Chapter 20 Colonial Friendship

The Portuguese were far more reliable than the French in the matter of laying mines, not that the French were unreliable, but Allen Wilson was not sure of fooling the French into shedding blood and sacrifice for British India.

If Allen Wilson had a say in the matter of Indian independence, then the partition of India and Pakistan on the basis of religion certainly had a share of Christians, and the vast majority of the inhabitants of Portuguese Goa were Catholics.

If the rights of Catholics are not taken into account, put there can be no talk of equality, but he had no say in the future of British India now, and if he had, he could have even had a good talk with Ali Jinnah, the leader of the PML-N, in the matter of Goa.

He believed that Arijana was in a minority position and did not mind giving Nehru a hard time with Christian rights.

Almost simultaneously with the start of the Battle of Mandalay, on the Western Front in the European theater, the Allied armies opened their offensive, and before dawn the Allied general attack on the Rhine officially began, with the 1,400 guns of the First Canadian Army roaring. Tasting the flavor of the devastating shells was the German 84th Division.

The Allied command on the Western Front was confident that once the Rhine was breached, it would quickly crush the German resistance at home.

Bang! Two wine glasses clinked together, Allen Wilson familiarly joked with John, the Junagadh Turkish commissioner, “We should be thankful to be safe and sound in the midst of a world war that has been a great loss to all mankind.”

“If I had not been physically unfit to serve in the army, I would have enlisted and fought to the last for the British Empire.” John swore with conviction with his glass, and then sipped his whiskey in admiration, “But peace is always precious, isn’t it?”

“Of course! I have absolute faith in the citizens of the British Empire to bravely enter the midst of war.” Alan Wilson gave the other party a heartfelt look, “So Prime Minister Chamberlain actually fought for peace, the initial intention is understandable, but unfortunately the Prime Minister is facing a madman.”

There was something politically incorrect about that, after the Great War Churchill’s resistance would of course be affirmed as if it were politically correct. It was a mistake no Briton could afford to make, except that the consequence would be such a minor afterthought as Churchill’s immediate defeat.

Standing on the upper floor of the Ali Khan’s palace, Alan Wilson rested his hands on the fence and looked down at the representatives of the Turkish state and the people of Portuguese Goa, John, who was beside Alan Wilson and likewise looking at the scene, opened his mouth and asked, “What’s with the Portuguese Viceroyalty? Alan, you should know.”

“Know that Salazar is the Führer of a fascist nature.” Alan Wilson used an indifferent tone and rushed at John, “But Portugal ultimately didn’t join either camp and maintained its apparent neutrality, in fact, now I believe that both Franco and Salazar are ready to stand beside the victor and hail the coming of peace.”

“Oh!” John nodded his head at this, and leaning back against the fence with his back to the hall agreed, “Who says not?”

Heh! The two men laughed heartily as Alan Wilson nudged his mouth and rushed down, “Let’s have a chat with the Portuguese, I’m sure they’d love to.”

“I agree!” John got up and patted his lapel and walked down with Alan Wilson. A rare buzz arose throughout the hall.

The entire city of Hyderabad, too, was in a joyous mood, not that the local inhabitants were particularly happy for the colonizers and other representatives of the native states that Ali Khan had invited, and were not giving out welfare.

Rather, February and March are the Hindu festival of sprinkling, to say something similar to the festival of water. The Indian festival honoring the dark sky, which has its roots in the ancient rituals of harvest sacrifice, is held in February and March of each year. During the festival, groups of Hindus, singing and dancing, jumping around bonfires, celebrating the arrival of spring, and splashing each other, sprinkling red powder or red water on passers-by.

Ali Khan, though a pacifist, would not do anything to the inhabitants of his dominions because of customs.

The representatives of the native states had their business with the representatives of the native states, and Alan Wilson had his work for the commissioner to do, and soon invited the people of the Viceroyalty of Portuguese Goa to find a secluded corner to sit down and talk.

In the midst of the royal palace in Hyderabad, which was not overcrowded, the guests invited were carefully considered. First of all, small earth states were not included in the invitation, don’t look at the subcontinent currently there are more than five hundred earth states, but there are not many that can be on the stage.

Including Hyderabad, a total of fifteen states have been recognized as having a certain status, the rest are just a slightly larger landlord, both in terms of strength and influence are very limited.

And the monarch of the Kashmiri land state was not among the invitees, so the total number of representatives of the land states invited this time was fourteen, Allen Wilson did not pay attention to the situation on the land state side for the time being, but instead sat with the representative of the governor of Portuguese Goa.

Shaking the wine glass in his hand, in a relaxed tone of voice opened his mouth and praised the current Allied army opened into the Rhine River, in a matter of days will be able to completely subjugate Germany, while the Junagadh Tupang Commissioner John on the sidelines to respond to the same.

“I don’t think the Germans can hold out for six months if they put up a fight, and it’s not likely that the citizens of London are ready for champagne by now.” Alan Wilson looked smug, showing the arrogance of old imperialism.

If it had been an American in front of him, he probably wouldn’t have eaten his words, but not if it had been a Portuguese. No matter what time, Britain has been steadily pressed by the Portuguese. The contrast of strength was just so steady!

“The lesson that this world war has taught us is that the Germans must be completely made to feel that they cannot, in their hearts and strength, be a threat to world peace.” John sang along as if the disintegration of Germany was near at hand.

The two men a red face and a white face, in front of the Portuguese representative to speak out, it seems that the powerful Third Reich is the two men talk and laugh to let it go up in smoke in general, so that the Portuguese Pedro in front of him did not know what to say is good, can only with an awkward smile can not help but nod.

“Speaking of which, we must thank Mr. Salazar for his friendly neutrality in the middle of the war.” Alan Wilson said the term friendly neutrality very heavily, a pair of eyes looking straight at the Portuguese representative in front of him.

Who does not know that Salazar and Franco, and the two leaders of the Axis powers are similar in nature, long have wavered between the Allies and the Axis powers, and almost became a member of the Axis powers.

Alan Wilson said he was complimenting the Portuguese, rather than being sarcastic. Just when Pedro was a little embarrassed, John then appropriately persuaded, “In fact, in the country’s point of view are nothing, each country has to think about their own country, is not it Pedro?”