Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 500: The West is Stable, the East Rises

It seems the Argentina situation is over, and Britain hasn't suffered too much loss, as long as they get the money.

Naser al-Din was also focused on another matter: now that Baghdad was basically completed, why not move the capital?

Time flies. Eight years have passed since the war with the Ottomans, and ten years since the end of the Crimean War. These ten years have been a period of rapid development for Iran, with economic growth, territorial expansion, and cultural revival. Iran is ushering in an unprecedented era of prosperity, one that even Abbas the Great may not be able to match.

If further expansion is desired, relocating the capital is inevitable. Tehran is too remote for the Middle East; the Zagros Mountains block most of the connection with Mesopotamia. To strengthen control, the capital must be moved.

Furthermore, the city is located in a semi-arid climate zone with a tight water supply. Therefore, from any perspective, Iran must relocate its capital.

The new capital that Iran has chosen, Baghdad, can effectively solve these problems. Located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Baghdad enjoys convenient access to both water sources.

At the same time, Baghdad is situated at the crossroads of Iranian-controlled territories, connected to both the Arabian Peninsula in the south and mainland Iran in the east via rail and telegraph. Cities located at trade hubs can also reap substantial profits through commerce.

According to the previous relocation process, the education, agriculture and forestry, and industry and commerce departments will move out first, followed by the interior, army, and navy, and finally the finance, foreign affairs, grand vizier, and parliament. Once all have moved out, Tehran's mission as the capital will be over, and it will then continue to function as the capital of Tehran Province.

“Now the Ottomans won’t be able to sleep,” Naser al-Din said.

"It seems that the Sultan has not learned his lesson and continues to borrow money to satisfy his own desires. Other officials are following suit. No matter how good the decrees are, they are just pieces of paper if no one implements them."

The empire that once spanned three continents is now reduced to this state. One wonders what Mehmed II, upon entering Constantinople, would have thought if he saw this.

"By the way, is our prince settling in well in Aceh?"

Mirza Shah Abbas has settled in Aceh. The Mughal prince has begun learning Persian and converting to Shia Islam. If it weren't for his identity, he would probably be mistaken for a native Iranian.

Shah granted him 35 riyals annually for living expenses, which Mirza used to begin his cultural life, including commissioning Indian painters to create Mughal-style paintings. Even after the British discovered his escape, they publicly stated that the prince had died suddenly from an illness. They knew the enormous impact news of his escape would have on India.

"He's been doing well lately. Apart from not being able to move around freely, he hasn't been deprived of anything in terms of food or clothing."

This was the best treatment he could receive. Abdullah also knew that Nasserdin's purpose was to use his status to transform and seize control of India.

"What do you think about marrying Fatima to him?"

"what?!"

Abdullah hadn't expected the Shah to have such considerations. Who was Fatima? The Shah's eldest daughter, the eldest princess of Iran. Wouldn't it cause some problems to marry her off to a last prince?

Moreover, although Princess Fatima did not receive a systematic education like the princes, the Shah still hired an English female tutor for her.

“Shah, we must be careful about the princess’s marriage. It might make others think we are helping the Mughals restore their kingdom.” (While that is indeed the case.) “Why interpret it that way? If marriage is an alliance, then there would be no war.”

Although the political and military significance of marriage alliances has diminished, it's not entirely absent. While Britain may not know this, the marriage of a princess from one country would certainly attract attention from other nations.

"Why not bring the prince to Baghdad first and let him live with the princess for a while? Then we can hold the wedding when the time is right?"

While others might not know about British India, surely Abdullah and Nasser al-Din did? To govern this region, Britain established a dedicated India Office and significantly increased the number of British soldiers. Currently, Britain maintains 85,000 British troops in India, while the local Indian army has been reduced to 100,000. Artillery and technical branches are entirely British-held, with Indian soldiers limited to infantry and cavalry.

At the same time, priority was given to recruiting "loyal groups": Sikhs, Gurkhas, and Patanians, while excluding the core groups from the 1857 uprising. This gave Britain a comprehensive military dominance over India. Any disturbance would be swiftly suppressed.

Nasser al-Din looked at Abdullah and realized he hadn't considered anything else, so he agreed to the proposal. Staying in Aceh wasn't very interesting; it would be better to go to Baghdad for a while.

At that moment, a telegram was sent from the telegraph machine in the Gulestan Palace. After the telegraph operator translated it, it was delivered to the Shah, and Nasser al-Din's smile froze upon reading it.

“Shah…” Abdullah asked softly from the side. Nasser al-Din handed him the telegram.

The above is just a short sentence: On February 11, the Afghan King Abdul was assassinated in Kabul.

Abdullah was stunned; how could the other person be gone in such a short time?

"It seems that someone can't sit still anymore."

Abdul had only one two-year-old son, Ghani. After his death, power in the country shifted to his son and wife. The generals below him, however, were not having an easy time. Such a scenario could be traced back a thousand years to the Wars of the Diadochi, triggered by the sudden death of Alexander the Great.

"Could this be the British interfering?"

"Perhaps, but the situation is very difficult right now. We must solve the problem quickly, otherwise those people will come back and everything we've done will be for nothing."

After some thought, Abdullah concluded that sending troops to Afghanistan was the only option. However, this would require dealing with hundreds of tribes along the way and resolving the issue of inconvenient transportation.

Naser al-Din typed a telegram, "ordering Governor Herat and General Anwar to lead the Fifth and Seventh Legions to Kabul and to capture Kandahar and Peshawar as quickly as possible."

Even the British needed to enter Afghanistan through the Khyber Pass. Given their speed, they could certainly reach Kabul before they could act.

The remaining Sunnis in the south are likely also involved in this conspiracy; the Harazars' seizure of national power certainly displeases them. If their leader were to die suddenly, wouldn't they have a chance to regain power?

But Nasser al-Din had also considered this, so he specifically instructed in the telegram to be swift and granted the governor of Herat considerable authority, allowing him flexibility. In short, the goal was to secure their interests in Afghanistan.

(End of this chapter)