Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 239 First Victory
Calderon is an Armenian who mainly deals in daily necessities, but due to intense local business competition, normal methods are definitely not an option.

After reaching an agreement with local smugglers, Calderon could sell goods at below-market prices. Even during wartime, bribing local soldiers ensured unimpeded passage.

Today, another batch of smuggled goods arrived. He sent people to the usual spot early this morning to wait for them; this time, he expects to make a large sum of money again.

"Sir, the price of grain in the market has doubled. And things like cotton cloth have also increased in price quite a bit."

The steward reported the market situation to Calderon, saying that even the presence of maritime merchants couldn't stop prices from rising. Once the war was over, he could move to Istanbul and live a life of luxury.

"Why are they taking so long? It's been three hours already. Send a few more people to check on them!"

"Yes, sir"

Calderon sipped his wine; it must have taken some connections to get his hands on him at this point.

An unusual noise suddenly came from outside. He had just put down his wine glass when the butler rushed in in a panic.

"Sir, it's terrible! The Iranians have invaded!"

"what!"

The Iranians attacked so quickly; he hadn't even made enough money yet. But right now, survival is the priority—run!

At this moment, the Iranians began to attack the city with cannons outside. The Ottoman officer peeked out, wanting to see more clearly, when he heard his subordinate shout, "Sir, be careful!" He was pulled behind the dust and heard a loud "boom" as several cannonballs hit the city wall not far from him.

After assessing the enemy situation below the city, he ordered all his soldiers to block the entrance. No enemy soldiers were to be allowed in.

Then a squad officer ran up to the city wall in a panic and reported to him in a terrified voice: "Sir, the enemy has stormed into the city!!"

The other person slapped him hard across the face and roared angrily, "Are you out of your mind! The enemy is on our side!"

But he anxiously protested, "Sir...it's true! Enemy troops suddenly appeared in the city and attacked our garrison! I barely managed to escape!"

Just then, a loud bugle call suddenly rang out in the city. This bugle call was clearly different from the Ottoman bugle call, and it caused a great shock in the hearts of the Ottomans.

The officer pushed aside the soldiers beside him, staggered a few steps to the edge of the battlements, and hurriedly looked into the city: he saw many soldiers dressed in Iranian clothing rushing into the city, and even more figures were surging in, like a terrifying black tide about to destroy the city wall.

"It's over, everything is over!" That was the officer's thought at that moment.

Forty days after the start of the war, Iranian troops captured Trabisson, the first Ottoman city. They killed 7234 defenders and captured 13689; they seized 50 cannons, countless firearms and ammunition, and the Ottoman army's flag. The Ottomans and Armenians panicked and fled in all directions, hoping to escape Iranian retaliation. The Greeks, however, were overjoyed; most of their property had been recovered, and to demonstrate their loyalty, they spontaneously helped Iran maintain order in Trabisson. Twenty-five Greek merchant ships were also deployed to transport supplies, which would be loaded onto ships in Sukhumi and then transported there. Their treatment couldn't be worse than it could be; perhaps life would be better under Iranian rule.

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For Nizam Pasha, who was in overall command of the front lines, the news was all bad. Although the Iranian army had been halted east of Van, the daily casualties of around 10,000 were still significant. The Macedonian First Army Corps, which had received substantial investment, had suffered a casualty rate as high as 12% after just one month.

"As long as Van doesn't fall, we can tie down most of the Iranian soldiers until we launch a counterattack from Baghdad and Trabison."

This was their plan. It's important to understand that the Zagros Mountains separated Iran and the Ottoman Empire, making the transport of supplies and troops difficult. This was Iran's disadvantage against the Ottomans; they simply had to wait until the Ottomans were too weak to continue fighting, at which point their counter-offensive would begin.

"General, what if Iran attacks Baghdad?" someone asked.

"Don't worry, Iran doesn't have enough troops to attack Baghdad right now. Besides, the two places are hundreds of kilometers apart. By the time they get there, they'll be exhausted. Then we can wipe them out in one fell swoop."

In their minds, the army they had invested heavily in building would surely be able to resist Iran for a long time. While they were doing so, they were also bringing in troops from other areas as reserves. Their plan was to launch a counter-offensive once Iran could no longer sustain its offensive.

Perhaps sensing the ease in their expressions, the staff officer Rahman asked, "Could we launch a surprise attack on Tirana when the enemy is attacking, to deter them from their recklessness?"

Nizam Pasha understood the implication of his words: he wanted to use this opportunity to divert troops and deliver a heavy blow to the Iranians. And choosing to do so when the enemy was attacking Van was undeniably clever. Pasha was naturally tempted, but after carefully examining the map, he dismissed the idea.

"Your idea is good, but achieving that effect won't be easy. First, how do we deceive the enemy? And even if we do, how do we quickly defeat them instead of getting bogged down?"

These questions left him somewhat at a loss for words. Seeing the other person's expression, Pasha realized that he, like himself, wanted to exploit the situation for personal gain. However, he hadn't considered the risks involved.

"Let's stick to the previous preparations, continue to fortify the position, and wait for the enemy's attack. As long as we hold the front line, we'll be fine."

However, Pasha probably didn't realize that Iran had already built a railway along the border. All supplies could be transported to the border by train, which was far more efficient than using oxen or horses.

Furthermore, the Iranian army also utilized telegraph technology in the war, with large amounts of information being transmitted between the front lines and the rear via telegraph lines. These were things that the Ottoman army did not possess.

Meanwhile, Iran has established a relatively comprehensive conscription system. Coupled with generous rewards, a large number of people have become soldiers to reinforce the front lines. Factory workers have also produced large quantities of goods to meet battlefield demand, and military factories have been operating continuously to prevent ammunition shortages.

These are all things the Ottomans lacked: no railways, no telegraph, no conscription, and even their domestic military industry couldn't operate at full capacity. Relying solely on large-scale arms purchases to sustain operations was unsustainable; it all depended on how ruthlessly Iran fought.

(End of this chapter)