Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 52 The Capture of Kum
Because most of the documents were in Tabriz, Nasser al-Din had to send people to retrieve them, which was very time-consuming. Therefore, railway construction had become a foregone conclusion.

Patriotic bonds in Tehran are selling increasingly well, with businessmen and citizens being the main buyers. As the situation near the capital improves, their confidence in the government has greatly increased, and with the introduction of the land reform bill, farmers' sense of belonging is also constantly strengthening.

The government had gained the upper hand, and starting on November 9th, government forces and rebels engaged in repeated battles for positions near Qom. The government forces were using new firearms, artillery, and bullets invented by the Crown Prince, while the rebels were still using melee weapons and muskets. They could only rely on human lives to protect the holy city.

The religious scholars residing in Qom refused to compromise; they fortified the city's defenses, intending to perish with it. But the city's inhabitants disagreed, knowing the government had promised them a piece of land in the future, a promise they would lose if they perished.

Farmers on the outskirts of Qom spontaneously acted as guides for the government troops, leading them to attack Qom's weak points. These scholars were quite articulate, but on the battlefield, all they knew was how to run away. But unless they escaped to Ottoman territory, they were doomed.

"What should we do? What should we do?"

At the Qom Theological Seminary, a large group of Shia clerics sat together, with the Grand Ayatollah in the middle. At this point, none of them had any good ideas: either surrender or be martyred.

Surrender was impossible; martyrdom—they hadn't done it yet, but none of them dared. They'd heard it would hurt a lot.

"How about we talk to the government?"

One person offered a suggestion, but with just a glance from the Great Ayatollah, that person was pulled away.

In reality, quite a few people share this sentiment; most are seminary students with relatively little wealth. Unlike these old guard members, they also see the vast gap between the world and Iran, and the need for certain self-transformation. However, their voice is weak, so their opposition to the Grand Ayatollah's orders becomes feeble.

But no matter how the Ayatollah purges his opponents, their voices will always be heard. However, they have one concern: will the government purge them?

However, this was quickly dispelled. The Tehran government reiterated its policy that those who continued to rebel would be punished more severely, while those who surrendered now would not be held accountable for their past transgressions.

Furthermore, Nasser al-Din, a lower-ranking Shia cleric, was also being courted, especially by seminary students. Since they had no assets, they were spared the attacks; it was simply a matter of whether they wanted to participate.

On November 16, government troops set up several catapults and hurled large numbers of leaflets urging surrender into the city. Most of the city's inhabitants were literate, so the leaflets spread quickly.

The leaflets didn't mention surrender; instead, they were lengthy explanations of Iran's current predicament and Russia's approach, highlighting the civil war Iran is currently fighting as a disgrace. They urged everyone to unite and wash away this shame, hoping Iran would turn back in time.

Teenagers and young adults in their twenties are most susceptible to nationalism and statism. The humiliation of Russia's defeat is a bitter pill to swallow, and given the choice between the government's self-reliance and the self-serving actions of religious scholars, they will naturally make their choice.

As for the tribes, they won't interfere. They've already settled down and can engage in other industries to gain more wealth, so why would they need to fight?

On November 28, 13,000 government troops launched a final offensive against Qom. Qom was now a nation of soldiers, but in the age of modern weaponry, simply having more people could not win a war.

Even with the unprecedented surge of morale from the Qom army, boosted by 200%, it couldn't change their fundamentally ragtag nature. Coupled with insufficient weapons and ammunition, many soldiers were equipped with weapons from the era of cold weapons; their high enthusiasm couldn't withstand the hail of bullets.

With a deafening roar, a shell landed seventy meters from the seminary, instantly killing three defenders and wounding two more. "Gentlemen, let's go! The enemy is at the gates; Kum can't hold out!"

At this moment, many people's loyalty kicked in, and as the city's defenses were about to fall, they immediately notified the scholars to flee.

There was no other way; Qom wasn't very big, and if the city's defenses collapsed, they would have to prepare for the defense of the seminary.

Some scholars said in despair, "No, I'm not going anywhere. I'll live and die with him!"

"For the sake of your future, you must leave here immediately," they pleaded with tearful faces.

If they didn't leave, they would face dire consequences once they were caught. Leaving them with their bodies intact would be considered merciful, especially since they had families and children. If they didn't escape, their entire clan would be wiped out.

An Ayatollah roared, "Useless trash, good-for-nothings, idiots... If it weren't for you bunch of incompetent fools, how could we have failed? Now, instead of thinking about how to repel the enemy, you're thinking about running away..."

But no matter what they said, the government troops had already blasted open the city gates with artillery and were quickly heading towards the seminary.

When the leading general arrived at the seminary, it was already on fire. However, instead of fighting the fire, he searched for the scholars, suspecting they had escaped in the chaos.

As he had predicted, the army captured over a hundred scholars at the south gate of Qom, including more than a dozen Ayatollahs. However, the Great Ayatollah had not yet been found; they said he was in the mausoleum of Fatima, a holy city.

"Attention everyone, arrest any old man you see."

The soldiers entered the outer perimeter of the mausoleum; Ayatollah certainly wouldn't do something as heinous as digging up the mausoleum. Therefore, he must be outside.

Soon, the Grand Ayatollah was found. Not only him, but also his three wives, a group of children, and several other Ayatollahs and their families, were among Qom's most senior religious scholars.

"The final days have come. Let us go together to see Allah, and I will tell them the sins of those in power."

The others nodded, and some of the young men took out knives and hacked the others to death one by one, then attacked each other. When it came to the last man, he could only slit his own throat.

All 48 people lost their lives. After their bodies were disposed of, they were labeled as rebels and stripped of all their honors.

The attack on Qom resulted in the capture of over a thousand religious scholars and more than five thousand stubborn defenders. All their property was confiscated, and the seminary, destroyed by fire, was rebuilt at the government's expense. However, from this moment on, education and the judiciary began to be separated from religion. Because of the heavy losses suffered by the scholars, some were transferred from other places.

(End of this chapter)