Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 496 The Butterfly Effect
Naser al-Din was riding his bicycle in the gardens of the Gulestan Palace; the newly improved version was faster than walking.

It was tough on the guards, though, because the thing was so fast that they had to run to keep up with Shah.

Shah thought that mass-producing this equipment would not only earn him more money, but also increase the army's marching speed.

"Shah, news from Argentina."

Upon hearing that the news came from Argentina, Nasserdin stopped riding his bicycle and instead had his son learn to ride it.

"How is he? What happened to Abbas?"

"His Highness Abbas is doing well, it's just that Argentina..."

In the latest telegram, Patagonian troops reported that they had besieged Buenos Aires for months. Argentine President Mitre began negotiations with Patagonia, but all three rounds of talks broke down because the other side demanded the seizure of all Argentine territory.

Argentina sought support from all sides—Britain, France, Brazil, Chile—they turned to everyone they could. But it was all to no avail. Brazil even signed a ceasefire agreement with Patagonia; Pedro II had sold Argentina out!

Upon hearing the news, the Argentine ambassador was so angry that he wanted to go to the Royal Palace in Rio de Janeiro to berate Pedro II, but he was stopped by the guards. In their view, Argentina was already on its deathbed and should give way to other countries.

Moreover, although Iran's religion is at odds with Brazil's, it's still better than Argentina, which shares the same religion. Who knows if Argentina might turn on Brazil in the future?

"That's normal. If Paraguay continues fighting, Rio de Janeiro will be in danger."

López led the Paraguayan army to attack São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. If they could hold these cities for a long time, Paraguay's access to the sea would be solved.

Of course, López was doing this in order to become king himself. He was already campaigning domestically, claiming to be the chosen one, and had sent envoys to Rome to seek the Pope's support.

"Shah, what should we do?"

"How do we do it? As long as we don't let Britain get involved, we don't need to worry about anything else."

The South American countries are all fairly evenly matched; as long as no other European countries intervene, Patagonia will be safe. Of course, Chile is a country that still needs to be monitored.

Of course, Iran also found a rival for Chile: Bolivia. Although this country has virtually no military, is politically paralyzed, its economy relies solely on silver mines, and it lacks diplomatic connections, thanks to Iranian investment, Bolivia is slightly better off than it was historically. At least it has the money to equip its army.

Furthermore, Nasserdin was also considering merging with Peru. Historically, the two countries had formed a confederation, which was later disbanded after being soundly defeated by a combined Chilean-Argentine force. However, they still held some popular support, and a little push was all it took.

"Also, here are the documents you need to read. Please take a look."

Sigh, looks like today will be another busy day. Naserdin thought to himself as he threw himself into his work. ………………

Hajizadeh is quite busy; in the National Security Agency headquarters, which was converted from the General Post Office building, 200 people have been assigned and put into work.

The National Security Bureau currently has four general bureaus: the First, Second, Third, and Fourth, which respectively manage foreign intelligence, domestic intelligence, military counter-espionage, and reconnaissance technology. In addition, there is a Special Investigation Division responsible for covert operations.

After its formal establishment, Hajizadeh began his work both domestically and internationally. Having spent many years in the military, he also began to summarize his experiences: for example, recruiting spies should be done among students, because they are very easy to brainwash and can be easily developed into his subordinates.

His first task was to investigate the connections between France and Iran, noting that some Iranian businessmen were interacting too frequently with high-ranking French officials, suggesting they were engaged in some kind of business.

"Director, this is the current situation we have compiled. Abdul-Hossein Mirza Farman of Iran and Hamo Oganjanyan of the Ottoman Empire have jointly opened a jewelry store in Paris. The gold and silver jewelry on display is very popular among the French nobility, especially Empress Eugénie, who would spend a long time choosing whenever there were new pieces."

It seemed like nothing was wrong, but Hajizadeh saw a problem. Even if their craftsmanship was excellent, wasn't it a bit too frequent to bring jewelry to the Tuileries Palace every week?

Furthermore, would the Duke of McMahon and the Secretary of War, Randon, need jewelry? Even if we assume the women in their households did, they couldn't possibly go four times a month, could they? Do they have that much money?

"The French intelligence network needs to be completed as soon as possible; this is our first overseas mission. Shah has high expectations."

After all, the Shah had given them such a large budget, so they had to do something about it. The domestic intelligence network, on the other hand, progressed relatively smoothly. Thanks to the integration of the secret police, the National Security Agency quickly began monitoring all factors that could potentially threaten the country.

At this time, there were also many spies from other countries, especially in Iran, a country located at the crossroads of East and West. Spies from Britain, France, Prussia, and Russia were all involved. They took advantage of the liberal movement within Iran to achieve their own goals, which later triggered the Russo-Iranian conflict.

A huge map of Europe on the wall was studded with colored pins—red representing known French intelligence stations, and blue marking the movements of suspicious Iranian businessmen. A young officer from the Special Investigations Department was reporting in a low voice: "In addition, we have also investigated Majid, the owner of the 'Oriental Treasures' jewelry store in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, who entered the French Ministry of the Navy three times last month, ostensibly to deliver a custom-made necklace to the minister's wife."

"The Navy? Is the Minister that rich?" Hajizadeh clearly didn't believe it.

"It's said that this minister's sister has some kind of relationship with Prince Edward of Britain..." He didn't finish, because Hajizadeh already knew what that relationship was. Who knew His Highness the Crown Prince was so shrewd, even his lovers were foreigners.

Hajizadeh grabbed a pen and quickly wrote down instructions: "Focus on monitoring three points: First, whether there is a hidden door in the basement of the jewelry store; second, the frequency of contact between Farman and Majid and the embassy in France; third, the list of all French officers who purchased jewelry."

"Yes"

Looking at the map behind his office, Hajizadeh knew the importance of intelligence. From Britain and France in the west to the Far East in the east, the intelligence network was as vast as the world. Intelligence networks were needed for countries closest to Iran, such as the Ottomans, Egypt, and Russia; British India and the Dutch East Indies also needed networks. Britain was a future enemy, and the Netherlands was a nouveau riche with vast resources—if they couldn't protect their wealth, they could take it!

(End of this chapter)