Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 444 The New British Cabinet

Lord Russell convened an emergency meeting at 10 Downing Street to get everyone talking about the situation in South America and Afghanistan.

"Earl Clarendon, please share your thoughts."

The newly appointed Foreign Secretary, Earl Clarendon, briefed everyone on the basic situation.

"The King of Afghanistan has already sent envoys to us for help, and the local insurgents are not far from Kabul. Moreover, they have artillery and rifles."

It's obvious to anyone with eyes that the insurgents are backed by Iran. The question is, have they just escaped the Malayan crisis and now they want to plunge into the quagmire of Afghanistan?

"And then there's the situation in Argentina. Iran-controlled Patagonia is already advancing towards the Argentine capital, and Chile has been besieging Kerman for many days without success. The Chilean government has asked our country for help."

He then addressed the crowd, saying, “I would like to remind you that Iran is not the same as the Ottoman Empire or the Far East. Its overall strength and military power cannot be dealt with by the Empire sending only ten or twenty thousand troops. If we agree to the requests of Chile and Afghanistan and send troops to participate in the war, then I suggest that the Empire send at least 12 army troops and at the same time dispatch at least one fleet to the Persian Gulf to impose a naval blockade on the Iranian coast.”

Not all cabinet ministers belonged to the Liberal Party like Clarendon and Russell, so his speech was quickly met with opposition from the Conservative Party, led by Lord Derby, the Secretary of State for War.

"Count Clarendon, I don't think we need fifty thousand imperial troops as you say. We just need to support the Ottomans and Chile... and Russia, they'll take care of Iran for us. Then we can take its territory at will."

Moreover, we mobilized 10 troops in the war with Russia, and now we need to mobilize 12 for Iran. Is Iran more terrifying than Russia?

“Earl Derby, I hate to say this, but do you really think that it’s possible to force Iran to make peace without sending troops?”

"Of course, as long as we support the Ottomans and Russia, Iran will be forced to surrender under pressure."

"Forgive my bluntness, sir," Gladstone said to Earl Derby, "but both of the countries you mentioned have been defeated by Iran. Iran seized the Caucasus from Russia, Mesopotamia from the Ottomans, and Mecca two years ago. Their army is trained by Prussian officers, and they can produce their own weapons. Their people are united and not easily conquered."

"So are we going to make concessions to Iran? Don't forget, if they succeed in Afghanistan, India will be in danger. If they succeed in South America, our investments will suffer."

The struggle between the Conservative and Liberal parties wasn't limited to politics; military and diplomatic affairs also saw intense competition among generals aligned with their respective parties. For the first time, Britain felt a growing dislike for distant nations. In Europe, it could stir up trouble; India was firmly under its control, and other countries depended on it. As for Iran, it didn't seem like the type to be subservient. Britain had already shown it considerable mercy by granting it the status it deserved—why wasn't it satisfied?
"Alright, alright, Iran has already submitted diplomatic documents regarding Afghanistan, only requesting that Afghanistan grant these people equal status. I think that's acceptable. The next step is to persuade Kabul."

As for South America, we should be prepared to lose Argentina; supporting Chile might be the best option instead.

Saltpeter was the main raw material for the production of explosives. Before the invention of synthetic ammonia, saltpeter mined from Chile was of great value in maintaining Britain's gunpowder production.

Furthermore, Chilean copper was also needed by Britain. British capital largely flowed into Chile's mining industry, providing raw materials for their industrial development.

In comparison, Argentina's gains are negligible. Its domestic mineral resources are limited, and it mainly exports leather, oils, and dried meat. The only thing it can boast about is the products from its 700 million sheep, but unfortunately, Australia and New Zealand can easily fill those gaps.

Military intervention was not favored by cabinet officials, but Argentina was, after all, a predominantly white country, and Britain had some economic interests there. Seeing Argentina in crisis without offering assistance would not benefit Britain's global strategy. Therefore, they decided on a roundabout approach.

Brazil and Chile will bear the main military obligations in the military operation aiding Argentina. Britain will be responsible for providing loans and supplies, while London will first negotiate with Iran on the Afghan issue. The goal is to resolve one problem at a time; if that fails, Argentina will be ceded to them, and Britain can increase its investment elsewhere.

Ultimately, the cabinet decided against sending troops. South America is thousands of kilometers from Britain, and even if the British navy were invincible, it wouldn't come to this. Besides, where would the money come from? Britain is currently in the midst of a financial crisis.

Bringing Brazil and Chile along would save on military spending and allow them to expand their own businesses, making up for Argentina's losses in those two countries.

Although South American countries may outwardly possess military equipment comparable to that of most European countries, their military strength is built on massive foreign purchases. Almost all of their weapons are acquired from European powers, while the types of weapons actually produced domestically are quite limited.

Brazil and Chile, on the other hand, possess abundant mineral resources. Their governments do not need to vigorously develop industrial systems that yield slow results. Instead, they can use these highly profitable mineral resources to exchange for the latest military equipment from European countries. As a result, without the external pressure to urgently build an industrial system, the military industrial level of Brazil and Chile has stagnated for a long time at the early stage of independence. Their demand for heavy weapons and supporting ammunition mainly relies on sales from European powers such as Britain and France.

Although they possess abundant mineral resources, most of the large mines are controlled by foreign countries. The few newly explored mines have also been either mortgaged or sold off at low prices to Western countries by their governments to expand their military forces. This is a common problem in South American countries; they are willing to sell everything for the sake of their military.

The political climate in Caudillo, coupled with the colonial transformation of South America by the West, turned them into large plantations and mines. They had no urgent need to develop industry and were caught in a dilemma where buying was better than manufacturing, and leasing was better than buying. Industrial plans were constrained by political instability and could not be sustained for long, so most of their factories were small businesses. Now, they could only hope to resist Iran, a semi-industrialized country, with British aid.

(End of this chapter)