Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 69 Banquet
Mohammed still gave the proposal to Nasser al-Din, and the Crown Prince, without saying anything, naturally approved it.

Currency reform and such matters should be left to the government; after all, the outline is there, and Nasser al-Din trusts his teacher's abilities. Currently, he is meeting with an Arab prince from a country across the Persian Gulf.

King Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa of Bahrain felt as if the sky had fallen when he learned of Britain's decision to transfer protectorate rights to Persia. His ancestors had fought so hard to reclaim Bahrain from Persia, and now Britain was so easily returning the protectorate rights—had they not even considered their own fate?
The King protested to his British advisors, who said they would establish a British naval base in Manama and that the previous treaty remained in effect, but this did not alleviate the King's concerns.

In an effort to cultivate good relations with Persia, he sent his nephew Issa as an envoy to Tehran to observe Persia's attitude.

"Welcome to our country. I believe that our two countries will live in harmony and cooperate to deal with various situations."

Naserdin's words sent a chill down the other side's spine. Although he didn't know the Eastern idiom "a smile hiding a dagger," he was well aware that the apparent friendliness was merely a pretext for annexing them.

"Thank you for your concern, Shah and Crown Prince. Bahrain will work with Persia for peace in the Gulf."

Since there was really nothing to discuss, Nasser al-Din told Issa to go and rest, as there was a banquet to be held that evening, hosted by the Shah.

Watching the other person's departing figure, Nasser al-Din felt that Bahrain must belong to Iran. The majority of the local population were Shia Muslims, and Persian rule had lasted for over 300 years; a return to Iranian control was only natural.

Nasser al-Din will also not be spared, as there are still many Shia Muslims in the eastern part of the peninsula. These people will also become subjects of Iran.

The evening banquet was attended not only by the Bahraini prince, but also by the ministers of Britain, Russia, Putin, Belgium, and France, as well as Iranian government officials and members of the royal family.

"Come on everyone, let's relax today."

After announcing the start of the banquet, Said stayed by Shah's side. Recently, Shah's gout had become increasingly severe, to the point that he was unable to walk and had to be carried.

Attending the banquet now while I'm feeling better is a way of showing the outside world that I'm in good health and dispelling some people's doubts.

"Ah, welcome, Minister Wallace. I hope you have many fond memories of your stay."

Nasserdin saw Wallace and immediately went up to greet him.

"Thank you for the invitation, Your Highness. In my view, this is not just a banquet, but a symbol of a deeper cooperation between the British Empire and Iran."

The two men toasted to the friendship between the two countries, and said that grape juice could now be served openly, adding that the ambassadors felt things were going quite well in Iran.

"If I may be so bold, Your Highness, your country's carpets are exquisite. Our merchants have always wanted more carpets to decorate their homes."

Naserdin smiled and said, "It seems your country really likes our carpets, but I think Russian carpets are quite good too."

Upon hearing the mention of Russia, Wallace couldn't help but look around to see if the Russian minister was there. Seeing that Alexandrovich wasn't there, he felt relieved.

"Your Highness likes Russian carpets. I wonder which region makes the best carpets?"

“I think Baku and Yerevan are very good. They learned carpet weaving techniques from our country, so they are naturally excellent.”

If Wallace still couldn't understand the implication at this point, he wouldn't be the British ambassador. A country with the best carpets suddenly claiming that its neighbor's carpets are superior—and that neighbor is Russia! Consider Persia's desire to emulate medieval Spain and launch a reconquest.

However, getting Russia to cede territory was harder than climbing to heaven; no country had ever been able to wrest land from the Tsar before. Could Persia do it? But it was good to have another country helping Britain and the Ottomans share the burden. Wallace immediately said, "The people of Baku should thank the Shah."

Regardless of whether they can seize Russian territory, letting Persia wear down Russia is the right thing to do. It will also protect the Ottoman Empire, a vital export market for Britain.

"Haha, I knew you would agree."

Britain is best at making empty promises, and Nasser al-Din knew this, but as long as the other party acquiesced, he would have a high probability of taking back the land.

The Belgian and French ministers were the most relaxed, being ignored for various reasons. France was involved because of the Persian student issue, while Belgium was simply someone with whom the two countries had virtually no interaction.

Amir spoke with Alexandrovich, but the latter's readiness to invade at any moment made Amir very uncomfortable. It seemed that this country would have to fight a long battle, at least until one of them was destroyed.

After speaking with Wallace, Nasserdin continued walking through the banquet, receiving greetings from people wherever he went. Nasserdin enjoyed the time, but his gaze soon fell on a girl.

How could he describe what he saw? Her skin was fair, as if bathed in soft moonlight, giving her a gentle and noble air. Her eyes were like dazzling gems, constantly sparkling with captivating light, mesmerizing all who beheld them. Even with a headscarf, her beauty could not be concealed.

Being able to attend such a banquet, she must be the daughter of some wealthy or noble family. Naserdin prepared to go up and greet her.

When the elder next to the girl saw the Crown Prince arrive, he led her to bow to Naser al-Din.

"Your Highness!"

"Mustafa, you performed exceptionally well in the battle near Ray, buying time for reinforcements to arrive. It's just that you don't have a medal yet, but we'll make sure to give you one in the future."

Mustafa smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. It is my honor to serve the country."

After he finished speaking, he introduced the girl next to Naserdin to him.

“Your Highness, this is my daughter Fatima.”

After hearing Mustafa's introduction, Nasser al-Din smiled and said to her, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Fatima."

Fatima looked at the Iranian Crown Prince who greeted her and smiled back, saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Your Highness."

“Ah, to have such a beautiful daughter, it seems to be a blessing from Allah,” Nasser al-Din praised Fatima before him.

“Your Highness is too kind,” Mustafa replied.

After watching the two gradually warm up to each other, he said to them, "I suddenly have something to attend to, Fatima, why don't you join His Highness in the conversation?"

Fatima nodded shyly, and Naserdin said, "In that case, you go first, don't delay important matters."

With the Crown Prince's permission, Mustafa left the two young men and headed in another direction.

(End of this chapter)