Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 166 Confrontation
In an atmosphere where the Russian government was determined to win, the lower classes finally reached their breaking point. They felt that the Tsar wasn't all that great, and coupled with the exploitation by the landowners, peasant uprisings became increasingly frequent.

Meanwhile, some voices began to circulate in Russia, saying that Constantine was originally preparing to inherit the throne, but Nicholas I had found a woman from Poland to seduce him into giving up his right to the throne.

Although it was completely unfounded, the fact that the former Tsar had spoken ill of him during such a sensitive period somewhat undermined Alexander's position. The Tsar ordered the Third Bureau (the Russian police and security agency) to arrest the traitor who spoke ill of his father no matter what.

Even more devastating was the call for land redistribution spreading throughout the vast rural areas. The peasants were suffering terribly, and uprisings broke out one after another. In Astrakhan, the uprisings eventually escalated into an insurrection.

The uprising was led by local Tatars who killed wealthy Russian merchants and government officials in the city, and captured several Caspian Fleet officers. They were caught when they came ashore looking for excitement, which really got them excited.

They declared the restoration of the Astrakhan Khanate, with the leader proclaiming himself Khan, and launched an attack on the Russian army. The Caspian Fleet was forced to leave the area and head to a new port.

Now, the goal of disrupting Volga River trade has been achieved. Forget about the area south of Tsaritsyn, which in turn hurts the Russian economy, particularly the Caspian region.

As the new year began, the situation in Russia deteriorated further. The consequences of St. Petersburg's negligence in managing the Caucasus were beginning to show, and pleas for help poured into St. Petersburg like snowflakes.

Grand Duke Constantine has not yet set out, because assembling the army takes a long time, and the heavy losses have made the conscription work very difficult. The Russian army has no choice but to forcibly conscript soldiers, but can such soldiers fight?

In Yekaterinnodar, the Russian commander stationed there simply fled. The lower-ranking soldiers were also demoralized; they learned from deserters at the front how terrifying the Persian soldiers were. Earning only 10 rubles a year, they were already doing the Tsar a favor by not deserting.

"I never imagined that one day the Russian army would surrender to us."

Soleimani was somewhat incredulous, after all, an army usually surrenders after fighting, and this was the first time he had ever seen an army surrender so soon after arriving.

“I have seen these soldiers. They are more like slaves than soldiers. They are too short, too weak, and most of them cannot read.”

They discussed the situation of the Russian army, concluding that if they could inflict heavy losses on the Russian vanguard, the rest would be easy. The Russian army was arguably the worst; if they hadn't been facing even weaker opponents, they would likely have been wiped out long ago.

Iranian soldiers have begun setting up defensive positions around the fortress, and the Russian army anticipates a swift counter-offensive. Even without transferring troops from St. Petersburg and Moscow, they still have a large number of troops in Ukraine. As things stand, fighting in Crimea is unlikely for the time being.

If that's the case, they will definitely deploy troops to the Caucasus. Iranian soldiers need to prepare immediately.

The defensive fortifications were well-constructed, with trenches, communication trenches, machine gun positions, artillery positions, observation posts, and command posts all built in a presentable manner. Soleimani even personally inspected them.

The soldiers hoped the Russian troops would arrive quickly; their comrades had already received medals, but they hadn't. Without fierce fighting, how could they achieve illustrious victories, and how could they advance their careers?

In Rostov, the local commander, Grushenko, received orders from Grand Prince Constantine to lead his army to the North Caucasus.

He currently commands a garrison of 30,000 men, and Constantine has also entrusted him with command of approximately 80,000 men near the Don River. According to the Grand Duke, these are the elite troops. However, after inspecting the troops, Grushenko was furious, nearly cursing. More than half of them had never even fired a gun, and among those who had, many had only used them in basic training; less than half had actually served in the military.

Moreover, their weapons stockpile is also insufficient. Apart from those allocated to Crimea, the warehouse manager was corrupt and smuggled, and the storage was inadequate. Now, they only have 20 usable artillery pieces left, and the shells are only enough for half a month.

Such an army can only be effective when things are going well; if they fail, they'll run away immediately. However, you can't say these things to the gentlemen in St. Petersburg. All you can say is that the Russian Empire will definitely defeat the enemy; they practically live off Slavic propaganda.

Left with no other option, Grushenko led 100,000 troops, hoping to overwhelm the enemy with numbers. But when he saw the endless, undulating fortifications, he gasped. He knew the Iranian army had only arrived about two days prior; he hadn't expected them to be completed so quickly.

But there was no other way; they had to grit their teeth and go for it. The Russian artillery, positioned behind their lines, launched the battle, their limited artillery clearing a path for the Russian troops. The Iranian side, however, not only had more artillery than the Russians, but their artillery was also more powerful.

At a Russian artillery position, soldiers were loading shells into the cannons in front of them, while officers kept urging, "Hurry up, take down these Persians and show them what we're made of."

At that moment, a deep whistling sound came from afar, and the officer, who had served in the artillery for many years, immediately changed his expression: "Run!"

Before the soldiers could react, he immediately ran to the side. Although he couldn't withstand a direct hit, he could at least avoid the impact of the artillery fire.

Startled by the officer's shout, the soldiers scattered in terror at his actions, some quick-witted enough to give chase. But man can't outrun a shell; just as they took two steps, a shell landed right next to the gun emplacement. A deafening explosion followed, and the cannon disintegrated. The soldiers who hadn't yet escaped vanished instantly. They didn't even have time to scream before their lives ended.

As the side with fewer artillery pieces, Grushenko was getting impatient.

"This can't go on. Our artillery is completely outmatched. If we wait for a decisive battle, our chances of winning aren't high. Attack now, and quickly!"

While the shelling continued, Russian troops launched an unusual attack. Iranian officers quickly ordered their soldiers to open fire.

"Fire! Fire now!"

Bullets flew toward the Russian soldiers charging toward him, but the Russian troops were like a tide that could not be stopped, unable to overcome that invisible line.

"This can't go on!" Grushenko roared. "For the glory of the Empire, Hurrah!!!"

After speaking, he immediately charged towards the Iranian positions. Seeing the officers' bravery, the Russian soldiers followed suit. This action triggered a chain reaction; seeing one leader leading the charge, other commanders made the same choice. Thus, a scene of a full-scale Russian charge unfolded on the battlefield.

(End of this chapter)