Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 7 Big Moves
Naser al-Din invited the tribal chiefs to a gathering at his governor's mansion. When the news reached the tribes, their leaders all felt that their plan had succeeded.

When the governor purged the tax collectors of Tabriz, he had already offended the local tribes, who saved money every year by bribing officials and then doubled their income from the farmers.

Now that Naser al-Din's policies have offended them, they naturally don't treat him well. They formed an alliance and vehemently resisted the governor's policies. They also intimidated the officials sent to collect taxes, with the Marat tribe being the most ruthless; their chief even cut off the ears of one of their officials.

In his letter, Naser al-Din apologized to the leaders, mainly admitting that he shouldn't have done what he did and offering to hold a meeting to repent. The leaders agreed and prepared to go.

The leader of the Marat tribe was the most powerful, thus becoming the leader of the alliance here. Since the governor had yielded, they naturally had to give him a way out, letting him see who was truly the master here.

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Naserdin was carrying his cousin as they strolled around the governor's mansion, accompanied by his uncle, Abdullah, who was highly regarded in Russia. Although he was his uncle, Abdullah was only 10 years older than him.

"Dear Uncle, we never even see each other usually, what brings you to Tabriz today?"

Abdullah understood Nasser al-Din's meaning, for there were rumors circulating that Russia intended to install him as the future king of the Qajar dynasty. But he could assure Allah that he had absolutely no ulterior motives. On the contrary, he believed that the country must not be thrown into turmoil, otherwise the Russians would seize their few remaining territories, just as they had seized Baku and Yerevan.

"Governor, please don't joke. I heard that there are plans to send students to study in England soon. I'd like to see if you can arrange a spot for me."

This was the first time he'd seen this, and Nasserdin was also puzzled. The royal family shouldn't be short of money, and they could travel freely, so why were they seeking his help?

Abdullah noticed his nephew's confusion and said, "I think the royal family should unite now. The world is changing very quickly, and since Abbas the Great has done business with Britain, it's fine for us to go to Britain."

Abdullah's words dispelled some of Naserdin's doubts, but he still couldn't completely believe it. The Qajar royal family now had at least several dozen members, but there was only one king, and everyone was scheming against each other for the position. Russia had also seen this situation and was inciting other royal family members or tribes to rebel against the Qajar dynasty. Abdullah had also learned about the situation in Tabriz, so he came to try to leave the country through them.

Although he didn't know the uncle's intentions, since the man wanted to go abroad, he should help him out. At least he would pose the least threat in the next few years.

At this moment, Amir was talking with Sergeyevich, the Russian consul in Tabriz. Over the past year, the Russian consul had observed the situation in Tabriz. Although Russian goods were still entering Persia, Tabriz's exports had increased significantly.

In 1844, Russia shipped 5 million rubles worth of textiles to the Tabriz region, but this year it's only 4.5 million. They also need to spend 3 million rubles importing local carpets and raw silk. Meanwhile, the increased export volume of local tobacco and fruit is impacting Russian merchants. These factors alone wouldn't have worried the consul, but the new army established by the governor-general is causing them anxiety. Although it currently only has 8,000 men, it seems they intend to expand it to over 20000.

The Caucasus Viceroyalty has sent a message to the Russian ambassador, not requesting the dissolution of the other side, but demanding that the other side strictly abide by the treaty and refrain from any excessive actions. While Persia is important, it is less so compared to the Ottoman Empire.

"Your Excellency Amir, our country is puzzled by your country's move to rest and reorganize its troops in Tabriz, and regards it as a provocation against our country."

The consul's opening remarks were indeed extraordinary, immediately accusing Amir of undermining international relations. But Amir was prepared for this.

"How can you say that, Consul? The Governor has been paying great attention to the army recently because there are often bandits around Tabriz, but the old army is no longer able to defeat them, so a new army is being trained."

This excuse always worked because the other side had no reason to stop it. Besides, both the Ottomans and Egypt trained modern armies; surely Persia couldn't be an exception?
"Russia has no particular intention; it simply hopes that your country will abide by the Treaty of Turkmenchay and jointly safeguard the friendly relations between the two countries."

Through this treaty, Russia annexed Yerevan, Nakhchivan, and the rest of the Talish Khanate in Persia, with the Alas River forming the border between the two countries. Russia's conquest of Persia was essentially over, and Tsar Nicholas I turned his attention to the Ottoman and Polish territories.

"That's for sure. Everything our country does is for the peace between our two countries. If bandits were to enter your country, it would cause irreparable damage to the friendship between our two nations."

Such an impeccable argument actually fooled the consul. Although Russia wasn't afraid of attacking Persia again, the prospect of attacks from multiple directions was fatal for Russia. Since Persia had no intention of attacking Russia, then so be it. After all, hadn't they been observing Persia's training of its new army before?
The consul left, and Amir breathed a sigh of relief. The hardest part was over; now came the main event. All the new troops were deployed in and around Tabriz, along with 3 local Azerbaijani militia, who began assembling once all the leaders entered Tabriz. Although they were all armed with melee weapons and untrained, it was enough.

Soon, the tribal chiefs from the surrounding areas arrived in Tabriz with only a small retinue, and were immediately greeted with tears in their eyes. The abundance of tobacco and delicacies convinced them that the governor was bribing them to support his future as king. In that case, why not extort some money from him?
The influx of tribes, large and small, into the city provoked the merchants' resentment, as these tribes robbed without paying, causing them to close their shops early. These savages disregarded order, taking and plundering at will. Anything they coveted became their private property.

The Marat tribe chief entered the city with true bravado, bringing over 300 men with him. These were all renowned warriors of their tribe, and he intended to give the governor a taste of his power, hoping the governor wouldn't kneel and beg for mercy.

Amir has begun preparations to welcome these people; the governor's plan is being implemented, and not a single step can be wrong.

(End of this chapter)