Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 590 The Situation of the Ministry of Construction
Sadiq was arguably the most frustrated minister in the cabinet. He could have made great strides in his position as Minister of Construction, but the economic crisis hit, resulting in a significant cut in the construction budget.

A large number of projects, including urban redevelopment, have been halted, with the resumption date yet to be determined. At least agricultural and water conservancy projects are continuing, albeit with payments in the form of food and other supplies.

"Minister, it seems we have no choice but to continue downsizing. We can only propose other plans when our finances are more secure."

The vice minister reported the situation to Sadiq, stating that the current circumstances were far from satisfactory. The greater the economic crisis, the greater the need for large-scale construction.

In his understanding, the construction of public works projects can absorb a large number of unemployed people and reduce the unemployment rate, which is the first point.

Construction requires a large amount of raw materials, which can drive the supply of many upstream companies, that's the second point.

Once completed, the project will benefit the local community; this is the third point.

How could he possibly give up such benefits? He had to face the Shah in person and explain it to him.

"Prepare the carriage, I'm going to the palace!"

Sadiq hoped he could convince everyone, but when he entered the palace, Musharraf and Shahriyari had already been discussing the new situation with the Shah.

Specifically, Iran needs to tighten its belt for a period of time. It needs to maintain stable operations until its finances improve.

"The Minister of Construction has arrived at the perfect time," the Shah's voice carried the warmth of his saffron tea, but couldn't hide the weariness in his eyes. "Musharraf just proposed cutting the maintenance costs for the border fortresses. Tell me, where will the money for this construction come from?"

Sadiq didn't reply immediately, but instead spread the sheepskin map he carried on his person on the rosewood table. The road line from Tehran to Tabriz, circled in red ink on the map, resembled a bleeding wound. "Shah, last year's torrential rains washed away twelve bridges, and now caravans have to detour for three days to reach the border. Those brick kilns that have stopped operating, those blacksmith shops that are idle, every day craftsmen come to the construction department to beg—some of them can forge gun carriages, some can fire city bricks, you'd rather let them starve to death than let them work for the country?"

Shahryari stroked his beard and pulled a yellowed ledger from his sleeve: "Minister Sadiq, take a look at these figures. Last year, the Ministry of Construction's budget was used up by 30%, but only a quarter of the projects were completed. Now the national treasury's wheat reserves are only enough to last for six months. Does your 'work relief' require the craftsmen to work on empty stomachs first?"

“I have a plan,” Sadiq suddenly turned to the Shah, his voice filled with a desperate determination. “Let the construction projects pay the workers with grain. Farmers can transport grain to the construction sites to offset their taxes, craftsmen can exchange their labor for grain, and brick kilns can exchange clay for wheat—this way, we can avoid using the national treasury's silver and get the stalled trade routes running again. As for raw materials, we can mine limestone along the Caspian Sea coast and have the unemployed fishermen become quarry workers; they are familiar with the water and can handle the water transport.”

The council chamber fell silent, save for the ticking of the bronze clock. Shah rose and walked to the window, gazing at the orchards outside the palace walls, blanketed in a thin layer of snow. This time last year, he had planted a pomegranate tree there himself; Sadiq had said that once the road was completed, they could import better varieties from Shiraz. “Musharraf,” Shah suddenly spoke, his fingers unconsciously tracing the carvings on the window frame, “the cost of repairing the border fortresses cannot be reduced, but the Ministry of Construction can send craftsmen to assist the military workshops in forging gun carriages. Shahriari, go to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and allocate some grain to the Ministry of Construction as wages.” He paused, turning to Sadiq, his eyes filled with expectation, “But I want to see tangible results. Otherwise, we'll both have to go to the salt mines in Kerman to reflect on our actions.”

That evening, the brick kiln was reignited. Sadiq stood outside the kiln, watching the craftsmen exchange wheat for bricks, and suddenly remembered the Shah's words: "The country is like this brick kiln; the colder it is, the more firewood it needs to be kindled." He took out the sheepskin map from his pocket and drew a red circle around Isfahan—there was the best cotton and the most skilled craftsmen. As long as the roads could be built, the future of Persia would not be buried in the ruins of Persepolis.

The next morning, Shahryari arrived with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to inspect the grain. The wheat piled in the granary still smelled of fresh straw. Sadiq had the straw mats lifted, revealing cloth bags mixed with other grains underneath: "This, ground into flour, is enough to feed the artisans." Shahryari squatted down, picked up a grain of wheat with bran still attached, and suddenly smiled: "You've certainly figured things out, saving the farmers the trouble of transporting grain and paying taxes, while also providing a livelihood for the artisans."

Sadiq also submitted an ambitious construction plan to the Ministry of Finance, which included building several high-quality highways, expanding existing railways and ports, and constructing large hospitals and numerous schools.

In addition to desert management, water source protection, and colony construction, the budget for this plan is as high as 2.5 million riyals.

When the budget figure of 2.5 million riyals came out of Sadiq's mouth, the bronze clock in the council chamber seemed to pause. Shahriari slammed the ledger in his hand onto the table with a "thud".

"Sadiq, are you trying to smash all the bones of the Persians into soup?" The finance minister's beard trembled with anger as he unfolded the vermilion seal on the ledger. "You're asking for 2.5 million with just one word—do you expect to count all the fish in the Caspian Sea as tax silver?"

“I’ve done the math. Once the highway is built, the caravan tariffs will increase by 20%, and the limestone from the Caspian Sea transported to Tehran will reduce the construction costs of the military factories by 30%. And the cotton from the colonies, as long as it’s transported to the ports by rail and sold to British textile mills, can earn 50 million riyals a year!”

“Easier said than done.” Shahryari shook the ledger, the yellowed pages rustling. “Have you forgotten how many farmers protested for tax deductions when the craftsmen were given rations last month? Now we need to build hospitals and schools, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s grain reserves are almost empty. We can’t let the students go to school on an empty stomach, can we?” His words were like a pebble, causing the ministers who were wavering to shrink back.

Nasserdin looked at the plan and pondered, "2.5 million, are you confident?"

“Shah, this is what our department has worked on for three days. It will absolutely improve the economy. If it doesn’t work, you can fire me.”

Shah laughed, surprised by his audacity. He figured he'd offer his support anyway, since the money would eventually be repaid. He might as well use the government's resources to resolve the issue for now.

The entire 2.5 million riyals were funded by the royal family and converted into national bonds. The repayment period has been extended to 10 years; now it's up to them.

(End of this chapter)