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

Chapter 1691 The Rotten Iron Chains

Rak, also known as "Lion's Milk," is a traditional Ottoman distilled spirit made from grapes and anise, with an alcohol content as high as 45%.

Rak was widely popular among all levels of the Ottoman Empire. Although drinking alcohol was against religious doctrine, how could religious doctrine be such an inconvenient thing?

Fermented fruit juice!

What the Ottomans didn't know was that Russian soldiers had already landed. These soldiers were all from St. Petersburg, and they were all elite Russian troops, using weapons that were mostly produced in the Austrian Empire.

Most of the officers had been trained by Austrian instructors, and these soldiers were not comparable to ordinary Russian soldiers.

Most of the Ottoman sentries who were dozing on the gun emplacements were slit in their sleep, and the Ottomans in the barracks also met their end, as the Russian army had surrounded them.

The Ottoman soldiers, who were chatting and playing cards in the barracks, suddenly smelled smoke. At first, they thought it was their imagination, but they soon realized something was wrong.

It wasn't just the smell of smoke; you could even hear the crackling of burning wood all around.

"Fire!"

"Quickly put out the fire!"

The barracks were in complete chaos, but the door wouldn't open no matter what they tried.

As the sentry leader, Kasim pulled away the surrounding soldiers and kicked them hard, but to no avail. Only then did they realize the seriousness of the situation: this was not an accidental fire, but arson.

Inside the barracks, Ottoman soldiers frantically rammed the doors, some attempting to escape by climbing into their beds. Suddenly, gunshots rang out, and the man who had just reached the window froze in place.

Calling them windows is an understatement; they're more like ventilation openings. They're all about two meters high, and only one person can climb out at a time.

There was no reason for the Russians outside to miss such a close-range, stationary target.

The flames and thick smoke quickly attracted the attention of nearby Ottoman troops, but by the time they noticed, the Russian army was already close in.

The unprepared Ottoman army was naturally no match for the well-prepared elite Russian troops.

As a veteran in his sixties, Urfabey did not know how many Russian troops had arrived, but he knew that the most urgent task was to raise the chains and driftwood to stop the Russian warships from advancing.

This would also cut off the retreat route of the Russian troops in front, which would inevitably throw their deployment into chaos.

"Raise the winch!"

Urfabe shouted loudly, and the Ottoman soldiers who had been stunned by the attack finally reacted and ran towards the cowshed.

The massive winch required dozens of soldiers to operate, but oxen were needed to move it quickly.

However, the Russians had already attacked, and as soon as the fence was opened, the frightened cattle rushed out.

"Cow! Go chase the cow!"

A soldier shouted, but the Russians did not give them a chance to shoot the frightened cattle along with them.

Left with no other choice, Urfabey had to let his stronger personal guards hold the line while he personally supervised the miscellaneous soldiers pushing the winch.

Dozens of people worked together, but the winch didn't budge.

Urfabey was so angry that his veins bulged, and he picked up a whip and lashed the soldier next to him.

"You bunch of cowards! You spineless cowards! Hurry up! If you don't push, the Russians will kill us!"

Urfabey's whip danced through the air, leaving afterimages, but the winch remained motionless, and the soldiers in front were retreating steadily, with bullets even hitting the vicinity of the winch.

"Damn it! Are you even using any force?!" shouted one of the soldiers who couldn't take the beating anymore.

"Sir, this winch is completely immovable! We've really tried our best!"

This chain defense system originated in the Byzantine period. The Ottoman fleet bypassed the chains by land transport, which led to the famous legend of traveling by boat over land.

Although Urfabey has never seen this system in use, it is theoretically absolutely feasible.

Urfabey picked up the oil lamp and approached the winch for a closer look, only to discover that the chain was rusted; the soldiers had broken the gears by pulling too hard.

There is no doubt that the iron chain defense system under his jurisdiction is now useless.

Urfabey gave the order.

"Everyone fix bayonets! Let's fight the Russians!"

The soldiers quickly switched to bayonets, and Urfabey gave the order to "Charge!"
The soldiers roared and charged forward, while Urfabey quietly mounted his warhorse and galloped towards Istanbul.

"Someone must inform the Sultan of this news."

Urfabey muttered to himself.

The three iron chain defense systems in the Bosphorus Strait failed to start successfully, either because they were captured by Russian forces, due to insufficient power, or because they were old and in disrepair.

After the Russian army occupied the forts along the way, they dumped large amounts of stones, wood, and even animal carcasses and excrement into the cannon barrels, then loaded gunpowder, and finally tamped it down with a ramrod, thus completely destroying the cannon.

Using this method, the Russian army advanced rapidly, even reaching the Golden Horn Bay before the Ottomans who had tipped them off.

Because it was a special period and Istanbul was under curfew at night, those who tipped off others could not enter the city directly. They had to go through a process, namely reporting to the city's garrison command, and then the city's garrison command would approve and issue an official order before they could be allowed to pass.

So even when the Russian army was at the city gates, the intelligence was still suppressed in the city's garrison command. With Samuel Pasha seriously injured and unconscious, the news completely disappeared without a trace.

This time, the Black Sea Fleet brought 1.5 elite Russian marines, who were able to arrive so quickly thanks to the St. Petersburg-Sevastopol Railway, which was built with the help of the Austrian Empire.

Nicholas I's goals were clear: first, to completely destroy the Ottoman Empire's Golden Horn fleet; and second, to capture and kill Murad V, or at least drive him out of the palace.

Nicholas I's ultimate goal was to capture Constantinople, but it was certainly a pipe dream to rely on only 1.5 marines.

Although the Ottoman Empire had already deployed a large number of troops to the front lines, Istanbul was, after all, the capital of the Ottoman Empire.

The city defense command alone had 20,000 men, plus another 20,000 new soldiers, as well as the coastal defense battalion and the Golden Horn Bay fleet, bringing the total strength to at least 50,000.

In addition, Murad V had 5,000 well-trained guards at his disposal, meaning the Russian army would face an enemy force nearly four times its size.

If a swift victory cannot be achieved and tens of thousands of reinforcements may arrive, even within the Russian army, no one believes success is possible. Most of the officers who knew of the plan had already written their wills before arriving.

However, due to their unique history and environment, Russians sometimes possess a spirit of sacrifice that borders on martyrdom.

These soldiers were all elites of the Russian army, and the officers all had bright futures. However, they were all gathered here to fight a war that was almost impossible to win for the so-called glory of the Third Rome.

At this moment, wave after wave of Russian troops landed on Istanbul soil, the officers shouting in unison.

"The objective is to kill Murad V and retake Constantinople! Hurrah!"

"Ula!"

Thus began the Battle of Constantinople.