Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 203 A Brief Trip to London
The Thames River in London sees a large number of ships docking every day, including passenger ships and cargo ships.

The Thames was noticeably busier than usual today, with the Albert passenger ship slowly docking at the pier. A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from below as someone appeared on board.

Nasserdin waved to the crowd, displaying his approachable side. As he disembarked, British Foreign Secretary Clarendon quickly approached him.

"Welcome Shah to London"

"welcome"

The young man next to Clarendon also spoke. Before Naserdin could speak, Clarendon began to introduce them.

"This is His Highness Prince Albert of Wales."

Oh, so it's him. The child Queen Victoria disliked most, he had absolutely no scholarly air about him, spending all his time surrounded by wine and beautiful women. But he doesn't seem like that now.

“Hello,” Naser al-Din extended his hand, and Albert shook it with an arrogant expression, which made the Shah want to punch him.

"It's getting late, Shah, please get in the car."

Albert left first, while Nasserdin boarded the carriage prepared for him by the British royal family and headed to Buckingham Palace.

"Her Majesty the Queen is very much looking forward to meeting you. The British Empire has always supported Iran's legitimate demands in Central Asia."

In response, Naserdin said: "Go to hell. If it weren't for the fact that no one more shameless than you has come out yet, and that you are too strong, I would definitely mock you."

At Buckingham Palace, Nasser al-Din met Queen Victoria, with her husband, Prince Albert, by his side.

After exchanging greetings, the two monarchs awaited the evening banquet, during which time Pezeshkian met with Prime Minister Palmerston.

"Your country has shown great determination to defend freedom, and the Russians have learned their lesson. This is all thanks to Iran."

"Without British support, no matter how determined Iran is, it will be to no avail. The Russians never give up land; even if they cede it, they will take it back from somewhere else."

Not only Russia, but the world needs British leadership. Iran is willing to cooperate with Britain and promote exchanges on various issues.

Palmerston was pleased with these words; the British Empire's position was unshakeable. Anything that hindered civilization would be crushed by Britain, and anything that prevented Britain from dominating the world would also be destroyed by Britain.

"The peace of the world today is not something that Britain alone can achieve. Iran is a major power, and if the two countries cooperate, it will surely continue to maintain world peace."

Alright, enough of the small talk, let's get down to business. The most pressing issue is the threat from Russia. If Britain wants to protect India, it must provide substantial compensation to Iran.

"Britain will recognize Bukhara, Khiva, and Kokand as part of Iran's sphere of influence; these countries need your civilization to enlighten them." Palmerston was essentially stating the obvious; Britain's penetration into Central Asia was far less extensive than Iran's. Their reach stopped at the Himalayas and Afghanistan, which was essentially a one-on-one arena between Iran and Russia.

Of course, Palmerston felt that this might not be enough, so he added some more, such as acknowledging that several British tribes near Hormuz had been transferred to Iranian control.

Britain has little interest in these areas; there's nothing there but sand. It's better to give them to Iran; they can get them back from elsewhere anyway.

"Your country truly deserves to be our most important ally."

These things basically met Pezeshkian's demands. Although it may be a negligible loss for Britain, it is fundamental for Iran's upward mobility.

Britain was also unwilling to acquire more colonies. Rather than plundering everywhere, most people preferred to force other countries to open up trade. Britain, relying on its navy to control the world's key straits, believed this was the most correct and cost-effective approach, and that's exactly what they did.

Britain already controls the Strait of Malacca and the Cape of Good Hope, and its navy has unimpeded access to all parts of the world. The whole world is under British control, but the current decision to hand over the Hormuz region to Iran is partly because the area has little value, and partly because the economic crisis has led them to relinquish some small colonies, since their income is insufficient while their expenses are considerable.

Of course, Britain's balance-of-power strategy also influenced its decision-making to some extent. This meant that while European powers checked and balanced each other, Britain maintained a detached stance, refraining from interfering in European internal affairs. However, when the balance of power among major powers was disrupted and an imbalance emerged, Britain adopted a strategy of supporting the weak and suppressing the strong to rebuild the balance of power.

The Russian threat remains, so Britain decided to support a few of Russia's adversaries. Iran became Britain's new target for support.

Nasserdin was well aware of the British thinking; they were so fond of balancing acts, so Iran could try it too. Don't ask too many questions; if you must, it's for the sake of Iran's surrounding security.

Naserdin stayed in England for a month because he really didn't know what to do there. Apart from praying once at a mosque in London and inviting all the Iranian students to a banquet, he spent the rest of his time at his accommodation.

The environment in Britain is really not good. Some people wanted to invite the Shah to sail on the Thames, but Nasser al-Din didn't want to go at the thought of the murky water. Iran can't afford the cost of this industry.

Nasserdin did not appear at this round of negotiations with Britain, as he was already quite satisfied with the first draft. However, during the continued negotiations, Iran proposed to include Ottoman Mesopotamia and Syria within its sphere of influence, which was opposed by Britain.

Despite Iran's assurances regarding British interests in the region, Britain remained concerned that the collapse of the Ottoman Empire would render its investments in the Middle East worthless. Therefore, it maintained a stance of resistance.

“Shah, it seems the British will not recognize Baghdad as ours.”

Naser al-Din knew the crux of the problem: they didn't have Baghdad, so Britain wouldn't recognize them.

"It's okay, they'll admit it in a few years."

Recent intelligence from the Ottomans suggests that some Ottomans believe they should receive half of the spoils of war acquired by Iran. They argue that Iran wouldn't have gained so much land if they hadn't tied down Russia's main forces. Therefore, they are demanding that Iran cede Black Sea coastal land to the Ottomans as compensation, a demand that has garnered considerable support from military personnel.

Such sentiments are easily stirred up; after all, a weaker nation suddenly acquiring more spoils of war is bound to evoke envy. From the Sultan down to the common people, everyone wants that land, believing they can succeed based on their own reforms.

(End of this chapter)