Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 476 Sochi
Alexander II's legs were weak when he stepped off the carriage; the journey had been incredibly arduous.

Starting from St. Petersburg, take a train to Moscow, then a boat across the Volga River to Tsaritsyn, then another boat across the Don River and the Sea of ​​Azov to Krasnodar, and finally a horse-drawn carriage to Sochi.

Only he and his ministers knew the hardships he endured along the way, but this also made him understand the importance of the railway even more.

"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Gorchakov asked.

"It's alright, hurry inside and resolve this."

Gorchakov and the others followed the Tsar into Sochi. Seeing the Iranian flag raised and Iranian soldiers appear, a sense of humiliation welled up in Alexander's heart. His ancestral lands, occupied like this—he was utterly powerless!

However, upon entering the city, he saw that far from being chaotic, the area was orderly, and local residents were even able to take to the streets normally. It was nothing like the post-war period.

Iran has imposed martial law on the Russian-occupied territories in the Caucasus, with a curfew after sunset and a crackdown on criminals; those who are not careful are being held in the city center.

The prisoners of war also found a purpose, building roads and cutting down trees everywhere. They made outstanding contributions to local development, so much so that the local Russians welcomed the arrival of the Iranian army.

When Alexander II appeared before them, the Russians wondered if they should apply to immigrate to Iran or somewhere else, as long as it wasn't within Russia.

"These traitors!"

Seeing the happy faces of the farmers, the Tsar was furious. Had they forgotten which country they belonged to? It seemed that more Russians needed to settle here.

Russia employs four main methods of control and governance whenever it occupies a piece of land: First, it slaughters all those who disobey or resist.

Secondly, a "replacement" population policy was implemented, which involved relocating all the original inhabitants of the newly occupied territories to other remote areas of Russia and bringing in ethnic Russians, thus achieving a "cuckoo in the nest" in a short period of time. Then, a Russification policy was implemented, and decades later, every person, animal, and tree in the newly occupied lands had a Russian character, and the culture and characteristics of the original inhabitants had disappeared without a trace. Even the air had become Russian.

Finally, it came down to Britain's old trick: divide and conquer. They divided large nations into smaller ones, preventing them from becoming too powerful. This tactic has always worked very well.

In an effort to attract farmers to the North Caucasus, the Russian government introduced several policies and initiated the relocation of farmers from this region. For example, every six months, the Tsarist government would select 300 to 500 peasant families for relocation. These families had to immediately travel to the North Caucasus border, after which the military would help them settle in newly established villages.

The government promised land, property, and special rights, as well as tax reductions, cheap loans, exemption from military service, and the ability to retain their own language, beliefs, and customs. However, the arrival of Russian immigrants brought significant changes to the North Caucasus region in terms of population, society, and economy. The original mountain inhabitants felt pressure regarding land, resources, and culture, leading to escalating inter-ethnic tensions.

However, don't assume that life is good for immigrants. The North Caucasus region has a complex socio-political environment and chaotic management, which is detrimental to immigrant resettlement and regional stability. In addition, farmers from inland areas are not familiar with that region, and coupled with the long distance, difficult transportation, and harsh environment, these factors have caused suffering for the people until the arrival of Iran brought them a period of better life.

Gorchakov spoke with the local garrison officers and learned that the Shah would arrive the next day. They also said that accommodations had been prepared for the Tsar and he should rest.

Alright, the journey must be tiring. The Tsar should rest, and they'll prepare for the negotiations. Based on the preliminary negotiation conditions submitted by Iran, the north bank of the Syr Darya River and Petrovsk are lost. Everything else is fine; it's just a matter of prisoner exchange.

However, Finance Minister Mikhail was also part of the delegation. They are prepared to renegotiate trade relations with Iran.

Russia's economic situation is an open secret, with its industry and commerce struggling to develop. The tax revenue shortfall needs to be filled, making tariffs a top priority.

Russia's annual customs duties amounted to approximately 5000 million rubles, accounting for one-fifth of Russia's total income. However, this was negligible compared to the tens of millions of pounds in customs duties paid by Britain at the time.

Therefore, to boost the economy, it is essential to expand trade. The trade treaty with Iran needs to be renegotiated; more countries mean more revenue.

Moreover, Iran now also acts as an intermediary. While entrepot trade may not be necessary for a naval power like Britain, it doesn't mean other countries don't need it.

Iran was the second largest trading nation in the Far East after Britain, even surpassing the Netherlands, with its vast colonies, to third place. A large volume of Far Eastern goods were transshipped through Iran to Europe, particularly Austria and Prussia.

Although Russia borders the Far East, transportation costs are too high. Therefore, even the nobles of St. Petersburg had to import goods from Iran. Thus, a more favorable trade treaty was crucial.

According to Mikhail's calculations, an agreement with Iran could generate at least 200 million rubles in tariffs and over 1800 million rubles in trade annually. Furthermore, trade with Iran could stabilize the situation in the Caucasus and Central Asia. It would be a win-win situation.

"Judging from the current situation, our trade agreement with Iran has a very high chance of success. They need food, and our country happens to export a lot of it, so the two countries can complement each other. We can even use the food to control Iran."

Mikhail's viewpoint was unique, but unfortunately, most Russians didn't understand it; they only knew that Russia had lost its foreign wars. Like the Crimean War, the immense pressure of public opinion took a toll on the Tsar's health, ultimately leading to his death.

"We should be glad we don't have those nasty newspapers; as long as we block the news, they won't find out."

"Then what should we do? The Tsar is going there in person; we can't hide it from him no matter what."

Gorchakov thought for a moment and said, "In that case, let it be said that the Tsar condescended to go and grant Iran a hard-won peace."

As long as you have control over the question, you can do whatever you want.

"Then let's put it that way. Before Fu He arrives, let's quickly think of a way to negotiate."

This time it's a one-on-one negotiation between Russia and Iran, with no other country acting as mediator. The old methods of maximum pressure are no longer effective; it's time to think of other approaches.

(End of this chapter)