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Chapter 1172: The Persian Betrayal

The leading Persian officer had his men ransack the Governor's mansion, but they couldn't find so much as a junior clerk. Consequently, he ordered the occupants of the two most luxurious buildings across the street to be rounded up.

Addressing the Azerbaijani nobles who knelt before him, he spoke in Persian.

"I swear by the crown of the great Shah and the scrolls of the Prophet—the ancient dust of Tabriz has been washed clean by the crescent moon today!

"Go and tell everyone that their Shah has returned."

Most of the Azerbaijanis understood Persian. They immediately prostrated themselves in agreement and then withdrew while still on their knees.

The officer then turned to his lieutenant.

"Immediately summon the Darughas and Muhtasibs of the city. Cleanse every last Russian remnant, as well as the traitors who sided with them."

A "Darugha" was the title for an Azerbaijani magistrate, while a "Muhtasib" served as a religious policeman.

Since the Persians and Azerbaijanis shared nearly identical customs and religious beliefs, managing the population was a straightforward task.

Three days later, near Ardabil, about sixty kilometers east of Tabriz, an officer was reporting to the Persian commander-in-chief, Abbas Mirza.

"Your Highness, the cavalry returning from Baku found no sign of the Russian Army. However, Askar has assembled over four thousand soldiers, likely intending to block our path."

Askar was the Shirvanshah of the Kingdom of Sylvain in eastern Transcaucasia. Because the people of Sylvain were Sunni Muslims, they had consistently cooperated with Russia and remained wary of Persia.

Previously, when Agha Mohammad Khan led an expedition to Georgia, Askar had chosen temporary submission, intimidated by the Shah's overwhelming military might. When Zubov later invaded, he had punished the people of Sylvain severely for that submission.

Furthermore, Askar had accepted a title from the Russian Tsar and thus decided to resist this time. After all, Abbas Mirza did not seem as ruthless as his grandfather had been.

Abbas Mirza gave a cold snort and signaled to his messenger.

"Order Kulam to lead the vanguard and launch an immediate assault on Baku."

An officer standing nearby hurriedly tried to advise him.

"Your Highness, General Kulam has less than five days' worth of supplies. Should we wait for the provisions from Tabriz to arrive before we..."

Abbas Mirza glared at him.

"Tell Kulam he can either starve to death or requisition grain from within the city of Baku."

"Yes, Your Highness."

To Abbas Mirza's surprise, news of Askar's surrender arrived only two days later.

A rebellion had broken out among the Tat tribes in southern Sylvain, which severely crippled the morale of Askar's troops. Kulam's Turkmen heavy cavalry needed only a single charge to shatter Sylvain's main force.

In this manner, the Persian army suffered no losses and even gained nearly three thousand tribal soldiers from Sylvain.

After occupying the strategic Transcaucasian town of Baku and securing ample supplies, the Persian host immediately followed the Kura River north. In less than a month, they had surrounded Tbilisi, the political and economic heart of Georgia.

This time, no Russian Army suddenly appeared to help Erekle II repel the Persians.

Indeed, Paul I and his ministers had never expected that the Persians, who had signed an alliance treaty with Russia, would invade Georgia without warning.

Following Valerian Zubov's dismissal, Russia had left fewer than a thousand soldiers in Transcaucasia. Most were stationed in Odishi on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, more than two hundred kilometers away from Tbilisi.

...

On the outskirts of Saint Petersburg, outside a modest-looking estate, Zubov and Duke Yashvili finally saw General Barclay emerge. They immediately cast inquiring glances his way.

Barclay adjusted his hat, climbed into the carriage, and shook his head with a sigh.

"General Kutuzov has refused me."

The faces of the two men in the carriage instantly turned grim.

"What do we do now?" Duke Yashvili asked anxiously. "Who else can we turn to for help?"

"We've tried everyone we could think of," Zubov said, his brow furrowed. "Only two thousand soldiers... God! We have to find another way. For instance, we could have the local nobles of Astrakhan deploy their troops..."

Three days ago, an envoy from Georgia had arrived in Saint Petersburg with the news that Tbilisi was under siege by the Persian army and could no longer hold out.

In response, Paul I had only mobilized two thousand troops for reinforcements.

It wasn't that he didn't care about Transcaucasia, but rather that the empire's southern forces had mostly been relocated to Orenburg in preparation for the next expedition to India.

Those two thousand soldiers were being pulled from as far away as Alatyr.

Furthermore, the Indian expeditionary force required millions of rubles. Last time, the Bakhov Legion had spent over 3.2 million rubles even with logistics provided by Khiva and Bukhara. This time, supplies had to be transported over long distances from provinces like Guryev, so the required military budget would undoubtedly be higher.

This made it difficult for the imperial treasury to support another massive army in the Caucasus.

In fact, Paul I was already demanding that the nobility "voluntarily" donate wealth and property to fund the invasion of India.

General Barclay shook his head again.

"Even if the local garrisons dared to act without orders, they simply don't have the funds to reach Tbilisi."

Even Astrakhan, located on the northern side of Transcaucasia, was more than five hundred kilometers from Tbilisi, and the route required crossing the Caucasus Mountains.

A military operation of such scale could only be financed by the national treasury.

Silence fell over the carriage.

Securing Georgia was of vital importance to everyone inside—

The Zubov family's military prestige was tied to Transcaucasia.

Duke Yashvili was himself Georgian and held significant interests in Tbilisi and the surrounding regions.

As for Barclay, he was of Scottish noble descent and had always maintained clandestine ties with Britain.

According to the British government's plan, the Persians were supposed to withdraw after occupying Tabriz. However, Ali Shah had grown greedy and now intended to conquer all of Transcaucasia.

This would severely provoke the Russians, potentially preventing Saint Petersburg from turning its focus back toward Europe.

Therefore, Barclay's goal was to persuade the Tsar to withdraw the army intended for India and defend Georgia. Meanwhile, Britain would pressure Tehran to retreat back to the vicinity of Tabriz.

A few days later, while Zubov and the others were still scrambling to find reinforcements for Georgia, another piece of bad news arrived from Transcaucasia.

The two thousand Russian troops sent to relieve Tbilisi had just crossed the Caucasus Mountains when they were ambushed by Abbas Mirza. Having lost over half their number, they were forced to retreat back across the border.

In the corridors of the Gatchina Palace, Barclay said with his head bowed, "Perhaps this defeat isn't a bad thing. His Majesty may decide to increase the troop count just to save face..."

Zubov was about to respond when he saw Count Ostermann and several officers approaching, complaining loudly. "How can we negotiate with the Persians? This is an absolute disgrace to the Empire!"