1921, December 6th, Tuesday.
The biting winds of early December seemed to carry a new tension through the streets of Constantinople as Tuesday, the sixth, dawned. For Sultan Murad VII, each day was a delicate balancing act – nurturing the fragile hope of reconciliation with Ankara, personified by his envoy Behram Rıza Bey now three perilous days into his journey, while simultaneously wielding the unyielding blade of truth and reform against entrenched corruption and foreign arrogance within his own capital. Today, that blade was poised to strike again within the contentious Joint Commission of Inquiry for the Port Authority.
Murad met with Cavit Bey before the minister departed for what was anticipated to be a stormy session. The forty-eight-hour ultimatum Cavit was to deliver regarding access to the 'Special Projects Fund' ledgers – a notorious sinkhole of Allied malfeasance according to Arif Efendi's purloined documents – was a high-risk maneuver. "Colonel Hughes will undoubtedly react with fury, Cavit Bey," Murad cautioned, though his eyes held a glint of anticipation. "He will see this as a direct assault on British prestige and his own authority. But the terms of the Port Authority Agreement are clear: full access. And the international spotlight, though perhaps dimmed slightly since the signing, can be reignited with a single well-placed word from us if they choose to overtly breach our accord. Stand firm. The truth is your strongest weapon." "I intend to, Your Majesty," Cavit replied, his usually austere face set in grim lines. "The 'Special Projects Fund' is the heart of their corrupt enterprise at the Port. We must expose it."
The Joint Commission convened in an atmosphere even more frigid than usual. Cavit Bey, true to his word and Murad's instruction, opened by formally stating that the Ottoman delegation had now been waiting three days for full access to the disbursement ledgers and supporting vouchers of the 'Special Projects Fund,' as repeatedly requested. "This continued obstruction," Cavit declared, his voice ringing with cold precision, "is unacceptable and constitutes a clear violation of Article IV, Section B of the signed Port Authority Agreement, which guarantees this Commission 'unfettered access to all pertinent financial records.' Therefore, I must inform the Allied delegation that if such access is not granted by the end of today's session, I will be compelled to formally declare the British representatives, under whose primary purview this Fund operates, to be in material breach of our agreement. My government will then reserve the right to take all further appropriate actions to protect its sovereign interests and ensure accountability." The threat was unmistakable. Colonel Hughes's face contorted with rage. "This is blackmail, sir! An outrageous attempt to dictate terms and engage in a witch-hunt! These records contain sensitive Allied operational details!" Mr. Davies, the British Treasury official beside him, looked distinctly panicked, his eyes darting towards Monsieur Lacroix and Signor Valenti. Cavit Bey remained unmoved. "Colonel, the 'operational details' we are interested in are those that detail the theft of millions of Lira from the Ottoman people. If there are legitimate security concerns regarding specific entries, we are, as always, prepared to discuss mutually agreeable redaction protocols for those specific entries only, in the presence of both Ottoman and Allied auditors. But wholesale denial of access to an entire fund so clearly implicated in wrongdoing is not acceptable." It was Monsieur Lacroix, the French diplomat, who broke the tense silence. "Colonel Hughes, colleagues," he said, his tone carefully measured, "while I understand your concerns for operational security, Minister Cavit raises a legitimate point regarding the terms of our signed agreement. The international credibility of this Joint Commission, and indeed of our respective High Commissions, rests upon a demonstrable commitment to transparency, particularly given the… unfortunate public scrutiny this matter has already attracted. Perhaps a way can be found to provide the Ottoman delegation with the necessary access under appropriate supervision?" Signor Valenti, the Italian, quickly added his support. "Indeed. Continued deadlock on this specific fund will only fuel further speculation and damage all our reputations. Surely a pragmatic solution is possible." Hughes looked from Lacroix to Valenti, then back to Cavit, seeing no support. He was trapped. The Frenchman and the Italian, clearly under instructions from their own High Commissioners (Pellé and Garroni) to avoid reigniting the international scandal, were abandoning him on this point. His face was a mask of fury, but Murad's intelligence had been correct: London wanted this crisis resolved, not escalated further by British intransigence. After a long, charged silence, Hughes spoke through gritted teeth. "Very well, Minister Cavit. Access… to specific, requested ledgers from the Special Projects Fund… will be granted. Under strict Allied supervision, and with the understanding that any attempt to remove or copy documents without authorization will terminate this access immediately." It was a grudging, face-saving concession, but a concession nonetheless. Cavit Bey had won. The unyielding blade of truth, backed by the threat of renewed international exposure, had forced the British lion to retreat another step. "We will begin with the disbursement ledgers for the last twelve months, Colonel," Cavit stated calmly, already preparing his team of auditors.
While this battle raged in the commission room, Murad's government was actively fighting on other fronts. Sheikh-ul-Islam Nuri Efendi reported to Murad that the coordinated campaign by respected Ulema to counter Kara Davud's seditious propaganda was beginning to bear fruit. "Your Majesty," Nuri Efendi said, his gentle face alight with cautious optimism, "the response in the mosques and madrasas has been overwhelmingly positive. The people are hungry for authentic religious guidance, not the twisted rhetoric of agitators. We have received reports that attendance at gatherings where Kara Davud's men were known to speak has dwindled. Several prominent local Imams, initially hesitant, have now publicly condemned those who seek to sow discord and misinterpret our faith for political ends." Kolağası Esad Bey added, "My operatives have also had some success, Your Majesty. We have identified the clandestine printing press used by Kara Davud's faction in Fatih. It was located in the basement of a seemingly respectable bookbinder's shop. We have… discreetly disabled it by 'arranging' a small, localized plumbing flood. Their ability to mass-produce leaflets will be hampered for some time. More importantly, by observing who frequented this press, we have identified three more key individuals in Kara Davud's network. We are now focusing on their communications to trace the funding for this operation and to identify Kara Davud himself, who remains infuriatingly elusive." "Excellent work, both of you," Murad commended. "Continue to press this advantage. We must isolate Kara Davud and expose his lies before his poison can spread too far."
On the reconstruction front, Tevfik Pasha and Behçet Efendi, the Minister of Public Works, formally convened the first session of the Imperial Reconstruction Council. They reviewed Behçet Efendi's detailed plans for the urgent repair of the Constantinople-Izmit railway line, approving the allocation of initial funds and the recruitment of skilled labor, including the demobilized army engineers Fevzi Pasha was identifying. "This railway, Your Majesty," Tevfik emphasized to Murad later, "is not just an economic artery; it is a symbol of our government's commitment to rebuilding, to connecting our capital with Anatolia once more, even if only this first small section for now." Ferik Fevzi Pasha, meanwhile, reported that the initial refurbishment of the main barracks block at Davutpaşa was proceeding ahead of schedule, thanks to the enthusiasm of the Hassa Ordusu engineers and the new funds. "The first regiment will be fully quartered there by the end of next week, Your Majesty," he stated with pride. "Their training in advanced urban defense tactics and marksmanship is also showing remarkable progress. I have taken the liberty of inviting Your Majesty to conduct a formal inspection of the regiment at Davutpaşa once they are settled. It would be a tremendous boost to their morale and a clear signal to the city, and to our… observers." "I will be honored to inspect them, Fevzi Pasha," Murad readily agreed. "And I will also authorize you to begin the discreet recruitment and formation of the second Hassa Ordusu regiment. Their numbers are our shield."
Cavit Bey's success in gaining access to the "Special Projects Fund" ledgers, though hard-won, was reported to Murad by evening. "They are a labyrinth of deceit, Your Majesty," Cavit said, his auditors already having spent a few hours on a preliminary examination. "Vast sums disbursed with no clear recipients, payments authorized by single signatures with no supporting documentation, contracts awarded to companies that seem to exist only on paper. It will take weeks, perhaps months, to unravel it all, but the stench of corruption is overwhelming. Colonel Hughes watched us like a hawk, but even he could not deny the blatant irregularities we pointed out in just these first few hours."
Late that night, Esad Bey brought Murad the daily coded update on Behram Rıza Bey's journey. "Our envoy, Your Majesty, is proceeding according to plan, disguised as Hafız Mehmed. He and his escort successfully navigated a region known for bandit activity south of Bilecik, thanks to the skill of my ex-Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa operatives who know those mountains like the back of their hands. They encountered one nationalist militia patrol, but their disguise as a humble merchant and dervishes held. They are now moving eastwards, deeper into central Anatolia. He is approximately halfway to Konya. The journey remains perilous, but so far, Allah has protected him." Murad closed his eyes for a moment, offering a silent prayer of thanks. Each day his envoy traveled safely was a small victory in itself. The day had been one of relentless pressure, of small but significant gains on multiple fronts. The blade of truth, wielded by Cavit Bey, was slowly carving through the edifice of Allied corruption. The insidious whispers of sedition were being met with the clear voice of faith and reason. The foundations of a new Ottoman strength were being laid, brick by hard-won brick. But Murad knew that the most dangerous parts of Behram Rıza's journey, and the most challenging aspects of his own reign, still lay ahead. The tightening noose of circumstance still hung over them all, but today, it felt as if they had loosened its grip, just a little.