Furthermore, even if they managed to create saltpeter beds, the process of purifying the crystals obtained was necessary; it wouldn’t simply end with drying them in sunlight.

Because of the complexity involved in direct production, they had no choice but to borrow the strength of those nearby.

‘If large-scale saltpeter extraction happens in two places, the chances of being detected by those nearby are high, but it can’t be helped.’

There were no alternatives to secure the quantity.

To be honest, if word came out about making gunpowder, there was a high chance they wouldn’t be overly worried.

As mentioned earlier regarding the matchlock, non-cannon types of gunpowder weapons don’t attract much attention.

“I need to keep an eye on the gunpowder. If it’s poorly managed and we can’t use it properly, you understand the consequences, right?”

“Y-Yes, of course!”

He should realize how difficult the task he just answered was.

Only those who have lived through the challenges of managing black powder will understand how tough it can be.

Thinking of the clear future that awaited Hasan, Yusuf wore a mischievous smile, and Hasan, who was often met with that smile, trembled at the ominous feeling.

Just as Hasan was contemplating if it was too late to withdraw, someone else spoke up first.

“Wow, Prince! We have urgent news! Aishe’s impending childbirth has been announced!”

At the unexpected news, Yusuf nodded calmly.

The moment a child with Ottoman blood was about to be born.