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

Chapter 1681 Murad V's Struggle
The Russians have made the Straits issue clear, and their actions have crossed the line for the British.

Although the Viscount Stratford had not yet received orders from London, he was certain that London would not back down this time.

Viscount Stratford not only relinquished his previous orders, but also decided to support Murad V.

With the support of Viscount Stratford, opinions within the Ottoman Empire were finally united, and the state apparatus began to operate at full capacity.

Topkapi Palace.

At this point, Viscount Stratford also began to see Murad V as a monarch, rather than a pawn to be manipulated.

As soon as Viscount Stratford entered the palace, he saw the huge sand table and Murad V in full military attire.

"Hello, Your Excellency Stratford."

Murad V spoke fluent French from the start, which Viscount Stratford found somewhat unusual, as the Ottomans he usually encountered spoke English to him.

However, his basic qualities as a diplomat allowed him to quickly adjust his mindset.

"Greetings, Your Excellency Sultan. Your actions were quite courageous."

Murad V also laughed.

"I think you know the Tsar's ambitions better than I do. He wants the Bosphorus, he wants the Dardanelles, and he also wants Eastern Thrace to rebuild his Third Rome."

Will Britain agree?

Viscount Stratford was caught off guard by Murad V's bombshell, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Your Excellency Sultan, I understand your concerns. This concerns the life and death of the Ottoman Empire, and even more so the future of the Near East."

Our British government will certainly give this matter careful consideration.

Viscount Stratford did not choose to answer directly, but instead gave a vague answer.

This greatly displeased Murad V, who had intended to force the British to submit, but he was not about to give up. Murad V pointed to the location of Constantinople and said...

"Viscount, you and your government had better understand what it would mean if Russia acquired Constantinople."

The Russian fleet will have free access to the Mediterranean, and they will begin a global expansion, with the entire Balkans being just the first step.

Then, like the Barbary pirates, they would extend their greedy tentacles to the Mediterranean coast.

Viscount Stratford seemed unconcerned, so Murad V decided to take drastic measures.

“Look at that canal in the Red Sea. If they really manage to dredge the isthmus, then Russian warships will be heading to the Indian Ocean and threatening your country’s route to the Far East.”

This time, Viscount Stratford's lips finally twitched twice; he hadn't expected that even the Ottomans could see through it.

“You are very smart and visionary, but I do not have authorization from London, so I cannot promise you anything.”

But I want to make it clear to you that Britain does not seek war, nor does it fear it. The aim of all our diplomatic efforts is to uphold justice and peace in the world.

Clearly, compared to a seasoned diplomat like the Viscount Stratford, Murad V was still somewhat naive; he wanted to threaten Britain, but he was too afraid to do so.

Viscount Stratford, seeing Murad V's intentions, offered words of comfort: "As long as your country is determined and willing to put it into practice, England, as an ally, is willing to provide as much assistance as possible."

You and your army must also show the world your resolve, otherwise any external assistance will be in vain.

Of course, we will do our utmost to prevent this war from breaking out, and this will at least buy your country more time.

Murad V wanted to press further, but Viscount Stratford began to discuss the British terms.

"We hope to see a more open and tolerant Ottoman Empire, rather than a barbaric country like Russia that would do anything for territory."

The Ottoman Empire declined at this time precisely because some of its traditional systems were no longer in line with the times, and the Ottoman Empire should have embraced the new era.

We, the British, can offer valuable advice and guidance to the Ottoman Empire, thus creating more opportunities for cooperation.

There's no need to worry about money. As long as you can guarantee the interests of our British merchants and the validity of the legal provisions, then naturally there will be people willing to invest in the Ottoman Empire.

By then, you will no longer need to worry about debt.

What the Viscount Stratford really wanted to say was simply to further open up trade, establish a system similar to that of Britain, and then the two countries could form a deeper bond.

The goal was simply to further control the Ottoman Empire and make it the vanguard in the fight against Russia.

Murad V, being a young man, couldn't stand being lectured, and it was enough for him that the British didn't voice any explicit opposition.

Compared to Britain, Murad V had higher expectations for France. As for other countries, he didn't hold much hope, mainly because he looked down on those smaller nations.

Moreover, Murad V understood one thing: strength is the foundation of everything.

Despite the vast disparity in strength, he was determined to fight to the death, just as Viscount Stratford had said, to show the world what he was capable of.

Murad V's first task was to recruit soldiers, as only a sufficient number of soldiers could possibly stop the Russians' advance.

In fact, the Ottoman Empire had a considerable number of troops, but this was not much compared to the long border it shared with Russia.

The Ottoman Empire was already stretched thin by its two fronts, and the fact that it had not yet received a promise from the British meant that Russia still held control of the seas.

With control of the sea, Russia could launch attacks from anywhere along the Black Sea coast, which greatly increased the difficulty of defending the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottoman Empire's military service system was very complex. Although Hammud II crushed the Janissary mutiny, abolished the Janissary Legion, and established a new army (the New Order Army).

However, this new army perfectly inherited the shortcomings of the Janissary Legion. It was still very inefficient and corrupt. It was just an old army with new uniforms, guided by foreign instructors.

This new army had already proven itself in the last war, so after the war, the Ottoman Empire established a new army (the New Ottoman Army).

However, this new army also had many problems. Murad V, who was passionate about military affairs, felt that they were no match for the French army. He thought they were just a bunch of commoners who were only after their salaries and had no patriotism whatsoever.

However, Murad V could not care about so much at this point. His order was that anyone could be a soldier, and must be a soldier.

All adult males in the Ottoman Empire were required to serve in the military, but could still be exempted from military service with a substitute service allowance.

Murad V's target was 800,000, believing that having that number would make him invincible.

Of course, this only guaranteed that the Ottoman Empire would not lose. Murad V was not so arrogant as to think that the Ottoman Empire alone could defeat Russia. He knew that he would need the help of the British to defeat Russia.