bookrebus Chapter 718 The Conflict Begins in India
Chapter 718 The Conflict Begins in India
Let's go back to July 7, 46, in Delhi, at 7 p.m. local time.
The ceiling fans in the conference room were turning intermittently.
It couldn't dispel the sweltering heat of the South Asian subcontinent.
Portraits of Queen Victoria and George VI hang silently on the wall, looking down below.
Viscount Wavell threw the documents on the table.
He took off his glasses and rubbed his temples vigorously.
My fingers are trembling, not from anger, but from exhaustion.
"They... just tore it up like that?" The speaker was Sir John Colville, the colonial secretary, sitting on the other side of the long table, his voice hoarse.
"It's worse than tearing it apart. Nehru made it clear that the Congress faction would not accept any proposal that 'weakens central authority.' He demanded that negotiations be reopened, with the goal of 'a strong, unified, and centralized India.'"
In other words, all our efforts over the past month have been in vain.
The conference room was deathly silent.
The noise from the streets of Delhi drifted in through the window, faintly mixed with the slogans of a rally.
"One Indian! One nation!"
Those sounds sounded particularly jarring at that moment.
"The Star Moon Alliance..." the head of the civil affairs department tentatively began.
"Is there even a need to ask?" Wavell smiled wryly. "Jinna isn't stupid. He accepted the agreement yesterday because it guaranteed a high degree of autonomy for the Star-Crescent Province."
Now the Congress faction is even going to overturn this... Send a telegram to Karachi, no need to wait for official notification, Mr. Jinnah has probably already started his rally.
His premonition was quickly confirmed.
Two hours later, at the headquarters of the Star-Moon Alliance, Lahore.
Ali Jinnah stood on the balcony, facing the dark mass of angry supporters below.
He didn't roar; his voice was even calmer than usual.
"...The path to peaceful coexistence has been unilaterally blocked. The dream of unification has been shattered by arrogance. The Congress faction has made it clear that what they want is not an inclusive India, but an India ruled by the Sindhu religion."
"Therefore, we only have one answer—the Kingdom of Star and Moon."
Now, it is no longer just a demand, but our only guarantee of survival. It is the only goal we must strive for and achieve at all costs.
"Take direct action, starting now."
The overwhelming response flooded the streets.
Fanaticism was ignited, fear was growing, and hatred found its most legitimate reason.
At the same time, in Kolkata, at the intersection of Harrison Road and Muhammad Ali Road.
Rumors travel faster than telegrams.
"Have you heard? The Grand National faction has backed out, and the Star-Moon people want to establish their own country."
"They've already started killing people in the north, specifically our people."
"We can't wait any longer. We must act first to protect our temple and our sisters."
Whispers are brewing in the streets and alleys, in restaurants and markets, and eyes are becoming wary and fierce.
Small-scale pushing and shoving and cursing began to occur.
John, one of the police officers maintaining order, appeared bewildered and outnumbered. His instructions were vague: to prevent riots without provoking either side too much.
The smell of gunpowder in the air grew stronger.
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August 46, 7, night.
The sea breeze blew through the open blinds, and the study was brightly lit but unusually quiet.
Zhang Chi sat behind a large mahogany desk, with two encrypted telegrams, delivered almost simultaneously, spread out in front of him.
The first letter came from the Central Intelligence Bureau of the Southern Ocean stationed in Delhi:
"At 3 p.m. on July 7, the Congress faction formally rejected the Cabinet mission's proposal. Nehru demanded renegotiation, with the core demands being a strong central government, weak local governments, and disregard for the Crescent-Star autonomy demands. Wavell confirmed that the negotiations had broken down."
The second letter came from the Nanyang Economic Survey Bureau's business office in Lahore:
"Jinnah responded publicly at 17 p.m. on the 7th, declaring that the independent Crescent Moon State is the only goal and calling for a full escalation of 'direct action'."
"Greed among the grassroots members of the Star-Moon Alliance has become extreme, and large-scale violent clashes are expected to erupt within 48 hours."
Zhang Chi put down the telegram, slowly leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.
Here it comes, it’s here as expected.
In the timeline he knew, those three days in July 1946 were the true starting point for the subcontinent's slide into the abyss of bloody partition.
The Congress's "ticket-killing" act completely blocked the last possibility of peaceful reunification, gave Jinnah the perfect excuse, and ignited the powder keg of religious and social hatred that had been accumulating for a century.
Next will be the Calcutta massacre, the mutual purges in Bihar and Punjab, the displacement of millions, and the deaths of hundreds of thousands... Then, the John people's hasty "Operation Asylum" evacuation, and the first war between the two armies in Kashmir.
But this time, a new variable has appeared on the chessboard: Southeast Asia.
A knock on the door interrupted Zhang Chi's thoughts.
"Enter."
Director Kim of the Central Intelligence Agency strode in, holding a folder in his hand.
"Your Excellency, this is the latest development in Hyderabad and the northeastern states, as well as an assessment of our intelligence network."
Director Jin placed the folder on the table:
“Nizam (monarch) Ali Khan of Hyderabad has secretly dispatched his finance minister as an envoy aboard our merchant ship, who is expected to arrive in Yangon in five days. Ostensibly, he is 'inspecting Southeast Asian industries,' but in reality, he is seeking… a clearer guarantee of security.”
"From the five northeastern states, the five princes or their plenipotentiaries of Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, and Mizoram jointly signed an encrypted letter, which was delivered through the mountain passes along the border."
In the letter, they expressed "deep concern that the conflict between the Congress faction and the Crescent Moon Alliance would spread to the Northeast," that "the John people are clearly unable to guarantee the security of the various states," and that "they earnestly request clearer guidance and support from their friends in Southeast Asia."
Zhang Chi opened the folder and quickly browsed through it.
The intelligence was very detailed, including the gradually increasing level of existing armed forces under the name of the royal guards of various states, the cooperation with existing military advisors in Southeast Asia, their true attitudes toward the Congress faction and the Crescent Moon Alliance, and most importantly, the extent of cooperation they could accept.
After watching, Zhang Chi relaxed and leaned back in his chair.
The John's empire is crumbling. They now only want to withdraw gracefully and leave the mess for the Congress and the Crescent Union to fight over.
The problem is that there are more than just these two on the subcontinent.
What will happen to the hundreds of princely states and the tens of millions of people who are neither Sindhu nor Xingyue?
The Great Nation faction desires Great India and wishes it could swallow up all the kingdoms; the Star-Moon Alliance desires the Star-Moon Kingdom and only cares about the regions where Star-Moon people are the majority.
What remains are, in their eyes, bargaining chips that can be sacrificed, exchanged, or ignored.
and so……
An opportunity has arrived in Southeast Asia.
The real formal partition did not begin until Mountbatten became governor in 47, and now is the best time for Southeast Asia to intervene.
His goal is also simple.
A coalition of northeastern Indian states supported, armed, and influenced by Southeast Asia, straddles the Southeast Asia and the subcontinent, enough to offset most of the geopolitical pressures on India in the future.
A strong, independent, or at least highly autonomous, Hyderabad allied with Southeast Asia would be like a nail driven into the heart of India, forever tying down a great deal of Delhi’s energy and resources.
"Let's hold a core meeting," Zhang Chi said, standing up. "In an hour."