The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1670 The future is long
Soon, the two sides inevitably discussed the issue of the Holy Site, which included who held the keys to the Bethlehem Church, who was responsible for the maintenance of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and a series of other issues concerning the management of the sanctuary.

The Ottoman Empire was extremely cautious about this ever since its decline; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was like a child holding a gold mine or a commoner possessing a precious gem.

Aford Pasha knew that Duke Uvarov would bring up the issue of the Holy Land, so he prepared relevant materials.

Upon receiving the files, Prince Uvarov couldn't help but marvel at the meticulousness of the other party. Each report was written in three languages: Ottoman, Greek, and French, and its level of detail was exaggerated.

The vast archives contain edicts issued by successive sultans and official documents from the Ottoman government concerning the Holy Land, as well as records of conflicts, disputes, and related rulings among various religious sects.

Because the French did not get too involved in Holy Site matters during this period, the key to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was still the Muslim trusteeship scheme inherited from the Saladin era.

In order to end the conflict between the various clergy and believers in the Holy Land, Saladin decided to have the Nussebe and Jude families take turns keeping the keys and be responsible for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre every day.

Because of Saladin's special status, even his successors, the Ottomans, had to respect his practices, and over time it became the norm.

The dates and extent of the rotations were fixed, and the Ottoman Empire also kept a timetable and a list of specific personnel involved in the rotations.

Afudepasha added from the side.

"To ensure that everything is fair, just, and transparent, we also invited representatives from the Armenian church to serve as third-party witnesses."

However, at this time, the Armenian Church was not so well-received in the Christian world, at least not as well-received as the Ottomans had imagined.

Although the Armenians nominally sided with Russia at this time, they never gave up their idea of ​​independence.

This is clearly considered somewhat outrageous in Russia's great power mentality, and most Armenians with some understanding are also aware of this, so the two sides have always been in a state of superficial harmony but deep discord.

So when Afford Pasha mentioned the Armenian Church, Duke Uvarov frowned.

To be fair, the Ottomans' information was indeed very detailed; if the two sides were in each other's shoes, the Ottomans would have absolutely nothing to say.

The problem was that there was a disparity in strength between the two countries at that time, and frankly speaking, these records were only the Ottomans' side of the story, and the testimony of the Armenian church representative was a joke.

Let's talk about the problems with the records themselves. The more data there is, the more potential errors there are. Moreover, since this data was recorded by different people at different times, there is even more room for manipulation.

Even setting aside these issues themselves, the arrogance of the Ottomans as recorders is palpable. Their so-called arbitration record clearly reflects their self-importance as superiors.

As for the arbitration itself, it is even more outrageous. Basically, whoever has the loudest voice or the strongest backing is right. Some officials even judge right and wrong based on the amount of money paid by both parties.

The so-called "offering gold" was nothing short of blatant bribery, and the arrogance of Ottoman officials in the past became the country's death knell.

What right did the Ottoman Empire have to conduct arbitration?

Faced with the Duke of Uvarov's aggressive stance, Aford Pasha did not back down.

"This is the territory of our Ottoman Empire, and what happens here naturally falls under the jurisdiction of our government." However, he still left room for compromise.

"Everyone who pledges allegiance to His Majesty the Sultan and pays taxes within the territory of the Ottoman Empire is protected by Ottoman laws."

They might be Catholics, Jews, Muslims, or Orthodox Christians. But first and foremost, they are subjects of the Ottoman Empire, the sole legitimate ruler of this land, past, present, and future.

It was clear that Aford Pasha wasn't going to keep up the act any longer, since the Russian in front of him seemed to have no intention of leaving any room for negotiation and had even refused his gift.

If it were any European in the past who dared to offend Ottoman officials in this way, they would have had their noses and ears cut off and been sent to the Seven Pagodas Temple long ago.

The Seven Towers Temple, also known as the Seven Towers Palace or the Seven Towers Prison in Ottoman history, was a converted old building from the Byzantine period. It was usually used to imprison foreign envoys, spies, and merchants who had angered the Sultan or Ottoman officials.

Those imprisoned not only had to endure the harsh conditions, but were also subjected to the stares of the Ottomans, which was an important way for the Ottoman Empire to flaunt its power.

However, it had been a long time since any important figures from Europe had been imprisoned here.
“Your statement is interesting, but I must tell you that His Majesty the Tsar is the protector of the Orthodox Church, and all Orthodox Christians are under his protection.”

I will take these unjust trials and personally deliver them to His Majesty the Tsar. I hope you will take heed of them.

After Duke Uvarov finished speaking, he had someone take the files and prepared to leave, when Aford Pasha suddenly called him back.

Is there anything else?

"Your Grace, we have a long future ahead of us."

"Okay. Then I'll go back and wait for your good news."

"Go slowly, don't send me away!"

The Ottoman diplomats stared blankly at Afdalpasha. In their memory, this plump old man seemed to have never had a temper, yet he had lost his composure several times in front of this Russian, which was really hard to understand.

The Russian delegation had just left when the previously composed Afford Pasha nearly collapsed. Several officials quickly helped the old Pasha up.

"Sir, are you okay?"

"It's alright. You all stay here, and no one is allowed to leave until I return. I have important matters to report to the Sultan."

No one questioned Afudpasha's instructions. After all, such a major matter could not be kept secret. Rather than having someone else inform on him, it was better to let him tell the Sultan himself.

However, as soon as Afudpasha left the house, he ordered his confidants to seal it off, sent someone to inform his family, and then took a carriage to the palace.

The reason Afudpasha lost his composure was mainly because the other person was exactly the kind of person he admired, and he wanted to fearlessly fight for the greatest interests of his country.

However, the small size of the country, the mercenary colleagues, and the ignorant citizens only made him appear like a clown. Who wasn't a passionate young man once?
The problem is, how can one climb to a high position in this country with just passion? And without climbing to a high position, how can one change the power structure of this country?

Afudepasha had kept those words to himself for a long time. He knew that if he said them, things might get out of control, and he and even his family might be implicated.

But when Afford Pasha met the young Russian man, he knew it was all inevitable. Rather than be driven to his death in a cowardly manner, he'd rather fight to the death.

Moreover, he was not entirely without confidence, after all, Sultan Murad V was the largest advocate for war within the Ottoman Empire at that time.