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

Chapter 1693 An unexpected encounter
The remnants of the coastal defense battalion led by Fairhan and Det were quickly replenished, and large numbers of civilians were sent to the city walls to help defend against the Russian attack.

At this time, they also received another piece of good news: the new army in the city had finally begun to move.

Istanbul has a full 20,000 new troops. If they join the battle, they can at least hold this line, if not drive the Russian army back into the sea.

Only then did Fairhan and Det realize that the royal palace was less than a kilometer behind them. No matter how much the new army wanted to preserve its strength, it was impossible for them to remain inactive any longer. They immediately became excited.

At this time, the Russian general in charge of the land battle was Stepan Khrulev, who could hardly be called a military strategist, given his meager military contributions.

Similarly, Stepan Khrulev can hardly be called a strategist, because he did not demonstrate much tactical talent in combat.

Stepan Khrulev became the supreme commander of the army in this campaign only because he was the only army general who supported Nicholas I.

Stepan Khrulev was a typical soldier-general and the most admired frontline hero in Russia. He was brave in battle and even dared to lead the charge in hand-to-hand combat.

Stepan Khrulev, who had previously served in the Caucasus region, had long experience fighting Chechen rebels, which taught him that if he encountered a mountain that was difficult to conquer, the best way was to go around it.

Stepan Khrulev immediately ordered his men to bypass the city wall and head straight for the main gate of Topkapi Palace from the other side of the street.

This would likely require an extra 2 kilometers of detour, but compared to a heavy casualty assault that is likely to be futile, it is an acceptable cost.

Stepan Khrulev was able to devise such tactics entirely thanks to maps. Russian military commanders all possessed detailed maps of Constantinople, a result of the efforts of Russian military intelligence over the years.

“But Lieutenant General, His Majesty the Tsar’s order is for us to capture Topkapi Palace first.”

One of Stepan Khrulev's major generals was still unwilling to give up on the target that was within reach.

"Our ultimate goal is to reclaim Constantinople. Some fortresses may seem impregnable from the front, but when we look at them from a different angle, we find that they are not so bad after all."

The Russian troops chose to take a detour, which was completely unexpected by the Ottoman defenders.

"The Russians have escaped!"

The soldiers on the city wall celebrated, but the two officers, Ferhan and Det, couldn't laugh at all, because it seemed the Russian army intended to bypass them.

On the other side of this wall is a wide street. Back then, Megid I had the main road in front of the palace widened and expanded to highlight his achievements.

In other words, Topkapi Palace had no cover on its front, and they lacked confidence that they could withstand the Russian army without any protection.

"The rest can only be left to the new army."

Ferhan leaned against the wall and said weakly. The fierce battle of the night had exhausted him. When he learned that the Russian army had bypassed the area, he finally felt relieved. Exhaustion and pain surged up at this moment. All he wanted to do now was take a bath in the bathroom and then have a good night's sleep.

Dete nodded in agreement. He didn't want to go and die either, after all, the Ottoman Empire had so many people, and they weren't the only ones.

In fact, they also harbored resentment towards the Grand Vizier. Although the specific reasons were unknown, it was likely nothing more than a matter of self-interest.

The Sultan did not relinquish enough power, so the Grand Vizier made an excuse; the Sultan did not trust the Grand Vizier enough, and the latter wanted to preserve his strength and protect himself.

Although it might seem a bit like judging others by one's own standards, their guesses weren't entirely wrong.

Due to a lack of communication methods, for a considerable period after the fighting began, neither the Sultan nor Olma, the Grand Vizier, knew whether it was a war or a coup. After all, coups were not uncommon in the history of the Ottoman Empire, especially in this turbulent time. Olma himself was a foreigner who had converted to Islam, so he naturally had to be even more cautious.

On the other hand, Murad V did indeed suspect that the Grand Vizier was behind it, after all, Olma was fully capable of doing so at that time.

Under this chain of suspicion, the already inefficient and bloated system becomes even more sluggish and chaotic.

This is also a major reason why the Grand Vizier delayed accepting the order to meet Murad V at Topkapi Palace; by the time they had sorted things out, the best opportunity had passed.

Moreover, another issue arose at this time: the conflict between the navy and the army. The Ottoman Empire's navy and army were two independent systems, and there was even a certain degree of competition between them.

If the army is to support the navy, then a question arises: who should have command authority?

If the navy were to be placed under the army, it would be tantamount to admitting the navy's complete defeat. If the navy were to be placed under the navy, then how would the army position itself? Does it mean that the navy is superior to the army no matter what?

If everyone acts independently without unified command, the situation will only become more chaotic, and may even backfire.

Coordination issues between different branches of the military are difficult to resolve even in peacetime, and will only become more complicated in the midst of this chaos.

This is why the navy and coastal defense battalions were reluctant to request reinforcements, because even if they won the war after requesting reinforcements, their losses might be greater from a personal perspective.

The new army also wanted to use this opportunity to weaken the conservative faction. If the navy were to collapse, the country would have no choice but to rely on the army.

Moreover, the new army was also afraid of another defeat. They did not want to be held responsible for the navy's failure, since Golden Horn Bay was the navy's territory.

Furthermore, since the battle took place at night, the new army was unprepared, and many soldiers were in a state of grazing, essentially making final preparations for going to the battlefield.

Moreover, the new army's camps were scattered in different parts of the city, and it would take some time for them to assemble.

The sabotage operations by numerous Russian spies further paralyzed the New Army's central system. With everyone focused on their own defenses against surprise attacks, it was impossible for them to provide immediate support to the coastal defenses.

Meanwhile, Olma and the generals of the new Ottoman army were also on guard against a possible rebellion in the city. So it wasn't until Olma met with Murad V, the main generals of the new army, and the two sides reached an agreement that the new Ottoman army began to assemble.

It was not easy for the Ottoman army to assemble in the city, and even more difficult to move through it.

Leaving aside the narrow alleyways and the panicked crowds, the trouble caused by the Russians at night alone had made the road conditions extremely bad, with ashes from the fires, rubble from the explosions, overturned wagons, and scattered goods everywhere.

Imamorupasha, as the commander of the new army's vanguard, was furious that the surrounding civilians were not coming to clear the streets, and that his soldiers had to do it themselves.

Suddenly the procession stopped, which made Imamorupasha even angrier.

"Trying to rebel? Get out of here!"

He brandished his whip and lashed his way to the front of the procession, only then realizing that a group of people was approaching from the opposite direction.

The opposing team also looked like a newly formed army, Imamorupasha roared, brandishing his whip.

"Make way! Let my troops pass first. Can't you see I'm the vanguard?"