Great time travel

Chapter 52, The Return of the British Empire

During World War II, Churchill once said a famous saying about the British air battle: "Never have so many people been protected by so few people." people who have controlled so much land and population.

In the 400th century, the population of Britain was only 4000 million, which was only half of the population of Spain and a quarter of that of France at the same time.Even at the peak of the British Empire, the population was only 500 million.However, outside of the tiny island of Great Britain, it rules over 160 million people and [-] million square miles of land. It is aptly called the "Empire on which the sun never sets," and London has become the world's capital.

In the last world war, it was the United Kingdom, which relied on so many colonies all over the world and ranked last among the European powers in terms of local volume, that gained unparalleled war potential and could sustain a protracted war without losing its strength. Not to collapse.The colonies in Africa, America, Asia, and Oceania can provide Britain with a steady stream of war materials. As long as the logistics transportation line is not cut off, the British can persist for a long time, which is unmatched by Germany.Moreover, during the war, Britain could also form troops from various colonies. The colonial armies formed by India, Canada, Australia, and South Africa could fully make up for the manpower gap caused by the war.Even if one German soldier is exchanged for ten colonial soldiers, such a battle loss ratio is very beneficial to Britain, but the Germans cannot afford such a huge consumption.

But there is a premise for such a winning situation, that is, the enemy of the British Empire can only be located in Europe, and cannot attack from the direction of Asia at the same time.Otherwise, the seemingly mighty and invincible British colonial empire would collapse like a broken house built of cards in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately, until the outbreak of World War II, the British Empire, composed of dependencies, colonies, protectorates and condominiums, was still vast and boundless, and the sun would never set on the territory of the British Empire.300 million people of all colors and languages ​​- Tamils, Chinese, Bushmen, Hottentots of South West Africa, Dravidians, Melanesians, Australians People, Englishmen, Canadians, etc. - the right to life and death still rests with the gentlemen of Whitehall in London.

In the magnificent British colonial system, the British Indian Empire, whose territory extends from the Khyber Pass to Cape Comorin, is undoubtedly the most shining jewel in the crown of the British Empire and the most magnificent treasure house.

Since the mid-nineteenth century, Britain has completely turned India into its own colony and turned it into a slave state.In this highly hierarchical country, the highest rank is naturally the British whites and other white races, followed by the original Indian princes and nobles, followed by Indian commoners, and the lowest rank is the original Indian untouchables.The British will not allow any revolution in India because it will endanger the interests of Britain itself.Therefore, nobles are still nobles, commoners are still commoners, and untouchables are of course still untouchables.India became a paradise for the British and a paradise for white adventurers.All the white hooligans and even beggars who are extremely bored or destitute in the UK, as long as they go to India, within a few years, they can come back looking like dogs with big wallets.As for the aristocrats from well-established families, or the sons of the rich and powerful, if they go to India, they will become masters, enjoy supreme dignity in India, eat and drink delicacies of mountains and seas, delicious wine and delicacies, and have servants when they go in and out Hugging from front to back, the environment of the residence is elegant, luxurious and rich.

During this period, the Indian Empire ruled by the British was like a magnificent mansion, the cornerstone and witness of the British Empire, symbolizing the brilliant achievements of the British Empire and the crystallization of the British colonists' painstaking efforts for many years.

However, even the Indians are not a nation willing to be slaves forever. In this world war, the Japanese samurai swords from the East and the anger from the South Asian subcontinent finally gave this gem a little bit. Grind it to pieces.

By the fall of last year, the Mizi flag of the entire British India had been torn off and shredded, leaving only the capital Delhi still stubbornly resisting. Governor Vail also seems to be doomed.

In this regard, Churchill once lamented infinitely and desperately in Parliament, "...the loss of the Indian colony was a decisive fatal blow to the British Empire. Britain has since been insignificant and eclipsed."

——Without the wealth continuously contributed by the Indian people, and without cheap Indian soldiers to fill the trenches, other colonies except India would also fall apart and be blazed.Under such circumstances, the battered British Empire had no choice but to search for the last copper coin in the country, conscript the last strong man of the nation, and wage an increasingly bloody war of attrition against increasingly powerful and numerous enemies .For this reason, almost all kinds of consumer goods, such as food, fuel, wine, electricity, clothes, and even the world-famous stout and cricket balls, disappeared from the shops of the British mainland.There are no turkeys and cakes on the British Christmas table, and London is dark in the New Year, because the price of electricity has risen tenfold, and everyone cannot afford electricity.English gentlemen were astonished to find themselves in such poverty that it was almost intolerable want.

But even so, with the limited size and poor resources of the British mainland, it is still unable to maintain the huge expenditure of an all-out war, so it can only shamelessly ask the United States for help.They want everything from fuel to food to arms, but can't pay for anything, only temporarily on credit.

The former world hegemon has now become a beggar begging for the mercy of the United States. Such a miserable situation is really heartbreaking.

But in the spring of this year, the situation suddenly reversed. The British Empire easily regained most of India with almost no effort, and only relying on the dexterous tongues of a few diplomats!Such an incredible miracle has left the politicians in London stunned and speechless.

"...it's unbelievable, we've all met Gandhi, it's hard to imagine that the ascetic would give up his claim to independence for India."

Attlee, the leader of the Labor Party, shook his head and said, "...And it is under the circumstances that India is almost doomed to break away from imperial control!"

"... simply because Gandhi was an unrealistic dreamer, living in a dream world he imagined. And his followers had to dream with Gandhi. You can't treat him like a politician , His true identity is a god stick, a religious leader. You can regard him as the modern Shakyamuni, or the Jesus of India. He hopes to see a peaceful country without war and bloodshed."

Churchill puffed out a puff of smoke, and said with a leisurely attitude, "...but the Indian rebellion led by Chandra Bose is clearly pushing this ancient country into the abyss of blood and fire. And this country was born through war and killing. The India of his life bears no resemblance to the dream India he has fought for all his life. In order to end this nightmare and push India into the orbit of his imagination, he will have to come back and work with us."

"...Then what about Nehru? He is not a magician, nor is he a dreamer. His ambition is not even worse than Hitler!"

"... Nehru? That arrogant, lying lawyer?" Churchill snorted through his nostrils, "...he really hates the continued rule of India by London's Whitehall, but he hates the idea of ​​India being led by others even more Independence...and this is the basis for our cooperation..."

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There is a saying that as long as the line is wrong, the more knowledge you have, the more reactionary you will be.

If this sentence is placed on the head of Mahatma Gandhi in India, it can be said that it cannot be more appropriate.

In general, Gandhi's halo was the result of the imagination of a distant observer.In fact, Gandhi's abstract ideas and romantic spirit have not been favored by the Indian elite in any era.However, given the moral resources possessed by Gandhi, they had to use Gandhi's banner while doing things that were completely contrary to Gandhi's vision.Otherwise, God knows what India will be like.

The Chinese often say that Sun Yat-sen is "Sun Dapao", who speaks unrealistically and speaks nonsense, and the "Strategy for the Founding of the Country" he wrote is almost a third-rate lame science fiction novel.However, if compared with Gandhi's line of nation-building, Sun Yat-sen's "Strategy for nation-building" can already be called very pragmatic.

So, what was Gandhi's political and ideological line like?Well, there are roughly the following points: anti-science, anti-Western, anti-industrialization, anti-violence, protection of animals, protection of the environment, ethnic equality, religious freedom... In addition to the lack of a program of equality between men and women, it is basically the Madonna of the White Left in Europe and the United States A small and fresh set of chicken soup for the soul.At least Greenpeace will definitely share a common language with Gandhi—although there have been many literary and artistic works nostalgic for the pastoral era, Gandhi was the first to systematically put forward the theory of "de-industrialization" in the world.

Although such thinking seemed fashionable for a while in the early 21st century, in the first half of the [-]th century, when war and revolution were the main themes, it was an out-and-out strange talk.For example, politicians in modern China, regardless of whether they were left or right, basically would not deny the importance of science and technology and industrialization.Even the comprador class who opposes the development of national industries and wholeheartedly believes in "buying is worse than building, and renting is worse than buying", at least believes that it is necessary to build modern sea and land logistics transportation to facilitate business with overseas countries-if even ports, railways, etc. , There are no roads or airports, and nothing can be transported in or pulled out. How should this comprador business be done?

However, Gandhi was really opposed to everything in Western civilization. In his book "Indian Self-Government", he expounded his concept of founding and governance, strongly criticized all deep-rooted systems in the West, and believed that India's way out lies in "Throwing away what it has found for nearly 50 years".

He regards all material wealth produced by modern civilization as evil, takes an uprooting attitude towards modern civilization, denies modern urban life, denies modern industrial system, opposes industrialization and big machines, and advocates returning to nature and the traditional simplicity and tranquility. Small peasant society, restore the natural economy combining agriculture and handicrafts, restore self-sufficient village autonomy, and rebuild a society based on spirit.

Contrary to the general trend of the era of separating church and state and realizing a secularized society, Gandhi introduced religious factors into politics.Gandhi not only often used religious terms in the national democratic movement, linking religious issues with political issues, but also directly used religious methods such as hunger strikes and prayers to solve political issues, and often quoted religious terms, repeatedly mentioning God, Rama, etc., emphasizing The significance of the movement in terms of religion, so that the movement has a strong religious revivalist nature.Gandhi often relied on the mysterious "inner voice" to do things, and rarely appealed to reason.In the national democratic movement, Gandhi not only determined the way to launch the struggle with his inner voice, but also stopped the movement at will with various absurd reasons.

Gandhi opposed all technological progress, opposed the use of tractors, and asked people to use the old methods thousands of years ago to cultivate the land; opposed rice milling machines, and asked everyone to eat brown rice.There was also a call for the closing of the textile mills and their replacement with spinning wheels, so as to keep the country people occupied.For his belief in non-violence, Gandhi believed that hypodermic injections were an act of violence, and refused to let his wife inject penicillin for acute bronchitis, resulting in his wife's death.

Gandhi hoped to build an India that bid farewell to industry and science in accordance with his ideals, an India that was willing to be poor and believed in gods, and an India that bid farewell to the city and returned to the countryside.Gandhi was full of pride in traditional Indian culture, endowed it with supreme moral superiority, and even hoped to preserve the caste system that deprived people of equality, because he believed that occupational inheritance could make people stay safe.

At the same time, he has an extreme contempt for modernization.According to Gandhi's vision, the essence of modern civilization, that is, Western civilization, is evil. An ideal India should not have railways, factories and armies, and the number of doctors and lawyers should be as few as possible.Town life means corruption, only the country is sacred.[-] million citizens can live a happy life by relying on abstract concepts such as non-violence and truth-seeking, and can save fallen Westerners...

Well, if the ideological slogan of the Chinese Boxer Rebellion is embellished with art and non-violence, it is probably the content of Gandhi's proposition.

——He does not admit that being backward will be beaten, and he does not recognize the development and progress of human society, but believes that love and tolerance can save everything, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand... Such an anti-modern thought that seems like a fool's dream, although it made Gandhi The vast countryside has countless fans, but it overwhelms other leaders of the Congress Party.Even Nehru, who is the legal successor, has publicly expressed his anger towards Gandhi many times, saying that "the old man is confused and playing tricks again."The ascetics and beggars who represented the traditional virtues of India in Gandhi's eyes, in Nehru's mind, "most people are useless, they only cheat others, and live on unearned alms."

And Gandhi's political opponents openly pointed out that don't look at Gandhi dressed like a beggar, in fact, personal expenses have never been small.Although Gandhi was a vegetarian for the sake of simplicity, his food was still carefully selected and carefully prepared to avoid various religious taboos, and it was no cheaper than eating a steak.And the hand-woven homespun clothes he is wearing are actually far more expensive than industrial products—otherwise, why would humans invent textile machinery?At the same time, Gandhi was surrounded by numerous secretaries and maids at all times, and the expenses of organizing various practices and religious ceremonies all depended on the generous funding of businessmen.A person who once served Gandhi said sarcastically: "To make Gandhi live in poverty, it really cost a lot of money."

Of course, even so, Gandhi was still a good man, a very great man, and a very charismatic guy—when the whole world was full of hatred, Gandhi opposed hatred; when the whole world worshiped violence, Gandhi opposed violence; When the whole world is full of mutual deceit, Gandhi speaks honesty; when all countries in the world believe in "people are not for themselves, and heaven and earth perish", Gandhi advocates selflessness; when the world worships heroes and privileges, Gandhi wants to fight The untouchables live together; when the world is full of materialism, Gandhi refuses to enjoy it.

But unfortunately, there can never be an equal sign between a good person and a qualified leader.

Generally speaking, everyone is happy to be a friend with a good old man, but they may not be happy to have a good old man be their boss.Because a cruel and cunning barbaric tyrant can make the country prosperous, but a naive and kind saint leader can make his people doomed.

Gandhi's eccentricities were all well and good for a nation that venerated the supernatural, but his claims did not help India's problems or its future.

But there is no way, just as some people will believe the superstitious ideas of the Boxers, Gandhi's anti-modernization ideas have also fascinated countless Indians-in this world, it may not be possible to obtain the approval of all smart people. Victory, but if you get the approval of all fools, you can really be crowned.At this time, in India, where there are only 60 middle school students in the country, the number of fools is far higher than that of smart people.

In the Western world, Gandhi's status in the arena is basically similar to that of the later Dalai Lama. Although the slogan is loud, it is actually too funny, but it does not do much harm.However, in order to keep up with the fashion, many people are willing to meet him, listen to his nonsense, and then laugh it off without taking it seriously.

If all Indians behaved like Gandhi, there would only be a lot of non-mainstream performance artists who talk about God and God. Only by hunger strikes, marches and strikes, the great cause of independent nation building will not be achieved in 100 years. The best result It's just a few official positions in the government.

However, after all, there are still some Indians who couldn't bear Gandhi's nagging, and turned around and chose to take up arms to start a revolution.

First of all, Chandra Bose, the chairman of the National Congress who led the wolf into the house, landed in Goa with the support of Japanese bayonets and Yamato naval guns, and swept across southwestern India.Then Jinnah, the leader of the Muslim League (the father of Pakistan), launched mutinies in Karachi and Rawalpindi and organized his own army.Then, the Sikhs, Tamils, Nepalese, and Sinhalese also revolted one after another, disrupting the British colonial authorities.

Faced with such a situation where there are many heroes competing for the throne, no matter how much Gandhi advocated non-violence, he could only follow the trend and join the ranks of the armed uprising, and then with the assistance of his close deputy Nehru , Raised the banner of rebellion in Calcutta at the mouth of the Ganges.

Although the rebellion was also half-hearted, the influence and appeal that Gandhi had accumulated over the years was really terrifying. As soon as the signal for the uprising was issued, thousands of followers came to join them with their own weapons and supplies. It swept across the Bengal province, took control of the densely populated Ganges Delta, and then continued to march toward the upper reaches of the Ganges River, capturing Bihar Province. Sri Lanka, the authentic chairman of the Congress Party at the time, was overwhelmed and could only control a few provinces and states on the west coast.

As of the spring of 1946, the situation in the South Asian subcontinent was roughly as follows: Marshal Wavell, the governor of India sent by the British, had only more than 1 motley troops and an isolated city of Delhi surrounded on all sides.Gandhi and Nehru conquered the entire Ganges plain east of Delhi, holding the traditionally most elite core hinterland of India.Jinnah, the leader of the Muslim League, controls the Indus River Basin, Boss, the chairman of the Congress Party, controls Mumbai, most of Madras and Ceylon on the southwestern coast of India, and the Sikhs control the small half of Punjab in the east.Under the coordination of the Japanese side, Jinnah, Boss and the Sikhs actually formed an alliance, separated from the capital Delhi controlled by the British army, and confronted the Gandhi-Nehru faction in eastern India faintly.

Then, between the two major military and political groups that dominated East India and West India, there were also a large number of Tubang princes and self-proclaimed warlords and bandits, and they pressed down from the Himalayas in the north. The striker also hit Delhi Nepalese on the outskirts.

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In terms of the policy of managing the colony, the British are typical as long as the profit regardless of the people.Under the condition of guaranteeing profits, the British are very willing to hand over the actual governance power to the local indigenous forces in order to reduce the maintenance cost of the colony.Therefore, when the British ruled India, they did not violate the fundamental interests of these princes, but signed a treaty with these princes: all princes must recognize Britain as their monarchy, and are willing to accept the British princes. The deputy king (generally concurrently serving as the governor of India) is the supreme ruler of India, and the deputy king agrees to control India's national defense and foreign affairs.Under this premise, the United Kingdom agreed to retain their status as princes and princes, allowing them to enjoy the right of self-government in their own territories.

It can be seen that the British did not bring the concept of democracy to India. If they really wanted to give freedom and human rights to the Indian people, then they should first abolish the feudal system and the privileges of the maharajas.However, instead of doing so, it signed an agreement with the princes and princes, recognizing the legal status of these princes and princes in legal form.From this we can see what the real intentions of the colonialists are.

Therefore, if one thinks that the British sent advanced ideas to India, the British sent revolutionary ideals to India, and the British sent advanced production methods to India... If someone thinks so, then this can only be said to be A kind of wishful thinking.

Therefore, after the British ruled India, India has in fact become two Indias, one is India composed of provinces with New Delhi as the center, and the other is India composed of 560 five states. As a hereditary monarch with supreme power, he rules one-third of India's territory and one-quarter of its population.Conditions vary greatly among the various states. Some rich states, such as Hyderabad and Kashmir, are almost as large as the European powers in size and population, and the palaces of princes are full of priceless rare jewels.But there are also some poor land-states, whose territory is as small as a park, and the prince's family property is so meager that he is almost a beggar, so he can only live in dilapidated stables.

Generally speaking, the princes and princes of all Indian states, whether they are rich or poor, whether they are religious or extravagant, whether they are corrupt or progressive, are all loyal to Britain without exception. Do your best.They contributed generously and bloodily to Britain in both world wars.He even organized, equipped, and trained several expeditionary forces, and under the guidance of the Mi Ziqi, they fought on various battlefields.

Even in the process of the collapse and disintegration of the British Indian colony, the rebellious attitude of the traditional Indian princes was not active. A considerable number of them even fought loyally for the British Empire to the last moment, until they were defeated by Boss’ Indians. The national army was defeated and the country was destroyed.Some of the remaining princes also supported their troops in desperation, or took refuge in the relatively tolerant side of Gandhi, or proclaimed themselves kings, and waited and watched for the time being.

In fact, they are looking forward to the flag of the British Empire all the time, and one day it will fly again on the land of the South Asian subcontinent.

——Although as a bourgeois revolutionist, Chandra Bose and the radicals of the National Congress Party led by him are far from comparable to the Russian Bolsheviks in suppressing the maharajas of the country, and at best they are the "Japanese Meiji Restoration" Abolish feudal clans and set up counties" and "four peoples are equal".Specifically, it is to abolish the caste system, confiscate the land of uncooperative princes, develop industrialization, and so on.But for these Indian maharajas whose ideological realm is mostly still in the feudal serf era, this is already a rebellious act like a devil.

Not to mention that in the turmoil of the Revolutionary War, even the National Congress Party, which launched the war, could not control the chaotic social order at all.Many strongmen from the grassroots took advantage of the out-of-control situation, took advantage of the opportunity to raise troops, and killed the landlords and princes. Although Indian religion can numb the people's sense of resistance to a certain extent, when the flames of war have been ignited, they still There's nothing stopping the mob from committing crimes.

In contrast, Gandhi's proposition of "returning India to the state it was before the arrival of the British" moved the princes very much: even if they could not return to the "good times" before the arrival of the British, they would start over again. Kneeling under the Mi Zi flag and being a loyal minister of the King of England is at least better than it is now!

With the continuous development of brutal wars and bloody revolutions, Gandhi, who once advocated independence, gradually began to feel that instead of letting India continue to bleed like this, and finally torn into a pile of pieces, it is better to let everything return to the peace ruled by the British. time!
——If we say that the radicals of the Indian National Congress led by Bose still have the demeanor of revolutionaries, then the moderates of the Indian Congress led by Gandhi are not revolutionaries at all I can only say that they are politicians who are good at showing off and dreamers who are full of fools.

Therefore, Gandhi was really tired of bloodshed and sacrifice, and hoped to restore peace at all costs; the remaining princes hated the revolution and wanted to restore India to the old state; Nehru wanted to squeeze out the present Boss, chairman of the National Congress Party, replaced him and became the new king of India... Unlike Gandhi, a benevolent and absolute pacifist, Nehru is a high-ranking nobleman who is extremely arrogant, and has a more arrogant ambition than Hitler At home, he compared himself to Alexander the Great from an early age.

U.S. President Nixon commented on Nehru in the book "Leader": "Outstanding talent, arrogant, aristocratic, bad-tempered, arrogant and conceited", and "sometimes aggressive, showing strong superiority unabashedly. feel".

In Nehru's eyes, India should be the center of the world, and other countries in the world should act and live according to Indian moral standards and values. As early as 1934, Nehru Ambitiously wrote in his autobiography: "My personal vision of the future is this: I think that a federation will be established in the future, including China, India, Burma, Sikkim, Afghanistan and other countries."

Hey, this is even crazier than Hitler's "Mein Kampf"!You forgot that even India itself is still a colony!
Obviously, a pretentious "man of destiny" like Nehru would never submit to anyone willingly.

Therefore, the three parties with ulterior motives have already secretly colluded and planned more than one conspiracy to seize power.It's just that in the years when the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy swept across the universe and dominated the Indian Ocean, they didn't dare to talk nonsense when facing Chandra Bose, who was supported by Japan.After the Japanese Empire collapsed and the combined fleet withdrew from the Indian Ocean, Nehru discovered another embarrassing problem.

——Even if he unites those states who are inclined to himself, he can't beat the alliance of Jinnah, Bose and Sikhs.

Although they are all under the banner of the Indian National Army, Boss's direct troops are British and Indian prisoners of war captured by the Japanese on the battlefield. After all, they are also professional soldiers, and they have been trained by the Japanese army and tested in actual combat. Both are stronger than the rabble under Nehru and Gandhi.

The troops of Jinnah, the leader of the Muslim League, were even worse. During the era of British rule in India, the headquarters of the Indian civil service system was in Delhi, but the old den of the British Indian Army was in Rawalpindi, which is now Jinnah's base.In other words, the orthodox inheritance of the British and Indian Army is in the hands of Jinnah.

As for the Sikhs, it goes without saying that as early as the Mughal Dynasty, they were already the most capable group in Hindustan...

In contrast, Gandhi, the master of the non-violent non-cooperation movement, let alone led troops to fight, was unable to do well even in terrorist attacks.Nehru's men did not have any military talents.Although the extravagant and promiscuous princes of the Tubang have a little army, their strength is very limited.

More importantly, they did not have any military industry in their hands-India under the rule of the British colonists could not produce even one artillery, one rifle and one bullet.However, the several arsenals built by the Japanese were all in Boss' territory.

Therefore, in order to obtain supplies of armaments and ammunition, and to win the Indian Civil War, Nehru, Gandhi, and the princes of the Tubang resolutely embraced the British thigh again, while Prime Minister Churchill happily picked up a huge bargain...