The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1535: Chapter 261: Observing Light from Darkness, Controlling Action by Keeping Still (Part 2)

Blackwell hadn’t finished speaking before he suddenly remembered Arthur’s attitude towards taking up a post in India. He hastily suppressed his upturned mouth corners, thinking of his deceased grandmother in his heart, and put on a sad demeanor saying: “The Duke of Wellington has personally written to you, it seems the development of the situation is not optimistic! I really don’t understand, you’ve just properly handled the Caucasus, yet they plan to send you to India! That’s India! Civilized people shouldn’t go to that barbarous subcontinent!”

Arthur cooperatively furrowed his brows and gently shook his head: “Orders are hard to disobey. Although this is indeed very troubling, it is ultimately the Duke of Wellington’s decision.”

“The Duke of Wellington’s decision?!” Blackwell exclaimed: “You… is it Mumbai or perhaps the province of Madras…”

At this point, he finally realized he might’ve said too much, and he hurriedly shut his mouth, despite the ecstatic expression that had already betrayed him.

However, it wasn’t long before the desire to go to that land of spices again drove this private secretary to consider persuading his superior “not to be clueless”: “Sir, actually thinking about it carefully, this is not a bad decision. Although India is indeed far from the homeland, working for the East India Company doesn’t mean you’re tied to India for life! After all, the East India Company has many foreign positions, such as being a Special Envoy to Tehran for the East India Company, etc. These positions, although under the name of the East India Company, are still part of the diplomatic system. As long as you do well, returning to Europe is just a matter of time.”

Blackwell endlessly extolled the virtues of going to India, and Arthur’s contemplative expression seemed almost convinced by his words.

Arthur put the Duke of Wellington’s letter aside, propping his chin on the office desk with one hand: “It does seem that way. But the journey from Russia to India is quite exhausting.”

Seeing an opportunity, Blackwell struck while the iron was hot: “Whether it’s exhausting depends on how you plan your travel. Didn’t the Duke of Wellington serve in India for many years? Didn’t he suggest some comfortable routes to you?”

Arthur, crossing his legs, puffed on his cigarette: “The Duke indeed mentioned, from a military perspective, there are two reliable land routes from Russia to India. The first route is to first take Shiva, then Balkh, and like Alexander the Great, cross the Hindu Kush Mountains to reach Kabul. From there, the army will pass through Jalalabad and the Khyber Pass to Peshawar, finally crossing the Indus River at Attock.

He analyzed that to seize Shiva, it is better to launch an attack from Orenburg rather than the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea. Although this route is farther, the water source conditions are much better than the Karakum Desert, and the tribes along the way are easier to subdue compared to the dangerous Turkmen. Once the Russian army reaches the north shore of the Salt Sea, they can take boats or rafts by water to the mouth of the Amu River, and then head south directly to Shiva. Conquering Shiva and then advancing into India is an ambitious plan, involving a series of continuous operations, which would take at least two to three years to complete.”

Blackwell increasingly felt something was amiss: “Planning travel routes like military plans, uh… one must say, this is very much in the style of a renowned general…”

Arthur glanced at him, then continued: “The second feasible route is to first capture Herat, then gather troops using it as a transit point. From there, the troops can pass through Kandahar and Quetta to reach the Bolan Pass. According to Lieutenant Conolly of the Bengal Local Sixth Light Cavalry Regiment’s exploration report, that’s how he reached India via Bolan Pass. And to reach Herat, one can either take the land route, through Persia which is already subdued by Russia, or cross the Caspian Sea to Astara. Therefore, once Afghanistan’s Herat falls into Russian hands, or is annexed by Persia which is friendly to Russia, the Russian troops can easily garrison there for years and can be readily supplied. The Russians don’t even need to advance into India, as their mere presence there could disrupt the local populace. When Britain faces potential insurrection in India, it would be an opportune time for Russian forces to launch an attack.”

“This…”

Even Blackwell, no matter how dull, now understood the riddle Arthur was weaving.

The letter from the Duke of Wellington wasn’t at all a directive relocating Arthur.

This was clearly the Duke expressing concern that once the Russians control Central Asia, they might seek to expand their sphere of influence into the Indian colonies.

At this crucial moment, the Duke of Wellington suddenly sends such a letter to Arthur, the British Cultural Counsellor to Russia, which harbors significant meaning.

Blackwell vaguely knew that during the Duke of Wellington’s tenure, since both the Ottoman and Persia had been successively defeated by Russia and coerced into signing surrender agreements, the Wellington Cabinet was greatly concerned that these two nations might become Russian vassals. Therefore, the Old Duke placed his friend and the Tory Party’s hawk, Lord Ellenborough, as Chairman of the Indian Management Committee.

Lord Ellenborough is a staunch anti-Russian figure, and he has always been convinced of Russia’s expansion plans. Following Persia’s defeat by Russia, Russian influence has steadily grown in Central Asia, and several military expedition teams from the East India Company have even reported sightings of Russian Cossack activities in the Khiva Khanate.