Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 331 Adjustment
The sudden windfall left the rest of the royal family bewildered; who knew that a single transaction would yield dozens of times the profit? Unfortunately, only the Shah could control this money, and he could only regret not stockpiling more cotton.

“Shah, you are truly a prophet. The price of cotton has now risen to $2.89. Every time we make a move, we make more than twenty times the profit.”

Cotton is being sold off continuously, but prices are still not going down. There are too many textile factories in the UK; this amount of raw material isn't even enough to last them a week.

"Keep dumping, dump all the inventory. We can't let the British find out that we're the ones dumping it."

Money is a good thing, but one must be careful before it all goes into the coffers. Nasser al-Din has already begun planning how to use the money: part will be invested in technology, part in industry and transportation, and the rest will be set aside as war funds.

"Shah, Shah!"

Abdullah hurried toward Nasser al-Din, nearly tripping and falling along the way.

"What's going on? Has Russia invaded?"

"No"

"Where has another rebellion broken out?"

"No, it's about the Far East. Some people have launched a rebellion in the western Far East and have already occupied parts of Gansu and Shaanxi."

Naserdin snatched it and saw that it was about that matter. This event, which affected most of the Far East, also triggered the subsequent conflict with Russia, but because of Naserdin's influence, it caused a major upheaval in the Far East from the very beginning.

The noble officers of Kokand who were unwilling to submit to Iran led their troops into the Far East, where they encountered local rebels. The two sides hit it off and decided to establish a state in the region. Their leader was none other than Yaqub Beg.

Yaqub Beg was born into a family of shamans and healers in the Kokand Khanate. In his early years, he worked as a street dancer. After gaining favor, he initially served under a local nobleman named Beg, using his looks and dancing to please his master. Unexpectedly, the nobleman took a liking to Yaqub Beg's sister and married her. From then on, Yaqub Beg began to be highly valued and rose rapidly through the ranks.

After Iran annexed Kokand, Yaqub Beg led the remnants of the Kokand Khanate into the Far East, where they joined forces with local rebels and quickly occupied parts of Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. They declared the establishment of a new regime called the Yiddish Khanate.

Moreover, they had a clear objective from the outset: they immediately sent people to Russia to request support, knowing that Iran would not support them and that they needed to bring in Russians.

"They even found the location. It seems our governance in Kokand is not thorough enough. We must increase our investment."

“Shah, the Russians are eyeing the Far East covetously. Should we go and help them?” Abdullah asked.

"Have the ambassador ask them; we still need to help with the specifics. Also, have our troops positioned along the Syr Darya River to deter Russia." Naserdin was worried about two things: first, Russia might take the opportunity to seize Far Eastern territories, disrupting the balance of power in Central Asia; second, the interests in trade with the Far East would be severed and needed to be restored as soon as possible. He didn't care about anything else. All he needed to do was defeat Russia.

"Besides this, what else is going on?" Nasser al-Din asked Abdullah.

"Then came the war in the United States. The Northern government intercepted a British ship, and now London is in an uproar."

This was an incident in which the Northern government detained Confederate diplomats because they were aboard a British ship, thus provoking British anger. Public opinion was outraged, with calls for compensation from the US government or war. British Prime Minister Palmerston and Foreign Secretary Russell sent notes to Lincoln and the Secretary of State, questioning whether such an action was ordered by the government or a whim of a single individual. If it was ordered by the government, then war was inevitable.

Amid heightened tensions and the looming threat of war, the governments of France, Austria, and Prussia, together with Great Britain, sent a note to the United States demanding the release of Mason and Slader, two Confederate diplomats.

President Lincoln faced immense pressure. On the one hand, he needed to uphold the authority of the Union and prevent the Confederate States of America from gaining international support; on the other hand, he did not want to go to war with European powers such as Great Britain.

Britain began to strengthen its military presence in the Atlantic, sending fleets to North American waters as a show of force. London's arms factories also began to accelerate the production of weapons and ammunition in preparation for a possible war.

Do you think Britain will join the war?

"I'm not entirely sure, but France seems very interested. There's been a recent claim that the US cheated France out of Louisiana, saying it should be worth 8000 billion francs, but was sold off for a paltry 80 million francs by the US through deception."

In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for $1500 million, or 8000 million francs. This territory nearly doubled in size to the size of the United States. At the time, France was eager to sell the land due to financial difficulties and the needs of Napoleon's wars.

However, recently, a voice in France has argued that the United States "deceived" France by offering a very low price, and that Louisiana's actual value should be as high as 80 billion francs. This sentiment has gradually gained traction in French media and political circles, with some even suggesting that the United States should "compensate" France for its losses.

No one knows why Napoleon III would bring up old grievances, but clues can be found in the recent high frequency of interactions between France and Mexico. The Bank of France has loaned Mexico more than 6000 million francs, and Mexico's foreign minister has also visited Paris to meet with important figures. These meetings not only discussed economic cooperation but also involved military and political support.

Napoleon III also harbored ambitions to expand into the Americas. Establishing a pro-French regime in the American West or directly annexing it would significantly enhance France's influence. His ambitions for the Americas gradually surfaced, especially through frequent interactions with Mexico, where his strategic intentions became increasingly clear. If successful, this plan would greatly elevate France's international standing and weaken American authority in the Americas.

The Mexican government welcomed the French loans and aid, which helped alleviate Mexico's fiscal crisis. For the United States, however, this was not a situation it wanted to see.

"It's a bit of a spectacle, but not a big one. It all depends on whether President Lincoln can end the war quickly," Nasser al-Din said.

After several months of selling, Nasser al-Din had sold all the cotton he had stockpiled. He earned a total of 2.76325 billion riyals, more than twenty times the cost of stockpiling the cotton. Meanwhile, cotton prices had returned to around $2, as further purchases were no longer feasible. Factory owners began opting for wool spinning or layoffs to reduce expenses. This led to a rise in unemployment in Britain, but what did any of this have to do with Iran?
(End of this chapter)