Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 367 The End of 1862
Upon arriving before the Shah, Pan Qingjian discovered that this ruler of Iran was only in his twenties or thirties. At that moment, he sat on the peacock throne, exuding majesty and inviolability.

Phan Thanh Giang used Vietnamese etiquette to express his submission to Nasser al-Din, knowing that from this moment on, Vietnam would become a vassal state of Iran. This was unprecedented in history.

Naser al-Din saw the document from Phan Thanh Giang, bearing the words of the King of Vietnam, which simply stated the terms already agreed upon by the two countries. The Shah was very satisfied; under his rule, Iran had become a country with vast colonies.

After seeing Pan Qingjian off, Nasser al-Din turned to Amir beside him and asked, "Teacher, look at this. This is what Iran has achieved now."

Amir nodded. "Indeed, but we can't let our guard down yet. Russia has been so busy with Poland lately that they've forgotten about Transoxiana. They should have given them more help back then."

By this time, the Polish uprising had spread to the former territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, with peasants killing Russian landowners, citizens fighting for their cities, and even launching an attack on Riga. Alexander II realized that this was no ordinary uprising and that a large-scale military intervention was necessary.

But the uprising had already elicited an international response, with members from Britain, France, Austria, and Prussia joining in, much like the Greek War of Independence, driven by ideals to fight against tyranny. The most powerful support came from Garibaldi's Redshirts.

After the failed Venetian uprising, Garibaldi and his army were marginalized by the Kingdom of Italy. His unauthorized rebellion led to a sharp deterioration in relations between Italy and Austria. The cession of Nice further diminished Garibaldi's goodwill towards Italy, to the point that Austrian newspapers asked: "Hero of Italy, where is your homeland?"

Garibaldi wanted to retake Nice, but Italy and France wouldn't allow it. At this time, the Polish uprising broke out, and Garibaldi decided to lead the Redshirts into the war, hoping to gain more attention and support later.

"No need to say that. We've already given them 200 million riyals. How they spend it is up to them."

Stepping down from his throne, Nasser al-Din felt there wasn't anything he needed to personally oversee lately. Oh, right, there was one.

"What's the situation in Pennsylvania?"

“We have found quite a few oil well owners who are very willing to sell their wells and then take the money to Europe.”

The collapse of the United States also impacted its domestic economy. Oil well production in Pennsylvania plummeted, leaving those who owned the wells in financial distress. To recoup their losses, they sought buyers worldwide. And that's where Iran came in.

The National Iranian Oil Company and the Iran-Arab Company jointly invested 1500 million rials to establish the Simmoo Oil Company, named after the mythical bird of wisdom in Persian mythology, symbolizing eternity. Meanwhile, Lion Oil's oil investments in the Americas were spun off and transferred to Simmoo.

Upon its founding, the company began acquiring oil wells and refineries in Pennsylvania. A good oil well cost $8000, and a medium-sized refinery cost $17000. Calculations showed that buying all the oil wells and refineries in the United States would require 5000 million riyals. This was clearly unrealistic.

However, they can work with local partners to control local oil production. Currently, refineries or oil wells either lack a market or funding. The West Bird possesses both, making it easy for them to escape this predicament.

"We have now integrated 15 refineries and signed agreements with some well owners, and production will begin soon."

This is what Nasserdin wants to see; the United States is no longer the vibrant nation it once was. With only a few states, it remains one of the most industrialized nations, but nowhere else—at best, it's just one of many. Iran is happy to help with the future and the development of the oil industry. This includes not only American oil but also oil exploration in Mexico and the south. Western Iran has also begun to get involved, but due to limited technology, little progress has been seen yet.

At this time, the oil industry was evenly divided between Iran and the United States. Britain favored coal, while France and Prussia had little understanding of oil. It could be said that now was the time for Iran to catch up.

"Let them continue; it's finally time to use them."

The Iranian oil company has grown its annual revenue to 2400 million rials in recent years, relying on kerosene. And it continues to increase. After the collapse of the US oil empire, the local market also began using Iranian kerosene. Seizing this opportunity to capture market share is a key strategy for the company.

The company has become a cash cow for the government, with its annual revenue increasing and its contribution ranking first. The so-called investment fund established from the company's profits is now also investing worldwide to generate income. The Ministry of Finance has become inseparable from the oil company.

"As long as the company's revenue increases, the Ministry of Finance's deficit can be easily covered. Then there will be no need to try to maintain a balance now."

Amir disagreed with the Shah's idea.

“Shah, if all the fiscal revenue is put into one industry, then if the revenue of that industry declines sharply, then the entire country’s finances will be in trouble.”

Amir still favors the economic benefits of large-scale investment and construction, as a large population concentration in cities would facilitate tax collection. However, the cost of immigration to East Africa is also substantial. He needs to shed this burden as soon as possible, ideally following a model similar to that of the UK and Canada.

“Shah, I believe it is time to send Prince Abbas to Mogadishu to oversee the situation in East Africa. Currently, the immigrant population in East Africa has exceeded 50,000, and there are hundreds of thousands of farmers. This would be a good opportunity for His Highness to gain experience.”

Naserdin was well aware of his teacher's intentions, but he still refused, citing the prince's young age. Currently, East Africa hasn't achieved economies of scale; further immigration is still needed.

In addition, there were immigrants from South America, with Shia clerics crossing the Andes Mountains to preach to more Mapuche people. Trade also took place. Chile and Argentina both saw this as a potential threat and intended to nip it in the bud.

"Now is the time to increase immigration. Recently, many people have wanted to go to other places to make a living, and we should help them."

Amir didn't know what to say, but immigrating costs at least 100 riyals per person, especially in South America, where it costs even more. There are also investments in Qinistan, maintenance of the Ryukyu Islands, and other things that require money.

Regardless, Iran weathered 1862 amidst a divided America and changing Europe.

(End of this chapter)