The Crescent of the Sultan

Chapter 136 Concerns caused by Britain in India (two chapters in one)

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

At this moment Yusuf Pasha asked.

"As far as I know, Warren Hastings has controlled the most prosperous areas in India, and the authority of the Mughal emperor in the past is long gone.

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

Selim said nothing after hearing Yusuf's question. This issue is actually quite complicated. If it is not handled well, it will indeed easily arouse the vigilance of the British.

After all, Britain's destiny lies at sea.

But the Arab region needs to be solved. The harassment of the Bedouin is intolerable to the Ottoman Empire. If left alone, Wahhabism and Saudi Arabia will rise from this land. What will happen if the mines are not cleared early.

As for India, the British had not completely conquered India during this period.

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

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

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

During this period, the British had already used these fortresses to carry out a series of military operations. However, 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, we are all old Europeans. We are not Europeans if we don’t stab people with knives and use evil hands.

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

However, these military actions still aroused high vigilance among Mughal officials.

In 1689 AD, the Mughal Dynasty sent a fleet led by General Sidi Yakub to launch a siege on Bombay, where the East India Company was entrenched.

The East India Company surrendered after a year of resistance. They immediately paid a large indemnity to the Mughal Empire and promised to act prudently and abide by the law in the future, in exchange for the Mughal Empire's withdrawal from Bombay.

It can only be said that the European colonists were indeed able to stretch and shrink, and they were never stubborn when they needed to give in.

By the way, Aurangzeb, the Indian emperor of this period, was considered the last Indian man from the late seventeenth century to the emergence of Nehru in the twentieth century.

Oh, he is still a Muslim. I feel that Ali Jinnah of the Muslim League has to blame him. Nehru should live with Gandhi, the master of hunger strike.

Until the beginning of the 18th century AD, the East India Company still did not have the guts to directly conduct military expansion in India because of the powerful central government of the Mughal Empire.

But this situation changed fundamentally in 1707 AD. 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 invaded by northern India. The Hindu rebel forces (the Mughal royal family embraced Islam) and the Maratha alliance were defeated.

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

As the pioneer of the civilized world, the British Empire immediately discovered that this situation was very suitable for its own positioning, and it quickly saw an opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

In 1717 AD, the British East India Company seized the power of taxation in Bengal, and the East India Company's colonization of India accelerated significantly thereafter.

By the mid-18th century, the early Portuguese-Dutch colonial power had faded and was replaced by competition between Britain and France. Britain and France entered India almost at the same time, and each had their own East India Company, which established strongholds on the coast to control local trade.

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

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

Against this background, the Carnatic region in southeastern India became an important starting point for the British to control India.

The British and French East India Companies soon established different local warlords and went to war with each other.

This war was very brutal, fought on and off for decades, and caused a total of about 1 million local deaths.

The military strength of the British East India Company also increased dramatically during this process. After all, an excellent army still had to rely on actual combat.

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

The Carnatic War also expanded rapidly during this period and soon spread throughout South India and Bengal.

On June 23, 1757 AD, the troops of the British East India Company defeated the local prince Daura supported by France in the Battle of Plassey in Bengal, and achieved hegemony in Bengal.

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

At that time, the old king of Bengal had not died for a few years. At this time of turmoil, the French adhered to the concept of never making things easier for the British. Dubres, Clive's old rival, personally came to the base camp of Bengal. Murshidabad.

This man was not stingy in his work. He directly gave 30 cannons to the Nawab (referring to the King of Bengal) as a meeting gift to encourage Siraj to rebel against the British.

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

Under his arrangement, the East India Company had long been in contact with dignitaries who were dissatisfied with the young Nawab, including General Ya. Lutuf Khan and the Nawab's uncle Prince Mir Jaffa. They all expressed support for the British .

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

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

In order to express his dissatisfaction with the British, in April 1757, Siraj Nawab moved his army to Plassey, a small village on the bank of the Bhagirati River to the north to threaten Calcutta.

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

On June 12, Clive led his army northward from Jinder Nagar.

On June 14, through reports from Dutch businessmen, Clive learned that Ketwa Fortress was a food storage area for the Bengal Army.

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

However, it was discovered by the defenders during a night sneak attack, and it was not conquered until Clive's main force arrived on the 19th.

At this time, the situation changed again. Mir Jafar's envoy that Clevo was scheduled to meet did not arrive. The more disturbing news was that the Nawab gathered all the troops, including Mir Jafar's troops, around him. , Mir Jaffa had begun to waver and was ready to abandon his agreement with the British and re-negotiate relations 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 for a conference to discuss the situation.

Most of the officers at the meeting, including Clive, advocated waiting and watching, trying to disintegrate the interior of Bengal on the one hand and waiting for reinforcements on the other.

However, Commander Kut of the Naval Fleet advocated an immediate attack. He believed that Bangladesh was still unstable and divided, and would inevitably fight passively because of the need to preserve its strength during the battle.

The rainy season is coming, and losing this opportunity will give the Nawab enough time to consolidate his position. The troops' morale is now strong and they can win on the battlefield. If it is delayed for a long time, morale will be dampened.

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

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

Here Clive established his position. At 1 o'clock in the morning on the 23rd, the Bengalis discovered the British army. Siraj Nawab believed that this was an opportunity to annihilate the British and immediately led the entire army to dispatch.

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

At 7 o'clock in the morning, on the hottest day of the year, the Battle of Plassey, which determined India's modern history, began.

Clive's expeditionary force consisted of approximately 900 Europeans and 2,200 Indians, the core of which were the 39th Royal Grenadier Company and the 12th Artillery Company brought from the mainland.

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

These troops were equipped with flintlock muskets and received rigorous training, and some were battle-hardened. The expeditionary force's artillery only had eight 6-pounders and two howitzers borrowed from the Navy. Fortunately, well-trained gunners could fire 5-6 times per minute, which made up for the lack of quantity.

Before going to war, Clive organized two exercises for this unit, which basically ensured that the new recruits and veterans, and the British and Indian soldiers could coordinate.

Clive's rival Siraj Nawab had approximately 35,000 infantry and 15,000 cavalry at Plassey.

The composition of his infantry is very chaotic. Some are troops formed by princes, including traditional Indian armored infantry and matchlock infantry imitating Europeans. However, most of them are strong men temporarily recruited from various villages and equipped with short knives.

These infantry units had poor language skills and poor discipline. They had never been the main force of the Bangladesh Army.

The elite of the Nawab were his cavalry. These armored spear cavalry received generous salaries and conducted hunting training in the dry season and rainy season every year. They always maintained a high fighting spirit. They were the regular army of Bengal.

The Bangladesh Army has more than 50 24-pound and 36-pound guns but lacks gunners. The addition of more than 40 French gunners who escaped from Jinder Nagar slightly alleviated the situation. However, due to the large number of rockets equipped, the firepower of the Bangladesh Army Still very impressive.

Yes, it’s the rocket. It’s an eye-opener for Selim that this thing is still in use.

In addition, there are war elephants in the Bangladesh army who are chained, armored and carrying arrow towers.

But in battles with Europeans, these war elephants often pose a greater threat to one's 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 10,000 steps, even if the expeditionary force is defeated, it can still retreat into the woods to avoid the enemy's cavalry, and the entire army will not be destroyed.

Clive deployed four regular troops on the front, and the 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, which enabled him to finally win the victory.

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 situation on the battlefield 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 function because of the gunpowder. However, Clive's Anglo-Indian troops finally looked like a civilized world 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 fell into chaos and collapsed at the first touch, and all the 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 directly take over India.

After thinking about this, 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 actions 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 Pa Pa You, Fool’s Self-Reading and Book Friends’ monthly tickets.