Chapter 947: Opening a New Battlefield for the British
Following that was a series of established formal procedures.
Alexandra met with the French marriage envoy, receiving his blessings and a token of affection from the French Crown Prince.
The Grand Chamberlain read the marriage contract aloud before the assembly, which was essentially an alliance agreement.
As this union involved the complex issue of religious conversion, the Church did not participate extensively. They merely sent a choir of boys to chant a series of prayers in Old Church Slavonic.
However, according to the agreement, the Princess was permitted to visit the Cathedral of the Assumption for one final prayer before leaving Russia—a request she had made personally.
After Antoine, representing Joseph, stood alongside Alexandra to receive the cheers and blessings of the thousand nobles in attendance, the ball commenced.
The ball was followed by a banquet, then another ball... the entire ceremonial process was slated to last for three days. During this time, all of Saint Petersburg would revel in non-stop celebration.
Once the ceremonies in Saint Petersburg concluded, the Princess would travel to Moscow to repeat a nearly identical process before finally departing for Paris.
According to Catherine II's arrangements, the bridal procession would take over three months to reach its destination, as it would intentionally detour through Austria, Bavaria, and several other German states.
Accompanied by the lively, almost chaotic music of the ball, Talleyrand sat in a modest reception room on the south side of the Winter Palace. He held a teacup, smiling at Zubov who sat opposite him.
"It is essentially as I described. You can treat this entirely as a routine military exercise; there is no need to even prepare logistical supplies.
"I will later travel to Vienna to coordinate with them, and they will handle the trouble caused by the Ottomans."
The Tsar's favorite was clearly in high spirits due to the marriage alliance. He nodded immediately. "That is certainly no problem. However, I had thought His Highness the Crown Prince would be quite keen to see the Austrians suffer a bit."
Talleyrand immediately assumed a righteous tone. "Even if the Austrians require a lesson, it should be delivered by French soldiers, not by watching heathens ravage lands blessed by the glory of God!"
"You are quite right. The French are indeed born warriors." Zubov tried his best to push the phrase "Unholy Alliance" out of his mind. Suddenly, another thought struck him, and he added, "In fact, I could suggest to His Majesty that we dispatch troops to Moldavia to assist the Austrians against those heathens."
Talleyrand’s expression shifted to one of confusion. "Does the Tsar intend to fight on two fronts?
"If I may be so bold, that is not a wise strategic choice."
Zubov was even more surprised. "A two-front war? Aside from Moldavia, where else would there be a battlefield?"
"In the Transcaucasia region, of course." Talleyrand paused abruptly, looking at the Count. "Is your country not preparing for war there?"
"Transcaucasia?" Zubov pondered for a moment before nodding. "His Majesty has considered sending troops there, but it is currently only in the planning stages."
Talleyrand’s tone turned urgent.
"Then you must hurry. After all, the Persian army could appear in Georgia at any moment."
Zubov was shocked. "The Persians? Where did you obtain this information?"
Talleyrand thought to himself that he had no idea where the Crown Prince got his intelligence, as the Intelligence Bureau had never submitted such a report.
Joseph, naturally, had gleaned this information from the historical records of his past life.
Currently, the European powers paid little mind to Persia, viewing it as an impoverished and remote backwater. Even the British, who had the deepest infiltration into Persia, would only realize the scope of the threat once the Persian army crossed the border to conquer the Caucasus.
Talleyrand spoke solemnly. "This is no secret in the Persian court. Their eunuch king is mad and ambitious. He has already gathered over sixty thousand troops and could march north at any time."
The "eunuch" he referred to was the current ruler of Persia, Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar.
This man had been captured by a rival tribe at the age of six, castrated, and sent into the Persian court.
However, Agha Mohammad was brilliant, calm, and deeply calculating. He quickly rose to the position of Grand Eunuch.
Fifteen years ago, after the death of Karim Khan of Persia, he took advantage of the court's internal chaos to escape back to his former tribe in the north.
Possessing exceptional military talent, he led his troops to conquer numerous Persian tribes over the following years, while cleverly navigating the internal strife of the Persian royal family to expand his own power.
Ultimately, a few years ago, he captured Shiraz, the capital of the Zand dynasty, established the Qajar dynasty, and moved the capital to Tehran.
Last year, Agha Mohammad completely eliminated all rival Persian tribes and occupied most of Khorasan, ending half a century of Persian fragmentation and declaring himself the King of Kings.
This "King of Kings" was determined to restore the boundaries of the Persian Safavid Empire, and the only piece remaining was the Caucasus region.
In history, Agha Mohammad would quickly complete his war preparations and, by next year, 1795, invade to occupy Georgia and eastern Armenia.
The Russian government would only realize something was wrong in the Caucasus when the Grand Duke of Georgia fled to them for refuge, forcing them to hurriedly scramble troops south.
However, after only a few months of fighting, Catherine II passed away from a stroke.
Her successor, Tsar Paul I, harbored a deep-seated resentment toward his mother. His policy was essentially to oppose whatever his mother supported and fervently support whatever she opposed.
Because of this, he withdrew the troops sent to the Caucasus with lightning speed, even though the Russian army had already gained a significant advantage.
Five years later, Alexander I staged a coup and ended his father's reign before sending troops back to the Caucasus. It was only because Agha Mohammad was assassinated by his own guards that Russia managed to regain control over Georgia and other territories.
What followed was the protracted Caucasian War, a long-term tug-of-war between Russia and Persia.
Joseph’s interest in this matter stemmed from the fact that once the Russian army gained the upper hand and began invading the Persian heartland, the British finally became unable to sit still.
If the Russians broke through Persia, they would gain control over the Persian Gulf, providing a direct route to the Far East. The entire trade landscape of Europe would be fundamentally altered.
Furthermore, by launching from southern Persia, the Russian army would be able to interfere in Indian affairs.
Given the strength of the British Army at the time, they had no confidence in defeating the Russians on land.
Consequently, the British were forced to throw their full support behind Persia, investing over a million pounds in funding and building extensive infrastructure in southern Persia. It took over a decade of exhaustion to finally kill off Russia’s ambitions for the Indian Ocean.
This struggle in Central Asia would also mark the beginning of the nineteenth-century "Great Game" between Britain and Russia.
What Joseph wanted to do now was, first, to have Russia make military preparations in advance so they could clash with the Persian army as soon as possible. The thirty thousand flintlock muskets just delivered were intended for this very purpose.
Second, he wanted to ensure that after Paul I took the throne, he would not make the decision to withdraw from the Caucasus, thereby continuously provoking the British.
Third, he aimed to provide Russia with a certain level of support, allowing the Russian army to push deeper into Central Asia, ideally drawing the British into a direct military intervention in Persia.
After repeatedly confirming the accuracy of the intelligence, Zubov stood up nervously. "I must report this to the Tsar immediately."
Comments