Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 42 Reorganization
The Báb was imprisoned again. There were two opinions in Tabriz: execution and release. Because the Báb himself admitted that he had not opposed the Imam and Ali, the believers were less hostile towards him.

The outcome of this trial has exceeded everyone's expectations. Even the Mahdi movement back then did not react so strongly. It seems that the Shia clerics in Tabriz have realized their bottom line: this involves the issue of the right to interpret the Quran.

However, the governor and mayor haven't appeared before them in the past few days, seemingly indicating they're not going to do anything about it. They wanted to storm the prison and kill Báb, but the police and soldiers there didn't look like people to mess with.

Naserdin began to concern himself with other matters; some officers complained that the new German officer was too harsh on them. However, he himself trained alongside the soldiers, which earned their respect.

"He's much more responsible than the French officers; it seems hiring him was the right decision."

As Naser al-Din spoke, he handed Moltke's military proposal to Amir. After inspecting the new army of Tabriz, Moltke offered his suggestions regarding future plans.

The new army appears to have good combat capabilities, but it lacks practical combat experience and planning. Therefore, a general staff is needed to formulate operational plans and strategic strategies. The staff would consist of 6 to 15 officers, with one chief of staff and two deputy chiefs of staff.

The General Staff consisted of four departments: Department One was responsible for strategy and tactics, Department Two for internal military affairs, Department Three for logistics and supplies, and Department Four for artillery and ammunition. The General Staff was also responsible for training senior military personnel. Corresponding general staff departments were also established within subordinate military units, creating a Persian staff system.

Next came the expansion of the army. Although five regiments formed an corps, Moltke believed that this system needed further subdivision, so he added the brigade unit above the regiment. Two regiments formed a brigade, and two brigades formed a division, plus an artillery regiment. The artillery regiment had 36 cannons, 18 mountain guns, and 12 howitzers. Including logistics, engineer battalions, field hospitals, cavalry reconnaissance battalions, communications stations, etc., the total number of troops was 16000 and 68 artillery pieces.

This organization enhanced the army's overall combat effectiveness, but Moltke's plan didn't stop there. He advised the governor to expand the army to three corps of 48000 men and to intensify training, ideally testing their capabilities in actual combat.

These suggestions left Amir bewildered. He didn't understand what Moltke was saying, only noticing the last sentence: "The above will cost 240 million riyals."

"240 million riyals, isn't that too much?"

Naserdin could answer the teacher's question: "General Moltke has already explained the details. The artillery needed cannot be produced in Dabry, so we have to import machines from Prussia to produce it. We also need to upgrade the officer school and hire some officers from Prussia to give lectures. All of this will cost money."

"But this is too much. Although the Finance Bureau can provide the funds, it will be troublesome if other things happen after such a large amount of money is spent."

Amir is worried that money is needed in various places now, and if the funding is cut off, it will be a heavy blow to the new policy.

Nasserdin knew this: developing countries need vast amounts of capital to industrialize and modernize, and countries like Britain and France gradually gained control over their economies and even politics by providing loans. Sometimes, foreign banks could even influence the political landscape—who would have thought?
"Right now, everything is for the sake of the military. Only with a strong military will Russia and the Ottomans not bully Iran. As for everything else, let's put it aside for now."

Since the governor had said so, what else could the mayor say? He simply allocated the funds.

The remaining funds from the confiscation of tribal property amount to 530 million rials, plus gold coins transferred from Mazandran. Investing them directly shouldn't be a problem, as long as there's no war or similar event. ——————————

After approving the establishment of the industrial and commercial sector, Muhammad continued to discuss new decrees, and the ministers racked their brains, trying to find ways to either promote or obstruct them.

"Iran is currently experiencing a severe economic downturn, with governors across the country submitting reports of decline in all sectors. This is also true for major cities like Isfahan and Shiraz. What suggestions do you have for revitalizing the economy?"

The ministers had also done their homework and were ready to submit their proposals in the meeting hall.

“Shah, the stagnation of industry and commerce in Iran is due to the decline of agriculture. If agriculture is revitalized, industry and commerce will naturally recover. Why not reduce taxes and encourage farmers to cultivate the land?”

This is it again. Muhammad has received this suggestion more than once in the past few days. It seems to have really taken root in people's hearts.

"We'll consider this suggestion, but there's definitely more than just this one, right?"

Another minister began to propose his own plan: "Nowadays, all countries collect taxes from trade. During the reign of Abbas the Great, he also obtained stable income from foreign trade. We can encourage exports and imports, and then tax revenue will naturally increase."

Hmm...that's a good idea, and it's feasible. Iran should also broaden its knowledge base by trading more with other countries, which would allow it to learn about different cultures.

Besides these two points, there is another point they all agree on: revitalizing industry and commerce. Without the prosperity of industry and commerce, the national treasury will not be full.

In Tehran, for example, three factories using machinery were established after the Edict of Gulestan was promulgated. These were all in the carpet weaving industry, and the number continues to grow.

Machines could accomplish in a year or even more of the work done by humans, which gave wealthy nobles and bureaucrats a new direction for investment. However, Tehran was inland, and transporting goods from either Bandar Abbas or Tabriz was troublesome and time-consuming. After hearing that railways could shorten the time, some people proposed building a railway from Tabriz to Qazvin.

Religious scholars naturally opposed it, citing several reasons: 1. The railway would require the acquisition of land, which is an important agricultural resource and should not be occupied; 2. They had heard that the trains on the railway would emit black smoke, which would harm the crops along the route; 3. The noise of the trains might disturb the Imam.

The scholars here weren't as enlightened as those in Tabriz; they were outright defiant. "Go ahead and push it through if you dare," they said, "and then we'll see whether the common people listen to you, Shah, or us clergy."

Muhammad hated being threatened, but he was helpless. Some religious leaders had private armies, while the armies he could control were not only ineffective in combat, but what if the other side demanded weapons in a standoff? Whom did the spiritual leader and the secular leader listen to?
"This is really troublesome. I wonder how Saeed is doing. Allah, please bless him."

(End of this chapter)