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

Chapter 1696 Stratford's Advice
To be honest, Viscount Stratford didn't care at all about Murad V, or even the life or death of the Ottoman Empire.

However, the decline of the Ottoman Empire would directly boost Russia's power, which would undermine Britain's balance of power policy on the continent.

At this moment, the decisiveness shown by the Ottomans made Viscount Stratford doubt their ability to overcome the crisis, after all, he did not know how many Russians had come, or whether there would be any reinforcements.

Preserving the Ottoman political entity was the top priority. At least in the eyes of Viscount Stratford, the timely withdrawal of the supreme ruler from the siege of the capital was not cowardice, but rather a sign of wisdom, as many kings and emperors in history had done so.

However, due to differences in cultural traditions, Viscount Stratford's suggestion sounded very harsh to Murad V, and could even be described as an insult.

Chief Ulimadiram roared angrily.

"How dare you allow the great Sultan to abandon his capital like a coward! This is the most vicious insult to God and the Prophet!"
Istanbul belongs to us! To the descendants of Muhammad! To Muslims! We will never abandon the city like cowards!

Other conservative officials also jumped out to accuse Viscount Stratford of undermining morale.

"That's right! We swear to live and die with Istanbul!"

"This Englishman must be in cahoots with the Russians!"

The Ottomans' reaction was far more intense than Viscount Stratford had anticipated; he had no idea that the Ottomans could be so courageous.

It was Viscount Stratford who really hit a nerve with these conservatives; it wasn't just about national honor.

In Islam, abandoning a city and fleeing is considered a double betrayal of both this life and the afterlife, a very serious sin.

With such a serious accusation leveled against them, the pro-British faction could only feign ignorance.

They all understand the principle of "as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood." From a purely rational perspective, keeping Sudan away from danger, waiting for reinforcements, and then launching a strategic counter-offensive is the correct choice.

However, the political and moral costs of abandoning the city were unbearable for them; it was tantamount to political suicide, and they would be nailed to the pillar of shame.

“You have misunderstood what Viscount Stratford meant. He is just an Englishman and he does not understand our customs.”

Viscount Stratford was merely fulfilling his duty as an ally; he had to consider the worst-case scenario.

But we will never let that happen!
Rest assured, all of you, I swear to Almighty God that I, Murad V, will live and die with Istanbul!

It was Murad V who stepped in to smooth things over at this point. This seemingly impulsive young man was actually well aware of the importance of Britain as an ally.

Regardless of whether or not the Ottoman Empire could defeat Russia at this time, it would still need British support if it wanted to maintain its foothold in the Near East.

Especially at this critical moment when the Russians are at the gates of the city, there are still more than a thousand British troops inside. If the Viscount of Stratford is willing to support him, it would be a great help.

Murad V's words and his determination were beyond question, but Viscount Stratford was not resigned to his fate and continued.

“Your Excellency Sultan, I admire your courage and your decisiveness. But a wise man always leaves himself a way out, and I think you should also leave a way out for the Ottoman Empire.”

"What do you mean?" Murad V's tone already carried a hint of displeasure, but Viscount Stratford was not afraid.

"Your Excellency Sultan, you may allow your family to evacuate to a safe place first, so that you will have no worries about them."

This time Murad V hesitated. He did feel that he should live and die with the city, but from the family's perspective, Viscount Stratford's proposal was not wrong.

Although Murad V did not believe he would fail, at this critical moment of life and death, he, like many sultans in history, began to consider preserving the power of his family.

"Thank you, but I am not going anywhere. I am the thirty-second Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, the Sunni Caliph, the protector of Mecca and Medina."

I, Murad V, will fight to the last breath with my people and my country!

Viscount Stratford looked at Murad V with a complex expression, it was hard to tell whether it was pity or admiration, and he bowed deeply and said.

"May you and your flag stand tall."

The Ottoman officials present had varying expressions. Although they all shouted "Long live the Sultan! Fight to the death!", some of them were almost crying, whether from excitement or fear, it was hard to tell.

Murad V gathered all his high-ranking officials together to discuss the next steps in the battle plan.

Meanwhile, apart from Queen Mother Sheffield, the rest of the royal family was leaving the palace with Viscount Stratford's entourage.

Although the seas had been blockaded by the Russians, the Ottoman Empire still possessed vast territories in Eastern Thrace, and it was not impossible for them to seize the opportunity to leave and return to Ankara.

In addition to the surprise attack on Constantinople, Russian forces in Bulgaria and Trabzon also launched attacks from the east and west respectively.

The western front was led by Prince Menshkov, while the eastern front was commanded by Nicholas I's friend, Paskevich.

Both the Ottomans and the Russians on the eastern and western fronts had been waiting for this day for a long time, so neither side was too surprised by the sudden outbreak of war.

Four hours after the fighting between the Russian and Ottoman armies began, a telegram arrived in Vienna. By then, Franz only knew that the Russians and Ottomans had clashed. He learned of the Russian attack on Constantinople two days later from a pro-Russian official.

If Franz had known about Nicholas I's plans, he would have done everything in his power to stop the Russians. On one hand, Franz felt the chances of such a raid were virtually zero; it would be far more successful to attack other ports and seize control of the Black Sea.

After all, Britain's attitude was unclear at the time. If the British did not intervene, the Russian army would have gained control of the Black Sea after the attack on Sinop.

Then the Ottomans became like meat on a chopping board, and the Russians could cut them wherever they wanted.

Furthermore, a prolonged conflict between the Russians and the Ottomans would actually be more in the national interest of the Austrian Empire. Ideally, the British would also be drawn into the conflict, and the conflict would drag on for a year or two, until Franz deems it a suitable time to proceed.

The plan to raid Constantinople was too risky. If the Russian Black Sea Fleet were destroyed, the Austrian Empire would have to face the British Navy alone in the future.

In fact, few instructors in the Austrian Empire thought highly of the Russians, but they still taught them a lot of useful skills, with the aim of making the Russians useful in dealing with the British, or at least causing them some trouble.

Otherwise, the British would have focused all their attention on the Austrian Imperial Navy, which had defeated them twice.