Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 218 Negotiation (Part )

Pezeshkian informed Naser al-Din and Amir of the results of today's negotiations.

"It seems the Dutch are going to give up; they can't afford the cost of war in the Far East."

Only after Pezeshkyan finished speaking did Amir offer his own assessment.

"Yes, Grand Vizier. As long as the Dutch can't find support from other countries, they'll have no choice but to agree to our terms. And compared to the elusive Lanfang, I think Japan is more important."

At this moment, Naserdin asked, "So, it's certain that Lanfang can be incorporated into our country?"

The two nodded. The situation was now clear: the Dutch had two centers of control in the East Indies: Java, the population center, and the Maluku Islands, the spice-producing region. The Kalimantans hadn't quite grasped this yet, so they were fortunate to have caught a good wave.

"In that case, we should sign a treaty with the Netherlands as soon as possible. I estimate that war between our country and the Ottomans is not far off, and all policies should be tilted toward the Netherlands."

When the Shah gave the order, the two complied. They didn't really want to go to war with the Dutch; they were just playing a cowardly game with him, and sure enough, the other side backed down first.

Just after the two left, Saeed came over with a letter in his hand.

“A letter from Governor-General Bahram, Shah.”

It was rare for the Governor-General of the Far East to write to the Shah unless it was something that required his approval.

"Hmm? The King of Sarawak wants to sell Sarawak?"

Said couldn't understand what was being said. What did it mean that the king was selling the territory he ruled? Did he no longer want to be king?
"Shah, could this be a scam, just a way to swindle money?"

Said was somewhat worried, but Naserdin thought it might be true, otherwise the governor wouldn't have written an urgent letter.

"We should never give up the opportunity to expand, because the other party may really want to do so."

Oh, and the price... Let me see... £75000?

He really dared to ask for that much; an average British gentleman earns only £2000 a year. That's enough to make him a large estate owner.

“This price is too high. Ask Bahram to lower it.”

"What is our price?"

Naserdin thought for a moment and wrote down the figure of 20000 pounds on a piece of paper.

"If he's willing to sell, I can add another 5000."

Anyway, if this project succeeds, it could increase Iran's territory; if it fails, there won't be much loss. It's a miracle they even went bankrupt here.

News from Amsterdam indicates that the Netherlands has decided to abandon Lanfang. Firstly, Iran's proposal to divide Japan's sphere of influence is very attractive; secondly, the East Indies are very eager, as the Iranian-Lanfang coalition launched the Battle of Sukadana, suffering over 800 casualties.

This complex situation forced the Netherlands to compromise, and the two countries signed an agreement in Tehran to demarcate the island of Kalimantan. Iran acquired Lanfang and the surrounding lands, while guaranteeing not to invade the rest of Dutch Kalimantan. The conflict ended after the territorial division.

From the British and French perspective, it was merely a normal colonial transfer. However, wasn't Iran's pace of colonization too rapid? While they were toiling away in Qing China, Iran was conquering territory in Southeast Asia. If it weren't for their proposal to jointly partition Japan, they would have inevitably beaten them sooner or later. Just like their joint attack on Egypt, Egypt is now their junior partner.

Their war with the Qing Dynasty had also come to a conclusion, with the three countries signing the Treaty of Tianjin, which included lower tariffs, consular jurisdiction, and the right to freely preach Christianity. Iran, of course, also received some of these privileges.

Abdullah had been acting as a peacemaker between the Qing Dynasty and Britain and France, but Emperor Xianfeng had little interest in the bearded man and, coupled with his suppression of his younger brother, Prince Gong, everything seemed to have reached a dead end.

However, Abdullah seized the opportunity. Since the emperor's approach was blocked, he tried another route. He bribed a eunuch in the inner palace to find out Emperor Xianfeng's true thoughts.

Abdullah's active mediation stemmed from news he heard from Russia that they planned to annex Qing China to enhance their own power, and if successful, Iran would have no chance of recovery.

“Your Excellency, this is tea from Zhejiang. And also pastries made by the most famous chef in Beijing.”

The British Minister to Qing China, Earl Elgin, met with Prince Abdullah. Being a shrewd old fox, he certainly knew what the prince wanted to say. Now that the war was over, with Iran's help, the subsequent talks should be easier.

Britain didn't like fighting either. As long as Qing China opened up free trade, why would they come with cannons? Keep in mind that the first invasion of Britain cost £420 million, which was equivalent to 1200 million taels of silver at the time. However, they still made a profit of several million pounds, and this time it's likely to be similar.

"Your Highness is too kind. There are already precedents for friendly cooperation between our two countries. I am confident that we can set a new example of friendly cooperation in Qing China."

In the north, the two ambassadors discussed cooperation in Qing China. Meanwhile, in the south, the Saipa Trading Company was receiving two different groups of guests.

"Sir, we've come with great sincerity today, bringing 100 million taels of silver. Why are you still unwilling to sell weapons? Weren't we cooperating quite well before?"

Chen Yucheng asked with some confusion, not understanding why the Iranians, with whom he had previously cooperated so well, were now unwilling to cooperate. Had they also reached an agreement with Qing Yao?

"Your Excellency misunderstands. It is simply that our country has no stock. Shah ordered these to be transported to other places. There are really none left here."

How about this, you go back first, and come back when the goods are available?

The trading company does exist, but according to the Shah's orders, it should not be sold for the time being. Last year, after the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom reached its zenith, the Tianjing Incident, which shocked both China and the world, occurred. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom began its decline.

Zeng Guofan seized the opportunity and launched a major offensive into Hubei and Hunan. It was only thanks to the efforts of Shi Dakai and others that the campaign was not completely defeated.

As the incident unfolded, the contradictions previously masked by victories gradually surfaced. To continue their winning ways, they needed more advanced weaponry. But their luck ran out; they were out of weapons.

Chen Yucheng left with his men, but behind the curtain, another person was discussing trade.

"You are indeed very straightforward. Rest assured, these things will arrive soon."

"Thank you so much."

Li Hongzhang found the things from the Sepa Trading Company very interesting. If he used these things to equip his army, he would at least become a high-ranking official in charge of a region, and one without any restrictions.

Iran, eager to sell its goods in large quantities, readily agreed to a deal: the trading company would help Li Hongzhang train his army, while Li Hongzhang would purchase Iranian products. It was a win-win situation for both sides.

(End of this chapter)