so...you feel like you can spread the faith of Allah up to the coasts of France? Will you lead your janissaries marching to the gates of Moscow?
No way! APE:TI Ottomans are not piece of cake. In fact after several tries I decided it would be best to play on M/H due to everybody declaring war on me.
No further delay... 10 tips for playing the reds in M/H:
1-Forget about moldavia and Armenia. Their unrest will only give you trouble and both of them do not sum 500 coins a turn of profit.
The best thing you can do is move the armies in those regions to the nearest one. Move all of moldavia's army into Bulgaria, split armenia forces into Maesopotamia (Persia will eventually attack you) and Ankara (your richest city).
The army in maesopotamia should be sent to garrison damascus and Ankara.
2- Disband the navy. You don't need them and they cost 1000 a turn.
3-Start a trade agreement with the mahara confederacy (I don't know how much will this help you but they are the only ones to accept it).
4-Protect your treasury, do not train units untill you are sure you are making a profit. It is easy to go bankrupt (and you don't want to) on the first turns.
5- Build Governor residences and Bey's mansion from turn 1.
6-Disband the cavalry unit in moldavia and the artillery in Maesopotamia. They cost 1000 a turn for nothing.
7-Stop taxing your provinces with negative unrest. Believe me, you don't want rebellions all over your lands when all your forces are garrisoning cities.
8-Move the Imans into Bulgaria and Bosnia to counter religious unrest.
9-Every turn check your ministers. You receive pretty good ministers in the first 3 turns of the game. Since unrest is your main issue put the best as the Judge.
10-Last but not least (in fact it's the most important tip): LOWER YOUR TAXES TO THE MINIMUM FOR BOTH CLASSES!!!!).
If you followed these tips you will notice that only Bulgaria and probably another province have produced rebellions.
After turn 3 (when you have built the governor residences) you can start taxing provinces as long as they don't go negative.
You may be lucky as to see a russian army moving near Moldavia. This will increase your population happines for opposing foreign occupation and will let you move your armies in Moldavia again. .
By this time Persia, Georgia and probably austria are at war with you. Georgia can't reach you since armenia is now rebel, the desert and the poor AI will protect you from Persia.
To sum up, you only lost armenia to rebellions, and you are making 3000 profit each turn. That should be enought to put you on foot.
good luck!
ps: if someone tries these tips on H/H please let me know.