Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 389 Patagonia (Part 3)
At this time, Blanca Port still had more than 3000 people, including more than 2000 militiamen and regular soldiers, and more than 1000 civilians. The soldiers began to rebuild the port, while the temporary mayor sent there began to plan the route from Blanca to Fort Colorado.

As for the local people, they're lucky to have survived. And they at least have some decency; they didn't confiscate the church outright. They should be able to continue living like this.

Of course, Iran gave them many more surprises. For example, the next day, the interim mayor announced a year-long tax exemption for the area and recruited people to build mosques and docks, with salaries higher than when they had previously hired them.

After the fall of Blanca, its surrounding farms and ranches were largely abandoned, and the area was left in a state of neglect. Given this situation, Iran had no choice but to accept it.

Argentina is in an uproar, with some calling for conscription, others opposing it, some saying it's unpatriotic, and others calling it arrogant. This is causing President Mitre considerable anxiety.

As a president who grew up in Buenos Aires, Mitre has always been committed to unifying Argentina and transforming it into a truly centralized state. Therefore, he frequently engages in strategic maneuvering with the inland provinces, a practice that intensifies after becoming president.

The fall of the port of Bahia Blanca is a severe blow to their Buenos Aires Group. The land near the port is also quite fertile, with large quantities of wheat and beef exported from there every year.

President Mitre stared at the blood-stained battle report on the table, his fingers unconsciously tapping the oak surface. Outside the window, the crowd gathered in Place de Mayo had split into two factions. One side demanded an immediate attack, while the other insisted that internal strife must precede external resistance.

Cabinet members argued heatedly, and the finance minister even smashed a coffee cup.
"What are we going to use to fight this war? The money left in the national treasury isn't even enough to pay the soldiers' salaries!"

The defense minister sneered and produced a confidential letter from the Chilean embassy: "Santiago is willing to lend us a division of troops on the condition that we cede copper mines in the Andes."

The president's temples throbbed, and the sounds of the cabinet's arguments buzzed in his ears. He abruptly stood up and slammed his hand heavily on the table, splashing ink.

"enough!"

The room fell silent instantly. Mitre took a deep breath and scanned each minister with his gaze.

"Blanca has already been lost. If we keep arguing, we'll lose the whole country."

The confidential Chilean letter handed to him by the Defense Minister gleamed coldly in the candlelight. Mitre stared at the glaring clause—"Cession of copper mining rights in the Andes Mountains."

“The Chileans are taking advantage of our misfortune,” the Foreign Minister whispered. “They’d love for us and the Persians to both be weakened so they can monopolize Patagonia.”

The finance minister wiped the cold sweat from his brow: "But if we don't accept, the army won't even be able to pay next month's salaries..."

Argentina's treasury is empty. He remembered the defense minister frantically scraping the treasury dry to barely scrape together enough money for conscription. And this year's tax revenue won't be collected for a while; they truly have no money left. They can't even pay civil servants' salaries.

All eyes turned to the president. Mitre took a deep breath and simply said that he needed to think about it.

Meanwhile, in the inland provinces of Córdoba and Mendoza, high-ranking officials secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At the private estate of a high-ranking official in Córdoba, several powerful figures from the inland provinces were enjoying a toast.

“It’s good to teach those Buenos Aires gentlemen a lesson,” a Córdoba official said, raising his glass in a private salon. “When they monopolized port tax revenue, they never thought of giving us a share.”

“That bookworm Mitre has finally learned his lesson,” a Mendoza official said, swirling his wine glass. “Buenos Aires has monopolized port tax revenue for decades; now it’s our turn to speak.” To make matters worse, Urquiza, the federalist leader in exile in Montevideo, suddenly declared: “If the central government is unable to protect the country, the provinces have the right to organize their own defense forces.”

This gave all the federalists a huge boost, allowing them to regroup and confront the reactionary group in Buenos Aires again. They might even be able to gain Iranian support.

“Did you know that Iran only executed a few of the most vehement rebels? They were all sent by Buenos Aires, while the others were basically left untouched.”

The Córdoba official nodded. "I know that. Although it could be for ransom, it also shows that we can cooperate with them."

Those of you present here are not only high-ranking officials, but also major landowners from various provinces. When Argentina gained independence, these same people contributed money and effort to ensure their rights were not violated. But now, Buenos Aires has infringed upon their rights, so don't blame them for resorting to underhanded tactics to protect themselves.

Moreover, there are many instances throughout history of cooperating with enemies. Didn't France cooperate with the Ottomans?

What, you say they don't fit in with Argentina? What about the Habsburgs and Persia? You can't just kick out your beloved King Carlos, can you?

"Yes, cooperating with Iran is indeed a good idea. But what if they become like those people?"

"That's simple. Do you all know about the German Confederation?"

Everyone nodded; who didn't know that? A fragmented, shattered entity contained numerous states, much like the previous Shinra.

“We can negotiate with Iran, we can submit to them, and we can hand over some taxes and troops, but you cannot interfere in our internal affairs. In this way, although we submit to Iran, we are no different from a state within a state.”

That's a good suggestion. After all, there will be things to worry about after independence anyway, so it's better for everyone to get what they need. If Iran is willing, they might even become nobles. I heard Iran defeated Russia; does that mean Iran has the ability to protect itself?

"How about we make contact with Iran?"

The proposal was unanimously approved.

Because the government has been unable to reach a conclusion, the conflict between the centralists and the federalists has intensified. Parliament is embroiled in endless debates, the cabinet is unable to maintain unity, and there are numerous disputes between local and central governments. All of this has given Iran considerable time.

The demonstrations in May Square have turned into bloody clashes. Pro-war students and anti-war workers clashed with sticks, and even the military police's whips were powerless to stop them.

A brick shattered the cathedral's stained-glass window, and shards of glass rained down. In the chaos, some shouted for revenge for the people of Blanca who had perished.

Behind the curtains of the presidential palace, Mitre gazed at the out-of-control square, his fingers digging deeply into his palms. It seemed he would have no choice but to seek help from the British.

(End of this chapter)