Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 619 Coup (Part 2)

At eight o'clock in the morning, the coup soldiers successively occupied key strongholds, and all external communication and propaganda channels in Constantinople fell into the control of the coup forces. After publicly shooting several journalists who refused to cooperate, Avni Pasha and Kamil Pasha each led an army to support the battle in the direction of the palace and the military camp.

Meanwhile, Bayar, from the largest Ottoman newspaper, declared a decisive victory in the name of the Progressive Union Committee, stating that the corrupt and incompetent Ottoman government was about to collapse and that the armies in Constantinople and throughout the Ottoman Empire should obey the Committee's orders to expel and arrest the stubborn resistance fighters.

The hastily printed newspapers and leaflets, widely distributed, gradually caused the guards scattered throughout various government agencies to give up resistance, and one government building after another fell into the hands of the coup forces. By nine o'clock, the coup forces had gained an increasing advantage, and many officers announced their joining the committee.

The loyal Sultan's troops fought to the last, including the captain Avni had encountered that morning, who killed two men before being shot four times. Such resistance was futile, and as the fighting subsided, Aziz knew he was finished.

"This is the abdication edict; please sign it, Sultan!"

Camille Pasha approached Aziz with a pen in hand, and seeing his loyal finance minister personally pressuring him to abdicate, he knocked the pen from Aziz's hand.

"Camille Pasha, why, why did you do this!"

"Please forgive me, Sultan, but the government is truly out of money. I have repeatedly asked you to cut expenses, but you never listen. For the sake of the empire's future, we have no choice but to do this!"

He picked up the pen and spoke to him firmly once again.

"Please have the Sultan sign!"

The Sultan, under house arrest, was forced to sign the abdication edict. As his trembling hand put down the pen, an era of the Ottoman Empire officially came to an end.

Following this, the provinces of Anatolia and Syria pledged allegiance to the Progressive Council. New Army officers who had been suppressing the rebellion in Bulgaria planned to return to save the Sultan, but were stopped by local troops in Edirne and had all their weapons confiscated.

The Progressive Committee issued a statement to the people, announcing that the corrupt old era had ended and the dawn of a new life was shining on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

"Fellow countrymen! This is not a coup, but a national self-redemption. We urge you to remain calm, continue your worship and work, monitor our commitments, measure our actions, stand united, and not believe rumors. The real test has just begun."

The committee announced a series of measures to bring about change, and although the public still distrusts them, it seems that hope has indeed arrived.

But there was no doubt that news of the coup had already reached the countries through the envoys of various nations. These included powerful nations like Russia, Britain, France, Austria, Iran, and Germany, as well as neighboring countries like Romania and Serbia. A storm was brewing. Overnight, the world had changed. Kemal felt incredibly lucky to have survived in Constantinople. It's important to understand that this coup had resulted in at least 2000 casualties among soldiers and civilians, and Kemal waited cautiously in his room until it was all over before emerging.

When he pushed open the apartment door, a strange stench of gunpowder and blood filled the air. At the street corner, several soldiers were using bayonets to pry open the scattered royal banners and tie strips of cloth bearing the words "Progressive United Committee" to lampposts; the sounds of fighting seemed to still echo on the cobblestone street.

The bakeries along the street were half-open, the owners wiping bloodstains splattered on the doors with rags. Seeing Kemal pass by, they hurriedly retreated back inside, leaving only their wary eyes visible. Not far away, a long queue formed outside a makeshift aid station, soldiers and civilians wrapped in bandages silently awaiting treatment, occasionally punctuated by suppressed groans. A propagandist from the Progressive Committee stood on a wooden crate, holding aloft a copy of the still-wet "Appeal to the People," shouting slogans like "Reduce royal spending, reform the tax system" at the top of his lungs. But most of the onlookers had numb eyes; only a few young people in school uniforms clapped along, the applause sparse and quickly drowned out by the distant sound of horses' hooves.

He pulled his damp coat tighter and walked along the bullet-riddled cobblestone path. Suddenly, a troop of cavalry charged out from the street corner, their riding boots splashing through puddles. The soldiers' rifles had cloth strips tied to the butts, just like those on the lampposts, and the metal shafts gleamed coldly in the morning mist. They ignored the pedestrians on the roadside and galloped straight towards the palace.

Kemal turned into a narrow alley. The blacksmith's shop at the alley entrance was already open for business. The dull, rhythmic sound of hammers striking iron mingled strangely with the slogans of the propaganda workers in the distance. Inside the shop, the blacksmith Abdul was holding a red-hot horseshoe with pliers. Seeing Kemal enter, he stopped his work and pointed to a wooden stool in the corner: "Sit down. Things aren't peaceful outside."

"You are quite calm."

Abdul chuckled, plunging the horseshoe into cold water. The rising steam instantly enveloped his face. "Calm down? Last night, when the bullet grazed my shop, I thought I was going to die. But look, it's dawn, the bakery is still baking bread, and I still have to shoe horses. Life goes on." He paused, lowering his voice, "But can this Progress Committee really make life better?"

Kemal didn't know, because according to past practice, a new sultan should have been declared immediately after the abolition of the sultan, but they didn't do so, and no one knew what they were thinking.

But the committee's successive orders to crack down on food speculation and usury were met with cheers from the citizens. It seems they are different from those other groups; they can actually get things done.

"I don't know, but it looks like things are getting better, you know..."

Just then, a commotion arose at the alley entrance. Several men in suits were being escorted by soldiers. Leading them was the former Grand Vizier, Diem Pasha. His usually slicked-back hair was now disheveled, and his suit was stained with dust and blood, yet he still held his head high, constantly cursing the traitors. The soldiers impatiently shoved him, their rifle butts occasionally striking his back. He stumbled and fell, only to be forcibly pulled up, his figure quickly disappearing into the morning mist at the alley entrance.

“Just a few days ago he was giving a speech in the square, saying he was loyal to the Sultan and would protect the empire.” Abdul shook his head and picked up the hammer again. “Now look what’s happened, he’s a prisoner.”

The fact that someone like the Grand Vizier was killed demonstrates the Ottoman government's strong execution capabilities; such a government would have accomplished anything. It's a pity Sultan Aziz lacked the resolve. I wonder who the next Sultan will be, and which member of the royal family will be chosen?

(End of this chapter)