Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 436 Governor-General of India
Calcutta, the capital of British India, has regained its former prosperity since the East India Company opened its first factory here.

Sir Lawrence was enjoying afternoon tea, and despite being appointed the new Governor-General of India, he couldn't lose his London elegance.

Honestly, being a governor in India must have been a wonderful thing. Countless riches, tens of millions of slaves—just a short stay there could accumulate enough wealth to last several lifetimes. Take Clive of the East India Company, for example; he returned home with £35 worth of valuables. Keep in mind that in the 18th century, a banker's annual income was only around £2000.

Britain's exploitation of India's wealth had become routine. In addition to confiscating territory and looting the national treasury when India rebelled, Britain also forced Indian farmers to pay fixed, high rents and taxes of up to 50% to British landowners or local tax farmers, leading to farmers' bankruptcy.

If you go bankrupt, no problem, loan sharks are waiting for you. Interest rates can be as high as 245%, and if you can't pay them back, you'll become a slave.

In addition, there was suppression of skilled industries, plunder of mineral resources, and large-scale famine. Especially during the famine, India continued to export large quantities of food, leading to millions more deaths. But these shortfalls were quickly replenished, truly befitting its prolific prolific nation. Everyone has to admit defeat.

"We can rest easy as long as we provide funds to the kingdom every year."

The governor of Bengal, George, told the governor-general how easy it was to work in India, but ruling over hundreds of millions of people was no simple matter. Managing the kings of the hundreds of princely states, however, was easy. As for the lower classes, they would only reproduce like rabbits.

“Is that so? But Punjab has been quite unstable lately. Besides the locals causing trouble, there’s also Iran, and I hear a lot of people are moving to Punjab. There’s also Karat. Although we’re at peace with Iran, we still have to be on guard.”

Although the princely states do not allow the movement of people, as this would result in a loss of tax revenue, many people still head west, and they are mostly Sunni and Shia Muslims.

"Ignore them. There are still many people like that in Bangladesh, but will they be driven away? They are quite a distance away, and even if they were to leave, they would probably die on the way."

"indeed"

Sir Lawrence took a sip of his black tea, adding milk and sugar. Served with some pastries, this was the epitome of British elegance.

"Your Excellency, an envoy from Afghanistan has arrived. He requests our assistance."

"Huh? What's going on?"

The messenger's words were relayed verbatim, but Lawrence's first question was: Kabul and Calcutta are at least 2000 kilometers apart, how did he get there?

The envoy was moved to tears when he spoke of this. After entering the Indus Plain from Peshawar, he arrived in Delhi and then traveled down the Ganges. Only he knew the hardships he endured on this journey.

"Report this to London immediately and see what the Prime Minister says. Also, we should increase the number of troops in Punjab."

The governor's orders are always carried out to the letter. If things go wrong in Afghanistan, doesn't that mean their opportunity has come again? They can acquire another piece of land without losing a single soldier.

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The uprising in Afghanistan has spread from Farah to Bamiyan, where the insurgents issued the Bamiyan Declaration, declaring their intention to overthrow the current king and establish a fair, just, and prosperous Afghanistan.

The king was furious in the palace, smashing porcelain without restraint. He never expected that the Hralazars, whom he usually bullied so easily, would dare to resist. He was certain that Iran was helping them. "Damn it, why can't Iran leave us some space?"

His son stopped his father from continuing to smash things, saying, "Now we need to win over the British. Don't they want us to submit? Fine, that's fine. As long as they don't confiscate our property."

There's no other way now. Hopefully, Britain can send reinforcements as soon as possible, otherwise they'll only meet on the walls of Kabul.

The king's scepter carved a deep line across the map, stretching from Farah all the way to the outskirts of Kabul. His fingertips trembled, not from fear, but from rage—those Hazaras who had once knelt at his feet now dared to brandish Persian rifles and carve the word "freedom" into the cliffs of Bamiyan. Scattered on the palace carpets were fragments of blue-and-white porcelain, each reflecting his distorted face.

In the Hall of Mirrors in Tehran, Nasser al-Din Shah was using a letter opener to pry open a secret report from Kandahar. Invisible writing in lemon juice on the parchment gradually appeared in the candlelight: "The Afghan envoy has arrived in Calcutta." He chuckled softly, turning to the chief operative, "It seems London will soon know what's happening here."

"Should we accelerate our support for them? They are less than 200 kilometers from Kabul."

Shah shook his head. "If this place were really easy to fight, the British would have taken it long ago. But knowing their nature, they will definitely come back."

Beside Naserdin were British and Afghan war notes. Although the British had firmly controlled India, they were beginning to worry about a Russian invasion through the Khyber Pass and the Bolang Pass. Now, it was their turn to worry about an Iranian invasion through the passes.

"Let's get our spies in Britain and India moving, especially with the British government. Prime Minister Palmerston doesn't look too well lately, but he'll probably still send troops."

Afghanistan is very important to both Iran and Britain; the next step will be a contest of their respective strengths.

"This is news from South America: Paraguay is planning to declare war on Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay."

This war, touted as the largest and bloodiest in South America, is about to begin. However, Nasser al-Din has little interest in it; if they were to participate, it might lead to the bizarre scenario of Argentina being wiped out in a single war. The resulting chain reaction would undoubtedly be enormous.

"We will remain neutral on this matter and not let anyone sabotage it."

"Shah, even a prince isn't acceptable?"

Naserdin was puzzled when the person next to him suddenly said that. "What's going on?"

"I have learned that two ships recently sailed from Zahran to Polis, carrying people from the Shamari tribe."

The steward's words make it quite clear: Abbas might cause trouble. But could a child really have that much power?
"O Allah, why do you test Iran like this? Has it not suffered enough?"

After complaining to Allah, Nasser al-Din sent a telegram to the local governor: Do not act rashly. As for anything else, it is up to fate.

(End of this chapter)