Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 271 Another Visit
Shah decided to go to Vienna, but he needed to wait for someone first.

“Shah, Ambassador Abdullah is back,” Sayyid said to Nasser al-Din.

"Have him come over here right away."

Shah waited in his office, and soon after, Abdullah came to Nasser al-Din.

"Shah!"

Naserdin immediately went up and hugged him. "It's been so long, Uncle. How have you been in the Far East?"

"Thank you for remembering me, Shah. Everything is fine, and I have completed all the tasks you entrusted to me. Here are the official documents."

Abdullah showed Nasser al-Din the peace treaty signed with Japan, the contents of which were generally quite favorable. Moreover, in order to firmly establish ties with these people, the shogunate made the unprecedented move of proposing to actively build factories and introduce high-tech technologies.

"With Uncle here, I'm not worried about the situation in the Far East anymore. Our country's trade in the region has grown rapidly in recent years, and you deserve a lot of credit for that."

The number of Iranian merchants who traveled to the Far East exceeded three hundred. They were distributed in various cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, Yokohama, Saigon, and Pontianak, making money together with local merchants. At the same time, they opened up the Iranian market for their goods.

"You flatter me, Shah. Trade between Qing and our country has grown the fastest in recent years. Many officials are willing to import our machinery for production, and some Japanese also want to learn our technology."

Now, Iran can be considered a major power. And because it opened up more markets in Japan, countries like Britain and France thanked Iran and tacitly approved of what Iran had done in Osaka.

"Those merchants all gave..."

"Don't worry, Shah. Not a single one was left alive, and no one knows. I also brought back their savings this time."

Abdullah handed the Shah a deposit slip from Banque de l'Indochine, which clearly stated that 500 million riyals had been transferred from Nagasaki. On the same day, the Mitsui family, a prominent business family in Osaka, was wiped out by intruders who looted all their property.

No one knows who did it, but Mitsui's departure is very detrimental to both the shogunate and the anti-shogunate faction, as he was a major financial backer of both.

Naser al-Din showed him no pity; good rulers are hard to find, but there are plenty of merchants in the world. Their avenues would soon be sealed.

“Shah, we should stop now in the Far East. We are achieving results far faster than Britain and France. If this continues, we may attract the attention of those two countries.”

Nasserdin nodded. Iran should now pay attention to its affairs in the Middle East and Europe, and of course, the Americas.

"Our war with the Ottomans has just ended, and now is the time for us to recuperate. I will be traveling to Austria to discuss some matters with their emperor. Would you like to come with me?"

How could Abdullah miss such an opportunity? He immediately accepted the Shah's invitation. At the same time, he resigned from his position as ambassador to Qing China and became a member of the Council of Experts, concurrently serving as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. This was the highest-ranking government position attained by a member of the royal family.

The Iranian royal family is deeply integrated into all aspects of the country, and began to emerge during the Iranian Civil War. One-third of the military students studying in Prussia were members of the royal family.

In 1856, after the war with Russia ended, Nasser al-Din issued the Law of Nobility. Nobility was formally granted according to the five hereditary ranks of duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron, and the two non-hereditary ranks of baron and life noble. The first investiture included 125 nobles, two-thirds of whom were members of the royal family, branches of the royal family, and tribal leaders from various regions, while the remaining third were soldiers, officers, and government officials who had made outstanding contributions.

The granting of titles to the Shahs was impartial; anyone granted a title had to have made great contributions, and there was no bias based on their status or position. In terms of inheriting a title, all heirs had to serve in the military before they could inherit the title.

At the same time, as role models for all classes in the country, nobles must maintain good personal qualities and must not rely on their noble status to bully the weak. Otherwise, they will be stripped of their noble inheritance rights, and in serious cases, their family's noble title will be revoked, and they will be handed over to the judicial authorities for conviction.

Such a severe crackdown is quite rare in countries like Britain, France, Russia, and Prussia. But Iran did just that, and to ensure the smooth functioning of the country, it even encouraged nobles to join the army, hoping that military discipline would keep them alert. Anyone, unless they were in poor health, was required to serve in the military.

After the investiture, the nobles became politically dependent on the central government; their status could only be maintained by upholding the Shah. Moreover, those who had returned from studying in Prussia knew about loyalty to the monarch and patriotism; they emphasized discipline, obedience, and a sense of military honor—qualities embodied in the Prussian army. They were also the Shah's most important supporters within the military.

On the hotly debated issue of constitutionalism within the country, most nobles opposed it. A minority, however, believed in following Prussia's example and establishing a parliament based on the monarch's real power. Like other European nobles, they held a conservative stance and formed societies to oppose these liberals.

They also constituted a majority in the expert panel, so when some liberals tried to submit petitions, they were rejected. Over time, the public grew resentful of them, believing that the Shah rejected petitions because of their words and that they had to be eliminated.

Of course, the most noticeable benefit for the nobility was the economic aspect. Although land laws prohibited nobles from acquiring too much land within Iran, and even the Shah set an example by doing so, the nobles dared not do so.

However, the laws restricting their activities in Africa are much more lenient, and they have begun acquiring land there. Of course, they can't be too greedy, so they acquire land based on the principle of "voluntary" consent.

The nobility's execution was astonishing; their land acquisitions in Africa greatly accelerated Iran's colonization. To make money, they cultivated cash crops like cotton and exported them in large quantities. Some also established textile factories locally, importing cotton to produce textiles.

Of course, their extensive land acquisition in Africa doesn't mean they can escape taxes. Land tax, agricultural tax, and commercial tax are all payable; as the biggest beneficiaries of national wealth, they can't shirk their responsibilities.

Regardless of what the nobility did, the channels for upward mobility for the lower classes had been opened. They could become civil servants or military officers to improve their social status, or they could become wealthy through business. And because their achievements were due to the Shah's reforms, they were also his supporters.

However, they were also influenced by Europe and believed that absolute monarchy was a dead end, so they thought it would be better for the country to help the Shah share some power.

(End of this chapter)