British civil servant

"Permanent Secretary, I believe that no one here understands India better than me." Alan Wilson couldn't wait to stand up, and said in a confident and professional tone, "I believe that all colleagues are familiar with the prosperity of British India." I have heard that I have worked in British India for a period of time, and I dare not say that I know the local area very well, but it can also be said that I am not an outsider.”

"From a geographical point of view, British India is undoubtedly a very suitable place for agricultural development. This can be proved by the large local population. Some officials in British India even said that Indians reproduce like cockroaches, but they can still live. Gotta go down."

As soon as Alan Wilson's words fell, the entire conference room burst into laughter, unabashedly showing the high moral standards of the old imperialism.

"The arable land in British India is second only to the United States in the world. I believe everyone is impressed by the agricultural foundation of the United States. Since the United States entered the war, it has never been troubled by supplies. India has abundant rainfall and suitable temperatures. The agricultural population Numerous, precisely because of various conditions, will become the jewel in the crown of the empire."

It is absolutely true that British India has a lot of arable land!It's just that it has a population no less than that of China. Even the officials of British India now don't know how many people are in the colony they manage.

It is true that British India has abundant rainfall. Like Africa, most of India is divided into a rainy season and a dry season.India, which is located in the monsoon zone, often experiences consecutive months of rain with few sunny days.Even in the 21st century, floods in India are often reported.

Moreover, once a flood occurs in India, it will generally appear in the Ganges River Basin, which has [-]% of India's population.

After the rainy season comes the dry season, so after the floods, droughts are not new in India. Large areas of crop failure have led to a very high suicide rate among Indian farmers.

In the agricultural era, the climate is stable and the average rainfall is the real foundation. In this regard, India, which is in a monsoon climate, and the United States, which is regularly harvested by the cold current of the Arctic Ocean, actually cannot compare with China's natural conditions.

India's agricultural conditions are good, only on paper. In fact, the Ganges River Basin, the most populated place, is too close to the Himalayas. During the monsoon season, the monsoon is blocked by the roof of the world, and the Ganges River Basin receives a lot of precipitation in the rainy season. .

Of the annual rainfall of [-] millimeters, [-] millimeters fall during the rainy season, and because India is located in the tropics, with a huge amount of evaporation, these rainfalls cannot be retained at all, and the country is not short of water, but it has been rained for two months, and then evaporated again.

Of course, according to Allen Weir, none of these unfavorable factors existed.India is the jewel in the crown of the British Empire and the foundation supporting the glory of the British Empire. If you have difficulties, you can find India.

Alexander Cadogan nodded frequently, and said to himself, "I almost forgot that Allen is the liaison officer of the Colonial Ministry to British India, and he is very familiar with the situation in British India."

"That's not all familiar." Alan Wilson pretended to be modest, "Only in the environment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with so many outstanding colleagues, can we come up with a solution."

Although he looks humble on the surface, if Alan Wilson had a tail on his butt, he might be able to go to heaven at this time.

"If Alan thinks there is no problem, he can contact the Indian side after the meeting. I don't know where India's grain-producing areas are." Alexander Cadogan nodded, ready to hand over the food shortage to the Foreign Secretary Decide.

Alexander Cadogan, who had not worked in British India, could answer questions about China if asked.

It doesn't matter, Alan Wilson, the commissioner who still receives Ali Khan's salary, knows very well that the grain-producing area in India, similar to the North Dacang, is the Punjab Province of British India.

The British Punjab Province actually has extremely poor conditions on paper, with little precipitation. It belongs to the climate of tropical grassland and tropical desert. It is almost a grassland close to the Sahara Desert, but the latitude is north, so the sun will not be too much.

As for most places in India, the agricultural environmental conditions are very poor, flooded to death, drought to death, and excess sunlight.

After the Partition of British India, India only snatched one-fifth of the Punjab Province. With such a small area, it has become the most important grain-producing area in India. Whether there is a famine in India depends on the fact that there are only [-] square kilometers Punjab is not going well this year.

"Okay, that's the end of today's discussion. Alan, please contact the Governor's Office of India." Alexander Cadogan breathed a sigh of relief. There are still many agendas, and today is just the beginning.

"I'll do it right away." Alan Wilson stood upright like a soldier about to be inspected.

After the meeting, Eifel looked at Alan Wilson, who seemed to be more energetic, and said strangely, "It seems that when you mention India, you suddenly become more active."

"Eifel, people can't be biased. Tens of millions of people in the British-occupied area don't have enough food. We are British gentlemen, how can we act like the Soviets or Americans? We are signatories to the Geneva Convention. "Alan Wilson said sternly, "Once there are large-scale abnormal deaths in the occupied area, it will have a negative impact on the reputation of the British Empire."

"What's wrong with the Americans? General Eisenhower is a good person, at least much better than Patton." Eifel chuckled, really not knowing where his colleagues heard the news.

"But it can't change Eisenhower's German accent!" Alan Wilson said without thinking. In order to show his loyalty to the United States, Eisenhower will only show greater loyalty than ordinary American generals.

Leaving the meeting room, Alan Wilson, who had been authorized, immediately contacted the Ministry of Indian Affairs. Punjab is a good place, where the Peace Church, Sikhism and Hindus gather.

After coming to Europe for more than a month, Alan Wilson finally had the opportunity to contact with a powerful country again, thinking about it, he almost cried with joy.

Chapter 69 Yes, Minister!

People are in Europe, and their hearts are in India. This is the current state of Alan Wilson. The greater the possibility of British India's independence from the United Kingdom, the more Alan Wilson wants to fight for the last post.

No way, who made him a civil servant of the empire?What else could be done without considering the interests of the British Empire?

Because he is the liaison officer of the Ministry of Indian Affairs to British India, and he is only temporarily in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so he is very familiar with contacting the Ministry of Indian Affairs. Combined with the current first-hand information in Europe, it shows the importance of restoring order in Europe as soon as possible.

There is no doubt that all European countries have been severely damaged by the war. If you don't admit this, just wait for the Soviet Union to liberate the world.

At this time, we cannot believe that Europe and the free world are deceiving themselves, otherwise they will be no different from Democrats who believe in polls. Real estate businessmen have already proved that polls are tantamount to fraud.

To be honest, raising food from British India at this time and transporting it to Europe is to use the goods from Great Britain to win the favor of Europe.

But the UK can't pay for it by itself!Supporting Europe is a decision made by the London government, and it is the London government's responsibility to hold the responsibility. All Alan Wilson can do is to use his understanding of British India to let the British mainland take the responsibility. It belongs to India to bear.

Avoid burdening the British Empire right after the war.In the matter of patriotism, Alan Wilson is selfless, just to make the country better.

He, the liaison officer of British India, is just an executor, doing what seems like the British cutting flesh and blood for Europe.Decisions are made by the London government.

It is also because of the colonial status of British India that the burden can be passed on.Otherwise, it would be like the idea of ​​the Sleeping King in the 21st century, that the United States would give away its profits to make friends with Europe, and gradually make plans for a certain big country.It seems to have a long-term vision, but the benefits that are conceded must be sacrificed by the citizens of the country, and the citizens would rather continue to watch the real estate businessmen who punched seven wounds continue to rise to power.

For the British citizens in [-], the London government needed to restore the European order immediately, and in the overall situation, money must be spent, but for the British citizens, I really have a cow!

"There is no doubt that in this world war, India's local elite power has grown stronger again. British India has become increasingly uncontrollable, but Britain still faces many problems, but at present, the local economy must be guaranteed. , the method that can be conceived, and has always worked in the past, is to use the material resources of British India to support the present United Kingdom and Europe."

In a telegram to Indian Affairs Secretary Leo Emery, Alan Wilson stated that he must not soften his position on draining India of its last bit of value.

He believes that the Minister of Indian Affairs can understand this, because it was under the wise leadership of Leo Emery that Britain, in order to quell the global war as soon as possible, disregarded the outbreak of famine in India, shipped food to support the war, and let Bangladesh The outbreak of the Great Famine.

Since there was the first time, it’s okay to have the second time. Anyway, the abnormal weather in South Asia is well known.

Alan Wilson certainly knows the possible consequences. If he does not have the ability to fart to cause climate change on the earth, next year there will be climate fluctuations in many countries around the world, and food shortages will occur in many places.The more famous one is the [-] famine in the Soviet Union, but in fact a famine broke out in India in the same year.

At this time, the proposal to transport grain from British India is proposed. The famine may expand next year, but it can't be controlled so much.Alan Wilson didn't believe that there are still people who use next year's natural disasters to find this year's future.

"Call Hallett to come in and send a telegram to the Governor-General of India." Leo Emery, the Minister of Indian Affairs, called the Secretary of the Indian Affairs Department in and said, "It's a matter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Simply put, it's from Marshal Montgomery. The British-occupied area needs food to stabilize the social order as soon as possible, and you know the current local situation, if it affects the quality of life of the citizens of the country, it may have a negative impact at this time of the election."

"Yes, Minister!" Hallet stood still and listened to the words of Leo Emery, Minister of Indian Affairs, and added, "For personal reasons, I pretended not to hear about the election just now. I will inform India immediately Governor's Mansion!"

"Is there any difficulty?" Leo Emery asked, he was more afraid of causing chaos in British India.

"No problem, the [-] civil servants in British India are always busy working for the empire's decision-making." Hallett assured, patted his chest.

What could be wrong?For civil servants, doing nothing is certainly a pursuit.But doing nothing also proves that there is no chance to make money. For such an imperial mission, the officials of British India not only do not feel disgusted, but will go to work with a lot of energy, because the benefits contained in it will make everyone unable to remain indifferent.

At the Governor's Office of British India in New Delhi, Governor Wavell scratched his head with a telegram sent by the Minister of Indian Affairs in London, "The war in Southeast Asia is not over yet. London also expects British India to deliver some food to help stabilize Europe as soon as possible. The situation seems to be putting too much pressure on British India."

"Governor, I don't think so." Sir Barron said with a smile, "British India is undoubtedly extremely important to the British Empire. Without British India, the prosperity of the British Empire would not be the same. Success. But at present, we are serving the overall situation, and it is indeed the most important thing to restore stability in the mainland and Europe as soon as possible, and the Minister of Indian Affairs is right about this.”

"I'm just worried that the pressure on British India is too great." Governor Wavell said a little embarrassedly, "By the way, this is a telegram from the little commissioner. I don't know how the output of Punjab Province is this year. The above is for Punjab I am a little worried about the gathering of various religions in the province, as there are many peaceful believers in the area, will it cause religious conflicts."

Sir Barron took over the telegram from Governor Wavell, and looked at the concerns about the mixing of the three major religions in Punjab, the corners of his mouth curled up. How could this be so similar to the wording of the telegram that old Wilson sent in Bengal during the Bengal famine?

"No problem, Governor!" Sir Barron put away the telegram and reported, "We will certainly supply enough food."

The sun was setting, and a busy day at the Governor's Mansion was over. Pamela Mountbatten was waiting in front of the Governor's Mansion. After a while, Sir Barron got off work and saw Pamela Mountbatten waiting at a glance.

"Uncle Barron!" Pamela Mountbatten greeted very obediently, "Do you have my telegram?"

"It depends on whose telegram you want!" Sir Barron held back, then pulled out a telegram and handed it over, "Then, as a girl, you should pay attention to your ladylike demeanor."

Chapter 70 Hamburger

"Of course!" Pamela Mountbatten took the telegram, stuffed it into her arms and thanked her with a smile, "Well, thank you."

After speaking, Pamela Mountbatten, who was holding a telegram, jumped and left the Governor's Mansion. Sir Barron shrugged helplessly. He still had a lot of things to do, and he still needed to contact the chief executives of the provinces.

Lord Barron was fine with getting food from British India to solve Europe's difficulties.To put it bluntly, the British Empire has been doing this for more than 100 years. The question is whether the food in British India can meet domestic demand.

If not satisfied?It's not impossible, Sir Barron can only increase his strength for the sake of the overall situation.

In fact, up to now, the rainfall in British India has been relatively low. Although there has not been a famine that has a wide range of impacts, under the drought, the food accumulation in British India will be left after this year. Very doubtful.

The rainy season in British India this year has come two weeks later than expected. Don’t underestimate the half-month period. This is already a serious problem. If you don’t deal with it well, food prices may skyrocket this year.

Because Alan Wilson was already in Europe, he naturally didn't know that there were signs of famine next year in his memory. He only knew that famine swept across Eurasia in the second year after World War II ended.The famine encountered in the Soviet Union is the most famous, and few people know about the famine in India.

Of course, what is India, who cares how many people starve to death?The Soviet Union is a thorn in the side of the United States, Britain and France. If there is any disturbance, the United States, Britain and France can't wait to broadcast everywhere with big speakers.

It is also because of the famine that the lives of the Soviets are more important than Mount Tai, and the lives of the Indians are worthless. Who cares?

India is originally a country with hungry people, and most people are facing the days of not having enough to eat in peacetime.Anyway, I can't get enough to eat, so why should I extravagantly expect good weather?

Pamela Mountbatten was still carefully holding a telegram to see things and think about people, and Alan Wilson entered another round of busyness. Sometimes he wondered if he had done all the work of the civil servants of the British Empire.

After receiving the task of liaising with British India, he left Berlin immediately, and took advantage of his free time in the past few days to go to Hamburg, an important port in the British-occupied area of ​​Germany.

To be precise, Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany, second only to Greater Berlin, which is occupied by the four-nation partition.

It is also Germany's most important seaport, import and export center, such an important city, and the Ruhr area, the German industrial center in the British-occupied area. It can be seen that the UK must have taken advantage of the distribution during the Yalta Conference.

Of course, Alan Wilson hopes to make good use of this important legacy that the British Empire won at the Yalta Conference.Therefore, reflecting my hardworking nature, I came to Hamburg while I was busy.

As for the current situation in Hamburg?To be honest, it is very bad. Because of its important status, Hamburg has always been the main target of the British Air Force's strategic bombing, which is used to deter the support of the German people for the war.

Strategic bombing is a large-scale mixed bombing of incendiary bombs and bombs, the purpose of which is to cause a fire in the whole city.The bomber formation arrived over Hamburg, and after dive-bombing over and over again, they dropped high-explosive bombs and incendiary bombs on the city of Hamburg like raindrops. In an instant, Hamburg was engulfed in flames, and large buildings were ignited. Huge sea of ​​flames.

During the continuous bombing, the British and American bomber formations dropped 4 tons of bombs, killing more than [-] people. In terms of power alone, they are not much worse than the little boy who is about to be put into use.

"I didn't expect the situation in Hamburg to be so bad!" Sitting in the military vehicle that picked him up, Alan Wilson couldn't help sighing that the damage in France was almost an order of magnitude worse than here.

There are ruins everywhere in Hamburg, and the closer the port is, the more serious it is. Looking outside, the surviving German people are much more miserable than the current citizens of Greater Berlin.

"Liaison officer, this is the current situation here. The cleaning work is very slow! And the food problem has already appeared." The captain who came to pick up Alan Wilson said with a wry smile, "I really don't know what to do."

"Is there a lot of black market transactions? This is the case where the order collapses." Seeing the situation here, Alan Wilson told the truth in his heart, he doesn't want to go back to Berlin at all now, what about the Potsdam Conference, what about leaving his name in history , It's all bullshit, he just wants to exchange a cigarette for a dragoon in this paralyzed city.

"Yes, Liaison Officer, the black market is rampant. Food and cigarettes are currently the most in short supply. Even a classical piano can be exchanged for potatoes." fight."

"That's really a tragedy!" Alan Wilson couldn't help but frowned, and said with emotion, "Perhaps the continuous strategic bombing of Hamburg was indeed a cruel decision."

The captain who came to pick up Alan Wilson was also silent. He was just an ordinary officer, so he couldn't be indifferent when he saw the tragedy in Hamburg. Pat Alan Wilson on the shoulder.

How did the simple captain know that Alan Wilson did not have such a thing as a conscience. When the Great Bengal Famine broke out, he sent many telegrams to Sir Barron in New Delhi. He sent the telegrams for the old Wilson. The wording was similar to the telegram that arrived in New Delhi yesterday. .

Alan Wilson arrived in Hamburg. On the one hand, he heard that Ali Khan’s cargo ship carrying grain from India had arrived in England and was heading towards Hamburg. Ali Khan’s London housekeeper, Alim, also came with him, so he came to Hamburg to greet him.Another purpose is to see what heritage can be found in the British-occupied area.

Under the guidance of British soldiers, Alan Wilson first went to the British Army Command in Hamburg, and then visited Field Marshal Busch, the commander-in-chief of the German Army in Northwest Europe. Are there any German troops in Germany?In fact, there are, in the British-occupied area.

Montgomery placed the German troops under the jurisdiction of Field Marshal Busch, commander-in-chief of the German Army in Northwest Europe.Cooperating with Marshal Montgomery to maintain the stability of the British-occupied area, the British-occupied area can be said to be under the control of the British-German coalition forces.Marshal Busch's chief of staff and staff are located in the headquarters of the British Army.

Montgomery is in Greater Berlin, receiving praise and honors from all parties, and the Potsdam Conference is about to be held. The current daily work in the British-occupied area is presided over by Lieutenant General Ronald Weeks.

The reason why the energetic Allen Wilson is so hardworking is of course to come here to buy the bottom.

Chapter 71 Leading the Way

Although the British-occupied area is not the largest of the four-nation-occupied areas in terms of area, there is no doubt that the British-occupied area is the essence of Germany.Otherwise, it will not be mentioned frequently by the United States, and it will replace the occupied area with the United Kingdom, and finally fight for an enclave port.

From this point, it can be seen that Britain and the United States in [-] also had limited trust, but they had more common language when facing the Soviet Union.

"Dear Lieutenant General Ronald, it seems that the situation here is worse than expected." After Alan Wilson arrived at the British Army Command, he stated what he had seen and heard. To be honest, the spirit of German citizens here in Hamburg The state is completely different from that of Greater Berlin. If you compare it, it is not far from the people of British India.

"As you have seen, the current work has only been done to dredge the port, and the ruins in the city have not been cleaned up at all." Lieutenant General Ronald Weeks did not show contempt because of Allen Wilson, a liaison officer. .

It should be said that the war has ended for Britain. Naturally, soldiers like him will not think about maintaining world peace like Prime Minister Churchill.Now that the war was over and Lieutenant General Ronald Weeks was on to other problems, Field Marshal Montgomery went straight to Berlin to receive flowers and applause, leaving him to deal with the mess.

Then Lieutenant General Ronald Weeks asked Alan Wilson about the purpose of coming from Berlin. Alan Wilson had nothing to hide about this, "The restoration of order in the British-occupied area as soon as possible has worried many ministers. Because I am also a liaison officer to British India, and it happens to be in Germany, the permanent deputy minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggested to the foreign minister to see if he can think of a way. It just so happened that I knew that a cargo ship carrying grain had already arrived in Europe, so I came here Come here to deal with it."

"This incident is really gratifying." Lieutenant General Ronald Weeks nodded clearly after hearing this, and replied simply, "The order and stability of the British-occupied area is not just the responsibility of the army. The Ministry very much welcomes the joint efforts of various departments."

"Thank you, General!" Alan Wilson nodded politely, "If possible, the former German soldiers should be used for the clean-up work in the British-occupied area, isn't it their duty?"

"Of course, we are already doing this." Lieutenant General Ronald Weeks pointed outside the office, "After you go out, turn left and you will see the German General Staff. Food, really need these German staff to distribute, after all, we are not locals, there may be omissions in the distribution.”

"General, I want to see the Germans and see if I can help you." Allen Wilson said proactively.

Then, with the approval of Lieutenant General Ronald Weeks, Germany has officially surrendered. These German soldiers who surrendered were not as cruelly treated by the United Kingdom as the United States and the Soviet Union.

In fact, when it comes to this issue, if Alan Wilson has the opportunity, he really wants to go to the Rhine Camp to see if the Americans have left any clues. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to think so.

At present, more than 200 million German soldiers in the British-occupied area have surrendered to the British and Canadian coalition forces. The British-occupied area is divided into four military districts responsible for occupation affairs: In addition to the formation of the Berlin Military District, the remaining British-occupied area is divided into three parts, Schleswig [-]. Holstein Military Area: Under the charge of General Barker, commanding the Eighth Army, two divisions and an armored brigade.

Hanover Military District: General Horrocks is in charge, commanding the No.30 Army, three divisions and an armored brigade.Westphalian Military District: General Crocker is in charge, commanding the [-]st Corps, four divisions and an armored brigade.

The other troops are managed by him in a unified way and form the general reserve team, just in case.The purpose of the British Army Command was to use the organization of the military headquarters of the army, division, brigade, and regiment to rebuild the local government in the British-occupied area in an orderly manner.

These headquarters govern corresponding counties, towns, townships and other areas, and all work is carried out through corresponding civil affairs organizations.

As for where the current commander of the British Army Montgomery is, according to the British Army Command, Marshal Montgomery is in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, to accept the title of honorary citizen of Copenhagen.

"To be honest, the current mess in Germany should not be cleaned up by our soldiers, but by German soldiers. Aren't these 200 million soldiers doing their best to rebuild their own homes?" Before leaving the British Army Command, Alan Wilson said in a nutshell, "The German soldiers were lucky to surrender to us. The soldiers who surrendered to the Americans are still locked up in the Rhine Camp. The soldiers who were captured by the Soviets, digging potatoes in Siberia is their only fate. But our British army manages the occupied area with noble professionalism, but we can't be their nanny, and the Germans themselves should make a little contribution."

"The headquarters is also dealing with this matter." The staff officer who sent Alan Wilson out shrugged his shoulders after hearing this. "The most important thing is to solve the problem of food first. As for the restoration of transportation, it will be a matter of the future, and the Germans must be indispensable."

"These are free labor. It's good not to treat them as war criminals. You are welcome to use them as needed. What about 200 million people? If you use the energy to build the Siegfried Line of Defense at the beginning, I believe that in half a year, the British-occupied area will be destroyed." A new look." Alan Wilson gave sincere advice, and to be honest he wanted to write a plan for the British Army Command.

In this way, he can know where in the German Ruhr area in the British-occupied area, where is it possible to pan for gold in dung.

Alim's freighter arrived a few hours later than expected, but considering the current situation in the port of Hamburg, this is not a delay. He found Alan Wilson just after disembarking and expressed his apology, "The port is severely damaged. There was some delay in entering the port."

"It doesn't matter. Food is the most precious in Germany now, and it's not just Germany. The garden in the center of Vienna is now used to grow potatoes. You understand what it means." Alan Wilson turned and glanced at the freighter, "British India The monarch of Hyderabad, the respected Maharaja Ali Khan, is willing to help Europeans in difficulties with unprecedented kindness and selflessness. This is something worthy of a special book. It deserves a front page headline .Doing so can also give the Governor General of British India a lead."

Even Ali Khan, who was in a state of de facto independence, was able to help the British Empire in a hurry. With this example, the civil servants of British India were the first, how could they not work hard to scrape the ground? This is a positive role.