Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 3 Attempting to Borrow Money
Even with the greatest ambitions, they are helpless without money.

However, at that moment, a commotion broke out outside the governor's mansion, and neither of them knew what was happening. Amir looked out the window and saw that there were quite a few people protesting outside the door.

"Is that what's going on?"

"Your Highness, don't worry, I'll go take a look."

Outside the Governor's Mansion, hundreds of people were raising their fists and chanting slogans to protest against the dumping of foreign products.

British Consul Hammond watched from the sidelines, eager to see what the Governor-General of Azerbaijan would do, having heard it was a child. At that time, the child of a governor-general was undoubtedly the son of the king, while in England, a child his age would already be working in a factory, demonstrating the independence of British children.

"Don't let foreign things in, or we won't be able to survive!"

"Business has been tough these past few years, and taxes keep increasing. We're on the verge of going out of business."

People are demanding a ban on foreign dumping to protect them. They pay taxes for the country; if the country doesn't protect them, who will?
Amir approached the protesters, and the leaders handed him a letter of protest.

“We hope the government can solve this problem. We also pay taxes for Shah, and Shah should protect us.”

Amir looked at them; they were all bazaar merchants or small shop owners. He assured them he would give them a solution and invited a few representatives into the house.

"Yes, an ambitious person," Hammond commented.

In the meeting room, the representatives told Amir about their difficulties. They were mainly facing the dumping of Russian goods, which made it difficult for them to make a living.

According to the trade treaty, Russian goods only needed to pay a 5% tariff, but Russian citizens had to pay at least 10% in taxes, plus various other levies. This made it impossible for them to make a living.

Amir grew increasingly alarmed as he listened, never imagining that Russian infiltration had penetrated so deeply. But they were currently powerless to stop it all, and for the time being, they would have to endure this hardship.

After much persuasion, Amir saw the representatives off and handed their protest letter to Naserdin at the back of the hall.

"Sir, Russia's infiltration is happening faster than I imagined."

Amir voiced his concerns, which Nasser al-Din had anticipated. Russia, a country more eager to find a port than its own son, was bound to have designs on Persia.

"Now, we must try to start a factory. We need a number of profitable factories to increase our income. There are many unemployed artisans in Tabriz, so why not bring them together and set up a factory?"

Amir shared this idea; establishing modern factories was the only way to generate more income. Not to mention Russia, even the Ottomans had many factories, while Persia had none. They could try building their first factory in Tabriz.

"I will discuss with the British to see if we can buy the machines from them."

"Well, whether we succeed or not depends on you, teacher."

Naser al-Din looked on expectantly. He was only 14 years old, and if it weren't for his teacher accompanying him, the local gentry would probably have already usurped his power. His teacher had it tough too, worrying himself sick over the affairs of Persia. ——————————

At the Tabriz Theological Seminary, children were reading. An old man walked past them and suddenly asked one of the children a question.

"What is the purpose of your studies, Muhammad?"

"To defend our homeland!"

The old man then asked another person, "What is the purpose of your studies, Hassan?"

"My family was killed by the Russians while I was fighting them, and I want revenge!!"

Everyone here has some degree of enmity with the Russians, and therefore wants to fight them. The old man was gratified, recalling the situation when the new governor took office; it was as if they had returned to the time when religion and secularism cooperated.

Because Western Azerbaijan was on the front lines of the conflict with Russia for many years, the clergy there were relatively open-minded and receptive to new ideas. Therefore, when the new governor's tutor met with the local ayatollahs, they reached an agreement: the ayatollahs would help the governor promote reforms, and in return, the governor would not infringe upon their property and would even protect it. Thus, in the first year of the governor's term, the ayatollahs endorsed their reform measures, stating that they were in accordance with Islamic law.

In the Middle East, promoting nationalism is suicidal; religion serves as a unifying force between different ethnic groups. In Persia, the Shia Islam holds an even higher status, requiring government cooperation. In this region, enlightened groups collaborate with ambitious governments, working together for the nation's benefit.

Before going to the British consulate, Amir visited the slums of Tabriz. After paying a few coins, he learned that there were many carpet weavers there, and many of them had gone bankrupt due to economic hardship.

Amir had an idea and immediately rushed to the consulate. Hammond saw Amir's carriage upstairs and knew that business had come his way.

"Oh, isn't this Lord Amir? What brings you to the consulate today?"

Amir stated his purpose directly: "Your Excellency, the Governor wishes to purchase some items from your country. Here is the list."

Hammond took the documents and was astonished to find that the equipment needed for factories such as cotton mills, silk reeling plants, dyeing plants, artillery factories, and mints, along with steam engines and foreign consultants covering banking, education, military, mining, and agriculture, totaled £30. Moreover, the other party was willing to use the border customs duties and local mining taxes of West Azerbaijan as collateral to secure a £50 loan from Britain. Repayment would begin in five years and be completed over 15 years.

Amir revised the list on the road, adding a steel mill and some books because he felt Iran needed them.

"A steel mill? I haven't heard of any iron ore being discovered in your country. Isn't it too costly to import all of this?"

"Building a steel mill is something we have carefully considered, Your Excellency. The iron produced in Persia is of substandard quality, which seriously affects the manufacture of weapons. Therefore, we have no choice but to build a steel mill."

Hammond knew these things would bring some benefit to Britain, but would be of considerable use to Persia. He told Amir that he would report this to the ambassador and that he should go back and wait.

Seeing this, Amir had no choice but to leave. Hammond, meanwhile, quickly wrote to the ambassador in Tehran, urging him to persuade the British government to lend money to Tabriz, because he saw potential in the governor and his teacher, who might be able to stop Russia's occupation of Central Asia.

"Your Excellency Henry Wallace, I sincerely suggest that you persuade London to take out a loan. We can help this young governor become the King of Persia by demonstrating, through his teacher, an urgent desire to seek the support of Great Britain. It is a high gamble, but well worth it."

(End of this chapter)