Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 532 Strategy towards the East
Okubo Toshimichi finally met the ruler of Iran, the Shah, who was only thirty-six years old and had ascended the throne at the age of seventeen. He had spent nearly twenty years working to make the country strong. Such a wise and ambitious monarch was indeed charismatic.

Regarding the war between Iran and the Satsuma Domain, Okubo Toshimichi believed that it was a heavy blow from civilization to barbarism, and that Iran launched the war in order to civilize Japan.

In a previous conversation with the Grand Vizier, the latter was "moved" by his spirit of fighting for the country and agreed to help them achieve their goal of national wealth and military strength. At the Baghdad Expo, the industrialized equipment also opened his eyes; Japan needed to import these technologies quickly!

However, this was only a courtesy visit; formal negotiations would require the other side to send a national delegation. After meeting with the Shah, Okubo Toshimichi continued his tour of the expo.

Merchants from all over the world favor Iranian goods and its geographical location; goods from both the East and West can be purchased in Baghdad without having to go around the Cape of Good Hope, and the prices are even lower than those for direct imports.

Moreover, with the Suez Canal about to open, the Cape of Good Hope will surely decline. The British are most anxious; even if they decline, they want to control the canal, just as they did with Singapore—they want to control all the world's vital waterways.

But now, regardless of which country it is, they are all holding onto their canal shares tightly. No matter how Britain tries to intervene, it won't work; they can only wait for the right opportunity.

Nasser al-Din did not return to Tehran, but instead settled in Baghdad. Meanwhile, government institutions are relocating there as planned, with Tehran becoming the capital city and Baghdad the new capital of Iran.

Iran was immersed in the splendor of the exposition, and taking advantage of this opportunity, the Iranian government announced that it would formally promulgate a constitution and convene a parliament three years later, in 1870. This undoubtedly excited the intellectuals even more, who chanted "Long live the Shah!"

With a time limit set, they no longer need to discuss continuing their petition. They just need to wait. Currently, Iran is united, its economy is prosperous, and its military is strong—it can be said to be the best of times.

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The situation in Afghanistan has stabilized, with over 30,000 troops stationed along the border with India. And that number continues to grow.

The young king and queen mother of Afghanistan are now content to be mere figureheads, leaving all matters, big and small, to the Iranian-sent governor, Shahbaz. Iran has established a political system for Afghanistan, with the government below the king, divided into four departments: defense, finance, industry and commerce, and the interior. As for diplomacy, well, given the geographical location, it makes no difference whether it exists or not.

Locally, the country was divided into fourteen districts, each administered by a military commander and under military control. All criminal acts were subject to severe punishment.

After Shebaz's arrival, insurgency in Afghanistan decreased significantly, with local tribes either suppressed or recruited. Following social stabilization, a series of reforms ensued. Numerous railway and telegraph projects were launched, significantly impacting tribal living conditions. Population movement became more frequent.

"The railway from Kabul to Peshawar must be opened as soon as possible. We need to find ways to get those tribes to sell their land. This cannot be delayed," Shahbaz ordered. Afghanistan had to make a rapid turnaround. Otherwise, the British would find a way in, just as the Governor-General of India had said.

"We will never regret the repeated changes of ownership of Turkestan; let it fall into whoever's hands it falls into. In political matters, the more the Afghans gain, the less the Tsarist Russians or Persians gain."

Due to civil war and tribal destruction, Peshawar, Kandahar, and other areas were reduced to ruins. The prosperous agricultural regions of Daman and Taghb were destroyed by scorched earth policies. Trade was at a standstill, and most Indian merchants had fled back to India with their wealth.

Even more tragically, tens of thousands of civilians were displaced from the land, many losing everything they owned. These material losses severely impacted crop yields and national tax revenue.

Therefore, Shebaz initially used tax cuts to stabilize public sentiment and secured substantial loans from Iran, initiating various construction projects in Afghanistan. This marked the first time Afghanistan as a whole had achieved stability; prior to this, parts of the country were in turmoil, plagued by dynastic wars, cholera epidemics, and locust plagues. The economic situation was extremely dire, with many people selling their children into slavery to survive.

In the Balkh province, taxes under the previous regime surged by 300% in 1860 compared to 1850. Furthermore, many previously tax-exempt goods were now subject to state taxes. This tax burden plunged many small landowners and laborers into abject poverty, while much of the local wealth was used to build barracks, support the army, or flow into the pockets of the ruling class in Kabul. Hyperinflation and a series of natural disasters, including a devastating earthquake, further exacerbated the misfortune and decline.

Under the strong suppression of the Iranian army, society stabilized, the economy began to recover, and with a stable life, support increased. No one then thought about restoring the previous regime.

"We need to send more troops here, and we also need more funding."

While arranging the work, Shahbaz also pushed Afghanistan closer to Iran. The British were certainly going to infiltrate, and following the Anglo-Afghan War, the Pashtun-dominated southern region began to isolate itself, allowing radical and xenophobic Sufi elders and the Urimah's power to strengthen. Iran also needed to be wary of these people.

The Kabul government implemented its policies methodically. As for the army, it formed a 60,000-strong force mainly composed of Khalazars and Shia Muslims, along with a 40,000-strong police force to maintain urban security and an 80,000-strong peasant association to maintain rural security.

Economically, the government implemented a new fiscal system, reducing the hereditary fiefdoms of powerful chiefs and requiring the imposition of taxes on previously tax-exempt properties. Some tribes rebelled, but the rebellion was later quelled.

Culturally, Persian and Shia Islam were vigorously promoted. Sunni Islam was suppressed, and Sufism was suppressed even more drastically. This destabilizing factor, both culturally and physically, had to be eliminated.

Afghanistan's path is now extremely narrow; there are only two options: Iran and Britain. Even if there were two choices, secretly only Iran is the answer. If they side with Britain, Iran would have to enter Afghanistan the very next day, and even if it's guerrilla warfare and mountain warfare, they'd have to grit their teeth and hold on. Moreover, Afghanistan has already made its choice; everyone believes that unification is only a matter of time, it just needs the right opportunity! But it's coming soon.

(End of this chapter)