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

Chapter 1700 The Gate of the Empire
In fact, Murad V did not need to issue an order; the commander of the Imperial Guard, Albert Ozer, had already sent men to the outermost gates of the Empire.

Albert Ozer was very confident in the defenses of Topkapi Palace, after all, the palace had been designed for defense from the very beginning.

The outermost Imperial Gate connects to the ancient Byzantine city wall. The 8-meter-high and 3-meter-thick stone wall looks quite magnificent and imposing, unconsciously inspiring a powerful and almost arrogant sense of confidence.

Albert Ozer's confidence also stemmed from his Imperial Guard soldiers, who were personally trained by French instructors and uniformly equipped with French weapons.

Furthermore, Topkapi Palace itself is situated on high ground, which puts the attacking side at a natural disadvantage as they have to attack uphill. Albert Ozer believed that even with only the Imperial Guard present, the Russians would not be able to breach Topkapi Palace.

Furthermore, he opposed from the beginning using a ragtag army composed of commoners to fight the Russians, as Albert Ozer felt it would only bring shame to the Ottoman Empire.

"Please rest assured, Sultan, as long as I am here, Russia will not be able to breach the gates of the Empire. We are not weak Byzantines."

Albert Ozer deliberately spoke in a muffled voice, saying that he wanted to say it to certain people.

The high-ranking officials of the Ottoman Empire were not displeased by the other party's offense; on the contrary, they felt somewhat relieved, since this guard seemed to be truly capable.

With the exception of a few individuals, most of the Ottoman guards on the walls of the Empire of War possessed an arrogant and condescending attitude. Although the Russians had advanced to within hundreds of meters and the Ottoman army was in retreat, they showed no intention of helping.

"Look at those good-for-nothings, they actually got beaten up like this by the Russians."

"It's better for these trashy things to die so as not to waste food."

"Where are their cannons? Do they think they can win without the help of the god of war?"

"Hmph, it got embezzled by those scoundrels!"

"What a pathetic bunch of good-for-nothings!"

"The Russians aren't much better. Did they bring those three-pound cannons to do our nails? That's ridiculous."

"Why won't you let us attack? Offense is the key to victory!"

"What a disgraceful bunch!"

The Imperial Guard soldiers, who had received full French training, were giving a scathing critique of the current situation when another squad of Imperial Guard soldiers arrived at the city wall, bringing with them more ammunition and several heavy cannons that had just been pulled from the armory.

At this moment, Albert Ozer, the commander of the Imperial Guard, also arrived at the city wall.

"Brothers! Let's show those Russians what we're made of!"

after an hour
A royal guard officer, his body charred black and his hair and hat almost glued together, stumbled and crawled toward Murad V.

"Three sections of the northern city wall have been breached; the Imperial Gate is about to fall!"

Murad V was stunned. He could hardly believe his ears. How could the Russians have marched straight into the palace?
What exactly is the Imperial Guard he built at great expense doing?
Murad V tried to say something, but found that something seemed to be stuck in his throat and he couldn't make a sound.

Meanwhile, the other high-ranking officials of the Ottoman Empire were not much better off, especially Chief Ulma, whose performance was even more appalling. Although he had not said anything yet, his panicked and fearful demeanor had completely ruined his image as a wise man with a white beard.

Grand Vizier Olma was also startled. He hadn't expected this. He was well aware of the defenses surrounding Topkapi Palace and the strength of the Imperial Guard.

That's why Olma could stay in the palace with peace of mind, since he believed it was impossible for the palace to fall.

In fact, quite a few people hold this view, which is why this moment is so shocking.

Someone remarked, "How could the Russians have breached the city wall so quickly?"

In an instant, dark clouds enveloped the entire council hall, an outcome that no one had ever anticipated.

"This is how to do ah?"

The atmosphere in the hall became even more somber, and everyone's hearts sank to the bottom.

A deafening roar came from outside the palace, sending dust flying from its roof. They could almost hear the swords piercing flesh and the warriors' furious cries of death.

"Sultan, great Sultan, you should retreat first. God will not blame us!"

Once someone opened the floodgates, others immediately followed suit.

"Great Sultan, only by surviving can you continue to protect your people!"

A group of ministers knelt on the ground, pleading tearfully.

Murad V stared blankly at everything unfolding before him, his earlier boastful words echoing in his mind.

His face was deathly pale, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, his body was trembling uncontrollably, and his lips kept moving, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Without a doubt, he has lost his former imposing presence.

Chief Ulima immediately spoke up when he saw an opportunity.

"Great Sultan, the gates of the empire have now been opened by infidels. The Russian army is already close at hand."

"I dare say that continuing to hold out at this juncture is neither wise nor a wise move; it would be a pointless sacrifice. If Your Majesty insists on holding out, and the territory falls into Russian hands, the glory of the Caliphate will surely be lost!"

Afudepasha chimed in.

"Sheikh Islam is right. You should prioritize the bigger picture and not engage in a momentary emotional struggle. As long as we can return to Ankara, we will surely make a comeback one day!"
This is by no means a cowardly act, but a great strategic shift!

Olma Pasha, as the Grand Vizier, spoke first.

"Great Sultan, I am willing to be your vanguard, at your command."

Although these ministers were all tearful and earnest, appearing to be deeply concerned about the country and its people, they actually knew very well that only by persuading Murad V could they leave safely.

Otherwise, given the Sultan's personality, he would most likely make everyone fight to the very last moment.
Only if Sudan leaves first can they evacuate safely and legitimately.

Furthermore, almost everyone firmly believes that there must be a very secure secret passage within Topkapi Palace leading to the outside world.
After all, with gunfire raging outside, the risk of breaking out on our own is very high.

Therefore, the Ottoman officials in the hall had never been so united as they were at this moment.

Everyone had only one goal: to find a safe passage out and then leave with the Sultan.

Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna.

Franz was woken from his sleep for the first time since 1848. He was curious about what had happened.
Has the French entered the war? Or have the British started launching surprise attacks as well?
However, Franz was not worried, after all, he had made contingency plans in advance. Even if France entered the war, the British surprise attack would hardly damage the Austrian Empire's foundation. On the contrary, it would give Austria a good excuse to start the war.

Austria wouldn't gain much by fighting the Ottoman Empire alongside Russia, but it would be a different story if it were fighting France and Britain.