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

Chapter 1692 The Fall of Golden Horn Bay

As the sun rose, it brought not hope to the Istanbul coastal defense battalion and the Ottoman navy, who had been fighting for a long time, but a deeper despair.

The Golden Horn Fleet, and indeed all the ships anchored in Golden Horn, have sunk. The harbor is ablaze with flames, and most of the buildings have been or are in the process of being reduced to ruins.

The last gun emplacement also experienced a violent explosion five minutes earlier, after which it fell silent completely. The last gun emplacement was personally guarded by the coastal defense battalion commander; that explosion was likely his last words.

Saipasha chose the most heroic way to die in his final moments, and he could not escape responsibility for the deterioration of Istanbul's coastal defenses.

As the commander of Istanbul's coastal defenses, Saipasha never thought that Istanbul would be at war. Even if the Russians did reach Istanbul, he would not attack from the sea, since the Russians were not stupid.

Moreover, given his status, he could easily have used his family's influence to leave Istanbul for Anatolia ahead of time.

Therefore, Saipasha embezzled a large amount of the coastal defense funds, which further enhanced his family's power.

However, the direct impact is that equipment cannot be updated in a timely manner and cannot be effectively maintained. Soldiers whose pay is withheld are resentful and have low morale. Some experienced veterans have to change careers to make a living, and the new recruits who are forcibly conscripted have even lower morale and worse discipline.

The Saipasha family members and servants occupied the vast majority of important positions in the entire coastal defense battalion, which in turn eliminated those who were loyal to their duties and capable, and also exacerbated corruption and the slacking off of ordinary soldiers.

Therefore, Franz did not find Saipasha's choice to perish together with the charging Russian troops at the last moment particularly tragic; he simply felt sorry for him.

As the forts fell one after another, more and more Russian troops began to land, and many artillery pieces even disembarked with them, clearly indicating that the Russian army had come prepared.

The Ottomans were dismayed to discover that the troops that had previously fought the coastal defense battalion were merely the vanguard of the Russian army, while the main Russian force was now continuously moving through the ruins into the battlefield.

The Ottoman defenses were only being assisted by the Ottoman navy, leaving the coastal defense soldiers with no choice but to capture boatmen and nearby residents to fill the ranks.

These hastily conscripted men had only extremely rudimentary weapons and their morale was extremely low. The Ottoman officers treated them as less than human beings.

Wherever there was a loophole in the defense, they were made to fill it with human lives. In order to maintain morale, those able-bodied men were used as a warning to others.

The flames in Istanbul behind them made the defenders of the Golden Horn even more panicked. They didn't know why reinforcements hadn't come, or why the city was on fire. All they knew was that the royal palace was located on a hill two kilometers away.

If they choose to retreat now, then as long as the Sultan survives, they will be the ones to die.

The Ottoman coastal defense battalion could have barely held off the Russian army thanks to the terrain advantage, but with the addition of Russian artillery, the outcome of the battle was no longer in doubt.

Shells whistled past and landed on the Ottoman coastal defense camp's position, sending wood chips and pebbles flying everywhere. Ottoman soldiers who were nearby fell down screaming in agony.

The Russian light field guns originally fired solid shot, which did not have a splash effect, but the Ottomans' poorly constructed positions provided them with shrapnel.

The low breastwork made of stones and planks was utterly ineffective in stopping the Russian artillery fire, and Ottoman soldiers fell one after another, screaming in agony.

After the shelling, the Russian army began its methodical attack, and the Ottoman positions were captured one after another. Some people could not withstand the pressure and tried to fight back, but it was all in vain.

Fortunately, they were already out of the Russian ships' attack range; otherwise, they would have been defeated even faster.

At this time, the Ottoman Empire's coastal defense forces, including the Coastal Defense Battalion and the Golden Horn Fleet, had fewer than a thousand soldiers remaining. However, this did not mean that all the others had died in battle; there were also a large number of deserters.

Regardless of the circumstances, the coastal defense battalion's fate was sealed.

They received no reinforcements, while Russian troops poured out of the ruins like endless demons from hell. "We can't hold this place!"

After Saipasha's death, Ferhanbai became the supreme commander of the area, because the brave members of the Sai family had died with Saipasha, and the remaining cowards had long since abandoned the position.

"No, we can't retreat. If we retreat, we'll be executed. And where can we retreat to?"

Detebay was on the verge of tears in despair. He didn't want to die, but he was also afraid that the loss of the coastline would bring disaster to his whole family.

Bey was not a surname; at this time, it was a title second only to Pasha.

Fairham pointed to the high wall not far away, and Det's eyes lit up immediately, and he exclaimed in surprise.

"Ferhan, you are a genius!"

The high walls behind them were relics of the Byzantine Empire, and ironically, even at this time, these walls seemed more reliable than the sea defenses built by the Ottomans.

"But how do we retreat? If we retreat now, the Russians will be pursuing us relentlessly, which might backfire."

"Detebay said in a mournful voice."

Fairhambey pointed to the strong men carrying daggers and clubs, and Det immediately understood.

Soon, a group of Ottomans carrying various crude weapons such as short knives and wooden clubs scaled the low wall and rushed towards the Russian army's marching column.

Because the Russian army had a numerical advantage, the Russian commanders did not hesitate and immediately chose to confront the enemy head-on.

The volley of gunfire immediately slowed the Ottoman ranks, and some even tried to run back.

However, as soon as those people turned around, they saw a row of dark gun barrels behind them, with Ferhambey shouting, "Charge! Anyone who retreats will be considered a traitor!"

The Ottomans who had been temporarily conscripted to fill the defensive line charged at the Russian army again. The Ottomans did not regard them as human beings, and the Russians were even less likely to regard them as human beings.

A barrage of bullets fired, and the hastily recruited laborers tumbled and fell to the ground.

Occasionally, someone would rush in front of the Russian soldiers and be knocked down by their longer and more advantageous bayonets. Some people with their stomachs ripped open would try to crawl away, but the Russian soldiers showed no mercy and directly pierced their hearts with their bayonets.

A blacksmith, wounded in the abdomen, was leaning against a pile of rocks. The group of able-bodied men quickly collapsed, and he too was doomed.

"Do not kill me."

A Russian military officer slit the blacksmith's throat with a military knife and then took the necklace from his neck.

The Russian army quickly occupied the positions that originally belonged to the Ottoman coastal defense battalion, but their offensive did not go smoothly.

The Russians probably never dreamed that the very walls that once prevented the destruction of the Byzantine Empire would actually stop them from restoring the Third Rome.

The three-pound cannons brought by the Russians could not breach the walls of Constantinople, and directly attacking the enemy on those high walls would result in too many casualties.

For a time, the Russian army's unstoppable momentum slowed down. On the other hand, Istanbul has a population of over 500,000, and they could conscript as many men as they wanted.