Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 515 The New British Government

At this time, the British government underwent a change of government, and Prime Minister Russell's reform measures were strongly opposed by the House of Commons and halted. He was forced to resign in Parliament, and subsequently, the Conservative Party leader, the Earl of Derby, was appointed Prime Minister by the Queen.

However, this eloquent earl appeared quite weak in both the House of Commons and the government. In Parliament, he faced the same trouble as Prime Minister Russell from the outset: expanding suffrage through reforms. After all, when he was in the opposition, he only needed to oppose; now that he was in power, he found it to be a real headache.

Within the government, he also faces discontent within the Conservative Party, with some believing that Derby has held the Conservative leadership position for too long and it's time for a change.

Furthermore, although this was his third term as prime minister, his previous two terms combined totaled only fourteen months, indicating a lack of governing experience. To protect him, the Earl of Derby reassigned Disraeli, who had previously served as finance minister, to the same position.

"What's going on in Afghanistan? How could our government be so slow to react?"

The Earl of Derby learned of the situation in Afghanistan; in such a short time, Iran had gone from indirect to direct control. Meanwhile, news from India was arriving rather slowly.

This reminded him of the Thirty Years' War, when Bernhard of Weimar, with French support, controlled Alsace, but died less than six months later, and France seized the region. Now Iran is taking the same steps.

“Prime Minister, we now need to add our presence in India. Iran is using its influence to attract a large number of followers, and if we cannot stop them, one day they will turn around and bite Britain.”

Foreign Secretary Lord Stanley proposed strengthening the British presence in India, particularly in the region near Iran, requiring more troops. A regime under the same religion is truly terrifying; over a thousand years ago, the Arab Empire swept across North Africa and Europe; three hundred years ago, the Ottoman Empire instilled fear in Europe. Now, with the rise of Iran, who knows what the future holds?

“Well said, Lord Stanley. But I must remind you that, in the current situation, we still need Iran to resist Russia. Alexander the Great of Russia will not abandon his policies because of a lost war.”

Army Secretary Jonathan Peale offered his perspective: "While Iran's influence in Afghanistan may not be deeply entrenched, it is certainly substantial. Moreover, they have stabilized the situation."

"That's precisely why we need to demonstrate our strength. Otherwise, those people will one day reach out to India."

The British navy must be present on every sunny land; the imperial territory must not be violated.

Lord Stanley explained without hesitation, while the Earl of Derby nodded vigorously. Everyone in the cabinet knew that this lord was not qualified to be in the cabinet, but he had a father who was Prime Minister.

That's right, the Lord is the eldest son of the Earl of Derby and will inherit his father's title in the future. He's just gaining experience in the cabinet right now.

"Let India handle the Afghan issue. The most important thing now is to take over the mess left by the previous government."

Lord Lord Malmesbury, Lord Keeper of the Seal, stated the government's most urgent task: electoral reform is imperative, and both the Liberal and Conservative parties must accomplish this task.

When news broke that the Liberal Party's proposal had been rejected, it sparked a strong reaction across the country. Fights for reform erupted in many regions, with rallies held everywhere. To maintain its precarious position and secure a majority in the next parliamentary election, the Conservative cabinet was forced to express support for parliamentary reform and begin drafting a reform plan. "Reform is necessary, but we must also protect our interests in India. Iran has already acquired Malaya and Argentina; where will it be next? The Ottomans, Canada, Mexico? Or Brazil, Bolivia? If we cannot stop its rapid expansion, it will have unimaginable consequences for world peace."

The Earl of Derby also felt the need to give Iran a warning, otherwise they would forget who the world's ruler was.

Of course, Britain wasn't foolish enough to intervene directly. They naturally resorted to supporting proxies to deal with the troublemakers—a tactic that had proven consistently effective. In the Seven Years' War, they allied with Prussia against Russia, France, and Austria; in the Napoleonic Wars, they supported Russia against France; and in the Crimean War, they supported France as cannon fodder.

Now, we need to support countries that can counter Iran. The two best targets are Russia and Siam.

For Iran, all allies are only temporary... but Russia, as an enemy, is permanent. Russia has always wanted to reclaim lost territory, and Iran also has the need to completely dismantle Russia. Meanwhile, the struggle between the two countries for control of the Ottoman region is intensifying.

Russia attracted Serbs and Bulgarians through Orthodox Christianity and Pan-Slavism, while Iran appealed to the Ottomans with economic incentives and a grand narrative. Regarding Bulgaria, Iran shifted from outright support for independence to a more controlled approach, instead fostering Romania as a new state of resistance.

Romania needed to reclaim Bessarabia, and even though he was Orthodox Christian, he wasn't Slavic and thus felt out of place in the Balkans. Iran then approached him, offering investment and loans to support him.

For Britain, trade and investment were the best ways to support Russia. Britain exported textiles and machinery to Russia and imported grain and timber from it. As Russia industrialized, their demand for British industrial goods would further increase.

“I think we can provide a loan to Russia,” Disraeli said from the side.

"I'm afraid Russia might suddenly back out and start another war."

"Yes, we are afraid. But let's not forget our country's foreign policy over the past hundred years. What if we help Russia while simultaneously reminding Iran?"

That was a novel idea, but Lord Stanley felt uneasy about it. "There might be some risks involved."

"Of course there are risks, but it's well worth it for our country. We don't want Iran to perish, we just want to teach them a lesson. Of course, not now, Russia is still recovering from the previous war."

We don't necessarily need to let them fight; we just need some pressure. Unresolved pressure. That way, no matter which country it is, they'll realize our importance. Then…

Everyone thought about it and agreed. If they didn't need to send troops, they could maximize their profits by watching the two sides fight from the sidelines. The real fear was any unforeseen events. But as things stood, the probability of that happening was less than 10%, unless some unforeseen event occurred. Otherwise, Britain's golden age might be coming to an end.

(End of this chapter)