Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 50 Regent
Naserdin arrived at the entrance of the Gulestan Palace, where his mother was waiting for him.

"Oh dear, my child, let me see him quickly."

"Mother, I'm back!"

Naserdin and Malik embraced, and then the latter said, "Go and see your father quickly!"

The three hurried inside and found Shah in the bedroom.

"Father!"

Naser al-Din rushed over, and Muhammad struggled to open his eyes, finally seeing the son he had been longing for day and night.

“Naser al-Din, my child! I know all about your achievements in Tabriz these past few years. You have done a great job. The country must not be destroyed.”

"I know, father!"

Muhammad then looked to the side, where Amir and Lotfra were standing.

"Amir, you've worked hard too."

"It is my honor to serve Your Highness, how could I say it is hard work?"

Muhammad nodded, looked at the people beside him, and with his remaining strength made a decision.

"I am no longer able to handle government affairs. Until I recover, everything will be handled by Naserdin, and you must all obey his orders!"

Despite being prepared, everyone burst into tears upon hearing what sounded like a will. They were all old acquaintances of Shah, and seeing him like this filled them with sorrow.

"Your Majesty, I understand. I will do my best to assist you. Shah, you must get well soon."

Lotfullah was the first to kneel, weeping and pledging his loyalty. The others also pledged their allegiance to Nasser al-Din. Muhammad, observing the situation, nodded in satisfaction and then continued to rest.

As Naserdin left his dormitory, his heart was heavy. The impending departure of his loved ones was painful, let alone in the current situation.

"Your Highness, please pull yourself together. The country has a lot of things to deal with."

Amir encouraged Nasser al-Din, and the Crown Prince, knowing he couldn't continue like this, wiped away his tears and said, "Go to the meeting hall and have all the ministers attend the meeting."

The ministers were already in the council chamber, including Grand Vizier Hassan, who had tried to ease tensions between the Shah and the Ayatollah, but to no avail. He remained subservient to the Shah, for no matter how eloquent the religious scholars were, they were ultimately seizing power from them.

As prime minister, he had to unite all officials to protect their interests. Hearing that the crown prince had arrived with troops, they were basically safe.

The doors to the meeting hall were open, and Nasser al-Din walked in. Hassan was also prepared; the transfer of power had likely already begun.

"Ministers, Shah has been unwell recently and is unable to handle state affairs. Until Shah recovers, I will handle daily affairs in his stead."

The brief words made it clear to everyone who was giving the orders, and Hassan was the first to step forward: "As Your Highness commands!"

In this rebellion, 25 people fled to the other side, and Mohammed promoted other ministers to fill the vacancies. Pezeshkian became the Minister of Foreign Affairs, while the Grand Vizier temporarily took over as Minister of Finance. "Grand Vizier, the area around Tehran is safe, but if we remain unchanged, they will come back again."

This was a warning to them; the reforms were now imperative. Hassan understood that there was no room for compromise.

"Everything is subject to your Highness's arrangements."

The first step was a reshuffle of government positions. Amir was appointed Minister of Finance, concurrently serving as Minister of Industry and Commerce, while Rouhani, a key general in the new army, became Minister of the Army. Everything else remained unchanged for the time being, thus forming the new government.

"Gentlemen, the rebellion in Tehran has been suppressed, but other places are likely to descend into chaos soon. To avoid collapse, we must take more proactive measures!"

“Your Highness, could you tell me about the situation outside?” Lotfra asked.

After thinking for a moment, Naserdin said cautiously, "After the rebellion in Qom, there have been significant changes in major cities, as everyone knows."

Most areas are still aligned with the Shah, but if we don't take further action, they will definitely resume their pressure on Tehran.

What Naserdin needs to do is to cultivate as many allies as possible and minimize the number of enemies. The most stubborn Ulima will certainly not compromise, but farmers, citizens, and merchants are those who can be won over.

"Now I ask you all, do you want money or your lives?"

Everyone was bewildered, but Nasserdin continued, "If you want money, you can go out and surrender now..."

Hassan quickly said, "Your Highness, please tell me your plans, no matter the cost."

The ministers nodded. Nasserdin glanced at Amir, who had been the finance minister for less than ten minutes and had already presented them with a massive reform plan.

"In Qom's fiscal revenue, believers' donations only account for a portion, while land rent accounts for more than half of their income. His Highness hopes to confiscate and redeem these lands at the lowest possible cost, and then allow the farmers to purchase them through loans."

This plan made them feel that the Crown Prince was too ruthless; it was going to incite uproar among the rural landlords and nobles. Land was their lifeblood; wasn't it unfair to just give it to the peasants like this?
"I understand what you all think, but there are gains and losses, and we are not forcing anyone to levy taxes, we are just confiscating the enemy's property."

The economic foundation of Shia clerics lies in the land in rural areas; only by destroying them can the voice of Shia clerics be weakened.

"Your Highness is right. Those people have already occupied a lot of land, and it is because of this that they have been able to stir up trouble."

Pezeshkian was the first to support Naserdin's plan, followed by other ministers who either supported or acquiesced to it. However, some worried that this would alarm the landowners who supported them, but they figured the peasants would likely agree much faster if they rose up in rebellion.

Of course, Naser al-Din also prepared another option to reduce land rent for the landowners to choose from, but he insisted on using the first option against the enemy.

"Now we need to unite all forces that can be united and wipe out these rebels in one fell swoop. Those who have made contributions should be rewarded, so what does it matter if we have to give up a little land for this?"

There's no doubt that Nasser al-Din is playing dumb. As long as he brings up the current situation, they have no reason to object.

The peasants are mostly illiterate, and their sense of right and wrong is very simple, seeing things in black and white. As long as they are given land and fed, these people will be the most loyal subjects for decades to come, and even their descendants will be supporters of Iran.

Every ruler needs a foundation to support their rule. Currently, Iran's foundation is the nobility and tribes, which is unlikely to change for a long time. Nasser al-Din simply added peasants to that foundation.

(End of this chapter)