Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 375 New Helper

Shah inspected the new granaries in Habab village, which were full of food and supplies. The nearby dams and canals were also functioning well, irrigating farmland with water diverted from the Tigris River; such conditions would soon be common throughout Mesopotamia.

“Shah, this is today’s newspaper.”

Naser al-Din took a look and saw that the headline on the front page read: "The Ottoman Sultan has lost his courage, the Caliph should return."

The Shia and Sunni sects were locked in a fierce dispute over the Caliphate, and their heated exchanges in the newspapers spilled over into all aspects of society. However, the reality was that the Sunnis couldn't win the argument against the Shia. Mecca planned to hold a religious conference, but outside of Mecca, there was little support.

“Shah, Prince Shamari has sent word that they have gathered with other tribal armies in Riyadh, and the vanguard has already gone to Hejaz.”

Naserdin thought for a moment and decided to discuss the matter further back at his lodgings. This concluded his rural inspection tour.

Nasser al-Din naturally wanted to acquire Mecca and Medina. But he also had to consider the attitudes of other countries, especially Britain.

What has Britain been doing lately?

"Yes, they are still trying to quell the unrest in the Americas, especially in the New England Republic, which is said to be preparing to rejoin the United States."

After the United States shrank in size, some territories that had impulsively seceded from the Union began demanding rejoining. New York State also felt that without the Union, its power was too weak.

"Let them be, just don't provoke a reaction from them."

Also, let's change the itinerary; we'll shorten our time in Basra to one day, and then head to Riyadh.

Nasser al-Din decided to make the pilgrimage to Mecca himself, though he had quite a large entourage, but he figured the other party probably wouldn't mind.

"Do you think Mecca can hold 4 people?" Nasser al-Din asked the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry who was following him.

"It should be possible. Mecca receives hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every year, so the Shah can certainly accommodate this number of people."

There's one more thing, Shah: we plan to continue acquiring land, but if we continue like this, the expenses will only increase further.

Naserdin told him not to worry about this and to go ahead with it. He said he would personally pay for it if necessary, and that the land policy had to continue no matter what.

The Shah is preparing to go, which is a blow to the Grand Vizier in Tehran. The Ottoman ambassador lodged a strong protest with him, but he maintained that it was a routine dispute and that Iran would be prepared if the Ottomans sent troops.

The Ottomans were now speechless, knowing they were no match for Iran. For a leader in the Middle East, this was truly shameful.

However, this debate over the Caliphate has indeed had an impact domestically. Most people believe the Shah was the true Caliph, and the Ottoman was merely a usurper. This confidence is a good thing; Iran is not afraid to fight the Ottomans, but it fears intervention from Britain or Russia.

Fortunately, neither country has taken any action so far, but caution is still advised. Who knows what kind of deadly schemes they might be plotting?

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In front of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Abdul Rahman gathered a large crowd to read a proclamation. "O people of the Prophet, I, a descendant of Muhammad, have protected this land for over twenty years. I swore an oath to ensure the Prophet's name remains unblemished, and for the happiness and peace of all, I will fight evil to the very end!"

But now—I have to think about the future of Mecca.

As he spoke, he drew his sword and pointed it at the sky.

"The Ottomans have lost their loyalty to Allah; they obey the infidels and use every means to obstruct the people's prayers to Allah. The Caliphs are no longer worthy of the title."

The Persians, supported by heretics, have gained land in the north. But I tell them their schemes are doomed to fail. I will use my body to keep them out of Mecca!

After he finished speaking, cheers erupted from the audience. They knew nothing about Iran or the Ottoman Empire; they only knew that whatever the Pasha said was right. They simply followed suit and supported him.

Sadiq had witnessed this situation firsthand. The region was even more isolated than the Ottoman Empire; even if there were merchants, they were small, and transportation was terrible—no railways, and a small port. The only thing worth mentioning was the holy city.

Sadiq left the crowd and returned to his lodgings, where someone was already waiting.

"My lord, news has come from Sana!"

Sadiq took it and read only one sentence: The plan is proceeding as scheduled.

Sadiq nodded; it seemed the elders in the south had finally reached a consensus.

Just as Abdullah declared his intention to resist Iran and the Ottomans, in the southern region of Yemen, various Shia tribes formed an alliance and launched a joint attack on the local Ottoman garrison.

The Zaydi sect in Yemen has a long history, and Ottoman's repeated campaigns against them all ended in failure. As trade with Iran increased, local tribes also established connections with Tehran. Iranian merchants supplied them with goods such as sugar, tobacco, and cotton, while the locals purchased large quantities of coffee.

To avoid British raids, Iranian merchants bypassed Aden and traded in Hodeidah in the north. The Industrial Union invested 50 rials to repair the port and establish a trading post. The local Ottoman governor saw this as a lucrative opportunity and encouraged the people to engage in business.

Iran also took the opportunity to incite tribal uprisings. Although they were religiously different, they were all Shia and shared a common goal: to overthrow the Ottomans. They decided to resolve this issue first.

As for postwar planning, they retain local rights, but they must regularly travel to the Iranian capital and meet with the Shah.

Whatever it was, as long as the Ottomans were overthrown, they would definitely come to their aid. And so, this great uprising took place.

The tribal uprising killed the Ottoman governor of Sana'a and occupied the northern mountains of Yemen. They continued northward, seemingly heading towards Mecca.

Abdullah Pashama, who had just finished cursing the Ottomans, was really asking for trouble. There was no other way but to write to the Ottoman Sultan, hoping he would fulfill his responsibilities as Caliph and send troops to drive out these heretics; otherwise, he was unworthy of the title.

Meanwhile, Abdullah also made military plans. He ordered a tribal chief to go to Yanbu in the north to keep a close watch on the situation near Medina. He also prepared to lead an army of 10,000 to suppress the heretics. In reality, the Pasha had never fought a war before, and he didn't know how likely he was to win this battle, but he wasn't afraid; he had Allah's protection.

The chief was assigned to Yanbu, but he wasn't disappointed at all; it was exactly what he wanted. Sadiq was beside him; it was Pasha's own choice, so he had no one else to blame but himself.

(End of this chapter)