As soon as the naval battle ended, Ferdinand received the news, and the weight hanging over his heart finally lifted!
As expected, the Black Sea Fleet had defeated the Ottoman navy and smoothly entered the Sea of Marmara. It was currently refitting at the Bulgarian-controlled port of Tekirdağ.
There had been a few twists and turns along the way, but Ferdinand did not care about any of that! Whether the Ottomans or the Russians had suffered losses was none of his concern. Ferdinand needed only one result—the command of the Sea of Marmara!
From this moment onward, the Ottoman Empire could bid farewell to the Istanbul region!
Though they still held half of Constantinople, their sea transport routes had already come under threat!
The Bosporus Strait route was closer, but its danger level was also far higher! It had long since been completely exposed to Bulgarian artillery range. Even Uskudar on the opposite shore had received no shortage of shells!
After pondering for a moment, Ferdinand decisively issued three orders: "Order the Third Army to take Albania in the shortest possible time;
"Order the Second Army to push the front line to the prewar border between the Ottoman Empire and Greece, then station there in place;
"Order the First Army to blockade the Bosporus Strait. At the same time, reduce the intensity of the offensive and keep casualties under control as much as possible!"
At this point, they had to swallow the gains already at their lips first. As for everything else, they could wait and wrangle over it at the negotiating table!
Meanwhile, Ankara Palace was shrouded in gloom. Even the most optimistic people no longer believed that the Ottoman Empire could win this war!
The Sultan's government was already in a panic. Even the Radical Faction had