Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 59 Searching for Money
Today's Tehran newspapers sold very quickly because one piece of news stood out: the railway between Tabriz and Ardabil had been opened, and the mayor of Tabriz and the governor-general of Azerbaijan attended the opening ceremony.

They traveled by train from Ardabil and arrived in Tabriz in less than half a day.

It also brought locally produced cotton and grain. Seeing how fast it was, the people all wanted to ride it.

This railway, stretching over 100 kilometers, marks a step towards change in Iran. Following this publicity campaign, businesspeople and citizens are filled with anticipation for its future. Hopefully, the railway from Tabriz will reach Tehran soon.

But railways also require funding, and for management purposes, Nasser al-Din began setting up the Iranian Railways Authority. Who would he ask for these budgets from?

"Teacher, are you saying the government is out of money?"

“After deducting the necessary funds, the government currently only has 150 million available. It needs to build railways and the army, which is a drop in the bucket.”

Money, money, money, it's all money. Nasser al-Din then inquired about another measure.

How is the policy regarding changing farmers' taxes from in-kind payments to monetary payments being implemented?

"It has already begun to be implemented near Tehran, and all provinces have received the order and are implementing it."

This reform is actually similar to the Single Whip Tax Reform implemented by Zhang Juzheng in the Ming Dynasty. The government is currently short of money, and changing the tax in kind to a monetary tax will greatly increase revenue. In order to increase their income, farmers will also sell large quantities of grain and plant cash crops.

The land rent reforms previously implemented in Azerbaijan increased revenue, providing sufficient funds for subsequent policies. Now, this proposal is to be rolled out nationwide.

“We estimate that if this policy is implemented nationwide, it could generate an additional 200 million riyals in revenue within a year. If a monopoly is established on tobacco and salt, it could generate over 300 million riyals in revenue.”

Naser al-Din listened attentively to his teacher's report, nodding as he thought to himself how much he desired Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia was to Iran what Egypt was to the Roman Empire, or the Jiangnan region to the Eastern Kingdoms. The local agricultural resources were exactly what Iran needed, and the Sasanian Empire, often referred to as the second Persian Empire, had its capital in Mesopotamia.

"The most important thing now is to maintain agriculture and not let the farmers' enthusiasm be dampened. Moreover, we know that Iran's conditions are such that a single farmer simply cannot cope with a sudden famine."

Amir was somewhat puzzled. "Your Highness means..."

“I think land ownership should be returned to the state, which is also to prevent others from taking advantage of famine years to buy land at low prices.”

The nationalization of land, a policy that is commonplace in later generations, is quite novel in the present day. If there is any similarity, it would be the Russian village commune system.

"In the past few days, I've observed a lot about agriculture in Europe. France, with its abundant resources, seems to be fairer because anyone who can afford land can acquire it. However, precisely because of this, the land is divided into many small plots. Those who cultivate the land have very little capital and rely mainly on their own labor and that of their families. This form of land ownership and the practice of cultivating small plots not only prevents the adoption of various modern agricultural improvement measures but also turns the cultivators into slaves. They are bound to the land and must devote all their energy to obtain very little return."

Dividing land into small plots and leasing them to individuals or workers' cooperatives will only create fierce competition among them, driving up "land rents" and making it more profitable for landowners who rely on production for their livelihood. Amir, hearing the Crown Prince's words, agreed. Iranian agriculture is unlike that of other countries; it must be protected.

"The government can declare that all farmland ownership belongs to the government, and whoever owns it only has the right to lease the land."

But that's not enough; natural resources like forests, minerals, and rivers must also be nationalized. With these, our own finances will be more secure.

"Your Highness, we will draft the document immediately, and it should be approved within 10 days."

"Okay, we need to implement it immediately."

Even if these proposals were to pass, it would take a considerable amount of time. At this time, Naserdin greatly envied Nader Shah, who could go to India and plunder for three years without paying taxes. If India weren't almost completely occupied by Britain, he would have wanted to go too.

At this time, most of India was under British rule, but a few countries in the Indus River Valley remained independent, such as the Sikh Empire in the upper reaches, and several countries in the middle and lower reaches.

The Sikh Empire stretched from the Khyber Pass in the west to western Tibet in the east, from Mitankot in the south to Kashmir in the north. It was the largest state along the Indus River.

In 1839, following the death of the Sikh monarch, the empire was severely weakened by internal divisions and mismanagement. The East India Company seized this opportunity to launch the Anglo-Sikh War.

Due to the defection of some high-ranking nobles, the Sikh army suffered a crushing defeat and heavy losses, and was forced to cede some territory to the East India Company authorities, including some prime areas.

It's only a matter of time before Britain annexes the Indus Valley, which would then place Britain directly on the border with Iran. While Iran is currently closer to Britain, this is largely due to the greater threat posed by Russia.

Following the Napoleonic Wars, Russia became unprecedentedly powerful, finally joining the club of European powers. However, its territorial expansion in Europe came to an end, because from this point onward, all Russian actions had to be considered within the framework of the European balance of power, not only in Europe but also elsewhere. Therefore, Russian expansion in Europe ceased. St. Petersburg, in response, decided to launch an attack in another direction.

British India and the Russian Empire were separated by two thousand miles, and much of the region remained unmapped. Cities like Bukhara, Khiva, Merv, and Tashkent in Central Asia were virtually unknown to outsiders. With Russian expansion threatening the growing power of the British Empire in the Indian subcontinent, the two empires began a delicate game of exploration, espionage, and imperial diplomacy throughout Central Asia.

The Persians were caught in the middle, which was quite difficult. Although their self-strengthening came a little late, they hadn't given up completely. From now on, they had to maintain their northern border and wait for the war that would change Eurasia to see if they could reclaim their lost territory.

Saeed's report also proposed to expand Iran's eastern territory as much as possible, which meant that Central Asia and Afghanistan had to be won over. Then, Iran could turn around and conquer Mesopotamia, thus laying the foundation for its status as a major power.

Nasserdin decided to approach the British ambassador to borrow money. He had already borrowed £50, so a little more would be fine.

(End of this chapter)