Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 397 Negotiation (Part Two)

Everyone ate lunch in the lounge, their minds focused on how to gain the upper hand in the upcoming situation.

"Why did things turn out this way? I need to send a telegram to London."

Not only Russell, but also Prime Minister Tolbe wanted to send a message to Amsterdam. Abdullah didn't need to, because he knew Tehran had already received the telegram.

The afternoon negotiations also yielded no progress, and the first day of talks ended without any results. They couldn't sleep for several nights, constantly thinking about how to maximize national interests.

"Your Excellency Reshberg, this is a small token of the Shah's appreciation. Our country cordially invites His Majesty the Emperor to visit Iran."

Abdullah met with Austrian Foreign Minister Johann von Reichberg. Although the two countries are nominally quasi-allies, this is the only perception held by other nations. Britain may have a more optimistic view, believing that Austria and Iran are close to reaching an alliance agreement and might even take action against the Ottoman Empire.

"Thank you for your kind offer. His Majesty will visit your country at an appropriate time. However, we also hope that your country can support our actions within the German Confederation."

Reichberg had long sought to restore Austria's influence within the Confederation, which had lost its dominant position since Bismarck became Prussia's ambassador to Frankfurt. Now, with Bismarck as Prussian Chancellor, Austria faced an even more difficult situation with Prussia.

"That's for sure, but Shah has always felt that your country should take a defensive stance within the confederation. Prussia has already formed a customs union, and even if it gains a temporary political advantage, other countries will support Prussia due to economic factors."

Reichberg disagreed, because the Habsburgs had always been part of the German sphere, and a sudden shift would not only disappoint their traditional allies like Bavaria, but could also lead to their being kicked out of that circle. That would put them in an even more difficult position.

“Your Excellency Abdullah, what you say makes sense…” he began slowly, “but to abandon Germany is to abandon the five-hundred-year-old foundation of the Habsburg family.”

Outside the window, the fountains at Schönbrunn Palace shimmered coldly in the moonlight, much like the struggle in the eyes of the Austrian Foreign Minister at that moment.

Abdullah took out a gold-embossed document from his pocket: "Shah understands your concerns, so..."

The document unfolds, revealing startling content: 1. Iran pledges to support Austria in the event of a future war between Austria and Prussia.

2. Iran will continue to invest 1000 million rials in Austria and provide a loan of 1500 million rials.

3. The two countries will jointly establish a colonial company to carry out colonial construction in the Congo River basin of Africa.

4. Iran, Austria, and Sicily will form a secret alliance to jointly counter Russian and Italian expansion.

“The Shah suggested that instead of getting entangled with Bismarck in the Confederation Parliament, we should shift our focus to the south—” He pointed to the Italian peninsula on the map on the wall, “The rebels in Venice have been unusually active lately, and the French Emperor seems to have forgotten that Nice and Savoy were once Habsburg territories.”

Meanwhile, Lord Russell was dictating a telegram into a codebook: "To the Governor-General of India: Immediately reinforce the troops stationed in the Persian Gulf. To the Ambassador to Berlin: Hint to Bismarck that Britain can tacitly approve of Prussian unification of North Germany."

Now, all he can do is suppress Iran to the best of his ability. Simply blockading the Persian Gulf would disrupt most of Iran's trade, at which point they would have to compromise.

"Sir, a telegram from London."

"Read it." "Unrest has broken out in Sumatra, and Aceh has suddenly launched an attack."

Lord Russell was somewhat incredulous that Aceh would choose this time.

"This is definitely an Iranian conspiracy." Prime Minister Tolbe now understood perfectly well that from Argentina to Malaya, it was all part of a tightly linked scheme, forcing them to relinquish their interests.

“Then let the nouveau riche of Tehran understand,” Russell’s voice was as cold as a knife, “where the bottom line of the British Empire lies.”

He sneered: "Tell Singapore to mobilize all available gunboats and blockade the Strait of Malacca! If the Iranians dare to land in Sumatra, open fire immediately!"
Furthermore, a telegram was sent to London, urging the Prime Minister to convene other countries to exert pressure on Iran, as this was the only way to succeed.

Throughout the night, the three countries each tried their own methods to build relationships. At daybreak, they were once again engaged in heated debates at the negotiating table, but without making any progress.

The Strait of Malacca was bustling with activity. The searchlight of the British battleship HMS Indomitable pierced the night sky, illuminating the cargo ship attempting to break through the blockade. On deck, sailors were frantically throwing wooden crates marked "dates" into the sea—the crates actually contained the latest rifle parts produced by the Tehran arsenal.

"Fire as a warning!" the captain ordered.

The shells exploded in front of the cargo ship, sending up towering columns of water, but the ship only accelerated. When the second shell struck the stern directly, an unexpected situation occurred—

Amidst the flames of the explosion, a crescent flag of the Ottoman Empire slowly rose.

"Cease fire! Cease fire immediately!" The captain was deathly pale. They had just attacked an "ally's" ship.

Before long, news of the British warships attacking the Ottoman merchant ships spread throughout the Middle East through newspapers. No one knew how the Ottoman merchant ships ended up in Southeast Asia, but all that was needed was for the British to hit the "Ottoman merchant ships."

"No matter what method we use, we must make this a big deal and stir up the emotions of the Ottomans."

Nasser al-Din issued orders, and with the rise of newspapers as a new propaganda tool, the battle for public opinion became a new arena. How to manipulate public sentiment for one's own benefit is a question all governments must consider.

“Shah, the army in Aceh has cut the Dutch telegraph lines,” Amir said, unfolding a map. “Our ‘merchant ships’ unloaded the last batch of weapons in Banda Aceh.”

Shah looked toward the Sumatran coastline: “The British will not stand idly by; they will definitely blockade the Persian Gulf.”

“That is indeed the case, Your Majesty,” the Chancellor of the Exchequer said, bowing. “But Banque de l’Indochine had already moved its gold reserves to Moscow and Paris three months ahead of schedule. In addition, domestic banks and our companies in the Americas have also raised a sum of money.”

In this offensive, Crédit Agricole was the main force, preparing to launch an attack on the British stock market. For this battle, they deployed gold worth £300 million. In addition, they contributed £200 million from their American investments, and the Shah himself contributed £150 million. Theoretically, this could have been a significant undertaking, but as a precaution, they also enlisted the help of some Austrians, whose assets were also invested in Iranian companies.

Shah smiled and said, "Then let the London bankers collapse first."

(End of this chapter)