Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 107 Colonial Legion
They must have gone to great lengths to transfer Indian wealth here. Nasser al-Din felt they deserved a good reward.

Each of them would receive a reward of 20,000 riyals and a chance to take up a government position. However, he had different ideas about the two leaders.

Muhammad and Adil were summoned again, and they thought they had been recognized and that the Shah was going to give them a greater reward.

"You have brought great wealth to Iran this time, and I don't know how to reward you."

This made the two feel that the Shah had given them even more, and they quickly said, "It is our honor to contribute to Iran. The country is facing difficulties now, and we all want to do our part for the country."

The Shah nodded slightly, then stated his thoughts. "In that case, would you be willing to go abroad and help Iran expand its territory?"

Hearing this, the two were completely confused, but Shah quickly explained. It turned out they needed to recruit people to go abroad and find countries willing to cooperate.

Finding markets overseas and mobilizing a regular army can be very difficult, especially in countries like Iran. A mercenary army, on the other hand, is much easier, as their employer is only the Shah, meaning they must be loyal to him.

"I hope you can fight for Iran's interests in the East and Africa. Of course, if you find it difficult, I will arrange other public positions for you."

This was a huge opportunity, a real challenge. To be under the direct command of the Shah must require a lot of work. If they didn't agree, when would they get another chance? The two of them quickly agreed.

"I will give you some funds. Go to other places to recruit and train some people, and be ready to be dispatched at any time."

Upon hearing this, the two quickly replied, "We are willing to serve Shah."

This time, the two were given military status and were directly under the command of the Shah. They were tasked with recruiting 3500 men to form a legion for external operations.

After they left, a servant came to report, "Shah, the Grand Vizier has arrived."

"Please."

Although he didn't know the purpose of the visit, Naserdin still needed to show sufficient respect to this teacher.

"Shah, this is the government's budget. Please take a look."

As Naserdin was looking at it, Amir continued, "Currently, all the assets we confiscated from Ulima have been liquidated. The total is 2569 million riyals. A portion of this will be used to purchase gold and deposited in bank vaults to stabilize the riyal's value. After all, without gold, it's easy to damage public trust in the currency."

In addition, 700 million riyals will be allocated to establish a railway company. The remainder will be invested in several installments.

Now Nasser al-Din finally understood why the three Wu and one Zong emperors were so determined to destroy Buddhism: religion was a goldmine. The bronze statues inside could be melted down to mint coins, monks could be forced to become soldiers, and the Vikings looted monasteries and churches in the Middle Ages for the same reason—religious institutions were incredibly wealthy.

"Very well, but that's not the main reason the teacher came today, is it?"

Having been seen through, Amir stopped hiding his intentions. He spoke directly: "Shah, although you are now the Shah, I still want to remind you that some money isn't necessarily something you have to earn." It seemed his plan to go to the East had been exposed, and Nasser al-Din also spoke up: "There's nothing I can do about it. The country needs money everywhere, so I can only look for places where the money comes quickly."

"That doesn't mean you have to work in this industry. Luckily, it was sunk by the storm. This should be a warning from Allah. The government will find a way to help you if you don't have money. They will never let you put yourself in danger."

Whether this statement moved Nasser al-Din or not, Amir's submitted budget was essentially the same as last year's. Besides the significant expenditure on establishing a railway company, there were also the purchase of two warships from Britain for a total of 170 million riyals, and colonial payments to the Somali region amounting to 30 riyals.

The government believes Iran needs more arable land to boost its economy, and Amir seized the opportunity to release the Somali report. According to the company, the southern Juba River region has abundant arable land resources, and if the government could control this area, Iran's economy would certainly be better off.

However, the Somali region still made government officials uneasy. Most of them were unfamiliar with the area, and they questioned the reliability of the information. They only stopped talking when the Grand Vizier produced information about an Iranian trading company operating there.

Although the Iranian people lacked the financial means to buy land, the bureaucratic aristocracy did. Moreover, the further along the coastline one went, the more fertile the land might become. So the government allocated 30 rupees from its treasury to establish the position of Governor-General of Somalia, with Mogadishu as its capital.

"Could you explain the governorship of Somalia, Grand Vizier?"

"Okay, Shah, as you know, Iran now needs a lot of arable land to increase the production of food and other crops. And the Somali region fits this need perfectly."

Furthermore, the land to the south is largely unclaimed. We can utilize these areas to cultivate various crops, which would alleviate the burden on the local population.

The decision to expand territories overseas was unexpected to come from the mouth of the Grand Vizier. Naserdin felt as if his teacher had also traveled from another time, as this was even more eager for expansion than Japan in the early Meiji Restoration.

Although both countries need to expand, their geographical locations present some differences. Japan is an island nation with only Korea, Qing Dynasty, and Russia as its maritime neighbors, and expansion into any of them would face resistance.

Aside from Russia, Britain, and India, the other countries surrounding Iran are relatively weak, and it is also close to Africa. Furthermore, there are vast tracts of undeveloped land; acquiring these areas would be advantageous for Iran.

However, colonization by chartered companies was somewhat slow, so the government planned to let them take the lead, with the companies handling the economic aspects. This would save some money for investment in industrial development.

"If we could control Egypt, we could explore the land along the upper Nile. Unfortunately, it already has a master."

However, while focusing on Mogadishu, we must not abandon Baghdad, as the local people are eager to reunite with our country. Therefore, we cannot let our guard down regarding the Ottoman Empire either.

Shah's ambition convinced Amir to agree immediately, as he knew Iran was now at a critical juncture and needed the government's efforts.

With Nasser al-Din's approval of the budget, the Iranian government began a new year of construction. Various projects are proceeding smoothly, particularly in the economy and the military, where spending is truly lavish.

Although the government is short of funds, Shah has plenty. After distributing some to banks and the government, the rest is all his.

(End of this chapter)