Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 175 Cultivating Domestic Affairs
"Great Vizier, you've done a great job. It's been a long time since we've seen something like this."

After seeing the official text of the Treaty of Paris, Naser al-Din expressed his gratitude to Amir.

"This is all for Iran. Without the soldiers' desperate efforts, I probably wouldn't have been able to get the land back so quickly at the negotiating table."

The war is finally over; now we should focus on domestic affairs.

The previous investment plan of ten million has been completed. Iran's military, steel, mining, and railway industries have experienced explosive growth, which has also led to the development of light industries such as textiles, food, and papermaking, as well as agriculture.

Amir now plans to increase the investment to 3000 million to expand railways and build heavy industry across the country. He also intends to invest in education and healthcare, as Iran's current population is too small and needs to be increased.

“Shah, we must now develop our economy. Although the momentum in recent years has been encouraging, it is still too fragile compared to Britain and France.”

We need more factories and more raw materials; only in this way can we create a continuous stream of wealth and increase our income.

Nasserdin understood everything Amir said, but there were several major obstacles to Iran's industrial development. The first was its natural environment. Industry needs water, but Iran lacks water resources; although it has some rivers, they are still insufficient.

Therefore, the Iranian government is now encouraging forestry, that is, planting trees. This policy seems too conspicuous in a country that is currently developing its industry, and no one knows why Iran is doing this, but for a water-scarce country, it is a last resort.

"I am very satisfied with this plan, but there are a few points I need to add. First, our country must make improvements in agriculture, not only in terms of increased output, but also in terms of expanding the planting area. This requires improving our agricultural farming techniques."

Another factor is the market; you need to sell the goods you produce. Iran's market seems to have expanded considerably, but it still needs more.

“We also need to expand trade, and I think Africa and the Far East can continue to develop.”

Amir knew perfectly well what this referred to: colonial expansion. If Britain, France, and Russia could do it, then Iran, as the country that defeated Russia, could certainly do it too.

Iran's territory in East Africa has expanded considerably. They trade with local tribes, but the purchasing power of these tribes is extremely low; they don't even have currency, so they rely on barter. Their wealth is largely comprised of cattle; in East Africa, a person's wealth is often measured by the number of cattle they own.

However, the land was quite good, and farming wouldn't be a problem. So, through a series of purchases, 200 mu (approximately 33 acres) of land was allocated to each of the 100 Iranian families who voluntarily immigrated to the area. They planted wheat locally and then transported it back to Iran.

Tehran certainly saw the potential of East Africa, but the need for immigration and development was a long-term project. Therefore, while this plan was underway, another plan was being pursued: expanding trade globally, similar to Britain's. During the Paris Peace Conference, Iran and Britain reached an agreement in which Britain recognized the vast interior of the Arabian Peninsula as part of Iran's sphere of influence. These deserts offered little economic benefit; even the Ottomans were unwilling to accept them, so they gave them to Iran, unaware of the immense treasure they were relinquishing.

Of course, investment is still needed, as trade between Iran and the Shamari tribes is growing. Dhahran has become a port city with tens of thousands of inhabitants, and now that the tribes have occupied the Naj region, they need the railway to quickly move troops and supplies.

However, the desert conditions pose a challenge for the railway, and these areas are of relatively low value, making it difficult for Iran to invest funds there.

According to the railway company, the cost of building a heavy-duty railway across the desert is around 1000 million riyals. This mainly includes the cost of the railway and the sand-fixing forests on both sides. Furthermore, due to the desert terrain, the annual maintenance costs will be higher than other railways, requiring at least 200 million riyals annually.

Such costs are a nightmare for railway companies, and the government can't provide much funding. For now, the only option is to complete the railway construction between Dhahran and Hufuf, and then consider other options.

After careful consideration, Amir suggested to the Shah: launch a Far East expedition.

Amir also learned that Iran had sent troops to Saigon. In his view, 14,000 men couldn't accomplish much; 30,000 should be sent instead to wage war against South Vietnam and Siam.

While the situation in Vietnam is developing well, it's still not enough. Iran needs to further expand its interests, otherwise Britain, France, and Russia will intervene. Having lost the Crimean War, they will certainly vie for control in the East, and Iran must do everything in its power to seize it.

Of course, in addition to colonial expansion, Iran also needs to provide some support to the largest country, Qing, preferably by helping them acquire some modern goods. This would increase their purchasing power and boost trade with Iran.

Nasser al-Din was intimidated by the prime minister's radicalism, but given that everything was for profit, it was understandable. His current concern, however, was when the ships ordered from France would arrive.

The Marseille shipyard in France began building the first ship with an exterior covered in iron armor. Because wooden warships were unable to withstand bombardment, early navies relied on close-quarters combat with large numbers of warships to fight naval battles. With industrialization, steel production capacity and metallurgical technology greatly improved, and sturdy ironclad warships came into being.

Meanwhile, new and more powerful naval cannons brought an end to the era of wooden steamships. Warships began to be equipped with increasingly heavier cannons, with 32-pounder cannons replacing 18-pounder and 24-pounder cannons on sailing battleships, and 68-pounder cannons introduced on steamships.

The first naval guns capable of firing explosive shells were introduced after improvements by the Frenchman Henri Joseph Pichis, and by around 1840, these guns had become standard weapons in the French Navy, the Royal Navy, the Imperial Russian Navy, and the United States Navy. The explosive shells were thought to be powerful enough to shatter wooden hulls, signaling the end of wooden warships, as demonstrated by the Russians' destruction of an Ottoman squadron at the Battle of Sinop. However, a more practical threat to wooden ships came from the incandescent bullets fired by conventional cannons, which could become lodged in the hull, causing fires or ammunition explosions. Some navies even experimented with using hollow bullets filled with molten metal to increase their incendiary potential.

To enhance their defensive capabilities, ironclad warships began to emerge, quickly sparking a competition between Britain and France. Iran also joined the fray, ordering one for a hefty 180 million rials. It was expected to arrive in Iran in two years, and Nasser al-Din intended to use the ship to promote free trade.

(End of this chapter)