Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 112 Private Investment
These Vietnamese soldiers paid no heed to their fallen comrades. The stench of blood in the air fueled their frenzied attack. They continued to charge forward, quickly reaching the makeshift defensive line.

Both the musketeers and the hastily recruited archers were giving their all to stop the Vietnamese from getting closer. Everyone knew that once they broke through, it would be all over.

"Prepare...fire!" The artillery unleashed its power once more. Shells and bullets formed fan-shaped patterns, flying with immense kinetic energy towards the Vietnamese soldiers. In an instant, screams of agony filled the air as many of those at the front fell, many killed, their bodies mangled and bloodied, while those who survived wailed in agony.

A southerner was suddenly shot in the head with a live bullet, his head instantly flying off, while his body continued running forward for several meters before collapsing. This horrific scene nearly sent them to their deaths; screams of agony filled the air as they ran for their lives like headless flies, desperately hoping to escape.

This counterattack resulted in another resounding victory for the side of the embankment. The conscripted Khmer soldiers, without hesitation, dealt a swift and decisive blow to the wounded Vietnamese on the battlefield. Once back on the front lines, everything returned to normal.

This sudden war not only surprised Bahram, but also baffled the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam. The military governor of Nanqi sent a messenger to the capital, Thua Thien Prefecture (later Hue), to report the situation to Emperor Tu Duc.

Bahram felt a little relieved. He anxiously looked up at the sea, praying that his reinforcements would arrive soon. He really didn't know if he could repel the Vietnamese attack again. If it dragged on any longer, things would become even more difficult for them.

After the initial successful resistance, he ordered the city to be further fortified. However, due to the language barrier, orders had to be given in English.
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"Resignation, so suddenly?"

Naserdin looked at Lawrence, who had just submitted his resignation, with disbelief. "It hasn't even been two years."

"Yes, due to some unforeseen circumstances, I have had to resign. I hope Shah can approve my resignation."

Looking at the submitted report and then at Lawrence, Naserdin still signed it.

"It seems I have no choice but to agree. Are you going back to Louisiana?"

“Shah… um… our family has moved to Mexico.”

“Huh?” Naserdin was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Lawrence.

“My family’s business failed, the estate was taken away, and we had a little money left, so we went to live in Mexico. I plan to do some business in Mexico.”

So that's how it is. It seems the plantation can't beat Wall Street after all. If we can't make it here, we'll go to Mexico to find a living.

“I feel sorry for what happened to your family, but what can you do in Mexico now?” Nasserdin asked, puzzled.

“I plan to do some shipping business in Mexico, and I can’t let this unexpected event ruin me.”

Shah nodded, then uttered an idea that surprised him: "If I give you funds to start a business, what will you be like in ten years?" This question stunned Lawrence. Was Shah going to give him money? Confident, he still spoke.

“If the Shah gives me some funding, I can expand my business to every corner of Mexico within ten years.”

That's quite an ambitious statement. You have to understand that although Mexico has lost half of its territory, it still has an area of ​​200 million square kilometers. Moreover, the internal transportation is poor, and the region is crisscrossed by mountains, hills, and plateaus. It seems very impossible to do this within ten years.

To everyone's surprise, Naserdin smiled and said, "It seems you already have a plan. Relax, Lawrence. We're friends now. You've helped Iran so much; I don't even know how to thank you enough."

Lawrence felt a pang of sadness. Having such a friend was his good fortune; after all, it wasn't common to have a ruler of a nation as your friend.

“If you agree, I will give you 20 riyals as my investment in your company.”

Naser al-Din still has 3000 million riyals of Indian wealth at his disposal, and it would be a waste not to use them. 20 is not much for him.

Lawrence was also thinking that 20 riyals, or $10, could buy a house in the best location in New York City. Now that he wanted to do business in Mexico, this venture capital would be a significant boost to his business.

“Shah, your kindness in helping us so much is something my brother and I will never forget.”

Lawrence now desperately wants to join Iran, but his last vestige of white dignity prevents him from doing so. However, this is excellent; given his personal relationship with the Shah, he'll surely be able to secure more funding.

Naser al-Din, however, had a different idea. His main goal was to increase revenue, so investment and construction became the primary means of achieving this.

Besides expanding trade into Africa and the East, Nasser al-Din also wanted to explore the newly formed Americas. Of course, he was purely interested in making money; he didn't think much of anything else. After all, even the most powerful Mexico had been defeated by the United States, what else could he possibly be thinking about?

Of course, such an investment requires an agreement signed by both parties to officially take effect. Nasser al-Din invested 20 rials in the company Lawrence is establishing, and will add another 15 rials if the prospects are good. This can be considered Iran's first step in investing in the Americas, although the outcome remains to be seen.

Watching the other person's departing figure, Naserdin felt he had done the right thing. After all, Mexico's economic development didn't begin until 1880; at that time, it was mostly a plantation system, and industry was only present in Mexico City. Mining remained Mexico's mainstay industry, but the technology and equipment were still relatively primitive. Due to the chaotic political situation and prolonged civil war, the economy had collapsed. Most wealthy Mexicans invested their funds in the only stable asset: large plantations, the only reliable asset.

This is true not only in Mexico, but also in Central and South America. It's not that they are unwilling to develop industry, but rather that they believe in agrarianism and that progress can be achieved by exporting high-value primary products.

Brazil's rubber and coffee, Peru's fertilizer, Chile's copper—these are the things that make the local presidents and other nobles very rich, and most of them have no incentive to invest in industry, so foreign capital is the only way to fill this gap.

However, his investment in the Americas is just the beginning; his foreign trade focus remains on Somalia and the region bordering Iran. The Americas and other regions are merely supplementary.

(End of this chapter)