Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 121 Progress on the Peninsula
Trade between the two sides of the Persian Gulf has increased significantly, and Shia Arabs are making pilgrimages to Qom. The previous state of no trade has been broken, and Iranian goods are flooding into the Arabian Peninsula.

Dhahran is teeming with Iranian merchants who, due to limited local resources, can only exchange large quantities of pearls for grains, fruits, and vegetables. This is the only thing they can offer.

Religious scholars closely associated with the Sammar tribe also issued decrees declaring that Arabs were not naturally nomadic and that engaging in agriculture, handicrafts, and commerce was in accordance with religious regulations, attracting nomads to settle and join their organizations. This strengthened their military power. Extensive trade provided the Sammar tribe with a stable income, and with Nasser al-Din's assistance, their influence had expanded to the Hufuf area and was advancing towards Riyadh.

After his defeat, Saudi family leader Faisal sought peace talks with the Shahmari tribe, but the tribe demanded that he abandon Wahhabism and convert to Shia Islam, which led to the breakdown of the talks.

From the Saudi family's perspective, Wahhabism is the foundation of their power; if they abandon it, they will forever be at the mercy of others. Therefore, this is something they cannot agree to.

And why should they necessarily be at the mercy of others? A decade ago it was Egypt, now it's Iranian-backed tribes. They want to carve out their own destiny, even if it means being shattered to pieces.

With things having come to this, they had no choice but to fight to the death. Faisal gathered all the men of the tribe, from ten to seventy years old, to fight. Outside Riyadh, everyone prepared for victory or death.

"People of Riyadh, we have nothing left to lose. The fate of Riyadh rests on this moment. Allah Huqbar!"

"Allahu Akbar!"

The 20,000-strong army charged towards the Shamari tribe's forces, brandishing their weapons without a trace of fear in their eyes. They believed Allah would protect them. But even their faith in Allah couldn't overcome the technological gap in weaponry.

The musketeers lined up with their guns and opened fire once they entered firing range. Some horses were startled and fell, causing their riders to fall as well, which affected the soldiers charging behind them.

"Come on!"

At Ahmed's command, the tribal army charged towards the enemy. Before Faisal could react, he was beheaded.

With all Saudi troops present, they captured Riyadh without bloodshed after the battle. The remaining forces fled to other locations.

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"Your Majesty, I am to blame for the fall of Jiading. I am currently in Nha Trang reorganizing my troops in preparation for its recapture."

When Emperor Tu Duc read the news of Saigon's fall, he felt dizzy. The fall of Saigon meant that they had no city in the south to use as a foothold, and other places would surely be captured as well.

Although he wanted to expel these people, it seemed unlikely at the moment. Seeking help from foreigners was also unrealistic, as Emperor Tude had previously ordered the execution of Western missionaries, the exile of Christians, and repeatedly refused trade with Western countries. Now, it seemed the only one who could save them was their suzerain state, the Qing Dynasty. However, the Qing Dynasty was currently unable to send troops, as various natural and man-made disasters had plunged the vast southern regions into prolonged turmoil; even internal unrest was proving difficult to quell, let alone any aid.

Looking at the current situation, only by completely defeating the Iranian army can Vietnam turn the tide. In fact, they have a wealth of experience in resisting foreign aggression; the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, Siam, and France—all of them were driven out, so Emperor Tu Duc was still quite at ease.

But this sense of security lasted only two days, because he received news that the enemy had bypassed Nha Trang and was directly attacking Da Nang, which is not far from Hue.

The Iranian army's shelling of the city also served as a warning to others. Directly attacking Hue might provoke widespread resistance from the people. It was better to shell the neighboring city to undermine the rulers' confidence, so that Iran could gain benefits at minimal cost.

Furthermore, they didn't need to worry about the Vietnamese navy. The Vietnamese navy had been largely destroyed in the previous battles against the French, and what remained were ships inferior to their current ones, lacking artillery. Therefore, their attack here proceeded smoothly.

The residents of Tuohuang panicked and fled when they saw the shells flying towards them. The shells damaged the dock and some buildings, and also caused a fire.

There were more than 600 soldiers and civilians in the area and several small-caliber artillery pieces. Two Iranian soldiers were wounded, 75 Vietnamese soldiers were killed, 106 were captured, 14 cannons and more than 130 matchlock guns were seized, and the nearby town of Haizhou was captured.

This surprise attack greatly demoralized Emperor Tu Duc, who appointed another minister, Phan Thanh Giang, to negotiate with Iran. He also ordered Nguyen Tri Phuong to remain inactive.

In the southern region, the troops in Fusui collapsed before even encountering Iranian forces. Subsequently, Iran attacked Pingshun, where the defending force of approximately 300 to 500 men also collapsed before encountering Iranian troops. They quickly captured Pingshun.

In more distant places like Cha Rong and Ping Fu, bandits caused chaos, forcing local residents to relocate.

After the fall of Saigon, officials from six Vietnamese provinces near the Mekong Delta were forced to flee. Local Chinese and Vietnamese gentry took over their duties and pledged allegiance to Iran.

This unrest, which spread to the south, received full support from the Chinese and Khmer people. They organized an army of over 1000 men for local defense and provided the Iranian governor with 70 taels of silver for operating expenses. These resources helped Bahram weather the initial difficult period.

To maintain long-term control over the region, Bahram employed a strategy of the minority subduing the majority. He heavily relied on local Chinese and Khmer to counterbalance the large Vietnamese population. In addition to Li Cai becoming the civil governor, Bahram appointed local Chinese merchants to oversee the sale of the most profitable rice and spirits. At the same time, he recruited Khmer and Cham people into the governor's army, suppressing the Vietnamese both economically and militarily.

At the same time, the Governor-General issued his first order, declaring that he could issue legally binding orders within his jurisdiction. Moreover, temporary emergency orders could be issued immediately without requiring the central competent authority to submit them to the Shah for adjudication.

This effectively constitutes a state of emergency, granting the governor the power to arbitrarily control the local area. However, if the Shah's order is lifted, the law becomes invalid.

(End of this chapter)