Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 281 River (Part Two)

The civil administration chief of Transoxiana personally came to the banks of the Amu Darya River to conduct an inspection. This area is Transoxiana's main agricultural region, which relies on the Amu Darya for irrigation.

By this time, the census of the Transoxiana region was basically completed, totaling 58 households and 268 million people. A large portion of those previously counted were slaves, who had all been freed.

After freeing the slaves, these individuals were officially registered and tasked with collecting taxes for Iran. Simultaneously, the army was used to force tribes to settle and to develop an agricultural economy.

Control of water resources is crucial for the Transoxiana region. The Amu Darya, Syr Darya, and the Aral Sea are the most important water sources, and Iran must have complete control over them.

The governor of Transoxiana's annual income mainly came from agricultural and commercial taxes, as well as appropriations from the central government. However, the government ordered the region to start generating revenue as soon as possible, as the country was fully engaged in the construction of Baghdad and had no choice but to settle in Transoxiana.

In an effort to generate revenue quickly, the governor established the River Mining Bureau, tasked with exploring for resources across the vast land. And their efforts paid off; within two months of its establishment, they discovered something of great importance.

An expedition team discovered gold mines of varying sizes in the desert north of Samarkand. These were open-pit mines, making them very easy to extract. This meant the river would be rich; they had to start mining immediately.

Gold is a hard currency in all countries. Having gold provides peace of mind, regardless of nationality. This is especially true for countries like the UK and Iran, which have adopted the gold standard; gold is the backing of their currencies, and without it, a currency is worthless.

The mining bureau reported the local situation to Tehran, and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce took it very seriously. They quickly organized a team to inspect the site and found that mining could begin immediately with just investment and construction.

Moreover, since mining is to be carried out, equipment needs to be installed, workers need to be trained, and railways need to be built to transport the ore. Wouldn't that solve the problem? Before Yahya could write to the Shah, the government naturally began to invest funds in construction.

Furthermore, the influx of Iranian merchants spurred local economic development. Although the government's agricultural policies failed, the establishment of trading posts by merchants indirectly shifted the region towards a commodity-based economy.

Under the influence of foreign trade, traditional agriculture in the region has undergone varying degrees of modernization. This is mainly due to the expansion of agricultural cash crop production and the increase in commercialization. In addition to the continued rapid expansion of cotton production, the production of other cash crops has also been developed, and in order to improve yield and quality and obtain greater economic benefits, production technology has received more attention and has been improved.

Besides gold mines, the mining bureau also discovered substantial reserves of coal, iron, copper, and potash. With these resources, why worry about funding?

The Industrial Revolution was inseparable from mineral inputs, and Iran possesses the largest mineral reserves in the Middle East. Therefore, heavy industries such as steel and military industries were able to develop.

The most important oil resources are extracted in Baku, while phosphate and potash are mined in the Arabian Peninsula. These fuel industry, and the newly annexed Transoxiana region becomes a new area for mineral development; if there is gold, there may be others as well.

As for the Russian-controlled territories across the Syr Darya River, the situation was dire. People were crossing the river to Iran every day, and the Russians couldn't catch them all no matter how hard they tried.

Even if you catch one, there will be ten, a hundred, a thousand. A saying circulates in Kazakhstan that there is no oppression in Iran, everything follows Allah's teachings, and you can earn a fortune in just a few years of work.

Mass exodus of herders occurred, and they ceased providing taxes and manpower to Russia. The Russian governor was forced to resort to collective punishment, stipulating that the entire family of one deserter would be executed. However, this only further fueled the exodus. Following the major uprising of 1855, local resistance only intensified, forcing Russia to send troops to aid them again. Simultaneously, taking advantage of the enactment of the serf emancipation laws, St. Petersburg ordered the peasants to migrate to the Kazakh region. The aim was to assimilate the local population, ensuring that any unrest from the Kazakhs would be quickly suppressed.

On June 11, 1859, an Iranian expedition crossed the Syr Darya River and began exploration near Krzyorda. The Russian army immediately retaliated, opening fire with artillery.

"Shoot him down with artillery."

Inside the fortress of Kryzhorda, a Russian officer with a full beard was directing his soldiers in battle. At his command, several soldiers rushed in from the rear. They arrived carrying cannonballs, loaded them into the cannons, and opened fire directly on the Iranian cavalry.

"Run!"

The Iranian cavalry immediately retreated, but some people were still affected. Seeing that they had hit enemy troops, the Russian soldiers laughed.

They laughed, and the Iranian general laughed too. And this was the governor-general personally leading the reconnaissance; now they had a reason to attack.

Compared to Iran's communications along the Syr Darya River, Russian communications in Kazakhstan were a disaster. Messages could only be transmitted in good weather, and Kryzhorda had to travel down the Syr Darya to the Aral Sea to send messages.

“Governor, although the Russian army only drove them away this time, we still need to see their progress. They value this place no less than we do,” said the adjutant beside Yehia.

"That's right. I remember when we were fighting them in the Caucasus, these Russian troops were all high-spirited, but they didn't have any other tactics. They just charged headlong into the fray. They were single-minded, while our firepower at the time made them suffer."

However, their focus here hasn't yet reached the level of "extreme importance." The unrest among the Kazakhs is enough for them to quell.

Listening to Yahya's words, another general, Niyazov, sighed, "That's precisely what terrifies me. These Russian troops are growing rapidly, and coupled with their almost obsessive loyalty, they will undoubtedly become our country's greatest threat. Therefore, to ensure our country can cope with this threat, we must intensify the training of our troops and also find ways to utilize new equipment and technology to practice new tactics in order to deal with this greatest enemy. After all, this country is too large, with abundant resources and a large population; if we don't find other ways, it will be almost impossible to have the strength to resist them."

This is a view shared by many: Russia is too vast; even all of Europe combined cannot match its size. With a large territory, it naturally has access to more resources. Britain, on the other hand, only achieved global dominance through its first-mover advantage. It's safe to say that Russia will inevitably have a sphere of influence in the future.

“You’re right. Let’s go back and discuss the situation properly. Even if we can’t attack here, Kokand will be fine.”

Yahya decided to resolve the Central Asian issue quickly, whether it was Kokand or Russia, they had to be eliminated.

(End of this chapter)