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Luck Again (2)

Yusuf had never felt regret for not distributing his talents toward intelligence while living with Ismail, thanks to the knowledge embedded in his mind.

Even fleeting information or the stories of the Ottomans that I experienced indirectly through games remained vividly in memory.

However, it didn’t mean he knew everything.

“If Tazlu Khanum was simply Ismail’s concubine, I wouldn’t have known.”

How could one know about the harem of the Safavid, let alone the Ottomans?

Yusuf knew her because she was the mother of Tahmasp I, who became Shah after Ismail.

Yusuf, who had not expected to meet such a woman here, slowly took in his surroundings.

The guards, who barely survived due to the intense resistance from the enemy, were on the verge of succumbing to Allah’s embrace.

There were dozens of horrific corpses, and the blood-soaked ground was muddy.

Even in such dire circumstances, Yusuf clicked his tongue internally as he observed Tazlu glaring at him with sharp eyes.

“In a situation where one might not know what fate befalls them, she certainly has an uncommon disposition.”

After all, even if she wasn’t Ismail’s spouse, her lineage was formidable.

Her grandfather was a ruler of the White Sheep Dynasty, which made things ironic since that grandfather was Jacob, who killed Ismail’s father, Haidar.

“Who are you?”

As Tazlu asked, swatting away the hand that was raised defiantly, Yusuf replied, “I am Prince Yusuf.”

“…The Shaitan of the Ottomans!”

“That’s quite an extravagant nickname you bestow upon me. Should I say thank you?”

Yusuf smiled wryly.

Only someone from the upper echelons who knew how the Qizilbash were defeated would use such a phrase.

To them, it must have seemed like he had cast a spell or something.

“What do you plan to do with me?”

“Hmm, well.”

Yusuf pondered.

It wasn’t strange for Tazlu to be here.

Half a century ago, the capital of the White Sheep Dynasty was Diyarbakır, and her clan held tremendous power in Diyarbakır and Armenia.

However, meeting her like this could only be seen as a stroke of fortune.

“No matter how lucky I might be, it’s still too risky to bite that bait. Ismail’s jealousy will surely surface.”

From the moment he achieved a great victory, they became enemies, and they would eventually have to fight, but taking away a woman was a different matter altogether.

After a moment of contemplation, Yusuf made a decision.

“Bind her. We’re taking her.”

“Yes!”

There was enough value to take the risk.

The cavalrymen approached, pulling out ropes at Yusuf’s command, and a maid hiding behind Tazlu dashed forward.

“How dare you lay hands on her, cough!”

At Yusuf’s gesture, a cavalryman shot an arrow, and the maid fell with an arrow lodged in her neck.

In the chilling silence, as Tazlu was being tied with ropes, she asked with an angry voice, “What do you intend to do with me?”

“At the very least, I’m not taking you to make you my woman like Ismail, so loosen that fierce gaze.”

In fact, Tazlu hadn’t married Ismail from the start.

Ismail had engaged in conquest wars, killing the ruler of a particular region and bringing her as part of his harem.

Although it was not entirely unusual in that era to take another man’s wife as a prize, Yusuf had no intention of adding her to his harem.

“If it were beneficial, it might make sense, but taking Tazlu is a total loss.”

There was no need to face a beast gone wild over one single woman.

He would have to fight against his brothers in the future, and he didn’t want a furious Ismail at his back.

The best choice was to take her gently, extract suitable benefits, and return her safely.

“What about the others?”

Excluding the deceased, there were still maids and servants left in Tazlu’s service.

Yusuf glanced around them and coldly issued commands.

“Kill everyone except for two maids who will assist Tazlu.”

They couldn’t keep Tazlu’s abduction a secret for long, but it was necessary to silence them to buy even a little time.

Universal silence through murder held true from ancient times to the present.

At Yusuf’s command, the cavalrymen swung their swords without hesitation, leaving only two lucky maids alive.

“Load the three onto the carriage and watch them closely. They are valuable spoils; anyone who dares act foolishly will not be forgiven.”

“Leave it to us; you need not worry.”

Yusuf nodded at the sorbashis’s words and mounted his horse.

“It looks like time is running short.”

With the added burden of the carriage, their speed of movement would slow, and they could risk being captured.

However, it was too regrettable to abandon it due to this danger.

“It’s a rather burdensome prize in many ways.”

Taking Tazlu to Trabzon would be challenging, but negotiating with the Safavid while leaving her behind posed its own difficulties.

At the very least, she had to be returned in good health, and the Sultan must not know that she had been abducted.

“Ismail is annihilating Dulqadir, so Tazlu could be seized as a bargaining chip or executed as a warning.”

If that were to happen, it would greatly amplify Ismail’s resentment, and it would be difficult to receive proper compensation.

Moreover, they couldn’t keep her too long.

The longer a man’s woman remained in another household, the more suspicion grew of her being damaged.

If those doubts grew and affection faded, negotiations would break down, and there would be both an enemy and a woman to contend with simultaneously.

“Yet the benefits of risking such a gamble are significant.”

Even translating her return for money would add a sturdy fund for the military.

“Only Allah knows whether this matter will be a stroke of luck or misfortune.”

Having briefly evaluated the situation, Yusuf tightened his grip on the reins and shouted.

“We return to Erzinjan!”

*

“Damn those Ottoman bastards, where do they think this is!”

Nur Ali, who ruled Diyarbakır, slammed his fist on the desk.

When he first received the report, he thought it was merely rebels or bandits. It felt way too sudden to attribute it to the Ottomans.

However, upon hearing that Erzinjan had fallen, the enemy was clearly identified.

“Of all times, why would such a thing happen while I’m in charge here?”

Diyarbakır was a large city that had for a long time served as a capital and was rightly Muhammad’s favored seat.

However, after the great defeat at Nebazar, Ismail had developed a habit of keeping his most trusted subordinates close, allowing Nur Ali to take charge here.

It was a sort of butterfly effect.

“Where is the enemy now?!”

“Given the established routes, they seem to be retreating.”

It was unlikely they would catch up even if they sent a pursuit troop now.

Thinking of the repairs needed in the damaged villages and the rebukes they would face later, he felt a headache coming on.

“For the time being, gather the pursuit troops and send them!”

Even if it turned out to be a futile effort, trying to pursue would lessen the impending reprimands.

He needed to send pursuit troops and support those who lost their homes and food due to the plundering.

As Nur Ali hastily prepared for what he needed to do, his office door burst open, and a soldier rushed in, saluting as he shouted.

“Urgent news! It is reported that Lady Tazlu Khanum, who was en route to Diyarbakır, was abducted by the Ottoman Army!”

In that moment, Nur Ali felt as though his mind had gone blank.

The fact that the surroundings were being plundered seemed like a trivial incident compared to this significant issue, and Nur Ali, momentarily hoping this was a dream, sprang up from his seat.

“We must capture them without fail! Move at once!”

Troops poured out of Diyarbakır.

*

Even if they drove the carriage quickly enough to hear death screams from within, there was no helping the slow march.

If all had gone according to plan, they would have arrived in Erzinjan by now, yet they were still not there.

Driving his horse with a restless heart, fortunately, they were not far from the destination.

“If we just keep running through the day, we will arrive.”

While relieved by Sorbashi’s words, Yusuf didn’t loosen his strings of tension until the very end.

For the exhausted soldiers facing a harsh schedule, it was sufficiently comforting.

– Thump thump thump

Just as the soldiers relaxed a little and exchanged light jokes, the sound of hooves thundering on the ground made their expressions harden.

Their ears detected the enemy’s arrival before their eyes did.

“Are they running away?”

“There’s no point in trying to escape; we’d just be caught shortly. There’s no need to waste our stamina.”

At Yusuf’s command, the cavalrymen swiftly turned their heads, and soon the dust rose as the enemies revealed themselves.

‘They seem to number about 4,000.’

Although the enemies who hastily chased them would feel the fatigue, the numerical difference of two-fold wouldn’t be a significant variable.

As the carriage with Tazlu was brought to the front, the approaching enemies slowed their speed and entered a standoff, keeping a safe distance.

Moments later, one of their cavalrymen approached without fear, his face stiff as a messenger.

“Tell me, what brings you here in such a rush? If there’s no solid reason, I would prefer to take my leave.”

“Hmph, don’t spout nonsense! Is she unharmed? If she bears even the slightest scratch, I will throw you to the dogs!”

At the messenger’s violent outburst, the cavalrymen drew their blades in anger, though the messenger remained steadfast, staring directly at Yusuf despite the weapons aimed at him.

With a gesture, Yusuf made them sheathe their swords and then spoke.

“Hmm, well, she’s safe. Bring her out.”

At Yusuf’s command, a soldier opened the carriage door, and a disheveled Tazlu staggered out.

Upon sight of her, the messenger glared at Yusuf with a furious expression, to which Yusuf shrugged.

“She must have had a rough journey. There’s nothing to worry about, as she hasn’t been harmed specifically.”

“…Release her at once! If you do so, I might spare your life.”

“Hmph, now that’s a generous proposition.”

The soldier gestured, pulling Tazlu forward, and Yusuf stood next to her, smirking as he spoke.

“Then I’ll make a good proposal of my own.”

Yusuf withdrew a preloaded gun and pulled the trigger toward the sky.

-Bang!

A thunderous sound erupted, and Yusuf aimed the smoking barrel at Tazlu.

Even though the messenger was not familiar with gunpowder weapons, the sight of something being shot along with the flash served as an excellent threat.

“Withdraw at once, and I’ll spare that girl’s life. How’s that for a good offer?”

As Yusuf waggled the gun barrel, the messenger gritted his teeth in frustration.

“You shall surely regret this.”

“Well, we’ll see about that. Don’t dwell too much on it. If you pay a fair price, I’ll return her without any issues.”

“Die like a pig, you human!”

Uttering curses, the messenger retreated back to enemy lines, and Yusuf passed Tazlu, who was hurling similar insults, onto a soldier.

As Tazlu returned to the carriage, Sorbashi glanced at her and asked, “What do you think they will do?”

“It’s obvious; they’ll stall for time since they have a hostage. We are still within enemy territory, and there will be other forces pursuing us.”

With so many sins incurred, there was no way around it.

Hearing Yusuf’s words, the sorbashi lowered his head and said, “I’ll lead 500 troops to stall for time. You must escape.”

“Don’t speak foolishly. No matter Tazlu’s status, I have no intention of sacrificing any of you.”

At this, the soldiers showed faces filled with deep emotion, but Yusuf genuinely thought so.

Losing 500 troops just because of a difficult prize didn’t add up.

And he had already called for reinforcements to handle the current situation.

“They have arrived.”

As the sound of hooves approached, over a thousand cavalrymen appeared behind Yusuf, who smiled broadly.

He was correct in his anticipation that Ardag would be out due to their delayed return.

“It’s a fortunate occurrence that the loud gunfire has proven to be useful.”

In any case, with the troops now evenly matched, there was no way to stop them.

“I wonder how long it will take for Ismail to hear about this.”

He was genuinely worried he might collapse from the strain. There was still much left to do.

Yusuf mounted his horse and wore a mischievous smile.