Chapter 307 – The Great Former Prime Minister

“Eh, there’s a point to be made, but we have to do something serious.” Mountbatten took a look at his wife giving her opinion, naturally he couldn’t veto it to his face and changed to a softer tone.

Edwina Ashley raised an eyebrow, a hint of displeasure flashing across her face, “Actually, you don’t even have to bother, since you know it’s a powder keg, why can’t you just muddle through this last bit and head back home.”

“Edwina, this I can’t agree with, His Majesty has entrusted this matter to me, so I naturally have to get it done. Even if this matter is indeed very difficult, not to mention that with my understanding, Nehru is still a reasonable person.” Mountbatten shook his head unchanged and said, “At least let’s try to make an effort to safeguard all parties as much as possible and then pull out.”

“But I’ve heard that the antagonism between the parties is fierce, and it may not be easy to accomplish.” Edwina Ashley sighed, “If it were very well done, you wouldn’t have to be forced to come and take office.”

At this point in time, Mountbatten had another naïve idea to safeguard the interests of all parties, and at the beginning of his inauguration, had envisioned a scenario in which, in order to maintain even a superficial unity of the subcontinent, India would be divided into three parts – Hindustan, Pakistan, and the princely states of the soil – while the central body retained some power.

“Such a naive idea?” Listening to the little spy Pamela Mountbatten, Alan Wilson was not surprised; after all, the Viceroy was a geek who soared warships and built ice carriers.

So it was very normal that the Governor didn’t find it much harder to do what everyone else was having a hard time with.

“What’s wrong?” Watching the man’s face clouded, Pamela Mountbatten was a little worried, she still liked him, seeing her beloved’s sad face, immediately empathized, and the two of them got a little closer.

“Your father was a good man when he wasn’t being whimsical, but a little too conceited.” Alan Wilson’s body lolled, his head leaning smoothly on Pamela Mountbatten’s shoulder, which normally would have been the other way around, but the opportunity was too good to pass up, and he could only seize the chance in front of him.

Showing a man’s vulnerability while worrying about his country would have been such a beautiful image if his nose hadn’t been huffing one after the other.

“In that case, does meeting Mr. Arizona first carry less weight than the Congress Party’s side? You know there are multiple leaders on the NCP side and Ali Jinnah on the PMLN side has one word.”

Since Viceroy Mountbatten still had naïve ideas about British India, he needed someone to bring the Viceroy’s ideas back to reality, and PMLN leader Ali Jinnah was the best person to do it.

“Stick out your tongue.” Before letting Pamela Mountbatten go back, Alan Wilson also sounded tough and gave the Viceroy’s daughter a tongue out reward that she couldn’t take without it before letting the dizzy-headed Pamela Mountbatten go back.

Poor Governor’s daughter ah, was played in the palm of the hand, was sipped tongue are some pain still bear.

Since the Governor is going to do great things, it becomes extremely important to push out Ali Jinnah as a strong attitude to bring the Governor back to reality, but of course this is not enough.

Mountbatten the man was extremely arrogant, especially so when he thought he was the one who was right.

There had to be a way to do this, and Alan Wilson came over looking for Sir Barron to discuss who could put pressure on Governor Mountbatten.

“Before the Viceroy came to British India, he specifically told the Prime Minister squarely that he could not interfere, and given the Prime Minister’s knowledge in all walks of life, the Prime Minister should keep his word.” Sir Barron shook his head and said, “So we hope that London to calm down the Governor General is an extremely difficult thing to do.”

“We can’t watch the interests of the British Empire suffer. Putting all your hopes on Arizona?” Alan Wilson frowned, “What if it doesn’t work, it’s not like there’s no way around it, we can find a way to expose the Congress Party’s true colors and make the Governor understand that essentially it’s not a matter of a certain leader. Since we can’t apply pressure at the official level, is there any other candidate.”

“This person has to have broad authority, world-wide popularity, and a distinct personality! It can’t be someone from the ruling party yet.”

“And also a good personal acquaintance with the Governor, a man who speaks his mind, and courage to defy the odds.”

“Stubbornness is no disadvantage, at least not at all compared with a naive Governor-General.”

“Always concerned about British India, not willing to be left alone, always wanting to continue to serve the British Empire.”

Sir Barron and Alan Wilson spoke to themselves, and as they spoke, both of their faces changed, there really was such a man in the British Empire today, who met all the characteristics described above.

Almost at the same time, Alan Wilson and Sir Barron looked at each other to say the same person’s name, “Mr. Churchill.”

“The great former Prime Minister!” Alan Wilson had a serious face, and the name changed from Mr. Churchill to the great former Prime Minister.

“Defender of the British Empire.” Sir Barron frowned tightly and tsked under his breath.

“Has a wide popularity, more prestigious than the current Prime Minister.”

“Has always taken a tough stance against the colonies, protecting the interests belonging to the British Empire, and has always fought for it.”

“The key is not belonging to the ruling party, which would not be considered a violation of the verbal agreement between the government and the Governor General.”

Numerous rainbow farts came out of the mouths of the two leaders of the British Indian Administrative Officers, Mr. Churchill turned into a great former Prime Minister, firing a shot in the House of Commons turned into defending the interests of the British Empire, and even the face of the bull terrier looked distinctly nostalgic.

“On the one hand, we arranged a meeting between Jinnah and the Governor to put out the fire of the Governor’s naive ideas. On the other, we inform Sir Edward of the Governor’s naïve thoughts and point out that Churchill is the one most capable of stopping the Governor.” Sir Barron’s words were followed by a set of responses.

“The Governor wants to invite Gandhi to a meeting.” Just then Edel, the commissioner’s secretary, came in and reported.

“See Jinnah first and arrange a meeting between Jinnah and the Governor.” Sir Barron paused for a moment and said, “Say that it is Jinnah who specifically wants to meet with the Governor and that we have agreed to do so. If we don’t see it, it will make the PMLN doubt the sincerity of the new Governor.”

For Mountbatten to carry out his plans smoothly in extraordinary times, he had to gain the support of Gandhi, whose role could not be ignored either for the Congress Party or for India’s independence.

Just before his arrival in India without inauguration, Mountbatten had written to Gandhi inviting him to meet him and stating that Mountbatten would send a special airplane to bring him from Bihar to Delhi if he wished. Gandhi refused the Viceroy’s airplane and said he would come to Delhi by train when the time came.

It was on this occasion that Sir Barron arranged for Arijana Ghazi to meet Arijana before Gandhi did.

At the same time a meeting was held with the popular Viceroy’s wife, and a request was made to inform Sir Edward of what was going on here in the name of the Viceroy’s wife, Edwina Ashley.

Only a name was needed, and the telegram was naturally drafted by Sir Barron.

“You are not going to do anything against my husband, are you?” Edwina Ashley inquired, opening her mouth full of suspicion.

Although there was no tradition of underhandedness in the British Empire, it did not mean that Edwina Ashley was not suspicious.

“Honorable madam, we are not going to lie to you, while knowing the agreement between the Governor and the Prime Minister. But it is important that we report what is happening here truthfully to London.” Sir Barron spoke solemnly, “We are afraid that the Governor’s rash action will have irreparable consequences, when all measures to remedy the situation will only result in a waste of time and space, and a shameful crime against the present British Empire.”

“It is not so serious as that; it is only a matter of taking the safest means possible.” As soon as he heard of the shameful crime, Alan Wilson at once opened his mouth to remedy the situation, stating that it was not so serious as Sir Barron had made it out to be.

This telegram was successfully sent, and arrived in London with the best wishes of all British India.

If it had been on the mainland, it would have been absolutely unfavorable to the clerk of the service and the commissary to come up in such a state of affairs.

But in the colony it was different again, and in the final analysis the administrative relations and personnel arrangements of British India depended on London.

Governor Mountbatten could not oust any of the senior administrative officers of British India; it had to be with Sir Edward’s consent.

This telegram inviting the former Prime Minister to step in, and Alan Wilson is not sure if he has responded to it or not, according to the timing, Churchill should now be delivering his Iron Curtain speech this year, urging the Americans to hurry up and turn their main guns on the Soviet Union in defense of the precious qualities of the free world.

This is nothing new; back in World War I, the British Empire launched a propaganda campaign to portray the Second German Reich as a dictatorial, centralized, unfree challenger.

Once Germany took control of the world, a true empire would be created, leaving every nation prostrate at the feet of the Germans.

Britain has long been skilled in this business, and by far the toughest country to run into in the propaganda war is France, Germany is not really a weighty opponent on top of propaganda.

I don’t know whether the former Prime Minister, who has always claimed to be a defender of the British Empire, is just paying lip service or is really willing to do his part.

At the same time, the Governor’s Office sent people and Ali Jinnah contact, informed the leader of the PML-N, the Governor is willing to be the first to meet with Ali Jinnah after the inauguration of the Governor, of course, in the external caliber, it must be Ali Jinnah took the initiative to communicate with the Governor in the hope that the PML-N leader can understand.

Subsequently, Sir Barron told the Governor Mountbatten that the news of the meeting with Jinnah, which was unexpected, but did not cause Mountbatten’s dissatisfaction, as long as it is to meet the big man, the specific who is first and who is not very important.

Logically, before the arrival of Ali Jinnah, the current schedule is now the first to pro-people behavior, first meet what the representatives of various classes and so on.