Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 439 Foreign Policy in the New Era
December in Iran is already winter; although it's not cold, there's a chill in the air.

Murad began his day by getting up, having breakfast, and then starting his language lessons.

Besides Persian, Murad must also learn Arabic, Turkish, and English. As Nasser al-Din said, "You may not speak it, but you cannot be ignorant of it," Murad needs more time to learn in order to cope with this rapidly changing world.

"Your Highness, this is today's newspaper."

"Thank you"

Murad picked up a newspaper, intending to check if there was anything to do that day. Then the first one made his eyes widen.

Paraguay declares war on Argentina and Brazil, Patagonia is threatened.

Knowing my younger brother's personality, he'll definitely start a fight. I wonder what my father's expression will be; it must be quite varied.

He was right; Nasser al-Din's mood was quite complex at that moment. Abbas's message to all the soldiers had been telegraphed to him—this brat still wanted to go to the battlefield; who gave him the courage?

"So, are you still going to get involved in Paraguay's affairs?"

Amir expressed his displeasure, noting that Iran had already weathered the Malayan crisis and the Austro-Prussian War, and now it was facing the Paraguayan War. Was Iran simply having too many misfortunes?

“Actually, we had to join this war too, since Patagonia is in our hands,” Abdullah said, trying to smooth things over.

"Moreover, we don't need to launch a major offensive; we just need to have Paraguay hold off the attacks from Argentina and Brazil."

This is the best and most cost-effective method. Nobody wants to launch a large-scale attack, because that would attract the attention of other countries.

“If that’s the case, the Ministry of Finance can tolerate such expenditures.”

Musharraf breathed a sigh of relief; he didn't want to be suffocated by expenditures anymore. Let the colonies fight it out; ideally, they should become independent in the future, only needing to remain within the market and maintain diplomatic consistency.

Recent migration trends also highlight Patagonia's potential. While migration to East Africa has decreased from 60,000 to 50,000 annually, immigration to Patagonia has increased to 23,000. This is not only because Patagonia is safer than East Africa, but also because arable land in East African colonies has been largely divided up.

The result of the frenzied enclosure movement was that the Iranian royal family, the old nobles who lost their political power and turned to economics, the newly promoted nobles, and the wealthy merchants, factory owners, and plantation owners acquired 77% of the arable land in the current East African colonies, of which the nobles and royal family owned 66%.

Vast plantations and numerous workshops were situated on the colonies, with cash crops such as cotton, sugarcane, peanuts, tobacco, coffee, and sisal supporting the local economy. Black laborers and slaves were extensively employed; for example, an 8000-acre coffee plantation required over 500 slaves, with additional slaves needed for harvesting.

Don't assume that because the aristocracy owned 77% of the land, the rest was Black land. Of that remaining 23%, 18% belonged to farmers and new immigrants. Only 5% truly belonged to Black people. And this was in the marginal areas and those with the most resistance.

"We still need to keep a close eye on things here, especially with Britain, Argentina, and Uruguay, who have all lent him a lot of money. If anything changes, he will suffer the most."

Argentina and Uruguay owe Britain £550 million, and if this money is lost, Britain may resort to armed force to collect the debt. Relations between Britain and Iran have been repeatedly tested, first with the Malayan crisis, then with the Afghan uprising. Prime Minister Palmerston is aware of the situation in Afghanistan, but due to Iran's stance, they currently favor a peaceful resolution.

Through its Iranian ambassador, Britain proposed the idea of ​​neutralizing Afghanistan. Becoming a buffer state between the two countries was the best option, a point Iran agreed to in principle, but on the condition that Afghanistan guarantee the legitimate rights of the Shia population.

"The Kingdom of Afghanistan has not responded so far, and it seems they have refused."

Nasserdin had anticipated this; the Sunnis and Shiites had been at odds for centuries, especially the Sunni leadership, who feared that their repeated "merits" in suppressing the Shiites would at least earn them a death sentence. Therefore, they were determined to suppress and oppose them.

"Tell me, is it feasible for us to enter Afghanistan?"

The ministers began to discuss the matter. If they were to send troops again, they needed a stable popular base. They couldn't repeat the mistakes of Britain, who rushed into Kabul with nothing and were then soundly defeated by guerrilla warfare.

“Shah, if we are to enter Afghanistan, we will need to prepare 30,000 men.”

Army Minister Darius reported to the Shah, "This is only the basics. If we take other factors into account, then the army needs to be increased. This includes mopping up operations, maintaining order, and defending against attacks from other directions."

"Forget all that, just tell me how many people you need?"

Darius gave a figure: "100,000 people".

? ? ? ? ? ?
“One hundred thousand? That’s half of Iran’s army. Is that really necessary?” Nasser al-Din asked.

“Shah, this is the bare minimum,” said Rouhani, who had become Chief of the General Staff. “Afghanistan has many mountains, which are very suitable for guerrillas to hide in. We may be bogged down in a protracted war that could last up to ten years, which will cost the government a great deal.”

We believe that simply getting Afghanistan to recognize the Halazars and reducing its military presence is sufficient. Military action should only be used when absolutely necessary.

Afghanistan's strategic location makes it vulnerable to attack from all sides. However, its terrain has ironically compensated for this, leading to the defeat of many adversaries and the emergence of numerous courageous individuals. Iran last occupied Afghanistan during the reign of Nader Shah, which was one of Iran's zeniths.

Moreover, Nader Shah invaded India and seized back the Mughal Peacock Throne, the one Nasser al-Din now sits on. However, with Britain now firmly established in India, Iran must contend with Britain in Afghanistan, ideally keeping Britain occupied for over a decade, so that it can exert its influence elsewhere.

"Tell the British ambassador that Afghanistan has rejected our agreement, and if this continues, we will have to retaliate."

Such an official document made the British ambassador feel like his head was about to explode. It was well-reasoned and supported by evidence, so the root of the problem still lay with the King of Afghanistan.

Looking at Abdullah's expression, the ambassador realized he might not be able to accomplish Britain's mission in Tehran. Iran wasn't Russia; they weren't the type to resort to violence at the slightest provocation. He feared they would have a busy time in West Asia in the future.

(End of this chapter)