Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 418 Countermeasures of Both Prussia and Austria

Nasserdin was already aware of the proposal and quickly approved it. After all, it was a private investment, just disguised as government funding.

4000 million riyals, repaid over twelve years, with an interest rate of 6.5%. This is a pretty good contract for Austria, and since part of it is paid to the other party, the amount they can actually receive is only a little over 2200 million riyals.

Iran acted swiftly, as they are a major customer; all supplies began circulating and were transported to Austria as quickly as possible.

In Berlin, the capital of Prussia, Bismarck prepares to travel to meet with King Wilhelm I.

Before Wilhelm I's palace, guards stood at attention and saluted. Bismarck strode through the long corridor, the echo of his boots on the marble floor resonating clearly in the empty space. The door to the king's study was ajar, from which came the deep voice of Chief of the General Staff Moltke: "The Austrians are building fortifications on the Bohemian border. Our intelligence indicates that the Iranian rifles they intend to purchase have a range 200 yards greater than ours."

Bismarck pushed open the door and entered. A cold wind rushed in through the open window, scattering the battle maps on the table. Wilhelm I turned around, his gray beard appearing particularly majestic in the morning light: "Prime Minister, you've come at the right time. Moltke just told me that Vienna may be better prepared than we thought."

“Your Majesty,” Bismarck bent down to pick up a fallen map, the Prague fortress circled in red pencil particularly striking, “the Austrians have indeed found a patron, but gold cannot buy victory. Our army can quickly penetrate behind Austrian lines, and with the assistance of Italy, we can achieve final victory.”

William I paced to the map of Europe on the wall, his finger tracing the rolling mountains of Bohemia: "If war breaks out, how long will it take us to reach Vienna?"

“Six weeks,” Moltke answered without hesitation, “provided the French don’t interfere.”

Napoleon III has already been dealt with through Bismarck's diplomacy, so France can be ruled out. Russia and Britain, for their own reasons, will not intervene. Austria is out of options, so they will desperately seek aid from Iran.

William I slammed his cane heavily on the map: "What exactly does that Iranian want?"

“Perhaps it’s a sea outlet? Perhaps it’s Anatolia? Or…” Bismarck suddenly sneered, “Is he simply looking to watch Europe’s oldest royal families tear each other apart?” The sound of a military band rehearsing drifted in from outside the window, and the new breech-loading cannons being tested reflected a cold light on the street under the linden trees.

“Our spies in Hungary told us that Iran and Austria may recently reach an unprecedented loan agreement. Their supplies may enter Austria through Romania, and those Hungarians are willing to help us.”

Infiltrating Hungary had always been part of Prussia's intelligence strategy. Hungary's low loyalty to Austria made it an ideal target for infiltration. The Hungarians, in turn, wanted to restore the Kingdom of Hungary to its greatest extent possible, and thus also aligned themselves with Prussia.

"This Shah is no ordinary man. I've heard that the Austrian Emperor's actions over the years have all involved his planning, otherwise Bohemia wouldn't be so devoted to helping the Emperor."

The study fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the occasional sparks from the firewood in the fireplace. Moltke suddenly grabbed his baton and drew a line on the map: "If Iranian supplies are shipped to Austria, we will have to prolong the war."

“Therefore we must act swiftly.” Bismarck exhaled a smoke ring. “I have already arranged for a series of articles to be published in the Cologne Gazette, exposing how Austria exploits the small German states.” A cold smile appeared on his lips. “When Bavaria and Saxony are on our side, Austria will find that the gold coins they have borrowed cannot even buy a single German infantryman.”

In the gardens of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Franz Joseph stared at a telegram from Iran. In the distance, the Finance Minister's trembling voice drifted on the wind: "Your Majesty, we have just received news that bankers in Paris and London have suddenly begun selling off our government bonds." "Not surprising. They probably think Austria is doomed. Ignore them."

Franz had anticipated these developments, but this wasn't the most dangerous moment yet. Iran had recently been buying bonds in large quantities, and the loan agreement was reasonable enough to effectively cover the fiscal shortfall.

"I expect we'll need to take out loans again soon. How's our army doing now?"

Minister of War Franz von Johann immediately replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured, our army has already advanced towards Bohemia. We will not allow the Prussians to invade."

John could only offer these words of comfort; in truth, he had been pushing for military reforms for years, but the results seemed less than satisfactory. Austria had consistently been at a disadvantage against Prussia, as seen in the Silesia War and the Seven Years' War. What was even more infuriating was Prussia's remarkable luck, managing to escape from dire straits each time. Why couldn't Austria do the same?
"Your Majesty, we still need to stabilize the economy. The sell-off of government bonds will affect investor confidence, and once they withdraw, we will have to spend a lot of money to make up for the losses."

Finance Minister Pleiner raised this concern with Franz, who held his head, his mind a complete mess.

"If all else fails, we can talk to Iran and ask them to give us a loan."

"But what can we use as collateral?"

"The railway from Vienna to Venice, as well as the railways to Prague, Brno, all the ports of Venice, the factories in Prague, and the iron mines in Bohemia—that should be worth at least 8000 million, right?"

Pleiner thought the Emperor had gone mad; these were far more than 80 million, easily 200 million. If it really came to that, it would truly be a matter of selling assets at rock-bottom prices. But this would have a significant impact on Austria's future.

“Perhaps we can use something else as collateral,” suggested Karl von Bock, Minister of Commerce and Industry. “We can sell part of Venice’s land to Iran and grant them a five-year tax exemption and other privileges, which would both boost the economy and mitigate the risks.”

The risk for Boque naturally lies with the Italians, who harbor deep resentment towards Austria. Moreover, in Venice, the pressure on them would be somewhat reduced if Iran were to join.

"Then tell me, how much land would be suitable?" Planner asked.

"I'm not entirely sure, but it would need to be at least half the size of Venice!"

After a brief discussion at the cabinet meeting, the question arose: is this a sale or a cession of territory for half a city?
"Alright!" Franz stopped the discussion. "Whatever it is, the most important thing now is to get weapons and funds from Iran. John, you continue to mobilize the troops and send people to Iran to discuss it. I have decided to go to Prague myself to boost the morale of the army."

(End of this chapter)