British civil servant

"Because of the objective law that things are universally connected, I can't say that they will succeed [-]%. But they should exist according to objective laws." Norman Brook said with a serious face, "I still believe the person who said this .”

"Who said this sentence? Little Pete or Gladiton?" Edward Bridges mentioned the names of two famous prime ministers in the history of the British Empire. How could he not remember this sentence.

"Almost, this sentence was actually said by Lenin." Norman Brooke gave Edward Bridges an unexpected name.

Edward Bridges nodded, without any special reaction to the name Lenin, but said, "It is the responsibility of our Cabinet Office to guide the Prime Minister to make the right choice. Look at those impassioned members of Congress, Maybe a future minister or even the prime minister."

"That's right!" Norman Brooke agreed with the other party's judgment. "They are all kinds of people. They are all different. It may be an amateur scientist, a philosopher, some horse racing fans and libertines, a family, a historian. family and a famous general, including the vast majority of mediocrity and a very small number of geniuses."

"The prime minister and his government who take office will bring a series of policies to be implemented, and the cabinet secretary must use his talents to ensure that the Cabinet Office, a national machine, plays a role, provides services for the prime minister and his government, and implements policies."

Edward Bridges talked eloquently, "Norman, you are coming soon. My colleagues in Whitehall have always been optimistic about you. I will find a place where the fireworks are full of fireworks and do what I should do, although for you It’s not that there are criticisms, but it’s good for you to grasp the level yourself.”

"Where is it not doing well enough?" According to Edward Bridges, these criticisms certainly did not affect him, but Norman Brook has not been a cabinet secretary for a day, and it is still impossible to say that the matter is a foregone conclusion.

Naturally, when he heard some criticisms against himself, he wanted Edward Bridges to speak out frankly.

"It's nothing, it's the sense of distance of a prime minister. In your work experience, you have maintained good personal relationships with serving ministers and prime ministers. Some colleagues think that you are too close to these politicians and lack a sense of distance." Edward Bridge Si crossed his fingers and recalled, "It's not like our people..."

"Of course I'm one of us!" Norman Brook said with a grievance in his voice, "Who slandered a gentleman like this? This is slander, persecution, and unspeakable slander in the world."

"Of course I approve of you, Norman." Edward Bridges reached out his hand to signal to be calm, and waited until Norman Brook calmed down before saying in an objective manner, "You also know that many powerful departments They are not without ideas, there is nothing logical in this world, and as a cabinet secretary, I think the Cabinet Office has unquestionable leadership over government departments."

"However, in some departments, especially the very important ones, they conversely believe that their own department should control the Cabinet Office. As early as Sir Morris established the Cabinet Office, they defeated the Ministry of the Interior. After the glorious days, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also very tame at present, and the only thing that cannot be bypassed is the Ministry of Finance."

"It's the Ministry of Finance..." Norman Brooke understood what Edward Bridges meant when he heard it, and was stopped by the cabinet secretary just as he was about to speak.

"The Ministry of Finance will always exist, unless, as the Soviet Union claimed, banknotes are meaningless. I don't know if the Soviets are right, but it is certainly impossible now. Especially our current Prime Minister, who is not very good at financial issues Extremely concerned, so I wouldn't recommend knocking on the Treasury Department."

In fact, there are no specific selection criteria for the cabinet secretary. The unspoken rules are nothing more than two points. The first point is that they are white men, and the second point is that they were born in England. Civil servants who meet these two points are everywhere. Naturally, many qualified civil servants want Be the prettiest boy.

Norman Brooke listened to what Edward Bridges said. It wasn't for any particular reason. Edward Bridges didn't completely retire, but just left the position of cabinet secretary.

Maybe some time in the future, he will need the help of Edward Bridges.

In the cabinet secretary's office, the two also discussed how to achieve their goals with General Mountbatten.After all, being knighted is not a hasty matter. It is impossible to be so anxious when it comes to the king himself.

Moreover, the factor of Prime Minister Attlee must also be considered. How to make the Prime Minister feel that this is a manifestation of his own authority, rather than being guided, has always been the key to the work of the cabinet secretary.

Theoretically, the cabinet secretary has to do everything, but it must be considered that this is the will of the prime minister, and he has not done anything.

The telegram traveled across the ocean and came to the hot summer subcontinent. It wasn't Alan Wilson who was picky. He was quite dissatisfied with the working environment of the Governor's Mansion. The ceiling fan hanging on the roof was too reluctant to fight against the climate of the subcontinent.

Thinking of Patel who was about to arrive, Alan Wilson felt even more reluctant.

Near noon, Patel himself finally came late. He didn't know if he was going to eat curry, and he didn't think of coming here until he finished eating.

"Dear Mr. Patel!" Seeing Patel coming in, Alan Wilson got up and said with a smile, "First of all, I would like to congratulate Mr. Patel for his great victory against the colonial government under the support of many supporters. We are about to have to be disgraced, pick a time and release most of the innocent Brahmins."

"This is all thanks to Mr. Allen. If all British people were like Mr. Allen, we might not always live a life full of confrontation." Patel, with his shiny forehead, also gave There was a hypocritical greeting that was both polite.

"Confrontational days are not what we want to see. It is important to have Mr. Patel come over today." Alan Wilson took out the official document sent by the mainland and handed it to Patel. On the other hand, he introduced, "The cabinet mission has returned to London and informed the Prime Minister of everything they saw in British India in detail. The biggest problem is the Muslim League and the Congress Party. There’s a certain amount of disagreement going forward.”

"Mr. Patel also knows that the British Empire must fully listen to the opinions of all parties. The Prime Minister certainly hopes to let go of British India, but it is difficult to convince members of Congress. Everyone wants to express their opinions, and everyone still wants to Everyone has the qualifications to express their opinions, which is very difficult to deal with."

"London wants me to go to London once?" Patel looked at the telegram, listened to Alan Wilson's complaints, and said, "On behalf of British India, publicly express the position of the Congress Party?"

"Why not? Mr. Patel, the whole world is paying attention to the future of British India." Alan Wilson said that this trip to London may be of great significance. "Who represents the image of British India is very important." .The one who went to London for the last roundtable was Mr. Gandhi."

A total of three round tables were held, and the King of England held the first round table on India in London.Attendees included 58 representatives of various Indian princes and factions.Ali Jinnah led the Muslim League delegation to participate, and the Congress Party at that time boycotted the meeting.

In desperation, the local governor's office released Gandhi. Gandhi attended the meeting as the only representative of the Congress Party. At the meeting, he put forward a request for the status of a dominion of India, which was rejected by the British as expected.

Coupled with different opinions on issues such as the representation of peace believers, the meeting still failed to reach an agreement.

At that time, World War II had not yet broken out, and the British Empire was still an unattainable existence for the subcontinent.

But this time London took the initiative to invite members of the National Congress Party to London, and the general environment is different from the one more than ten years ago. After Patel was released last time, he turned to support the British Empire. After the war, the time was ripe for India's independence.

If it was he himself who went to London on behalf of the Congress Party instead of Nehru, even if Patel could not let Nehru aside when he came back, he would still be able to gain an equal position instead of being behind Nehru.

The last time it was Gandhi who represented the Congress Party, this time it is Patel, and all the glory is due to him.

"Mr. Patel, the Prime Minister is still waiting for your reply. If I think about it, I will reply to the London side." Naturally, Alan Wilson does not have clairvoyant eyes to see through Patel's thoughts, but he can see through the other party's life history It was also judged that this person really wanted to seize such an opportunity.

Chapter 229 Taking advantage of the opportunity to rob

Who would choose to be the second child if they could be the boss?Those countries that say that their country has no ambitions for the world are generally just because of national strength and cannot achieve global ambitions, which does not mean that they really do not have any.

This is especially evident when it comes to Patel's and Nehru's internal relations within the Congress Party.

When it came to the issue of Nehru's succession, maybe Gandhi really felt that he was old, maybe Gandhi had seen that self-government still had an absolute advantage in the Congress Party, maybe Gandhi really felt that the elders who had passed sixty years should fully support the young people He presided over the work, and he repeatedly proposed at the Congress Party meeting that the Congress Party should have Nehru as the chairman of the party.

Although he was well aware of Nehru's education in England, he didn't know much about the situation in India, and his claim of immediate independence appeared fanciful, but Gandhi knew this young man. He has feelings, and has passed the test of the fire behind bars many times.

Although the young man did not understand and be enthusiastic about Gandhi's homespun movement, and they had major differences on some major issues, Gandhi was determined.

Gandhi's proposal that Nehru serve as the chairman of the Congress Party has been approved, but many people in the Congress Party cannot understand and accept it.Gandhi patiently explained to these people.

He said: "Don't worry about putting power in the hands of young people. It's scary that a useless person like me still holds power. Some people think he is too excited, but I think he has a warrior-like impulse. There is also the caution of a politician. Give him power and the country is safe."

The reason why Nehru has a higher status than Patel in the Congress Party today has a huge relationship with Gandhi's support back then.Does Patel obey? Superficially, who knows behind the scenes?

Alan Wilson also knows more. In fact, when India was just independent, some people believed that India under the management of Patel and Nehru was a kind of duopoly.But, Patel's problem is the same as that of Ali Jinnah, who died almost a few years after India became independent.

Unlike Ali Jinnah, who is plagued by illness, at least on the surface, Patel can't see the problem. Maybe he doesn't even think he has any problems, and now he still wants to compete with Nehru.

This telegram from London just gave Patel a chance to appear on the international stage, and it would be a pity to miss it.

"I still have to go back and think about it." Although Patel had already decided to start the trip to London, but after years of education in the UK, he still said verbally that he should think about it.

But if anyone made him really think about it, it was undoubtedly his enemy.

"Then the next one is the Muslim League." Seeing Patel leave the Governor's Mansion, Alan Wilson muttered, and he wanted to repeat what happened just now, but with a different target.

Sending off the nasty people would relieve the pressure that British India is now facing.

In fact, the situation faced this time reminded Alan Wilson of another major famine decades ago, the same severe drought for two consecutive years, and the same operation method.

In 70, due to the drought, the crops on the Deccan Plateau were not harvested, and both southern and southwestern India were affected. The famine expanded in the second year, and the affected area reached [-] square kilometers.

During this period, the local governor exported a record 640 million tons of wheat to the United Kingdom, and held a grand banquet of 6 people to commemorate the coronation of Queen Victoria, which weakened India's economic strength to a certain extent. The famine affected approximately 500 million people and killed 550 million.

There are also some advantages now. For example, British India now has a full 20 tons of wheat. Although the population has already doubled several times, it seems a little bit of a drop in the bucket.

But we have to consider that the times have always brought about some changes, and this is an era of globalization.Maybe the Indians who are begging with their rice bowls will really ask some countries to donate money and materials.

If the Americans can show some kind words, then before the independence of British India, Alan Wilson didn't mind, and sold some natural resources in British India to American companies at a reasonable price.

Who made him be kind-hearted by nature, and he couldn't see the scene of people starving.

Of course, it is impossible for Alan Wilson to know about the discussions within the Congress Party, but he knows what Gandhi is doing recently, playing the role of a saint. Having said that, Gandhi has also shaped the image of a saint for decades, and he is familiar with how to handle it.

At this time, Gandhi was over 70 years old, and his appearance was not striking. He was always naked and wore a loincloth woven from soil. His noble and solemn demeanor, and his calm and unhurried demeanor of humility formed his strength and authority. , so that others have to show respect and admiration for him.

His quiet and deep eyes can always make a deep observation of things, and his clear and kind voice always makes people feel refreshing and resonates.Regardless of the size of his audience, he can relate to Gandhi.

But this time Gandhi had to return to the Congress Party. At the same time that Alan Wilson was lobbying the Muslim League in the same way, Patel and Nehru had different views on the trip to London.

With the status of Nehru and Patel in the Congress Party, once the two people have differences, almost no one can mediate. Only one person has such prestige, and that is Gandhi who has already started touring.

There was a dispute between the two young leaders of the party, and Gandhi had to rush back immediately.

Regarding the trip to London, Nehru believed that this was another imperialist conspiracy, and it would be no different from the previous round table meetings. Non-violent non-cooperation should be adopted and the trip to London this time should be rejected.

But Patel has a different view on this. He feels that after the baptism of the world war, the time for India's independence is ripe.

This trip to London is different from the original roundtable conference in terms of environment. It is a good opportunity for the British and even the whole world to listen to the voice of India. This opportunity should not be missed.

"Over the years, the British have proven that they will not let go." Nehru said resolutely, "We must understand that the long-term nature of this struggle cannot be taken lightly."

"Our struggle has been going on for decades, starting after the First World War, and now we have gone through the Second World War. It is not easy. On the contrary, this is a good opportunity." Patel said in front of Gandhi The face insisted, "This is the last obstacle. As long as we rush over, we will free hundreds of millions of people in the subcontinent. Become a glorious Indian instead of appearing as a colony of the British Empire in the world." before the world."

"I don't think going to a city thousands of miles away is more important than fighting in the subcontinent." Nehru said with a smile, "What are you going to do in the international community, begging for mercy?"

"Mr. Gandhi, it is hard for me to imagine that this is what Nehru said." Patel turned to Gandhi and said, "I have decided to set off immediately so that Londoners can hear the voice of Indians and understand that the colonial era is over. gone."

Gandhi was silent, already understood that Patel must leave, nodded helplessly, "Well, I will not stop anyone, I hope your trip to London goes well, and you can get the conditions you want for India .”

Soon the Governor's Mansion received Patel's positive reply. In Sir Barron's office, Alan Wilson told his immediate superior, "It is a relief for the conservatives of the Congress Party to leave India. Tone, it would be great if there were any accidents on the way."

"Don't be impulsive!" Sir Barron shook his head and said, "This is too obvious, and he can't do much. The so-called self-power that Patel thinks is only useful in this subcontinent. As long as he leaves A foot from the subcontinent is nothing."

Seeing Alan Wilson nodding, Sir Barron asked, "How is the response to the drought?"

"It depends on the scale of the drought. It is really impossible to estimate. If the drought only affects a place as large as Hyderabad, it is not a big deal. If it is bigger?" Alan Wilson said nonchalantly, "Punjab Province No news came back. Although the local climate is not good, it has become the most stable food producing area in British India. However, if the local food is used for disaster relief, the peace believers there occupy an overwhelming majority, and the rest are tin Christians, there might be some problems."

"That means there is no problem." Sir Barron breathed a sigh of relief. It doesn't matter whether it is the issue of the Peace Christians or the Sikhs. It is an internal conflict in the subcontinent, as long as it has nothing to do with the British.

In fact, the Governor’s Mansion has always been efficient, depending on what is going on. During the Great Famine in India in 550, 640 million people starved to death in the subcontinent. Didn’t the Governor’s Mansion still deliver [-] million tons of wheat to the mainland with great efficiency? what?

After the Congress Party and the Muslim League successively expressed their willingness to go to London, Sir Barron sent the news to the mainland, and Alan Wilson immediately arranged the itinerary to let the two delegations board the ship.

On the contrary, Tubang, who has always been looked at differently, did not get the opportunity to participate in the previous round table meeting.

It's worth noting that you don't participate in this kind of useless opportunity to show your face. If you have this skill, it's better to strengthen the strength of Tubang, which is more important than anything else.

In a month's time, it will be clear at a glance how wide the famine will spread.Alan Wilson, who has always been concerned about the country and the people, could not sleep at night, and relieved the tension on Vivien Leigh.

Alan Wilson, who was smoking an after-event cigarette, had an ethereal head. Vivien Li reached out and took half of the cigarette, and took two puffs, "What's the matter? Aren't you always full of confidence?"

"There is no confidence in this kind of thing. It would be good if you don't get robbed at ordinary times." Alan Wilson paused when he said this. In fact, this is indeed an opportunity to be robbed, especially for Portugal.

2 Thirty Chapters Civil Servant Mountbatten

If, in order to save the hundreds of millions of people in British India, Portugal proposed to solve the problem of Portuguese Goa at this time, then the British Governor’s Palace, unable to bear the famine that spread, signed a treaty in humiliation, and expanded the area of ​​Goa by the way. This is also very normal.

This is all for the survival of the hundreds of millions of people in British India. It is good governance as a last resort.

In all fairness, the area of ​​Portuguese Goa is still too small, and it is not enough to defend.Just like Singapore, it looks like a modern armed force, but in fact, any country in Southeast Asia can be wiped out.

Singapore needs missiles to be able to reach the enemy's country. How can someone else just set up a World War II artillery to cover Singapore?

Portuguese Goa also has this problem. As long as India dares to take risks, Portugal will never be able to defend it.Whether Goa is safe or not is entirely in Nehru's mind.

In order to unite a member of the civilized world and tickle the spirit of the Brussels Conference, Alan Wilson really couldn't bear the loss of Portuguese Goa. He planned to take advantage of this famine to give Portugal a chance to take advantage of the fire and put the problem of Goa Get rid of.

It's not for the purpose of collecting any benefits from the Portuguese, and it can't be said that it is very reasonable to use Portuguese money to do Portuguese affairs.

It's just that the situation in British India is not urgent yet, but you can make a statement and give Portugal time to prepare.

After completing the work of stealing incense and jade, Alan Wilson left late at night, went back to his house to sleep, and sent an urgent telegram to the Portuguese Governor's Office the next day, inviting Pedro to come to New Delhi for a briefing.

Just like the saying that danger is also an opportunity, the Great Famine is not necessarily a bad thing for some people, especially the British.British Indian civil servants who are keen on making money will not necessarily be affected, and they may even get benefits.

For example, British India was in trouble, and the Governor's Office decided to sell the property of British India to tide over the difficulties. This is a good opportunity for Americans who have always wanted to expand their influence and export capital.

And this is not a bad thing for the United Kingdom. The resources of British India are sold, and the wealth belongs to the United Kingdom.In the case that the United States has cut off its aid to the United Kingdom, it can achieve the goal of saving the country with a curve.

Except the Indians may not be too happy, the British will be happy, and the Americans will be happy too.To use an inappropriate example, it seems that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, except for the Soviets who lost their pants, other countries more or less made money.

If the disappearance of British India can also achieve the same result as the collapse of the Soviet Union, especially the economic promotion of the United Kingdom, then it is actually not a bad thing.

Alan Wilson will contribute his own strength to the realization of the British India plan, 90.00% is not enough, [-]% is needed.

As for whether the Americans can still laugh after the British India disappears and the Indian Republic appears, this is not something he cares about. The right does not expire and become invalid. At that time, Alan Wilson definitely had no influence on India. , unable to seek justice for American companies.

Anyway, based on his understanding of Nehru, Alan Wilson felt that the Americans might not necessarily be able to take advantage of it.

What Nehru advocated was a uniquely Indian style of socialism.It is based on national interests and views socialism as a way of controlling capital, which is relative to private capital, rather than an ideological position.

The mixed economy has become a system and the core of India's long-term economic strategy.The public and private sectors coexist, with the public sector as the dominant factor.The state regulates the mixed economy effectively by means of planning.Emphasizing the concept of equality and declaring war on poverty is one of Nehru's basic views.

Even if Nehru's thinking is far softer than that of the Soviets, India's macho man from heaven will never see India's important assets in the hands of foreign capital. It is nothing more than a question of when to do it.

The idea of ​​eating two fish has already appeared, but it will take a while to implement it. In fact, he is busy contributing articles to newspapers in Australia and New Zealand, using legal means to earn a fee for the publication of the main contents of British India. News, the beginning of the article is usually like this, "According to those who do not want to reveal their lives, the current situation in British India..."

While the scorching sun continued, while the representatives of the two major forces had gone to sea, and while the assistant commissioner was submitting articles to Australia and New Zealand, Mountbatten, the commander-in-chief of the Southeast Asian Allied Forces during the war, had joined his wife and daughter, waiting for the arrival of the knighthood .

Although he himself has a title, who would think too much of this thing? Besides, this is to commend his own contribution during the war, which is completely as it should be, and should be accepted calmly.

As for the silent little daughter Pamela Mountbatten, General Mountbatten felt that there was nothing wrong with it, it was just a child's willfulness, and besides, it was much better than when she just left British India.

Mountbatten, who saw his wife and daughter again, did not feel unhappy because of such a trivial matter. He explained in detail his life in the Mediterranean Fleet, and did not forget to complain about the environment in British India. "Actually, I have been staying in Ceylon for a long time. I wouldn't even go to New Delhi, if it wasn't for something happening..."

"The situation in British India is really like what the newspapers said?" Edwina Ashley asked with great concern. "In the newspapers in London, India is simply not a place for people to stay."

"No matter how bad a place is, there are good places to go, but what the newspaper said can summarize most of the places in British India." Mountbatten answered for his wife, "The most people there are endless people, smearing ridiculous paint, and hilariously dressed up. There are a few very nice people, though, compared to the total population of British India, they are too few."

"Pamela seems to like that place very much." The eldest daughter Patricia looked at her father and glanced at the stairs, as if to make sure her sister was eavesdropping.

"She doesn't like that place..." Mountbatten curled his lips, and then said seriously, "Don't mention this matter, it's just an experience in life, and it will be forgotten after a long time."

Patricia wanted to ask something else, when the phone next to her rang, and she reached out to answer it, "Yes, it's the Mountbatten family, okay, I'll call my father right now."