Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 632 The Queen's Questions
At Buckingham Palace, Prime Minister Gladstone was meeting with the Queen. The Queen had gradually lost interest in politics, but the Ottoman affair forced her to discuss the matter with the Prime Minister again; she certainly didn't want her fat, pig-like son to come.

“Prime Minister Gladstone, you should know what to say. The fact that the Ottomans and Iran share the same monarch has a serious impact on the empire, especially on its interests in India.”

Britain's earlier mistake was allowing Iran to seize the Suez Canal first. Now that the Ottoman Empire has also fallen to Iran, this represents a serious failure of British policy.

Moreover, Iran now controls all Middle Eastern transportation routes except for the Aden and Alexandria railways. Even these routes depend on Iran's approval, as Egypt and the Red Sea remain under Iranian control. Even the route around the Cape of Good Hope passes through Iran and East Africa, and crossing the Strait of Malacca requires monitoring Iran's Sumatra and Cinecitt. Their own shipping lanes have been monitored for so many years, yet the British government has shown no remorse. The navy seems to have become merely a decoration; I don't know why.

“Your Majesty, your concerns are the concerns of the entire Empire. Naser al-Din Shah… or rather the Sultan, has indeed taken an extremely bold step, completely disrupting the balance of power in the Near East. But precisely because of this, we need calm and strategy, rather than a hasty reaction.”

The government recognized that this nascent empire was riddled with deadly cracks. Persians and Turks, Shiites and Sunnis, the Ottoman Empire's enormous debt, ethnic separatism across the land… Nasser al-Din needed time to digest this behemoth, and time was our best ally.”

As he spoke, he took out a telegram from Russia and handed it to the Queen.

“Secondly, the Russians will react more violently than we will.” Gladstone turned to the Queen. “St. Petersburg will never tolerate the road to the Mediterranean being blocked forever. Alexander II’s anger at this moment probably far exceeds that of Buckingham Palace. We can foresee that Russia will take strong action in the Balkans and the Caucasus, and they will become the main force that drains Naserdin’s energy and resources.”

The Queen interrupted him: "So, we're just going to sit idly by and wait for the Russians to pull chestnuts out of the fire for us? Prime Minister, don't forget, once the Russian bear's appetite is whetted, who will be its next target after it swallows Naserdin? A Constantinople controlled by Russia is not in the Empire's interest either!"

“Of course not, Your Majesty,” Gladstone replied calmly. “I do not mean inaction, but rather intervention in a more…economical, more traditionally British way. We should not be the first to rush to the front lines and confront this new entity head-on; we should play a mediating role.”

A sharp glint flashed in Gladstone's eyes. "Naser al-Din's biggest need right now is money, and the Ottoman Empire he inherited is a massive debt black hole. The debts of Egypt and Tunisia are just the tip of the iceberg. We can exert pressure on him through our dominance in the international financial markets. The government can advise London bankers to attach additional conditions to any loans they provide to this new empire. For example, customs oversight led by our country, the right to appoint financial advisors, or even collateral for specific taxes."

He paused, then continued, "At the same time, we can secretly contact Khedif Ismail of Egypt and assure him that the Empire understands his predicament. If Nasser al-Din is unable or unwilling to assume Egypt's debts, Britain is willing to help Egypt seek a path to financial independence."

Queen Victoria nodded thoughtfully, her anger subsiding slightly. "And what else?" she said. "As Your Majesty fears, we cannot allow Russia to monopolize the interests of the Balkans. We should selectively support some Balkan nationalists, but not blindly incite rebellion like Russia has, but rather support those factions more aligned with our country. Our diplomats and secret funds should flow to the intellectuals and officers in Bulgaria and Macedonia, instilling in them the idea that only Britain can help them build a truly independent nation-state, free from Russian or Iranian control."

For the British cabinet, Naserdin's move to the Ottoman Empire was a blunder. It immediately put all of Europe on his opposite side, just like during Napoleon's time. If an anti-Iranian alliance were formed, Naserdin would have to give up all his benefits.

It had only been a little over half a century since the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and as early as the Seven Years' War, Britain had used its financial support for Prussia to contain France and its allies, causing setbacks for France in its South Asian and North American colonies. The impact of the early French Revolution on the region prompted Britain to form seven anti-French coalitions, leading to a confrontation that lasted for over twenty years.

Following the Battle of Jena, Napoleon issued the Continental System in Berlin, imposing a blockade on the British Isles and prohibiting all trade and contact with them. Later, even postal and other communications with Britain were banned. Napoleon also ordered the arrest of all British citizens and the confiscation of their goods and property. His aim was to completely paralyze Britain economically, ultimately leading to its economic bankruptcy and forcing it to submit to France. He sought to transform the Continental System into a weapon of war.

However, the Napoleonic Wars were primarily fought on the European continent, and Britain was not severely damaged, particularly the lives of the upper echelons of industry and commerce. In response to France's Continental System, Britain issued several so-called "Cabinet Acts" in January 1807, imposing a counter-blockade on all ports of France and its allies. From 1807 onwards, the French economy began to shrink, and by February 1811, only 300 of France's 1700 spinning mills remained operational. Due to the widespread factory closures, unemployment soared, coupled with poor harvests and high food prices, leading to a continuous decline in the standard of living.

In the Sixth Alliance, Britain provided Russia, Prussia, and Austria with millions of pounds in aid, along with countless other supplies. To prevent the emergence of a single dominant power in Europe, Britain sacrificed immensely, even losing the life of a prime minister (Percival, the British prime minister, was assassinated by a bankrupt businessman in 1812).
And they're familiar with the Ottomans and Iran too. Isn't this just the Holy Alliance 2.0? As long as Europe unites, they can definitely partition the Ottomans and Iran.

Queen Victoria remained silent for a moment, the only sound in the room being the crackling of the burning wood in the fireplace. Finally, she slowly raised her head.

"Let's do as you say, Prime Minister."

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Gladstone bowed deeply.

(End of this chapter)