Topkapi Palace, once the Sultan's main residence and official residence in Istanbul, was also used for state ceremonies and royal entertainment, and is now used as the temporary headquarters of the Russian conquest army.

"Topkapi" means "Gate of Cannons" and gets its name from the fact that its walls were filled with cannons.

But the brass cannons, once inlaid with jewels, gold and ivory, have now been dismantled by the grey cattle to be smelted and cast for a bronze statue of the Roman Emperor Alexander II.

Akshan walked out of the palace, and a bright red five-finger print was clearly visible on his face.

Just now, the arrogant commander-in-chief of the Russian occupation forces, Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolanavich, the emperor's brother, mocked Akshan to his face, calling him a cowardly who betrayed the country and gave him a big bulge.

"Ahh

Akshan was just about to spit, but was glared at by the Russian sentry at the door, and quickly swallowed the thick phlegm, muttering in a low voice: "Uncivilized Slavic animals! Even the Tatars know that they should be kind to the pugs who come to us, the enemies of the enemy, who are my heroes, and I don't know such a simple truth, a bunch of damned hillbillies! ”

It's a pity that Akshan is not a traverser, and he doesn't know how a guy in later generations who personally landed a red flag over Moscow was kicked around by the Ansar clique as a leper dog.

Compared with those pirate nations, even the Jianzhou Jurchens can be called a little face.

Akshan sighed, turned around, and looked up at the palace that had been incomparably solemn and extravagant before, but now it was full of gloom.

Once upon a time, when the Sultan snorted contemptuously here, the whole of Europe shuddered.

Today, the Slavic peasants, who only grow potatoes on the banks of the Don River, walk proudly on the ancient city walls in tattered leather boots.

In this regard, Akshan was very distressed.

Although, the city gate was opened by him, and the Russian GIs were brought in by him, but in short, he was very heartbroken.

Of course, the main reason for the heartache is that the Russians have unsurprisingly betrayed their promises.

The Russians, who had promised to prop the new Sultan to power and then make him auxiliary minister, were slow to say anything.

It was hard for Akshan to imagine that the Tsar's mind was full of things that he wiped with his left hand.

Crimea and the northern shore of the Black Sea are fine, but if Russia wants to annex the whole of Ottoman and the Anatolian Peninsula, isn't it a fantasy?

As a veteran aristocrat of the Ottoman Empire, Akshan was well aware of the heavy price paid by the empire for hundreds of years to be able to completely rule the Christians and Shiites in its territory.

But it is clear that the Christians in the Balkans and Greece, the Shiites on the Euphrates, are still alienated from the Empire, ready to rebel, or have betrayed.

Hundreds of years of hard work are not even as powerful as half a page of Scripture.

Of course, there is the reason behind the Russians' efforts to "save the Christians under the oppression of the Turkish Empire" and "protect the Slavic brothers", as well as the Persians' infiltration of Baghdad.

But the main thing is that because of the natural division created by different beliefs, successive sultans have not been able to solve it by exhausting methods.

In the same situation as the Ottomans, there was also the Austrian Empire, the old rival of the Ottomans.

They are also in trouble and must be careful to maintain the balance at home.

If the Russians wanted to annex the whole of Ottoman, with their crude art of governance, there was no doubt that it would explode!

It was precisely with this realization that the Russians would absolutely support themselves as puppets, just like the kings supported by Napoleon, that opened the door to Istanbul in the face of the world's condemnation.

As a result, he finally betrayed his country once, but the Russians let him lose so completely.

After all, Akshan still underestimated the insatiable desire of Tsarist Russia for land, and underestimated their obsession with recovering the castle and recasting Rome, or at least Eastern Rome.

If Akshan had known a little more about the Russian Empire, or at least had studied the best-selling books in Moscow and St. Petersburg over the past year, with the exception of the Bible, he would not have made such a miscalculation.

Because over the past year, the best-selling book in all of Russia was actually officially banned under the name "Your Name".

If he could read it and look at it, he would understand that the Russians would never give up the castle and the Asia Minor, which Byzantium once controlled.

It's a pity that there is no "if" in reality.

Akshan, who had now welcomed the Russians, had been abandoned, deprived of the command of the Sudanese Guard, and even his mansion had been looted by the Armenian militia.

Akshan swore that if he could one day regain control of the Empire, he would kill all these damned Armenians!

"Sir, our carriage has been snatched away!"

The coachman, covered with leather boot prints, cried and said, "Those Russians say that there are not enough wagons to transport grain, and that we need to urgently requisition our wagons!" ”

"Damn it!"

Akshan jumped up angrily, "Is there still a royal law?" Is there still a law? Is there no one to take care of it? The military discipline of these Russians is also really bad, worse than our Ottoman ones! ”

But it is clear that no one will answer his question.

Except for the backbone troops, most of the other armies of Tsarist Russia were local militias and Cossack cavalry.

These people themselves were forcibly conscripted by the Tsar, and the military expenses given were pitiful, and it would be hellish if the military discipline of these guys was good.

Of course, Akshan also knows this, and he has found Grand Duke Hail Nikolanavich to complain because of the robbery of the mansion, but he has been physically slapped in the face by the other party in public, and now that the carriage has been robbed, he does not dare to go to someone to avenge his grievances.

Impotent and furious, Akshan said to the coachman: "You can go back by yourself, sir, I will take the subway." ”

"But sir...... Your safety ......"

The coachman couldn't help but persuade.

You know, there are more than 1,200 people in Istanbul today who want to kill Akshan.

It is not too much to say that Akshan is a rat crossing the street, and everyone will be punished for it.

However, Akshan saw it very clearly, and said: "It doesn't matter, you look at my current dress, master, can anyone recognize me as His Majesty's most loyal Guards Commander Akshan Erkeo?" Besides, those poor ghosts won't take the subway, okay, so be it! ”

Sending away the only coachman, Akshan took out a dozen akches from his pocket, took one out of them, and put the rest on his body.