Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 96 Port Abbas
Note: There was a lot of criticism in the previous chapter, and I apologize for that. It's 1848 now, and we have neither a navy nor a strong army. You can't expect to gain anything by fighting the Qing Dynasty.

Some people say it's about selling arms, but the Self-Strengthening Movement hasn't even started yet, and the Xiang Army hasn't even been established. Those people won't pay attention to you. Even if they want to buy, they'll buy from Britain and France.

I will smooth things over later and also make corrections to the previous chapter.

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In the new Shah's ascension to the throne, Iran completed the final months of 1848. This year, many things happened in the world; Europe entered an era of unity and freedom. However, the conservatives would not stand idly by, and Russia was already prepared to help Austria extinguish the flames of revolution.

Bandar Abbas was now a bustling port, with goods from all over the world being exported from here. Looking at the scene at the docks, the little girl on the ship asked curiously, "Daddy, will you work here when you grow up?"

The man being questioned was none other than Schmidt, a technician at a Manchester textile factory, and the person speaking to him was his daughter. Sitting with him was his entire family, from his eldest son to his youngest daughter, plus him and his wife.

“That’s right, this is where Dad will work in the future.” Looking at the unfamiliar city, Schmidt answered his daughter’s question with mixed feelings. Leaving Manchester, where he had lived for many years, and coming to a city he had never heard of before, anyone would feel a pang of emotion.

After the economic crisis began, these key personnel from the textile factory were summoned to speak with staff from the Iranian embassy. The question was essentially whether they were willing to work in Iran, and the vast majority answered yes. Given the high unemployment rate in the country, stable employment was difficult to obtain, and nobody wanted to search for work all over Britain. For Schmidt, who had a family to support, nothing was more important than his family. Therefore, after consulting with them, the Iranian side arranged a ship specifically for them.

"Does that mean we won't see Anna for a long time? When she left, she said they were in a place called Tabriz, which is far from us, right?"

When asked by his daughter, Schmidt replied, "It's a bit far, about the distance from Manchester to Hamburg."

Along with these key personnel, a batch of equipment also arrived at the port, in addition to their families. They were tasked with debugging this equipment, since it was the equipment they were most familiar with.

"We've arrived, everyone get off here." A mid-level manager in charge of the team came into the cabin and loudly urged everyone to get off.

In an instant, a dense crowd surged onto the dock, consisting of the Manchester textile factory employees who had led the group earlier, along with their families. They chatted animatedly among themselves.

At that moment, a middle-aged man wearing a headscarf stood on a platform made of boxes and said through a tin megaphone: "Attention everyone, pay attention!"

Seeing that someone was about to speak, the murmurs in the crowd subsided considerably. The middle-aged man, satisfied with the situation, continued, "I am Afghani, the general manager of the Abbas textile factory. I warmly welcome everyone to work in Abbas. We have already prepared accommodations outside; please rest assured, we allocate houses according to the number of family members."

With just a few words from the general manager, the crowd immediately and automatically formed an orderly line. Families, each with their own members, walked out towards the exit one by one. Seeing everyone so well-behaved, he was relieved.

Schmidt and his group walked out of the dock and through the streets of the harbor, observing the city as they went. Along the way, their young daughter would occasionally exclaim in surprise at something new, filling the group with lively energy. "We've arrived."

They turned off the road into a newly built residential area. Others were carrying luggage, ready to collect their house keys.

"Gentlemen, each family should send one person to register here, and then we will assign you housing."

A young man loudly announced to them, followed by two staff members carrying a table and chairs – apparently, this was the registration area. The group immediately lined up; after all, it concerned their future housing, and no one wanted to fall behind.

After everyone had registered, the person in charge of assigning them began reading out the numbers.

Soon their names were called, and the Schmidt family arrived at a house under the guidance of staff. The staff member leading them explained the situation to them along the way.

"You've been assigned to the second floor of this building. The government specially built this place considering your situation. The buildings in this area are now complete, so you can stay here now that you've arrived."

The staff then led them to the second floor and opened the door with a key. The staff member who guided them then said, "This place has just been cleaned, and there's only a few pieces of furniture, such as a bed and a table. If you want to buy some furniture, there's a market not far from here where you can go to buy it."

Schmidt looked around the somewhat empty room and thanked the staff member, saying, "Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome. You might need my help in the future." With that, the staff member left.

Following directions from passersby, they went to the market and purchased a large quantity of goods. Other newly arrived employees did the same, but their English was only understood by a few. Fortunately, shipyard staff guided them, minimizing their language barriers.

After having their first meal in their new home with their family, they went to bed early. The journey from England by ship had been tiring, and Schmidt drifted off to sleep, pondering his plans for the next day.

Not only textile factories, but the government also plans to establish a shipyard here. The port has a maximum depth of 12 meters, perfectly suited for large ships. Furthermore, there are reports that if a navy were to develop in the future, Bandar Abbas would be considered as a primary naval base. Bushehr and Chabahar are also good ports, but with increasing civilian shipping traffic, they are no longer suitable as naval ports.

Bandar Abbas is situated between two ports, guarding the Strait of Hormuz, and protected by Qeshm Island and Hormuz Island. Therefore, Bandar Abbas, with its favorable port environment, is perfectly suitable for use as a major naval port. The local mayor, thinking about the influx of people brought by naval vessels, feels the area has great potential and is overjoyed.

(End of this chapter)