Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 341 Feedback to the Nation
"Shah, there are tens of thousands of Ottomans working in our country now. Many more are applying for citizenship. Isn't this a bit dangerous?"

“Danger? What danger?” Nasser al-Din asked Amir with a smile.

"We have discovered a number of Ottoman spies in Tabriz, Baghdad and other places. It seems that the newly enthroned Sultan is prepared to fight us to the death."

Yes, he's heard quite a bit of news. For example, he spent an entire evening discussing with the British ambassador and they came up with an £800 million loan agreement. Is this a sign of a determined effort to reclaim lost territory?
“Dear Amir, have you ever seen ants moving food in a bazaar?” Shah suddenly asked. “Thousands upon thousands of ants carry food, unaware that in the end, it is the cat guarding the granary that is fattened up.”

"But ants bite."

"That's why we need more honey, those Ottoman laborers—may God bless their hardworking hands."

So, what are their specific circumstances?

The number of Ottomans who have acquired Iranian citizenship has exceeded 10,000, and their families have also migrated from the Ottoman Empire to Iran, settling in places like Baghdad.

“Shah, there is great dissatisfaction in the country over the growing number of Ottoman workers. Many voices are calling for stricter control over them, and some are even demanding that the government expel these people from Iran.”

Before Nasserdin could even ask a question, the Minister of Commerce and Industry objected. "If these people are expelled from the country, what will happen to their jobs? You see, many of their jobs are the hard and tiring jobs that the locals are unwilling to do. Who will give these jobs, like moving goods, which are hard, tiring, and poorly paid? As far as I know, there are very few locals in these jobs."

As if knowing the Minister of Commerce and Industry would stand up in opposition, Amir said sarcastically.

"These foreigners do much more than just these tough and tiring jobs. For example, a doctor's job is neither tough nor tiring at all. You should know that, according to our understanding, one-twentieth of the doctors come from abroad, not to mention that there are a large number of Ottomans among the factory workers. Our factory jobs are not provided to neighboring countries so that they can make money in our country and then take it back to their home countries to spend."

"You shouldn't just see that they made money, but you should see how these people contribute to our country's economic development. Besides, these people only take a small share of the profits; most of the profits stay in the country, which is a good thing for our country."

"But you should know that since the beginning of this year, there have been 269 conflicts between local residents and migrant workers due to work issues, which is half as many again as last year."

This caught Naserdin's attention. "How can there be so many?"

"The main reason is that the Ottoman economy is not improving, and many Ottomans had previously come to the country to work and earn money, which has attracted an even larger influx of Ottomans to the country in search of work."

No one needed to stir things up; the Ottomans competing for their jobs were already seen as despicable by the local population. They were seen as thwarting their hopes for a pay rise. No one wants their wallet to suffer, so conflict was inevitable.

"In that case, we still need to encourage industrial development. The industrial zones in Baghdad need to expand, and Riyadh and other areas also require investment in factories." Of course, this is something the Ministry of Commerce and Industry must do. The peninsula requires a long period of investment to see results, so according to the industrial plan, it was decided to invest in pearl processing, food processing, and mining. And in the area near Kuwait, a quartz sand mine was discovered, and the Arab company decided to invest in a glass factory to produce glass.

The royal family is also prepared to contribute money, primarily by purchasing government bonds to fund the government. They are also involved in the pearl industry, peninsula livestock farming, and mining, as no one wants to invest heavily in the desert. Besides the royal family.

"By the way, regarding the national investment plan for next year, what are your thoughts on how to invest?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the Minister of Industry and Commerce spoke first. "Shah, I believe we need to increase investment in industry, especially in Mesopotamia and Anatolia. There is still a significant economic gap between our newly acquired territories and our original ones. This will cause discontent among the people in these newly acquired territories and increase centrifugal forces."

Of course, the most important investments in Iran are in the Caucasus-Azerbaijan region, represented by Tabriz and Baku. Given that the region boasts the nation's leading heavy industry, the government naturally prioritizes investing in areas that can rapidly strengthen the country.

Then there's the central Iranian region, represented by Tehran, Mazandaran, and Isfahan. This area has been under development for over a decade and boasts a strong population and economic foundation, thus attracting substantial investment.

Further on were the newly conquered territories, where abundant agricultural resources, along with water from two rivers, provided him with the foundation for economic development.

Herat, representing the eastern region, ranks last. Besides the mountainous terrain, the main reason is the large number of tribes in the area. In addition, being located on the Indian border, security is the primary concern, which naturally slows down economic development.

"I think we should come up with an investment plan of 100 million riyals next."

Everyone was stunned by these words. Everyone knew that the royal family had made a fortune, but a hundred million rials? It seemed that was quite a lot of money.

"Currently, Baghdad and Anatolia are the key investment areas, as are Transoxiana and Herat, where industrial development is needed to defend against British and Russian attacks. In addition, schools and hospitals also need to be built."

Finally, we should plant some trees, although it seems unlikely, but we must maintain the current state; the desert cannot be allowed to expand any further.

This construction project is Iran's largest ever, covering industry, education, and healthcare. The funds are entirely from the royal family purchasing government bonds, allowing the government to proceed with greater freedom.

Building upon the existing infrastructure, the government will construct more roads to improve transportation in remote areas. It will also recruit more doctors to improve healthcare and construct primary and secondary schools.

In other areas, major construction projects will be undertaken in the port cities of Muscat, Sukhumi, and Trabisun. Two military factories will be built in Tbilisi and Herat to produce ammunition and artillery. A large pearl processing plant will be built in Dhahran, capable of employing 1000 people. There will also be steel mills in Baghdad, mines in Herat, and glass factories in Kuwait, all funded by state investment. These are the results of a day and night of government discussions, with various departments vying for funding and refusing to concede. Ultimately, the Grand Vizier made the final decision, resolving the dispute.

(End of this chapter)