Chapter 1173 The Third Fire

The question of how to gallop, especially to maximize the benefits to Britain, is a big one.

Simply put, of course, to save India, but not really save. But it will not be like the Ukraine, not even willing to write a blank check.

It would still be in Britain’s interest to move its military forces.

“It would highlight the importance of the Royal Navy wouldn’t it? Like this kind of global troop movement, do you expect the Belfast Strategic Transport? Not to mention the fact that a few haven’t been built yet, and there are orders from Germany and France among them. Even if there really is a strategic transport formation that can be relied upon, it can’t be used, the planes fly too fast.”

What if it really flew into place and Nehru really thought that I, Great Britain, was coming over to join the war? Is Britain in or out? Not to join well, India so far there are still a lot of British capital, the entire country’s imports and exports are still settled in pounds sterling.

What about the imports and exports of Hong Kong and the industrial base of Malaya? These two places are Chinese people occupy the main population, and is the current British can still be called the British Empire support.

Britain just aids, even if it stops at the threat of war, and can still keep the two places running smoothly. But it can’t really put Britain’s armed forces into the war.

Essentially, the biggest role for Britain in this war is the same as Ukraine is for NATO.

The UK can provide all the solidarity it can within its means, but it can’t really put its own military forces into it, just like NATO would never go to war with Russia over Ukraine, it’s all the same thing.

“In a sense, while the benefits of success are enormous, so are the risks, almost like dancing on a tightrope.” Mountbatten marveled somewhat that his son-in-law was still quite adventurous at times.

“The risk is still manageable, it’s not like we’re facing the Soviet Union.” Alan Wilson smiled, “I’m sure the Field Marshal is happy if this strategic transport can highlight the role of the Navy.”

Mountbatten raised an eyebrow, his son-in-law didn’t even say that India would lose, all the arrangements were laid out based on the consequences of an Indian defeat, “Actually, given the distance of the dispute site to the core territories of both sides, India has the advantage, and even if it were to fail, it shouldn’t be too miserable.”

“Not for a true land power, but for a nation that considers itself a land power.” It wasn’t as if Alan Wilson had to answer the question with the civil service rhetoric of plugging both ends, but it was all he could do.

The top-heaviness of the Indian Army was a historical problem, and had been since independence. And there was also the problem of forward placement, a proper army power, would never put heavy troops on the front line, that’s something only the Ukraine would do.

But that’s what India did, and the forward policy, as the name suggests, was top-heavy in terms of land forces. Alan Wilson estimated that once the first line of troops was divided and surrounded, it was questionable whether India had a second line of troops.

In fact, at this very moment, the Indian soldiers on the front line were cursing Lieutenant-General Kaur, who had formulated the forward policy, for being an ass.

Marshal Mountbatten recognized his son-in-law’s remark that this gallop could highlight the importance of the Navy in global force projection, and for that reason he revised his son-in-law’s view that the Mediterranean Fleet should make a trip through the Suez Canal to transport the British East African garrison to India.

“I believe that this time is enough for both countries to solve their problems.” Mountbatten thought that this route was more appropriate, if the Pacific fleet in Malaya was mobilized, to East Africa and back to India, such a backtracking? It was a little too obvious a way of clearing the decks.

It is unexplainable, to be able to mobilize the Pacific fleet to India, but not to be able to draw even a little land force to deter.

And the use of the Mediterranean fleet power is much more reasonable, the same distance is very far, but also by the Atlantic fleet to take over the Mediterranean fleet left vacant, so from the naval point of view, more logical.

Asked the mobilization time, Alan Wilson nodded, “I believe, a month’s time is enough. Really can not, can be appropriate to reduce the speed, in case the end of the war fleet is still halfway, at that time you can send the Belfast strategic transport aircraft full of British soldiers landed in Goa, of course the flag should be prepared a little more, accompanying journalists should be fully equipped.”

“Oh ho, the Indians will thank you for that.” Mountbatten twitched the corners of his mouth, a serious discussion of naval movements, for the remark added much comedy.

“Of course, no one loves India more than I do.” Alan Wilson was not at all embarrassed, stating his position, his showdown, he would be firmly on India’s side, “I’m sure Prime Minister Nehru will thank us at the Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ meeting in December.” If Nehru will still attend!

In fact this year’s Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ Meeting, was held in October. Alan Wilson, after persuading Norman Brooke, the supreme authority, to hold it in December.

It was a more appropriate time for India to return from its victory, and to show India’s influence.

But if the other outcome had been more likely, the Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ meeting might have taken on a different flavor, and Alan Wilson reckoned Nehru would not have come.

The morning’s vacation over, Alan Wilson returned to the Foreign Office, mumbling Timaya’s name as he rode in the cab.

Back in his office, Alan Wilson had decided to use Timaiya, the former Chief of General Staff, to direct a self-destructive drama, which would have to be run by something like the BBC’s professional media, and wondered if his dear wife, when she arrived in Perth, would prioritize recharging her batteries to the media.

Now the situation is unnamed, although there is a special relationship between the Five Eyes Alliance and British India once buried mines, resulting in Alan Wilson knows that there are two hot in the pipeline, but in the end which one pays the surface first, or bad estimation of the matter, out of the British point of view, he naturally wants to duel on the top of the Himalayas to pay the surface first.

Once India’s prior surfaced, Britain can take military mobilization without delay.

By the time the Cuban Missile Crisis was known to the world, the British Navy had already departed, and there was no turning back, at least at the military level, Britain could leave the vortex of North America.

Asia was fighting in the heat of the moment, the British mainland was in Europe and would not be a shock to the UK.

Taking advantage of this, Alan Wilson took the time to set a third fire, sending a telegram to Northern Rhodesia.

It had been more than a year since the war in Congo Katanga, and Grace sometimes wondered if he had really come over to be an internationalist fighter, and for Northern Rhodesia, the low intensity of the state of the fighting was not so unacceptable, and the loss of their armed forces was not great.

But some suspicion had spread through the army, and it was inevitable that over time his own position would not be jeopardized.

As in London Allen Wilson, waiting for the two hot spots which first surfaced, Grace is also waiting for Allen Wilson said the time in the end when to come, the two were in different continents, at this time the mood of the same torment.

This period of time Grace more and more silent, in the long run then may be towards the philosopher step, just at this time, a man in uniform pushed the door, “Colonel, London telegram.”

Grace jumped straight up, such a reaction startled the man who came in, before he could react the telegram in his hand had been snatched by Grace, the colonel in his eyes waved his hand, “You go out first.”

“Grace my friend, it’s been a boring time hasn’t it, either that or you’ve spent your days in torment and waiting, and in your mind you’ve probably cursed me many times, haven’t you? Your wait was justified, and if you believe in my character, you can go do what you want now.”

“Pay more attention to the international news in the next few days, and in time you’ll see why this current time is perfect.”

The telegraphic paragraph was not long, but for Grace, at the moment, there was a sense of unfinished business, that

“Call Punchbowl the freedom fighter.” Grace copied the phone, his white teeth bared so facetiously.

He couldn’t wait to do it now, which was what he had come to Lubumbashi for in the first place.

Chetnik, who had followed Grace every inch of the way, had already set up around the Northern Rhodesian armies.

On the matter of Okubo’s Katanga Independence Army, and the British keeping watch and gathering both forces to counterattack. The two talked very pleasantly, Grace kept Okubo until dark, and some reluctance to go out to send off.

“Reinforcements will come soon, Lumumba’s ambition will not succeed.” Grace promised with conviction.

“It’s for the best.” Punchbowl had no doubts, then got into the limo and disappeared into the night.

The sky stretched out, but Lubumbashi was still calm, at least that’s what Punchbowl thought, and he thought wrong.

He, the Katanga strongman, had been attacked on this day by Lumumba-leaning Lumumba forces in a highly successful decapitation operation, a feat almost tantamount to accomplishing it in the enemy’s stronghold.

At the same time, a number of troops, chanting the slogan of driving out the colonizers, launched an attack in Lubumbashi. Buildings were set ablaze and the great Congolese city was plunged into a bloody conflagration.

With half of Katanga province still in the hands of the independent armed forces, and Lubumbashi even more so, many citizens were overwhelmed and shivered at the sudden onset of fighting, a night of incessant gunfire and an unforgettable night of listening to the constant gunfire.

“Mr. Okubo, the respected leader of independence, was killed in a well-planned attack by Lumumba elements last night. But the troops that were turned have been eliminated, thank God, and the city is now safe.”

In one night, the whole of Lubumbashi had fallen into the hands of Grace, and the head of Katanga’s independence was dead.