The Crescent of the Sultan

The prosperous era on the postcard was enviable, and the guards following the convoy took out large miniature paintings at the same time.

The ulama sang hymns.

“Ah, in the long river of time, the heroic Suleiman.

His wisdom and courage are beyond ordinary mortals.

When the bright moon is dressed in gorgeous clothes, the night sky shines with amber lights, and the earth trembles, receiving the revelation of the gods.

In the distant conquering sky, the stream of Athamura surges with the power of determination.

Suleiman stood on the throne of conquest, like a North Star, dazzling and firm.

The soldiers put on their war robes, their chests beating like drums, and they silently guarded their Sultan.

Listen, distinguished guests!

The bells of the century echo in the sky, and the holy doves fly, playing a new overture.

Suleiman the Magnificent's ascension to the throne is about to begin, and the German artillery sings a song of victory.

The mountains trembled and the earth shook.

The palace in Constantiniya is beautiful, and the sun shines brightly through the clouds.

A new generation of emperors suddenly ascended the throne, their splendid robes and jade crowns reflected the glory of the empire, the loud sound of trumpets resounded through the sky, and the soldiers were ready to go, majestic.

Suleiman the Magnificent had a burning gaze and a mighty spirit, and the future of the empire rested on his shoulders.

The postcard shows endless crowds surging on the streets of Constantiniya, waiting with bated breath for the arrival of the great moment.

The subjects of the empire knelt at the feet of the great emperor, kneeling to show respect to their new ruler.

Dazzling jewels embellish his armor, and the patterns drawn with skillful craftsmanship are gleaming. Strength and wisdom merge in his body, and the fate of the empire is destined to be glorious forever.

Mysterious chants came from the peak of the sacred mountain, and stars filled with blessings twinkled in the sky.

Suleiman the Magnificent ascended to the towering pinnacle of the empire, his crown inlaid with brilliant gems, shining with power and glory.

He is a divine messenger, leading everyone into a new era.

The universe shines for him, and the starry sky is bathed in the light of glory.

He harmonized the four countries, stabilized the country, and ushered in an era of prosperity.

Emperor Suleiman the Magnificent held his scepter high and solemnly stood in the hall of the palace, swearing a pious oath.

The sage Suleiman raised his eyes and looked into the distance, clear and far-sighted. His voice spread like thunder throughout the sacred hall, and the oath of heaven and earth was whispered between his lips.

He swore an oath to defend the empire and ensure the country's prosperity.

The talented civil servants knelt down intimately and offered their loyalty oaths, and the brave soldiers of the army lined up to salute and stood in awe of loyalty.

This is the prosperous era of the empire. "

Selim saw Muhammad Ali in the crowd. He waved and the crowd parted into a lane.

Muhammad Ali lowered his body and walked toward the Sultan.

He never thought he would get this, and he was confused when the palace eunuch came to Damascus to inform him to return to Constantiniya to attend the wedding.

Although I have a job to help His Majesty inspect the place, is this position high? Not high, he is a pasha, but only a pasha. Although this position is noble, it is not a permanent official position.

There were many people who could attend the wedding banquet this time, but not many who could witness the wedding.

For Muhammad Ali, he is already very satisfied. His Majesty's trust and attention in him are difficult to obtain by others.

Even Alandhar Mustafa Pasha, who is as good as him, is still training new troops in Egypt with Haji Pasha.

This was also what surprised him. He might be able to witness the wedding, but he didn't expect that he would be able to get this postcard.

The closer Muhammad Ali got to Selim, the lower he got. After taking the postcard from Selim, he knelt down and worshiped.

At this time, the Sultan dismounted and raised Muhammad Ali from the ground.

There were exclamations from the crowd, and people tried their best to lower their voices, but the surprise could not be concealed.

This is the only person who has made His Majesty dismount, and his future seems to be foreseeable.

“Dear Muhammad Ali, I am glad that my ancestors gave you to the Empire and to me.

It is now the 224th year since the death of Suleiman the Magnificent. The prosperous era seems to be just yesterday, but it is already beyond our reach.

Now I want you to join me, together with the many viziers, and together with the people of the Empire, let us fight together.

Let us give dignity to the people of the empire. Everyone lives on the territory of the empire and is working hard for their own future. Every citizen of the empire should live well, live with dignity, and strive to live a decent life. life.

Let us give justice to the people of the empire, which is the observance of the Prophet's instructions and the affirmation of the Shariah.

Let us give justice to the people of the empire. In the past, the days when tyrants roamed the countryside and thieves oppressed the people have passed. We should protect every citizen of the empire.

Let us once again create a prosperous era on the territory of the empire. This is a common era that belongs to all the people of the empire. "

After the Sultan finished speaking, the crowd once again let out a roar.

Muhammad Ali did not speak. He first knelt down to the Sultan again, and then bowed three times to the people around him.

The scene was speechless, but a kind of spiritual power had penetrated into the crowd. Muhammad Ali got on his horse and the motorcade continued to move.

The crowd followed the Sultan, shouting.

"Long live the Sultan, long live the Empire, long live Allah."

The convoy finally arrived at the Saint's Cathedral, and Patriarch Nicholas was already waiting at the door.

After saying goodbye three times, Anna, who was wearing a robe, got into the beautifully decorated carriage with the help of the maids. The motorcade changed direction and headed towards the Aya Sophia Mosque.

Outside the mosque, the four New Order bosses and the current Grand Vizier, including Kuchuk Hussein Pasha, Ishak Pasha, Izet Pasha, and Haji Pasha who was recalled from Egypt, Yusuf Pasha, former naval commander-in-chief Hassan Pasha and the Grand Mufti were already waiting here.

Led by the ulama, the guests who came to witness the wedding poured into the Aya Sofia Mosque.

The Grand Mufti stood on the high platform, and the guests sat on both sides. Everyone held their breath and looked forward to the start.

“Dear friends, let us pray together that God may bless the newlyweds in their marriage with love, harmony and respect for each other. Now, the wedding begins”

The guests burst into applause, and Selim and Anna ascended the stage.

The Grand Mufti held the Quran in his hand and began to recite it.

“Allah desires to clarify the rites for you and show you the ways of your ancestors, and He will forgive you. Allaah is All-Knowing, Most Wise.

Everybody! Fear your Lord. One of His signs is that He created you from one person, and He made his spouse his own kind, and from them He created many men and women, so that you may cling to them and You love one another and have mercy on one another. "

Selim and Anna looked at each other and then recited, and the guests followed suit.

The Grand Mufti continued to read.

“You should treat women’s dowry as a gift and give it to them.

If they willingly give up part of their betrothal ceremony to you, then you can accept and enjoy it happily.

The most important condition that should be fulfilled is that you use this to turn the handover into a legal betrothal gift. "

The palace eunuchs transported the betrothal gifts from both parties to the hall, and the exchange began while the Grand Mufti recited.

Selim and Anna put on their crowns and began to exchange wedding rings.

After looking up for a moment, the Grand Mufti continued to read.

“Allah has made you superior to each other, so keep yourselves and do not expect anything beyond your reach; men will be rewarded for their deeds, and women will be rewarded for their deeds; ask Allah to grant His favor to you. Allah will reward you. Indeed, He is omniscient in all things.

If you are afraid of disharmony between husband and wife, then appoint a notary from each of their relatives. If two just men want to reconcile, then God will bring peace between husband and wife.

Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing and All-Knowing. "

The guests once again applauded after the Grand Mufti finished his recitation.

Then Selim and Anna read out their engagement together, which was also the last part.

“We, Selim Osmanoglu, Anna Hiyekolas, hereby solemnly declare our love and determination for each other. We will begin a new journey to build a community of love, respect and commitment marriage.

we promise:

Mutual respect: We will respect each other's personal space, opinions and decisions to establish an equal and harmonious partnership.

Authentic communication: We will communicate honestly and openly, sharing our thoughts, feelings and needs to enhance our relationships.

Mutual aid and support: We will support each other, share family and personal responsibilities, and face the challenges and difficulties in life together.

We believe that through deep love and understanding, our marriage will be filled with joy, mutual support, and growth. We are willing to work hard for each other and our marriage forever. "

The Grand Mufti finally said.

“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Merciful, all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

Their love will be witnessed and protected by you and will last forever. "

The wedding ended here, and many guests stood up and left the Aya Sofia Mosque after applauding for the last time.

They were going to Belem Palace for the wedding banquet.

Selim had already entered the carriage where Anna was sitting. It must be said that this show was quite successful.

You don’t even need to look at other people’s reports. If the previous “Long Live Sultan” can be said to have been specially arranged by Selim, then the following are the opinions of the civilian guests who came to attend the wedding. Released for.

With the help of hallucinogens, gold ducats, snacks, the off-site incitement of the Ulema and memories of the empire's past glory, it has to be said that Constantinier's mass incitement was quite adequate, and this was enough.

With the help of the radiation power of the capital, people will spontaneously spread his behavior today. This influence will spread widely throughout the Ottoman Empire, gradually ferment, and eventually bring benefits.

Of course, this will definitely take time, but Emperor Sai is not in a hurry.

For now, since there is an opportunity to improve the Sultan's image among the people at the bottom of the Ottoman Empire, why not do it?

Habbo also rules an ancient empire, from the Middle Ages to modern times, and has a long-standing family. Even after the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed and the entire country was shattered into pieces, if the emperor at that time had not stretched his hips too much, Austria can still be saved.

Compare it to Hohenzollern. Wilhelm II fled directly from the Netherlands and slipped to Northern Europe. It was just a Romanov. His whole family followed Nicholas II and ate his favorite peanuts to feed the people. As for the Ottomans? , the treatment is okay.

After the First World War, the noble last sultan of the Ottoman Empire was treated with courtesy along with the Ottoman royal family.

The Turk from Salonika, the God of War in Gallipoli, the nemesis of Choppa, the savior of Istanbul, the great Ataturk (father of the Turks) Mustafa Kemal Atta Turk (followed by the unique surname of Kemal and his descendants) was expelled by the Ottoman royal family. Bah, he left the country as a gift.

This is why Emperor Sai the Great chose to organize the wedding in this way. The royal family of the Ottoman Empire had never taken care of the people at the bottom, let alone created the concept of a so-called little father.

What Selim had to do was make a breakthrough from zero to one. In fact, during Selim's lifetime, he did not need to consider the so-called people's revolution at all.

In his era, the autocratic monarchy could still exist firmly, and a single man among ten thousand people did not have to worry about any criticism.

But he needs to consider his successors. The political model of constitutional monarchy will become the first choice for reform in major monarchies in the late nineteenth century, even if such reforms are just a show.

When Selim thought of this, he couldn't help but think about how much money was spent on this wedding. The number of gold ducats scattered today is estimated to be tens of thousands. According to this grand occasion, the cost must be indispensable.

This was what distressed him the most. The Ottoman Empire was really poor.

In addition to sudden events such as weddings, the training of the new army and the support of the Polish Army, although this is not too much, it is still an expense.

There are also the costs of establishing local administrative agencies at all levels, building mosques, investing in industrial development, resettling immigrants, and post-war reconstruction.

Although Selim extorted a lot of money from Millet for projects such as building a school, it was not enough.

What's more, Selim also arranged conversion policies and tax incentives for Muslims, which reduced the money collected.

From the promulgation of the "Imperial Edict" in January to the wedding in September, one obvious data that Selim can see is that the empire's financial revenue has not only not increased, but has also decreased slightly.

By this time, Selim also understood why the previous sultans liked to use the tax farming system.

As the saying goes, existence is reasonable. No matter how the local rulers scrape the land and squeeze the people at the bottom, at least they can really get money for the Sudan.

But Selim certainly couldn't do this. If he didn't touch the cancer of the tax farming system, Selim would never be able to squeeze the Ottoman Empire into a rope.

Because when the oppression of the Sultan came equally to every lower-class people in the Ottoman Empire, why should they convert?

If this cancer is not dealt with, Selim will be at best a Koprulu family (the founder of the Ottoman Empire's power in the seventeenth century) to the Ottoman Empire. This is meaningless, because as soon as he dies, this power will collapse immediately. .

But, to be honest, if it were not for the issuance of national debt (the key is that Selim also swallowed up this part of the money after Louis XVI's death), ending the war early, a small-scale devaluation to collect seigniorage, plus a few Cleaning and house raiding activities.

With the Ottoman Empire's hematopoietic ability during this period, Selim could not even think of starting so many projects at the same time.

The carriage drove slowly, and after a long period of thinking alone, Anna, who was sitting opposite Selim, finally couldn't help but spoke to break the silence.

"Your Majesty, what are you thinking about?"

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