Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 370 Russia's Internal and External Troubles

Constanta is a newly emerging port city on the Black Sea coast. Its development momentum is second only to Constantinople and Odessa, and the improvement of transportation has played a significant role in its transformation from a small fishing village to the town it is today in just a few years.

The 300 million rials investment from the Golden Lion Company was used to build the railway from Constanta to Bucharest and Iași. It also provided funding for the Grand Prince of Cuza to improve people's livelihoods. Furthermore, most of Romania's grain was exported to Iran, establishing relatively close economic and trade relations between the two countries.

Recently, there has been an unusually high volume of trains traveling from Constanta to Iași and Lviv, Austria. As a result, fares for both passenger and freight transport have increased significantly.

Dombrovski and the Polish Restoration Army first traveled by boat, then by train, to Iasi and Lviv. From there, they marched into Russian territory. They also became an asset to the Polish uprising, expanding the local resistance.

To inflict maximum casualties on the Russian army, the insurgents dispersed into smaller units, employing guerrilla warfare in forests and rural areas to avoid direct confrontation. Simultaneously, a government was established in Warsaw, and a land reform program was announced. The emancipation of serfs was declared, and efforts were made to gain peasant support, but most peasants did not respond out of fear of Russian retaliation.

Alexander II deployed 30 troops to Poland, preparing to annihilate the rebels in one fell swoop. At the same time, he ordered the abolition of the Polish Parliamentary Kingdom, forcing the rebellious nobles to choose sides.

Dombrovsky's boots sank into the muddy puddles of melting snow as he raised his silver-plated binoculars—a "gift" specially made by the Tehran arsenal, its lenses etched with markings in both Persian and Polish. In the distance, Russian Cossack cavalry were burning villages, the black smoke twisting in the twilight into the lion-sun emblem of the Shah's crown.

"Are you ready?"

"Don't worry, General. For the sake of independence, our men are prepared to die."

No sooner had he finished speaking than an explosion erupted from a distant village. The Cossack cavalrymen were all blown into the air.

This happened several times a day. Dombrovsky successfully made contact with the National Committee and tied down a portion of the Russian army in Yatsevo in the south. As more troops arrived, his power grew.

Iran is satisfied with the current situation, as Russian military attention is tied up in Warsaw. This means they have little energy left in Central Asia, but the other side has anticipated this, and in response, sent a personal letter from the Tsar.

"My dear Naserdin... How cheesy!"

The Shah never expected Alexander II to write him such a letter; it was just too much.

He frowned as he unfolded the letter; the wax seal on the parchment still carried the scent of St. Petersburg cedar.

"We, the emperor and I, are both ordained by the mandate of heaven," the Shah suddenly proclaimed in Persian. The court poet, who had just begun to write it down on the papyrus, froze in his tracks—the Tsar had actually included verses from the Shahnameh in the main text.

"Should the eagles on both sides of the Caucasus Mountains share the olive branch of peace? Ha!"

Naserdin felt no peace whatsoever, only endless fighting. Moreover, Russia had been steadily increasing its military spending in recent years, showing absolutely no signs of peace.

“Shah, based on our analysis of the data we have, if the Russians’ finances do not improve, the Tsarist government may declare bankruptcy.”

Financial bankruptcy is nothing new in continental Europe. In particular, the Tsarist government would declare bankruptcy once its debt exceeded its capacity to pay.

Government bankruptcy means that payments to previous debts are suspended indefinitely until the debt is restructured; for details, one could ask about Spain during the Habsburg era. "Bankruptcy? If Alexander II dared to do that, European bankers would snap his neck immediately."

The Chancellor of the Exchequer nodded and added, “Your Majesty, Russia already owes a large amount of money to French and British banks, and if it declares bankruptcy, its international credit will collapse completely. But the problem is—if they are truly desperate, they may resort to even more extreme measures.”

"For example?" Shah squinted.

“For example… a war,” the military advisor said in a low voice, “a war that can divert domestic attention and at the same time plunder new resources.”

A brief silence fell over the room. The Shah's gaze slowly swept over the map of Central Asia hanging on the wall—Russia's shadow stretched from the Caucasus all the way to the Iranian border.

"So they either launch a more brutal crackdown on Poland, or... turn their attention to us."

"Not necessarily. It could be the Ottomans, or it could be the Far East. At present, Russia doesn't have many troops to use against our country, but for the Far East, just 20,000 men will be enough to intimidate them. Not to mention the current unrest."

The unrest in the Far East has not yet been quelled, and the local inefficient government has no intention of doing so. Although some have petitioned to launch a campaign against the west, it seems impossible given the current situation.

"The probability should be quite low. If Russians want to go to the Far East, they don't have railways, and it would take them several months on horseback, even if the road conditions are good."

I think they've become interested in the Ottomans again. Under the guise of saving their people and liberating Constantinople, they're killing and looting everywhere.

Naser al-Din remembered his own Orthodox Church and how obedient he was. Pledge allegiance to the Shah and learn Persian—could there be anything better?
"Shah, should we increase our investment in the Ottoman Empire?"

"Of course, if the Russians want this place, we must stop them, and neither can Britain or France. The Ottomans must belong to Iran, just like the Achaemenid dynasty, which has always been an inseparable part of it."

Naser al-Din was keen on restoring the territory of the First Persian Empire, which, apart from Egypt, was in perfect condition. The Ottomans had already proven themselves incapable of ruling this land, so it was better to let someone else take over.

“If the government doesn’t have the funds, the royal family will provide some, but it will also require the issuance of government bonds.”

Musharraf felt a pang of heartache whenever government bonds were mentioned. There were still over 1.2 million rials of outstanding bonds, mostly belonging to the royal family, but these still had to be honored, creating significant pressure on annual fiscal expenditures. He didn't know what he would have done if it weren't for the improved revenue from the oil companies.

"Yes, Shah. I will discuss the specifics of the investment in the Ottoman Empire with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry."

"Um"

The Ottoman Empire is now a destination for investment from various countries, although most of the capital flows into shipping and finance. Foreign control of Ottoman revenues has gradually taken over; the enactment of agricultural laws aimed to promote commercial agriculture, but failed, with landowners annexing even more land. Iran, naturally, wanted to join the fray.

(End of this chapter)