Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 163 Looking for help

The capital of Circassia, Batalpashenskaya, had by this time been renamed Circassia. As the first Imam after the founding of the state, Muhammad bore a heavy burden.

First, there's the political system. Following the example of other countries, Cirksia became an Imam state. To balance the power of domestic factions, the first national assembly is about to open, composed of 28 elders, 20 rural representatives, and 12 city representatives. On the surface, this assembly seems flawless, but in reality, it's merely a place for factions to have a forum.

In terms of local planning, the area was divided into six provinces, each with a governor-general. Below the provinces were three levels of administrative divisions: counties, towns, and villages. Completing these tasks took a long time, but the state could not stop there.

Economically, most people in Czerksia are engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry, with a smaller number involved in industry and commerce. There are a few workshops and shops domestically, and daily necessities are imported from Iran. Trade between the two countries began to increase after the opening of the road through the Caucasus.

Only upon arriving here did they truly escape the oppressive rule of Russia. Although some were closer to the Ottoman Empire, the current situation dictated that they could only rely on Iran. The two newly formed states agreed to allow Iranian troops into their territory to jointly counter the Russian threat.

Russia rejected some terms in the Franco-Austrian peace agreement, which displeased Austria. The Austrian Foreign Minister informed Russia that Austria would sever diplomatic relations if it refused to accept all the peace terms. Frederick William IV also expressed his support for the Austrian peace proposal in a telegram to St. Petersburg. The Tsar was now isolated and helpless.

Alexander II's brother, Archduke Constantine, who was already the Governor of the Caucasus, insisted on continuing the war. He also gave everyone an important reason: they could concentrate their efforts on attacking Iran from the Caucasus, and after occupying Tehran, threaten India, Britain's most important territory.

“This will solve the Empire’s current predicament. Once India is threatened, we can force Britain to negotiate. As long as Britain withdraws, the agreement between France and Austria will be worthless. Even if Prussia and Austria join the war, they will not be able to stop the Empire’s progress.”

The finance minister was barred from attending the meeting, and the Tsar really didn't want to hear any news of peace negotiations. Moreover, the financial problems had existed since the time of Peter the Great, and in the name of victory, he had even had the church bells removed.

Now, for the sake of the Russian Empire, they must squeeze every last penny out of the empire to win the war.

"Your Majesty, we anticipate needing 50 troops to march south and advance to Tbilisi as quickly as possible. Once we break through there, we can reap substantial benefits. Britain will also negotiate peace according to our wishes."

This was the best course of action at present, and Alexander II readily approved it. Despite Russia's problems such as fiscal deficits, inflation, social unrest, peasant uprisings, and diplomatic isolation, and despite the fact that Russia had already paid the price of 60 casualties (most of whom froze to death in the winter), Russia could still win the final victory as long as this plan succeeded.

Iran's sudden rise to power was unexpected, but everyone assumed it was just a flash in the pan. After all, even a commander as powerful as Napoleon fell at the gates of Moscow; there was no need to worry. Meanwhile, Iran's ambassadors in Europe were also busy, constantly meeting and negotiating with local governments, hoping they would remain involved in the war.

Currently, France appears poised to withdraw, while Austria and Prussia may join if necessary. Britain is all talk and no action; it's practically a one-on-one fight between Iran and Russia. Therefore, it needs new allies.

Yaroslav met Naser al-Din at the Tbilisi city hall, but unlike Yaroslav, he was a prisoner of war, while Naser al-Din was the ruler of Iran. He wondered why Naser al-Din had summoned him; did he want to become Napoleon?

He thought this way because he was Polish, and among the captured Russian soldiers, there were more than 1500 Poles and more than 200 Lithuanians. Most of them had been paid to serve in the army for others, hoping to make a living, but instead they became prisoners of war.

The Polish people are quite well-educated, but their Russian is not very good. They are mostly educated by the Catholic Church, and coupled with the oppression by the Russians, they naturally have thoughts of resistance.

Historically, Poland had relied on Russia. Tsar Alexander I condemned his grandmother Catherine II's policies toward Poland, publicly declaring his adherence to "liberal" ideals. Polish nobles, seeing a glimmer of hope for Polish independence, pinned their hopes on the Tsar. They hoped that a future conflict between Tsarist Russia and Prussia, with a Russian victory, would lead to the unification of Prussian-occupied and Russian-occupied Polish territories, thus re-establishing a Polish state. But as we all know, Napoleon arrived.

In 1806, Napoleon entered Warsaw amidst the cheers of the Polish people. In 1807, after negotiations between Napoleon and Tsar Alexander I, it was decided to merge the Polish territories Prussia had acquired during the Second and Third Partitions, establishing the Duchy of Warsaw. The Duchy of Warsaw provided Napoleon with 2 soldiers to fight alongside him in the conquest of Spain, and another 10 Poles joined Napoleon in fighting in Russia in 1812. In 1815, with Napoleon's complete defeat, the Duchy of Warsaw disappeared, replaced by the Kingdom of Poland, ruled by the Tsar of Russia.

The revival of Polish military traditions during the Napoleonic Wars led Poland down the path of armed independence. In 1830, an underground revolutionary organization of Polish army officers launched an uprising, and the insurgents captured the entire city of Warsaw by the evening of the following day. The Polish parliament deposed Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, who was also the King of Poland, and declared Polish independence. The uprising, which lasted ten months, failed under the suppression of 120,000 Russian troops.

In February 1846, Polish revolutionaries launched a general uprising against Russia, Prussia, and Austria, but only the Krakow uprising succeeded, establishing a national government. This uprising lasted only 39 days before being suppressed by the combined forces of Russia, Prussia, and Austria.

Despite being suppressed three times in succession, the Polish people did not give up hope of restoring their nation. Because Russia lacked the sophisticated bureaucratic apparatus of Prussia, it was unable to implement a thorough Russification policy in the occupied territories. Local gentry retained many social and legal privileges, and Polish schools continued to exist. Therefore, this segment of the population exhibited the strongest resistance.

Nasserdin knew that funding the restoration of Poland was a 1% possibility, but he simply wanted Russia to suffer greater losses. As for the restoration itself, he could always let them wait until 1919.

(End of this chapter)