War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

The incident outside was caused by Ludwig, as he did not choose to enter the tent with Maximilian just now.

As a fanatical Catholic (the kind who would whip himself every day), Ludwig's disgust for pagans was evident in his words, and he was even more dismissive of the pagans' invitations.

So he decided to take his people for a stroll and accidentally discovered a huge fence. The stench coming from it from time to time was like that of a cattle shed.

The two sides spoke a language that the other could not understand, and they both wanted to kill each other after just looking at each other for a moment.

The Tatar slave trader was about to reach for the dagger at his waist when Ludwig's fist was already in front of him.

Thanks to high-intensity training since childhood and a proper diet, Ludwig, who is nearly two meters tall and weighs more than 140 kilograms, knocked the slave trader to the ground with just one punch.

(The plot in the book is not exactly the same as history, please do not take it personally.)

But anger soon overwhelmed his reason, and his fists rained down on the slave trader's face.

Slave traders were never good men and women. Some slave traders would train and discipline slaves, but only to sell them at a good price.

In order to make money, some people are willing to increase the value of goods, while others will choose to reduce costs.

The pen was full of low-value and disobedient slaves, and threatening and beating them was the cheapest way.

The slave traders' accomplices around there saw the commotion near the fence and rushed over. When they saw their own people being beaten to a bloody pulp, they immediately pulled out daggers and muskets from their pockets.

These slave traders also saw European Madonnas who came to rescue slaves, but they would usually sit down with them to discuss business.

Instead of fighting directly, the slave traders subconsciously thought that Ludwig and his followers were coming to seize their territory because of their incongruous attire.

Seeing this, the guards around Ludwig drew their guns and started shooting without any hesitation. They didn't care what these slave traders thought. Their only mission was to protect Archduke Ludwig.

Although Ludwig's guards were well-equipped and well-trained, the slave traders and gang members were also ruthless people who lived on the edge of a knife all day long, and they had the advantage in numbers, so for a while the two sides were in a stalemate.

Hulaid Pasha and the Grand Bazaar manager Saris Parayev were immediately in a difficult situation, but it was not that they did not have the power to stop the two groups.

However, the battle between the two sides was difficult to resolve. If the Ottoman army joined the battle, the situation might become even more chaotic. If the two archdukes died in the melee, all their efforts would be in vain.

"Stop! Stop! Everyone, stop! I am Hulaid, the commander-in-chief of Istanbul's defense, and I demand that you stop immediately!"

Hulaid Pasha shouted at the top of his lungs, but no one paid any attention to him.

"Protect the Grand Duke!"

"Kill them all!"

“This is an Ottoman conspiracy!”

"No, no, no, this is not a conspiracy. We don't know these slave traders."

As soon as Maximilian came out of the tent, a dozen guards rushed up and carried him into a house. After briefly understanding the current situation, Maximilian decided to meet Hulaid Pasha.

"Grand Duke, you can't go! This must be a conspiracy of the Ottomans. They will definitely capture you as a hostage.

We will escort you out."

Maximilian kept shaking his head as he listened to the guards' words. The Austrian Empire and the Ottoman Empire were old enemies, so it was inevitable that the Austrians would have some paranoia in Istanbul.

Different perspectives will naturally lead to different understandings.

"There is no need for the Ottomans to go through so much trouble to deal with us, and they will not come out to explain to us. You have to know that there are not only us in the Grand Bazaar, but also white people from other countries.

If they wanted to do it, they could have chosen a better place, such as the hotel where we stayed that night."

After Maximilian's explanation, the guards around him calmed down.

"Your Excellency, what should we do now?"

Maximilian also calmed down at this time.

"Identify yourself and let the Ottomans handle the matter. Then let them come to see me."

Hulaid Pasha and the Grand Bazaar administrator Saris Parayev breathed a sigh of relief when they learned that Maximilian was safe and sound, and then sent troops to cooperate with the Austrian Imperial Guard to clear out the Tatar gang in the Grand Bazaar.

A quarter of an hour later.

"Why are there still slave markets in Istanbul? Why are there still white slaves?"

Ludwig's question made Hulaid Pasha and Saris Parayev a little overwhelmed. They couldn't say that these illegal activities were condoned by the government.

Maximilian said, smiling as he looked at Hulaid Pasha and Sarris.

"Of course it was these cunning slave traders who deceived the two Pashas, ​​am I right?"

"That's right, these Tatars are so cunning! If it weren't for the two grand dukes, we would still be kept in the dark.

Thank you both so much today."

Hurayd Pasha habitually flattered Maximilian, which made him feel comfortable.

Hulaid Pasha also took the opportunity to propose that Ludwig and Maximilian accept the protection of the Ottoman army.

Ludwig and Maximilian rejected Hurayd Pasha's proposal, but after this incident, Ludwig and Maximilian naturally had no mood to stay in Istanbul any longer.

"Can I take her with me?"

Ludwig pointed to the skinny little girl beside him. Maximilian looked at Hurayd Pasha and then at the fence in the square, and the latter immediately understood.

"Of course, we will free all the slaves here, but we have one small request."

Hulaid Pasha looked earnestly at Maximilian, the backbone, and the latter nodded.

"explain."

"It is like this. Our country is in a state of war and does not have the spare capacity to send these slaves home. I hope your country can take over these slaves and send them home."

This was exactly what Maximilian wanted. He wanted to be the first king to go to Constantinople to liberate the slaves. Others could only talk, but he set foot on the land of Constantinople and liberated his European compatriots here.

Both sides were very satisfied. Maximilian made his first announcement before becoming king, and the news that the two Habsburg archdukes rescued slaves in Constantinople immediately made headlines in newspapers around the world.

The Ottoman Empire finally breathed a sigh of relief after sending away the two plague gods. They really did not want the Austrian Empire to be involved in the Russo-Turkish War at this time, because the ice and snow would melt as soon as spring came, and the real main force of the Russians would also arrive.

However, the Ottomans' wish was ultimately unfulfilled.