Chapter 608: Istanbul
"That is quite a grand vision, Lord Miralai," The Sultana Dowager responded, her tone betraying a note of scepticism, "It does sound like a world of fantasy."
Abdullah nodded, meeting her gaze evenly. "Yes, your Majesty, it is a dream, a fantasy. But it’s precisely because it is so that it gives us a common goal to strive for. It unites our people, wards off the disillusionment of corruption, and spurs progress. Over the years, we’ve already seen drastic changes—less starvation, increased trade revenue, a fortified army, more advanced weaponry—all as a result of our Greater Roman Ideal."
The Sultana Dowager looked at her son, her eyes filled with a mix of determination and concern. "I am no mad woman, Lord Miralai," she declared firmly. "I will not lead my people towards doom. But make no mistake—I expect compensation for the hardship you’ve brought upon us, for my son’s plight, and for your unjustified invasion."
"Of course, your Majesty."
The Sultana Dowager continued, her tone growing steely, "I require a sustainable land for my house—an independent holding with our own military, economy, and law system. Furthermore, I demand the right to take everything I can from the palace of Edirne."
"Yes, of course, your Majesty," Abdullah replied, but there was an unmistakable tension in the air. Her conditions were severe, but at least it showed some signs of progress.
"And remember, Lord Miralai, you shall die in the years to come without a consistent supply of my antidote, is that very clear to you."
"Yes... Your Majesty..."
Abdullah went back to the side of Antonius to discuss on the details of the negotiation, leaving the Sultana Dowager and the Sultan waiting on the walls, waiting for a response. But the Sultana Dowager looks pretty relaxed as she leaned looking at the city from a high up view, she turned to her son, and spoke softly. "Remember the looks of the city, for this might be the last time that you can ever look at it."
The Sultan nodded, then seems to have remembered something as he passed his mother another paper, asking. "Will your poison really work in the time to come?"
"Oh my silly child, that is no poison, it is just a mixture between water, vinegar, some dye made from plants, some yeast and some other chemicals to achieve that goo and bubble effects to purposefully make it look gross to convince him that it is sort of poison, a test to see if he, and the man behind him, is honest on the negotiation, with the risk of his life. And I am sure that as a cunning man who has struggled with politics for the past decade, it will not take him long before he realise about it."
"I am just a bit surprised that you could actually accept the terms so easily, it almost seemed a little illogical to me, I thought that you would be much more... much more..."
The Sultana Dowager interrupted with an undelighted tsk. "You expect me to turn down all terms, behave like a frantic woman, demanding the Rumelians to retreat all the way, and revenge your own unfaithful mistake? I want to, but throwing a temper is the rights owned only by children who have nothing to worry about, while I need to worry about everything, from the survival and future of the family, to the outcome of the population if I did that, and if I issued the order to continue to hold the city, I am afraid that you can only see my head dangling by the walls the next day."
The Sultan nodded.
"Grow up, my child... Now, take a final look at Edirne, before we lose it, maybe forever."
...
The entire family of the Osmanoğlu are escorted out of the city, with more than a hundred wagons of wealth, accompanied with two hundred plus Ottoman soldiers, and a thousand plus Ottoman Turks who are willing to continue living under the leadership of the Sultan. The entire fleet of carts and horses formed a long snack stretching all the way to the end of the horizon, lasting all the way squeezing through the gates from morning till dawn, before the last cart left the city carrying all the wealth that the Ottomans have gathered in their capital after their century long conquest.
Before leaving, the new Janissary commander handed the key to the gates of Edirne to Julian, before the Janissary commander proceeded on to catch up with his Sultan. It is hard to tell that the man from his looks, as the new Janissary commander, unlike his predecessors, looks just like a regular teenager with no experience of war on his face, or perhaps this man is already the best from what the Sultana Dowager could choose from her available manpower pool.
As dawn broke over the city, an anticipatory murmur washed over the crowd gathered to witness the grand parade. The morning sun glittered on the polished armour of Roman soldiers, their spears and helmets reflecting its rays like a sea of shimmering gold. At the head of the procession rode Antonius himself, his stern countenance softened by the day’s triumph. His cloak, emblazoned with the royal standard of the scarlet lion and the Roman crown, billowed behind him, making a stark contrast against the cobblestone streets.
Behind him, a procession of clergy solemnly carried the sacred banner bearing the true cross of Chi Rho. The sight of the holy symbol incited a chorus of cheers and prayers from the throng of spectators. The faithful reached out, seeking blessings as the banner passed, its presence a divine endorsement of the events to come. Next, a unit of elite guards proudly hoisted the flag of the double-headed eagle, the indomitable symbol of the Roman Empire. The flag soared above the crowd, its twin heads staring down in opposite directions, symbolizing the Empire’s dominion over the east and the west. The Turkish signs were torn down amidst euphoric roars, replaced with chiselled letters spelling "Adrianople" (Άδριανούπολις) on the city gates.
The parade culminated in the city centre, the citadel now gleaming under a new dawn. More than just a renaming, this procession symbolised a restoration of Roman standards, Roman order, and Roman Dominance are back on the world stage, now defeated the century old foe and reclaiming the Dominance in the region again after losing them ever since the disastrous betrayal by the crusaders and the Venetians.
However, the behaviours and reactions of the citizens of now Adrianople though, is vastly different from the other towns and cities that Antonius have ever captured in his life, for there are not much cheers and laughter when the troops marched across the spectating crowd, but only cold looks staring at the soldiers with nothing but fear and worries in their eyes. The population of Adrianople is looking at the troops as if they are aliens.
Which is kind of understandable, it has already been more than a hundred years for the fall of Adrianople, the older generations who still have recollections of the empire have already deceased long time ago, and due to the fact that Adrianople was the capital city of the Ottomans since its fall, the citizens of the city lived a relatively better situation than the others in the Sultanate without the fear of getting exploited by the various corrupt overlords, paying for a peaceful life under the Sultan’s mercy and protection just by paying a sum of Jizya tax, moreover Antonius have just starved and dehydrated the entire city for a week, and even threatened to flood them, naturally they do not feel safe under a new dominion.
Seeing this unsupportive reactions from the citizens of Adrianople, Antonius got bored of the parade, and called the parade to be over before the designated time as soon as the troops marched to the central citadel where the palace is.
The Caesar and his followers marched into the abandoned palace of the Sultans and toured around the entire place with Abdullah being the guide. The Ottomans have indeed taken away everything they can, even the golden plating on the walls and paintings on the ceilings. But still it does not stop Antonius from getting awed by the creativity and luxury that the builders have put in when building the entire palace, making it a much more spectacular palace than what Antonius have seen before, outmatching both his government house, the estate of the Doge of Genoa, and the two palaces of Constantinople.
Though on thing is clear, this palace shall be no longer functional, with the defensive buildings planned to be demolished, and the main structure to be turned into both an University campus, and a museum, educating people on the history of the people under Ottoman rule.
...
The Sultana and the Sultana Dowager came to the place that Antonius have promised them after a whole two weeks of travels, a place near a village called Platamon, where there are already a castle newly built for them, and even a small port by the Aegean.
The Sultana Dowager sighed, and came into the castle first on horse, followed by the Sultan.
"Lets name this place Istanbul."
