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

Chapter 1698 Seizing Power
Murad V, well-versed in military history, would not waste his elite troops on such a pointless place, and he did not care about the losses of the new army.

In this chaotic situation, he, as the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, was unable to mobilize the new army. What was the point of keeping this army around?
If it weren't for the Russians besieging the city, Murad V would have followed his grandfather Mahmud II's example and abolished the new army.

Now, letting the new army fight the Russians in the front will not only weaken the Russian forces, but also weaken this troublesome new army.

There was also good news: although the Ottomans still did not know how many Russian troops had arrived, the Russian landing had been halted.

Based on manpower alone, the total strength of the Russian army was estimated to be around 10,000, while Murad V was well aware that he still had at least 40,000 troops available in Istanbul.

With the addition of the people who were ready to give their lives for the Ottoman Empire at any time, Murad V, after understanding the situation, was no longer as panicked as he had initially been.

At this point, he had already begun to plan for the future. Murad V once thought that his greatest enemy was his mother, the evil Holy Alliance.

But now he discovers that his greatest enemy is right beside him, the very people he has been relying on all along.

Murad V was determined to carry out a thorough reform and would not give up halfway like his father and grandfather.

"But the great Sultan, most of the new army is composed of new recruits. Their morale probably won't last long in this war of attrition."

Olma, the Grand Vizier, said he was not yet aware of the seriousness of the matter; he simply thought the Sultan was being petulant again.

"Veterans are just new recruits who have been tempered by war. If new recruits don't experience the baptism of war, they will never become veterans!"

Murad V's statement is not wrong, but there are too many flaws. Olma is too old to dwell on such issues.

“Great Sultan, in such brutal fighting, most recruits do not have the chance to become veterans.”

But someone will always survive, won't they?

Olma was at a loss for words. However, the others also didn't know what Murad V was thinking. They only knew that the situation was not good, and they naturally felt safer sending out more troops.

"Your Majesty, we cannot allow Russia to continue to defile our sacred land!"

"That's right! We should send more troops to build an ironclad defense line to completely isolate the Russians."

"The Russians are now less than a kilometer away from us; we must do something."

This statement expressed the sentiments of everyone, and others echoed it.

"Indeed, we should do something."

"Great Sultan, we need your decision."

Murad V heard these words as an attempt to force him to submit, and he quickly came up with a plan.

"I have said that the Imperial Guard was the key to victory in this battle."

Murad V paused for a moment, then continued.

"But we still have troops at our disposal."

Murad V kept everyone in suspense, and the Ottoman courtiers readily asked the question.

"You mean?"

"The city garrison of Semerpasha has not yet been mobilized."

The city garrison that Murad V spoke of was not considered an army by Ottoman officials. Istanbul's garrison was not like those on the European continent, which were essentially places where lords were kept. However, its reputation was not much better than that of the garrisons in European countries. Istanbul's garrison was more like a combination of the city administration, police, intelligence agency, and tax collectors.

Anyone with even a basic understanding of them would not consider such an organization a combat unit, but Murad V clearly did not think so.

They were city garrison troops, numbering over 20,000. Why couldn't they be called an army? They all carried guns on their arms. Didn't Napoleon's army also recruit civilians?

"Great Sultan, those city defense troops would probably be even more pathetic on the battlefield."

This time, it was Chief Ulimadiram who spoke first. The white-bearded old man was not afraid of losing face, but he did not want to lose his own power.

A religious force is just an empty shell without the support of secular forces. Similarly, some things cannot be done so openly without the endorsement of a religious moral leader.

Chief Ulimadiram and the city's garrison commander, Saimer Pasha, clearly have a deep connection, which is why they stepped forward at this time.

"There's nothing shameful about it. Once you're on the battlefield, you're a warrior of the Ottoman Empire. After they die, the gates of heaven will open wide for them!"

It was clear that Murad V had made up his mind to send the city garrison to take over. However, Olma finally breathed a sigh of relief, as this would at least allow the new army to rest and preserve some of its strength.

Seeing that no one objected, Murad V continued.

“Now that Samuel Pasha is unconscious, someone must take his place.”

Chief Ulimadiram immediately responded.

“Great Sultan, I recommend that Deputy Commander Ilhanbey temporarily assume the duties of Samuel Pasha.”

Murad V pretended to be deep in thought, but inwardly he was sneering.

"Do you think I don't know what you're thinking, old man?"

However, he still maintained a very troubled expression on his face.

“Ilhanbai should continue with his duties, and Abdullah will temporarily take over the position of garrison commander.”

By having eunuchs take over the city's defense forces, even the most obtuse person would know what Murad V was up to.

Fortunately, Murad V was capable of seizing power at this crucial moment, but he made the right gamble; these high-ranking Ottoman officials did not have the courage to fight to the death.

Abdullah immediately took control of the city's defense forces, and the first thing he did was send his deputy commander, Ilhan, with his men to the front lines to put out the fire.

On the surface, this is an honor, but in reality, it is sending Ilhan to his death. At the very least, his confidants must be killed or wounded, and his strength must be severely weakened.

This was not a task suitable for the Sultan to undertake personally, and the Russians were naturally the best tool for it. In the eyes of Murad V and his confidants, this was yet another great opportunity that would achieve multiple goals.

However, reality was just as those Ottoman officials had predicted: the city garrison, which had almost no military foundation, performed worse than the coastal defense battalion and the new army.

These people usually swagger around the Grand Bazaar, extorting protection money from shops along the street. But asking them to engage in brutal urban warfare with elite Russian troops right from the start is really asking too much.

The so-called city defense troops had no uniforms or standard weapons; some wore vests and baggy trousers, while others wore tattered robes.

The weapons they carried were a motley collection; apart from a few who carried their own weapons, most were armed with rifles that had been temporarily issued to them.

These rifles were mainly flintlock muskets, with a small number of percussion muskets and matchlock muskets.

However, some people, due to their low status, could only obtain some cold weapons. These people, who were previously not under each other's command, were sent to the battlefield after only a simple reorganization.