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

Chapter 1672 Partners of Justice

A palace attendant rushed into Queen Shefkefza's bedroom in a panic and shouted.

"Sultanah, His Majesty and Afford Pasha have gone mad! They want to go to war with the Russians."

The exquisite coffee cup in Queen Sheffield's hand suddenly fell to the ground and shattered.

"What nonsense are you spouting! Cut out his tongue and throw it into the Black Sea!"

The visitor was a close confidant of Queen Shefkefza, and those around her could hardly believe their ears. This enraged Queen Shefkefza even more, and she roared.

"Are you all deaf? I said now! Immediately! Right now!"

This time, the palace servants beside him dared not delay and immediately stepped forward to cut out the confidant's tongue and put it into a sack.

"What you just said was nonsense. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

Queen Mother Sheffield closed her eyes; she hadn't expected her son to be so impulsive.

The child was exposed to too many idealistic books from a young age. Murad V greatly admired Napoleon and always talked about revitalizing the Ottoman Empire.

This reminded Queen Shefkefza of her husband, Megid I, who had done the same. But Megid I ultimately chose to give up, and Queen Shefkefza felt that her eldest son would also choose to give up like his father when he grew up.

However, Murad V chose the most extreme method during this period when the Ottoman Empire was at its weakest and in the worst of times.

“Call Abdullah and the Grand Vizier.”

For Queen Shefkefza, the most anti-war figure in the Ottoman Empire, this news was undoubtedly devastating.

But Queen Shevkefza understood that she had to stabilize the situation, and the most important thing was to keep the military and the mouthpieces, namely the Pasha and Ulima.

Ulama is a general term for Islamic scholars who at the time held the power of interpretation, as well as associated judicial, educational, and political power.

However, their power was weakened after the Tanzimat reforms, but they remained a force to be reckoned with within the Ottoman Empire.

The deed was done, and regardless of whether it could be undone, Queen Mother Shefkefza had to prepare for the worst. Therefore, the most urgent task for the Ottoman Empire was to appease the various factions within the country and prevent a split and the ensuing internal strife.

Then came the search for British help. In fact, in the eyes of Queen Mother Shefkefza, the Ottoman Empire was already on the verge of collapse. As the de facto ruler, she was far more desperate than those ambitious young people.

The series of defeats made Queen Mother Shefkefza completely doubt that the Ottoman Empire could stand up to Russia. She knew that the British had always been concerned about the Near East and even had a small garrison there. They had even directly confronted the Holy League before.

Most importantly, Queen Mother Sheffield Zaha was well aware of the British balance of power policy on the continent. If the Ottoman Empire collapsed, Russia would inevitably rise, and the balance of power would be broken.

This is definitely not what the British wanted to see.
So Queen Sheffield gambled that the British would not abandon the Ottoman Empire. Although it may sound foolish to place one's own safety on the shoulders of another country, it must be said that she made the right bet in a certain sense.

However, Viscount Stratford was already sweating profusely. Although the British did not want to go to war at this time, they did not believe that the Ottoman Empire could survive in Russia indefinitely.

Britain had even considered the possibility of Russia launching an unplanned attack, but it remained calm, given its secret agreement with the Austrian Empire. Although France had not yet made a clear statement, if Russia did not receive Austrian support, Britain, lacking French assistance, would still hold a significant advantage over Russia, along with the Ottoman Empire.

It can be said that regardless of whether Russia initiates a war, Britain is already in an invincible position, so they are not afraid.

However, Murad V chose either yes or no.
"fool!"

Viscount Stratford smashed the exquisite porcelain in the embassy to pieces. Murad V's behavior was beyond shocking; it was downright outrageous.

Even if he racked his brains, Viscount Stratford could never have imagined that things would develop in this direction.

Even if Queen Mother Shefkefza hadn't sent anyone to find him, Viscount Stratford would still have gone to ask what the Ottoman government was thinking.

The news that is about to shake the whole of Europe is now being sent to London at the fastest speed the British can manage. To ensure that the message will reach London, Viscount Stratford has sent three groups of people to deliver the message through different channels.

At that time, the telegraph industry was far from covering the whole of Europe, and in the eyes of some traditional intelligence workers, the telegraph was still a very unreliable communication tool.

The entire message transmission process could take 4-5 days, and this would only be possible with the help of the Austrian or French telegraph networks.

If telegraphs were not used and transportation relied entirely on pigeons, trains, or steamships, the shortest delivery time would be at least a week.

Viscount Stratford's letter was filled with anger and resentment, but he didn't have much time to vent; he had to take action before the situation worsened.

In addition to meeting with Queen Shefkefza and Murad V, he also sent people to contact the pro-British faction and Ulimah within the Ottoman Empire to stabilize the situation.

Viscount Stratford's carriage soon arrived at Topkapi Palace, but this time he did not choose to wait for the Ottomans through the main gate, but went directly through the side gate.

Not long after, Viscount Stratford met Queen Mother Shefkefza.

“Viscount Stratford, I am delighted that you have come at this special time.”

Queen Sheffield was speaking from the heart; she couldn't care less about formalities and just wanted someone to give her some advice.

"Your Majesty Sultanah, the situation is urgent, please forgive my lack of courtesy. His Majesty Murad V's actions could lead to the loss of control over the entire Near East, and even the whole of Europe, do you understand?"

(Sultanah refers to the Queen Mother)
Queen Mother Sheffield nodded; she naturally knew what Murad V had done. She just hadn't expected the British to be so well-informed.

After receiving a positive reply from Queen Shefkefza, Viscount Stratford composed himself again. He knew he couldn't let his unease spread, or the entire Ottoman Empire would descend into chaos.

"Your Excellency Sultana, please rest assured that Great Britain will support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire and is willing to provide assistance to your country when necessary."

Upon hearing Viscount Stratford's statement, Queen Mother Sheffield finally breathed a sigh of relief. If Britain really abandoned the matter, she wouldn't know what the right thing to do was.

"Thank you very much."

No sooner had Queen Mother Sheffield spoken than Viscount Stratford abruptly changed the subject and said in a righteous and stern tone.

"But we, Great Britain, will absolutely not support a war initiated by the Ottoman Empire. We, Great Britain, have always been partners of justice, and an aggressive war initiated by us would overturn all our previous efforts."