Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 202 Heading to England
Kalimantan, no wonder, isn't that within the Dutch sphere of influence?

“We need to discuss this matter carefully. Tell your friend that if possible, send 100 soldiers ahead first.”

Song Xiuwen thanked the two men and then left the office.

Do you think what he said is true?

"I don't know, but I don't want to miss out."

The two men pieced together this information, the gist of which was that a polity similar to the Dutch East Indies was requesting their assistance. This was worth a try, but the Dutch would certainly demand Iran's withdrawal. Moreover, Iran had a greater interest in Sumatra.

The Aceh Sultanate in northern Sumatra has descended into chaos. Shia and progressive factions within the country want to introduce Iranian influence to counterbalance the Dutch, but conservatives and Sunnis oppose this, fearing the loss of their rule. The two sides are locked in a fierce struggle, and Tehran sees this as an opportunity, ready to intervene at any moment.

Losing a peninsula to the Netherlands could trigger a full-scale war between them and Iran, whose navy is currently inadequate, and with numerous islands in the East Indies, the situation needs careful consideration.

"It would be best to wait until the warships we ordered from France arrive and we have a better chance of success before making any decisions."

Even so, they weren't doing nothing. According to the other side, they were willing to hand over 52% of the shares to the government if they could regain control of the company. Moreover, this company wasn't engaged in ordinary business; it was involved in gold mining.

Gold is a universal currency, regardless of the era. Moreover, Iran is currently one of the countries that uses the gold standard. If there were another way to obtain gold, the government would certainly pay more attention to it, and perhaps even war with the Netherlands would break out.

The Netherlands had controlled the East Indies for centuries, and its capital, Batavia, was developed into an important port city.

At this time, the Netherlands urgently needed to extract profits from the East Indies to make up for the losses caused by the Anglo-Dutch Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and the Belgian War of Independence, and also needed funds to deal with anti-Dutch uprisings in Java, Sumatra, and other places. They reinstated the policy of forced crop cultivation and taxation in kind in the East Indies, especially Java. Each village had to allocate one-fifth of its land to grow government-specified cash crops, which were purchased by the government at a uniform price, and then paid in cash to offset taxes. If the income from the cash crops was insufficient to offset taxes, additional cash payments were required to make up the difference.

Now, farmers not only had to bear the taxes levied by the Indian government, but also support corrupt local lords and tax collectors. Protests erupted, and this situation seemed to present an opportunity for other countries to intervene.

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Naserdin also left Paris; there was no point in him staying, and Napoleon III was already overwhelmed with problems, so it was best not to trouble him.

Of course, before leaving, he reached another joint venture agreement with the French emperor. They jointly funded the establishment of a colonial company responsible for exploring the Niger River basin. The company had a 25-year monopoly on trade, and all resources had to be sold through this company.

Shah and his entourage boarded a train to Calais, where they would cross the English Channel by ship to their final destination, England.

"Do you think it would be feasible to ask Palmerston for Zanzibar and Oman?" Nasser al-Din asked Pezeshkian.

"Palmerston has always been tough on foreign policy. Although Britain has interests in Basra and Muscat, they are insignificant. If we can offer enough leverage, I believe they will make a deal." Although the Strait of Hormuz is important, it is less important than the Strait of Malacca or the Cape of Good Hope.

"I hope so. Britain is very persistent when it sees a port. They won't feel at ease until they have it firmly in their hands."

Britain and the United States are truly like father and son; they're like mad dogs, relentlessly pursuing ports and resources. It's fortunate that there hasn't been large-scale exploration of Middle Eastern oil, otherwise, would Britain have let go?

To prevent Britain from playing the Arab national card, Iran is heavily promoting its "Golden Age," arguing that the Golden Age only came about because they are one nation. The Iranians claim that Arabs and Persians were originally one, but were forced to live in two separate places due to national division; now, it's time to get back on track.

Besides history, religion also serves as a method to enhance cohesion. The widespread spread of Shia Islam, the extermination of the Saud dynasty, and the loss of a powerful patron for the inland Wahhabi sect, which subsequently faced constant persecution from Shia Muslims, all contributed to this effort. Desert tribal chiefs also secretly pledged their loyalty to the Shah, who reciprocated with promises and rewards.

These tribes are not all staunch conservatives; the changes brought about by Iran have presented many with opportunities for personal gain. Binding the tribes together through shared interests is the right way to maintain cohesion, and the establishment of the Persian Bank represents such a community of shared interests.

Major tribal families across the Arabian Peninsula have joined this financial investment, exchanging their land for shares in banks. Of course, if their land contains mineral resources, the tribes also receive a share.

There are no problems with the specific strategy at present. As long as the truce federation is taken from Britain, the Arab region will basically be in his hands.

“We need not only these tribes and Muscat, but also Mesopotamia, Syria, the Jordan River, and even Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Anatolia—all of these should be under Iranian rule. Those Ottomans, those idiots, should be killed.”

Nasser al-Din pointed to the map, gesturing repeatedly across the Middle East. Not only those regions he'd just mentioned, but also Transoxiana, Afghanistan, and even northwestern India—at this rate, Egypt would be included. Pezeshkian quickly stopped the Shah's daydreaming.

"Shah, this situation could very well provoke an attack from countries like Britain and France."

"Siege? Have you ever seen any coalition that can cooperate for long? As long as the benefits are right, I'd smash open the tomb of the King of England."

Naserdin suddenly remembered something and entrusted it to Pezeshkian.

“Pezeshkian, I want you to remember a few things. First, the British cannot be trusted; second, the Americans cannot be trusted; third, the Jews cannot be trusted; and finally, the Jews in Europe and America cannot be trusted.”

"Ah...uh...yes."

What taboo did these Americans, British, and Jews break that the Shah said this?

Nasserdin's thoughts had moved beyond this point; he began to consider other areas, and how to get Britain to recognize Iran's sphere of influence became his next major task.

(End of this chapter)