Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 346 Dispute
A massive demonstration of over 100,000 people erupted in Venice, declaring the establishment of the Republic of San Marco and seeking to join Italy. Militia began advancing into the Austrian community.

There were also 20,000 Austrians in Venice, gathered in the neighborhoods and near the docks. The sudden riots put their lives in danger.

"Help! The Italians are coming! Help us!"

In front of the Iranian factory, a large number of Austrians were pleading for help. The Italian workers had all joined the uprising, so only Austrian workers and Iranian executives remained.

"Let them in quickly!"

Iranian officials decided to take in these Austrians, who were making money off the Austrian government, and naturally couldn't let the government's perception of them worsen.

"They're here!" came the lookout's scream from the top floor.

Upon reaching the third-floor terrace, a glaring red flashed in everyone's eyes—the vanguard of the insurgents were rowing newly requisitioned boats, cannons stolen from the armory strapped to their bows. The young leader, wearing a Garibaldi-style wide-brimmed hat, was pointing the tip of his sword at the factory's spire.

"Attack! Attack the Austrian fortress!"

The Italians were also blinded by their victory, believing that a building that could accommodate the Austrians was no ordinary place and had to be severely damaged.

Without reporting to Garibaldi, they directly bombarded the Iranian factory. A large hole was blasted in the wall, and Italians, Austrians, and Iranians clashed. The factory manager immediately telegraphed the consulate, asking the consul to resolve the issue.

"Are the Italians trying to offend Iran? What are they doing?"

Upon receiving the news, the Iranian consul rushed to the Venice City Hall to find Garibaldi, but was only shown the reception room and then left without further contact. This infuriated the consul.

At that moment, the door opened, and Garibaldi entered with the others. He also knew what the Italians had done; it was an unexpected incident, but Garibaldi didn't know much about this country thousands of miles away. However, in such situations, a peaceful resolution was the only option.

"I'm so sorry, Your Excellency, I've heard about the factory situation as well."

The consul turned around and asked, “An apology? My factory was shelled, three Iranian citizens were injured, and £100,000 worth of Persian carpets were destroyed—is this what you call an ‘unfortunate incident’?”

The atmosphere in the drawing room suddenly became tense. Garibaldi's adjutants instinctively reached for their swords, while the guards behind the consul quietly unfastened the leather buckles on their scimitars.

“We are willing to compensate for all losses,” Garibaldi tried to remain calm, “but please understand that unexpected events are inevitable during revolutionary times.”

"An accident?" The other side sneered. "Your soldiers knew it was an Iranian factory, yet they still opened fire. This makes me wonder if this is the new Italian government's attitude towards its allies."

"Hmph, you Iranians have already colluded with Austria. Naturally, you don't understand the importance of unification. Italy has been divided for over a thousand years, and now is the perfect opportunity for it to unify. But you, and those Austrians, have hindered this action. The attack on the factory is the eruption of a thousand years of pent-up frustration for the Italians."

Garibaldi's adjutant roared at the consul, instantly creating a tense atmosphere in the room. The consul smashed a teacup beside him.

"I don't understand? Long before you were still uncivilized barbarians, the first large empire, the Persian Empire, was born. Even after you were invaded by barbarians and destroyed by the Ottomans, Persia still existed. Arabs are learning our language, our culture, and our way of life. It's not that Arabs assimilated us, but rather that we integrated Arabs. And Mr. Garibaldi, your history of struggle is admirable, but I must say, you even ceded your birthplace to France—what kind of hero are you?!

“Your Excellency Consul,” Garibaldi finally spoke, his voice laced with suppressed anger, “watch your words.”

The consul sneered, "What, did I say something wrong? Nice is your hometown. I heard that you prepared to take it back after learning the news, but now you've given up. I wonder why."

Garibaldi jumped to his feet, his chair slamming against the floor: "That's for the unification of Italy!"

“Unification?” Mirza stood up as well. “Unification in exchange for ceding territory? How ironic. There have been many treaties throughout history that ceded land, but this is the first time I've seen such a method of territorial concession.”

"You are shameless!"

The adjutant immediately punched the consul, but luckily the guards pulled him aside, otherwise it would have been a diplomatic incident.

"I'm shameless, and I don't even consider why you haven't achieved unification. Nepotism, self-interest, and backstabbing—it's a miracle you've even managed to unify!"

The talks were now off; the consul returned home, and Garibaldi cut the telegraph lines, preventing the message from Venice from getting out. If it reached Iran, it would likely provoke foreign intervention.

However, Vienna already knew about this major incident. They quickly dispatched troops to suppress it and apologized to Prussia, saying that they might not be able to join the future war, but would provide diplomatic support to Prussia.

The riots in Venice escalated and eventually reached Tehran. The Shah took it very seriously because he had investments there.

"We need to get the mercenary group there, and quickly! We can't afford to lose our investment."

Naser al-Din supported Austria, and of course, he was also after his own money. Those Persian carpets, silverware, and silks were worth millions of rials. If Venice fell into the hands of the rebels, the losses would be incalculable.

The Austrian ambassador also approached the Shah to discuss the situation. He was extremely grateful for the Shah's willingness to send troops to assist.

“Excellent. His Majesty Franz asked me to convey his gratitude and promise to do everything in his power to protect your country’s interests in Venice.”

Nasserdin smiled slightly: "That's good. After all, we have many common interests."

After seeing the Austrian ambassador off, Nasserdin returned to his study. Said was organizing a stack of documents: "Your Majesty, these are the latest accounts of the Venetian factory. If the situation continues to deteriorate, our losses could exceed..."

“Don’t worry,” Nasserdin interrupted him, “I already have a plan.”

Currently, the situation in Venice appears to be a continuation of Italian unification. On this small Apennine Peninsula, many more events will unfold, and Austria may not be able to withstand a two-pronged attack. At this juncture, it desperately needs Iran; Franz certainly doesn't want to face a desperate situation without allies.

(End of this chapter)