Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 509 Promotion
The expert panel's proposal to review military spending was submitted to the Shah, but unsurprisingly rejected. Only the Progressive Party's proposal to increase education and culture and the Whig Party's proposal to reduce taxes for farmers were approved.

The expert panel is not a real parliament, so they consider it a victory if the proposed bills are passed as proposals and submitted to the Shah for approval. Who would believe that parliament is truly supreme?

“Shah, the geographical location of Sumatra is quite important. Aceh, in particular, is accessible from any direction. Governor Sadiq believes this is a place where expansion is possible.”

Rabbani submitted a proposal to Naser al-Din for the expansion of the Aceh port, along with a series of other plans including the expansion of Medan and Palembang ports, and investment in a ring railway. It is anticipated that once completed, these plans will double the island's exports within two years.

“This plan is quite good. The governor certainly has a keen eye,” Shah suddenly said, using a gilded paper cutter to pry open the sealing wax. The parchment crackled as it unfolded.

The clanging of the changing of the guard echoed outside the window. The Shah suddenly rose, the hem of his twelve Isfahan silk robes sweeping across the embroidered map of the empire on the carpet. “Tell me,” he stopped before the hanging Indian Ocean chart, “if Aceh were turned into a second Basra, how many sleepless nights would the governors of Calcutta and Batavia lose?”

Finance Minister Shahriari entered just then, carrying gilded ledgers, beads of sweat still clinging to his forehead from his hasty arrival. “Shah, we exceeded our palm oil export duty targets last quarter,” he said, opening the documents, “but there are some subtle discussions in the Sumatran railway bond market.”

Labani immediately picked up where the conversation left off: "His Excellency Sadiq has just brokered an alliance between Palembang University and Isfahan Polytechnic. It's said that the local youth are now even using Persian rhymes in their poetry." He paused deliberately, "It's just that the Dutch aren't too happy about it."

The Dutch were naturally unhappy, having lost such a large colony. But this also led to a change in Dutch colonial policy, with the implementation of moral policies.

Dutch intellectuals began to reflect on the "honor debt" owed to the colonists by Dutch plunder. In 1860, the novel *Magnus Havelar*, published under the pseudonym Murtaturi, exposed the social reality of collusion between the Dutch East Indies government and Javanese lords, and the oppression of peasants, sparking a huge social reaction. Subsequently, a "moral policy" was introduced, with more funds invested in improving the health and education of local people, building infrastructure such as irrigation systems, and supporting Javanese migration to the outer islands.

“The Dutch…they’re terrible students,” Naserdin said. “This Sadiq is a talent; he did a good job in both Bulgaria and Mecca.”

“Shah is right. Sadiq governed Sumatra so well, which shows that he must have extraordinary abilities.”

Rabbani's words only created problems. He and Sadiq were complete strangers, so why was he suddenly so strongly recommending him? Either they were childhood neighbors, or there was some kind of deal he was unaware of. Now it seems the latter is more likely.

"Yes, he's suffered so much these past few years. Alone in Sumatra for so long..."

"Wasn't the Vice Minister of Industry and Commerce reassigned? Let him fill the vacancy."

With a single word from the Shah, Sadiq went from a local governor to a member of the central government. This, of course, aligns with the typical official promotion process, which requires serving in local government before entering the central government.

“Sadig should really thank the Shah now.”

"No need for thanks, just do what the country can do for you."

Politics is an art of hardline stance and compromise; as long as it's not too outrageous, the Shah is willing to acquiesce. "Did Amir go to Antioch?" the Shah suddenly asked.

"Yes, after receiving the transfer order, I departed from Hamburg, Prussia, and arrived in Antioch."

Naserdin nodded. He was truly uneasy about this place and needed a highly respected person to oversee it. After much thought, he decided that only Amir could do it.

"South America has only recently been pacified, so we need to pay close attention to everything."

Naserdin toyed with his pipe, then glanced at Shahryarri who had arrived. "Is there anything else?"

The Finance Minister quickly said, "Shah, this is the investment plan for Qinistan drafted by the Ministry of Finance. Please take a look."

This should be the largest financial investment in the colony, with an estimated 3000 million riyals to be invested over five years. The plan includes the construction of enterprises in six sectors, including railways, telegraph, and shipping, as well as three universities and five technical colleges in Saigon, Hue, and Phnom Penh to train skilled workers.

There had been talk of the government investing in the colonies, but it's only now that the government is finally making that investment. The long border with Siam and Burma in the Far East also needs to be maintained, and the local army needs to be strengthened—all of which require substantial investment.

Furthermore, the gold mines in Borneo were nationalized, and those who held shares received stock in other companies in exchange. This was not considered a loss. The produced gold went into the national treasury, becoming a cornerstone of monetary stability.

"Such a large investment is probably not something any other country in the world attaches such importance to."

Upon hearing Nasser al-Din's words, Shahryari immediately replied, "Shah, Iran is different from Britain and France, where private investment is far from sufficient to support the economy; it is also different from Prussia and Austria, whose colonial territories are among the largest in the world. In order to consolidate the region, government investment is a necessary option."

This has been said many times, but it is indeed the truth. Private individuals lack the capacity and are unwilling to invest in heavy industry. Therefore, the government has to take on this responsibility.

This year's national finances are also considered optimistic, with the Ministry of Finance estimating that total fiscal revenue for the year will reach 1.52 million riyals, an increase of over 10%. The fastest growth is seen in Sumatra's trade revenue, which has increased from 21 riyals in 1864 to 189 million riyals.

Following that were land taxes and customs duties, which increased by 1136 million and 382 million riyals respectively, both substantial increases. There were also industrial and commercial taxes, monopoly revenues, and oil trade, though the growth rate began to decline, indicating that relying on only a few products was indeed insufficient.

The pilgrimage to Mecca brings in millions of rials annually, and pilgrimages to Qom, Najaf, Mashhad, Yazd, and other places bring in nearly 220 million rials in total. This should be the earliest source of tourism revenue.

On the expenditure side, Iran is facing a fiscal deficit again due to Musharraf's large-scale investment plan. However, it's not a large deficit, only 150 million rials. The main issue is rural road construction, as there are too many areas requiring expansion, leading to higher costs. The Grand Vizier has begun discussions with the Ministry of Transport to significantly increase investment in rural road construction; it's unclear how much more money this increase will require.
(End of this chapter)