Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 334 American Territory
The course of the Civil War exceeded many people's expectations. As the Confederate States of America gained recognition, other countries also became interested in it.

Napoleon III demanded that the United States make up the difference in the purchase price of Louisiana, totaling 7.985 billion francs. The United States naturally rejected this unreasonable demand, but little did they expect that France was serious and would send an expedition to recapture Louisiana.

"Napoleon III has announced the formation of an expeditionary force; it seems he really intends to retake Louisiana."

After earning his fortune, Naser al-Din invested half of it in industry, culture, and reinvestment. He spent 9000 million rials on domestic education and the promotion of Ottoman culture alone.

Persian cultural symposiums flourished throughout the Ottoman Empire. Through continuous promotion and ample funding, some Ottoman residents began learning Persian and converting to Shia Islam. Coupled with the war victory and the increasing number of Ottomans who admired Iran, this presented a good opportunity to enhance the country's cultural influence. In Cyprus, more than half the population speaks Persian.

"I can understand. 8000 million francs for 300 million square kilometers of territory is a loss no matter how you look at it. I just don't know how much he wants?"

Taking all of Louisiana was impossible, as part of it belonged to the Confederate States of America. Therefore, it was possible that compensation was obtained by seizing territory in the American West.

Do you think Britain will join?

"Probably, they've been hostile to the US for more than just a year or two. It's just a matter of how much they'll demand."

Given Britain's character, they would certainly make exorbitant demands. They would want at least one or two states in the Great Lakes region. New England is already theirs; all they need to do is annex the north, and Britain will be invincible.

"Do you think we should get involved?" Naserdin suddenly asked.

Amir and Abdullah below didn't react for a while before Abdullah spoke.

“Shah, that’s highly unlikely. Aside from some outposts in southern Chile, acquiring territory in the American West would require negotiations with Britain and France. But they probably won’t agree. So, where have you set your sights?”

Nasserdin glanced at the map. In the northern United States lay a series of colonial powers: Upper Canada, Lower Canada, the Hudson's Bay Company Territory, British Columbia, and Russian North America. These places were mostly sparsely populated, making it a pity to have given them to the British.

"I've been thinking, if we had a territory on the Pacific coast, would it help our future?"

Abdullah immediately dissuaded him, saying, "It does help to some extent. But we don't have the extra capacity to expand. The situation in southern Chile is deteriorating, and we need a constant flow of supplies to maintain contact."

In Araucania, Iranian colonialism continued. Besides Kerman, six other settlements of varying sizes were established, with some immigrants bringing Persian culture and Shia Islam to the local population. To unify the area, the Araucanian Territory was created, with Iran appointing a governor and civil administrators to oversee local colonial affairs.

"Our colonization in East Africa is currently accelerating, but our population is too small, and we even need to send Arab immigrants to make it work."

"Shah, I suggest we discuss the situation in the Americas with Britain and France. If war breaks out with Chile and Argentina in the future, can they remain neutral? This concerns the survival of this territory." The British, of course, wouldn't obediently abide by the treaty. They weren't worried about Chile, but mainly about Argentina. Well, that wasn't a big problem; they could talk to them about it later.

"So, the government doesn't really agree with this?"

“Shah, the government simply doesn’t have any spare capacity.”

Seeing the two ministers say this, Naserdin could only give up, which was a real pity.

Amir and Abdullah exchanged a glance. The Shah was really impulsive. They needed to stop his wild ideas, or one day Iran would be in deep trouble.

"We still need to follow up on the situation in the United States, and it would be best to discuss it with France and Austria."

“Yes, Shah, I will follow up.”

Nasserdin waved, and the two men left. Once the door closed, he laughed. Then he pulled out a map of the Americas from under the world map. Scattered across British Columbia and the Northwest Territory were green dots—these represented Iranian influence.

The power struggles in North America were all funded by Nasser al-Din himself, with the Golden Lion Company emulating the British East India Company by investing and developing in the west. Simultaneously, they began employing local indigenous people and impoverished white soldiers. Because the legal system in these areas was not yet in place, Iran easily exploited the loopholes.

In later states like Washington, Idaho, Montana, and now Oregon, Iran wielded the most influence. It invested over 20 million rials and purchased vast tracts of land. Simultaneously, a corporate-led campaign to spread Persian culture led to the westward migration of urban residents, causing the original German and Irish identities to disappear, replaced by a Persian language and cultural identity. However, this was a 2000-year process requiring sustained investment.

"What a waste of resources! What a waste of resources!"

Naserdin regrets that such a large area of ​​land belongs to the United States, and he will definitely want a share of it.

Shah opened a letter detailing the results of his discussions with Palmerston, his envoy in Britain. The agreement stipulated that 2000 million riyals were required to purchase the Hudson Bay Territory, as the area offered little in terms of production beyond furs and timber. British Columbia, however, was a lesser offer, but Britain would require control of the local gold mines.

As for Russia, it also intended to sell its North American territories. In order to alleviate its financial difficulties, Prince Constantine of Tsarist Russia wrote a letter to the Foreign Minister proposing to sell North America to the United States in order to ease its financial problems.

In 1857, Tsar Alexander II sent his minister to the United States, Baron Edward de Stokell, to negotiate with representatives of the deposed Russian government to gauge American willingness to purchase Alaska. Following this initial probe, negotiations between Russia and the United States began in 1859 regarding the sale of Alaska. However, before an agreement could be reached, the American Civil War broke out, and the matter was once again put on hold.

This matter was leaked to Britain by someone, and Palmerston felt furious. Just then, Iran sent someone to express their desire to buy Alaska, and he immediately supported Iran's request, willing to do anything to cause trouble for the United States.

With Britain's tacit approval, the Iranian ambassador to Russia formally submitted a proposal to Russian Foreign Minister Gorchakov to purchase Alaska. Don't ask why Iran wants to buy it; the money is right there, why wouldn't they be interested?
(End of this chapter)