Chapter 411 Insects
Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.
Franz was playing with a beautifully rounded blue gemstone, which is a moon stone. Locals believe that this stone can bring good luck, and even be a blessing from the moon god, awakening the power of people's past lives.
Franz was curious about what it could bring to him.
The person who gave this stone to Franz was the wealthy low-caste Indian businessman before. Verawise said that this stone was the Eye of Brahma enshrined in the temple, and it seemed that he had indeed made a lot of money.
South Asian subcontinent, Hyderabad.
Since Baluch's last victory, he has received secret support from many feudal forces. Someone contributes money, someone contributes effort. But no high-level officials from the country have publicly expressed their stance, because they are all waiting for a result.
If Bharuch wins, then they will send troops to help liberate the Indian subcontinent. If Baluchi lost, they would swarm him and his Sindhi state to pieces like hunting dogs.
Twenty thousand British troops faced off against 50,000 rebels. To be honest, the Indian side had a great advantage in terms of military strength. And except for the insufficient number of artillery, other equipment is almost the same.
At the same time, the enemy needs to cross the desert to attack Hyderabad, which is a laborious expedition. The Sindh army has a strong castle as a cover and has to rest for a long time, so it has the advantage of waiting for work.
However, the results were surprising. As soon as the battle began, King Kapil, who was responsible for defending the front, immediately got out of the way and joined the British army in attacking the remaining two kings.
Baruch's three-sided encirclement and suppression plan suddenly turned into a flower in the middle of his own family. The British army directly divided the remaining rebels into two parts, and the Indians, who had lost their flank protection, were unable to organize a decent counterattack.
What's even more frightening is that in order to increase their combat power, the resistance army recruited many untouchables to join the army. At this time, the cancer of the caste system that has existed in India for thousands of years broke out.
Many untouchables threw down their weapons and surrendered to the enemy in droves, because they did not know what it meant to defend their country.
On the contrary, in the eyes of these low-class people, the other side is more "merciful" and "kind" than the local landlords.
Frankly speaking, the degree of barbarism in the Indian subcontinent today exceeds the imagination of most modern people; human burials, human sacrifices, eunuchs, clothing taxes, nose piercing taxes, slavery, and cannibalism. Each of them is horrifying.
To this day, some bad habits still persist in some parts of India.
Therefore, for the poor people at the bottom who are worse off than the squatters, there is no difference between their own master and the white foreign master. It is just a change of ruler, and this new master is more "merciful" and more "fair".
The battle involving tens of thousands of people ended with only 73 casualties from both sides combined.
However, this time the British did not show their "merciful" side. Governor Earl Ellenborough ordered the execution of all the murderers of General Pienaar and his own officers and soldiers.
After capturing Hyderabad, the British army staged a massacre of the city. More than 20,000 people were killed. However, some rebel leaders with noble backgrounds such as Bharuch escaped the liquidation.
Of course, death penalty can be avoided, but living crime cannot be escaped. They can only spend the rest of their lives under the supervision of the British.
But even this treatment was much luckier than that of the people at the bottom. The untouchables were first drafted into the battlefield, and finally survived the war and then encountered the massacre. However, the local kings who came to take over the land also did not regard them as People look at it and wish that all these people were dead.
Vera Wise, who had made a fortune during the war, came to the Governor's Mansion with anxiety. After dotting two gold bars up and down, he successfully met Earl Ellenborough.
"Mr. Verawise? What do you want from me?"
"My Lord Governor, I am a businessman. I brought some specialties from our hometown to visit you today. I hope you won't dislike it," Verawise said cautiously.
Earl Ellenborough poured a cup of coffee and sat in his chair very casually. He had seen many people who nodded and bowed.
It's just that the people the businessmen offered bribes to were all those greedy people from the Port Authority. This was the first time that they came directly to bribe him.
However, Ellenborough only regarded the Indian in front of him as an ordinary tobacco dealer who just wanted to sell his goods at a good price.
After thinking briefly, he opened a box filled with neatly arranged gold bars.
Suddenly, Earl Ellenborough was so shocked that he couldn't even hold the coffee cup and threw it to the ground. However, he seemed to be unaware of it, staring straight at the valuable gift in front of him.
"Your Majesty the Governor, Your Majesty the Governor"
Verawise called three times in a row before Ellenborough came back to his senses.
The latter obviously realized that he had just lost his composure. Although he had long heard that India was a place full of gold, he still underestimated this so-called "good reputation."
Although he was born into a noble family and held a high position, he mainly relied on the support of his ancestors. Although he had risen through the ranks, he had not seen much of the world, so he was frightened by a box of gold.
"You...what do you want to do?" It took Earl Ellenborough a while to hold back such embarrassing words.
This was somewhat beyond Verawise's expectations. He thought the British were all virtuous.
"My Lord Governor, I really want to make friends with you."
"Very good, no problem!" Earl Ellenborough agreed, but as soon as he put his hand on the box, the other party spoke again.
"Sir, I am a serious businessman. Unfortunately, the navy men always suspect me of smuggling contraband."
Ellenborough immediately understood the other party's intention.
"Don't worry, I will issue you a certificate solemnly declaring that you are working for the United Kingdom. From now on, you are a businessman of the British Empire, and no one can check you casually!"
With a stroke of his pen, he added the seal of the Governor-General of India. This may not seem like much to him, but to an ordinary Indian, it is a dream come true.
Of course, there was no need for such trouble in the past. In the past, as long as you bribed the staff of the East India Company and listed the ship in their name, you could avoid many troubles such as taxes and inspections.
But in 1833, the trading privileges of the East India Company were revoked, and even those using its name would be investigated.
That's why Verawise went to the Governor's Mansion in person. After all, what he deals in is not just tobacco and soil, but also absolute contraband - weapons.
It imports weapons and transports them to India to make huge profits.
(At first it was Austria, then the Chenla region, because it was close and would not affect Franz’s layout)
But what is ridiculous is that the British have a local arsenal in India, and the output is not low. Although the Battle of Hyderabad failed, the businessman escaped sanctions, so more weapons poured into other princely states.
Armed with a sharp weapon, the murderous intention arouses itself.
The South Asian subcontinent has become more unstable, which is a good thing for the Sikh Empire in the north and the newly restored Afghanistan.
In fact, Russia further north also wanted to get involved, but it was unable to break through the grasslands and deserts of Central Asia.
The three countries of Bukhara, Vastu, and Khiva are like a natural chasm, lying between Russia and the rich South Asian subcontinent.