Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 108 Lawrence's Choice
The bustling port of Mogadishu saw ships from various countries docking there, as the Bushehr-Mogadishu shipping route had opened and was gradually thriving. Locally produced goods were shipped to various destinations, while simultaneously generating revenue for the shareholders.

Lawrence looked at the increasingly busy port and felt a great sense of accomplishment. This prosperity was all thanks to his governance.

Moreover, the Iranian government has begun encouraging them to venture deeper into the inland regions and has provided them with 10 rials as funding, which makes Lawrence feel that it is time to demonstrate his greater value.

"My lord, everything is ready. An expedition team of 30 people has set off to explore the west."

"Okay, I understand."

Sitting in his office building in Mogadishu, Lawrence felt more at ease than ever before, wondering how his family was doing.

"Sir, someone wants to see you. He says he is your brother."

Brother? Lawrence remembered him being in Louisiana. How did he get here?

"I'll go."

Although he couldn't believe it, when he opened the door and saw that the person standing up from the sofa was indeed his brother Alvarez, he quickly went over and hugged him.

"It's been a long time, brother."

"Yeah, long time no see."

Lawrence personally brewed coffee for Alvarez, saying, "Try it, this is coffee sugar grown in Somalia."

Alvarez took a sip and put it down. "It's very good. I heard that coffee is more expensive than cotton."

"I understand. Because of the poor state of the European economy, the amount of cotton exported from the United States to Europe is probably not as much. How is your plantation doing?"

Unexpectedly, Alvarez slammed his teacup down, looked at his brother, and said, "Don't go to Louisiana anymore. We've moved to Mexico."

"what?"

Through his brother's account, Lawrence gradually pieced together the situation: seeing the cotton market was booming, he desperately increased cotton planting and even borrowed money from New York bankers for it. However, the economic crisis two years ago caused a large backlog of cotton, leaving him with no choice but to sell slaves and cotton at low prices to make up for the losses.

Even so, the debt couldn't be repaid. In the end, the bankers had to forcibly seize all the plantations to settle the debt. Because of this, my sister-in-law suffered a heart attack and went into premature labor.

Upon waking, he no longer wanted to live there, so he sold everything he could and, with $1000, took his family to Monterrey, Mexico. There, he bought land and a workshop to start a new life, and also bought a transport ship to travel from Matamoros to Havana.
Lawrence immediately stood up and asked angrily, "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"It all happened so suddenly. We never expected him to come all the way from New York by ship. We thought he could give me a few more days to raise the funds, but instead he just pulled out a contract and took over the entire plantation."

“I’ve already said enough. Those people in New York are ruthless killers. Even if you owe them a dollar, they’ll catch you and force you to pay back ten dollars. Have you forgotten that’s why your father died?”

Lawrence's eyes welled up with tears as he recounted this story. His father had been lured into investing by banks, only to lose a fortune during the economic crisis. He ultimately had to sell two-thirds of the plantations and slaves to cover the losses. Despite this, his father committed suicide by gunshot in April 1838. "I was too impatient," he said, "eager to restore the family's glory, and I fell into a trap."

He regretted it as soon as he said it, but what could he do? Revitalizing the family now seemed a distant dream, so he came here to discuss things with his younger brother.

Lawrence paced back and forth, then glanced at his brother and asked, "How's it going in Monterey now?"

"It's alright, but the local area is not very stable. I spent some money to hire locals to form a patrol team to protect my property."

Furthermore, the local road conditions are poor, and it takes a long time to transport the produced goods out.

Upon hearing this, Lawrence quickly asked, "Then what about the daily necessities they need?"

"These were naturally transported from other places; the local transportation is simply inadequate."

"Transportation, transportation!" Lawrence clapped his hands, suddenly having a brilliant idea: how about they create a railroad company?
"My dear brother, do you want to be someone who changes history in Mexico?"

Despite hearing such nonsensical words, Alvarez nodded.

“Since transportation in Mexico is not working, we can make money using rail and water transport. And right now Mexico doesn’t even have rails, which is a great opportunity for us.”

Mexico has been mired in turmoil since the start of its war of independence, with republicans and monarchists, liberals and conservatives locked in fierce battles. From 1821 to the present, it has tried both imperial and republican systems. However, its economy has failed to thrive, and the Mexican-American War of 46 resulted in the loss of half of its territory. Currently, Mexico remains politically unstable.

“In that case, we’ll need a lot of money. Lawrence, you don’t know the situation in Mexico. It’s not America. We not only have to be careful of the Native Americans, but also maintain good relations with the local plantations and churches.”

That's how Mexico is: the poor, landowners, the Catholic Church, and the military all come together here. Although they haven't clashed yet, only the one who gets the most support can become the master of Mexico.

In terms of ethnic composition, Mexico's population at the time consisted of 18% whites, 22% mixed-race individuals, and 60% indigenous people. Among the whites, Creoles, born in the Americas, comprised 17.8%, while European-born Peninsulars made up only 0.2%, numbering approximately 1.5. Of these, 7500 were soldiers, 6000 were civilians and merchants, and 1500 were clergy. Such ethnic relations, coupled with political instability, inevitably led to economic underdevelopment. Furthermore, given Mexico's perceived instability, a mercenary army was needed for security.

“I’ll figure out the funding, but my brother also needs to get moving and go check out those cities. If possible, he wants to enter politics in the future. Luckily, we can speak Spanish.”

As he spoke, Lawrence began to think about how to get started. Since railway construction was a long process, he suggested developing shipping first.

He took out his savings, 20000 riyals, equivalent to $10000. Besides his salary and bonuses, Lawrence also collected some money from other local sources. After all, it was a colony, so they didn't say anything.

"You can stay here for now, and I'll go to Mexico with you in a few days."

It seems he can't continue making money here, but that's okay, Mexico might be his other chosen land.

(End of this chapter)