Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 308 Shake
Although Garibaldi had been traveling as fast as possible, he was still no match for Maximilian, who had the support of most of the nobles and had already reached Naples.

Maximilian was crowned in a grand ceremony in Naples, where royalist nobles swore allegiance.

At this point, the royalists disregarded everything else and rallied around the new king. Garibaldi encountered numerous difficulties, and to make matters worse, the Count of Cavour, the prime minister of Sardinia, sent a letter saying he saw how hard Garibaldi was working and hoped he would go on vacation to Milan.

The letter was written in Count Cavour's familiar, elegant handwriting, and the tone was gentle yet authoritative: "Dear Garibaldi, your bravery is admirable, but war is not the only path. The spas in Milan may help you relax and rethink the future of Italy."

"Go to Milan for a vacation?" Garibaldi sneered, crumpling the letter into a ball. "Is he trying to get me to give up the fight and let Maximilian secure the throne?"

It wasn't exactly giving up, mainly because the southern region was never within his sphere of influence to begin with. His ultimate goal was the entire northern Italy.

Count Cavour did not want Garibaldi to continue pushing the revolution. He feared the Redcoats' radical actions would anger Austria and jeopardize Sardinia's plans to unify Italy through diplomacy. In his view, acquiring Lombardy was already a good outcome; as for Venice, that could wait for another time.

Garibaldi's lieutenants were divided on the Sardinian proposal. Some believed that Cavour's suggestion to temporarily retreat and preserve strength should be accepted; others insisted on continuing the fight until Naples was captured.

“If we retreat now, Maximilian will completely control Naples, and the flames of revolution will be extinguished!” a young officer exclaimed excitedly.

Despite the Red Shirts' dire situation, farmers and workers along their route continued to support them secretly. Many risked their lives to provide the Red Shirts with food and intelligence. Retreating would be a betrayal of them.

However, Garibaldi and Cavour's ideas were never something they could actually carry out. Austria had already declared that they would fight to the death, even if it meant taking some people down with them.

It's said that the reckless are afraid of those who don't value their lives, and even France had to consider the situation in Austria. Napoleon III told the Sardinian envoy that France would not help them this time because Garibaldi's southern campaign had not been communicated to him.

Garibaldi ignored Cavour's "good intentions." He decided to take a gamble. He personally led an elite squad to infiltrate the outskirts of Naples. Their target was the Austrian army's armory.

The operation went exceptionally smoothly until the very last moment—when an Austrian sentry sounded the alarm before he died. Explosions shook the entire city, and flames shot into the sky.

The explosions woke the people of Naples. Many came out of their homes and saw the Red Shirts flags fluttering in the flames.

"Garibaldi is here!" someone shouted. Soon, shouts echoed throughout the streets and alleys. Some young people picked up farm tools and knives from their homes and joined the Red Shirts.

The Austrian commander ordered a citywide curfew, instructing that anyone suspected of wrongdoing be killed without exception. In the streets, soldiers, like mad dogs, slaughtered Redshirts and their supporters indiscriminately. Blood stained the cobblestone streets of Naples.

They held out in Naples for a day and a night, but were ultimately forced to retreat due to being outnumbered. This served as a wake-up call for Maximilian; his rule in Sicily was not as secure as it seemed, and he needed to implement reforms.

Nasser al-Din Shah stood on the balcony of the Tehran Royal Palace, clutching a letter from his brother Abbas. The handwriting on the letter was slightly hasty, clearly written in a hurry. He sighed softly, his gaze fixed on the distance, as if he could see across the Persian Plateau to the distant continent of Borneo.

“Dear brother, how are you doing lately? I’m having some trouble in Sarawak and I hope you can help me,” the letter read. “The situation has gotten beyond my expectations. The British, the Dutch, and even the local tribes are all hindering my plans. I need your support, whether it’s funds, weapons, or diplomatic assistance.”

Since becoming the local monarch, he had always wanted to expand his power throughout northern Borneo. However, countries such as the Netherlands and Britain had long coveted Borneo's resources, especially Sarawak's rubber and tin mines. They attempted to weaken Abbas's rule by supporting local tribes and Brunei.

The Sultan of Brunei, fearing the loss of his rule, continued to cause trouble for him, hoping to force him to leave on his own.

But Abbas was not about to back down. He used locally produced gold and other resources to export to Iran in exchange for funds to maintain the government. He also began building up an army.

The Iranian fleet also protects Sarawak's development, but to solve the problem once and for all, Brunei must be eliminated.

"Under the current circumstances, we can send troops from Pontianak to provide support. We also need to discuss with Britain to prevent relations between the two countries from deteriorating."

Abdullah stood behind Nasserdin explaining the situation. The entire population of Sarawak is only a little over 300,000. If Brunei launches an attack, who knows what the consequences will be?

"You know, hasn't Iran become a bit too militaristic in recent years? In the past, it was considered good if there wasn't a war for three years, but now there's a war almost every year."

The Chancellor of the Exchequer kept saying not to fight because the treasury was empty. But Britain and France were constantly seeking colonies, and Prussia was planning its next war. They didn't care about money at all; as long as they started a war, they would have everything.

Abdullah immediately comforted Nasser al-Din, saying, "Shah, countries like Britain and France rely on issuing bonds to maintain their finances. Their war with Burma in the Far East almost bankrupted them, so they made the other side pay reparations during peace talks. Prussia, on the other hand, uses most of its finances for the military. Decades ago, their King Frederick used the largest budget to create the most powerful army in Europe at the time."

In fact, what our country needs is development, because our national strength is not yet at the level of being able to be used at will like Britain, France, and Russia. Whether it's population or industry, further accumulation is needed. Shah, there's no need to worry too much.”

These words made Nasserdin feel much better; he had almost forgotten that he was quite into management simulation games. If he could spend over twenty years building a small town in a game, he could also spend time building Iran into a powerful nation.

“You’re right, I was worrying too much.” Naserdin rubbed his eyes. He looked a bit like those gamers who press the speed-up button, thinking that five or ten years would pass quickly, but this is reality.

(End of this chapter)