The First Campaign of the New Era
The empire had trembled under rebellion before. Time and again, the Balkans rose in defiance, stoked by priests, nobles, and foreign gold. Time and again, the Sublime Porte responded with slow armies, bloated generals, endless negotiations — and each time, the empire weakened.
But this time was different.
This time, the Sultan was a man reborn with the knowledge of centuries. Abdulhamid had no intention of letting rebellion fester like a rot. He would not allow hesitation, compromise, or bribes to dictate policy.
The Balkans burned. Villages shouted of freedom. Foreign agents smuggled rifles into mountain passes. Priests spoke of holy war against the "Turk."
And Abdulhamid sharpened his sword.
This would be no half-hearted suppression. It would be a lesson. The empire's enemies — within and without — would learn what it meant to defy a Sultan armed with the wisdom of Allah's gift.
The Balkans would be drowned in blood and order.
The War Council
The map of the Balkans lay stretched across the council table. Red pins marked rebel strongholds, black lines showed supply routes. Ministers muttered in fear.
"Your Majesty, the mountains favor the rebels."
"The roads are poor. The army may be delayed."
"Perhaps compromise would be wiser—"
Abdulhamid's fist struck the table, silencing all.
"No compromise. No delay. We strike now. Factories forge rifles as we speak. Railways will carry supplies. The Crescent Eyes already bleed their secrets onto my desk. What they believe is their strength — the mountains, the priests, foreign gold — will become their grave."
Generals shifted uneasily. "But Sultan, will you remain in Istanbul?"
Abdulhamid's eyes blazed.
"No. I will march with the army. A Sultan who hides in his palace earns no loyalty. The lion must lead the hunt."
Shock rippled through the room. A Sultan, on campaign? Not since Mehmed IV had an Ottoman ruler personally led men to war.
But this was Abdulhamid's second life. This time, history itself would bend.
The March Begins
The army assembled in Edirne, twenty thousand strong. Cavalry banners fluttered, infantry drums thundered. Abdulhamid rode at the front, clad in a uniform of deep green and gold, his sword at his side.
The sight electrified the soldiers. Whispers spread like wildfire:
"The Sultan marches with us!"
"He rides as our commander!"
"Allah has given us a lion!"
Morale surged. Men who once grumbled of poor pay now sang war-songs into the night.
The Crescent Eyes worked in silence — sabotage of rebel caches, bribes to wavering chieftains, false rumors fed to enemy spies. By the time the army entered the mountains, the rebels were already divided and suspicious of one another.
The First Battle: The Mountain Pass
At the Kresna Gorge, the rebels struck. Muskets cracked from the cliffs, boulders tumbled down. It was a classic ambush.
For a moment, chaos reigned. Soldiers stumbled, horses screamed.
But Abdulhamid was ready.
"Artillery — fire into the cliffs!" he roared.
Cannons thundered, blasting the ridges apart. Rebel muskets fell silent under storms of iron.
Then the Sultan himself rode forward, sword raised high.
"Forward, sons of the empire! Show these traitors the steel of Turks!"
The infantry surged, bayonets flashing, voices roaring "Allahu Akbar!" The rebels broke within an hour, their bodies littering the pass.
The Sultan's banner flew atop the captured ridge. The first victory of the new era was his.
Ruthless Mercy
After the battle, hundreds of prisoners were brought before Abdulhamid. Ragged farmers, captured priests, young rebels shaking with fear.
His generals urged slaughter. "Spare none, Majesty! Fear alone keeps these lands in check!"
But Abdulhamid shook his head.
"No. Fear alone breeds endless rebellion. They shall see both the sword and the hand."
He ordered:
Rebel leaders to be executed publicly.Common villagers and farmers to be pardoned, fed, and released with proclamations of imperial mercy.Priests who preached rebellion to be replaced with loyal clerics.
The dual message spread quickly: the Sultan was merciless to leaders, but merciful to commoners. Fear for traitors, hope for the loyal.
Already, some villages bent the knee, swearing loyalty in exchange for food and reduced taxes.
The Siege of the Monastery
The heart of the rebellion lay in a fortified monastery in the hills, where priests preached holy war and foreign officers trained rebels.
Abdulhamid's army surrounded it. Cannons were dragged up the slopes, trenches dug, supply lines secured by railway.
The rebels laughed. "The mountains protect us! The Sultan cannot breach holy ground!"
But Abdulhamid's voice was cold:
"No ground is holy to traitors. Allah blesses justice, not rebellion."
At dawn, artillery thundered. Walls crumbled, smoke filled the sky. The monastery burned. Rebels who survived the bombardment fled into the hills, only to be hunted down by cavalry.
When the flames died, the empire's banner flew from the ruins. The rebellion's heart was torn out.
The Sultan's Reputation Spreads
By the campaign's end, thousands of rebels lay dead, leaders executed, foreign plots exposed. Villages once defiant now sent delegations with gifts of loyalty.
Whispers spread across the Balkans:
"The Sultan rides at the front!"
"He shows mercy to peasants, but death to traitors!"
"He builds schools even as he destroys rebels!"
Even Europe took note. Newspapers called him "The Iron Sultan," "The Young Tyrant," "The Lion of Istanbul." Some feared him, others mocked him — but none ignored him.
The Lesson of Blood
Abdulhamid returned to Istanbul not in shame or compromise, but in triumph. His banner had flown over mountains, his sword had tasted blood, his decrees had been enforced not just by pen, but by fire.
On the balcony of Topkapi, he addressed the crowds:
"Hear me, sons and daughters of the empire! The days of weakness are gone. Those who defy us will face the sword. Those who stand loyal will share in our strength. One people, one faith, one destiny — under Allah, under the Turk!"
The cheers thundered across the capital. In that moment, the empire believed again.
Selim, watching from the shadows, whispered: "Sultan, you have won your first war. But wars do not end. They only grow."
Abdulhamid's eyes burned with determination.
"Good. Let them grow. I was given this life not for peace, but to forge a destiny in fire. If blood must flow, it will flow. But it will water the roots of a new empire."
The Balkans lay silent for now, but Europe stirred with unease. The Sultan had proven himself in blood. His enemies would not forgive — nor forget.