Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 474 Discussion
The train route from Tabriz to Baku is always one of the busiest, and Shah, sitting in his private carriage, doesn't forget his daily work.

Of course, Abdullah, standing next to Nasser al-Din, was even busier. After all, he had to prepare for peace talks with Russia, and nothing could go wrong. Otherwise, the hard-won situation Iran had achieved would be lost.

"Shah, the Russian delegation has arrived in Rostov and will soon arrive in Sochi."

If we exclude the Shah's visit to Russia, this was the first time that the two monarchs had held face-to-face negotiations on state affairs.

“I can’t wait to see Alexander’s expression. He must be in great pain. He’s the only Romanov ruler to have lost two consecutive wars against the Crescent Moon.”

"I guess he's preparing how to turn the tide."

Shah shook his head. This guy is only good at domestic affairs and bullying the weak. If he encounters a troublemaker, he'll make sure the troublemaker doesn't get indigestion.

"By the way, your Revival Party has been quite active across the country lately."

Naserdin suddenly remembered that Abdullah's Ba'ath Party had given a speech in Tabriz. The party's views and rhetoric were also in the newspapers.

He almost forgot about the expert panel election, because it was the first time, and the first priority was to determine how many people had the right to vote. The initial estimate was no more than 1.5% of the national population, or 50 people.

Various political organizations also began their own activities, the largest being the Progressive Party and the Liberal Party. They clashed in the newspapers, doing their best to win more supporters. The Revival Party and the Liberal Democrats followed closely behind, using newspapers and public speeches as their battleground.

"This is the parliament of Britain and France. If you don't say you won't take action, no one will support you."

Naserdin shook his head, admitting that observing things up close was quite a novel experience. However, if it were like England or France, he'd probably have to do something.

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Musharraf, who remained in Tehran, convened a meeting with the other ministers. Shah and the foreign minister were not present, making him the head of the government.

"Everyone, the national finances need reform now. We have already sent you a draft of the new plan. What do you all think?"

Musharraf was eager to achieve some political success, and his proposal had been approved by the Shah in previous conversations. However, some aspects were still somewhat rough, and after refinement, it entered the government discussion stage.

The newly appointed Finance Minister, Shahryari, was the first to speak: "This proposal can effectively improve fiscal efficiency and reduce tax evasion. Furthermore, it can fully utilize idle funds in society and invest them in local industries. I agree with this plan."

“I have no objection to the postal savings, but this system of dividing land into different classes for taxation… will likely face some resistance,” Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Shamkhani objected. “We know the Grand Vizier wants to reform the finances, but the issue of arable land must be approached with caution. Especially the lands of the royal family and nobles; the Shah specifically granted them tax reductions to appease them.”

Furthermore, in East Africa, they also obtained a twelve-year tax exemption privilege. If we insist on pushing it away, I'm afraid…

"At this time, we need to be decisive. If we don't let them put their money out, the country will have no income to invest. In the next five years, the government will build more than 10,000 kilometers of railways and highways, renovate and expand ports, and build hospitals and schools. These require a lot of funds. Moreover, half of our current income comes from selling kerosene. This is fine when the harvest is good, but if kerosene doesn't sell, then we will definitely lose more than half of our income."

“Grand Vizier, aren’t you being a little too sensitive?” said the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Rabbani.

"Currently, countries around the world are using kerosene produced in our country, and the number of users is constantly increasing. In the Far East alone, exports last year increased by one-third compared to the previous year. Not to mention Europe and the Americas. At least for the next thirty years, we don't need to worry about this."

"It's easier said than done, but it's never good to rely too much on one thing. Spain's decline due to its over-reliance on gold and silver from the Americas is a living example."

The midday sun in Tehran streamed through the stained-glass windows, casting dappled shadows on the draft budget. Musharraf noticed that Interior Minister Farhadi remained silent; the cunning old fox who controlled local administration was drawing intricate patterns in his notebook.

“Lord Farhadi,” Musharraf suddenly called out, “the cultivated land area reported by Kerman Province last year was 30% less than the actual area.” He pushed aside a stack of land deeds copies, “and these ‘overlooked’ lands just happen to be the ranches of some nobles.”

Farhadi slowly raised his head: "Since the Grand Vizier has investigated so thoroughly, he must also know that those ranches house one-third of the Empire's warhorses?"

"Of course, of course I know. But as far as I know, these changes were all temporary. In other words, they turned farmland into pasture to avoid taxes, just to pay less tax. And they're from your hometown. Isn't that a coincidence?"

"So, the Grand Vizier believes I provided them with refuge?"

"Or, would you like to explain how you managed to suddenly increase your arable land by 6000 mu within a week?"

The atmosphere in the conference room was tense, but a voice suddenly broke in.

“The pilot program for the postal savings system can begin in Mazanderland,” the Transport Minister, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. “There is the densest postal network in the country there.”

“That would be best.” Musharraf unfolded the parchment map and pointed to the area circled in red ink: “Also, in the first six pilot provinces, land tax will be reduced or exempted according to the new standards, but they must accept the government-appointed accountants.”

Farzadi was bewildered by this inexplicable situation, but one thing he was certain of: the government knew what they had done, and they had to either wait for the Shah to return and confess, or continue to cover it up. But he wasn't the only one doing these things; similar things happened all over the country. Why were they focusing on him?
"In that case, everyone can go back now. Meeting adjourned."

As the ministers departed one by one, Musharraf left behind only the Finance Minister, the Agriculture and Forestry Minister, and the Transport Minister. The latter two were old colleagues with whom he had worked, while the former was a rising star whom he had promoted.

“Musharraf, you were really in danger today. Farzadi is also an important nobleman; his grandfather was once the Grand Vizier. If he had summoned others, you…” Shamkhani said, sounding somewhat reproachful.

“I should have told you, this is a tough battle. If things can’t be changed, then King Louis XVI of France will be the end for you and me. They have to come up with the money, even if it costs them their lives.”

Reform is never a dinner party; those numbers written in fancy official documents must ultimately be achieved through iron and blood. This was the most important piece of advice Amir gave him.

(End of this chapter)