Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 580 A new stage
While strolling through the bazaar, Ali bought a portrait of Nasser al-Din Shah, which he hung on his wall and bowed to before going to work each day. He was grateful for the Shah's iron-fisted reforms, which gave these young people, who would otherwise have spent their lives farming, new hope.

Besides portraits, there are also Iranian flags, which are displayed in almost every household. On New Year's Day and the Shah's birthday, people bring the flag to rallies, especially on the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, to commemorate Iran's first victory over its formidable rival, Russia.

In the square in downtown Baghdad, there is a large bulletin board where important government or local announcements are posted. Ali would also check it in his spare time, noting things like what new government policies were about to be issued or whether tariffs were going to increase.

In the very center was a notice announcing the government's impending promulgation of a charter. Ali didn't know what a charter was, but he figured it would be good if Shah implemented it.

Ordinary people wouldn't understand these things; all they seek is a good life. This is what the government provides for them.

Prince Murad brought back encouraging results, having reached favorable agreements with both the Ottoman Empire and Egypt. Meanwhile, news of Ghahraman's arrival reached Baghdad. Borrowing from France was undoubtedly a high-risk business, but given the preferential treatment secured with French Mediterranean ports, it was worthwhile.

However, Rafsanjani's letter made Naserdin nervous. Alexander II held a grand military parade in St. Petersburg to commemorate the Battle of Borodino. He saw that the Russian army's equipment had been modernized, indicating that the Tsar had put a lot of effort into reforming the military.

After the military parade, many intellectuals chanted slogans about Slavic brotherhood. But based on ethnic background, from Stettin in the north to Sofia in the south, these are all supposedly Slavic brothers; further south, there's Greece, the Orthodox Christian brother. Why does Russia have so many brothers?
"It seems that the Russians still have no intention of giving up on breaking out of the Black Sea and are always thinking about taking Constantinople."

Abdullah chimed in, "The Ottomans probably can't stop Russia."

“That’s why he needs his old friend to lend a hand.” Nasser al-Din pushed the chess piece representing the Iranian soldier onto Constantinople on the map. “As long as this place remains Ottoman, Russia will never be able to break through.”

“But Father, even if the Ottomans can continue to control Constantinople, what if this place becomes independent?”

Murad placed another piece on the Ottoman territories in the Balkans, "so that Russia could reach the Mediterranean via the railway, through Romania and Serbia. And the loss of Balkan territory also put Constantinople in grave danger."

"So we need to help them, otherwise why push for the military proposal first?"

The previous military proposal was passed with the Shah's push and included in the new year's budget. However, the army department was still somewhat dissatisfied with the number of recruits, feeling it was too few and should be increased.

他们给出的修改提案是:将陆军数量提高到50万，火炮数量由700门提高到1400门，机枪数量增加到3200挺。这些东西需要在1500万里亚尔的基础上再增加800万。财政部都要抗议了，还是在沙阿的强压下通过。

Hopefully, time will allow for another war to break out within the next ten years, or even five. Iran must muster all its strength to launch an attack in order to possibly thwart Russia's plot. The Ottoman Empire, after military reforms, possesses 280,000 troops and 600 artillery pieces, but its consistently poor economic situation has limited its military expansion. Russia, on the other hand, currently has at least 600,000 troops and thousands of artillery pieces, and this number continues to grow.

"What is the state of the Ottoman navy?"

"The Ottomans had 10 capital ships and 32 non-frigates in the Black Sea, which were of better quality than the newly built Russian Black Sea Fleet. Their leader was a converted Englishman named Hobart, who also acquired the Pasha."

From this perspective, the Ottoman navy wasn't a concern; the real threat came from the Balkan peoples. The Ottomans didn't have good relations with them, and Iran also bears some responsibility for this situation. During the war against the Ottomans, Iran supported Cretan and Bulgarian nationalism to create trouble for the Ottomans.

"Those who support so-called national independence must withdraw. All materials must be destroyed, and all those in the know must be silenced."

This kind of thing can only be explained by differing stances. Now that the Ottoman Empire is no longer a match for Iran, containing Russian influence has become the top priority. Maintaining a moderately powerful Ottoman Empire is in Iran's interest.

"It's not just the Mediterranean; there are opportunities within Russia itself," Vizier Musharraf added. "Unlike France and Germany, which are monolithic, the Polish, Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian peoples are more or less striving for independence. Finland and Siberia also have their own cultures, but St. Petersburg has largely suppressed and modified them to maintain stability. Local anger is secretly brewing."

The ethnic problems within Russia were even more severe than those in Austria or the Ottoman Empire, with high-ranking officials in minority regions typically being ethnic Russians or nobles completely loyal to the central government. Autonomous rights were severely restricted. Even in regions like Finland and Poland, which originally enjoyed a high degree of autonomy, their privileges were being continuously stripped away, sparking strong resistance.

In Poland, where the resistance was fiercest, after the uprising failed, the Tsarist government adopted the most brutal Russification policy, even downgrading the "Kingdom of Poland" to the "Vistula Territory," attempting to erase Poland's existence administratively and culturally.

Furthermore, ethnic and class issues were intertwined. For example, in Ukraine, peasants rebelled against both Russian and Polish landowners; in the Baltic states, peasants rebelled against German landowners. This made the social structure more fragile.

Russia attempted to maintain its vast and diverse empire using a model of "one state, one nation, one tsar, one church." But this was doomed to failure, unless someone like him was a time traveler.

He initially believed he could quickly make Iran powerful, but that's not something that can be achieved overnight. He has also engaged in conflict while claiming to be recuperating and rebuilding, and this kind of inconsistency is his norm. He always needs assistance to truly implement his plans. This inconsistency is especially evident when venturing into more complex situations.

Fortunately, it finally had some effect, and he could do whatever he wanted again. If he were to write a novel about his experiences, he'd probably be torn to shreds by criticism. There's no logic involved, but reality is the last thing that needs logic.

(End of this chapter)