Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 455 Potential Conflict
The French Parliament originated from the Estates-General of the Kingdom of France, where nobles, bishops, and commoners, regardless of their numbers, each had only one vote.

Later, the French Revolution broke out, the Estates-General was changed to the National Assembly, and then went through the Republic, Empire, Restoration, Republic, Empire, and finally became what it is today.

The British Parliament is, of course, the oldest parliament in Europe, and it earned its current status through a series of struggles.

The Belgian Parliament is only 30 years old, and the Austrian Parliament is 20 years old. Both countries are relatively young. The Prussian Parliament, on the other hand, began to exist after the Napoleonic Wars. Along with the parliament, its three-tiered electoral system also existed.

This system divides voters into three tiers: the highest taxpayers form the first tier, and the lowest taxpayers form the third tier, with each tier contributing the same amount of tax revenue. Each tier elects one-third of the electors, who in turn elect representatives. This is a system that allocates votes based on economic income rather than geographical region or ethnicity.

Hmm... Hmm... Hmm...

Well, Nasserdin didn't really understand it. It's all so convoluted and complicated; they've gone to great lengths to ensure their rights to the fullest extent possible.

However, Nasserdin was determined; since it was going to happen sooner or later anyway, he might as well implement a temporary system. Every industrialized country has a parliament, and Iran is no exception.

1865年8月1日，纳赛尔丁在大不里士签署《宣言》。宣布扩大专家会议的人数，由101人增加到251人，其中新增加的150个席位从各地选出。并且宣布将在十年内正式召开议会。

This news immediately went viral and became a trending topic. "Shocking: Iran's Shah bows to the people, agrees to open parliament," was the headline of a Russian newspaper.

"Iran's Path Towards Prosperity and Civilization" is the title given by the British.

"Tense Relations Between Iran and Russia: War Imminent," is the title from Austria.

But various countries wanted to see if the parliamentary system could take hold in Iran, as this was Iran's first election. However, the Shah set extremely high thresholds for voting: one must be at least 25 years old and pay at least 10 rials in taxes annually. This effectively excluded most people, as they didn't pay 10 rials in taxes per year. Paying 6 rials was considered quite good.

Those in the country who wanted to establish a parliament unanimously praised Shah's wisdom and were prepared to devote their efforts to emulating the British Parliament in order to realize their ideals.

However, since this was Iran's first major event, he needed to learn from and draw lessons from other countries, especially the government, as these matters would consume a great deal of his energy. This left the newly appointed Grand Vizier, Musharraf, feeling exhausted.

"Grand Vizier, this is a report from the river. Governor Yahya has begun to expel the Russians to the north bank of the Syr Darya."

"Um"

The Russians had been trying to infiltrate the south bank of the Syr Darya River, so every month Iran would catch a few "lost" people and send them back.

Iran knew who they were, and Russia knew that Iran knew them. But the two sides maintained a balance. Until the espionage case broke out.

Iran intensified its patrols and changed its previous practices. Instead of expulsion, it changed to imprisonment, locking them in nearby jails with rationed food and water every day. They also had to endure the scorching heat. For the first time, the Russians experienced what it meant to be in a living hell.

Whether out of anger or other motives, conflict with Russia is now inevitable. Alexander is currently focused entirely on domestic development and has no energy left for other matters. To this end, the Tsar has been working to improve diplomatic relations with neighboring countries. For example, he is discussing economic cooperation with Sweden and Romania, and has also made some efforts to ease tensions with Austria. As mentioned before, domestic affairs come first.

Shifting public attention away from domestic issues and towards foreign affairs is a tactic countless governments, both domestic and foreign, have employed. Some have succeeded, others have failed. Yahya, Chief of Staff Salami, and Army Minister Rouhani discussed the situation. Inside their office, a large tactical table stood, divided in two by a red line. One side was labeled "Iran," the other "Russia"—a clear map of the Iranian-Russian border. The map also marked towns, armies, fortresses, roads, and other military markers. Chief of Staff Salami, holding a baton, pointed to a spot on the map while explaining the situation.

"Currently, there are several locations suitable for small-scale conflicts."

One is Akmechet, the most important place, which Russia expended considerable effort to capture. Another is Otral upstream, also a suitable location for attack.

The Syr Darya River forms the border between the two countries, as seen on the map. However, disagreements remain regarding water resources and other issues, and it's clear that Iran has decided to use this as leverage.

"My suggestion is to put Akmechet at the helm, as he not only controls the Syr Darya node but also serves as Russia's forward operating base in the region."

This is indeed a good idea; taking Akmechet would be most advantageous for Iran. However, the international situation also needs to be considered; this time, there shouldn't be any Britain, France, or the Ottoman Empire to distract Russia.

"What if Russia launches a full-scale war?" Yahya asked. He knew the situation in Transoxiana best, but was less familiar with the situation in the capital.

"Don't worry about that. Our two allies in the Caucasus can help us. Besides, there are a large number of Crescent Moon Christians in southern Russia. Russia will probably guard against them first, and then against us."

Since Catherine II, Russia has pursued a policy of assimilation, but with little success. The rise of Iran and the defeat in the Crimean War have further fueled popular resistance in Kazakhstan and southern Russia, with uprisings increasing year by year. What Russia needs most is stability, and therefore, maintaining a strong commitment to the military and police remains its top priority.

"We need to act quickly, catch them off guard, and then gain a favorable position."

Rouhani summarized the situation, and the other two agreed. This conflict concerns the fate of Iran; there can be no mistakes.

　There's been a lot of discussion about this these past two days, and after looking at it, it boils down to two points.

　　First, they made Grand Vizier resign so easily.

　　Second, he readily agreed to the protesters' request; the main character is a good-for-nothing.

　　Firstly, the Grand Vizier's resignation was not unexpected. He knew what would happen if a full-time vizier remained in that position for too long, so he had been submitting his resignation since the end of the Ottoman Wars, and it was only now that it was approved.

　　Secondly, what does "easily agreeing" and "being a waste" mean? If that's the case, then sending in the army to suppress the unrest and create a bloody Sunday wouldn't be considered wasteful? If you did suppress it, then you'd see riots erupting across the country, and then religious forces using this opportunity to make a comeback. At that point, the protagonist might as well just live a life of debauchery.

　　Yes, it seems particularly pathetic, but what would you, the readers, do if you were the protagonist? And it's not that there shouldn't be a parliament, it's just that this event acted as a catalyst, bringing things forward considerably. Just as every country has a liberal movement, Iran is no exception.

　　I don't know if this will clear things up. If not, I'll write another one later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)