Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 448 Regime Change
The king fled, and Kabul, leaderless, had no choice but to surrender. On April 10, the rebel army entered Kabul. The rule of the Durrani dynasty came to an end.

As rumors circulated, Italy's intention to send troops to aid Argentina and Afghanistan evolved into claims that Italy was going to join Britain in attacking Iran. Others claimed that Italy had already signed a treaty with Russia to partition Iran; that Italy wanted to restore the glory of the Roman Empire and therefore unify the Mediterranean; that Italy was going to reignite its war against Austria; and so on…

In short, there are all sorts of opinions. But they're all inextricably linked to Italy. Now all of Europe knows about Italy's "wolfish ambitions," some see it as a strategic vision, others as a stroke of madness. Its population is only half that of Iran, its industry is underdeveloped, and its military... well, let's not even talk about it.

However, Britain and Russia were quite baffled; they were just sitting at home when trouble struck out of nowhere. And nowadays, journalists will say anything for ratings. Yesterday it was about Britain sending troops to Iran, today it's about Britain demanding Iran cede territory. Before any decision has even been made, public opinion is already in an uproar.

Iran naturally protested loudest, especially Russia, accusing them of harboring lingering ambitions to seize territory.

Russia, unable to tolerate this, also lashed out in its newspapers. Coupled with Iran's stance on Yaqub Beg in Central Asia, Russia was seething with anger, which it then directed at Iran.

Seeing this, Britain decided to veto the proposal to send troops. Wouldn't it be better to let Russia and Iran clash?

British foreign policy had become one where anything that could be resolved through diplomacy and money would never involve force. However, this was not out of fear, but rather out of fear of the chain reaction of damage war would inflict on the imperial economy and governance system.

British industry was heavily reliant on free trade, making it vulnerable to the impact of war on the British economy. This highlighted the fragility of the British free-trade empire. The Indian Rebellion further demonstrated to Britain that overexpansion could lead to the collapse of its colonial system. Consequently, Britain began to reduce direct foreign intervention, preferring verbal communication to military action.

Following the abolition of serfdom, Russia began military reforms, increasing its offensive capabilities through measures such as expanding military schools and increasing investment in the military industry. Britain could help Russia build its army and develop its industry, allowing Russia to fight against Iran while Britain profited from the conflict.

Thinking about this, Prime Minister Russell felt he was a genius. Let others fight each other, and all he had to do was sell them supplies; he not only made money, but also achieved his goal.

The British Foreign Office issued several statements saying that Britain had no intention of sending troops. This calmed the opposition in Parliament and quelled public opinion. As for Italy, he didn't know who it was.

Abdul's special envoy also arrived in Tehran and signed an alliance treaty with Iran within 24 hours. That's incredibly fast.

The treaty stipulates that Iran and Afghanistan form an alliance, with Afghanistan opening its market to Iran and launching the long-delayed Afghan railway project.

As for the rest—troop deployments, loans, missionary work, etc.—Afghanistan agreed to everything. Saving lives was the most important thing.

However, the capture of Kabul is not the end. Remnants of the Kingdom of Afghanistan are gathering in Peshawar, while other Sunni groups are preparing for a renewed offensive in Kandahar. His regime's supporters are primarily the Khalazars and other Shia Muslims; achieving complete stability remains a long and arduous journey.

“We can rebuild the railway from Herat to Kabul, which is estimated to cost 700 million riyals. And it will take another three years.”

The Minister of Transport, having somehow obtained the railway documents, began speaking to Amir.

"I know about this too. Although some unpleasant things happened, it can still be started."

It's not just railways, but also mining and other industries. Since Iran and the Yellow River have mineral resources, Afghanistan should have them too. However, negotiations with local tribes are necessary to avoid getting into trouble.

Amir turned to look at Musharraf, whose expression was as unpleasant as ever. "What's wrong, Musharraf? Who owes you money?"

"Grand Vizier, who do you think owes me money?"

That's an overstatement. All institutions and investments rely on government funding to operate. Who could owe him money?

"What happened? Did your investment fail?"

"of course not!"

Over the years, the Baku government has set aside a portion of its kerosene revenue as an investment fund to generate further income. To date, this amount has reached 2.2 million riyals. Through investment, 2963 million riyals have been earned, representing an annual return of 7.8%. This is considered a high return on investment.

“That’s perfect, it’s time to use him. Investing in Afghanistan seems like a feasible option.”

As a step in economic penetration, it was necessary for the government and Amir of Afghanistan to establish joint ventures for production. They would explore various areas, mine and sell any minerals found, and then invest in other things once the railway was completed.

Afghanistan's terrain is comparable to Iran's, with mountains and hills making up the vast majority of the land. Agricultural output is barely enough to feed the people; if it had some mineral resources, it wouldn't be in such a predicament. It could simply take off and make money.

"However, they agreed to let us station troops in Kabul, so who will bear the cost of the military expenditures?"

Musharraf, like Gladstone, is a fiscal conservative. Every penny saved counts. In this regard, Iran and Afghanistan split the costs 50/50, and of course, the troop presence is only 4000. The expenses won't be too high.

"Now is not the time to be happy. Kandahar and Peshawar have not yet been occupied. As long as these two places are not taken, those people will always come back."

Although the Harazars have entered Kabul, Sunnis are preparing to retake other parts of Afghanistan. It remains to be seen who will ultimately rule the country.

“I’m a little worried about Britain now. If they enter Afghanistan from Peshawar, then everything we’ve done will be for nothing.”

Foreign Minister Abdullah commented, "Having such a neighbor is really annoying. I wish he could break 108 pieces."

However, direct government intervention is not advisable and could easily provoke retaliation. They need to bring out the royal family; there shouldn't be any problem with them trading within India, right? Who says they can't trade? Finding an agent familiar with the local area shouldn't be a problem either; and if they want to buy large quantities of cotton and jute, having farmers grow them shouldn't be a problem, even though they belong to the Shia and Sunni sects.

The royal family's trading partners were primarily the princely states and directly governed territories in the Indus River Valley. British officials had not yet established themselves there, and the local gentry were willing to trade with Iran to earn more money. Then they would continue to expand their investments.

The thought of having a secret weapon stored in Aceh gave Abdullah confidence that having royalty handle matters would help him avoid many difficulties. Of course, this was also a first step towards gaining control of India.

(End of this chapter)