Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 303 Mossadegh and the Flaws of Iran
"Dear Mr. Zheng, it's an honor to meet you. Please allow me, on behalf of the people of Persia, to express my highest respect to you. This is a small gift from me, and I hope you will accept it."

In his office in Singapore, Mossadegh's black leather shoes made a slight friction sound as they scraped across the Persian carpet. Looking at the Chinese man in a neat suit in front of him, he unconsciously lowered his head, which was always held high, and looked extremely humble.

His English was accented with a strong French accent, and his gestures and behavior seemed extremely polite, like a typical old Parisian aristocrat. This made Zheng Yi slightly displeased, but he still smiled, reached out, picked up his gift, and admired it.

"It's a Montblanc gold fountain pen, a gift from General David de Gaulle during World War II. Although I know you might not like it, it's the most precious thing I own."

Zheng Yi: "Hmm, I see. It's a pen given by the French. Haha. Please take a seat, Mr. Mossadegh. Congratulations. I heard you thwarted the British attempt to blow up the Abadan refinery yesterday."

As he spoke, Zheng Yi casually put the pen aside, not hiding his disdain for the French at all.

"I'm glad you're willing to meet me, Mr. Zheng. You're a sensible person, and I know I can't lie to you. We truly need your help right now. As of March of this year, our daily crude oil production has dropped 3% compared to before nationalization, and the Suez Canal is now... Let me be frank, Mr. Zheng, I need your help. Please agree to let us join the Southern Association for Regional Cooperation."

Zheng Yi smiled upon hearing this and said, "You? Who are you? Do you want Tehran to join the SAARC? So, will Tehran listen to you or me from now on? Do you have any other decent cities in Iran?"

"Forehead……"

Mossadegh was speechless for a moment, as if he was stumped by Zheng Yi's question.

After thinking for a long time, he simply said, "I believe that Mr. Zheng must be very familiar with our situation. We need your help. What are the conditions? Tell me. You are the king of world business and the king of oil. I believe that you have a more international perspective and can see things much better than a country bumpkin like me from the Middle East."

Zheng Yi couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. He said, "I'm a businessman, aren't you afraid that I'll sell out Iran? Why, am I so tough now?"

Mossadegh was also single: "Now the only ones who can save us are either you or the Soviet Union. You two are the only ones left. By comparison, your reputation in the Middle East is much stronger than that of the Soviet Union. If you really want to harm us, we can only go to the Soviet Union."

Zheng Yi smiled and actually admired the energy of this bachelor Mossadegh.

The country of Iran was once very popular for some special reasons before Zheng Yi traveled through time in the future. There are often so-called comparisons on the Internet between today's Iran and Iran in the 70s.

It's just that they never dare to compare it with Iran in the 50s. When belittling the Iranian government in power, no one seems to have ever brought up comparing it with the Mossadegh government in the 50s.

After all, the Iranian regime in the 21s can still come up with some tricks to deceive the old regime in the s, but if it is really compared with Mossadegh, it will be an all-round crushing defeat.

At least Zheng Yi himself has always believed that in this crappy place called the Middle East, the only politician he admires is Mossadegh.

Simply put, this is a man who overthrew the old Pahlavi dynasty, came to power through parliamentary politics, and was deeply loved by the Iranian people. He was born into a noble family but cared about the people and had an almost fatherly love for the people.

After coming to power, he incited Iranian nationalism, drove out all the British and British and French compradors, announced the nationalization of all Iranian oil, promoted secularization, encouraged women to go to school, and at the same time restricted the amount of land that rural landlords could own, and distributed the excess land free of charge to landless farmers.

To be precise, Iran's secularization, its refusal to submit to the Western world, and its great power sentiment began during the Mossadegh period. Even seventy years later, this country is still, to some extent, benefiting from the spiritual wealth left by Mossadegh.

It is said that this person has excellent personal morals. In Iran's special culture, if he had not insisted on promoting secularization and refused, he could have been sanctified. It is rumored that he has lived in a civilian apartment in Tehran for a long time, sharing an old car with his family, and was unable to buy a new school uniform for his daughter because he had no money.

It is said that he worked more than 12 hours a day and had no other entertainment activities except occasionally reading poetry. Regardless of the Iranian people's own bragging elements, the United States, as a semi-opponent, commented on Mossadegh in an internal CIA report: "Mossadegh's personal character is impeccable."

Unfortunately, the third world in this world has never been able to successfully break free from its shackles due to the excellent character and personal efforts of its leaders.

"Mr. Mossadegh, I'm a businessman, not a philanthropist. I'm going to speak frankly. It might sound a little harsh, but I hope you don't mind."

"You say."

"As far as I know, although the British were driven away by you, and they currently do not have the ability to take forceful military action against you, they took away all the technical personnel in Iran's oil industry before leaving, and even destroyed some of the technical equipment needed for oil extraction."

"Although it's nationalized, as far as I know, Iran's oil production is currently less than 20% of what it was before nationalization. Furthermore, the British, in alliance with the Seven Sisters of Oil, have imposed an embargo on Iranian oil. They've even leveraged their control of the Suez Canal to embargo all supplies needed by Iran, whether for industry or agriculture."

"The most crucial thing is...last month, Britain just went through a general election, and Fatty Qiu made a comeback. He's our old friend, and he's definitely not a cowardly, incompetent Labour Party member. Knowing him, let alone you, even if it's me... haha, I'm almost certain that fat guy is already planning to deal with me. He even dares to mess with me, let alone you?"

"You should read the front page of the Wall Street Journal today." Zheng Yi pulled out a newspaper clipping. The headline was written in bold font: "Britain wants to secretly purchase 300 jet fighters from the United States." A photo of a US bomber was printed on the yellowed paper, and the fuselage serial number was cleverly covered up.

When Wendy came in with a tray of coffee, Zheng Yi had already walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. Through the bulletproof glass of the office, he saw a few British men in khaki windbreakers installing a radio transmitter on the street downstairs.

"Of course, you can still pin your hopes on the Soviet Union, but you know what?" Zheng Yi turned, his cufflinks reflecting a strange light. "Last month, CIA informants in Tehran discovered that a Soviet freighter had delivered over 5,000 tons of TNT to an Iranian port." He lowered his voice, watching Mossadegh's Adam's apple roll. "Enough to flatten the entire oil tank area at Bandar Abbas."

Mossadegh really didn't know about this. Of course, he asked Hoover about it, and what Hoover told him was not necessarily true from any angle. But it didn't matter whether it was true or not, because based on Mossadegh's understanding of the Soviets, this was something the Soviets could do.

Although the Soviets of this era were shouting idealist slogans, the Iranians knew too well what kind of character the Soviet Union was. Before World War II, this place had always been a battlefield divided between Britain and the Soviet Union, and it was also one of the few Soviet colonies.

The people in the British-occupied areas lived better than those in the Russian-occupied areas.

Objectively speaking, it was only after the Americans intervened in the Middle East that the Iranian people began to live a good life for a few days. Now, because of World War II, the Soviets have finally withdrawn, and their people have driven out the British. Do you want them to invite the Soviets back?

If there were any other way, the Iranians would never choose to trust the Soviet Union. When Zheng Yi said that the Soviet Union wanted to cause sabotage in Tehran, Mossadegh believed it without even hesitation.

Zheng Yi handed over a Havana cigar, and the two of them smoked it together. Zheng Yi said, "If nothing unexpected happens, based on my understanding of Fatty Qiu, he won't be satisfied with just blocking the Suez Canal. He will definitely send warships to blockade the Persian Gulf."

"You're still alive and well because the US hasn't made up its mind to target you. You were smart enough to leave 25% for US companies when you nationalized the company, so you didn't offend them too much. But Fatty Qiu is in power now. The Democrats are in power in the US, and Fatty Qiu is quite good at manipulating the Democrats. President Du is a complete loser."

Mossadegh: "I've heard that, Mr. Zheng, you and the Republicans are anti-British and French, while the Democrats are pro-British and French. If, I mean if... we can hold on, survive this year or so, until the next US election, isn't it said that the Republicans have a high chance of winning? Wouldn't our situation be better then?"

Zheng Yi laughed at this and said, "The Republicans will indeed make a comeback in next year's election, but if they do... the US might actually send troops to help Britain." Mossadegh was stunned. "Didn't you say that you and the Republicans don't support ideological warfare?"

Zheng Yi: "Let's put aside the situation on my end. The Republicans don't want to go to war, and that means they don't want to go to war with big countries like the Soviet Union and China. To put it bluntly, we're all realists. It costs money, people die, and there's no real benefit. Naturally, only those idiots in the Democratic Party would go to war like that."

"But you, Iran, have such a weak military, a shabby mass base, almost no industry, and terrible neighborly relations, yet you produce 20% of the world's oil. What the hell does attacking you have to do with ideology? You actually believe in this bullshit democratic freedom! If the Republicans come to power, they won't be able to explain themselves to the military-industrial complex unless they attack you, the fat meat!"

Mossadegh couldn't help but feel a little dazed when he heard this, and his originally straight spine suddenly bent unconsciously.

The Iranian people still have a good impression of the United States and may really hope that the United States might help them. Zheng Yi's words are equivalent to ruthlessly puncturing all of Mossadegh's fantasies.

To put it bluntly, in the current situation in Iran, Britain is unable to fight on its own and wants to kill Iran with a soft knife. After all, the Persian Gulf is not the South China Sea and is not that far away. Britain's military capabilities are not so bad that it cannot send warships to such a close distance.

The United States is just watching now. The Democratic Party is not focusing on the Middle East and is not interested in oil. As long as Mossadegh does not pay tribute, they will not bother to care and will just watch coldly. In fact, the British's soft knife alone is enough to force Iran to the brink of collapse.

But if the Republicans come to power, you can rest assured that they will not allow the British to continue bullying Iran and monopolizing Iranian oil.

I have to take over.

To put it bluntly, Mossadegh really only has two options at the moment: before the Republicans come to power, either sell oil to the Soviets or sell oil to himself.

If he sold it to me, I would have to go to the United States and share the profits with the financial groups behind the Republican Party. Of course, they would definitely leave some for him.

It's just like that for a small country. If Mossadegh can't understand this truth, then he can die. I can't help him.

Oil is a national treasure only to those who know how to use it; otherwise, it is a national curse.

Although Zheng Yi also believes that Mossadegh's personal character and integrity can be regarded as the best among politicians in the Middle East and he deserves Zheng Yi's respect, in terms of ability, it seems that there is indeed a big gap between him and the old king of Saudi Arabia.

"Mr. Zheng, please tell me your conditions. What do you want in exchange for helping me? I understand that the external situation we are facing is very serious. If you are willing to help, we can... we can... even if you really want Tehran to join the Southern Association for Regional Cooperation, it is not impossible to negotiate."

Zheng Yi: "Stop it. Besides, even if you really want to give me Tehran, I don't want it. Honestly, with Iran right now, I'm quite hesitant to help. Honestly, I don't really want to help. Iran's only valuable asset is oil. When the Republicans come to power, they can use the army to take it back and I'll have a share. I'm a Republican to begin with. If you give it to me, I'll have to share it with them. It's better to wait for them to take it back and give me a share. At least I can save myself the trouble."

As he spoke, Zheng Yi leaned back in his chair, took a long puff of his cigar, and closed his eyes to savor it.

"Mr. Zheng, you can help the Tunisians, Syrians, and Lebanese, so why can't you help us Persians too? You also come from a backward country. Did you know that in the Middle East, you are called a savior?"

Zheng Yi quickly interrupted, "Don't worry, don't say that. 'Savior' is too big a word. I can't live up to it. The reason I helped Tunisia and Syria is because they both made huge sacrifices in the war against France. Combined... these two countries must have sacrificed over 200,000 people, yet they are still willing to continue fighting against France. Their people have been tested by blood and iron."

"What about you Iranians? To drive out the British and achieve national independence, are you willing to endure the test of iron and blood? To put it bluntly, I help the Tunisians and Syrians because I know that no matter what happens, they will never sell me out. If the road ahead encounters difficulties and hardships, the people of both countries will still grit their teeth and accompany me."

Mossadegh: "We Persians can do it too!"

Zheng Yi: "Stop joking. Did anyone die fighting the British? How did you become Prime Minister? Was it assassination? Or election? To be frank, people respect you because they know you have good character. But in my opinion, for a politician, character is really not that important. The old king of Saudi Arabia is over 80 years old and still married a young wife. The life of the Saudi people is no worse than yours in Iran. You are the only country in the world that cannot be ridiculed by saying they rely on oil."

To put it bluntly, Persia's dilemma lies in the fact that it has never experienced a thorough revolution. Instead, it used assassination tactics to force King Pahlavi to agree to the election, which led to the current situation.

Even the Iranian army is still loyal to the king, at least in name only. Although if the old king really dares to use the army to deal with Mossadegh, given Mossadegh's prestige in Iran, these troops will most likely turn against him.

But no matter what, in Zheng Yi's opinion, this revolutionary method is really too frivolous.

What Mossadegh controls now is not even a proper army, but a powerful assassin organization, the Brotherhood, the thing in Assassin's Creed.

The country of Iran has been relying too much on this kind of assassination method since thousands of years ago and will continue to do so for decades to come.

To some extent, the Arc of Resistance, the Quds Force, and the Revolutionary Guards are all continuations of the Assassin Brotherhood in Zheng Yi's view. Only such a bizarre culture can incubate such a bizarre political structure.

But the real world is not the real Assassin's Creed.

Using assassination tactics to carry out a coup can indeed achieve political goals with minimal means, but where will the mass base come from if the people have not gone through a fight?
Whenever the Iranian people encounter injustice, when they all believe that this country needs to be overthrown, they choose not to take up arms in resistance, but to hope that a hero will stand up from the crowd and become an assassin?

Can this regime overthrown by assassins withstand the powerful ships and guns from the Western powers?
"Mr. Mossadegh, let me be frank. Iran is not even qualified to negotiate with me right now. If you want to talk to me, you can, but I have a precondition."

"You say."

"Overthrow the Pahlavi royal family and confiscate all the property of the country's nobles. I know that nationalizing everything will be suspected of Sovietization. You can sell all this property to me, and I can buy it with money. The king must be executed, not like now... So, are you a constitutional monarchy now? Or are you just a powerful official advocating for reform?"

"But Mr. Zheng, if we do this, the country will surely fall into civil war, and the British will surely choose to support the royal family and the nobility."

Zheng Yi: "Yes, what else can we do? Mr. Mossadegh, just because an assassin fired two shots and killed two people, you think you can lead a medium-sized country to independence and prosperity? Do you want to listen to what you are saying? What I want is a civil war among you. You don't even have the courage to start a civil war, yet you want me to believe that I can invest in you to fight against the British and French powers? Mr. Mossadegh, in your eyes, the money of us rich people is all blown by the wind. Do I, Zheng Yi, look like a fool?"

"That's all I have to say. Farewell! Civil war or demise through compromise? The choice is yours."

"Of course, you have another option. You can go to the Soviet Union. Maybe they can offer a satisfactory price? It doesn't matter. We can buy from three different suppliers."

(End of this chapter)