Chapter 136 British Concerns in India (Part 2)

Chapter 136 Concerns of Britain in India (two chapters in one)

"Your Majesty, don't the British have any other ideas?"

Yusuf Pasha asked at this time.

"As far as I know, Warren Hastings has already controlled the most prosperous areas in India, and the authority of the former Mughal emperor is no longer there.

If we march at this time, we must not only deter the Qajar dynasty, but also completely take over the inland areas. It will undoubtedly make the British feel that we are trying to return to the Persian Gulf and open up the old route again, which is something the British cannot tolerate."

Hearing Yusuf's question, Selim did not speak. This problem is actually quite complicated. If it is not handled properly, it is indeed easy to arouse the vigilance of the British.

After all, Britain's fate lies on the sea.

But the Arab region needs to be resolved. The harassment of the Bedouins is intolerable to the Ottoman Empire. If it is left alone, the Wahhabis and Saudi Arabia will rise from this land. How can we not clear the mines early?

As for India, the British had not completely taken over India at this time.

In fact, for Western colonizers, their initial idea was not to conquer India. They really came with the idea of ​​doing business.

For example, the British, with the official permission of the Mughal Empire, the East India Company also continued to expand its trade presence. By 1647 AD, it had 23 trade points in India.

But soon, the British built castles around these trade points and turned a considerable number of trade points into military fortresses.

During this period, the British had already used these fortresses to take a series of military actions, but these military strikes were mainly aimed at other European countries that were also colonizing in the name of trade in the surrounding areas, such as the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

After all, everyone is an old European. What stabbing, playing dirty, not doing this is simply not European.

Under the operation of the British, the British East India Company soon became the most powerful European "trading company" in India.

But these military actions still aroused the high vigilance of the Mughal officials.

In 1689, the Mughal Empire sent a fleet led by General Sidi Yakub to besiege Mumbai, where the East India Company was entrenched.

After resisting for a year, the East India Company surrendered. They immediately paid a large amount of compensation to the Mughal Empire and promised to act prudently and abide by the law in the future, which eventually exchanged for the Mughal Empire's withdrawal from Mumbai.

It can only be said that European colonists are indeed flexible and never stubborn when they should be submissive.

By the way, the Indian emperor Aurangzeb of this period was the last Indian man from the late 17th century to the 20th century before Nehru appeared.

Oh, he was still a Muslim. I feel that it was Ali Jinnah of the Muslim League who blew it. Nehru should live with the hunger strike master Gandhi.

Until the beginning of the 18th century, because of the existence of the powerful central government of the Mughal Empire, the East India Company still did not have the courage to directly expand militarily in India.

But this situation changed fundamentally in 1707. In March of that year, Emperor Aurangzeb, who had ruled the Mughal Empire for 49 years, died. Just two months later, the Mughal army was defeated by the Maratha Alliance, a Hindu rebel force in northern India (the Mughal royal family believed in Islam).

After that, some Mughal army generals were dissatisfied with the new emperor Bahadur Shah and launched a rebellion, and the Mughal Empire was divided.

As a pioneer in the civilized world, the British Empire immediately found that such a situation was too consistent with its own positioning, and it soon saw an opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

In 1717, the British East India Company seized the power to levy taxes in the Bengal region, and the East India Company's colonization of India was greatly accelerated thereafter.

By the mid-18th century, the early Portuguese and Dutch colonial forces had subsided, replaced by competition between Britain and France. Britain and France entered India almost at the same time, each with an East India Company, and set up bases on the coast to control local trade.

Both East India Companies had local Indian princes as their backers, and the company's small number of mercenaries served as thugs for their allies.

Due to the endless struggle for power among local forces in India, the two companies often clashed to support their respective allies, but due to the limited number of mercenaries, these conflicts were not large in scale, and there were no battles or sieges.

Against this background, the Carnatic region in southeastern India became an important handle for Britain to control India.

The British and French East India Companies quickly fostered different warlords in the local area and went to war with each other.

The war was very brutal, and it lasted for decades, killing a total of about 1 million local people.

The military strength of the British East India Company also increased dramatically in this process. After all, excellent armies still rely on actual combat.

Starting in 1756 AD, with the outbreak of the Seven Years' War, Britain and France not only fought on the European continent, but also fought wildly in major colonies.

The Carnatic War also expanded rapidly during this period, and soon spread to the entire South India and Bengal.

On June 23, 1757, the British East India Company's army defeated the French-supported local prince Daura in the Battle of Plassey in Bengal and gained hegemony in the Bengal region.

The leader of the British army in this battle was Clive.

At that time, the old king of Bengal had died only a few years ago. In this turbulent situation, the French adhered to the idea of ​​never letting the British have an easy time. Clive's old rival Dubreuil personally came to Murshidabad, the base camp of Bengal.

This man was not stingy in doing things. He directly gave the Nawab (referring to the King of Bengal) 30 cannons as a gift to encourage Siraj to oppose the British.

The wavering Nawab immediately gave France trade privileges in Bengal. This series of actions aroused Clive's disgust. As a member of the British Gentlemen, Clive would never tolerate evil.

Under his arrangement, the East India Company had already contacted important people who were dissatisfied with the young Nawab, including General Ya. Lutufu. Khan and the Nawab's uncle Prince Mir. Jafar, who all expressed their support for Britain.

Clive did not trust these people, but out of concern for the young Nawab's fickle character and recognition of his weak nature, Clive decided to give the ruler of Bengal a fatal blow.

At the same time, the news of the outbreak of the Seven Years' War reached India, and Clive quickly occupied the French stronghold of Chandernagar in Bengal.

In order to express his dissatisfaction with Britain, in April 1757, Siraj Nawab transferred his troops to Plassey, a small village north of the Bhagirathi River to threaten Calcutta.

After paying a huge bribe, Clive signed an agreement with Mir Jafar, that is, the East India Company supported the latter as Nawab, and the latter raised troops to fight against the British.

On June 12, Clive led his troops north from Chandernagar.

On June 14, through the report of Dutch merchants, Clive learned that the Katewa Fort was a grain storage place for the Bengal Army.

He immediately sent a small force with only a 6-pound gun to attack by boat.

However, during the night attack, it was discovered by the defenders and was not conquered until Clive led the main force to arrive on the 19th.

At this time, the situation changed again. The envoy of Mir Jafar, whom Clive had originally scheduled to meet, did not wait. The more disturbing news was that Mir Jafar had begun to waver because the Nawab had gathered all the troops, including Mir Jafar's troops, around him. He was ready to abandon his agreement with the British and re-coordinate his relationship with the Nawab.

This situation made Clive hesitate. His expeditionary force would face the entire army of Bengal. Clive gathered all British and Indian officers to hold a meeting to discuss the situation.

At the meeting, most officers, including Clive, advocated waiting and watching, trying to disintegrate the internal affairs of Bengal on the one hand and waiting for reinforcements on the other.

However, the commander of the naval fleet, Kut, insisted on attacking immediately. He believed that Bengal was still unstable and divided, and that it was inevitable that they would fight passively in order to preserve their strength.

The rainy season was about to come. Losing this opportunity would give the Nawab enough time to consolidate his position. At present, the morale of the troops was high and they could win on the battlefield. If they delayed for a long time, their morale would be dampened.

After hearing this analysis, Clive immediately changed his point of view and decided to attack immediately despite the opposition of most people.

On the 22nd, the expeditionary force crossed the Bhagirathi River and arrived at a forest north of Plassey Village after marching two miles in heavy rain, about 1.5 miles from the Bengal Army's camp.

Here Clive set up a position. At 1 a.m. on the 23rd, the Bengalis discovered the British army. Siraj Nawab thought this was an opportunity to annihilate the British and immediately led the entire army out.

It took 6 hours for the army to spread out in an arc in front of the British army.

At 7 a.m., on the hottest day of the year, the Battle of Plassey, which determined India's modern history, began.

Clive's expeditionary force had about 900 Europeans and 2,200 Indians, the core of which was the Royal 39th Grenadiers Company and the 12th Artillery Company brought from the mainland.

The other troops were 3 East India Company troops, some naval sailors and European settlers in India.

These troops were equipped with flintlock rifles and strictly trained, and some were battle-hardened. The expeditionary force had only eight 6-pound guns and two howitzers borrowed from the navy. Fortunately, the well-trained gunners could fire 5-6 times per minute, making up for the lack of quantity.

Before the battle, Clive organized two exercises for the troops, which basically ensured that the new recruits and veterans, British soldiers and Indian soldiers could coordinate with each other.

Clive's opponent, Siraj Nawab, had about 35,000 infantry and 15,000 cavalry in Plassey.

His infantry composition was very chaotic. Some were troops formed by princes, including traditional Indian armored infantry and matchlock infantry imitating Europeans, but most of them were temporarily recruited from various villages and equipped with short knives.

These infantry troops did not speak the language and had poor discipline, and were never the main force of the Bengal Army.

The elite of the Nawab were his cavalry. These armored lancers had generous salaries, and they were trained in hunting in the dry season and rainy season every year, always maintaining high morale. This was the regular army of Bengal.

The Bengal army had more than 50 24-pound and 36-pound guns but lacked gunners. The addition of more than 40 French gunners who escaped from Chandernagar slightly alleviated this situation. However, due to the large number of rockets equipped, the firepower of the Bengal army was still very impressive.

Yes, rockets. It was also an eye-opener for Selim that this thing was still in use.

In addition, the Bengal army also had war elephants tied with iron chains, wearing armor and carrying arrow towers.

However, in the battle with Europeans, these war elephants were often a greater threat to their own side.

Clive's command post was located in a hunting lodge on the banks of the Bagirati River, with an overview of the entire region.

Clive observed the Bengal Army's movements and ordered his troops to spread out between the woods and the river bank.

His choice was quite correct. In this case, the expeditionary force had woods on its left and a river on its right. Both wings were covered, and there were several large and small ponds on the front as obstacles. The terrain was very favorable.

In terms of retreating ten thousand steps, even if the expeditionary force is defeated, it can still retreat into the woods to avoid the enemy cavalry, and the entire army will not be destroyed.

Clive deployed four regular troops on the front, and local Bengal troops deployed on the right wing. The artillery was placed in a hut along the river bank to obtain a better shooting angle, so that it could shoot the enemy's left and right flanks at the same time. The entire front was about 800 yards wide and 300 yards deep.

The Bengal army belonged to various princes and generals. Siraj's favorite general Mohan Lal led 3,000 artillery and infantrymen equipped with matchlocks to attack the front of the British army (the firepower of this unit alone exceeded the entire expeditionary force) Siraj's most loyal general Mir Madan led 7,000 armored infantry and 5,000 heavy cavalry along the river bank to support Mohan Lal.

Prince Mir Jaffa commanded his own 15,000 men to detour the British right wing, while General Ya. Lutuf Khan was responsible for covering the former's flank. The other troops followed Siraj and were deployed outside the camp.

Clive had a clear view from the hunting hut as the Bengal army advanced.

Clive was also shocked by the sheer number of enemies, which featured a large number of heavy artillery mounted on giant six-wheeled platforms.

He tried to contact Mir Jaffa, but the battle soon broke out.

The troops on both sides exchanged fire at a distance of 500 yards. After an hour, all the Bengal artillery reached the front line. Clive ordered the troops to retreat into the woods. This was a correct decision that enabled him to finally win.

Due to the cover of trees, the power of the heavy artillery was greatly reduced, and the advantage in the rate of fire of the flintlocks temporarily made up for the lack of quantity.

However, as the battle became stalemate, the casualties of the expeditionary force continued to increase. At this time, although Clive noticed that the left wing of the Bengal army was standing still, he was still unable to determine Mir Jafar's intention. If he joined the battle at this time, the expeditionary force would be attacked from both sides.

Clive and his officers even privately considered retreating into the woods and raiding the Nawab's tent at night.

At this moment, the battlefield situation reversed. A heavy rain suddenly fell at 12 o'clock and lasted for an hour and a half. The heavy rain silenced both parties.

It can only be said that it was God's blessing that Ying was brought up. After all, such good things are rare.

After the rain, all the muskets and artillery in Bengal lost their effectiveness because of the gunpowder. However, Clive's Anglo-Indian troops finally looked like a civilized army at this time. They did not let the gunpowder be harmed at all.

At this time, Clive showed extraordinary calmness and ordered the troops to stand still until the enemy made any move.

This decision soon paid off. Mir Madan thought that the firearms of the British and Indian troops had also failed, so he personally led the cavalry to launch a full-line charge.

The charge in Bengal was met with heavy fire. The front army fled backward, and the rear army fell into the mud again in the chaos. Mir Madan was also killed in the charge.

This was the decisive moment of the battle. Based on his own judgment, Klevu believed that as long as he defeated the enemy in front, the wavering Mir Jaffa would definitely fall to his side.

In the afternoon, the entire expeditionary force, including the troops covering the flanks, launched a counterattack. The Bengali army, which was in chaos, collapsed at the drop of a hat and all its heavy artillery was destroyed.

After witnessing the annihilation of all the troops loyal to the Nawab of Siraj, Mir Jafar officially turned to Klevu and began to attack Siraj. By this time the outcome had been decided, and the remaining troops loyal to the Nawab who had fled back to the camp surrendered, ending the Battle of Plassey.

After that, Britain can basically take over India completely. It is only a matter of time.

Now, after Hastings returns home, the British government has intended to take over India directly.

After thinking about this incident, Selim couldn't help but worry. After all, this was still the first battle of the French Revolution. The British had not yet come to an end. Will his behavior offend the other party?

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what do you think?"

Yusuf Pasha's shouts brought the Sultan back to reality. Not everyone supported the idea of ​​​​the Emperor.

It still needs to be tested how tolerant the British are to this place.

Thanks to Sui Mingjun, Pa Pao You, Fool’s Self-Reading and Book Friends’ monthly tickets