The King

25. An Historical Decision

The shah, his mother and Sheikh Aqasi were the only ones who knew what had been discussed with the Kremlin. To prevent informers from discovering their secret they had formed a triumvirate. They never employed a messenger and never took notes. The shah had decided to become more actively involved in affairs of state. He attended important military meetings more often and kept the vizier outside the decision-making process whenever he could. To the vizier’s great irritation the shah had relieved him of some of his military responsibilities, arguing that the vizier would need to have his hands free in order to carry out his reforms. In the meantime the shah had appointed Sheikh Aqasi as his official advisor.

The sheikh was now serving as a messenger between the shah and the Russians in the negotiations on the invasion of Herat. Ultimately the shah intended to transfer some of the power from the vizier to the sheikh. The sheikh advised the shah to make sure his subjects could see that he was ruling the land and not the vizier. He also tried to keep the shah from getting bored. He was constantly making plans for him and sending him to various cities on working visits. This change did the shah good; it cheered him up.

Sheikh Aqasi knew that if he could enter into a stable agreement with the Russians, and if the shah could take Herat, he would undoubtedly become the country’s next vizier.

It did not escape Grand Vizier Mirza Kabir’s notice that Sheikh Aqasi was meeting with the Russians more and more frequently. He had warned the shah countless times about the sheikh: he was sly, superstitious and easily influenced. A man like that could pose a danger to the country.

‘I would suggest that everyone mind their own business,’ responded the shah sharply.

The vizier was forced to sit by and watch as his faithful warlords disappeared from the highest ranks of the army. The shah was the army’s commander-in-chief, but the decisions he made revealed the influence of the vizier’s adversaries. The vizier could do nothing to oppose them. The shah would not hesitate to use force to brush him aside.

Whenever the shah made an appearance Sheikh Aqasi was at his side. He also made it his business to be with the king whenever the vizier came to the palace for meetings.

It was late in the afternoon. The last page of the document that would seal the alliance with the tsar lay before him on his desk. Once he pressed his signet ring into the ink-pad and made his mark at the bottom of the page, the path to Herat would be thrown open. He walked around the room with the signet ring in his hand, looking at himself in the mirror. He would do what his father had not been able to accomplish.

‘Sharmin!’ he called, but Sharmin did not come. The shah looked out of the window towards the gate, where two guards were marching. He took off his hat, scratched his head and stood there with his hat in his hands. Resolutely he put his hat back on his head, walked to his desk, pressed his signet ring first into the ink-pad and then, with force, beneath his name. He rang his bell and asked the chamberlain to fetch Sheikh Aqasi.

The shah handed the agreement to the sheikh and sent him away without a word. Now that he had made this decision he felt the need to speak with the vizier.

‘Sharmin!’ he called again.

The cat remained hidden.

The shah was about to go into the courtyard, but halfway down the stairs he turned back and entered the harem unannounced. Khwajeh Bashi quickly put on his slippers and followed the shah, who walked further into the harem and then changed his mind. He turned to Khwajeh Bashi and said, ‘Fetch the vizier!’

Khwajeh Bashi did not understand why the shah wanted to bring the vizier to the harem.

‘Why are you standing there? Fetch the vizier!’ shouted the shah.

Evening had just fallen when the vizier rode into the palace. He handed the reins to the guard and had the chamberlain inform the shah of his arrival. Once the vizier was inside the shah took him to his conference room.

‘Have a seat,’ he said, contrary to custom, but the vizier preferred to stand.

‘Please, sit down,’ repeated the shah in a friendly tone.

The vizier sat down. The shah walked over to the window. Standing with his back to the vizier he told him in general terms about the decisions he had made, about Herat and about the Russian ships in the Caspian Sea. After having said all this he felt as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

The vizier sat silently, his head bent low, lost in reflection.

‘What does the vizier think?’ asked the shah.

‘What the shah has done is irreparable,’ said the vizier, and he stood up.

‘Irreparable?’

‘Opening the Caspian Sea to Russian ships is surrender, pure and simple. And as for Herat, the shah knows we will never be able to win a war with the British. The shah and his advisors are steering us into troubled waters.’

‘We’ve made airtight agreements with the Russians,’ said the shah in his own defence.

‘No one is capable of making airtight agreements with the Russians. The generations before us have had plenty of experience in that regard.’

‘Times have changed,’ answered the shah unsteadily.

‘For the Russians times will never change,’ insisted the vizier.

‘But what have we got to lose if we don’t win the battle for Herat?’ asked the shah, feeling his way.

‘We’ll lose a great deal, but exactly what is impossible to predict.’

‘I wish the vizier would not speak with us in guarded terms. Let’s have some examples. Give us an example,’ said the shah emphatically.

‘The tsar is taking a chance. The tsar has nothing to lose. But the shah must be very careful where he puts his feet. We may end up so deep in the morass that we won’t be able to climb out.’

‘I asked for a concrete example, but the vizier is speaking in riddles.’

‘The gravity of the situation exceeds all examples,’ answered the vizier. ‘The war will bring unrest and uncertainty. We must reach a compromise with the British and not walk into the tsar’s trap. The reforms—’

‘Reforms, reforms. What good are all these changes if we are no longer in control of our own country later on? Compromise? What compromise? The vizier knows better than anyone that the British don’t understand the word “compromise”. Only a cannonball can put them in their place. The decision has been taken. Soon we will invade Herat. You have been sufficiently informed,’ said the shah, whose lower lip was trembling with agitation.

The vizier hazarded one last attempt: ‘Excuse me, Your Majesty, but it is my duty to tell you that this is the most impetuous decision you ever could have made. I am against it. You are allowing yourself to be led by a group of greedy, deranged advisors. I am opposed to this war in every possible way. Tear up the documents. Don’t jeopardise your crown. Don’t endanger the nation!’

In his youth, when the vizier was his tutor, the shah had often been forced to endure his harsh scoldings, but those days were over now. The shah opened one of his desk drawers, took out a stack of papers and thrust it under the vizier’s nose. There was no need for the shah to utter a word. It was a chapter of a translation of the French constitution that the vizier had been working on for quite some time. What it contained undermined the shah’s power.

‘Out of my sight!’ he shouted, slamming the door behind the vizier with all his might.