1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

That was just a rhetoric to confuse the British.

Are the British still afraid of this?

When was India not divided?

Rather, a divided India would be beneficial to British rule.

As expected, Earl Wellington chuckled, his tone unconsciously becoming a little casual:

Of course not. Even if there is a crime to be investigated, it is the business of the British government. What does it have to do with me, the Governor-General of India?

"Oh? I'm surprised, isn't your Excellency British?

“I am of course a British citizen, but I am first and foremost the Viceroy of India and I cannot undertake the work of the British government.

"I understand. Your Excellency means that you must first ensure that India does not suffer any problems, and then obey the orders of the British government, right?"

The Earl of Wellington took another sip of his tea and acquiesced with a smile. However, from these words, Fujiwara Kanezane not only saw that the British had indeed misjudged his true purpose, but also saw another thing:

The Governor-General of India of the British Empire seemed very dissatisfied with the British government.

In fact, this guess is not wrong at all.

This time, the Earl of Wellington came to Shenyang to meet Fujiwara no Kanezane, but it was not entirely out of his personal wish.

Because, according to his original idea, all Indians who dared to go to this damn "Greater East Asia Conference" should be arrested, or these guys should be killed on the way and the blame should be put on the Japanese;

If all else fails, kill Fujiwara Kanezane!

Anyway, everyone is already in a fierce competition, and these insects are all clamoring for independence. Why bother with so much else? White or black, dirty or clean, all means available will be used!

No! Kill them all!

As long as we kill everyone, there won't be any problems!

But the gentlemen in London would never dare to do that.

No, it's not that they didn't dare at all, but rather that the Japanese were simply not a priority for the British central government. Even in Southeast Asia, which the Japanese could easily reach, the British high-ranking officials still didn't take their former apprentice seriously. For the current British high-ranking officials, there is an "iron rule" - defending against the Soviet Union is far greater than defending against the United States, defending against the United States is far greater than defending against France, defending against France is far greater than defending against Germany, and defending against Germany is far greater than defending against Japan.

Therefore, after discovering that the Japanese had come up with the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" and clearly wanted to get involved in Southeast Asia, the first reaction of the British high-level officials was not anger, but tension:

Could it be that the Japanese had reached some kind of agreement with the Americans to jointly expel the British and divide the Pacific?

In particular, Haruta's unusual support for Fujiwara Kanezane further intensified such speculation among the British high-level officials.

So, there's no need to elaborate on what should be done - we need to find a way to win over the people, and not completely push them over to the Americans!

At the very least, they should remain neutral in the struggle between Britain and the United States!

Several other pieces of news that have come out recently have made the British top brass more determined to win over the Japanese:

Intelligence shows that Soviet "Foreign Minister" Litvinov secretly went to Shenyang recently and it is unknown what he is doing.

Okay!

That’s right!

After being beaten, the Soviets also wanted to collude with Fujiwara Kanezane!

Therefore, combined with a series of previous intelligence and political moves, the world situation in the eyes of the British top leaders suddenly became like this:

The Americans co-opted the Soviets to oppress Eastern Europe, co-opted the French and southern Germany to flourish in the heart of Western Europe, co-opted Italy to further encroach on the Mediterranean region, and co-opted the Japanese to invade China and operate in Southeast Asia.

In other words, under the leadership of Ms. Field, the challenger to the United States' world hegemony has become a force to be reckoned with and is attacking from all sides. Britain must respond with all its might! It must devote all its energy to dealing with Springfield's endless political attacks!

Therefore, the British top leaders will never allow too much trouble to happen in other places, and China and Southeast Asia are naturally no exception.

If Fujiwara no Kanezane was just a small-time karami, and if only Japan was involved, then he could be killed. However, Fujiwara no Kanezane, who had already occupied most of northern China and forced the Soviets to give up Outer Mongolia, was obviously no small figure, and the Five-Star Eastern Republic was not a small country either.

If they failed and exposed themselves, causing Japan and even northern China to pour all their resources into the south, forcing Britain to use its already stretched finances and military to deal with it, thus affecting its plan to respond to the challenge from the United States, who would be held responsible?

Due to the financial crisis caused by the Great Depression, the construction of the Singapore naval base has basically stopped. The power of the British Empire in Southeast Asia is not enough to deal with "Japan + North China + Americans".

Therefore, Britain is currently providing limited support to the Kuomintang government, hoping that they can prevent Fujiwara Kanezane from obtaining more resources, while trying to find ways to make tentative contacts with the Chinese Communist Party and trying to sound out Japan's tone and intentions so as not to fall into the dilemma of fighting on multiple fronts.

Since Fujiwara no Kanezane was definitely not a Soviet who shouted "Great Unity of the Proletariat" or an American who was frantically challenging the status of the British Empire, and since he was not an absolute enemy of ideological beliefs or a contender for hegemony, then... there is room for discussion.

It's nothing more than talking about "profit"!

But this was the British government's idea; for the Earl of Wellington himself, it was not the case.

Once again, his "genius idea" was denied by the "idiots in Downing Street". The already arrogant and self-respecting Earl of Wellington had some thoughts of throwing in the towel.

Because he was a very typical British colonial governor, always caught between the actual local situation and the unrealistic orders of the masters in London.

As a famous "political chameleon" and "master of colonial governance", Earl Wellington was actually not a fool with only killing in his mind at the beginning;

On the contrary, like most colonial governors, he was very good at winning over the indigenous princes and integrating with the locals (not physically), and was very good at "divide and rule", "legal violence", and "using barbarians to control barbarians".

So, he will be hard when he needs to be hard, and he will be soft when he needs to be soft.

For example, when he was the Governor of Bombay at the end of World War I, a flu epidemic broke out in Bombay. The Earl of Wellington adopted a policy of "no actual relief except for publishing obituary lists" and increased grain exports and taxation, resulting in the death of at least 50 people in Bombay.

At that time, everyone felt that the Earl of Wellington was worthy of being a model of an excellent bureaucrat who led the British Empire to great shortcomings and virtues...ahem...he was cut from the same cloth as Lord Linlithgow, who later forcibly requisitioned food during World War II and caused 300 million people to starve to death.

But in fact, do you think he doesn't want to provide disaster relief?

fart!

After the outbreak, the Earl of Wellington asked the British government for financial support to provide disaster relief, or at least to reduce food exports to ensure that local people would not cause unrest due to excessive hunger.

As a result, London, considering the needs of the war, firmly rejected Earl Wellington's request and ordered him to intensify the suppression, which eventually led to famine, plague and riots in the Bombay area.

After the big mess, London smoothly put the blame on Wellington and transferred him from the Bombay area to the more barren Madras Province as the governor;

Soon after taking office, he encountered protests by Muslim farmers. Wellington advised London not to intervene and to divert the conflict to Hindus, letting Hindus fight Muslims. London still refused to listen and insisted on suppressing the protests, which resulted in even greater riots.

The suppression was ultimately successful, but Wellington's relationship with the local Aboriginal people deteriorated, and many of his tasks could not be implemented. He achieved nothing during his term.

Perhaps knowing it was in the wrong, London allowed him to serve as Lieutenant Governor for a few more years before transferring him to Canada, which gained self-government in 1926, to serve as a "token Governor-General";

The results of it?

Before taking office, he had clearly agreed that his mission in Canada was to be a "loyal and conciliatory mascot," outwardly respecting Canada's autonomy while secretly monitoring whether Canada was harming British interests. Yet, he was dismissed in 1931 for "excessive compromise"!

Damn you!

I don't have any power except the right to gather intelligence. What else can I do if I don't compromise?

Do you want me, a 65-year-old man, to rush into the Canadian government with a gun and force them to obey?

If Gandhi and others had not caused such great unrest at that time, the British government would have judged that "India needs a strong-handed governor", and the Earl of Wellington would probably have returned to London to retire.

Incidentally, Wellington was considered "iron-fisted and tough" because the parliamentary masters felt that he was a ruthless character who had killed many people in Bombay and Madras.

Well, no matter what happened back then, since you all said so, I will go on a killing spree in India!

The result still didn't work.

Because the London masters were worried that killing too many people would trigger a full-scale rebellion in India, Wellington had no choice but to arrest and release Gandhi, Nehru, Bose and others, which only emboldened the other side.

Now, these people actually dared to come in large numbers to participate in the "Greater East Asia Conference" which is clearly intended to divide India!

Oh, and there is also the matter of imprisoning Luo Yi. It was the London masters who wanted to arrest him, and it was also the London masters who wanted to release him. In the end, Wellington was the only one who was neither a human nor a villain, no different from a clown.

The British governors were also human beings and had their own ideas. When London demanded "maximum exploitation and profit maximization" but refused to assume financial and governance responsibilities, they directly faced endless resistance from local people. However, these governors

Once you sit in the position of governor, your interests may not be completely aligned with those of the British Empire.

This is the state of mind of the Earl of Wellington now:

You guys take all the benefits, and I have to take all the bad things?

Fuck you!

Fuck you cockneys!

588 McMahon Line? Fujiwara Kaneji Line!

Although the Earl of Wellington, the Governor-General in India, came to Shenyang with great resentment towards the British central government, it did not mean that he would easily betray British interests.

At least, until the benefits to him are not great enough.

Fujiwara no Kanezane knew that he could not offer a price that could bribe the British Governor-General in India, so after Wellington acquiesced to his statement that "I must prioritize protecting India's interests, and then the British government," he behaved very businesslike:

"In that case, Lord Wellington, let's put London's orders aside for now. What do you want to talk to me about when you come to Shenyang this time?"

"Before we get started, do you mind if I have a cigar?

Fujiwara Kanezane extended his hand in agreement, and the Earl of Wellington took out a cigar and a pair of scissors from his pocket. He slowly prepared them and lit them. He took a deep breath, exhaled a long, large smoke ring, and then asked leisurely:

"First question, Your Highness Fujiwara. As far as I know, you are in Northeast China. Oh no, the Five-Star Eastern Republic... Sorry, the name is so difficult to pronounce. Anyway, you have an army and navy in this country that obeys you completely, right?"

"We are obeying the orders of His Majesty the Emperor of our country.

“Haha, yes, yes.

Wellington understood what was going on, smiled indifferently, and emphasized again:

"So, will your Emperor order this navy to go south to the Indian Ocean?"

"Obviously not.

"You answered a little too quickly.

"I'm not stupid enough to lie about the ocean to a country with the most powerful navy in the world.

Fujiwara Kanezane shrugged and said:

"I believe you can also see that this navy was trained for near-shore defense. Exploring the open ocean is not their mission, at least not for the time being.

N印

Wellington nodded slightly.

This is basically consistent with his judgment and that of the British people.

The Japanese came up with the trick of "Why should the Japanese Navy be the Japanese Navy" to circumvent the London Naval Treaty and actually implemented it. To be honest, at first, the British did not expect it to be possible to play this way, and they were a little nervous and unhappy.

But they soon discovered that although this strategy strengthened the Japanese navy and freed up Japan's main ocean-going navy to move south, it actually did not cause much damage to Britain's strategic interests and even benefited them.

Why?

Intelligence gathered by British agencies in Japan proved that the contradictions within Japan and even within the navy had already reached a point where they were about to explode.

If Fujiwara no Kanezane hadn't done this, Japan's only option would have been to tear up the London Naval Treaty or even find an excuse to withdraw from the League of Nations and play on its own!

In that case, if Britain, the world hegemon that maintains the order of the world, does not take action to teach the Japanese a lesson, their prestige will suffer a severe blow!

But, teach the Japanese a lesson?

This conflicts with the strategic idea of ​​winning over the Japanese to fight against the Americans.

After realizing this, the British top leaders were relieved by Fujiwara no Kanezane's expansion of the "Japanese Navy" and gave positive support to the establishment of the Five-Star Eastern Republic.

This is politics.

"Very good, then the second question is, what do you think of India's caste system?

“How do you see…what does it mean?

"How do you evaluate this system? From the perspective of governance?

Fujiwara Kanezane thought for a few seconds before answering carefully:

"It's a genius design. It plunges the ignorant masses into endless infighting, thus ensuring the absolute safety of us, the rulers at the top.

Caste system - Brahmin → Kshatriya → Vaishya → Shudra → Dalit.

The first two belong to the absolute ruling class, with no distinction between high and low, and are bound and dependent on each other;

The Vaisyas are "assistants of the ruling class", responsible for making money for the first two, and have a certain "professional protection". After a long time, they can even enter the first two levels; (For example, Gandhi is a Vaisya, but his grandfather and father were both chief ministers of princely states)

As for the lowest Shudras and even lower Dalits, they make up the vast majority of the total population, have almost no channels for upward mobility, and are the most oppressed. But why don't they resist?

Putting aside factors such as "lack of rebellious spirit", the most crucial issue is that there is an almost irreconcilable contradiction between Shudras and Dalits, and the former are desperately suppressing the latter.

The reason is very simple - people are forced to compare.

As an ordinary person, you can easily accept that officials, military officers, and wealthy businessmen are higher in social status than you, but it is often difficult to accept that people around you are better than you;

In other words, although they live with the Dalits, the Shudras can best comfort themselves by saying that they are not untouchables and can (help) exploit the untouchables. What they cannot tolerate the most is that the untouchables are the same as themselves.

Therefore, whether at this time or in later generations, the most active in suppressing the "Dalit awakening movement" organized by the "Ambedkars" were often not the "upper three classes", but the extremely large Shudra group;

On the contrary, upper castes like Aamir Khan would give the untouchables some benefits from time to time, stand up and speak for them, and create an image of themselves as extremely kind and open-minded.

The people at the top are all good, but the bastards in the middle have ruined the execution. So, the upper three levels sit back and watch the Shudras and Dalits fighting each other down below.