Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 617 Planning
"Sir, would you like a newspaper? It just came from the printing plant today."

A newsboy, holding a stack of newspapers, approached the man and asked him a question.

"Give me one!"

The newsboy pulled out a newspaper and handed it to the man. Opening the newspaper, still smelling of ink, the man was immediately drawn to the large headlines.

"The Imperial Army is in trouble in Bosnia!"

Following the title, the sparks of rebellion spread from Herzegovina to the whole of Bosnia. Composed mainly of peasants, they were familiar with the terrain and employed guerrilla tactics, causing considerable trouble for the Ottoman regular army.

The governments of neighboring Serbia and Montenegro are also secretly supporting the resistance movement in Bosnia and Herzegovina, hoping to use it to expand their own territory.

The Ottoman Empire was beset by internal and external troubles and was in turmoil. Even a little experienced intellectual or bureaucrat could see the enormous crisis facing the Ottoman government.

Kemal looked at the Ottoman Empire as it was now and knew that if things continued this way, the Russians would intervene, followed by the British, French, and Austrians. They all wanted the Ottoman territory, wealth, population, and markets. If things continued like this, the Ottoman Empire would truly perish.

"What should we do?" he sighed.

At this time, a military academy in Constantinople, a military school established to consolidate the rule of the monarchy, became a secret stronghold against the Sultan's rule.

Refiq Saidham Pasha is convening a meeting with 15 trusted officers. Kamil Pasha has also joined them, along with Bayar, the Brotherhood's propaganda minister. They have gathered together to secretly plot a military coup to overthrow Sultan Abdul Aziz.

"The wars of rebellion in Bosnia and Bulgaria are not over yet, and the troops loyal to the Sultan will not be recalled to Constantinople in the short term, but we should act as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications."

"Inani's troops have been stationed in the city under the pretext of a rotation, and Avni Pasha, who is in charge of defending the northern region, has agreed to support our operation."

Once our troops within the city control Topkapi Palace, Avni Pasha will, as planned, open his defenses and allow our army into Constantinople. Furthermore, Inani will be positioned in Edirne to coordinate with us.

That's what they said, but some people were still worried, and an officer asked.

“There are a total of 28,000 troops stationed in and around Constantinople. Even with Avni Pasha’s army, there are only a little over 7000. Without the cooperation of the Royal Guard guarding the palace, I’m afraid they can’t control the situation in the city.” Refik Saidam Pasha’s voice was extremely low, but it carried an iron will: “The Royal Guard? They are no longer the lions of Suleiman’s time, but watchdogs fed gold and extravagance by the Sultan. To deal with dogs, a bone with meat on it is more effective than ten thousand bullets.”

"And don't forget, there are 60,000 troops loyal to the Sultan deployed at the front. If the news leaks out, try to guess whether the central army at the front will be determined to quell the rebellion or return?"

Whoever's army controls the capital first will wield more power in the new government. Kamil Pasha has already secured the future plans of the Sultan and the government, but their timid stance and inability to address the current situation have created a window of opportunity for them.

Bayar immediately stood up and pulled out a stack of silver coins wrapped in oiled paper and three documents bearing forged seals from his pocket: "I have long heard of the greed of Hamid, the commander of the Royal Guard. These gold coins and a decree falsely claiming that the Sultan will reduce the Royal Guard's salary will sway him, along with a secret agreement promising to promote him to Pasha after the coup. I will deliver them to him through his relatives tomorrow night. If he knows what's good for him, the Royal Guard barracks will 'coincidentally' sound a fire alarm during morning prayers, and all the soldiers will be mobilized to fight the fire, rendering the western defense line of the palace useless."

According to their plan, the main force would be divided into three routes. The first route would seize the armory, the treasury, and the national bank; the second route would occupy the major newspaper offices; and the third route, as a mobile reserve, would be deployed along the main roads leading to the palace, ready to intercept any unexpected loyalist forces. Simultaneously, another 300-strong detachment would storm the Imperial Guard headquarters, seize its commander, and force him to order a surrender.

“The most crucial one is Avni Pasha.” Refik pressed his finger heavily on the northern defense line on the map. “His 5000 men will be relieved an hour before morning prayers, taking over the various intersections in the north of the city under the pretext of ‘searching for rebels.’ Remember, if you encounter patrols loyal to the Sultan, first identify yourselves and try to persuade them to surrender. If they resist, only strike the horses’ legs, not the men—we must minimize bloodshed to avoid giving the Russians an excuse to intervene.”

Kamil Pasha, displaying the eloquence of a fine politician, incited the crowd, saying, "Most of the officers in the city have chosen to rebel against the tyranny of the monarchy, and the Sultan's loyal servants have scattered and disintegrated. All we need to do now is coordinate with the army to occupy the palace, take control of the Sultan and all members of the Ottoman family, and their rule will collapse."

“We are also monitoring Nedim Pasha and the others to prevent them from escaping.”

The officer, who was worried about insufficient troops, still hesitated: "But of the 28,000 troops, more than 10,000 are city defense soldiers loyal to the Sultan. What if they find out in advance and block the streets?"

Refik sneered and pulled out several documents bearing a forged Ministry of War seal from his pocket: "The city garrison commander, Zaimpasha, is a coward. I've already sent him a letter. If he remains inactive, he'll still be the city garrison commander after the coup; if he dares to send troops to obstruct us, we'll hand over his embezzled military funds from last year to the religious court. These documents are 'transfer orders' for the various battalions of the city garrison, falsely claiming that rebels have been discovered on the northern defense line, ordering them to remain in place and not to move without authorization. Someone will deliver the documents to the battalion commanders tomorrow morning; that should be enough to keep them occupied until morning prayers."

Refik glanced at the darkening sky outside the window, then stood up: "I've memorized everything. Tomorrow morning we must take down Topkapi Palace, bring the Sultan to the parliament hall, and force him to abdicate!"

Everyone stood up, placed their right hand on their chest, and whispered an oath: "We are willing to shed our last drop of blood for the rebirth of the Ottomans!"

Refik gave the crowd one last look, his voice as heavy as iron: "From now on, no one is allowed to go out alone, nor to communicate with their families. Success or failure hinges on this. If there is even the slightest mistake, we and the entire Ottoman Empire will be buried beneath the walls of Constantinople. Starting tomorrow night, this city will change."

The crescent moon slowly climbed into the night sky outside the window, casting its light on the domes of Constantinople. The lights of Topkapi Palace remained bright, unaware that a storm was quietly brewing before the tolling of the morning prayer bells.

(End of this chapter)