Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 417 Loan Purchase Contract
The first major international event of the new year was the failure of the Polish uprising. Despite Iranian support, the Polish uprising ultimately failed after 13 months of resistance under the pressure of 45 Russian troops.

However, the Polish uprising dealt a heavy blow to the local area, directly confiscating the property of Polish landowners by the Russian government. This benefited Polish peasants and Russian landowners.

The main leaders went into exile, the Polish Parliamentary Kingdom was abolished, and the region became a province and was incorporated into Russia. Everything seemed fine on the surface, but local resistance continued, along with peasant uprisings in other areas, causing problems for the Tsar.

This outcome can only be described as somewhat satisfactory. Iran will support any measure that can weaken Russia.

“Shah, this war between Austria and Prussia is now inevitable. Prussia has already amassed troops on the border, with Prague as its target.”

News from both countries continued to reach Tehran via telegram, and Franz also traveled to Prague to urge the local people to defend their homeland. After granting political rights to the Bohemians, they reciprocated by paying taxes and enlisting in the army. As for Prussia, the Bohemians constructed a defensive line along the border to prevent any potential attack.

War clouds loomed over the Austro-Prussian border, with diplomats from both sides launching hysterical attacks whenever they met. Both sides knew that a major war was inevitable, and each was busy taking stock of its own military strength and mobilization plans.

Franz had always wanted to avoid war, but in the end, both countries were heading towards conflict. The German question, the border issue, and the Holstein-Schleswig question were all troubling them. Franz had proposed recognizing Prussia's occupation of the two duchies, but at the cost of Austria reclaiming Silesia. This seemed like an offer they would never accept.

On March 4, Prussian troops subsequently invaded Holstein, a region that had been allocated to Austria during the Second Sino-Prussian War. Austria exercised restraint and withdrew its troops. Three days later, Austria presided over a vote within the German Confederation to declare war on Prussia. A majority vote would constitute a formal declaration of war, creating diplomatic momentum. This move by the Confederation was immediately declared invalid by Prussia. Prussia's strong diplomatic response left no room for maneuver in the tense situation, and the German states quickly chose sides.

Before the clash between the two nations, Prussia had been unilaterally crushing the German states. On the 15th, the pro-Austrian states of Hanover, Saxony, and Hesse ignored Prussia's ultimatum, and the following day, the Prussian army launched an attack on the three countries. The three states were utterly unable to resist and quickly retreated. On the 19th, the Prussian army occupied Hanover, and on the 22nd, it occupied Hesse. The Saxon army, relatively more organized, withdrew into Austria and joined forces with the Austrian army. The Hessen army completely collapsed and retreated to Frankfurt, with only a small number of cavalry joining the Austrian army. The Hanoverian army fought a series of battles and eventually retreated to the town of Langensalza, where it was surrounded by the Prussian army. Incredibly, Bavaria, a stronger and pro-Austrian state, remained a bystander in the face of its ally's plight.

In short, under Prussia's thunderous offensive, pro-Austrian German states either retreated, retreated into Austria, or simply gave up. The remaining smaller countries, due to their limited land and population, were essentially negligible. After Prussia's victory over Austria, it easily subdued Bavaria.

But the story of the Hanoverian army in the war was far from over; in fact, it took a dramatic turn. On March 25th, the Prussian army arrived and besieged the town of Langensalza, demanding the desperate Hanoverian army surrender unconditionally. On the 26th, the Hanoverian king, also trapped, refused to surrender, and the Prussian army launched an attack on the town. At this point, the Hanoverian army, still brimming with high morale due to centuries of proud military tradition, decided to fight to the bitter end. The first wave of the Prussian attack was disastrous; the town remained unmoved after several assaults, and the local militia within the army were so frightened that they hid or feigned death. The final attack was even routed by a counter-charge from the Hanoverian Royal Guard Cavalry Regiment, and the battle line nearly collapsed.

At this point, the Hanoverian army, facing dire straits, launched a powerful and decisive counterattack, inflicting heavy losses on the Prussian army. However, with continuous Prussian reinforcements and their own supplies running out, the King of Hanover finally surrendered on the evening of the 27th and was accepted by the Prussian army. But this time, it came with conditions—it was achieved through the Hanoverian army's desperate counterattack. Prussia's warm-up exercise against the small German state thus came to an end; what followed was the Austro-Prussian War.

"Now that war is about to break out, both Britain and France have begun to withdraw their investments. Should we take advantage of this opportunity?"

This time, Britain and France withdrew most of their funds, and Austria's borrowing rates soared to 10%, while neighboring Prussia's were only 4%. This shows that many people are pessimistic about Austria.

Has the Austrian ambassador arrived yet?

"He's here. The Foreign Minister is negotiating with him. He's in a hurry; it seems he needs to reach an agreement as soon as possible." Upon learning of the situation in Austria, Austrian Ambassador Stanley felt a heavy responsibility. With Russia, Britain, and France all remaining neutral, this was a crucial battle between the two countries for German leadership. And the only external ally was Iran.

A few days ago, the King of Sicily sent a telegram saying that Iran was willing to negotiate on mercenaries and loans. His Majesty the Emperor immediately ordered the ambassador to negotiate, the sooner the better.

"Your Excellency, His Majesty the King of Sicily has already conveyed the message regarding the mercenary force. If your country is in a hurry, we can send 4500 men to Venice first, and another 8000 soldiers will need time to assemble."

As previously mentioned, these soldiers require 312 million crowns in salary annually. But what could the ambassador say at this point? He was already grateful for any support he received.

"No problem. Also, His Majesty wishes to order a batch of weapons from your country. Here is the list."

Abdullah took it and almost thought he was seeing things; wasn't there a lot of these?

60,000 breech-loading rifles, 200 Nadir-type machine guns, 120 state-of-the-art artillery pieces, 200 million rounds of ammunition, and 100,000 artillery shells. Urgent.

"These items probably cost 2000 million, and our country is very worried about your country's financial situation."

"This is the second thing to discuss. Austria wants to borrow 6000 million crowns from your country, using customs duties, salt taxes, and mineral taxes as collateral. In addition, there are copper mines in Transylvania and railways in Hungary."

Abdullah was also surprised; 6000 million was roughly 4000 million riyals. This meant they were really preparing for a major undertaking.

"This is probably not enough. You are aware of the situation in your country..."

Yes, Stanley knows about the situation in Austria. But Iran is truly their last hope; they must get their hands on it no matter the cost.

“Your Excellency, you should know that Austria is rich in resources and densely populated. This money can be repaid quickly.”

Abdullah was somewhat troubled; he couldn't make the decision himself, it was up to the Shah. After all, the royal family would definitely have to pay for it, and the government wouldn't have the funds.

(End of this chapter)