Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 506 Back on Duty
Buenos Aires, at this time, should be called Antioch. It was named after Antioch, the father of Seleucus I, the founder of the Seleucid Empire. Since the revival of Persian culture, cities have never had to worry about names.

Seleucia, Appamea, Susa, Hatra—they're calling out all sorts of city names here, leaving locals confused about where they are. After all, these city names have been used for hundreds of years, and a new dynasty needs to adapt. This has led to the need to change the names of various places, causing some chaos.

Amir stood on the dock, looking at the scenery so different from that of Iran and Europe. Clearly, a major battle had taken place here; ruins remained in some areas. White citizens hurried by, as if someone were watching them. Soldiers and police in Iranian uniforms maintained order, and the whole city was shrouded in an unusual silence. Although there was a market, it wasn't very lively, and the restaurants were closed.

"Excuse me, are you Lord Amir?" someone suddenly stepped forward and asked.

"Yes"

Amir sized up the other person; their face was different. This must be an Indian.

"Please come with me, His Highness the Prince has been waiting for a long time."

Amir followed him into the carriage. The city was much less bustling with life; it seemed the city hadn't fully recovered after the great battle. The carriage soon arrived at Fort Ostia.

Fort Ostia, after Argentina's independence, was converted into the presidential palace. It is now the residence of Prince Abbas.

Upon seeing Amir, Abbas immediately went to greet him.

"Your Highness!"

"teacher!"

Nasser al-Din's respect for Amir also influenced his children; the princes and princesses treated Amir with the utmost deference.

“I came from Prussia immediately upon receiving the Shah’s orders. I heard that Your Highness has already occupied the entire territory of Argentina. Congratulations.”

Abbas was embarrassed by this, but he knew that Amir had come because his father had asked him to solve the problem, so he began to explain the current situation to him.

After the capture of Buenos Aires, the war in Argentina ended. The post-war period began, and Abbas bestowed titles upon 164 individuals who had contributed to the victory, ranging from life nobles to dukes. These individuals enjoyed certain commercial privileges and formed the country's aristocratic class. The soldiers and peasants who had supported the war effort also received land as rewards, and together with the merchants, they formed the middle class of the nation.

Argentina also had a great deal to deal with. First and foremost was land, in order to destroy the economic foundation of the white population. Abbas decided to launch a land revolution, primarily targeting the Buenos Aires Group. A total of 850 million hectares of land were confiscated and then redistributed. Land in inland areas was expropriated on a paid basis, depending on the circumstances.

While the decree was well-intentioned, it invariably met with opposition from white people. Some disgruntled whites launched guerrilla warfare, forcing the authorities to intensify their crackdowns. Simultaneously, an empty treasury and a debt of over 4000 million rials plunged the country into financial difficulties from the outset. Then there's diplomacy. Paraguay and Bolivia are currently on the side of goodwill, and Brazil has remained neutral after signing an agreement with them. Chile continues to create trouble at its borders, and the overall diplomatic situation for the country can be described as relatively stable. However, Britain, France, and the United States all want to exert influence, and they must find a way to break the deadlock.

"This is the current situation, teacher!"

Amir looked at the documents presented to him; the situation here was even more complicated than back in Iran. More importantly, Tehran was too far away, so they had to face the pressure from other American countries alone.

"Your Highness, you have done very well. Especially at your age."

Abbas blushed a little when he heard the compliment, "It's nothing."

"However, we are about to enter a period of intense change, and everyone needs to be mobilized."

Upon hearing this, Abbas knew his teacher was about to unleash a powerful move. He immediately assured him that any resources could be mobilized, including his own.

Subsequently, Amir was appointed Grand Vizier of the Sultanate by Abbas, and immediately issued his first decree: to allocate land to each naturalized family, with a minimum plot of arable land of 50 mu (approximately 3.3 hectares) and a minimum plot of pasture and woodland of 500 to 700 mu (approximately 33 to 43 hectares). New immigrant families were also entitled to 15 mu (approximately 1 hectare) of arable land each, and were exempt from taxes for two years.

Assimilation of the new territory is the government's primary task, therefore it must do everything possible to attract new immigrants and assimilate or expel the local white population. After the mass exodus of white people, there are still over 900,000 white people remaining in the territory. Abbas now faces a situation where a small ethnic group borders a large nation; making the local majority a crucial task is to transform the population into a majority. Therefore, Amir's second order was to encourage intermarriage between white people and immigrants.

White people have a centuries-old tradition of intermarriage with Native Americans and even Black people. After the Iranians became the rulers of Argentina, the white people left behind either chose to abandon their ancestral homes and properties and choose to go to white-dominated countries such as the United States, Brazil, and Colombia, or they had no choice but to accept the intermarriage laws issued by the government and choose to form new families with new immigrants.

After establishing basic laws, Amir began forming a government. As in Iran, the new government was formed by the Grand Vizier and comprised eight ministries: finance, interior, foreign affairs, industry and commerce, agriculture and forestry, transportation, postal services, and defense. A religious affairs bureau was established to oversee local religions, and a customs administration to manage foreign trade. To prevent a strong reaction from the white population, Amir repeatedly emphasized that integration should not be forced but rather carried out in a gentle manner.

59-year-old Amir found work again. No problem, 59 is the prime age for hard work. Argentina—no, the Algerian Sultanate—was entering a period of development. Trade with other countries gradually recovered, and although still burdened with massive debt, a savior had appeared. Iran provided them with a 12-year loan of 68 million euros at an annual interest rate of 1.5%. Enough to pull them out of the crisis.

Of course, placing the capital in Antioch didn't seem right to Amir. It was too close to the sea and risked neglecting the inland areas. Therefore, he proposed making the capital Appamea (Rosario). This way, there would be water transport, but it wouldn't be too remote and cause the inland regions to feel neglected.

This suggestion was naturally approved; the teacher was right. There's no doubt about that. After all, how could one be the Grand Vizier for 17 years if things weren't right?

Of course, Amir didn't just issue orders from the city. He was unfamiliar with this new continent and needed to travel around to understand its customs and culture so as not to lead the country astray. Therefore, he began his own tours of the country, of course, on behalf of the Sultan.

(End of this chapter)