Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 618 Coup (Part 1)

March 12, 1872, was the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. Everyone was required to pray on this day, including the Sultan.

The city was silent; everyone was preparing for prayer. The streets were deserted, except for the soldiers on patrol.

Avni Pasha is patrolling the northern part of Constantinople. His troops quelled a riot yesterday, arresting more than 600 people. Some prisons were full, and the prisoners were killed on the spot.

"Pasha!"

The captain of the other squad stepped forward and greeted Avni.

"How are things?"

"Everything is normal, there are no issues."

The other party nodded and handed a gold coin to the captain.

"It's not easy for anyone, here, take it!"

Unexpectedly, the captain was a straightforward person and resolutely refused to accept it. "It is my duty to solve problems for the Sultan, Pasha."

Seeing that the other party was so calm, Avni did not try to persuade him further, but simply told him to keep an eye on the situation, and the other party obeyed and left.

"Soon, everything will be different."

By this time, Sultan Aziz had already accomplished a series of things with the help of the black eunuch. He originally planned to go to the Blue Mosque to pray, but after thinking about the current situation, he decided to do it in the palace instead, believing that the Prophet would not hold it against him.

“Sultan, this is Nedim Pasha’s letter. I hope you will take a look.”

Grand Vizier said he wanted to recall troops to the front lines, but they couldn't be withdrawn now, especially from Bosnia, where the local insurgents were even cooperating with Montenegro and Serbia, which he absolutely could not allow.

"Tell the Grand Vizier that if he continues to say such things, he doesn't need to say them anymore. He can be transferred back after the rebellion is quelled."

He doesn't need to worry about any of these things; as long as his army is still there, everything will be fine.

As the time for morning prayers drew closer, everyone began heading to the mosque. Some of the guards even deserted to sneak off and eat or chat with the others.

"Tell me, when will this situation end?" a soldier asked his colleague.

"It's hard to say. The situation is so bad right now, we can only take it one step at a time. Fortunately, we still have this job, so we won't starve. I've heard that in other provinces, the number of people who have starved to death has filled the cemeteries."

"That's terrible, now..."

"Not good!"

Suddenly, a scream shattered the conversation and the hard-won moment of peace.

"It's terrible! There's a fire to the north! Help!"

To the north were the camps of the Imperial Guard and other troops. Upon hearing the news, the soldiers rushed to fight the fire, leaving only a small force to continue their mission.

Upon arriving at the scene, the military camp was engulfed in flames. Several surrounding houses were also ablaze, and civilians joined in the firefighting efforts, but some also took advantage of the chaos. The entire north was in disarray. Nedim Pasha, who was on his way to the mosque, saw the flames to the north but was unaware of what was happening. However, he soon noticed soldiers surrounding his carriage, which made him uneasy.

"What are you doing? Huh?!"

Camille Pasha appeared before him. "So it's the Grand Vizier. I'm sorry, I just heard there was a fire in the north, so I sent them to help put it out. If there was any offense, I hope the Grand Vizier will forgive me."

Upon hearing this, Nedim Pasha breathed a sigh of relief. Although it was a military camp on fire, thankfully it wasn't anything else; he had thought it was a coup.

"I see. Camille, you've done well. As subjects of the Sultan, we should share his burdens. In that case, I won't bother you any longer."

As he spoke, Nedim Pasha prepared to close the car door, but two soldiers stopped him.

"Camille, what are you doing?"

Nedim Pasha questioned Kamil Pasha, who smiled but uttered the most terrifying words.

“Your Excellency Grand Vizier,” Camille Pasha’s smile was uncertain, “putting out the fire is of paramount importance, but ensuring your safety is equally important. The city is in chaos right now, so why don’t you move to a safer place to take refuge?”

Nedim Pasha's face turned deathly pale instantly. He realized that this was not firefighting at all, but a meticulously planned coup. "You...you're committing treason!" he shouted, his voice trembling involuntarily.

“No, this is a new beginning.” Kamil Pasha calmly gestured, and the soldiers immediately stepped forward to “invite” Nedim Pasha out of the carriage. “Please cooperate; we do not wish to harm anyone. Aksu Pasha awaits your presence to discuss state affairs.”

Aksu Pasha was the current Ottoman Minister of War; it's unexpected that even he was arrested.

"You...you're insane!"

“This is for the country!” Kamil Pasha shouted to Nedim Pasha.

Meanwhile, in Topkapi Palace, Sultan Abdulaziz paced restlessly. The firelight to the north and the faint sounds of commotion made him uneasy. "Can't those fools even keep an eye on a military camp?" he roared at the eunuch beside him.

“Sultan, something seems amiss,” an elderly eunuch said worriedly. “I just saw some unfamiliar soldiers moving around outside the palace walls, and the Royal Guard…”

His words were interrupted by a sudden gunshot. Immediately afterwards, shouts of battle and the clang of clashing weapons echoed from outside the palace gates.

"What happened? Who is rebelling?" The Sultan retreated in terror, knocking over a precious blue and white porcelain vase.

The palace gates were flung open, and Refik Saidhampasha strode in fully armed, his boots clattering on the broken porcelain. “Your Majesty,” his voice was icy, “for the sake of the Ottoman future, you must abdicate immediately.”

"You...you traitor!" The Sultan trembled with rage. "My army will tear you to pieces!"

Refik chuckled lightly: "Are you referring to the troops currently suppressing the rebellion in Bosnia, or the city garrison troops whose pay you've been withheld and who are barely getting enough to eat? Or," he paused deliberately, "the Imperial Guard that we've already taken control of?"

Only a few key figures knew about this military coup; the vast majority of middle and lower-ranking officers and soldiers simply followed orders from their superiors and gathered in the city from their respective camps.

Although they controlled fewer than 10,000 troops, progress was quite smooth because they had already dealt with the most important Ever Victorious Army. More than a dozen important institutions, including the government headquarters, the imperial palace, the army headquarters, and newspaper offices, were attacked by the coup soldiers. The guards loyal to the imperial government dutifully protected these institutions and engaged in fierce firefights with the soldiers pouring out of the city.

Citizens on their way to the mosque were terrified upon seeing this and immediately went home, locking their doors and windows, fearing that the soldiers would rush in and kill them.

(End of this chapter)