The expeditionary force began to dominate Southeast Asia by recruiting defeated soldiers

Not long after, in a secret room.

Persian Army Major General Karim Bakhrami was roughly forced into a chair by two members of the Dragon Team.

The major general, who was about forty years old and came from a prominent family, was ostensibly a loyal supporter of King Pahlavi and was in charge of coordinating the military work for this inspection tour in the north.

Even though he was restrained, he still held his head high, his face filled with anger.

"What are you doing? I am a general personally appointed by His Majesty the King. I want to see the princess and I want to sue you Seres from the South Seas!"

Yuan Pan pushed open the door and entered, holding the remains of the radio detonator that had been found in the crane control room, as well as a stack of photos.

He walked up to Bahrami and threw the things on the table.

"General Bahrami, or should I call you... Senator Mosate's secret partner?"

Bahrami's pupils contracted sharply, but he quickly regained his composure: "What nonsense are you talking about? I am loyal to the King!"

Yuan Pan pulled out a chair and sat down, slowly picking up a photograph: "This is a photo taken last month at your private estate outside Tehran, where you had a secret meeting with a close associate of Congressman Mosate."

And this is your bank account statement in Tehran. There were three large remittances recently, and although the source was somewhat obscured, they all ultimately pointed to… well, the funding pool of certain radical nationalist groups.”

Bahrami's face turned deathly pale instantly.

"The crane's steel cable was cut by directional blasting, and the detonator was found in your adjutant's car."

"Of course, your adjutant has already confessed, saying that you ordered it."

Yuan Pan's voice was flat and even, yet every word was piercing.

"Your plan is perfect."

To create an 'accident' that injures or even kills the princess, thereby damaging the prestige of the royal family and proving that the king is powerless to protect the country, and even unable to protect his own sister.

Then, Senator Mossate can seize the opportunity to push for legislation to limit royal power, and you, as the clear-headed leader in the military, will be thrust into the spotlight.

Bahrami slumped in his chair, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.

"What...what do you want? To hand me over to the king?"

"Give it to the king?" Yuan Pan shook his head. "No, that would be too wasteful."

His Majesty the King will kill you, your family will be disgraced, and Senator Mossate will immediately discard you, even turning around and accusing you of internal royal infighting.

He leaned forward, staring into Bahrami's eyes like a viper eyeing its prey.

"General, you are a wise man. You can still be the king's confidant, and you can still be a respected general."

"As long as... you're willing to change bosses."

Bahrami asked, trembling, "Change...change to whom?"

“Southeast Asia,” Yuan Pan uttered two words. “We need a pair of eyes in the high command of the Persian army, and a hand that can act at crucial moments.”

You can still stay in touch with Mossate, or even more closely.

But every word you hear and every document you see must first go through us.

What if I don't agree?

Yuan Pan pointed to the evidence on the table: "These things will appear on His Majesty's desk in half an hour."

I imagine that, given Your Majesty's temperament, you would likely be publicly hanged in a Tehran square for treason.

silence.

Dead silence.

After a long silence, Bahrami lowered his head in dejection.

"I...I promise."

Yuan Pan put the photos away with satisfaction and patted him on the shoulder:

"A wise choice."

As for this accident and the previous attacks...

I think everyone would be more satisfied if we pinned the blame on that greedy neighbor up north, right?

Bahrami nodded bitterly:

"Yes...it was all the work of the Russians. They were trying to destabilize Persia."

The assassination attempt was quickly quelled at the official level.

The publicly released investigation results indicate that this was a series of terrorist activities planned by "radicals directed by foreign forces".

This conclusion sparked a sense of shared indignation among the upper echelons of Tehran.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, King Pahlavi quickly purged a group of wavering officials and briefly united the previously loose royalist forces, establishing a political alliance centered on the royal family against the northern threat.

Meanwhile, the status of Southeast Asia, as the most steadfast protector of the royal family during this crisis, has risen sharply.

But this is just the beginning.

The real bombshell dropped two weeks later.

Khuzestan Province, a desolate Gobi desert.

A joint exploration team composed of technicians from Southeast Asia, the White Eagle, and Persia struck black gold in a deep well.

The immense pressure caused crude oil to gush out, shooting straight into the sky, and the black oil rain soaked the cheering crowd.

Preliminary calculations indicate that this is a super-large oil field with astonishing reserves, estimated to exceed one billion tons.

This news spread like wildfire throughout the global energy community.

What made the long-established hegemon John even more suffocating was that a pre-initialized agreement suddenly came into effect:

The oil field's exploitation rights will no longer belong to the Anglo-Iranian oil company, which has monopolized Persian oil for many years, but will be exclusively owned by a newly established joint venture, the "Persian United Oil Development Company".

The shareholding structure is clear yet subtle:

With a 40% stake, the Persian royal family not only received an unprecedented share of the profits, but more importantly, they regained some of their sovereign dignity.

Of course, while it's said to be 40%, the actual amount of oil extracted, transported, and sold is still determined by the two remaining shareholders.

The Persian royal family only nominally received the biggest slice of the pie.

A consortium comprised of several major American oil companies holds a 30% stake.

This made the Wall Street financial giants very happy, and it also strengthened the White Eagle government's determination to support this new alliance.

The newly established sovereign wealth fund in Southeast Asia also holds a 30% stake in it.

With its nuclear weapons and geographical proximity, Southeast Asia has temporarily gained the advantage of being on par with the United States.

This not only signifies a continuous stream of enormous wealth, but also means that Southeast Asia is officially beginning to intervene in the Middle East, the heart of the world's energy resources, as a player in the game.

Of course, challenges are always present, and Zhang Chi is well aware that endless difficulties and struggles await him.

But he was fearless!

On the terrace of the royal palace in Tehran.

Having just recovered from his injuries, Sin Le Bang stood shoulder to shoulder with the King, watching the celebrating crowd in the distance.

"Advisor Xin," the king said, raising his glass in high spirits, "thank you, Nanyang. You not only saved my sister, but also helped Persia regain its confidence."

“This is a win-win situation, Your Majesty.” Xin Lebang smiled and clinked glasses. “As long as we stand together, no one can bully us.”

In the shadows, Yuan Pan silently watched all of this.

He had a newly compiled list in his pocket.

That was provided by Major General Bahrami, detailed information about the core members of the Mossadegh faction.

Simply binding them together by shared interests is not enough.

An ally is most loyal when one hand holds gold and the other holds leverage over the other.

This is Zhang Chi's true Cold War survival rule.