Chapter 1393 Indira’s Situation
At the Moscow International Airport, Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko received guests from New Delhi. He knew exactly what the Indians were doing. Pakistan had essentially fallen into a civil war.
As a long-term enemy of Pakistan, the Indians naturally found an opportunity to intervene, and they naturally came to Moscow to gain something.
"Minister Singh, welcome to Moscow." Gromyko greeted with a smile, expressing sufficient courtesy to India. In fact, the Soviet Union also attached great importance to this visit.
"Minister Gromyko!" Singer responded equally enthusiastically. India has long adopted a policy of neutrality in favor of the Soviet Union between the United States and the Soviet Union.
That's because the United States firmly supports Pakistan. In fact, as the foreign minister, he does not think there is anything wrong with India's policy. It is just a reciprocal response to the United States' attitude toward Pakistan.
But facing the opportunity of civil strife in Pakistan, India must seize this opportunity. If it misses it, it may never be able to wait again. Therefore, on the one hand, India tried its best to spread the news about the Pakistani army's suppression of the Bangladeshis and attacked Pakistan from public opinion. On the other hand, India began military preparations and intervened in Pakistan's civil strife at the appropriate time.
The beginning of the Bangladesh independence movement made the Pakistani military at that time furious and ordered government troops to dispatch to counter the rebellion.
The government forces in West Pakistan were inherently discriminatory against Bengalis, and many tragedies occurred during the suppression process. As long as a rebel appeared in a village, the entire village would be razed to the ground.
Singh expressed Pakistan's long-standing threat to India's national defense and security, and then said, "Bangladeshis have the right to seek freedom. We have received the latest news that in the face of repression by the Pakistani government, Bangladeshis have changed from calling for autonomy to fighting for independent."
"For India, the confusion of old rivals is definitely an opportunity." Gromyko was noncommittal. It is not the time for the Soviet Union to express its stance easily. It depends on what India can provide.
In fact, India does not face many choices. Britain is the former suzerainty, and India certainly does not want Britain to return to South Asia.
The United States is Pakistan's backer, and one of India's major neighbors has been an enemy since 1962. Who can India turn to? In fact, there is no other choice except the Soviet Union. You can't go to the French. It's not an African problem.
The Soviet Union also had demands. Although India adopted a neutral and pro-Soviet policy internationally, in Moscow's view, this was not enough. Instead of unconditionally siding with India.
Judging from the current situation between India and Pakistan, of course India has the advantage. However, at the international level, although India has tried its best to publicize the atrocities suppressed by Pakistan, this kind of thing is useless. The United States will not change its policy just because of some so-called evidence. , you see the Agent Orange incident has caused such a big fuss, and many countries have learned about the dangers of chemical agents in the United States. Doesn’t the United States pretend that nothing has happened?
In fact, India is preparing to take a decisive step by hosting Bangladeshi armed forces for training in India and providing help to fight against the Pakistani government forces.
Strictly speaking, the terrain of East Pakistan is not suitable for guerrilla warfare. It is the Ganges Delta and the entire place is an alluvial plain and is cut by water networks.
But there is one condition that is very conducive to guerrilla warfare, and that is that the population density is the highest in the world. East Pakistan is the region in South Asia that best meets the definition of a nation-state. The suppression by the Pakistani government can undoubtedly knock down a Bangladeshi with his eyes closed. For East Pakistan, which has such a high population density, the crackdown is a perpetual motion machine that creates a flow of refugees.
The more densely populated a country is, the more afraid it is of refugees. Once the overpopulation in a place exceeds the local endurance limit, it will inevitably cause a chain reaction. This is the real domino.
There is no doubt that the current East Pakistan perfectly meets the definition. It is small in area and densely populated. The result of the emergence of refugees is that one place after another will be overwhelmed, and eventually a refugee tsunami will form.
At this time, the refugee tsunami in East Pakistan is brewing. Once it reaches a critical point, it will suddenly collapse and spread in all directions. The first to bear the brunt is India, which faces three borders. If there is a second victim, it is the Arakan region bordering Myanmar.
In fact, Myanmar responded faster than India. After realizing that East Pakistan was in chaos, it almost immediately thought of the refugee issue and mobilized troops to guard the border.
This can be regarded as a good doctor after a long illness. The memory of British India is not too far away. Now that the Rohingya have been driven away with great difficulty, Myanmar definitely does not want to be hit by refugees again.
The Pakistani army, which is in an absolute advantage, will naturally not worry about whether its actions will cause a chain reaction. For the army, chasing the guerrillas is the safest operation in the war.
The wheeled armored vehicles chasing the guerrillas were advancing with great momentum, and they were heading straight towards Huanglong. The vehicle-mounted machine guns and machine guns continued to kill the broken soldiers who were escaping along the road.
The crew members were already red-eyed at this time, exposing all the violence and cruelty hidden in their hearts. They watched excitedly as each enemy died miserably under their attacks, and their faces turned red due to excessive emotion. , the expression is twisted and ferocious.
The defeated troops found that they could not escape, and wanted to gather together and rely on the roadbed next to the highway to resist. However, they were defeated again by the fierce firepower of the armored vehicles. Most of them were killed, and the remaining few survivors left in panic. The road ran toward a hillside covered with artemisia on one side.
The guerrillas in the other direction felt that they had secretly attacked this government force without being discovered. They were discovered before they took action. They were already in a mess under the attack of artillery shells. They wanted to find cover on the spot. Some wanted to continue charging, and some felt that the situation was not good and wanted to retreat. Several detachments were crowded together in one place, becoming perfect targets for artillery and machine gunners.
This battle was undoubtedly very beautiful, and the pursuing government troops won a complete victory. However, after the group of government soldiers evacuated, the hatred in the eyes of the survivors hiding nearby showed that the purpose of the suppression had not been achieved. Temporary victory only adds fuel to the fire.
In New Delhi, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was wearing a sari and patiently waiting for the arrival of Chief of Army Staff Sam Manekshaw. This current Chief of Army Staff is not very good-looking. If there is anything special about him, maybe he is not in India. Common Zoroastrian beliefs.
Sam Manekshaw's military career was not all smooth sailing. For example, he had a very bad relationship with Lieutenant General Call during the 1962 War.
There were reports that he publicly made vitriolic jibes at Kaur and also made some disrespectful remarks about Defense Minister Menon. After Kaur relayed the matter to Prime Minister Nehru, a committee of inquiry was set up to examine the charges against Manekshaw. The charges allege that he was disloyal in criticizing his superiors and civilian leaders.
The disastrous defeat of the subsequent war made Menon's faction the target of public criticism, and he was reused and became the current Chief of Staff of the Indian Army.
Facing the Prime Minister's summons, he knew very well what the purpose was. Sure enough, Indira Gandhi spoke urgently, "Sam, you know my purpose. Many voices believe that the war should be carried out immediately, immediately."
"Prime Minister, I don't want to mention the scars of the country, but the hasty war of 1962 will never happen on my watch." Sammanekshaw said without changing his expression, "Dear Prime Minister, the war is a disaster." What is the purpose? Have the Ministers of Defense and Finance figured this out? What about you, Prime Minister, what kind of results do you want?"
"Of course, Pakistan will not become a threat to India in the future." Indira Gandhi said with a sinking face. She did not scold the Chief of General Staff for mentioning India's defeat in 1962, even if she really Very angry, "Now, from the central government to various states, countless people suggest to me every day that war should be launched against Pakistan immediately. You should know this pressure. To release this pressure, a great victory must be achieved." The outcome of the war will matter.”
"As the chief of staff of the Indian Army, can you guarantee the results I want to see? If not, then the question of starting the war early or late is not important at all."
"No, this issue is very important. Even if we start preparations now, we cannot block all interference. In fact, we should launch military operations during the season when the Himalayas are snow-capped, not now. We start military operations now. If we encounter If the obstacles are reached, Pakistan may receive support. Even if the Chinese cross over, there is no way to ensure logistics. Once there is a problem with logistics, the army will become our meal. And if we mobilize the army now to prepare for the attack, it will take us at least two months. time, and our northern neighbors have exactly six months to intervene.”
"So it means that military operations will not start until at least the autumn?" Indira Gandhi was a little disappointed, but she also admitted that what the other party said was reasonable. "It seems that our diplomatic work needs to work harder."
"Dear Prime Minister, if the enemy is the Pakistani army, I am confident of the outcome of victory. And for us, we can also use these few months to prepare well and lead a victorious army instead of a ragtag group of hasty people. To act hastily will only lead to humiliation."
It may be tough for Bengal's Partisans for some time to come, but Sam Manekshaw believes that as long as the final victory is achieved, it will all be worth it.
Indira Gandhi faced the same problem that her father faced in 1962, that is, all parties were urging her to make an immediate decision. The wave of nationalism had pushed her father into a dangerous situation.