Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 262 Going on Vacation

"Our army launched an attack on the Japanese official residence of the Ryukyu Kingdom on that day, capturing 16 people and killing 38. We also opened fire on the Japanese army, killing and wounding many people."

Shah, our war with Japan has begun.

Amir watched Nasser al-Din pace back and forth, the latter clearly extremely frustrated. Even wealthy Britain couldn't withstand such endless fighting, let alone Iran.

Historically, both the Eastern Roman Empire, constantly embroiled in conflict between the west and the east, and the Habsburg Empire, the first empire on which the sun never set, declined due to endless wars. More recently, the French Empire under Napoleon I was similarly plagued by constant warfare, having no time to recover and rebuild.

Iran is in a better situation now, with reserve forces in both Transoxiana and the Far East, making a direct attack relatively feasible. However, the situation in the Far East is more complicated due to the great distance and the resulting delays in information transmission.

Nasserdin scratched his head, looked at Amir, and said, "We have no choice but to go for it and show these bastards what's what. Let's mobilize all our troops in Saigon, with Abdullah in charge of diplomacy."

Naserdin hadn't expected to go to war with Japan so soon, but considering the current situation in his territory, which was comparable to the Holy Roman Empire, he wasn't surprised.

This attack was likely a unilateral action by the Satsuma Domain, and the shogunate was probably unaware of it. Therefore, defeating the Satsuma Domain would suffice.

The ironclad warships we bought from France came in handy, so we decided to test them out in the Far East.

"Recently, due to the issue of new territories, the government's attention has been focused on this, neglecting matters in the Far East. This has led to the current situation. This is a dereliction of duty by the government."

Amir said with self-reproach, but Nasserdin comforted his teacher, "No one expected this. We've been paying very little attention to the Far East. Now we're trying to get it back."

After saying this, Naserdin inquired about Amir's contacts with Russia, explaining that he planned to meet the Tsar in St. Petersburg and would also visit Copenhagen and Stockholm along the way.

Invited by Russian Tsar Alexander II, Nasser al-Din has decided to travel to Russia for talks, and will also visit Sweden and Denmark along the way. The Iranian and Russian foreign ministries are currently in contact, but it is unclear when an agreement will be reached.
"Please rest assured, Shah, it is currently under discussion and we expect to have a result soon."

After saying his goodbyes, Amir took his leave. The government still had a lot of things to deal with. Now that those things were done, he felt rather bored.

squeak~

The door next to them suddenly opened, and it turned out that Fatima had come over with Murad.

"Why did you come here today?" Naserdin asked.

“Murad kept saying he wanted to see you, so I brought him here.”

Murad was already ten years old, but he still wanted a hug from his father. Nasser al-Din picked him up immediately, and such a heartwarming moment was rare.

"Come, Murad," Nasser al-Din said, pointing to the revised map of Iran. "This is the land I have conquered for you."

Murad clapped enthusiastically, which made Nasserdin laugh. "This kid is sure to achieve great things in the future, and might even bring Iran more success."

Naserdin praised his son, and Fatima was happy. Her husband had been very busy lately with various things, and now he deserved a rest.

"Shah, you're so busy with work every day, your health won't be able to keep up. Why don't we go on vacation and rest somewhere else?"

A vacation? Naserdin couldn't remember the last time he'd had a proper holiday. Taking a break now and then was fine.

"Then, let's leave tomorrow!"

In later generations, a spontaneous trip would require immense wealth, but for the Shah, this was not an issue at all. He was rich enough and wouldn't borrow from foreign countries; this time, they could go wherever they wanted.

As for the location, we decided on Sukhumi. As a port city on the Black Sea coast, the scenery there is very beautiful. It will also be a good opportunity to inspect the local situation.

When news of the Shah's desire for a vacation reached Amir, the Grand Vizier said to the other ministers, "Don't rush. Proceed according to plan. We need to give more consideration to the military, economic, and political aspects."

Everyone present understood. Nasser al-Din's departure also brought a sigh of relief to everyone. The Shah's mood had been somewhat unpredictable lately, and his departure was a welcome relief.

However, this Far East campaign was also particularly important, with an impact no less significant than that of the Anglo-French allied forces. Iranians in Saigon were also transported to Kagoshima and Okinawa, while messages were sent to Britain, France, the Netherlands, and the United States, proposing joint military action or diplomatic support.

The British and American ministers had already relayed Iran's demands to the shogunate, and Ii Naosuke naturally agreed to them all, since it wasn't the shogunate paying for them anyway. However, local forces still intended to resist to the death, while Britain, the United States, and the Netherlands remained neutral, as Iran had already provided them with sufficient benefits.

According to a secret agreement signed between Iran and these countries, if they were to attack Japan in the future, the territories with the fiercest resistance would be distributed among the participating nations after victory, while major interests in Japan would be allocated according to the number of troops they contributed. However, it seems that Iran is going to take the lion's share.

Upon hearing this news, Napoleon III decided to send troops, as he particularly desired a colony in East Asia. He then dispatched Charles Rigo de Genouil, a veteran of the Crimean War, to form an expeditionary force of 3500 men, who were to depart immediately to reach Japan as quickly as possible.

Everyone was focused on the confrontation between Iran and the pro-imperial, anti-foreign daimyo, collectively ignoring another country: Ryukyu. Actually, it wasn't that they ignored it; there was simply no real benefit there, the market was small, and there was no interest in dumping goods there.

The destruction of the Satsuma Domain's magistrate's office in Ryukyu brought King Shō Tai a sense of relief, finally free from Japan's constraints. However, he also understood that without the protection of other major powers, Ryukyu would eventually be annexed by a resurgent Japan, so he turned to Iran.

This was because Iran had been kind to Ryukyu, helping them fight against the Japanese. Furthermore, to better engage with the West, King Sho Tai pardoned Sho Eikoh, who had been exiled the previous year for colluding with the Satsuma Domain. Eikoh was fluent in several Western languages ​​and a skilled diplomat.

In return for Iran's support, Britain and the United States felt that handing over Ryukyu to Iranian administration was necessary to maintain peace in the Far East. After all, Britain already had Hong Kong, the United States was about to acquire Hakodate, and the Netherlands and France were preparing to select ports; it wouldn't be unreasonable for Iran to acquire Ryukyu.

In the presence of the American and French envoys, Abdullah and Shang Yonggong signed the Treaty of Amity and Peace between Ryukyu and Iran. This treaty recognized Iran's rights in Ryukyu and, more importantly, allowed Iran to station 1500 troops—a privilege not granted to any other country.

(End of this chapter)