Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 433 The Affairs of Afghanistan
With Iran's rise and expansion, parts of Central and West Asia were rapidly filled with new powers. Britain and Russia no longer needed to engage in a major power struggle; Iran helped them resolve this issue.

But between Iran and India, there is a large region that no one has completely occupied – that is Afghanistan.

Afghanistan has had two periods of great prominence in the last 200 years. The first was the Handak dynasty, which, under the leadership of its leader, conquered Isfahan, the capital of the Safavid dynasty, and occupied the entire Iranian region. It was later defeated by Nadir Shah and gradually declined. Its existence lasted only 29 years.

The second dynasty was the Durrani dynasty. When Ahmed Shah was elected king, Afghanistan was still a fragmented country. Therefore, he launched a series of wars, using Western weapons, and conquered Kabul, Ghazni, Peshawar, and Lahore, ultimately unifying Afghanistan. He then launched an expedition to India, engaging in widespread killing and looting. Ahmed launched eight expeditions to India, seizing vast wealth. However, things returned to normal; discord among his successors led to a division.

After the First Anglo-Afghan War, Afghanistan was nominally ruled by the Barakzai dynasty, but in reality, the region remained predominantly tribal and was constantly in turmoil.

Iran pressured the Afghan king to grant more rights to Shia Muslims, but this was opposed by Sunnis, who instead intensified their persecution of Shia Muslims.

Farah, near the Iranian border, is the city with the largest Shiite population. It is also a crucial transit point for Shiite people traveling to Iran, and discontent is growing, soon reaching a breaking point.

Dusks in Farah are always tinged with blood. Sandstorms, carrying the dry, earthy smell, sweep across the mud walls, tearing royal decrees posted in the market to shreds. The words "Shia pilgrimage is forbidden" are still legible on the fragments, while fresh bloodstains in the corners are not yet dry—three more Hazara merchants were hanged in public that morning for smuggling Iranian books.

Ali Hazari crouched in the back alley of the pottery shop, prying open a loose paving stone with his dagger. A map of Tehran wrapped in oiled paper gleamed faintly in the twilight, the border post marked in red pen on it completely different from three days ago. “Those beasts changed the garrison,” he whispered to his companion in the shadows, “but Chief Malik has bribed the Night Watch of Kandahar.”

In the shadow of the distant minaret, several soldiers were searching house to house for "Persian spies." As they overturned a fruit stand, no one noticed the entrance to a tunnel in the backyard of a pottery shop—a tunnel that had taken two years to dig, the other end of which connected to the stables of the Iranian border guards. That night, three hundred rifles from the Tehran arms factory were quietly delivered to Farah, the stocks engraved with the names of the Twelve Imams.

Inside the Governor's Palace, Governor Ghani was ordering strict controls on the movement of people traveling to Iran. He had a feeling that these Shiites would cause trouble.

The rise of Shia Islam in Afghanistan is inseparable from Iran's support. Shia merchants dominate 40% of domestic trade, Shia missionaries are spread throughout Afghanistan, and even some people in Kandahar, the most anti-Iranian state, have converted.

With Iran's annexation of three Central Asian countries, it has formed a semi-encirclement of Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Britain to the south also desires Afghan territory, bringing Afghanistan to its most perilous moment. The Sunni leader, Ottoman, is struggling to survive and must rely on himself.

“Governor, no matter how much we suppress them, people will still go to Iran. This is an unsolvable problem.”

Did Ghani not know that his subordinates were saying this? But the king's orders had to be carried out, even if it meant being crushed to pieces.

“Continue, we cannot let anyone go to Iran. As you know, Iran has occupied Mecca, which is blasphemy against the Prophet.”

The fact that many Sunnis oppose Iran's occupation of Mecca does not mean that Sunnis are inferior to Shiites.

Meanwhile, Ottoman, the Sunni leader, showed no reaction whatsoever, as if the matter had nothing to do with them. If Iran continues to grow stronger, will they still have a good life? "According to this list, begin searching house to house tomorrow, and then..."

Ghani made a gesture, and his men knew that another massacre was about to begin.

After speaking, Governor Ghani used a silver knife to cut a melon, a particularly sweet fruit from Bukhara. He had barely made one cut when an explosion rang out. He thought it was a kitchen accident, until guards, covered in blood, burst through the dining room door: "The Hazaras have rebelled! They've blown open the west gate!"

The governor plunged his knife into the center of the melon, its sweet juice dripping down the tablecloth. He should have realized it sooner—the pottery caravans that always managed to slip through the monthly "routine inspections," the sudden increase in "pilgrimage applications"—these were all clues before the storm.

"Quickly, send men to the military camp. Suppress these unruly civilians!"

As Ghani spoke, he frantically grabbed the documents, intending to leave through the back door. By this time, the rebels had already seized control of the market, the mosque, and the west and south gates; the north gate was also in imminent danger, leaving only the east gate still open for passage. The astute governor believed that going through the east gate wouldn't be too crowded at this point, but alas, many of them were clever men.

The east gate was already packed with people, merchants, scholars, deserters, and civilians all crammed together. Cries and shouts filled the air, and even Ghani was stunned when he arrived.

"Quickly, chase them away, or they'll catch up!"

The guards began to disperse the crowd, but at this point, there was no need to put on airs. Everyone was fleeing for their lives; no one should try to be superior to anyone else, not even if you were the king or the queen mother.

The sounds of the rebels could be heard in the distance, which heightened the tension among the people. They rushed towards the city gates, causing further congestion at the entrance. One person tripped and fell, leading to a stampede.

Ali has seized the governor's mansion and is issuing various orders, including seeking Iranian support from Tehran, but his main objective is to march on Kabul and give the Khalazars an explanation.

The word "Hazara" in Hazara is Persian, meaning "one thousand," and the people are of mixed Persian and Mongol descent. Since the establishment of the Durrani dynasty, the Hazara people have repeatedly suffered persecution from the Afghan upper class, forcing many to flee to the mountainous regions of central Afghanistan. This region is called "Hazarajat." Centered on Bamiyan, the Hazarajat mountains span several Afghan provinces and comprise about 30% of Afghan territory.

More than 90% of the Halazars are Shia Muslims, making them a primary target of Afghan repression. Now, they're going to teach Kabul a lesson.

"My lord, we've captured the escaped governor!"

"Alright, let's use his head as our battle cry!"

(End of this chapter)