Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 131 The Ninth Russo-Turkish War

The plan was set; now all that was left was for Russia to launch the war. All government machinery was at work, keeping a close eye on the outcome of the European peace talks.

Recruiting offices across the country notify those on the roster to report for duty. After a month and a half of training, they will go to Tabriz and be on standby at any time.

The daily training costs are astronomical. Although they can manage, the finance minister doesn't know what Iran will do after the reserves are used up.

……

East, Shanghai.

As part of the Treaty of Nanjing, Shanghai officially opened as one of the treaty ports. In 1845, the Qing Dynasty and Britain signed the "Shanghai Lease Regulations," thus beginning the history of concessions. Subsequently, France and the United States established concessions. Many foreigners also came here to explore or do business.

Under Liu Changqing's leadership, the Separ Trading Company officially entered Shanghai six months ago. The location was excellent, suitable for trade and commerce. British and French trading companies also celebrated the arrival of the first Iranian trading company in Shanghai; they would all be competitors from now on, so it was natural for them to exchange greetings.

Everyone thought it was just a small business, and even if it developed, it would take time. However, a few days ago, a force suddenly started buying up a lot of land, acquiring all the land in Shanghai.

Based on current land prices, the price of one acre of land in Shanghai ranges from £20 to £50. Prices vary depending on the location, but the fact that the buyer is buying regardless of the price suggests that someone has their eye on Shanghai and wants to develop it.

Nasseh hadn't expected the Shah to transfer £40 directly through HSBC; it was quite remarkable that he considered the lack of banks in the East for Iran. As a Parsi, Nasseh naturally knew that land prices would rise with development, so stockpiling large amounts of land in Shanghai was a sure-fire strategy.

Of course, he couldn't do this himself, so Liu Changqing recruited three locals as compradors. They were responsible for purchasing land and building houses in Shanghai.

"Manager, in the past few months we have purchased 1458 mu of land in Shanghai, spending 277860 taels of silver."

Liu Changqing waved his hand, signaling the young shop assistant to leave, while he himself took the ledger to show it to the big boss.

The bandits in the south haven't yet left Guangxi; they're besieged in Yong'an and seem destined for annihilation. However, if they manage to break out, they'll likely head for Jiangning, where the Yangtze River provides a natural barrier, eliminating any fear of being trapped.

"Sir, this is our land acquisition situation in Shanghai. In addition, we have also started to purchase tea and raw silk locally."

Because Iran has not signed any agreements with the Qing Dynasty, it does not currently possess the conditions that Britain and France obtained. However, since they are foreigners, local officials are still very polite to them.

"By the way, I saw another city inside the city in Guangzhou before. Who are the people living in that city?"

Liu Changqing knew which city his boss was referring to after a moment's thought. "Sir, that's the city where the Eight Banners reside. They will mobilize to defend the city during wartime."

I see. But it seems that this function is no longer relevant. Because everywhere you look there are people carrying birdcages, each one talking about some kind of flag or banner, and they don't seem to want to fight, but rather to enjoy themselves.

Besides raw silk and tea, the Saipa Trading Company also operated short-haul routes from Guangzhou to Saigon and long-haul routes to Bushehr. Most importantly, it established a foothold for Iranian merchants in East Asia; had it not been for the navy's poor performance, it could probably have forced other countries to open their markets.

While the Vienna peace talks were underway, Nasser al-Din announced his support for all legitimate demands of the Ottoman Empire. Meanwhile, a nationwide mobilization had been declared in Iran.

The military factories and steel mills are operating at full capacity, and machinery from Britain has arrived and is being rapidly added to production.

The impact of increased military production is that profit margins in industries such as textiles have soared. Textile mills in Tabriz saw profits rise to 70%, while Tehran, at its lowest point, still maintained 42%.

Such high profit margins attracted many investors to textile mills, food processing plants, and mining companies to explore for coal and iron. If Iran wasn't an option, they turned to Somalia. This also spurred growth in shipping.

On paper, Russia has 3000 steam power companies, while Iran has only a little over 100, and Iran's capital is a fraction of Russia's.

In terms of population, Iran is only one-seventh the size of Russia, not to mention its military size. The only area where Iran surpasses Russia is its railway mileage; at that time, Russia had only over 500 kilometers of railway, while Iran already had over 800 kilometers in operation.

Russia's massive conscription made its army appear enormous during the 1848 revolutions. Nicholas I was prepared to send an army of 40 to quell the contemporary Paris uprising.

However, apart from some military police and military colonies, the other armies were not particularly combat-effective. For example, of the casualties suffered in the Hungarian campaign, apart from 1000, all the deaths were caused by disease, because the army's logistics and medical supply were completely inefficient.

The approximately 40 new recruits who were hastily enlisted at the start of the war were completely untrained, and the large number of people drawn from the serf market damaged the Russian economy.

Finally, there were logistical and economic weaknesses. Because there were no railways south of Moscow, horse-drawn supply wagons had to traverse hundreds of miles of dry steppe, which turned into a muddy sea during the spring thaw and autumn rains. Moreover, the horses themselves required a great deal of feed, making the enormous logistical effort disproportionately effective.

Thus, the problematic Russian army began to assemble and head towards Crimea, attempting to force the Ottomans and Persia to submit. However, with the backing of Britain and France, the Ottomans rejected all of Russia's demands.

More importantly, a large-scale nationalist movement erupted in Istanbul at this time. Thirty-five religious leaders jointly petitioned the Sultan, demanding either holy war or abdication.

Abdul-Majid announced that there would be no further peace talks with Russia. Nicholas I considered this an insult to the great Russian Empire, and thus, on January 10, 1852, Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire, thus beginning the Ninth Russo-Turkish War.

The Sultan had already sought help from the ambassadors of Britain and France. They were willing to send troops to assist him, but demanded more benefits in return. The Sultan agreed to all of them, regardless of how much pressure these benefits would put on the Ottoman Empire, at least to put an end to the current situation.

Meanwhile, France was in an uproar, with the French people demanding an attack on Russia. This was largely due to Nicholas I's threat to Napoleon III: "Don't forget what happened in 1812."

Napoleon III immediately spread the news, causing an uproar on both the left and right wings. The left wing hated Russia for its suppression of the 1848 revolution, while the right wing harbored resentment over the War of 1812. Thus, the two sides united and jointly requested Napoleon III to seek revenge against Russia.

(End of this chapter)