Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 458 The Akmechte Conflict (Part Two)
"Iranian troops crossed the Syr Darya River under cover of darkness and constructed defensive positions near Pelovsk. Troops have already been urgently deployed there."

Governor-General Constantine Kaufman of Orenburg telegraphed St. Petersburg that although Russia had nearly 60,000 men there, most of them were concentrated in the Kazakh region, with very few deployed along the Syr Darya River.

Moreover, their focus was on suppressing the Polish uprising, and they became somewhat lax in their efforts to deal with Central Asia.

Inside the Kremlin. Interior Minister Pyotr Valuyev is presenting intelligence regarding Iran's crossing of the Syr Darya River. Also in attendance are Alexander II and other members of the Russian cabinet.

After listening to the report, Alexander II spoke up. "Gentlemen, please speak up."

After he finished speaking, many people turned their attention to Army Minister Milyukin. Since this was a military matter, it was best to have the military commander respond.

“Your Majesty, I believe that Iran’s current actions are a test of our country. Now that their spies have been exposed, they have no hesitation in completely occupying the Syr Darya River. Therefore, we cannot hesitate and must retaliate with the strongest possible attitude.”

Before the military commander could speak, Dolgorukov, who is currently the head of the Third Department, stepped forward and spoke first to express his opinion.

What drove him to do this was not only that the empire was unlikely to back down, but also his own attempt to understand the Tsar's thoughts.

After he spoke, Milyukin also spoke up. "That's right, we must retaliate severely against Iran's provocations, otherwise our external environment will become even worse because of this forbearance."

After seeing two close associates of the Tsar express their opinions, others also spoke up.

"Russia cannot back down in any way, otherwise those hostile countries will swarm in and target our country."

“That’s right, we must let these Iranians taste the power of the Empire.”

"The Empire's concessions to Iran last time for the sake of peace made them think they could infringe on our interests. They were wrong. This time, we must let them taste the power of the Empire."

After everyone had spoken, Alexander II finally spoke. "The matter of the Iranian provocation will be left to Governor Kaufman; I am confident he will give a satisfactory answer."

With the Tsar's final decision, Russia also responded to Iran's provocations. It decided to simultaneously exert pressure on the Caucasus and Central Asia, forcing Iran to retreat, and even potentially achieving complete control of the Syr Darya basin.

Therefore, when the order reached Orenburg, Kaufman naturally dared not be negligent. His career had been incredibly successful in recent years. As the leader of Russia's advance into Central Asia, Kaufman was well aware of the reasons for his rapid rise. Therefore, he dared not be the slightest bit negligent in responding to orders from the capital.

Kaufman looked at the telegram and turned to give orders. "Immediately, according to the pre-arranged plan, order all units to proceed to Petrovsk as quickly as possible, with Captain Alexei in charge of combat command. At the same time, order other units to begin patrols of the border region to guard against any possible provocations from the Iranians."

At this point, he paused for a moment and added, "If we encounter provocative actions from the Iranians, we can give them a strong response."

As the order was given, the various units, which had been prepared in advance, immediately shouldered their pre-prepared gear and marched in formation towards their designated locations. Behind them followed rows of large cannons, as if to proclaim the greatness of the empire.

Alexei, the commander appointed by Kaufman for this battle, was also preparing to depart. However, as commander, he had many colleagues, so he was making his final farewells.

"Alexei, I wish you a victorious return soon." These were the only words Alexei could say to his colleagues seeing him off.

"Please rest assured, I will definitely defend the borders of the Russian Empire and drive out all those enemies."

After speaking, Alexei mounted his horse and, with his bodyguards, headed towards Petrovsk. Their actions were quickly noticed by the Iranian side, who were closely monitoring their movements.

Chief of the General Staff Salami immediately issued the order: "Send a message to the advance troops, instructing them to be on high alert and capture Akmechet as soon as possible. Prepare for the possibility of Russian troops appearing in the vicinity, and instruct them to demonstrate our stance in the face of any potential provocations. Also, send a message to Pashinyan, telling him that this battle is crucial for both Iran and him, and hoping he can demonstrate Iran's strength."

After issuing the order, Salami looked at the military map hanging behind him. The map was covered with dense military markings. These markings represented the various units of both countries, and the markings were even denser around Akmechet.

Meanwhile, the trials of the Russian spies were concluded with remarkable speed, and every single one of them was sentenced to death.

Moreover, this incident uncovered a large number of Russian spies. There were also a bunch of inactive and corrupt officials who, according to their crimes, wouldn't have deserved to die, but the Shah was in a fit of anger and had no choice but to wrong them.

As a result, executions by firing squad and hanging took place one after another, while exile and imprisonment became commonplace. Centered on Tabriz, the officialdom of the surrounding areas underwent a complete transformation. Civil servants also felt that this was the period with the fastest promotions.

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a strong protest to Iran, demanding an end to the persecution of Russians. Even with conclusive evidence of espionage, they insist the Russians were in Iran for travel and research.

Relations between the two countries were on the verge of severing diplomatic ties, and Prussia, Austria, Britain, and France were closely monitoring the situation.

When both sides began to amass troops, potentially leading to a major war, the attitudes of various countries began to shift. Many countries started to urge both sides to exercise restraint, fearing that this would cause regional instability and affect their own national stability and economy.

Russia and Iran are two European powers that neither can afford to offend. One is the largest grain exporter, and the other is the largest oil product exporter. Instability in either of them would impact the global economy. But at this critical moment, the first country to step forward emerged.

Austria has called on Iran and Russia to travel to Vienna for peace talks, similar to the Malayan crisis, to resolve their disputes peacefully. However, behind the scenes, Austria is increasing its troop presence in Galicia, in anticipation of Russian intervention.

Britain and France merely verbally condemned the impulsive actions of both sides and offered calls for peace. Prussia, on the other hand, offered no condemnation whatsoever, only a call for peace.

Of course, Italy was the loudest in its clamor. The Prime Minister offered to provide Russia with a shipment of arms, but the Tsar ignored it. He knew all too well what Italy was thinking: useless fodder, who could trust them?

　This morning, something big happened. Good heavens, more than 20 Iranian generals and six nuclear physicists are gone. Among them was someone like the Chief of the General Staff.

　　It can only be said that the enemy has infiltrated it to the point of being riddled with holes, and there is also an imbalance within the clergy.

　　Jews, Jews, half a million in the Middle East, what to do in the 19th century?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)