The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1536: Chapter 261: Observing Light from Obscurity, Controlling Action through Stillness (Part 3)

Thus, Lord Ellenborough feared that the Russians might reuse their old tactics, starting with frequent activities by Russian merchants, followed closely by Russian troops under the guise of protecting commerce, thereby executing expansion.

To prevent this situation from occurring, Lord Ellenborough believed he had reason to thoroughly investigate and map the ever-extending Russian trading ports in Central Asia and North India, as mastering these would enable monitoring of the Russian advance route into India.

To achieve this goal, he painstakingly devised a brilliant, though slightly unorthodox, plan.

At that time, to congratulate the British King William IV on his accession, the Punjab King Ranjit Singh presented him with a batch of luxurious Kashmir shawls, while William IV was pondering what to offer in return.

According to intelligence from the East India Company, the aging Indian Prince was fond of women, but this was clearly out of the question since there were no female slaves to be found in Britain. Even if the government could procure some ready-made ones from the Ottomans, it would undoubtedly cause a scandal if journalists from Fleet Street learned of it.

Apart from women, the Indian Prince had another hobby—fine horses.

Thus, Lord Ellenborough conceived an idea.

He planned to send Ranjit Singh five British purebred horses, including four mares and one stallion.

As a breed specifically developed during the 17th century for racing, British purebred horses could be regarded as the fastest in the world at middle to short distances. Considering that this Asian monarch had recently dispatched envoys to St. Petersburg, Lord Ellenborough hoped that these British purebred horses, capable of winning the Derby races, could impress the Punjab King.

At the same time, he ordered the Governor of Mumbai, Sir John Malcolm, to build a gilded ceremonial carriage, so that Ranjit Singh could comfortably and majestically tour his kingdom in a luxurious carriage drawn by British steeds.

Of course, this was definitely not the entirety of the plan.

Due to the size of the horses and the carriage, and the horses’ unsuitability to the local climate and terrain, they likely couldn’t reach the Punjab Kingdom’s capital, Lahore, by land. Thus, Britain’s proposal to take a water route upstream along the Indus River became naturally justified, and detailed surveys of river access to ensure smooth water transport to Lahore seemed reasonable as well.

Unfortunately, Lord Ellenborough’s ingenious plan was met with staunch opposition from Sir Charles Metcalfe of the Secret Political Department of the East India Company. He believed the Indian Prince already mistakenly blamed the British Government for similar tricks, and that this reconnaissance plan was easily detectable, which would only deepen the local monarch’s misunderstanding of Britain.

However, the Governor of Mumbai, Sir John Malcolm, strongly supported Lord Ellenborough’s idea, believing that to prevent Russia’s threat to India, a forward policy must be formulated, since attack is the best defense.

Yet, just as the plan was about to be finalized, the Duke of Wellington was ousted due to the Catholic Emancipation Act, and his old companion, Lord Ellenborough, also left his position as Chairman of the Indian Management Committee. Fearing changes over time, Sir Malcolm quickly urged the expedition team to depart.

The expedition team set off in January 1831 and returned to Mumbai in March 1833.

The reason the expedition lasted so long was mainly because its leader, Lieutenant Burns of the Indian Political Service Elite Team, not only presented horses and the carriage to the Punjab King but also earned Sir Malcolm’s approval and volunteered to explore other, as yet undiscovered routes into India through the Punjab.

Lieutenant Burns and his team shed their European attire, donned Afghan clothing, shaved their heads, wrapped turbans, disguised themselves as British travelers, and headed north into the Afghan region, where they met the area’s most powerful monarch, Dost Muhammad, in Kabul.

After the parties became familiar, Muhammad even voluntarily offered Burns the position of his military training commander, promising Burns, ”I entrust you with twelve thousand horses and twenty cannons.”

Even though Burns declined this proposal, Muhammad was still eager for him to assist in recommending other officers from the East India Company to assume the role.

The reason this Afghan monarch was so eager for foreigners to train his army dates back to the Punjab King Ranjit Singh. Over the centuries, Afghans could surge through the Khyber Pass into India, plunder Delhi, and return laden with gold and silver treasures.

But ever since Indian Princes began hiring European officers to train and reform their armies, Afghans haven’t enjoyed the good old days.

And Burns’s refusal was not for lack of desire to seize the opportunity for advancement; rather, Britain had a long-term cooperation agreement with Ranjit Singh. If he dared to accept such a private job, he would likely never return to Britain.

Lieutenant Burns was only 26 years old, having just completed his expedition task, with a bright and promising future ahead. How could he abandon the chance to make a name for himself in Britain for the sake of an opportunity to wield power in India?