Twentieth Century Chronicle

Page 92

Chapter 323 Transformation

When Banchogor was attacked, Lieutenant Colonel Townsend of Saidpur naturally received the intelligence. Although he believed that Colonel Haig in the north had enough troops to support Banchogor, he still sent out one of his cavalry companies. For Lieutenant Colonel Townsend at this time, the most important thing was to prevent the Chinese, whom he had surrounded, from escaping, otherwise the hard work of the past few months would be in vain.

The area is densely forested and crisscrossed by streams, making it ideal for guerrilla warfare. In particular, the local tea plantation workers, forest tribes, and farmers are all inclined to support the Chinese, which has caused Lieutenant Colonel Townsend's encirclement operations to fail repeatedly. Coupled with the unfavorable factors of the previous rainy season, he has spent a great deal of effort to trap the Chinese, and naturally he is unwilling to lift the siege at this moment.

General Luo's withdrawal of his mobile forces had frustrated Lieutenant Colonel Townsend for several days, so sending a cavalry company to support Banjogor was already considered quite responsible. However, Lieutenant Colonel Townsend misjudged the number and nature of the attack on Banjogor, assuming it was also a group of farmers. Naturally, the cavalry company failed to achieve any significant results.

When the cavalrymen who had escaped told Lieutenant Colonel Townsend that the attacking force was an army, not rioting peasants, and that it appeared to be a Chinese army, the lieutenant colonel was initially skeptical. If the attacking force was Chinese, then who were the people he had besieged to the east?

However, news from the north soon made him realize that now was not the time to worry about where these Chinese troops had come from, but rather whether or not to head north to provide reinforcements. If the Chinese were to launch a combined attack and annihilate Haig's forces, not only would his encirclement operation here be over, but the entire region would also be truly occupied by the Chinese.

Lieutenant Colonel Townsend was quite ambitious. He felt he couldn't stand idly by in this situation, because he was the only one nearby with troops to support Colonel Hague. Although there were still troops east of the Teesta River, it was clearly impossible for them to cross the Teesta River in the short term.

Lieutenant Colonel Townsend assembled a battalion of infantry, half a company of cavalry, and a company of artillery, and personally led them toward Banchogor. Thanks to Lieutenant Colonel Townsend's leadership, the reinforcements finally arrived at Banchogor just as Colonel Haig retreated to the east bank of the Teesta River.

At this time, communication between the British forces in the north and south had been cut off by the guerrillas, so Lieutenant Colonel Townsend was unaware that Colonel Haig had been defeated. Based on his experience, he judged that Colonel Haig should still be supporting the cause in Silligurby, so he tried to contact the colonel after taking down Banjogol to find out the situation on the colonel's side.

However, while the infantry and cavalry were able to reach Banjogor, 42 miles from Saidpur, by a forced march, the artillery could not move as fast on the terrible dirt roads of India. Without artillery support, Lieutenant Colonel Townsend was unable to defeat the Chinese troops stationed in the town. He estimated that the strength of the two sides should be about the same, but the morale of the enemy was higher than that of his own.

On the afternoon of October 29th, the British artillery battery finally arrived outside Bangorgor, accompanied by an infantry company as reinforcements. Lieutenant Colonel Townsend decided to launch a general offensive the following morning to capture the city. However, the next morning, a white flag was suddenly raised on the city walls. Soon, the city's residents sent representatives to inform the colonel that the army he had been fighting had left in the early morning and therefore requested that he not continue the attack on the city.

Lieutenant Colonel Townsend was somewhat puzzled by the sudden departure of these troops, but he scoffed at the claim that the army called itself the Bihar People's Liberation Army rather than the Chinese army, thinking it was just a trick by the Chinese to attract more Indians to join them.

Although the Chinese-led army was indeed predominantly composed of Indians, the British viewed it as no different from their own Indian soldiers—merely serving for money. They believed their army was loyal to the British King, not the Indian people, and that the other side should be loyal to the Qing Emperor, not the Indian people.

Lieutenant Colonel Townsend, who had occupied Banjogor, immediately sent cavalry north to scout and try to make contact with Colonel Haig. However, several groups of men did not return until the afternoon when a patrol found several deserters in the forest to the north and brought them back. It was from them that Townsend learned that Siliguri had fallen.

Seeing the soldiers' disheveled appearance, Lieutenant Colonel Townsend still asked with some suspicion, "How many Chinese troops are there? How did you escape?"

The British sergeant in charge said dejectedly, "We don't know how many Chinese troops there are, but we can hear them attacking from all sides. Then thick smoke billowed from the city. Everyone says that Colonel Haig has already fled with his officers. The soldiers on the position immediately refused to obey orders."

Lieutenant Andy believed we should break out rather than remain on the front lines as prisoners, so half our company followed Lieutenant Andy into the southern forest. Initially, we planned to go to Jerbaiguri, but Chinese troops blocked the way. We fought several battles with the Chinese, losing more than a dozen brothers. Lieutenant Andy was also wounded. The lieutenant believed that going to Jerbaiguri was no longer an option, so he led us south through the forest to Banchogor.

That night we encountered a tribe in the forest. At first, they were very friendly, and the lieutenant even took out his money to buy food from them. But in the middle of the night, we were attacked. Half of our men were lost, and Lieutenant Andy didn't escape either. After that, we fought the forest tribes while searching for a path south, and eventually only a few of us managed to escape…”

"Damn it." After hearing the sergeant's story, Lieutenant Colonel Townsend cursed, though no one knew whether he was cursing the Chinese or the despicable forest savages.

Of course, these were not the only people who escaped from the Siliguri battlefield. As wave after wave of defeated soldiers emerged from the forest, the news of Siliguri's crushing defeat no longer needed to be verified. Finally, one of the cavalrymen sent out to scout returned to report that they had been ambushed on the road to the north.

The situation had become clear: Colonel Haig had lost Sliguri, and might even be captured himself, meaning they had no one left to support. Now, Lieutenant Colonel Townsend was beginning to worry about his own predicament. Not only was he worried, but his men were also terrified by the news brought back by the routed soldiers.

It wasn't news that the Chinese had defeated Colonel Haig, but the fact that the local populace had begun to besiege and kill the routed soldiers was truly terrifying. These soldiers knew all too well how they had previously suppressed local resistance, and the retaliation they faced now that their military power had been waned was something they clearly didn't want to experience.

These defeated soldiers who fled back from the north described in detail the cruel methods the tribesmen used to treat them. Just as they had often publicly hanged rebellious tribesmen in the past, these tribesmen now showed no mercy in executing the British soldiers who fell into their hands, and even dismembering them to sacrifice to the gods.

Realizing they were in an unsafe situation, the officers and soldiers all demanded to evacuate. Lieutenant Colonel Townsend also believed they should evacuate, but the fact that the Chinese, who had clearly won the victory in Siliguri, had voluntarily withdrawn from the town, and that the surrounding area had been unusually calm for the past day, made Lieutenant Colonel Townsend suspect that the Chinese must have some kind of conspiracy, and therefore they should not return by the same route unprepared.

At his insistence, the troops began to fortify their positions on the spot and dispatched signal cavalry towards Saidpur in an attempt to locate follow-up troops to support them. Lieutenant Colonel Townsend's intuition was still very sharp, but his emotions changed rather quickly.

For example, he shouldn't have taken such a risk by joining the first batch of support troops. While it boosted morale, it left the rear troops without leadership. And when he sensed a threat around him, he became overly conservative, thinking only that local defense would reduce the risk of attack, forgetting that time was on the Chinese side. Every minute he delayed was plunging himself into a deeper trap.

The communications cavalry sent by Lieutenant Colonel Townsend was quickly intercepted by the troops led by Li Gen and Lar. Their mission was to intercept the British troops fleeing towards Saidpur, but Lieutenant Colonel Townsend set up defenses on the spot and waited for the rear troops to come to his aid, thus thwarting their mission. However, Li Gen quickly reported to Chen Jingcun in the rear, suggesting that a small force could be used to monitor the British troops in Banjogor, while the main force could ambush the British reinforcements coming from Saidpur, and then take advantage of the situation to attack Saidpur. In this way, Lieutenant Colonel Townsend would lose his external support and be trapped in Banjogor.

Chen Jingcun quickly agreed to Li Gen's suggestion. He reinforced Li Gen's troops, bringing his strength to two battalions, while he himself led one battalion to monitor Ban Qiaogeer, waiting for the main force to come up and encircle Ban Qiaogeer.

So what was Lin Xinyi doing at this time? He was expanding his army and establishing local people's committees in Siliguri. Although they had nearly 10 battalions after joining forces with Wu Luzhen's troops, not counting the number of guerrillas, these 10 battalions were clearly not enough to engage in a direct battle with the British army and control the area. Moreover, they also had to manage the large number of British prisoners of war below the mountain.

Therefore, Lin Xinyi advocated organizing a new force with one-third regular troops, one-third guerrillas, and one-third re-educated and reformed prisoners of war to strengthen the armed forces of the current People's Committee. Although Lin Xinyi had previously selected some British prisoners of war to form his own troops in Tibet, the number of these prisoners was not large at the time, and they were not initially put into combat but only given some auxiliary work before being gradually incorporated into the combat order.

However, this time Lin Xinyi advocated immediately reinforcing his troops with the converted prisoners of war, which immediately provoked opposition from officers including Wu Luzhen. Even the Indians themselves could not trust these British prisoners of war, because these Indians in the British army had never been lenient in suppressing their compatriots.

Lin Xinyi said, "The British used a single surname and a single region to form these armies, so that they would check and balance each other. Under the supervision of the British and Indian officers who obeyed the British, it was of course difficult for them to disobey orders."

However, we must recognize that these soldiers don't lack the will to resist, but rather the courage to do so. Through background checks and public complaints, they have come to realize which class is oppressing them. Perhaps some will hesitate, but I believe the majority can be transformed. Now we need to give them a choice. What could be more effective in making them decide than a battle?

Chapter 324 The Awakening of the Indian People

When Cheadle was summoned by Lin Xinyi and learned that he had been appointed as the political commissar of the 14th Battalion, he declined at first, saying: "No, Comrade, I feel that I am not yet competent for this job. I do not know enough about socialist theory, and I have not read many books. I feel that I should study more rather than lead others."

Lin Xinyi looked at him and said, “No, Comrade Cheadle, this is not a request, it is an order from the Party. My understanding of socialist theory is also not deep enough, but we are all learning it on a common foundation, which is the liberation of the Indian people. As long as we hold this ideological foundation, we can continue to learn in our work, rather than learning it apart from our work.”

The theory of scientific socialism is meant to guide our work; it is not the Party's bible. Now the Indian people need you to serve as the political commissar of the 14th Battalion, because those prisoners of war who have just escaped oppression need someone to guide them forward, and I believe you can accomplish this task.”

As an Indian soldier captured in the Battle of Garsyan, Chandl's transformation from a prisoner of the Chinese army to a member of the Labour Party of India was not complicated. The Chinese comrades simply told them where their suffering came from and how to relieve it.

Indian soldiers willing to join the British army generally possessed a simple desire to change their fate. Those Indians who succumbed to reality would only become devout believers, hoping to change their destiny in the afterlife. Therefore, these captured Indian soldiers were more susceptible to socialist propaganda, because it was a genuine idea that could change their fate.

In particular, the lower-caste Indian soldiers were oppressed not only by British officers but also by higher-caste soldiers. Their resentment towards the British military system was even greater than the so-called Indian nationalism's hatred of the British colonizers. However, the dual shackles of British military discipline and the caste system bound them on a daily basis, leaving them with no way to resist.

Once an external force removed these double shackles, the Indian soldiers, having tasted freedom, found it difficult to return to the British military system. Chandler was one of these enlightened Indian soldiers. Lin Xinyi dared to boldly propose the on-site conversion of captured Indian soldiers because he had conducted a detailed investigation of the British army and Indian villages from Tibet to Sikkim to the Indian plains, and had already educated a group of Indian warriors willing to liberate themselves.

Chandler was also deeply drawn to the group, having participated in rent and interest reduction and land reform movements on the Indian plains over the past few months. He hoped these systems could be implemented in his homeland, and through these movements, he gained a profound understanding of some of the fundamental principles of socialism. His refusal of the new appointment stemmed from a genuine belief that he was not yet qualified for the position, rather than from any other concerns or fears.

However, after being persuaded by Lin Xinyi that this was a difficult job rather than an official position, his thinking changed. He felt that he should not turn down the job, so he quickly told Lin Xinyi that he would definitely overcome the difficulties and complete the job.

Lin Xinyi then encouraged him, saying, “Comrade Cheadle, they are oppressed people just like you. The difference is that you have awakened while they haven’t. So as long as you help them awaken with this mindset, the work will be much easier to carry out. Respect the personality of every comrade, be vigilant against the bad ideas of the bourgeoisie and feudalism, and the workers will have no invincible enemies…”

The expansion of the army went much more smoothly than Wu Luzhen and other officers, including Lin Xinyi, had imagined. The political commissars, led by Chandler, quickly took control of the new army's morale through the soldiers' committee and ensured that the new army could handle some simple tasks. Soon, Wu Luzhen and other officers discovered the benefits of converting prisoners of war, which not only greatly reduced their guarding pressure but also allowed them to transfer reliable troops to carry out more important tasks.

Thus, the officers who initially opposed the idea quickly came to believe that prisoners should be converted into soldiers as soon as possible to strengthen their own forces. Faced with an increasing number of military missions, they naturally hoped to further enhance their capabilities.

However, Lin Xinyi still rejected this shift from a conservative to a radical stance. If he had time, he would certainly support first disarming and releasing these soldiers, and then recruiting farmers who had shared in the benefits of land reform as the backbone of the army through the land reform movement. That would be the true people's army. At present, these converted prisoners of war still lack a close connection with the local community. They are fine for fighting a favorable battle, but it is obviously not feasible to rely on them as the main force.

In organizing the new army, he did not forget to establish the People's Committee of Siliguri. Although this area had always been British-occupied territory, the party members who had been assigned to local tea plantations and villages had established preliminary organizations. It was through these organizations that they were able to clearly understand the deployment of British troops and every path in the countryside.

Comrade Kumar, who was the most active in local work, was appointed as the head of the Siliguri People's Committee. Lin Xinyi asked him to integrate all the local grassroots organizations into the Siliguri People's Committee, thereby establishing a people's government in Siliguri and leading the local people to eliminate the British deserters who were roaming around.

On November 3, Lin Xinyi, who was busy with work, soon received his first piece of good news: the detachment led by Li Gen and Lar had ambushed the British army, which was heading to reinforce Banjogor, about 15 miles north of Saidpur. Li Gen then launched an attack on Saidpur, which was sparsely defended, and successfully captured this important stronghold where the British army was tasked with encirclement and suppression.

Upon receiving this news, Wu Luzhen, who had been preparing to besiege Banjogor, was overjoyed. He believed that Banjogor should be captured as soon as possible, and then troops should be deployed to the western route to prepare for the encirclement and annihilation of the British western army. However, Chen Jingcun, who was monitoring Banjogor, had a different opinion. He sent a letter back reporting that Banjogor's defenses were quite solid, and the morale of the British troops stationed there had not wavered much. A direct assault on the city would likely result in heavy losses.

Therefore, the Military Commission held a meeting to discuss whether to attack Banjogor. After considering intelligence from all sides, Lin Xinyi finally put forward his opinion: "It seems that the British troops in Banjogor have received news from Siliguri, otherwise they would not be so nervous."

We must understand that we lack experience in siege warfare, and Banjogor is not an obstacle we must remove on our path. The British forces in Siliguri have retreated to the Teesta River for five days. Although we used guerrillas to cut their telegraph lines, I believe that time is sufficient for Calcutta to receive the news, not to mention that we have now captured Saidpur.

Therefore, if we do not speed up our actions, then the cities further south, such as Dinajpur, Raigenj, Lekunatpur, and Gettihar, will receive intelligence and become alert. We will then face small but fortified defensive positions, and attacking these cities will consume a lot of our time and energy, ultimately giving the British forces on the western front time to retreat.

Therefore, I agree with Comrade Chen Jingcun's opinion: use a battalion of troops, plus local guerrillas, to monitor Banjogor, while the main force accelerates its southward offensive. Let Li Gen's detachment continue its forward assault, not giving the British any opportunity to assemble and defend. Follow-up forces should arrive as soon as possible and, in coordination with Li Tang's detachment, break through the British encirclement. Then, immediately advance westward to Reigenje, Lekunatpur, and Gettihar, cutting off the British western army's rear. Once this army is annihilated, Lieutenant Colonel Townsend in Banjogor will be unable to cause us any trouble, because they lack the support of the local people; they are just an isolated force in Banjogor…”

On November 6, Major John Bell, stationed in Dinajapur, stood anxiously in his office, looking at the map on the wall. Dinajapur, like Syedpur, was one of the two important logistical cities supporting the encirclement forces. However, Dinajapur now only had half a company of Indian soldiers and a few dozen policemen, because under the orders of General Lo and Lieutenant Colonel Townsend, he had transferred almost all the troops around the city away.

Yesterday, however, he received devastating news: Saidpur had been captured by the Chinese, and Lieutenant Colonel Townsend's troops were missing. He could only report this bad news to General Lo and withdraw troops from the front lines blocking the Chinese. However, these troops would not be able to return until at least the afternoon or tomorrow, which meant that Dinajepur was at its weakest. He could only pray that the Chinese would come slowly, or better yet, not at all.

However, God seemed too far from India to hear Major Bell's prayers. While he was still pondering which unit would return to Dinajpur first, he suddenly heard gunfire. He immediately summoned his adjutant and asked him to check what was happening. But soon his adjutant returned, pale-faced, and said to him, "The Chinese are here. Their cavalry has reached the north side of the city and is engaging the police. I don't think the police can hold them off."

Major John Bell then ordered, "Have all civilian personnel take up arms and hold the camp. Sergeant Hassan will lead a platoon to meet the police. If they outnumber us, retreat back to the camp and let them loot the city. We just need to wait for Captain Brown to return; then things will turn around..."

Major John Bell's response was not wishful thinking. Indian soldiers had mutinied several times in the past, but aside from killing and looting, they almost always quickly lost their purpose, giving the British time to quell the unrest. Therefore, the British habitually chose a sturdy house to hold out against Indian mutinies and await rescue.

However, this time Major Bell's opponents were clearly not the unorganized soldiers and peasants of the past. The army attacking Dinajpur quickly seized control of key parts of the city and immediately launched an attack on the British army camp.

Although the Indian soldiers held out for a while under British command, Major Bell surrendered around noon because the Chinese had seized the high ground near the camp and were firing down on all living things inside. No matter how the British threatened the Indian soldiers and police, they refused to continue fighting.

The fall of Dinagapur shocked the British troops who were confronting Li Tang's detachment on the front lines, and they began to scatter and flee. Upon receiving the news, Li Tang launched a major counterattack. On the afternoon of November 6, the vanguard of Li Tang's detachment captured Raigenj, and on November 7, they seized Lekunathpur, a railway hub in the rear of the Western Route Army.

Chapter 325 The End of the Colonial Era

When the Chinese army captured Le Kounatpur, General Robert Cunliffe Lowe received the news from Major John Bell in Gischengenj. In fact, there had been sporadic reports before that the Chinese army had captured Saidpur, but there were far too many such inaccurate rumors.

Over the past few months, what has puzzled General Robert Cunliffe Lowe the most has been the location of the Chinese army. One intelligence report after another has been delivered to him, but most of them have been proven to be just rumors.

The biggest and most successful rumor was that Chinese troops had appeared in Rajshahi, where the Ganges and Bodhi rivers meet. To prevent the Chinese from crossing the Ganges or Bodhi, he had to send a mobile force there. It turned out that it was just a rumor spread by a group of peasants who were protesting against the landlords taking away their land. Although his men hanged those peasants, the Chinese took the opportunity to break through the encirclement.

Therefore, General Lowe and his men no longer trusted rumors and sought information from official channels, viewing such rumors as Chinese trickery. Of course, the truth was that the British army couldn't distinguish between true and false intelligence, even after occupying the land for nearly two centuries; the British were still outsiders on this land.

The Indian Revolt of 1857 completely destroyed any possibility of British transformation of Indian society. They realized that any attempt to reform Indian society would only fuel nationalism, not transform them into true British citizens. Of course, the British never intended to turn Indians into true British citizens; they merely wanted to make them their servants, a resource used to build the British Empire.

Therefore, after 1857, British reforms in Indian society began to slow down, and the idea of ​​using Indian traditions to maintain British rule over India gained the upper hand. As a result, the British living in India were not much different from those living in London. Just as the aristocracy and propertied class in London would not frequent the Lower East Side, the British living in India would not go to the Indian communities. Their lives hardly intersected.

Thus, when Lin Xinyi established grassroots social organizations in India and cracked down on the Indian landowning class, the British intelligence network was immediately weakened. The Indian intelligence agency in Shimla and the special police unit in Calcutta, these agencies managing intelligence within Indian society, were essentially targeting the propertied class and intellectuals, because the British believed that only these individuals had the ability to instigate a national movement against British rule in India.

To be honest, the British predictions were not far off, because the lower classes of Indians were struggling to survive, so how could they have time to think about how to expel the British rulers? At most, they would launch a few peasant uprisings, but because these uprisings could not gain the support of people in other regions, most of them were eventually suppressed by the British army with force while isolated and helpless.

Only a national movement led by Indian propertied classes and intellectuals could transcend regions, castes, and religions to ignite a national storm capable of truly shaking British rule in India. However, when China's armed forces became an uncontrollable external force, almost all of Britain's nearly 200 years of experience in colonial rule over India became worthless.

A new type of self-governing grassroots social unit replaced the traditional landowner and caste-based governance of Indian villages, thus cutting off the British army's access to detailed intelligence from Indian landowners. Without the assistance of the Indian landowning class, the British army did not feel like it was fighting on its own soil. In contrast, the Chinese army enjoyed the advantages of fighting on its home ground, as local farmers not only provided logistical support but also actively provided intelligence transmission and perimeter surveillance.

Thus, General Robert Cunliffe Law's operation to suppress rioting peasants along the railway line in West Regency was essentially a kind of inertia of colonial-era warfare. Relying on its own powerful military force, it ignored the asymmetry of intelligence. No matter how you try to block my eyes and ears, as long as you can't defeat me on the battlefield, then everything is meaningless.

General Robert Cunliffe Law spent almost his entire military career in such colonial wars, so he did not consider his experience to be outdated. He stubbornly believed that as long as he found the Chinese army and engaged them in battle, everything would be fine, just as his predecessors, including himself, had repeatedly defeated those barbarians who challenged the rule of the British Empire.

This led him, upon receiving intelligence from Major John Bell, not to immediately order a retreat. Instead, he demanded to continue the advance towards Islampur. He encouraged his men, saying, "The British army will not be so easily defeated by the Chinese. Colonel Haig must still be holding out in Siliguri. Once we break through the Chinese blockade and join forces with the Colonel's troops, those Chinese who dare not face us head-on will flee..."

However, General Robert Cunliffe Lowe was far too optimistic. Less than a day after he issued the order, news of the fall of Lekunathpur arrived. Unlike the fall of Saidpur, this was truly bad news that threatened the survival of the troops.

General Robert Cunliffe Lowe's men were the first to become anxious, and they all requested their superior to withdraw the troops from the front lines. However, just as they were suggesting the retreat to General Lowe, the British left-wing outposts advancing towards Islamabad made a new discovery.

A small cavalry unit was sent to search the riverbank forest to the northwest. They found nothing in the vicinity of the forest, but as they stopped at the riverbank to fetch water and feed their horses, one of the soldiers suddenly pointed at his superior across the river and shouted, "Sir, look over there! There are people over there..."

In reality, there weren't any people on the other side, but rather a force of several hundred men heading south along the riverbank. This was clearly not a part of the British army. The cavalry platoon leader stared at the winding southward-bound column for a long time before realizing, "They're heading towards Gischengenj. Are they going to attack our rear?"

The opposing army completely ignored the small squad of British cavalry, continuing on their way as if unconcerned that they had discovered their advance. The cavalry platoon leader quickly reported what he had seen to his superiors. The British troops at the front suddenly realized that not only were there troops marching towards their rear on their left flank, but the same was happening on their right flank, and a firefight had broken out. However, the enemy didn't engage in prolonged combat, leaving only a small force to intercept them, while the main force continued southward regardless.

The British commanders at the front dared not continue their offensive against Islampur, but they also dared not retreat on their own. They could only send messengers to Gischengenj's headquarters, hoping that General Lowe would order a retreat. Although the procedure was perfectly compliant, the rigid British command system gave the People's Committee more time to mobilize its forces.

As the British troops at the front began to retreat, the People's Committee had already deployed three battalions to the British front and launched an attack on the retreating British forces. The army led by Lin Xinyi and Wu Luzhen had gradually developed its own fighting style; they excelled at defense while simultaneously harassing the enemy with guerrilla warfare, launching a fierce attack when the enemy began to retreat. There was no easier way to win than firing at the enemy's back.

Shooting enemy soldiers in the back meant there was no need to consider the training level or weaponry of one's own soldiers; the enemy would only run faster, hoping to use their comrades' bodies to block the pursuers. As a result, by October 10th, when the British troops retreated to Gischengenj, more than a third of the force had been lost, and the British also discovered that their retreat route had been blocked.

The British troops who retreated to Gishanganj, along with General Lowe's headquarters, numbered only slightly more than three battalions. They abandoned all their artillery and now relied solely on rifles and a few Maxim machine guns to defend the small town. General Lowe and his men could only hope that an army would come to their rescue from the rear, as they knew they were incapable of breaking through the encirclement, and if they left the city, all the Indian soldiers would desert them.

However, General Luo and his men were unaware that on October 9th, as the Chinese army approached the outskirts of Getihar, a riot broke out in the city. The troops and police stationed in the city quickly lost control of Getihar under the combined attack from within and without.

Harold Stewart, head of the special branch of the Kolkata police and also in charge of organizing the cross-regional police force, mobilized armed police from Burnia and other places to the city after learning of the fall of Lekunathpur. He attempted to defend this central logistics base where military supplies were concentrated, and if they could not be defended, they were to destroy the supplies to prevent them from falling into Chinese hands.

But he truly hadn't anticipated that a rebellion would erupt within Gettihar as the Chinese army approached the city. When the rebellion broke out, he angrily asked his assistant, Jadin Banerjee, "Where exactly is the rebellion taking place? Is it the city's army or the citizens?"

Jadin Banerjee calmly told his superior, "Judging from the current situation, it seems to be a rebellion launched by the local police force you transferred from Wooden Gate. Of course, it's also possible that some soldiers from the city's army have joined the rebellion. However, I think we'd better leave here as soon as possible. The army has already begun its retreat, and if we don't leave now, it will be too late. Those rebellious police officers know you're here..."

Harold Stewart, of course, would not admit that the problem lay with the local police he had transferred. He said fiercely, "There must be traitors within the army. I will definitely warn the Governor about this..."

Jadin Banerjee successfully escorted his superior and a group of British officials out of Gettihar, which earned him considerable goodwill from the British officials afterward. In fact, he would have preferred to leave these people in Gettihar, but the organization did not allow him to reveal his identity.

Chapter 326 New India

In Calcutta, Gao Shi's younger sister was delivering snacks to her brothers as instructed by her mother. To her surprise, her second brother was crying. She went over to ask him what was wrong, but her eldest brother, who was standing by the window gazing north, turned to his sister and said, "Don't worry about him. He's just happy."

The younger sister looked at her brother, puzzled, and asked, "Why are you crying when you're happy?"

Muri Aurobindo Gosh walked over, patted his sister's head, and said, "You'll understand when you're happy, even when you're crying."

The younger sister still didn't understand, but she suddenly noticed that her usually gentle and calm brother had tears in his eyes. Filled with suspicion, she told her mother what she had discovered after leaving. Her mother remained silent for a long time before saying, "Your brothers saw the India they wanted appear, that's why they're so happy..."

On November 8, Calcutta had already received news of Colonel Haig's second defeat. If the news of the British army's defeat in the mountains had been well contained by the British, then at this time the Indians were focused on the anti-Bangladesh partition movement and could no longer care about the British's failure to attack Darjeeling again.

However, the news of the British army's loss of Siliguri still greatly shocked some Indians within the British Indian government. Then, on November 10th, an army calling itself the Bihar People's Liberation Army (BLA) announced the liberation of Gettihar. On November 12th, it further announced the encirclement of General Robert Cunliffe Lowe's forces and the defeat of Lieutenant Colonel Townsend's troops, declaring the BLA to be an armed force of the Indian people led by the Labour Party of India, and that it would fight for the freedom of the Indian people.

On November 14, the Labour Party of India announced the formation of the People's Council of India to lead the Indian Revolution and put forward a revolutionary program to overthrow the three mountains of imperialism, colonialism, and feudalism as the goal of the Indian democratic revolution. These messages quickly spread throughout India via telegram, further activating the Indian nationalist movement.

A large-scale anti-tax movement finally broke out in Punjab, workers in Mumbai launched a large-scale demonstration in support of the Labour Party of India, and farmers in Madras and other places were also eager to take action. Although the Bangladesh region suddenly quieted down, even foreigners who had just arrived in the country could see that the Bangladeshis had not stopped their movement, but were gathering strength to prepare for a more violent eruption, because they were on the crater.

In this situation, the extremists and moderates within the Congress Party further split. The extremists believed that the Labour Party of India's (Labour Party of India) program for a democratic revolution should be supported, while the moderates believed that the Labour Party of India was using violence to create division in Indian society. They would rather accept British rule than accept the Labour Party of India's propositions on land and religious policies.

Another group of moderates, represented by Romesh Chandra Dutt, saw this as an opportunity to compromise with Britain and gain more autonomy. As the first Indian to hold a high-ranking position in the British Indian colonial government, Dutt defended British colonial rule while arguing: "In a country as multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multi-dialect as India, no change can be implemented without a strong central government. Driving out the British will only lead to the fragmentation of India, a disastrous beginning for us. We should gradually take over the power to govern India from the British and maintain our loyalty to the British Empire…"

Duterte's proposal still received support from many Indian officials within the British Indian government. They had previously supported Indian self-government and expressed dissatisfaction with the partition plan for Bengal. However, they abhorred a spontaneous revolution by the Indian people. They believed that the power of Indian self-government should be transferred from the British to Indian elites like themselves, rather than being destroyed by a violent revolution that would make a mess of things.

However, although these Indian elites tried to express their loyalty to the British and even donated funds to treat wounded British soldiers, the Earl of Minto and Lord Kitchener had no time to respond to them, as they were now in great trouble.

Although Colonel Daell's death and the subsequent failure of the mountain campaign caused the British army to lose face once again, it did not yet represent a greater political blow to the British Indian government than the defeat in the first Afghan War. However, the series of actions taken by the Chinese army next disgusted the British.

Although Earl Minto and Lord Kitchener were well aware that the so-called Labour Party of India and the People's Liberation Army of Bihar were merely facades put up by the Chinese, and that the leaders of this army and party were still Chinese in reality, they did not believe that Indians possessed such leadership abilities. If Indians truly had leadership abilities, they would have demonstrated them in the movement against the partition of Bengal, but those Indian elites were still in a state of self-pity and lacked the courage to stand before the masses and incite direct resistance against the British Empire.

However, ordinary Indians do not understand this; they genuinely regard the Labour Party of India (Labour Party of India) and the People's Liberation Army of Bihar (PLA) as their own party and army. If the previous defeats of the British and Chinese armies had only brought schadenfreude to some Indians, now they are cheering for the Labour Party of India and the PLA, viewing any criticism of them as an act of treason.

Under these circumstances, the Indian soldiers and police originally intended to suppress the Chinese have become unreliable. The rebellion of the police and army in Gettihar is not the end but the beginning. As a result, Count Minto no longer hopes to resolve the issue of the Chinese north of the Ganges, but instead demands that this armed rebellion of the Indian nation, which was instigated by the Chinese, not spread to other parts of India, especially to ensure that Calcutta is not affected.

As Earl Minto told Lord Kitchener, "The Prince and Princess of Wales arrived in Singapore on the 14th for a visit, and no matter how much it is delayed, they will arrive in Calcutta by the end of November. If any unrest occurs during their visit to Calcutta, it will further undermine our rule over India..."

Lord Kitchener did not entirely agree with Earl Minto's decision, and he asked him, "If we don't send reinforcements, are we just going to watch General Lowe be captured by the Chinese? He will be the second British general captured by the Chinese, and their prestige in the eyes of the Indians will rise to an unprecedented level, and our rule in India will collapse."

Lord Minto immediately retorted, "Does sending reinforcements guarantee General Lo's rescue? It's not that I don't trust your abilities, Lord. But do you know how many Indians in our army are truly reliable? Without the British army's support, your reinforcements might be quickly defeated by the Chinese. And if too many British troops are sent, the area south of the Ganges will be left vulnerable. I don't want anything to happen during the Prince and Princess of Wales' visit, causing their esteemed lords to flee in disarray. I cannot bear such a responsibility..."

The dispute between Earl Minto and Lord Kitchener, or rather, between the British Indian government and the military, was quickly brought to an end by two unexpected events. One was that the People's Liberation Army of Bihar, under the banner of [unclear], marched in two columns towards Dhaka along the Bodo and Jamuna rivers, which were located downstream from their confluence.

In this way, they no longer need to consider rescuing General Lo, but should first send troops to stabilize the situation in Dhaka to prevent the disastrous consequences of such a large city being occupied by the Chinese. The nationalist movement in Dhaka is more radical than in Calcutta, given the large number of British troops and officials there; therefore, the Indian nationalist movement is under close surveillance.

Another unexpected event was the harsh criticism from London. From November 9th to November 15th, 2.26 million Indian government bonds on the London Stock Exchange began to plummet, losing a full tenth of their value. This means that nearly 22 million pounds of wealth vanished in a week, not including the decline in the stocks of other India-related companies.

This protracted war had begun to severely damage the foundations of the British Empire, with the French withdrawing cash from British banks and dumping British stocks. British bankers were in a state of panic and began expressing their serious discontent with the war in Parliament. As one Liberal MP put it: "At least in the Boer War, we could compensate the Empire with gold, but what will we get after defeating those Chinese? Sikkim, Bhutan, or Tibet?"

No, we will gain nothing. But if we lose, we will lose India… The Tibetan expedition was the most foolish and pointless war ever waged by the most foolish governor in British India's history, far more foolish than the Afghan War and the Boer War. We must make peace with the Chinese and get them out of our country, or it will be a declaration of war against the British Empire…”

London could no longer support the war. The latest orders given to Earl Minto and Lord Kitchener were to seek peace with the Chinese, prevent the Chinese-initiated unrest from spreading throughout India, and, if necessary, even terminate the partition of Bengal to ease Indian nationalist sentiment.

Under such pressure, Count Minto and Lord Kitchener had little energy left to consider rescuing General Lo. They could only establish a defensive line along the Ganges and Bodo rivers and begin sending envoys north of the Ganges to seek peace talks with the Chinese.

On November 15, Lieutenant Colonel Townsend was the first to surrender to the Chinese troops outside the city. After the British Western Route Army was surrounded, Lin Xinyi still opposed a direct assault, but instead advocated for psychological pressure to force the two trapped British forces to surrender. The main reason was that he focused his energy on expanding the gains.