Looking at the panicked Grand Marshal before him, Abdul Majid I basically ruled out the possibility of intentional suicide missions.

Of course, it did not exclude the possibility that Mahmoud himself was a veteran actor, using his acting skills to completely deceive Abdul Majid I.

"You really don't know?" Abdul Majid I raised his eyebrows slightly in skepticism.

"Your Majesty, do you think I should know?" Grand Marshal Mahmoud responded to Abdul Majid I.

Abdul Majid I was silent for a moment, then while gently stroking the gemstone-inlaid handle, he said to Mahmoud, "I remember you once said that the Empire should..."

Abdul Majid I recounted the words Mahmoud had once hinted at him.

"Your Majesty, I indeed had thoughts of doing so!" Mahmoud sincerely admitted: "But I found that I personally couldn't bear to see the ships and soldiers I painstakingly built be merged and sunk by the Russian Empire, before leaving Ossman, I even specifically instructed him to be careful!"

Subsequently, Mahmoud inquired about the whereabouts of Ottoman Pasha.

"Ottoman (Pasha) is already dead!" Abdul Majid I responded to Mahmoud.

"What?" Mahmoud showed a look of astonishment, then continued to ask, "Your Majesty, I beg your pardon, but how exactly did Ottoman die?"

"I don't know!" Abdul Majid I shook his head and responded, "I also heard the news from Advisor Slade!"

"Then what about the casualties at Sinop Port?" Mahmoud inquired once again to Abdul Majid I.

"I don't know!" Abdul Majid I shook his head and replied to Mahmoud: "According to Slade's description, the number of casualties should not be small!"

"In that case, Your Majesty! I implore you to convene the Grand Council of the Empire once again during this period!" Mahmoud decisively told Abdul Majid I.

"Convene the Grand Council? Why?" immersed in sorrow, Abdul Majid I asked immediately.

"Since our Navy has been defeated, we can demand the Grand Council to conduct a second vote on the conditions Russia previously proposed!" Mahmoud told Abdul Majid I.

"Do you want the Empire to perish?" Abdul Majid I asked Mahmoud with a hostile tone.

"Your Majesty, I do not intend for the Empire to perish!" Grand Marshal Mahmoud explained to Abdul Majid I: "Only by means like this can we force Britain to engage in war against Russia! Even if we cannot compel Britain to declare war on Russia, we can ensure our safety with the protection of the French Empire!"

Mahmoud intended to use this rare opportunity to force Britain to provide guarantees for the Ottoman Empire. As long as Britain was unwilling to ignore the Ottoman Empire, then he would definitely join the fight.

Currently, Rhodes Island was already garrisoned by 20,000 French soldiers; if Britain did not intentionally obstruct them, they could join in the fight to support the Ottoman Empire at any time.

"I see!" Abdul Majid I nodded after hearing Mahmoud's explanation, then told Mahmoud about his requirement for Slade to write the naval battle report and deliver it to Canning.

Mahmoud expressed his approval of Abdul Majid I's actions.

Subsequently, Mahmoud left the Imperial Palace of the Ottoman Empire, and Abdul Majid I also left the conference hall.

The next day, during the early autumn season in Constantinople, it rained lightly once again, and the sky was shrouded in a gray haze.

In such weather, British Envoy Canning to the Ottoman Empire received a piece of disheartening news.

"What? The Ottoman Empire's warships have been completely defeated by the Russian Empire?" Canning asked Slade with a tone of surprise.

"Your Excellency, it was an annihilation, not just a defeat!" Slade reminded Canning.

"Were all the fleets completely annihilated?" Ambassador Canning asked Slade in detail once more.

Slade shrugged his shoulders and replied to Canning helplessly: "If we exclude the remaining fleet stationed in Constantinople!" Slade paused and added, "Of course, the remaining fleet now is not a match for the Russian Fleet either!"

"What exactly happened?" Canning asked Slade with a solemn expression: "If I remember correctly, the Russian Navy and Ottoman Navy had roughly equivalent strength in the Mediterranean! No matter what, the Russian Empire couldn't really wipe out the Ottoman Empire so easily!"

"Your Excellency, although this battle of annihilation is a shame in my career as a Navy Officer, the Ottoman Empire was indeed defeated by the Russian Fleet!" Slade once again emphasized: "The Russian Army used a different ammunition than solid shells; the shells exploded inside the wooden ships after impact, causing secondary damage, and the entire fleet was destroyed in just one and a half hours!"

"Do we have this kind of ammunition?" Canning blurted out.

Upon hearing about the new weapon, Canning immediately shifted his concern from the Ottoman Empire to the shells, fearing the Russian shells might pose a certain threat to Britain.

"Your Excellency, there's no need to worry! This type of shell was developed by the Kingdom of Britain a long time ago! It's just that our fleet has not yet been tested in real combat!" Slade reassured.

"That's good to hear!" Canning unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

"However, these shells are devastating to wooden ships! If two ships are equipped with the same type of shells, there's a significant chance both would face mutual destruction!" With the dawn of ironclad ships yet to arrive, flower shells are indeed the nemesis of wooden warships, hence Slade can't help but be concerned about the future of the British Navy.

Canning didn't say much more, as he knew only a little more about naval matters than an ordinary person.

"If that's the case, we must consider the maritime security of the Ottoman Empire!" Canning frowned as he said to Slade.

Slade shrugged indifferently and said, "Your Excellency Ambassador, these are exactly the issues you diplomats need to concern yourselves with! I need to write a naval warfare report for His Majesty the Sultan, so I won't stay here any longer!"

Having achieved his goal, Slade left the British Embassy and returned to his rented lodging in Constantinople to write the report.

On the other hand, staying at the embassy, Canning couldn't help but fall into deep thought. After getting up and pacing three or four circles, Canning decided to head to the French Embassy.

Walking alone through the desolate streets due to rain, Canning soon arrived at the main gate of the French Embassy.

It wasn't anyone else who greeted him but Klein, the third secretary of the French Embassy.

"Klein, is Envoy Valerovsky at home?" Canning asked Klein in a friendly manner.

"Your Excellency Ambassador, he is still resting! May I ask what the matter is?" Half of Klein's body was still inside the door as he inquired.

"It's like this! I have some urgent matters I wish to discuss with Envoy Valerovsky!" Canning didn't want to reveal specifics to Klein, instead using a vague concept.

"Then please come in!" Klein stepped aside, and Canning entered the embassy.

Klein settled Canning on a sofa in the embassy and then went to the second-floor bedroom, pushing open the bedroom door of Valerovsky.

At that moment, Valerovsky was not resting; he was standing by the window, gazing far into the distance.

When Klein entered the room, Valerovsky spoke, "Canning has arrived?"

"Yes!" Klein looked at Valerovsky with a bit of reverence, puzzled as to how Valerovsky could "predict" that Canning would come to the embassy.

"Then let us wait a bit longer!" With his hands behind his back, facing away from Klein, Valerovsky remarked, "The easier something seems to be achieved, sometimes the less it is cherished!"

Klein smiled noncommittally.

The room once again fell into silence.

After about ten minutes, Valerovsky slightly tidied his wrinkled coat and said to Klein, "Let's go!"

Valerovsky walked down the stairs with Klein and met with Canning.

"Ambassador Canning!" Valerovsky greeted Canning warmly, apologizing slightly, "I'm terribly sorry to keep you waiting!"

"It's nothing!" Canning waved his hand, responding to Valerovsky.

Then, the two of them sat down and started a sporadic chat.

"Mr. Valerovsky, have you heard the rumor that the Ottoman Empire Navy's warships have all been annihilated by the Russian Empire?" Canning feigned a casual attitude to probe Valerovsky.

"Oh?" Valerovsky showed just the right amount of astonishment, as if hearing it for the first time, "This is the first time I've heard of it. Where did you hear such a rumor? It's simply absurd!"

"Isn't there a possibility that this rumor is not fabricated, but is an actual occurrence?" Canning continued in a calm tone.

"That would be terrible!" Valerovsky responded with an exaggerated expression, "If that's the case, the Ottoman Empire is like a courtesan stripped of her outer garment, at the mercy of the Russian Empire!"

"Who would disagree!" Canning sighed, his expression turning serious, "Which is why we must not let this situation occur!"

"Your Excellency Canning, may I understand this as the Kingdom of Britain being willing to join France in maintaining peace in the Black Sea?" Valerovsky straightforwardly inquired of Canning, not wishing to leave room for ambiguity.

"In general terms, your statement is mostly... possibly without much issue!" Canning maintained his distinct British diplomatic bureaucratic tone with Valerovsky.

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