Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 640 Upgrade
By December, nearly nine months had passed since Naser al-Din became the Ottoman Sultan. Dramatic changes had taken place within the Ottoman Empire, and everyone was beginning to realize the new Sultan's strong governing abilities. Given more time, the Ottoman Empire would be entirely different.

However, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean has indeed become tense, with the French government stating that Christians in the Levant and Jerusalem are being oppressed and that they are discussing with Britain their mission to protect them.

The Ottoman Foreign Ministry immediately retorted that the Ottoman government protected the rights of all its citizens, regardless of faith or ethnicity. France was merely using this as a pretext to seize Ottoman territory, just as it had done in Algeria.

This is a direct slap in the face to France, something unprecedented in the centuries-long history of friendly relations between the two countries. It seems that even a change in the Sudanese government has altered foreign policy.

President McMahon was furious. He had hoped to divert domestic conflicts and even pave the way for the restoration of the monarchy through this "holy war," but he never expected Nasser al-Din to dare to humiliate France so directly.

“That barbaric Persian! Who does he think he is?” McMahon roared at the military conference. “He must pay! Navy, where is our fleet?”

At 10 Downing Street in London, the atmosphere was even more complex. The Earl of Granville, holding Ottoman's reply, frowned deeply. Nasser al-Din's toughness had taken him by surprise; this was no longer the sick man of Europe that could be easily intimidated.

“Mr. Prime Minister,” Granville said to Gladstone, “Naserdin has seen through our intentions. His tough stance must be due to something. Is it the defenses of the Caucasus, or some secret understanding he has reached with Austria, or even with Bismarck? We can no longer subdue him with just a few warships as we have in the past.”

"Of course he has something to rely on. He relies on the nearly forty million people he has just consolidated, stirred up by nationalist sentiment, and on the rising power of Iran behind him. But, Granville, the more this is the case, the less we can back down. If we show weakness, the entire order in the Eastern Mediterranean will collapse completely, and the Suez Canal will never be at peace. The French need a war, and we need the canal!"

The telegraph lines between Britain and France became even busier, and the two countries' ambassadors in Constantinople delivered a joint ultimatum to the Ottoman Foreign Ministry.

1. Immediately cease the “religious persecution” in the Levant and allow the Anglo-French Joint Commission to investigate.

2. To ensure the absolute safety of the Christian churches in Jerusalem, a small number of "guardians of the faith" were dispatched by Britain and France to guard the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

3. Remove the “unreasonable restrictions” on the activities of European capital in the Ottoman Empire and restore “financial freedom” in the Galata region.

4. A response must be provided within a specified period, otherwise the British and French fleets will take "necessary measures" to protect their nationals and interests.

This joint ultimatum, like a final ultimatum, was placed on Nasser al-Din's desk. The atmosphere inside Topkapi Palace was incredibly tense. All the key officials and generals were gathered, awaiting the Sultan's decision.

“They’ve finally revealed their true colors,” Naserdin’s voice rang out. “Do we still have any room to maneuver?”

Amir immediately said, “Shah, the ultimatum is extremely strong in its wording. Britain and France seem to have made up their minds, and there is very little room for diplomatic maneuvering. The Austrian side has indicated that they cannot directly support us militarily against Britain and France, but they are willing to take the lead in mediation in Vienna and have promised to remain benevolently neutral, which at least stabilizes the situation on our western front.” “What about the Russians?” Nasser al-Din asked.

Hajizadeh replied, “The Russian Black Sea Fleet is very active, and the army is continuously reinforcing its troops on the Caucasus border. They are waiting, and once we go to war with Britain and France, they will surely swarm in like vultures to seize the straits and Armenian regions they have been dreaming of.”

This is the worst-case scenario: facing a pincer attack from both the maritime superpowers of Britain and France, and the land power of Russia.

"It seems they have closed the last door to peace. However, they think we are still the Ottomans at the mercy of others, or an Iran that has succeeded by sheer luck. They are wrong."

Telegrams were being relayed between Constantinople and Baghdad, and according to Murad's report, Iran had begun mobilization. Arms factories were also operating at full capacity, having already transported 300 artillery pieces and enough ammunition for twenty days to Constantinople by rail.

The military system in the Ottoman Empire was also initially established, with the army urgently expanded to 300,000 men. Hundreds of recruitment offices were set up, and through propaganda and military pay, it was expected that a considerable number of people could be mobilized. This would be the largest war in Eastern Europe.

“They sent the ultimatum not because they were invincible, but because they were afraid. They were afraid of a unified empire, no longer under their control, emerging at the crossroads of East and West. They were used to divide and rule, used to being bossy, and now we have broken their rules of the game.”

"All soldiers are on standby and will be deployed to their designated locations as soon as possible. Utilizing the natural barrier of the Danube River and the complex terrain of Bulgaria, we will establish layers of defense to delay any potential land threats from the Balkans."

"Do everything in our power to protect the economy. Implement resource rationing, stabilize market prices, and mobilize all resources to support the front lines. At the same time, launch a comprehensive propaganda campaign to ensure that every citizen of the empire knows why we are fighting!"

Commands were issued one after another, and the entire imperial machine began to operate with unprecedented efficiency. Telegraph lines transmitted war instructions in all directions.

On December 25, the Ottoman government officially announced its rejection of the ultimatums from Britain and France. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected all of Britain and France's unreasonable demands in the strongest terms, and clearly stated that any infringement on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the empire would be considered an act of war and would be met with the most resolute counterattack.

This statement was like a declaration of war, completely igniting the powder keg.

In Vienna, Emperor Franz kept his promise, actively calling for calm from all parties and proposing an international conference to resolve the dispute. Unsurprisingly, no other country responded.

The first to react were the French and British Mediterranean fleets, who, disregarding Ottoman warnings, sailed to the port of Beirut on January 1st to "support" the local Christians. However, what they didn't expect was that in the preceding months, Iranian forces had already constructed six artillery batteries in the area and equipped them with large-caliber coastal defense guns.

The Beirut government had issued three consecutive warnings, and after these warnings were ignored, it opened fire on the fleets of both countries, who retaliated. This resulted in severe damage to the British warship HMS Belfast and the sinking of the French warship Trafalgar. The situation escalated dramatically!
(End of this chapter)