Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 8 The Night of Tabriz
"Oh my, isn't this Mr. Ali? Please come in."

Amir welcomed the leaders outside the castle, and the one named Ali was the leader of the Marat tribe.

Ali was pleased by Amir's fawning manner, so he put his hand on Amir's shoulder and patted him on the shoulder.

“Alright, since it’s the governor’s invitation, we’ll follow his arrangements.”

Amir could only force a smile as he watched them enter the castle, his eyes hardening. "Eat and play, or you won't have another chance."

All the leaders arrived at the banquet hall, where delicious food and singing girls had already been prepared.

“It seems the governor is sensible,” one of the leaders said.

"Haha, the governor is only human. How could he possibly keep fighting against us forever?"

As the leaders took their seats, music began to play. Faced with so many delicious dishes, the leaders gradually became engrossed in the feast.

Although the doctrine forbids alcohol, it doesn't prohibit fruit juice. It's just that some juice might ferment in wooden barrels, but it's still drinkable. Grape juice, in particular, is very popular among them.

"Speaking of which, where is the governor?" one of the leaders asked.

"Never mind him, that short guy is probably hiding in his room and won't come out."

These people all despised Naserdin, but since he had accepted their offer, they felt obligated to keep their promise.

"If you ask me, he wouldn't dare to do anything. We can let him stay as governor, as long as he doesn't interfere with our affairs."

The leaders ate and cheered, quickly forgetting about the governor. They all assumed he had gone somewhere else, rather than that he had any other intentions.

Soon all the food on the table was gone. At this point, everyone realized that the governor still hadn't shown up. Could it be that he was really too afraid to come out and meet them?
Moreover, after the songstress left, no one else appeared here; only they remained.

"What's going on? Someone come here! Is anyone there?"

Only echoes remained in the hall; even a fool would know something was wrong.

"No, hurry up and leave!"

Ali quickly rallied everyone to rush toward the door, but suddenly a series of cracking sounds rang out, and some people fell to the ground.

Suddenly, people rushed out wielding scimitars and charged forward. The leaders, being seasoned veterans, used whatever they could grab to defend themselves.

They fought their way back and soon reached the gate. But the gate was now tightly shut, and some people were throwing stones down from above.

"Break open the door!"

The followers rammed the gate with their bodies, but it didn't budge. The other gate was completely blocked with stones; it was impossible to break it open unless a siege engine came up.

Then those people from the darkness emerged, dressed in new clothes and carrying detonator guns; some even had bayonets strapped to their muzzles.

The tribe's followers launched the first attack, but were wiped out by a concentrated barrage before they could even get close. Even those who managed to get close were sent to meet Allah by the enemy's bayonets.

In the end, only Ali remained, holding the knife he had stolen from his opponent, facing off against him. "Ah!!!"

Ali rushed forward, but the enemy opened fire, and he could only watch his body slowly fall to the ground.

"What's going on?" Ali asked slowly, but as one person stepped forward, the answer to everything became clear.

"You, it's you..."

Naserdin walked up to Ali, watching as Ali's life force slowly drained away, and his expression turned fierce.

"Yes, these were all decided by me, a coward. I thought it would take some effort, since this tactic had already been used in Egypt. I didn't expect you to be so oblivious to the lessons learned from other countries."

That's good, saves me the trouble of thinking of other methods. Your era is over, so go in peace.

After saying that, Nasser al-Din fired another shot at Ali. The man died with his eyes open.

"Your Highness," Amir approached, "all the people brought by the tribal chiefs have been wiped out."

"Alright, send all the troops out and take over the property and people of these tribes as quickly as possible."

"Yes"

After Amir left, Abdullah appeared. His nephew's earlier expression had frightened him, especially after the ruthless killing of the chief of Azerbaijan's most powerful tribe. Even if he had harbored any ambition to seize power, the man's actions had terrified him. Who would dare challenge him? They'd probably be living a very long life.

"Uncle, don't be nervous. These people are all preparing to rebel against His Majesty. I was just upholding His Majesty's authority."

Naserdin's face was still covered in blood. He was only 14 years old. How could he say such a thing?
"It's alright...it's alright..."

Tonight in Tabriz is destined to be anything but peaceful. These tribes are not far from here, and with the mobilization of the militia, they are striving to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

The next day at daybreak, notices were posted throughout the city's streets and alleys, announcing that the tribal chiefs who had arrived the previous day had attempted to rebel and had all been killed on the governor's orders. A total of 42 tribal chiefs and 468 followers had been killed.

Hammond was stunned when he saw the news. These tribes were among the most powerful in Azerbaijan, and their leaders were gone just like that. It seemed he had underestimated this governor.

No, perhaps it wasn't this governor; it must have been Amir who devised the plan. Yes, that must be it. That governor was only 14 years old; there was no way he could have orchestrated such a large-scale massacre.

What followed was beyond the expectations of the British and Russian consuls: the tribes whose chiefs had been killed were besieged by Tabriz's army, and the locals were powerless to resist. All their property was confiscated, and they lost their freedom.

But not everyone lost their freedom; ordinary herders were relocated to settled villages. They could no longer graze their livestock freely.

Of course, some were prepared to fight to the death. They rallied everyone, intending to wear down the enemy through mobile warfare. However, they were captured almost immediately after their formation, and even the Ayatollah supported the Governor-General of Azerbaijan. They were left with only one option: surrender.

Seeing the governor's methods, the smaller tribes also submitted one after another. They reported their tribe's population to the governor and paid the corresponding taxes. Naser al-Din discovered that these tribes had a considerable number of slaves; one small tribe of 2000 people alone had more than 6000 slaves.

The new army also gained experience here, and despite some losses, it grew stronger. The governor planned to expand the army to 15000 men, and he knew that this would certainly attract the attention of both Britain and Russia, especially Russia, which would overreact to anything that happened here.

However, eliminating the tribes was only the first step in his consolidation of power. With power and control of the army, he could continue with his next plan.

(End of this chapter)