No Way Out

On the Near East battlefield, the Battle of Ankara's defense had reached a critical moment. In this battle to defend the capital, the strength unleashed by the Ottomans had shocked the Russians.

Fortunately, Marshal Ivanov had seen grand occasions before. Otherwise, ordinary people truly would not have been able to bear the daily casualties reaching four digits.

Unlike the Prusso-Russian War, which concerned the fate of the nation, the Ottoman Empire's destruction had long been inevitable. Paying such a terrible price in casualties now held no meaning at all.

At that moment, Marshal Ivanov stood staring blankly at a map of Ankara, seemingly searching for a way to swiftly defeat the enemy.

A burly young officer entered and reported, "Marshal, the Ottoman Government has sent representatives. They wish to discuss..."

Before he could finish, Ivanov decisively refused. "No."

The young officer hesitated to speak. Though he believed accepting the Ottoman Government's surrender could end the war at the lowest cost, Ivanov had already made his decision. For a soldier, obedience to orders had to come first.

After a brief silence, Ivanov added, "Drive the Ottoman representatives away. There's no need to report such matters in the future."

If the Ottoman Government's surrender could have been accepted, this war would never have dragged on until now. So long as the Anti-Ottoman Alliance had been willing to take in Ottoman dignitaries, someone would have sold out the Sultan Government in a heartbeat.

The Ottoman Government's extraordinary performance and astonishing combat strength had, in truth, been forced out of them.

Ordinary people could surrender, but Ottoman dignitaries could not. Since the Anti-Ottoman Alliance intended to annex the Ottoman Empire, it was bound to purge the country's upper class.

If these vested interests were not eliminated, how could they settle the meritorious officials? When