Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 568 Officials' Private Time
Iran has once again welcomed European guests: King Leopold II of Belgium and King Charles XV of Sweden. The former hopes for Iranian support for his expansion in Central Africa, while the latter hopes to deepen trade between the two countries.

Austria's colonization of the Congo fueled Leopold II's ambitions, as most of the local rubber trade ended up in the emperor's pocket. If Belgium could acquire a piece of land to grow and sell, the money would flow in like water.

However, Belgium was too small, making it difficult to acquire colonies from Britain and France. Therefore, it turned its attention to Central Africa, but fearing potential conflict with Austria, it sought mediation from Iran.

He founded the International Association for Africa, and at the opening ceremony, he said: "The issues that have brought us together today deserve the attention of our human friends. To dispel the fog over the last remaining regions on Earth that have not yet been illuminated by the light of modern civilization, and to pierce the darkness that hangs over the people. In this progressive age, this is a holy war that urgently needs to be waged."

Leopold II delivered this speech just decades after Belgium gained independence from Protestant Holland through a Catholic uprising. Before inheriting his father's throne, Leopold II had even planned to "strengthen Belgium" by attacking the Netherlands or invading the Rhineland, but later abandoned these ideas, deeming them impractical. Instead, he focused on expanding the territory through colonial expansion. He wrote, "We will reclaim the lost provinces on that distant shore."

Naser al-Din hosted two guests in Baghdad. During his discussions with the Shah, Leopold II repeatedly inquired about the volume of trade in goods such as diamonds, gold dust, rubber, spices, ivory, and timber in the Iranian market.

His words were loaded with meaning; he was trying to tell Nasser al-Din that Belgium was also a potential supplier of these resources, provided they could support Belgium's access to Africa.

Under such circumstances, what reason did Nasser al-Din have to oppose it? Was it against human rights? If human rights were to apply to colonialism, then the world would be turned upside down, especially in this era.

Charles XV's thinking was simple: Sweden needed to develop industry and trade and wanted to make money. Therefore, establishing trade cooperation with Iran was to be expected.

Peace and industrialization led to rapid population growth in Sweden, increasing from 2.4 million in 1800 to 3.5 million in 1850. Arable land doubled between 1810 and 1860 due to the reclamation of new farmland. Domestically advantageous industries such as steelmaking and papermaking flourished, while the opening of the first main railway line, connecting Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö, greatly boosted the development of industries such as metals and engineering.

Swedish timber and minerals could be exchanged for Iranian kerosene, and a number of merchants from both countries traded in Stockholm and Baghdad. By 1868, 305 Swedish merchants and 129 Iranian merchants were trading between Iran and Sweden. There was still considerable room for cooperation between the two countries.

The two sides quickly signed the Iran-Sweden Treaty of Friendship and Commerce, under which they would further lower trade barriers and encourage trade in commodities such as timber and kerosene. They would also open two shipping routes: Bushehr to Stockholm and Basra to Oslo. These are two long routes, though things will be quite different once the canal is open.

Sadiq placed the original treaty in the archives of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, where there were more than a dozen similar treaties. These included agreements signed by countries such as Austria, Bolivia, Algeria, and Romania; each agreement improved Iran's economy.

"Sir, you will be attending the inauguration ceremony of the Yanbu Industrial Zone. You also have matters to attend to regarding the Basra Industrial Zone."

"understood."

Minister Rabbani was accompanying Prince Murad on his trip, so the Ministry of Industry and Commerce was entrusted to his deputy, Sadiq. At this time, Sadiq truly enjoyed the taste of absolute power, finding the decisions of an entire department surprisingly effective. Now, the nation's industrial policy was made from here; he needed to be cautious, otherwise, if anything went wrong with industry, his position would be over. The Yanbu Industrial Zone had been completed as early as 1864, initially with 10 factories and 900 workers. It had expanded continuously, and now boasted 25 factories and 3000 workers. Surrounding the industrial zone were large markets and residential areas; no matter how much the old fogies opposed it, they wouldn't push away the real money.

Mecca merchants sold their goods here, and surrounding tribes changed their lifestyles from nomadic to settled. Herding transformed into labor and commerce, and coupled with the allure of Mecca, the Hejaz region regained the prosperity of the Arab Empire era.

The Yanbu Industrial Zone is still expanding, and the number of factories is expected to increase to 60. Sadiq went there to check on the situation.

The problem in Basra is that the shipbuilding and shipping industries are facing some issues. Due to competition for control of ports like Bushehr, Basra's shipping industry has been unable to take off and needs more policy support.

Sadiq decided to investigate personally to see what was wrong with the bus. He wanted to write a detailed report.

"Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm..."

Sadiq was a little bored. He looked at the letters beside his desk, picked up a few, and read them. One was from his mother in Tabriz, asking how he was doing in Baghdad and telling him he needed to reply to his parents as soon as possible.

Another letter was from Suleiman, saying that he had taken his advice and was going to invest in business in the canal district. He expected at least a 10% profit and invited him to his home another day.

Speaking of the canal, Sadiq was also surprised that Iran had managed to snatch the project from France. The French had spent a full ten years on it, and now, just when it was almost complete, Iran had taken it. If the French government ever realizes this, they'll probably hate Iran to death.

Continuing on, Suleiman also mentioned the soon-to-be-promulgated constitutional charter and formal parliament. Everyone who can vote is mobilized, including groups like theirs, to support certain political party candidates in implementing policies favorable to themselves in parliament, and of course, the government. Sadiq is now their spokesperson for small and medium-sized enterprises.

With parliamentary proceedings imminent, everyone is vying for the largest party position, hence the frantic fundraising. Sadiq, too, has cultivated close relationships with some members of the expert council, making more friends a natural progression.

These things are of little concern to Sadiq. He's already in the government, so he doesn't need to be elected to become a member of parliament; he'll directly become the one issuing policies. What he needs to do now is accumulate experience, and if all goes well, he can become a minister in ten years.

(End of this chapter)