Chapter 68 The Indian Granary

When Alexander Cadogan, pandering to Prime Minister Chamberlain, resolutely replaced the Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Office, who had advocated a pre-emptive strike against Germany, he certainly belonged to the unimpeachable category on the moral plane.

What is wrong with using food from British India to solve the present problems within Britain and even in the German British-occupied territories? Isn’t that the right thing to do, otherwise what was the point of colonizing India? What else would we colonize India for?

Just out of the usual prudence, Alexander Cadogan still pretended to be reserved with an encouraging look at Alan Wilson said, “Alan, analyze the feasibility of this matter.”

“Permanent Secretary, I believe that no one among my colleagues here should know more about India than I do.” Allen Wilson could not wait to stand up and said in a confident and professional tone, “I believe that all colleagues have heard about the affluence of British India, I have worked in British India for a period of time, I dare not say I know the area very well, but I can also say that I am not an outsider.”

“Geographically, British India is undoubtedly a very suitable place for agricultural development, which can be proved by the sea of local population, and even some British Indian officials say that Indians are breeding like cockroaches, yet they can still survive.”

As soon as Alan Wilson’s words fell, a roar of laughter resounded throughout the room in an unabashed display of the high moral standards of old imperialism.

“British India’s arable land is second only to that of the United States in this world, and I’m sure you’re all impressed with the agricultural base of the U.S. The U.S. has never been troubled by supplies since it entered the war. India has abundant local rainfall, and the right temperatures, a large agricultural population, and it is because of all these conditions that it is the jewel in the crown of the empire.”

It is absolutely true that British India had a lot of arable land! It’s just that with a population no less than that of China, even now the officials of British India don’t know exactly how many people there are in the colonies they administer.

It’s true that British India had plenty of rainfall, and like Africa most of India was divided into rainy and dry seasons. Located in the monsoon zone, India often experiences months of continuous rainfall with few sunny days. Even in the 21st century, floods are often reported in India.

And once flooding occurs in India, it usually occurs in the Ganges River Basin, which is home to 80% of India’s population.

After the rainy season is the dry season, so after the floods, drought is not new in India, a large area of grain harvest, resulting in India’s farmers suicide rate is extremely high.

Agricultural era of climate stability, average rainfall is the real fundamental, which is in the monsoon climate of India, and regularly harvested by the Arctic Ocean cold current in the United States of America, in fact, can not be compared with China’s natural conditions.

India’s agricultural conditions are good, only on paper, in fact, the Ganges River Basin, the most populated place, because the distance from the Himalayas is too close, resulting in the monsoon season, the monsoon was stopped by the roof of the world, the rainy season in the Ganges River Basin precipitation is huge.

Two thousand millimeters of annual rainfall, sixteen are in the rainy season in the middle of the rainy season, and because India is located in the tropics, evaporation is huge, these rains can not be retained, the country is not a shortage of water, but just two months are finished, and then evaporated again.

Of course in Allenwell’s mouth none of these disadvantages existed. India was the rightful crown jewel of the British Empire, the foundation that supported the glory of the British Empire, and it was right to look to India for difficulties.

Alexander Cadogan nodded frequently and muttered to himself, “I almost forgot, Allen is the Colonial Office’s liaison officer to British India, and is very familiar with the entire situation in British India.”

“That’s not all familiar.” Alan Wilson said with a false sense of modesty, “Only in the environment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with so many excellent colleagues, can we come up with a solution.”

Although the surface was full of modesty, if Alan Wilson had a tail above his ass, he would probably be able to go up to the sky at this point.

“If Allen doesn’t think there’s a problem, he can contact the Indian side after the meeting. I also don’t know where India’s food producing areas are.” Alexander Cadogan nodded, ready to leave the handling of the food shortage to the Foreign Minister to decide.

Alexander Cadogan hadn’t worked in British India, and if he had asked some Chinese questions, he would have been able to answer them.

No matter, Alan Wilson, the commissioner who was still on Ali Khan’s payroll, knew very well that the grain-producing area of India, similar to the Northern Silos, was the British Indian Punjab.

British Punjab is actually in extremely poor conditions on paper data, precipitation is scarce, belongs to the savannah and tropical desert climate, almost a grassland close to the Sahara Desert, but the dimension is to the north, the sun is not too much.

As for most of India, the agro-environmental conditions are very poor, flooded, drought, excess sunlight.

After the partition of British India, India only grabbed one-fifth of the Punjab, it is such a small area, but has become the Indian nation’s most relied upon food-producing areas, India is not a disaster, all depends on only 50,000 square kilometers of the Punjab this year is not a good wind and rain.

“Good, this is the end of today’s discussion, Allen you liaise with the Viceroyalty of India side.” Alexander Cadogan breathed a sigh of relief, the agenda was still very much on the table, and today was just the beginning.

“I’ll get right on it.” Alan Wilson stood as straight as a soldier about to be paraded.

After the meeting was adjourned, Aifor looked at Allen Wilson who seemed to be much more energized and wondered, “It seems that once the matter of India was mentioned, you became much more active all of a sudden.”

“Aifor, one can’t be prejudiced. Now tens of millions of people in the British-occupied areas are not supplied with food. We are British gentlemen, how can we do things like the Soviets or the Americans, we are signatories to the Geneva Convention.” Alan Wilson righteously said, “Once there are large unnatural deaths in the occupied areas, it will have a negative impact on the reputation of the British Empire.”

“What’s wrong with the Americans? General Eisenhower is a good man, much better than Patton at least.” Eiffel snorted, not really sure where his colleague had heard that.

“But that doesn’t change Eisenhower’s Germanic-flavored accent!” Alan Wilson thoughtlessly said, in order to show his loyalty to the United States, Eisenhower would only show greater loyalty than the average American general.

Leaving the conference room, has been authorized Allen Wilson, immediately contacted the Ministry of Indian Affairs, the Punjab is a good place, that is the peaceful religion, Sikhs and Hindus convergence place.

After coming to Europe for more than a month, Allen Wilson finally had the opportunity to once again contact with the big and colorful country, think about it simply to cry with joy.