It has always been easier to start a war than to end one. This time was no exception. As the side at a disadvantage, if Britain wanted to withdraw from the war, it was bound to pay a heavy price. Days of relentless bombing had indeed lowered public expectations in Britain. But no matter how low those expectations sank, sacrificing the homeland itself was something the people could never accept. Let alone allowing Ireland, Scotland, and Wales to become independent. Even India was something the British government was unwilling to give up. Unwilling or not, politicians have never been known for their integrity. When the situation demands it, compromise is always an option. Now, the situation in India had already rotted beyond saving. Facing the encirclement and assault of millions of allied troops, its fall was only a matter of time. If something was doomed to be lost, then compromise became possible. Of course, that was only a possibility. Until the very last moment, proud John Bull would not bow his head. To force Britain to surrender as soon as possible, on October 17, 1905, Franz issued an order for the Joint Fleet to sail east into the Indian Ocean and launch a full-scale Battle of India. … London Secretary for India Hill reported, “Since August this year, the enemy has launched fierce offensives against India from the east and the northwest. The situation is extremely critical. On the northwestern front, the enemy has already captured *** Fort, and most of the Pakistan region has fallen. On the eastern front, the enemy has occupied Burma and is now advancing toward the Bay of Bengal. The colonial government has exhausted every possible means. We even promised the Indians independence after the war in exchange for local support. However, in the face of the enemy’s ferocious offensive, these efforts have proven largely ineffective. Especially now that the enemy fleet has sailed east, it will not be long before they open a third front from the sea. If the situation continues to develop as it is, and no reinforcements arrive, we will have no choice but to abandon the fertile Indus Plain and Ganges Plain, and retreat to the Malwa Plateau to make a stand.” The Indus Plain and the Ganges Plain were the very heart of India. Giving up those regions was no different from abandoning India altogether. As for holding out on the plateau, that was little more than a bad joke. No matter how solid Britain’s foundations in India might be, colonizers were still colonizers. When they were strong, they could command obedience from all sides. But once signs of decline appeared, rebellion would erupt everywhere like wildfire. In reality, India was already far from stable. If not for the long-established authority of the British Empire, combined with Governor Robert’s iron-fisted rule, the land would probably already be engulfed in flames. But no matter how great one’s prestige, it cannot withstand repeated defeats. Lose a few more times, and the situation would collapse overnight. First Lord of the Admiralty Swinton said bluntly, “Sending reinforcements is impossible. The Suez Canal is in enemy hands, the Cape of Good Hope has already fallen. To reach India, we would have to take a massive detour, and time simply does not allow it.” That was the brutal reality. Heading for the Indian Ocean, the Royal Navy would have to sail tens of thousands of miles farther than the allied fleets. If they allowed themselves to be led around by the nose, it was entirely possible that by the time they reached India, the enemy would have already turned back to strike the British Isles. Without the Royal Navy standing guard, Britain would have no way to stop an enemy landing. If the British Isles fell, that would mean losing everything, down to the last scrap. At its core, losing India meant losing money, losing the empire, and losing the future. Losing the homeland, however, meant losing their very lives. “Reinforcing India is indeed unrealistic. With the situation having deteriorated to this point, Britain is effectively facing the entire world alone. All we can do now is minimize the empire’s losses. For the sake of Great Britain, we cannot give up even a shred of hope until the very last moment. Even if India cannot be held, we cannot allow the enemy to take it cheaply. Didn’t Governor Robert promise independence to the Indians? Then let the Indians take up arms and defend their own country!” It was clear that Adam’s professional instincts were kicking in. As Britain’s Foreign Secretary, his greatest talent had always been stirring trouble. The fact that he had managed to piece together the Oceanic Alliance while Europe stood united against Britain was proof enough of his abilities. Even if that alliance ultimately collapsed, it was hardly a failure of diplomacy. Britain’s own weakness could not be reversed through diplomacy alone. But when it came to using diplomatic maneuvers to cause trouble for the enemy, Adam remained a true professional. “You’re insane!” “If India becomes independent, we will completely lose the subcontinent, and the British Empire will sink into decline!” Chancellor of the Exchequer Asquith roared. “The jewel in the Queen’s crown” was no empty phrase. India contributed hundreds of millions of pounds to the British Empire every year. Without that income, Britain would be reduced to nothing more than an ordinary great power. Foreign Secretary Adam replied calmly, “Sir, please calm yourself. No one is saying we should abandon India. The reality is that, with our own strength alone, we simply cannot hold on to the subcontinent. Only by making the enemy realize that India is not merely a ‘cream cake,’ but also a hedgehog, can we deter those hungry wolves from coveting it. If India remains in Indian hands, we still have a chance to take it back in the future. But once it falls into the enemy’s hands, all hope is lost. Our immediate priority is to find a way to survive the present crisis. History has already proven that no alliance can endure forever. Right now the enemy is at the height of its power, and we are in no position to confront it head-on. That means we must lie low for the time being and wait for fractures to appear among our enemies. If the Empire can weather this ordeal, then in the future we will naturally be able to return to India…” Perhaps having slipped into full oratorical mode, Adam grew more animated with each sentence, as though he were already intoxicated by his own rhetoric. No one present chose to expose the flaws in his argument. People always need hope. No one wishes to be a loser, and those in the room were no exception. With allies having betrayed them and Britain unable to win the war, they were on the brink of defeat, and none of them could accept that calmly. Regardless of how slim the chances of Adam’s plan were, it was still better than having no plan at all. Not taking part in the heated debate over India, Prime Minister Campbell waited until the discussion had largely run its course before speaking coldly. “Restart the negotiations!” … Another winter arrived, and Saint Petersburg was once again draped in silver. Compared with the years before the war, Nicholas II now looked as though he had aged ten years. By this stage of the war, if the British Empire was destined to be the greatest loser, then the Russian Empire was undoubtedly the second. The Russo-Austrian alliance that had endured for nearly a century had finally reached its turning point. After effectively becoming the world’s hegemon, the Austrian government could no longer restrain itself and at last turned its hand against its ally. All it took was a restriction on the supply of materials. An empire already riddled with unrest was immediately pushed to the brink of collapse. Moreover, this was not something done by the Holy Roman Empire alone. Almost all members of the Continental Alliance took part. To its credit, the Austrian government still cared about appearances. Even while restricting supplies to Russia, it merely reduced the volume of materials rather than cutting them off entirely, and it even helped the Russian government keep its frontline armies intact. The other allies were far less considerate. Inflating prices was already a mild approach. Banning exports of strategic materials to Russia was standard practice. The harshest measures went further, not only imposing bans themselves, but also seizing materials bound for Russia that passed through their territories. They called it “temporary requisition.” After all, they were allies. Borrowing some materials was nothing unusual, all supposedly for the needs of the war, and naturally everything would be returned after the war. “Returned after the war” sounded like a joke. Once the war was over, what use would strategic materials still have? Faced with such shameless behavior from his allies, Nicholas II ground his teeth in fury. Had this happened at the height of the Russian Empire’s power, retaliation would have been inevitable. Unfortunately, this was no longer Russia’s era. Confronted with such near-provocative behavior, Nicholas II could only choose to endure for the time being. Thoughts of revenge could only be indulged in private. An empire engulfed in unrest simply lacked the strength to retaliate against the nations of Europe. Not only did he tolerate the seizure of supplies, he even pretended not to notice that retired officers from allied countries had appeared among the rebels. He had no choice but to feign ignorance. If he were too clear-eyed, what he might face would not be “retired officers,” but active-duty soldiers. “What does Austria say? After all that has happened, do they not owe us an explanation?” To strike at the leader was to strike at the root. Anyone with eyes could see that the various countries dared to fleece the Russian Empire so brazenly only because they had the tacit consent, or even the support, of the Holy Roman Empire. Lacking confidence, Nicholas II did not dare to demand justice directly from the Holy Roman Empire. The fact that supplies had not been completely cut off showed that the Austrian government merely intended to weaken the Russian Empire, not to destroy it outright. Allies existed to be exploited, and the Russian government itself had never been innocent of undermining its partners. Back when the Austrian government sought to unify the German lands, the Russian government had also engaged in endless petty maneuvers. Now the wheel of fortune had turned. The one stirring up trouble was the Holy Roman Empire, and it was the Russian government’s turn to suffer. Foreign Minister Mikhailovich replied helplessly, “The explanation from the Austrian government is that the matter is under investigation. At the same time, they advise us to reflect on our past actions and repair relations with our allies, so as to avoid unnecessary trouble.” A “warning,” a naked and unmistakable warning. At this moment, the former lackey trailing behind the Russian Empire was gone. In its place stood a revived world hegemon. And a hegemon inevitably flaunted its power. Nicholas II was simply unlucky enough to encounter this “special period.”
[Previous | Table of Contents | Next]
Comments
Post a Comment