Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Tehran was right in front of him, but Solovyov was in no hurry to go in. He was like Napoleon in 1812, waiting here for the city's elders to surrender the city.

Another reason is that the Persians had a very poor reputation in diplomacy.

Although Solovyov had not personally experienced what had happened, he knew everything about it.

As for those people inside the city who do not surrender, he can let the Tatars ride their horses outside the city as a form of intimidation.

It's important to know that before Nadir Shah, the Timurid Empire had massacred the lands of the Persian Empire several times. Even though those heads were from four hundred years ago, they must still have vivid memories of them.

Moreover, Solovyov was notorious for his ruthlessness; he was involved in almost every battle that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of enemies.

Although he treated prisoners of war well, this was something that could survive in his camp.

Many people were also being held captive outside the city, which instilled fear in the Persians inside the city.

Several months ago, radicals in the city killed almost everyone at the Russian embassy and desecrated their bodies.

This cruel scene, with only a few dozen deaths, was enough to bring about disaster.

In other words, since Solovyov came from 19th-century Europe, which was already relatively civilized, he would not have directly burned down the city.

What he is demanding now is that the citizens of Tehran hand over the most vicious murderers, with no regard for accomplices, and surrender the city.

If these demands are not met, the Tatars on the Russian side will not easily let the city go, and may even plunder Tehran.

The Persians also vaguely knew that Solovyov always took some Tatar cavalry with him on his expeditions. What had these barbarians brought to the Iranian plateau in history?

Therefore, they were both afraid and considering this request.

It's actually acceptable. Although the priest mobilized believers to go, it was just an call for demonstrations. If it really came down to killing people, Europeans wouldn't target the priest or civilians.

The only ones to be abandoned were the royal relatives and nobles of the Qajar dynasty.

Even the religious leaders remembered that when Genghis Khan came to Central Asia and conquered the cities of Khwarazm, he did not go on a killing spree.

There's always room for maneuver if the murderer is handed over.

Moreover, they knew that if the Russian army could obtain some treasure, the city would be spared from looting.

Another important matter is the army still in Tehran at this time. The largest force is the legion composed of Russian deserters. If they defect even faster, there will probably be nothing left for me.

So, after discussions between the papacy chief and the nobles who had not participated in the siege of the embassy, ​​they decided to call upon their own Russian soldiers to surround the residences of the main perpetrators' families, and that would be sufficient.

How to proceed from there depends on Russia's attitude.

Solovyov would not arbitrarily decide to execute these prisoners; instead, he would organize a trial.

As for which law to use for the trial, that will ultimately be decided by the victor.

"You are Alahar Khan?"

"So what if I am? What are you going to do about it?"

"You remind me of Hail Khan of Otrar, who, by using his status as the nephew of Empress Dowager Turhan, killed Tatar merchants. Sultan Muhammad then killed a Mongol envoy, which ultimately brought disaster upon them."

Solovyov held a riding crop in his hand, his expression serious.

"If it were the old way, you would probably be torn apart by five horses in the square in front of the Shah's palace, receiving the cruelest punishment. But they are just two women, Armenian women, probably kidnapped by you during your previous wars, right? You Azerbaijanis, you think you can do whatever you want just because you are royalty, now you have to pay the price."

"You do it."

"Want to see how a Persian hero dies? Khair Khan could put up a fight, but you were even defeated by us. In Tehran, you're nothing but a foolish nobleman. I'll arrange a place for you. I think locking him up in a dungeon would be fine. As for what to do with him, that's up to him."

Solovyov's actions did indeed instill fear in Alahar Khan.

Because Solovyov had no intention of killing him at all; on the contrary, he wanted to use some terrifying methods.

The Russian army officially entered the city, but they only looted the homes of the nobles who deserved their fate, even prying open the floors and taking away a lot of jewelry hidden underneath.

"Your Highness, what should we do? Should we distribute all the treasure of these people to our brothers?"

"These are all ill-gotten gains. We will leave a portion for the future Tehran City Hall as a reserve fund. We need to regulate every word and action in this city and restore prosperity through order."

Solovyov had many more things to consider, and he did not meet with the British or French ambassadors in Tehran, nor did he go to the palace where he lived in the Shah.

"This place is too luxurious. They have so much wealth, yet they are unwilling to part with it to replace the taxes they levy on the common people. Besides the treasures, there must also be grain, right?"

"Yes, sir. There are even quite a few guns, ammunition, and military supplies that the British brought in, in the military depots."

"They probably don't care about halal anymore. Let's ask the priests if we can use these rations as reserves for the workhouse, or distribute them to the common people."

When Solovyov entered the city, there were also messengers from the Great Ayatollah of Qom.

"The most respected elder has sent someone?"

"Yes, my lord."

"I want to meet him in person. I don't know what he has to say to me, a general of a secular country, who is still a heretic and a foreigner to me."

The letter from the Great Ayatollah was written in Persian, and the Persian calligraphy was very beautiful, with elegant and flowing strokes.

"On behalf of the Grand Ayatollah, I send this letter to His Excellency the Marshal of Russia. I hope that, for the sake of Allah, we are both believers and should treat the common people kindly. I also hope that His Excellency will do more good deeds in the future so that he will go to heaven after he dies."

"Thank you for the blessings from the respected elder and his messenger. I have already made arrangements to deliver the Shah's grain reserves for the army to the almshouse and to distribute them to citizens in need. In addition, I hope that one day when I arrive in Qom, I will be able to visit this venerable old man."

“You are not the infidels we thought we knew. Russians were always considered barbaric, but your actions are very civilized.” “In the past, the Persians and Turks probably thought I was a ruthless executioner!”

"There are indeed such rumors, but the Great Ayatollah is also aware of this situation; they are all exaggerated facts."

“You can walk around with me and see the sights. You are also wearing a priest’s robe, which proves that we are friends. Even after Russia establishes its rule here, it will treat the people well and respect the priests.”

"How many sons do you have, Your Highness?"

“Now I have five sons living with me. Four of them are my wife’s children. She is pregnant again, but St. Petersburg and Tehran are too far apart, so I don’t know if she has given birth yet.”

"And what about the other son?"

“He was born to my family’s Turkish housekeeper, and the Emperor himself was his godfather.”

“If it were an ordinary person as the godfather, we would hope that one of your sons would convert to Islam.”

In truth, the request made by the messenger sent by Ayatollah the Great was not excessive, and was even somewhat reasonable.

At this time, within the Persian Empire, the people's hearts were already unsettled due to the Shah's crushing defeat.

The Grand Ayatollahs were merely there to ensure the safety of the common people. While they did concern themselves with secular affairs, they were more concerned with religious law and order.

The Russian prince and field marshal walked together on the streets of Tehran with representatives of the Grand Ayatollah, exchanging views, inspecting relief sites, and also seeing areas under construction.

After the Russian army entered Tehran, they also improved the local water supply and sanitation conditions. A section of the military hospital was opened separately to treat the locals and to provide medicines, including saffron imported from the Persian Empire.

"It is truly unimaginable that you are such a merciful conqueror; God will surely bless you."

"I hope there will be peace in the future, and that the Persians should maintain their voluntary faith, not only as Orthodox believers but also as Christians. Jesus is just a prophet to you, but our doctrines still have common ground. In addition, Zoroastrianism will also be respected, as this is a tradition of the Iranian plateau in the past. Everyone has the freedom of belief. This is my opinion."

Why would you say that?

"Because I know that the foolish Austrians, just by trying to convert the Serbs, have lost ten thousand experienced veterans and their once loyal protectorate allies. In Persia, we will guarantee freedom of religion for everyone, help farmers cultivate the land, enable artisans to improve their skills, and establish factories. We will even consult the elders on whether certain practices are in accordance with the doctrine."

Fortunately, among these highly learned old men, they had only heard of one white-bearded old man who drove the king away, and that was a priest who would not appear for decades.

Solovyov's reply to the Grand Ayatollah also surprised the scholars and priests at the Qom Theological Seminary.

They also knew about Akbar the Great of the Mughals, and that was probably his idea.

Solovyov's boss, Nikolai, could even be seen as a Christian Akbar who allowed the field marshal freedom of action in Persia and respected local customs.

There were indeed people in Russia who believed in Orthodox Christianity, but they were from opposing sects. Only the Chechen and Dagestan mountain light infantry who came to Tehran with Solovyov were influenced by some Sufism, but there were no Shiites among them.

Moreover, even though Solovyov's letters were translated, his attitude was still evident.

So Qom did not raise its flag to announce the "jihad," but instead extended a new, formal invitation, hoping that Solovyov would come to Qom.

Although he was a pagan, he was considered a "follower of the scriptures" and even knew some Islamic law. He was also a friend of the Ibad Sultan of Oman and even went to Central Asia to expose the false claims of the two Khojas to the lineage of the prophets.

In addition, Solovyov's campaigns and travels took him to many places.

His campaigns covered a vast area, second only to Subutai, a famous general of the Mongol Empire, and the distances he traveled were unmatched even by Ibn Battuta. He visited every inhabited continent except Australia.

After receiving the reply, Solovyov summoned local clergy, scholars, and wealthy gentlemen at the new city hall in Tehran and showed them the reply from these respected elders, including Qom.

"Based on the opinions of our respected elders, I will determine the local tax rates, abolish the poll tax, halve the commercial tax, and, in accordance with the doctrine, prohibit any usury. Interest-bearing loans shall not exceed the loan interest rate stipulated by the Russian Bank. Past usury will be wiped out, and only basic interest will be guaranteed."

The current Solovyov is also a true "God of War of the Western Regions," doing the work of Nasreddin.

However, he rides horses, never donkeys.

Of course, the wealthy landlords had to accept this.

They don't consider that the local people near Tehran are relieved of their heavy burdens, which wins the hearts of the poor.

There was also Solovyov's 80,000 elite Russian troops, and the endorsement of elders like Kum.

In short, being one-track-minded leads to failure at both ends. Even when Solovyov met with locals, he began to wear a Persian robe instead of the uniform of a Russian general.

He clearly intended to stay here long-term, since the Shah himself was still in the south, while many of his wives, children, and the chief eunuch of the palace were here.

Solovyov continued to provide them with food supplies and stationed guards at the palace gates as protectors.

It seems that everything is under control.

Unlike typical conquerors, Solovyov never played by the rules.

It could even be said that he understood the situation in Persia all too well. Under the threat of force and benevolent rule, most people simply did what they were supposed to do.

During this time, he also sent two prisoners to deliver a message to the Shah.

As for what to bring at this time, it's quite clear.

He hoped that the Persian Shah could recognize the situation and that if he was willing to end the war, he could still be the master of Tehran.

If they don't agree, then there's no choice but to continue the war. He also has 20,000 elite Tatar cavalrymen on their way, and Isfahan and Shiraz are also places he can't hold.

If he doesn't believe Solovyov's claim that the cities that were captured in the past are solid evidence, then...

Solovyov's statement was somewhat intimidating; the places he actually attacked and captured were the Ottoman Empire's fortresses in Europe.

But art is an explosion; he invited many enemies to ride in homemade planes, which was very intimidating. (End of Chapter)