Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 246 Strike
Due to the opposition of the Shah and the Grand Vizier, the Ottoman's peace offer was rejected by Iran, and everything depends on the development of the battlefield.

The Ottoman army stationed in Baghdad barely held the city with the help of Sunni residents, but half of the city's population were Shia, who guarded their districts centered around mosques. But this situation was about to change.

Outside the city, Iranian troops had arrived at the outskirts of Baghdad and were besieging the city from the southeast. The Ottoman defenders could only hold their positions in the north and west, as they couldn't cross to the south.

As a result, after the Shiite militia in the south eliminated the Ottoman garrison in the south, they opened the city gates and the Iranian army entered Baghdad.

"Baghdad is still an important city, how could it have been captured so quickly?"

Salami still finds it hard to believe that this was a big city, yet the Ottomans only stationed 1.5 men there, and most of them surrendered, with very few dying in battle.

"Yes, it's still unbelievable. But it also shows that our soldiers are better than the Ottoman soldiers."

Looking at Baghdad, where the war had just ended, the Chief of the General Staff felt he could change the plan, for example, by changing the capture of Mesopotamia to a direct march to the Mediterranean, thus bringing all Ottoman territories except Anatolia under his control.

"The Ottoman Sultan must be having trouble sleeping; the situation is no longer something he can decide."

Their army set out from Abadan and encountered almost no resistance along the way. They were warmly welcomed by the people wherever they went, all the way to this place.

The reason is obvious: the area south of Baghdad is predominantly Shia, so the Iranian army faced little resistance. However, things were much more difficult in the north, where they encountered not only Sunni tribes but also the Kurds, a people the Ottoman Empire relied on.

Because the Kurds share the same Sunni Islam as the dominant Turks, they have not suffered discrimination. And because the Kurds are skilled in military affairs, they serve as Pashas in various regions without paying taxes.

After the war began, the Kurds were regrouped and deployed to Erzurum and Van. However, in an era of rapid advancements in military technology, they maintained their nomadic fighting methods from the past. Faced with Iran, this naturally resulted in their complete annihilation.

"Currently, the Ottomans still have two important strongholds in the north, Mosul and Kirkuk. If we take them, we can control the upper Tigris River and thus threaten Anatolia."

Salami made further preparations, as the next challenge was the Kurds, who were even more difficult to deal with than the Ottomans. They lived in vast mountainous areas, making the attack significantly more difficult.

To maintain order at the front, Omar Pasha's workload suddenly increased. The situation was truly dire; the previous reforms to the new army seemed to have become a mere scrap of paper. The army's reserves of firearms and ammunition were dwindling, and the newly recruited soldiers lacked not only weapons, but everything—uniforms, bedding, cooking utensils, even boots. Many recruits were still wearing their own clothes, and if they were to carry guns, they would look exactly like bandits.

These tasks all required coordination, allocation, and procurement by the Army Department, keeping the lights on in the Army Department burning all night, with officers constantly rushing around as they worked.

"My lord, Reshid Pasha has arrived."

Omar Pasha waved his hand, too exhausted to utter a single word.

"Omar Pasha, are you alright?"

"Just look at me and you'll know. I've been sleeping in the office these past few days."

After a brief greeting, and as his secretary brought him coffee, Omar took a sip and looked at the person in front of him, asking, "So, what brings you here?"

Reshid Pasha then spoke: "I came here mainly to inform you that Iran has rejected the peace talks request, and it seems we'll have to continue fighting." "If I were the Shah, I would have done the same. The situation is excellent now, why should we stop the war?"

"But that would be utterly devastating for us," Omar Pasha said.

"Yes, Van and Trabison have fallen. We have already set up a new defensive line in Erzurum. Hopefully, it can stop the Iranian army."

At this point, Reshid Pasha still hoped for a miracle. Wasn't Frederick the Great of Prussia ultimately cornered by France, Austria, and Russia, and then a miracle occurred—a change of regime in Russia allowed Prussia to seize the opportunity and break free? Now, the Pashas hoped for the sudden death of the Shah of Iran, so they too could break free.

"Hopefully everything will be alright. We were completely unprepared. You see, our supplies are far from sufficient. We have to buy artillery shells and weapons from France, but their prices have increased several times over."

Omar Pasha poured out his frustrations. After the Crimean War, they should have reorganized the army, but the Sultan had secretly diverted military funds to build a palace. And the Ottoman Empire's finances were indeed unhealthy, with ever-increasing debt becoming unsustainable.

Just then, Khalid Pasha, who was in charge of diplomacy, rushed over.

"Gentlemen, I need to speak with you. This is terrible, extremely terrible."

"What's wrong? Tell me quickly!" Seeing how anxious the other was, the two Pashas also became anxious.

"Iran rejected our request for peace."

boom!
Upon hearing this news, Reshid Pasha felt as if the sky had fallen. Although he had anticipated this scenario, he still slumped into his chair upon hearing the actual news.

"My God! Allah has abandoned the Ottomans and turned to Iran."

Reshid Pasha felt truly saddened. Under the current circumstances, unless something major changes occur, Iran will continue its offensive.

“Don’t say that. Iran’s actions have certainly angered Britain and France. We can have our ambassadors lobby them again, and they will definitely send troops,” Khalid Pasha said.

Reshid Pasha shook his head. "It's difficult. The situation is beyond our control now. Unless we are willing to hand over the capital, Britain and France will not send troops."

He saw things clearly: the Ottomans had to cede more benefits to Europe, or they would just be spectators. But in the current situation, they had no choice but to sell the capital.

"But doing nothing won't work either. Believe me, if we let Iran continue its attacks, the people will eat us all up."

“I believe it, of course I believe it, but what can we do? Iran will never just take Mesopotamia; they may also want Syria, Jerusalem, and even Ankara.”

A somber atmosphere pervaded the Army Department. In just a few months, they had suffered such a blow, rendering the reforms of the previous decade or so futile.

(End of this chapter)