Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 467 Selection

"That's true, but the current situation forces us to do this. Let's take care of things domestically first, and then look for other options."

Although Gorchakov was the Foreign Minister, he believed that without strong national power, any diplomacy was useless. Small countries could benefit from relying on large countries, but Russia could not do that. If it did, others would see Russia's decline and would be eager to take a bite out of it. Poland was a cautionary tale.

"Maybe, but would Iran agree?"

"Definitely. Iran also has many domestic problems. They need time to make changes. This war was an accident."

That's right. If it weren't for certain individuals acting alone, would they have done this? Ultimately, it's because the intelligence work was inadequate, and the personnel were overconfident and incompetent, failing to grasp the consequences.

Alexander glanced at Gorchakov, then at the map. He had no choice but to agree to the decision; once their domestic situation improved, they could surely reclaim what they had lost.

Not long after, the Austrian ambassador arrived with Iran's reply. The Iranian Shah proposed a meeting in Mazandran, but the Tsar would not go to Iran unless he went as a conqueror.

However, the fall of the Petrovsk fortress and other locations forced the Tsar to initiate peace talks as quickly as possible; time was of the essence, and the message needed to be delivered as rapidly as possible. Therefore, the Tsar proposed that the talks be held in Sevastopol.

The war had been going on for a month and a half, and Iran had made significant progress on both the eastern and western fronts. Russian supply lines and isolated soldiers were being attacked by Chechen and Circassian guerrillas. In the first twenty days of the war alone, 1560 Russian soldiers had been killed by guerrillas.

The Russian army, boasting over 20 troops, seemed unstoppable. However, the reality was that during the four-day Battle of Sochi, 15000 Russian soldiers, for reasons unknown, charged directly at Iranian positions, only to be mowed down by machine gun fire. Coupled with poorly stored supplies that spoiled, the remaining defenders were forced to surrender.

Furthermore, the Russian military suffers from poor communication, meaning that orders from above are often unintelligible to those below. Conversely, the lower levels are unable to accurately report the situation at the front, resulting in an information asymmetry between the two sides.

Under such circumstances, only a scorched-earth policy could stop Iran's advance. And that's exactly what they did: nearly 200 villages in the Caucasus region were forcibly destroyed, and a large number of people were displaced. The Russian army simply burned the villages without taking any responsibility for the aftermath.

Isfahani compared the Russian and Iranian armies. At the battalion and company level, the Russian army is relatively evenly matched with the Iranian army. However, Iran has an advantage in firepower and the professionalism of its soldiers due to the deployment of machine guns. At the brigade level, Iran also holds a significant advantage over the Russian army. At the division level, however, Russia is absolutely no match for Iran, even with a numerical advantage; Iran can suppress them through superior firepower.

Naser al-Din had just finished reading the telegram when he turned to Musharraf and spoke about the war situation. "It seems things will settle down soon. We should continue our efforts against the Ottomans."

“It seems so,” Musharraf agreed with the Shah’s assessment and continued to offer his own insights. “However, the situation in the Ottomans is comparable to that in Russia. They have changed their views on us somewhat, but both the high-ranking government officials and religious leaders are still very hostile towards us.”

Naturally, Iran utterly humiliated the Ottoman Empire. Seeing this, everyone realized the overlord wasn't so formidable after all, and they swarmed forward.

Britain, France, and Austria demanded Ottoman economic benefits and territory; Russia and Iran wanted its obedience; and Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, and other ethnic groups demanded independence or territorial integration. Even North Africa defied Ottoman commands.

Russia and Iran played a significant role in this, particularly in the area of ​​national independence. However, Iran has clearly reduced its funding in this area in recent years, instead focusing on converting its population to Shia Islam.

It's now clear to everyone that the Ottoman Empire is on its last legs, and its only chance now is to defeat Russia or Austria and revive its status, but this has become an impossible task for the Ottomans.

“Shah, a telegram from Russia.” Abdullah, who had come over, handed the latest telegram to Naser al-Din. After reading it, Shah said to Musharraf, “The Russians want to hold peace talks in Sevastopol.”

“What, Sevastopol? This place is absolutely unacceptable.”

The reason is simple: this place is too far from mainland Iran. If something goes wrong, Iran cannot afford the consequences.

"Hmm...hmm...did he mention anything else?"

"It was suggested that we go to Vienna, but the Tsar disagreed. He said it was a matter between the two countries and that other countries should not interfere."

Good grief, they're afraid of embarrassing other countries if they find out. But what face haven't you embarrassed yet?
“Sevastopol is unacceptable to us. As for Sukhumi, Sochi, and Tbilisi, let them consider it.”

"Yes"

After Abdullah left, Nasser al-Din and Musharraf continued their discussions on domestic governance.

Musharraf proposed building 7000 kilometers of railways and 10000 kilometers of highways within five years, believing that improved transportation meant new economic growth. While Iran has made considerable progress in railways, it still lags far behind other countries.

The initial investment for these projects will be 2000 million riyals, with the railway mainly extending eastward and into the Arabian Peninsula, connecting major cities. Roads will connect rural and mountainous areas, linking tribes as well.

This isn't a tribe; these are laborers and taxpayers! What era are we living in? Tribalism must be broken. They must all be integrated into the economic system. Hence this transportation plan.

In addition, Musharraf's five-year plan included heavy industries such as military, steel, mining, and shipbuilding, as well as emerging industries or theories such as dyes, communications, internal combustion engines, and electricity. He believed these would change the world.

Of course, the oil industry, a key national project, is also indispensable. These industries all require capital investment, and with the national treasury at its disposal, it's natural that royal investment is needed.

"Jahangir, how much money do I have available right now?" Naserdin asked the royal family's treasurer.

“Shah, after deducting necessary expenses, you still have 2,363.28 million riyals available.”

Naserdin frowned. "There are still so many?"

"Yes, Shah, the national debt we bought before has been almost fully repaid. Furthermore, revenues from the Americas and the Far East are growing rapidly, and expenses for the harem aren't high..."

Naser al-Din looked at Musharraf; even the Grand Vizier hadn't expected the Shah to be so frugal. After all, previous monarchs were all masters of spending money; only the Shah truly cared for the country and its people.

(End of this chapter)