Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 270 Another Visit
Baghdad has been undergoing major construction in recent months, with funds from the government and the Shah himself funding the construction of a palace. Unlike the Ottoman Sultans, this palace is being built with the royal family's own money.

Anwar has been in office as mayor of Baghdad for four months, during which time the city government has received ample funds for expansion. The population has also begun to increase.

"Mayor, this is a report on the construction of the Baghdad-Basra railway. We need to acquire land for construction."

Tell me the detailed plan.

No matter where the railway extends, Baghdad will always be its hub. The railway also brings new elements to the city, and with Iran's plans to relocate its capital, Baghdad's importance is further amplified.

"There are basically no problems. We will start construction after the plan is finalized."

Construction is in full swing across the new territory, with the Iranian Ministry of Finance investing heavily in improving local infrastructure.

At the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry allocated arable land in Mesopotamia and Eastern Anatolia, encouraging Iranian farmers to cultivate the land and announcing a two-year tax exemption and a three-year tax reduction for farmers in the new territories, as well as for industrial and commercial enterprises.

Not only Baghdad, but also Basra to the south and Mosul to the north are in the same situation. Iran's dedication to these areas far surpasses that of the Ottoman Empire.

However, Baghdad still has a small population, currently only 9. This is completely unsuitable for the conditions of Mesopotamia, and continuous development is still necessary.

The tribes in Iraq possess considerable wealth. Bedouin nomadic tribes keep large herds of livestock, including camels and horses; moreover, southern Iraq has a large area of ​​arable land with fertile soil, abundant water resources, and easy irrigation.

To involve tribes in economic production, the government offered them preferential policies to encourage investment in industry or agricultural improvement, transforming them into factory owners or landowners. At the same time, most of the more than 80 taxes imposed by the Ottomans were eliminated, leaving only agricultural tax, slaughter tax, and commercial tax.

Of course, the most important thing is to persuade them, in the name of religion, to disband their private armies and be absorbed into the Iranian army. Or, to attract them to leave their hometowns and work elsewhere by offering them job opportunities. These things cannot be solved quickly; it will take at least several years to see results.

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Count Rothenloven has gotten what he wanted: Iran is willing to support Austria’s “legitimate interests” in the Balkans and Italy, while Austria is willing to support Iran’s interests in the Middle East and Transoxiana.

Furthermore, the Iranian Shah will travel to Vienna to discuss further cooperation with His Majesty the Emperor. This is beneficial to both countries.

“Shah, the Bulgarian president has appealed to us for help and hopes we can support their request.”

The letter was written by the so-called Bulgarian president, Rakovsky. After Bulgaria declared independence, people across the country supported them as they had during the Greek War of Independence. They captured important cities such as Tervono, Sofia, and Plevin, and even briefly occupied Edirne.

But when the Ottomans brought their troops, the situation deteriorated rapidly. First, Edirne was lost, then the Greek army was defeated. By Christmas last year, Plovdiv, the most important city, had also fallen. At this rate, their republic would have been shut down in less than six months. Fortunately, European countries demanded negotiations to resolve the issue, and the Ottomans halted their offensive. Rakovsky realized that independence was only possible by securing the support of most foreign powers. Therefore, he continuously engaged in diplomatic activities with Britain, France, Prussia, Austria, and Russia, while also writing to Iran, requesting their support.

“How are they doing now?” Naserdin asked Pezeshkian.

"The Ottomans have already occupied eastern Rumelia and have stationed troops in Thessaly and Macedonia. But the Ottomans in Bosnia do not have many troops."

Naserdin found it strange; Austria hadn't occupied Bosnia, so why hadn't the Ottomans sent troops? "Why are there no troops stationed in Bosnia?"

Pezeshkian provided the answer: "I heard that Austria privately told the Ottomans that they should consider the consequences if they sent troops to Bosnia."

So it was a threat. No wonder.

It wasn't just intimidation; the Ottomans also had a vested interest in Austria. While Bosnia had the most religions in Europe, only 32% of the population were religious. In addition, 43% were Orthodox and 21% Catholic. Catholics were politically aligned with Austria and Croatia, while Orthodox Christians leaned towards Russia and Serbia. The Muslim leaders were local feudal lords who were simply demanding cultural and religious autonomy.

In addition, there were two classes: the religious aristocracy and the Christian peasantry. The former was a conservative, land-owning aristocratic class that was even more religiously fervent than the Ottoman rulers; the latter was an oppressed Christian peasantry class that bore a heavy tax burden.

Due to intense conflicts, uprisings broke out almost every few years, including in 1821, 1828, 1831, 1837, and 1839. They vehemently opposed Mahmud II's reforms within the Ottoman Empire, and even if suppressed, other destabilizing factors would remain. Under such circumstances, Austrian intervention was to be expected.

“Bulgaria and Wallachia were the starting points for Iran’s insertion into Europe. This time, the Ottomans will probably have to give up a lot of territory.”

The situation is similar; if the Ottomans can hold onto the Macedonian region this time, it will be considered a success, but the area north of Plovdiv is definitely out of reach.

"Shah, Rakovsky also said in the letter that he was willing to cooperate with our country in the areas of railways and trade."

The railway mentioned here is the Sofia-Varna railway, which Bulgaria is currently planning to build to improve transportation and the economy. The republican government intends to construct this railway to facilitate transport. To gain support, Rakovsky used this as leverage to garner endorsement from other countries.

"This may be their only option; unable to resist the enemy, they can only seek outside help."

"Never mind that. I'll be traveling to Vienna again soon to discuss matters with Emperor Franz. I'm confident we'll reach a friendly agreement."

The Iranian Shah traveled to Austria, and afterwards went directly to St. Petersburg to meet with the Tsar. He then visited Sweden, Denmark, and Prussia before returning, thus covering most of Europe. He also had matters to discuss with Prussia; if Prussia were to fight a global conflict alone in the future, it's uncertain whether it could withstand the pressure.

(End of this chapter)