CHAPTER 552: CHAPTER 544 THE CONCEPT OF THE CRIMEAN KHANATE

Morning of June 10, 1854.

The orange-red glow lit up the sky, and thin mist hovered between the Black Sea and the Sevastopol Fortress. A warship carrying Marshal Saint Arno departed from Kamish Port on the South Shore of Sevastopol, and after more than four hours, arrived near the Constantinople military port.

Under the curious eyes of the port lookout, the warship with the French flag fluttering on its mast slowly sailed into the military port pier and stopped at the dock.

Just as the port lookout and sailors were speculating about the purpose of the warship’s arrival in Constantinople, a gangway covered with a red carpet was lowered from the ship. After a while, a squad of French soldiers, in blue and white uniforms, ran down from the warship and formed two lines at the dock, seemingly preparing for the disembarkation of an important figure from the warship.

Who could it be? Could it be the Emperor of the French Empire?

While the sailors at the harbor were buzzing with discussion, Marshal Saint Arno, holding a Marshal’s Staff, appeared on the gangway along with his adjutant Brigadier General Troche.

With a slightly pale, sickly face, Marshal Saint Arno stepped onto the dock. Brigadier General Troche, who followed him down the stairs, looked worriedly at Marshal Saint Arno and stepped to his side, reaching out his hand to support the ailing marshal, only to have his hand lightly tapped with the Marshal’s Staff.

"I’m not so weak that I can’t walk!" Marshal Saint Arno stubbornly told Brigadier General Troche.

"But..." Brigadier General Troche looked at Saint Arno with a pained expression.

"But what? There’s no ’but’!" Marshal Saint Arno’s voice was weak, yet his tone remained firm.

Brigadier General Troche had no choice but to abandon his intention of supporting Marshal Saint Arno. However, his gaze frequently shifted toward Marshal Saint Arno, ready to catch him if he suddenly fell.

Marshal Saint Arno and Brigadier General Troche, one in front of the other, entered the military port’s supply area from the dock. There, they encountered the person in charge of the Constantinople military port, an Ottoman Empire Navy Major General named Muhammad Zadler.

"Marshal Saint Arno, welcome to the Constantinople port! I am the port’s manager, Muhammad Zadler!" Muhammad Zadler first saluted Marshal Saint Arno, then introduced himself in French.

"Major General, could you lend us a carriage?" Marshal Saint Arno asked Muhammad Zadler with a smile.

Since Marshal Saint Arno’s arrival had not informed the French Embassy in Constantinople, after disembarking, he had to find a carriage to the embassy by himself.

"It would be my honor to serve you!" Muhammad Zadler said respectfully to Marshal Saint Arno.

Muhammad Zadler immediately ordered his men to find a carriage befitting a marshal, while he stood in front of Marshal Saint Arno and engaged in small talk with him.

"Your Excellency, shouldn’t you be commanding battles in Crimea? Why did you suddenly return?" Muhammad Zadler inquired of Marshal Saint Arno.

"I’m here to report joyful news to Paris!" Marshal Saint Arno replied briefly.

"Report joyful news?" Muhammad Zadler was puzzled. He didn’t know what joyous occasion had occurred.

It had only been a little over a week since the victory at the Battle of Alma, so it seemed unlikely that there would be such joyous news requiring Marshal Saint Arno’s attention!

Could it be that they advanced to the Sevastopol Fortress? It should be impossible; how could the Anglo-French Army have such combat strength...

"The Allies have achieved a decisive victory in Sevastopol, and our army has now occupied Sevastopol!" Marshal Saint Arno stated calmly.

Upon hearing Marshal Saint Arno’s words, Muhammad Zadler widened his eyes at the marshal.

At that moment, he could scarcely believe his ears. Sevastopol was a major stronghold of the Russian Empire, and even at a minimum, it should have around 50,000 to 60,000 people. Yet, it was so easily breached!

"You... you aren’t lying to me!" Muhammad Zadler stammered, his words slightly stumbling.

"Would a marshal deceive you in such important military matters?" Brigadier General Troche scolded Muhammad Zadler.

"No need! There really is no need!" Muhammad Zadler replied with a fawning smile to Brigadier General Troche, then couldn’t help but turn to Marshal Saint Arno and ask, "Marshal, is this true?"

"You..." Brigadier General Troche wanted to chastise Muhammad Zadler but was stopped by Marshal Saint Arno.

Marshal Saint Arno nodded and responded to Muhammad Zadler, word by word, "I assure you in my capacity as the commander of the French Expeditionary Army that every word I say is true!"

"Marshal, please forgive my discourtesy! I really am... really too excited... After you conquered it, I thought no one could ever conquer Sevastopol... I swear... I thought we were going to lose it forever..." Muhammad Zadler was so excited he was rambling incoherently.

"Major General Zadler, may I ask a bold question? Are you from the Crimea Peninsula?" Marshal Saint Arno carefully looked at the major general before him.

From his appearance, he indeed has some Tatar features.

Muhammad Zadler hurriedly explained to Marshal Saint Arno that his great-great-grandfather once lived as a noble in the Crimean Khanate in Sevastopol.

After the fifth Russia-Turkey war ended in failure and the Crimean Khanate was completely annexed by the Russian Empire, his great-great-grandfather escaped from the Crimea Peninsula with his family assets and fled to Constantinople; to this day, it has been four generations.

"When I was very young, I heard my grandfather talk about Sevastopol as our homeland! If there was an opportunity, he wanted to return to the homeland of Crimea!" Muhammad Zadler said passionately to Marshal Saint Arno, "But he never set foot there in his lifetime!"

"Alas!" After listening to Muhammad Zadler’s words, Marshal Saint Arno sighed and said, "Then let you fulfill this wish for him!"

"I will!" Muhammad Zadler nodded and replied.

In a casual conversation between Muhammad Zadler and Marshal Saint Arno, Muhammad Zadler revealed to Marshal Saint Arno that there were indeed exiled nobles in Constantinople who wanted to restore the homeland of the Crimean Khanate and that their forces and finances were quite prominent within the Ottoman Empire.

"Marshal!" Muhammad Zadler said sincerely, "If the French Empire is willing to lend a hand to help us re-establish the Crimean Khanate, then the new Crimean Khanate will certainly look up to France!"

"This matter is still premature!" Marshal Saint Arno replied indifferently and then pointed to a carriage, saying, "The carriage has arrived!"

Not receiving a direct answer from Marshal Saint Arno, Muhammad Zadler sighed internally, knowing that rebuilding the Crimean Khanate was indeed very difficult.

Still, he would not give up any possibility, no matter how insignificant it might be.

"Let me see you off!" Muhammad Zadler offered earnestly to Marshal Saint Arno.

"No need!" Marshal Saint Arno raised his hand and rejected Muhammad Zadler’s offer.

Afterwards, Marshal Saint Arno and Brigadier General Troche boarded the carriage and left.

Once inside the carriage, Brigadier General Troche couldn’t wait to ask, "Marshal, just now you..."

"It was just a casual chat!" Marshal Saint Arno replied in a leisurely manner and then smirked, "However, what he said about establishing the Crimean Khanate is indeed a plan! If our Emperor wants to thoroughly crush Russia!"

"Probably not!" Brigadier General Troche shook his head and replied, "Your Majesty should know how difficult it is to completely topple this giant nation! Our actions in Crimea can only be considered a hard hit to the Russian Empire’s lower leg! This probably won’t cause much damage to the Russian Empire!"

"Not being able to harm the Russian Empire does not mean it won’t harm the Tsar! Do you remember what Prince Talleyrand once said?" Marshal Saint Arno smiled broadly and said.

"What did he say?" Brigadier General Troche couldn’t recall at the moment.

"Prince Talleyrand once said..." Marshal Saint Arno put on an all-knowing expression, seemingly mimicking Talleyrand’s old demeanor: "You should give the Tsar a new reason for dying; having a stroke all the time is really too dull!"

"Do you mean Nicholas I might face a stroke?" Brigadier General Troche asked.

Marshal Saint Arno shrugged and told Troche, "That I don’t know! After all, I might not see the Tsar die!"

As soon as Marshal Saint Arno finished speaking, the carriage fell silent again.

After a while, the soldier driving the carriage informed Marshal Saint Arno, "Marshal, we have arrived!"

"Cough...cough" Marshal Saint Arno coughed twice and pushed open the carriage door.

The three-story red small building of the French Embassy appeared before Marshal Saint Arno’s eyes.

Marshal Saint Arno and Brigadier General Troche came to the embassy door and gently knocked on it.

Thirty seconds later, the door of the embassy opened, and Second Secretary Klein peeked out, "Who are you... (Upon seeing Marshal Saint Arno) Marshal Saint Arno!"

"Secretary Klein!" Marshal Saint Arno greeted with a friendly smile, acknowledging someone he had only met briefly, "Is Envoy Valerovsky in the embassy?"

"Mr. Valerovsky left the embassy an hour ago!" Klein opened the door to invite Marshal Saint Arno inside.

"Where did he go then?"

"The French Military Hospital in Constantinople!" Klein responded to Marshal Saint Arno in a low voice.