The morning sun rose, yet for Istanbul's coastal defense battalion and the Ottoman navy, who had fought a bloody battle for so long, it brought not hope but a deeper despair.
The Golden Horn fleet—indeed, every vessel moored in the Golden Horn—had sunk. Flames soared into the sky from the harbor, and most buildings had already become, or were becoming, ruins.
The last artillery battery had erupted in a violent explosion five minutes ago, then fallen completely silent. The commander of the coastal defense battalion had personally held the last battery. That blast was likely his final words.
Sayi Pasha had chosen the most heroic death at the very end. Istanbul's coastal defenses had rotted to this extent, and he could not escape responsibility for it.
As Istanbul's coastal defense commander, Sayi Pasha had never believed war would come to Istanbul. Even if the Russians truly reached Istanbul, they would not attack from the sea—after all, the Russians were not fools.
Besides, with his status, he could have drawn upon his family's power to leave Istanbul ahead of time for Anatolia.
Thus, Sayi Pasha embezzled vast sums of the coastal defense budget, and his family's influence rose to another level as a result.
The immediate consequence, however, was that equipment could not be updated in time or properly maintained. Soldiers whose pay had been skimmed nursed resentment and had low morale. Some experienced veterans could only change professions to make a living, while newly conscripted recruits had even lower morale and worse discipline.
Members and servants of Sayi Pasha's family occupied the overwhelming majority of important posts throughout the coastal defense battalion. This drove out those devoted to their duties and those of true ability, while worsening corruption and the ordinary soldiers' utter apathy.
So Franz did not find Sayi