After Menshikov gave the order, a hunting squad was formed consisting of six steam clippers, three three-masted clippers, and six double-deck warships. Their mission is to use their strong mobility to attack the supply ships in the eastern Black Sea, preventing them from effectively supporting the Caucasus Region.

This would not only help the Russian Empire gain some supply advantage for their forces in the Caucasus Region but also provoke the Ottoman Empire Navy to engage in a decisive battle with the Russian Empire Navy as soon as possible.

Only by completely eliminating the Ottoman Empire's ships in the Black Sea can the Russian Empire ensure the security of their supplies in the Caucasus Region and Near East.

The person in charge of commanding this fleet is none other than Vice Admiral Nakhimov, who specializes in naval raids.

As for the remaining fleet, Menshikov concentrated them together, ready to act as a dagger for a surprise attack on Sipuno Port.

From September 26 to 30, Vice Admiral Nakhimov led the "Wolf Pack" in frequent attacks against all Ottoman Empire fleets in the Black Sea, with attack frequency more intensive than before.

In just four days, five ships suffered attacks from Nakhimov's fleet, including two supply ships, and the remaining three were steam clippers.

This put the Ottoman Empire Navy, which was originally slightly weaker than the Russian Empire, into a more passive state. When the news was relayed from Sinop Port to Constantinople, an enraged Abdul Majid I immediately summoned Grand Admiral Mahmoud.

"Didn't you tell me that the Imperial Navy was on par with the Russian Navy? Now, in just a few days, the Empire has lost three warships! Explain, what on earth is going on here!" A grim-faced Abdul Majid I, gritting his teeth, threw the intelligence from Sinop down at the feet of Grand Admiral Mahmoud.

Grand Admiral Mahmoud didn't say anything, he just slightly bent down to pick up the intelligence at his feet, and then quietly waited for Abdul Majid I to regain his composure.

After a while, the anger of Abdul Majid I gradually subsided.

What followed was an inexplicable sadness. He felt sad for finding himself in a decaying empire, and for his once glorious ideals.

"Speak! What on earth is happening!" Abdul Majid I asked Mahmoud with a weary tone.

"Based on the intelligence we currently have, the Russian Empire has already assembled a fleet specifically for hunting supply ships! Our three steam clippers were all dragged down by Russia's agile fleet because they were protecting the supply ships!" Mahmoud calmly explained to Abdul Majid I, as if everything was within his expectations.

"How should we counter such a fleet now? We can't just let them continue to destroy our fleet!" Abdul Majid I asked Mahmoud.

"Your Majesty, our steam clippers are not as fast as those of the Russian Empire!" Mahmoud did not immediately answer Abdul Majid I's question but instead responded regarding the steam clippers themselves: "If there were no mistakes in our situation, the Russian Empire is using the latest British steam engine models. Meanwhile, the steam engines installed on the Ottoman Empire fleet are from the previous generation, resulting in a significant disadvantage in mobility compared to the opponent."

"The Empire doesn't have money, does it?" Abdul Majid I awkwardly explained to Mahmoud.

Everything ultimately comes down to money. If the Ottoman Empire could spare more money for military investment, it wouldn't be in its current state.

The Ottoman Empire has fallen into a kind of vicious cycle. To collect more taxes, the central empire needs a central army capable of defeating local satraps (Egypt, Tunisia) and foreign powers (Britain, France) to suppress the localities. To establish an army capable of defeating satraps and foreign powers requires more taxes to be invested in the army.

If they want centralization, they need an army; if they want a strong army, they need to collect more taxes; but to collect taxes, they need an army capable of suppressing local Pashas.

In such a deadlock, most of the taxes the Ottoman Empire can collect will fall into the hands of a bloated bureaucratic system, with only a small amount of funding for building a new army.

Without sufficient salaries and equipment, the combat power and combat will of the army will not be high, not to mention the Prussian and British military commanders in the Ottoman Empire army and navy, whose salaries are much higher than those of Ottoman native officers.

As for why the army chose Prussia, wasn't it because Prussian officers were cheaper? If the Ottoman Empire had money, they certainly would have preferred to select the number one military commanders in Europe, the French.

"Your Majesty, I am not trying to complain to you!" Grand Admiral Mahmoud said to Abdul Majid I: "What I mean is, since we can't catch these guys, why not dispatch more fleets to protect our shipping routes? That way the Russian Empire's fleet will not act recklessly!"

The strategy of Mahmoud intrigued Abdul Majid I, but he was still concerned about the safety of Constantinople: "However... we cannot afford any mishaps on the side of Constantinople, and currently, our forces in the Silestra Fortress are under attack from the Danube Region! Should the Russian Imperial Army arrive in Constantinople by warship, we'd be in a terrible situation!"

It turned out that since Menshikov had assembled a rapid reaction fleet to attack the Ottoman Empire's supply routes, Paskievich in the Danube Duchy had also received a letter from St. Petersburg's Minister of War, Dolgorukov. Dolgorukov informed Paskievich that the 130,000 troops of the Russian Empire stationed in the Danube Duchy were to commence an assault on the Silestra Fortress as soon as they received the letter, continuing until they completely captured the Silestra Fortress Group.

Faced with Dolgorukov's message, the Danube Commander-in-Chief Paskievich, along with Deputy Commander Mikhail Gorchakov, urgently summoned several generals to their tent to discuss strategies.

After intense discussions, Paskievich decided to carry out Russian policies, but with caution.

Thus, Paskievich's 140,000-strong army would not be committed to battle all at once; instead, the thirteenth and fourteenth corps under Mikhail Gorchakov, nearly 60,000 men, would be stationed in the northwest to guard against the Austrian Imperial forces gradually increasing their strength in Transylvania.

Though Nicholas I repeatedly assured Paskievich that the Austrian Empire would not take action against the Russian Empire, Paskievich still refused to believe in all of Austria's promises. Leaving troops to monitor the Austrian garrison in Transylvania was a necessary choice.

Meanwhile, the remaining Guard Division and Polish Corps, nearly 80,000 troops, were divided into two forces by Paskievich; 30,000 feigned an attack on Ruse, aiming to draw out the Ottoman Empire's troops stationed there and thus pin down part of their army.

The main force of the Guard Division and most of the Polish Corps then proceeded to launch an assault on the Silestra Fortress, striving to capture Silestra as quickly as possible.

Had it not been for Omar Pasha having nearly 40,000 troops (including Field Army + Egyptian Army + "Holy War Army") and an excellent Prussian fort defense engineering commander, Silestra would have been taken by Paskievich on the very first night.

At the time, under Paskievich's command, the Russian Imperial Army launched an attack on the fort group of Silestra, using the elite Guard Division as the vanguard protected by seventy cannons (concentrating all the artillery of 130,000 troops on Silestra).

After the first round of cannon fire, signs of collapse emerged from the Ottoman forces within the fort, with many Ottoman soldiers unable to help but run inside under the intense bombardment.

It's known that a fortress cannot fear fierce external attacks, but it fears internal collapse.

Once internal morale in a fortress's bastion group falters, combined with an external enemy assault, the fort can be quickly conquered.

Fortunately, Omar Pasha had a strict overseeing squad that executed deserters, which stopped the impending rout.

Subsequently, Omar Pasha deployed experienced Egyptian veterans to the fortress walls for coordinated defense; some of these veterans had the fortune to participate in Muhammad Ali's war against the Ottoman Empire.

Unexpectedly, thirteen years later, these two armies stood in the same trenches fighting against each other.

With the help of the Egyptian veterans, Silestra's forces finally stabilized, and what followed was a battle of wills.

The Guard Division launched attacks on the Silestra Fortress time and again, and the garrison within the fort group tenaciously fought back.

Although the garrison in Silestra Fortress lacked sufficient artillery, they managed to launch attacks on the Guard Division with just over ten cannons.

In just five days, over 200 bodies of Guard Division soldiers piled up in the Silestra Fortress Group.

Faced with a war akin to a meat grinder, Paskievich decided to halt the attack.

The soldiers of the Russian Empire withdrew, planning their next move.

Omar Pasha also managed to dispatch personnel to convey messages to Constantinople. Upon receiving the messages, Abdul Majid I breathed a sigh of relief but remained concerned about Constantinople's safety. Therefore, a considerable number of army and naval forces were still present around Constantinople.

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