Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 327 Iranian Influence

The British and French ambassadors quickly informed their respective governments that railway investment was a good opportunity and they couldn't let others beat them to it.

Robert and the Iranian ambassador remained in the reception room. Even the Secretary of State had to admire Iran's strategy; Britain and France had indeed taken the bait.

As the Confederate States of America sought a diplomatic breakthrough in Europe, they also sought the support of Iran, a rising power. With Mexico acting as a go-between, President Davis's special envoy secretly met with the Iranian ambassador to Mexico.

Regarding diplomatic recognition, Iran maintains the same stance as other European countries. The South must deliver a respectable victory.

As for Britain and France, Iran suggested using railways to entice them. After all, cotton alone isn't enough; they need to add more options.

As it turned out, Britain and France really did like railways. However, this created a difficult situation within the Allied powers, since the states were equal and the president's power was less than that of the North, inevitably leading to a lot of wrangling and disputes.

The Confederate Constitution placed particular emphasis on states' rights, granting each state considerable autonomy. The president, in exercising power, was required to respect the rights and interests of each state. The progress of railroad construction was bound to trigger political maneuvering among the states. State legislators and local governments might argue incessantly for their own interests, leading to slow project progress.

However, let's get the brand out there first, otherwise how will we get the support of Britain and France? As for construction, we can talk about that later.

The Iranian government officially issued 3000 million rials in national bonds, which will be used for development in the western region and Baghdad. Two-thirds of the bonds were purchased by the royal family, which can be considered a transfer payment.

Now the government has designated expenditures for all its revenues, unlike the wealthy Britain. Every penny must be spent sparingly.

"Grand Vizier, why has the national debt issuance increased to 3000 million? We finally managed to break even, and now we have to pay off the debt again."

Musharraf asked Amir why the originally planned issuance of 600 million bonds had been reduced to 3000 million. Even the Shah's orders could not be changed arbitrarily, especially not by such a large margin.

"I'm saying, don't you know what happened in Herat? It almost got separated from the area, which is why the Shah requested more funding for its development, and Prince Murad is also stationed there. You don't know any of this?"

"Of course I know, but if we don't follow the plan and increase spending at will, we'll eventually have to raise taxes, and then rebellions will break out in various places. Wouldn't we regret that then?"

Amir sighed, put down the documents in his hand, and looked at Musharraf with a serious expression. He knew that the finance minister's concerns were not unfounded, but the current situation no longer allowed them to proceed with the original plan step by step.

"Due to the crisis in Herat, the Shah requested that the issuance of national bonds be increased to 3000 million riyals in order to accelerate the development of the western region and stabilize the situation in Herat."

"We can't increase taxes that much. We're not Russia; we don't have that many people to just raise taxes on."

Musharraf protested, but to no avail. The Shah's orders had to be carried out thoroughly.

"Alright, isn't the revenue from selling kerosene enough each year? Don't complain about being poor. If we're talking about poverty, the Ottomans were much poorer. They haven't even finished paying off their indemnities yet. Besides, all of this is to increase revenue. In recent years, tariffs and grape juice taxes have risen rapidly, not to mention salt, tobacco, and sugar. Each of these brings in a lot of money."

Musharraf recovered from his earlier anger, but he still said, "We still need to be careful. The Russians could attack at any time. If we don't have enough reserves, it could be a real problem."

That's the theory, but Iran actually has a secret reserve. The gold and silver plundered in Khivabhara and Kokand are worth 2200 million rials. This money has always been the ballast of the Ministry of Finance and will not be used unless absolutely necessary.

"Speaking of which, our ally in Japan has been killed. We need to respond quickly, as this is a way to break the constraints of the treaty."

“Our troops in Ryukyu have moved to Nagasaki. Many lords suffered heavy losses in the last war. If we fight this time, only the lord of Choshu will pose a threat to us.”

Iran's ally in Japan, the senior councilor Ii Naosuke, was killed by samurai outside the Sakurada Gate, causing shock throughout Japan. It seemed the samurai were preparing to reignite the war and restore their former glory. However, the shogunate continued to heavily utilize the pro-open-door policy, and the feudal lords of the Tohoku region also supported the shogunate. With the country now open, their economic situation was much better than before, and breaking control of the southwest region seemed imminent.

"Our soldiers in Ryukyu are advancing towards the concession in Nagasaki. For now, war is unlikely to break out again, but Choshu remains a potential threat. It has the largest army in the southwest region, and the shogunate cannot control it."

Should we send troops?

Amir shook his head. "We only need to control Ryukyu. We should stay out of the Far East. Right now, we should use Baghdad as a center to influence the surrounding areas, especially the Ottomans."

Although the Ottomans lost Mesopotamia and part of Anatolia, Syria, Palestine, and Istanbul remained in their hands.

Is Iran envious? Of course they are. These are all arable lands, and Istanbul, in particular, has a strategically important location, allowing them to block Russia's sea routes southward.

Following the Treaty of Baghdad, Iran and the Ottoman Empire signed an investment agreement regarding the West Asian railway. Iran acquired the construction rights to the Syrian railway in exchange for reduced indemnities. Seeing Iran's move, Britain, France, Prussia, Austria, and other countries prepared to rush in and seize Ottoman assets.

“We will have war with the Ottomans again in the future, Musharraf, you’d better be prepared.”

"If that's the case, then I'll have to find a way to raise money. If I can't become Ottoman because I don't have money, the people of the whole country will probably devour me."

Currently, the entire Iranian nation is focused on fighting the Ottomans and Russia for promotions. Even those disabled in battle will receive pensions and financial support from the government to ensure their livelihood.

The most enthusiastic are the Shiites; they will obey the Shah's commands as long as the Sunnis are defeated, even if it means relinquishing power, in exchange for the holy land. This reflects their mindset after the civil war: those capable of causing trouble were executed, and those with ambition were placed under house arrest. Their land, tenant farmers, and armies were confiscated. The Shiites have now become tools dependent on the government; they must do whatever the Shah tells them to do.

Their recent activities abroad have also been swift. In South America, they are missionary work, building towns, and confronting Chile. In the Ottoman Empire, they are vigorously promoting Persian and Shia Islam, and propagating the theory that the Iranian and Ottoman peoples are one family. They claim that both nations are subjects of the great Persian and Arab Empires, separated only by the conflict between the Ottomans and the Safavids, and now they are to be reunited. The Ottoman tyranny will eventually end; prepare for a bright future.

(End of this chapter)