Chapter 306 The False Governor

"My wife must be on our side. We must make this clear to her without any secret. It is not advisable to unilaterally allow the independence of British India for the sake of selfish desires."

Alan Wilson and Lord Barron reached a consensus on this point. Although the civil servants of British India were no longer losing money, why should they leave if they could stay for one more day? Gentlemen haven't had enough yet!

Besides, it was selfish for Mountbatten to want to deal with the problem of British India quickly. The great prime ministers all said that they would solve the problem of British India by 1948. You should speed up the progress as soon as you come to British India. , this is not what selfishness is.

"How to get Madam to side with us mainly depends on Allen. Only you have an extra layer of bonds, so it is more appropriate to start the persuasion work." Sir Barron thought for a moment, and the best candidate was the one in front of him. assistant.

Only Alan Wilson is best suited to try to stop the Governor's very selfish ideas and preserve the interests of the British Empire.

With Sir Barron's approval, Alan Wilson left the Government House, and Sir Barron asked the Commissioner's Secretary Edel to prepare a new itinerary for the Governor, with an emphasis on being close to the people and at the same time focusing on leisure.

Including, but not limited to, attending golf and tennis and even cricket ceremonies, and even a holiday schedule in British Ceylon.

Of course, Edwina Ashley lived in the Governor's Mansion. Alan Wilson came to the door. After knocking gently, Edwina Ashley opened the door and saw Alan Wilson. He said in a tone that had seen through everything, "Come to Pamela, come in."

Of course Governor Mountbatten was not here. Every move of the Mountbatten couple living in the Governor's Palace could not escape the eyes of loyal and upright civil servants. Pamela Mountbatten came out of the room and said embarrassedly, "Why did you come here so directly?"

"I came to see you. I also have something to discuss with Madam." Alan Wilson replied honestly to Pamela Mountbatten.

Edwina Ashley was surprised and said with a wry smile, "Aren't you here to see Pamela?"

"Yes and no." Alan Wilson sat down directly and said, "Of course the ultimate goal is not conflicting, and there is indeed some official business, and I want to get the answer from Madam. I wonder if Madam knows the Deputy King's understanding of British India. ?”

"Louis said that British India was a powder keg about to explode, and he did not want to come here to be the governor-general." Alan Wilson was no outsider, and Edwina Ashley directly told Mountbatten's personal journey. How reluctantly he came to take office in British India.

"This is understandable. The Governor seems to be very eager to solve the matter in British India." Alan Wilson frowned and said, "But this is not in the interest of the British Empire. We have worked tirelessly for a year and the Governor wants to The idea of ​​a quick solution to British India is conflicting, and there may be many problems in coordinating it."

"Is there anything undesirable about making India independent?" Edwina Ashley was a little surprised, especially when her son-in-law, who she was very optimistic about, said this. "Louis thought Nehru was pretty good."

"What do you think of Nehru, madam?" Alan Wilson's heart moved and he asked this question seriously.

"Although I have been to British India during the war, I have never seen him. I just came to see my husband. There were many things during the war, so I stayed here for a while and then went back." Edwina Ashley To tell the truth, "But what? Louis said Nehru was a pretty good guy."

She did come here when General Mountbatten was the commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces in Southeast Asia. This was also what Pamela said personally when Alan Wilson met Pamela Mountbatten for the first time.

But then Edwina Ashley returned to London, so it was particularly strange for Alan Wilson to return to London. Why did the fact that Edwina Ashley was in London conflict with his memory?

"Is Nehru a good person?" Alan Wilson asked suspiciously,

If Edwina Ashley had dangerous ideas, it would be very detrimental to the entire civil service in British India.

"Louis said it. I'm not familiar with him." Edwina Ashley was a little strange. Why did Alan Wilson's voice sound so strange just now?

Then he introduced Nehru from Mountbatten's mouth. Mountbatten and Nehru met for the first time in Singapore and they liked him very much. Mountbatten admired Nehru's talent, wit and sophistication.

"What talents does a fifty-eight-year-old balding old man have?" Alan Wilson curled his lips and asked, "Mr. Ali Jinnah is more charming, but the Governor may not recognize him."

"Why?" Pamela Mountbatten asked in dissatisfaction. She still remembered that Alan Wilson criticized her father yesterday, and the little girl held a grudge. "How do you know that my father will not have a good relationship with Ali Jinnah?"

"With more Hindus than peaceful believers, Ali Jinnah and Nehru were opposing leaders. Nehru wanted to take over a complete British India, and Ali Jinnah would never agree." Alan Wilson said this and looked at it Pamela Mountbatten, "Do you think your father would side with the majority leader? Or with the minority leader?"

"I believe that the Governor-General will soon understand that the contradiction between the Congress Party and the Muslim League is irreconcilable. Ali Jinnah will never give in. I have met Mr. Jinnah several times and I can definitely confirm this. "Alan Wilson changed the subject and said, "What is certain is that the Governor's judgment on British India before he came was very accurate. This place is indeed a powder keg that can explode at any time. Over the past year, the Governor's Office has done The thing is to delay the explosion as long as possible.”

"Ellen, do you want me to help you do something?" Edwina Ashley asked after a moment of silence.

"Madam, it's not about helping us, it's for the sake of the British Empire. After all, being colonists is profitable. Colonial officials are not all murderers. There are few people who can't sleep without killing someone for a day. It's not just for the sake of the British Empire. The interests of the British Empire." Alan Wilson sighed and said, "Our purpose is to protect the stability of British India before Prime Minister Attlee's deadline and continue to transfuse blood for the native land."

"I'll try my best!" Edwina Ashley hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Louis came here to try his best to get things done, so he has to understand his impatience."

"It depends on whether to do things well in the British Empire or in India. Everyone in the Governor's Office believes that it is the former. Sometimes, for the sake of national interests, we have to do things that go against our true intentions." Alan Wilson Upon hearing this, he said with a grateful smile, "Madam, the empire will be grateful to you. You are absolutely a genuine governor's wife."

"The Governor-General is also the real Governor-General." Pamela Mountbatten was unwilling when she heard it. "You actually created divisions in the Mountbatten family. You are so bad."

"We are still loyal to the empire, but your father is not necessarily so." Halfway through Alan Wilson's words, Pamela Mountbatten's hand reached over and gently squeezed Alan Wilson's arm, "Say it again."

"I was wrong." Apologizing simply, Alan Wilson glanced sideways at the Governor's daughter and vowed that one day he would make this woman shed tears of happiness, and that day would certainly not be far away.

The new schedule was arranged by Ismay, the secretary-general of the Governor's Palace, and Edel was actually Ismay's subordinate. Just like Alan Wilson was Lord Barron's subordinate.

It's just that he has never seen the secretary-general except during meetings. The offices of the commissioner and the secretary-general are not in the same building.

The new schedule is very dense at first glance, almost accurate to every hour, but the people you want to meet basically have no weight, showing a people-friendly behavior. There were also entertainment events that General Mountbatten liked very much, such as cocktail parties, golf, tennis, and other sports.

As well as the governor's family's vacation plans, which even included a vacation to British Ceylon.

Sir Barron and Alan Wilson looked at the plan drawn up by Secretary-General Ismay and considered whether the arrangements included work and rest.

"There can't be no big deal at all, otherwise it seems to be too lacking in sincerity." Sir Barron reached out and rubbed his chin, always asking the governor to do something. British India was different from the mainland, and some rules could be changed appropriately.

"Just add the issue about the Rohingyas. Even Nehru couldn't solve that problem. We can also use the Rohingya issue to prove a point. It's difficult for a million-sized ethnic group to solve it, let alone when it comes to... A problem for hundreds of millions of people." Alan Wilson proposed giving the new governor a slap in the face.

"Good idea." Sir Barron said with a satisfied smile, "The Rohingya problem can be considered a preview of the partition of India and Pakistan. Let's first see what the Governor can do to solve it. What if the governor’s ability can’t solve it?”

"That's better!" Alan Wilson said what Sir Barron wanted to say but didn't say, and waited for the praise from his immediate boss. Subsequently, this reworked schedule was sent to Mountbatten after he returned to the Governor's Palace.

"Oh, what is the purpose of these civil servants piling up these trivial things? You thought I didn't know." Governor Mountbatten looked at the rescheduled itinerary and said to his wife very conceitedly, "They don't want me to solve it. This will make them look very incompetent when it comes to British India."

"Yes, Louis." Edwina Ashley, who had been successfully regarded as a leader by the British Indian civil servants and became one of our people, took over the schedule from her husband and commented, "There are big things. It’s a small matter, what’s the problem with combining work and rest with a tight schedule?”

The Governor was just having fun, but the Governor's wife beside him was the real hero. The false Governor had to be very selfish to push forward the process when he came to British India. The real Governor understood the hard work of British Indian civil servants and knew how to balance work and rest.