Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 512 Eastern Management and Cooperation

After celebrating his birthday, Abdullah returned to his work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However, there were basically no major events happening at this time, giving him more leisure time. After all, Europe was at peace, the Americas were at peace, and the area surrounding Iran was peaceful; there wasn't much to worry about.

Good morning, everyone!

"Morning, Your Highness!"

After greeting the officials, Abdullah noticed a telegram on his desk. It was from the Far East.

"Far East, what's going on?"

Upon opening it, the contents left him speechless. It began by addressing his dearest friend, then recounted his time in the Far East, and affirmed the friend's role in assisting them in suppressing the uprising.

"Now that the flames of war have been extinguished in the capital and the city has returned to peace, a guesthouse has been specially prepared for you. If you do not mind, you may choose a date after the first day of the fourth month of the fifth year of Tongzhi to arrive in the capital. I, the Prince, will personally greet you at Zhengyang Gate and we will discuss matters together. Best wishes for your well-being."

The following is a telegram from the Iranian ambassador, stating that the Empress Dowager in Beijing was deeply moved by Iran's contribution to resolving the Northwest issue, as Russia had withdrawn from the Seven Rivers region and abandoned its support for the Jehovah Khanate (Yaqub Beg). This gave the court the opportunity to gradually eliminate them.

Upon learning of Iran's involvement, they invited Abdullah and others to visit Beijing. They also discussed importing certain items, hoping Iran could act as an intermediary.

Following this was a procurement list detailing the supplies the Far East needed to purchase, primarily various types of machinery. Military equipment comprised the majority of the list, along with a significant amount of mining equipment. This list totaled 6000 million riyals, a substantial return indeed. This also demonstrates the Far East's considerable wealth; centuries of trade surpluses had accumulated ample riches for it.

This was no small matter, so Abdullah quickly took the telegram to the Gulestan Palace to discuss the situation with the Shah.

Of course, such an important diplomatic telegram had already been delivered to the Shah. Poor Musharraf hadn't even left the gate when he was called back to discuss this matter.

“Shah, the Far East has close ties with our country, and exchanges between the two countries are increasing day by day. Since they are really willing to help, we should do our best to assist them.”

Ultimately, it's all about profit. A fool wouldn't pass up a chance to make money. Such a huge market—if we could build it up, how much profit would that generate?
To open up the Far East market, the Iranian ambassador carried a price list for various machines, with prices generally 20% lower than those in countries like Britain and France. Such prices were very attractive to those eager to develop their Far East markets. Taking advantage of the prevailing goodwill towards Iran, the ambassador traveled throughout the southeastern provinces, discussing matters with interested officials and businessmen. These lists are the results of his efforts.

While Iranian goods may not necessarily be considered high-quality in Europe, they are undeniably inexpensive and of good quality in the Far East. Although they may be of slightly lower quality than products from countries like Britain and France, their lower prices make them a significant advantage. Furthermore, to support exports to the Far East, the government plans to exempt products exported there from export duties.

"It says here that our diplomatic corps is invited to go. What do you think they will talk about?"

"It should be about trade. Although they want to make changes, the conservative forces are very powerful. Unless there is a major change, they can't be persuaded."

Shah agreed, and didn't say much more. He'd already done enough by helping them resolve the Northwest issue; he couldn't possibly help with everything. Sigh, he'd been blinded by greed, actually thinking of making money in a different way.

Let's not talk about that anymore. Abdullah should be arriving soon. If he doesn't come, he's probably not himself.

"Shah, the Foreign Minister has arrived."

See, they came as soon as they were told, even faster than that famous tomb raider!
"Let him in." Abdullah entered with the telegram, and when he saw an identical one on the Shah's table, he knew what to do.

"Uncle, how was the birthday party? I couldn't go because of something, you don't mind, do you?"

"How can you say that, Shah? You are so busy with state affairs, even if you didn't come, I could feel how much you value me!"

He then added, "You should already know about the invitation from the Far East."

"Yes, this is a big deal. If we can build good relations with them, it will be very beneficial to our future trade. If they can use our products, we won't have to worry even if Europe bans imports."

The Shah made it very clear: it all boils down to trade. Forget about political and military privileges; just focus on making money. And given their contribution to resisting Russia, they might even give us a surprise.

"Nasha, how should we arrange the delegation this time?"

"Just do it the usual way, bring more business people. Let them see more and think more."

"Alas, the British paved the way, yet they lead us on; I must award the Queen a medal, no matter what."

Abdullah almost burst out laughing at these words. However, he held back and changed the subject.

"And Shah, Shebaz has stabilized the situation in Afghanistan, and the local resistance forces have been completely wiped out. What do you suggest we do next?"

Nasserdin thought about this for a long time, and neither independence nor vassalage seemed ideal, as both carried the risk of being bought off by Britain.

“The King of Afghanistan is still young. If there isn’t an important figure to keep order, someone would probably have risen up long ago.”

The Shah, can you please stop with the riddles? Isn't this just an excuse to justify a long-term military presence? There are plenty of other excuses for that.

Not only the Harazars in Afghanistan support Iran, but so do the Pashtuns. After all, they have been united under one country for hundreds of years, and their lives are influenced by Iran in every aspect.

After entering Kabul, Shebaz began to establish a system suitable for local operations, and their lives improved, naturally eliminating any opposition.

"Shabaz" Shah's voice was like a honey-soaked scimitar. "Last year, he bribed the elders of Kandahar with thirty cartloads of Samarkand raisins, and now those Pashtuns even voluntarily keep accounts in Persian when collecting taxes."

“Shah, the tariff on lapis lazuli shipped from Herat last quarter was 30% higher than that at the British trading post in Kandahar.” Abdullah paused deliberately. “However, General Shabaz recently mentioned in a letter that some tribes have suddenly become very interested in the British printed cotton fabrics.”

Naserdin wasn't surprised; after all this time, the British were finally arriving. Their efficiency, too, was rather slow.

“Tell Shabazz,” he took a jeweled dagger from the wall and threw it to a servant, “that I want to see this knife on the throne in the Kabul Royal Palace—stuck in the very “neutrality treaty” that the British sent.”

(End of this chapter)