Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 49 Tehran

A large group of people had gathered in a building in Qazvin. These people were merchants and landowners who owned certain assets in the local area and Tehran.

An elderly man in his sixties said in a trembling voice, "Mr. Nizam, what can we do now? Those peasants have set their sights on us. In just two days, more than a dozen of our fellow villagers have been killed!"

The amount of money stolen from everyone is incalculable, and if this continues, it won't be long before it's our turn!

All eyes were on Nizam, a member of the Progressive Association, now that the situation was out of control, and everyone hoped he could come up with effective measures.

"I deeply regret the accidental deaths of these people. The dead cannot be brought back to life. But their blood will not have been shed in vain, and we will seek justice for them. This includes the loss of everyone's property; our current efforts are only for greater gains in the future."

The situation is extremely unfavorable. We only have one path to take: firmly follow the Shah and fight against the rebels!

The crowd fell silent. This was the best course of action. They were all intelligent people and understood that the current situation was extremely unfavorable to them. Although the rebellion led by Ulima was powerful, it had only received support in a few places.

Intelligent people are rational; when they realize the situation is not good, they will naturally try to find a way to escape.

At this moment, a young man in his early twenties stood up and questioned, "Mr. Nizam, do you think that's possible? Even if we turn to the Shah, won't the Shah settle accounts with us after the rebellion is quelled?"

The group, who had initially prepared to accept reality and compromise, hesitated again. This rebellion had forged a deep-seated enmity between them and Tehran.

They never intended to overthrow the Qajar dynasty; they were simply instigated by Ulima.

"Everyone knows about the problem you mentioned, and I can't give any guarantees. But let's not forget, the casualties in Tehran this time were so high, and we weren't the ones who did it, were we?"
It was clearly those peasants who did it. We organized the army only to protect ourselves. This rebellion has nothing to do with us.

"Aren't there still some people who supported our cause before? Now it's time for them to step forward and define this rebellion!"

That's right, they're just trying to protect themselves. And the current situation has already infringed upon their interests. If the Qajar dynasty wins, they can take advantage of the defeat to make money; even if they lose, it doesn't matter, they can always go to Baghdad or India—they'll always have a place for themselves.

Just then, cheers erupted outside the city of Qazvin. The troops led by the Governor-General of Azerbaijan and Governor-General Hamadan had arrived; they had come to the aid of the King.

However, they only stayed there for one day before hurrying to Tehran, as each day they were late would increase the danger to the capital.

"I never expected to run into Uncle. Could it be that Allah has been guiding us all along?"

The governor of Hamadan was Lotfulah, one of Muhammad's younger brothers. When he saw his nephew arrive, he quickly handed over the army to him, as he himself did not have the courage to go to the king's aid alone.

“Yes, Tehran is in imminent danger, and I am also worried about the Shah’s situation. It’s good that Your Highness has arrived, so let’s go together.”

"With someone like Uncle around, those rebellions will be suppressed very quickly."

At this point, they were still 170 kilometers from Tehran, and Nasser al-Din had to continue urging the army to speed up. They finally reached the outskirts of Tehran on the third day.

At this time, the Imperial Guard and the religious army were fighting to the death in Rayy, while the armies of Mashhad and Isfahan had not yet arrived. This was now their home ground.

"Charge! Protect the Shah!" With Nasser al-Din's command, the cavalry charged forward. The new army soldiers began to line up, ready to open fire.

"Brothers, Allah will bless us, charge!"

They began their charge, but when they were still some distance from the enemy, the new soldiers opened fire, instantly mowing down a large number of them.

Although the Safavid dynasty had firearms units, these were limited to the upper classes; the common people were completely unaware of them. Even if some knew about them, they couldn't manufacture them, because the required materials and technology were extremely complex.

"Ready, fire!"

At this moment, two small artillery pieces joined the battle, quickly adjusting themselves. They loaded the delivered shells, lit the fuses, and with a deafening roar, the shells whistled through the air, tracing a beautiful parabola before landing on the enemy lines. In an instant, the enemy soldiers were surrounded by dismembered limbs and a rain of blood; their morale collapsed instantly.

They were mostly young people studying at a seminary or farmers toiling in the fields. Seeing something so powerful for the first time, they naturally wanted to run. Previously, during their confrontation with Ray, there had only been sporadic skirmishes; they had mistaken it for small bows and arrows.

The retreat turned into a large-scale escape. After confirming that Ray was safe, Naserdin took Amir and Lotfra into Tehran.

"Who goes there? Prepare for alert!"

The guards on the city wall kept a close eye on the army below until the messenger below announced that he was a loyalist army from Azerbaijan. However, they were still somewhat suspicious until Naser al-Din, Lotfula, and Amir appeared before them, at which point they were certain and opened the city gates.

Muhammad had been lying in bed unconscious for some time; his brother's betrayal had dealt him a significant blow. His gout had worsened.

He lay in bed, with Malik beside him. The palace was on high alert; if Tehran fell, it would be the heavens' fault.

"Shah! Shah!"

A soldier rushed to Muhammad's bedside, and Malik scolded him, "What a mess you're making of!"

"Yes, has the enemy invaded?" Muhammad struggled to open his eyes and looked to the side.

"It's not the Shah; the Crown Prince and Governor Hamadan have already led their troops into the city."

Upon hearing that Nasser al-Din had arrived, Muhammad quickly opened his eyes. "Quickly, I want to see him for myself!"

But he simply didn't have the strength to get up, so Malik quickly said, "It's alright, Shah, I'll go check on him."

Nasser al-Din led his new army through the streets of Tehran, their brand-new uniforms eliciting curiosity from the citizens. However, the majority of the cheers were for the newly arrived army; having heard that the siege of Tehran had been lifted, they wanted to celebrate the Crown Prince's victory.

"Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've been back to Tehran. Now I can finally stay here for a while."

Naserdin soon arrived at the gates of the Gulestan Palace. He hadn't been back here for several years since becoming governor. He wondered if everything was still the same.

(End of this chapter)