Chapter 306 The False Viceroy
“My lady must be put on our side, and we must make no secret of the fact that it is not desirable to let the independence of British India go unilaterally for the sake of one’s own selfish desires.”
Alan Wilson and Sir Barron agreed on this point, and although by now the civil servants of British India were not losing out, why should they leave when they could stay one more day? The gentlemen hadn’t raked in enough!
Besides, Mountbatten’s desire to deal quickly with the problems of British India would have been selfish; the great Prime Minister had said that he would finish the problems of British India in nineteen forty-eight, and to bring up the progress as soon as you came to British India was not selfish.
“How to make madam on our side, mainly depends on Alan, only you have an extra layer of restraint, as a way to start the persuasion work more appropriate.” Sir Barron thought for a while, the best person is the assistant in front of him.
It was also only Alan Wilson who was best suited to try and stop the Governor’s very selfish ideas and preserve the interests of the British Empire.
With Sir Barron’s approval, Alan Wilson left the Governor’s Mansion, while Sir Barron had the Commissioner’s Secretary, Edel, re-prepare a schedule for the Governor’s itinerary, with a strong emphasis on being approachable, as well as casual.
Including, but not limited to, attending ceremonies for golf and tennis and even cricket, and even a vacation schedule for British Ceylon.
Edwina Ashley was, of course, staying at the Governor’s Mansion, and Alan Wilson’s visit to the door was very much on the side of Alan Wilson, and after a gentle knock, Edwina Ashley opened the door, and as soon as she saw that it was Alan Wilson, she said in a tone of voice that had already seen it all, “Come to see Pamela, come in.”
Governor Mountbatten, of course, was away, and the Mountbattens, who lived in the Governor’s House, could not possibly escape the eyes of the loyal and upright civil servant at every move, and Pamela Mountbatten came out of her room, embarrassed, and said, “Why did you come straight over here?”
“Came to see you, by the way, also have things to talk with madam.” To Pamela Mountbatten, Allen Wilson replied matter-of-factly.
Edwina Ashley was surprised and opened her mouth to laugh bitterly, “Didn’t you come to see Pamela?”
“Yes and no.” Alan Wilson directly sat down and said, “Of course the ultimate purpose is not conflicting, and there are indeed some business matters that I would like to get an answer from madam. I wonder if your ladyship knows what the Vice-King knows about British India?”
“Louis said that British India was a powder keg about to explode, and that he hadn’t wanted to come over to be governor.” Allen Wilson was no outsider, and Edwina Ashley went straight to the heart of Mountbatten himself and how reluctant he was to come to British India to take up his post.
“That’s understandable; the Viceroy seems very anxious to settle matters in British India.” Alan Wilson frowned, “But this is not in the interests of the British Empire, our year of wasted work conflicts with the Governor General’s desire to resolve British India quickly, and there could be a lot of problems in cooperating in this way.”
“Is there anything undesirable about making India independent?” Edwina Ashley was a little surprised, especially when her son-in-law, whom she thought very highly of, said so, “Louise thinks Nehru is not bad.”
“What does ma’am think of Nehru.” Alan Wilson asked the question solemnly with a twinge in his heart.
“I have not seen him before although I came to British India during the war, I just came over to see my husband, there was still a lot going on during the war, I stayed here for a while and then went back.” Edwina Ashley was honest, “But? Louis says Nehru is still a good man.”
She had indeed been here when General Mountbatten was Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in Southeast Asia, which was what Pamela herself had said when Alan Wilson first met Pamela Mountbatten.
But then Edwina Ashley returned to London, so Alan Wilson was still particularly surprised when he returned to London, how the fact that Edwina Ashley was in London conflicted with his memory.
“Was Nehru sort of a nice guy?” Alan Wilson snapped suspiciously, if Edwina Ashley had developed a dangerous mindset, it would be very bad for the entire British Indian civil service.
“It was Louis who said that, I don’t know him well.” Edwina Ashley wondered a little how it was that Alan Wilson seemed to sound particularly strange just now.
Then introduced the Nehru that Mountbatten was talking about, Mountbatten and Nehru had first met in Singapore and had liked him then, Mountbatten admired Nehru’s talent, wit and sophistication.
“What talent is there in a fifty-eight year old man with a shaved head?” Alan Wilson bristled, “Mr. Arizona is rather more charismatic, only the Governor may not approve.”
“Why?” Pamela Mountbatten asked back defiantly, she could remember Allen Wilson criticizing her father yesterday, and the young girl held a grudge, “How do you know my father won’t make good contact with Arizona.”
“By virtue of the fact that there are more Hindus than pacifists, Arijana and Nehru are rival leaders. Nehru wanted to take over a complete British India and Arizena would never agree.” Allen Wilson looked at Pamela Mountbatten as he said this, “Do you think your father would side with the majority leader? Or the minority leader’s side?”
“I believe the Governor will soon learn that the conflict between the NCP and the PMLN is irreconcilable. Ali Jinnah will never give in, I have met with Mr. Jinnah a few times and am completely sure about this.” Alan Wilson said this with a twist of words, “What is certain is that the Viceroy’s judgment of British India before he came was very accurate, it is indeed a powder keg that will explode at any time, and what the Viceroy’s Office has been doing for a year now is to try to delay the explosion as much as possible.”
“Alan, are you asking me to help you guys do something?” Edwina Ashley inquired after a moment of silence.
“Ma’am, it’s not to help us do something, it’s for the sake of the British Empire, we are colonists after all, it’s profitable, and the colonial officials aren’t all homicidal maniacs, there aren’t many people who can’t sleep a day without killing someone. Isn’t it still for the benefit of the British Empire.” Alan Wilson sighed and said, “Our aim is to protect the stability of British India and continue to transfuse blood to the mainland before Prime Minister Adderley’s deadline.”
“I’ll try!” Edwina Ashley hesitated for a moment and shook her head, “Louis came over to try to get things done as well as he could, and some impatience is to be understood.”
“It depends on whether it’s to get things right in the British Empire or in the Indies. The Viceroy’s Office up and down the country thinks it’s the former, and sometimes you have to do things that go against your heart for the good of the country.” On hearing this, Alan Wilson said with a grateful smile, “Madam, the Empire will be grateful to you. You are definitely the real deal as the Governor’s wife.”
“The Governor is also the real deal.” Pamela Mountbatten was reluctant at the sound of it, “How dare you create a split amongst the Mountbatten family, you’re too bad.”
“We’re still loyal to the Empire, but your father may not be.” Allen Wilson said halfway through his sentence, Pamela Mountbatten’s hand had already reached over and twisted lightly on Allen Wilson’s arm, “Say that again.”
“I was wrong.” Dryly apologizing, Allen Wilson squinted at the Governor’s daughter, vowing that one day he would leave this woman in tears of happiness, and that day was bound to not be far away.
The new schedule was arranged by Ismay, the Secretary General of the Governor’s Office, and Ender was actually Ismay’s subordinate. Just as Alan Wilson was Sir Barron’s subordinate.
It was just that he hadn’t seen much of this secretary general except when he was in meetings, and the commissioner and the secretary general’s office were not in the same building.
The new schedule, at a glance, was very dense, almost to the exact hour, but the people to be met, on the other hand, were essentially of little weight, displaying a proclivity for the people. It was interspersed with entertainment that General Mountbatten was very fond of, such as receptions, golf, tennis, and other sports.
and the Governor’s family’s vacation plans, which even included a vacation to British Ceylon.
Sir Barron and Allen Wilson, looking at the plan drawn up by Secretary Ismay, pushed the arrangements therein for a combination of labor and pleasure.
“Can’t be no big deal at all, or else it seems to lack sincerity a little too much.” Sir Barron reached up and rubbed his chin; there was always something for the Viceroy to do. British India was different from the mainland, some rules could be changed appropriately.
“Just add in the question about the Rohingya, Nehru couldn’t even solve that one, we can prove a point with the Rohingya issue as well, it’s difficult to solve a problem for a community the size of a million, let alone one that involves hundreds of millions of people.” Alan Wilson proposed to give the new Governor a head start.
“Good idea.” Sir Barron smiled with satisfaction, “The Rohingya problem can be considered as a preview about the partition of India and Pakistan, let’s see what the Governor has to offer, being able to solve it proves the Governor’s ability, if not well?”
“All the better!” Alan Wilson said what Sir Barron wanted to say but didn’t, and waited until the top man’s praise. This reworked schedule was then sent over after Mountbatten returned to the Governor’s Office.
“Heh, what is the purpose of these civil servants piling these cockamamie things over here? Thought I didn’t know.” Governor Mountbatten took one look at the rearranged itinerary and said to his wife in a very conceited manner, “They just don’t want me to settle things in British India, it would make them look very incompetent.”
“Well, Louis.” Edwina Ashley, who had managed to be seen as a leader by the British Indian civil servants and had become one of our own, took the schedule from her husband’s hand in passing and commented, “There are big things and small things, what’s wrong with a tight schedule that combines work and rest?”
The Governor also figure a fun, but beside the Governor’s wife is the real hero, false Governor to British India to be very selfish to promote the process, the real Governor sympathetic to the hard work of British Indian civil servants, know the combination of work and rest.