Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 129 A Change of Heaven and Earth
The grandeur of the Industrial Exposition filled the British with pride, but the civil war in the East kept the British government on edge. After all, no one wanted to see their trading partners ravaged by war, as it would prevent them from conducting business properly.

However, necessary actions still need to be taken. Countries like Britain and France have declared neutrality, refusing to sell weapons to either side and maintaining the opium trade. Iran has followed suit, declaring neutrality, but the specific circumstances require further analysis.

Naserdin was not about to let the opportunity to make money slip by. He took out 4 million rials from his private savings and asked them to find a way to get money out of both sides' pockets. Of course, there was also the option to build a musket force of 10,000 men to try and get started.

"The best business opportunity is to clear up the internal strife. While avoiding touching the interests of Britain and France, we should try our best to make more money, at all costs."

This large sum of money is also a major speculation, since there will be more and more places that need money in the future, so how can we not have more? So this investment was given to them, hoping that they can bring Iran 10 x 400 million.

Naserdin handed the money and the letter to the messenger, instructing him to deliver them to Hong Kong as soon as possible. He understood that time was of the essence.

The Shah was already aware of the Russian threats against the Ottoman Empire, and as such, Iran naturally wanted to support them. Therefore, the Iranian ambassador immediately told Sultan Abdul Mejid that Iran would stand with the Ottoman Empire in dealing with Russia.

Iran's support wasn't enough; the Ottoman Empire also needed the support of either Britain or France. However, both countries had their own agendas, leaving the Ottoman Empire to shoulder the burden alone.

On September 22, 1851, Russia reinforced its troops by 150,000, crossing the Dniester River to the Danube, while simultaneously conscripting 50,000 more to enter the South Caucasus. The Russian ambassador to Iran met with the Shah, threatening him to carefully consider the situation and lest he do something he would regret.

However, what they didn't expect was that this move would directly push both Britain and France to the Ottoman side. Britain worried about the loss of Ottoman interests, while France saw it as an opportunity to break through the Ottoman's diplomatic blockade.

British Prime Minister Lord John Russell urged Russia to exercise restraint and avoid war. But by then, the die was cast. Everyone in the British Parliament knew war was inevitable, but everyone hoped it would break out during the next government's term.

At this time, Russia announced that the Tsar had appointed Prince Alexander Menshikov as a special envoy to Constantinople to negotiate with the Ottoman government. He was the great-grandson of Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, Duke of England, and had participated in the war against Napoleon.

As a key figure in the ruling elite of the Tsarist government, his appointment as the special envoy for negotiations demonstrates the importance the Russians placed on the matter. This led other countries to believe that Russia was preparing to force the Ottomans to accept the agreement.

But the contents of the agreement shocked them once again. Russia not only demanded that the Sultan rescind his decision to gift the keys to the Church of Bethlehem to Catholics, but also went further, proposing to be the protector of Orthodox Christians within the Ottoman Empire. For the Ottoman Empire, a theocratic state, this was tantamount to establishing the Russian Tsar as a second Sultan.

This wasn't just a treaty of treason; it was a treaty of national subjugation. The Ottomans could not sign it, so they could only plead with Menshikov to show leniency while simultaneously informing Britain and France.

The British sent Ambassador Canning to mediate, proposing to discuss only religion and nothing else. However, the Russian side refused and began negotiations with the Ottomans.

Seeing this, President Napoleon, who had just quelled the riots, had no choice but to quickly begin changing the political system. In less than two months, he amended the constitution, changed the national emblem, and removed slogans of liberty, equality, and fraternity. He also toured the country, giving speeches to win over the people, while simultaneously playing the victim card of his uncle Napoleon I and openly promoting imperial ideology.

Soon, a hot topic emerged in France: the monarchy. Newspapers controlled by the Bonapartists also began to advocate for it. At this time, Catholics and peasants were supporters of the monarchy, and the right wing, nostalgic for the glory of Napoleon I, also strongly supported it. Although there was opposition from the left wing, most of them were attracted by the president's policies and turned to support him.

Moreover, the three major royalist factions have also joined forces. Regardless of whose throne it is, at least things should change. What kind of state is it to keep the republic going?

In the subsequent referendum on changing the political system, the monarchy won with 808 million votes, while the republic received only 19 votes, less than 20.

The next step, naturally, was to choose an emperor, and without a doubt, Louis-Napoleon stood out.

On December 2, 1851, the 46th anniversary of the Battle of Austerlitz, Napoleon was crowned Emperor in Paris, becoming Napoleon III.

Napoleon III was a contradiction. He had ideals of democracy and republicanism, social responsibility, and serving the country and its people, but he could not shake off the ambition to become like his uncle, Napoleon I.

As Napoleon's nephew, he felt a strong sense of mission from a young age, making the revival of the Napoleonic family and the French Empire his life's pursuit. His method of pursuing revival was also quite bizarre: he would stage a series of "imitation shows" of Napoleon himself, so that the French people would believe that he was truly "possessed" by his uncle's spirit.

For example, in 1836, Louis arrived in Strasbourg, France, and with the help of a group of die-hard fans, walked among a group of artillerymen and gave a speech, calling on the soldiers to rise up, overthrow the existing government, and support him to take power. Just a few hours later, the police took him away as a madman and soon after sent him to America.

But his former aspirations have now become a reality; he is now just like his uncle. This is also largely due to the supporters of the Napoleonic family.

Currently, there are three royal families in France: the legitimate Bourbon dynasty, the Orléans dynasty of the July Monarchy, and the Napoleonic family. In fact, the Napoleonic family is the weakest, unlike the other two families which have deep historical roots; they can only be considered nouveau riche.

The Orleans dynasty was supported by financial groups, the Bourbon dynasty by nobles and capitalists, and the Napoleonic family was supported by the lower classes, mainly peasants and urban residents. Although they were numerous, they had no political power.

However, it was precisely because of their large numbers that the church couldn't do without rural believers, and capitalists couldn't do without these urban workers. Over time, they also came to support the Napoleonic family.

At his coronation ceremony, envoys from various countries were present. But the most important were the ambassadors from the Ottoman and Persian states, crucial allies in France's resurgence. The Persian Shah had already agreed to visit, and he needed to prepare accordingly. But before that, he had to deal with the Russians.

(End of this chapter)