Here lived the Governor James Bruce personally appointed by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. However, James Bruce had never appeared in public since he led his army to withdraw from Calcutta and had always remained hidden behind the scenes.
On the surface, the puppet supported by James Bruce is still in charge.
After all, James Bruce cannot dictate words and let China seize the opportunity to criticize.
The governor's office was crowded with people.
Among them, officials such as the Financial Secretary, the Chief Secretary for Administration, and the Department of Justice all looked serious.
James Bruce was wearing a black suit and tie. He looked like an extremely serious person. His eyes swept across the people present, and he said solemnly: "Everyone, I have to tell you something very exciting. Unpleasant news, the Chinese army has arrived in Bangladesh and will fight Xi Yinglong and Xi Changzhen."
"What, why is it so fast?"
Financial Secretary Canning frowned.
James Bruce sighed: "Li Zhen easily persuaded the governors of Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. His actions were very fast and worrying. Xi Yinglong could not bear the pressure and had already gone to Calcutta to see the generals. Lawantin will unite with Prawangdin to resist Li Zhen."
Everyone in the office took a breath.
Everyone's nerves were tense.
James Bruce continued: "I think we should be fully prepared for the menacing Li Zhen. After all, the defense line formed by Prawangdin and Xi Yinglong may not be able to stop Li Zhen's army. Once Prawangdin and Xi Yinglong are defeated by Li Zhen, Zhen, we will face Li Zhen's army head-on. When the time comes, even if we attack across the board under the banner of local forces, we may not be able to defeat Li Zhen."
Having said this, James Bruce suddenly raised his voice, waved his fist, and said loudly: "In order for the British Empire's rights and interests in India not to be affected, and in order for us to complete our mission, we must come up with countermeasures. Even if we cannot defeat Li Zhen, Li Zhen’s power must also be limited to the area east of the Bengal region, and Li Zhen cannot be allowed to advance westward.”
What James Bruce was dealing with was a mess that could collapse at any time, but James Bruce couldn't get rid of it and could only continue.
It was difficult to move forward, so I had no choice but to grit my teeth and go down.
James Bruce looked at the officials in the office and saw that no one spoke. He frowned and said, "Everyone, is it possible that Li Zhen scared you? Where is your chivalry and your spirit of not admitting defeat?"
Financial Secretary Canning sighed lightly and said: "Your Excellency Governor, as far as the current situation is concerned, the outcome is not yet known. It would be bad if we directly intervene. In my opinion, it is best to wait and see what happens."
Chief Secretary for Administration Charles continued: "Your Excellency Canning's suggestion makes sense to a certain extent, but once the situation worsens to the point where Li Zhen defeats Xi Yinglong and Prawangdin, will it be too late for us to rescue him?"
"It doesn't matter whether I save him or not. It's really difficult to handle."
The Secretary for Justice frowned, his expression solemn.
James Bruce said: "For this war, the outcome is indeed difficult to predict. A war involves not only the army, but also factors such as weather, geographical environment, etc., but apart from these factors, what else should we do? Well, I think it’s not about taking the initiative or standing still. It’s about formulating strategies to deal with various situations in advance. This is the most important thing.”
"For example, if Prawangdin and Xi Yinglong win and drive away Li Zhen, what should we do? Or if Prawangdin and Xi Yinglong fail, what should we do? If the war becomes a stalemate, what should we do? Everything must be considered carefully. This is an issue related to British interests in India and cannot be done without rules and regulations."
James Bruce was worried and worried that the situation was out of control.
Financial Secretary Canning said: "Your Excellency, Governor, I stick to my view and remain unchanged in the face of change."
The Secretary for Justice said: "I think it is right to prepare early, but I think it is more likely that Prawangdin will be defeated, so a force should be prepared and ready to help Prawangdin save the situation at any time."
The Chief Secretary for Administration suddenly said: "Actually, I have thought of a way."
"What can be done?" James Bruce asked.
The Chief Secretary for Administration looked excited and said: "As for the two forces of Prawangdin and Xi Yinglong, they are not our opponents, so there is no need to consider their victory. As long as we can defeat Li Zhen, we can still dominate India. At present Under the circumstances, Xi Yinglong and Prawangdin jointly fought against Li Zhen. My opinion is to choose the right time to attack the Chinese army while they are fighting, and defeat Li Zhen's effective forces in one fell swoop. In this way, there is no need to consider the timing at all, just attack That’s it.”
The Secretary for Justice nodded and said, "I agree."
Financial Secretary Canning carefully weighed the pros and cons, and finally nodded in approval, echoing: "I also agree with the suggestion of the Chief Secretary for Administration, His Excellency Charles, this is the best way."
James Bruce thought carefully, and after a long time, nodded in agreement.
…
Agartala, Tripura.
As the capital of Tripura, Agartala is more prosperous than other places. However, Agartala is not only prosperous, but more importantly, it is geographically adjacent to Bangladesh. After Li Zhen sent troops, Zhang Zhidong He led a division of troops and has now advanced to the Bengal area. Wherever the army passed, it was overwhelming and reached Gosiba City in the east of Bangladesh.
At the same time, Xi Changzhen's troops arrived at Gosba.
Xi Changzhen led the defense, Zhang Zhidong attacked, and the two armies fought fiercely in Gos.
…
Calcutta, royal palace.
In the side hall, Prawandin was discussing matters with Gulzhari and Singh.
Prawandin said solemnly: "I just received the telegram. The Xi brothers and the Chinese army have begun fighting. Xi Changzhen is personally in charge of Gosiba City. The general of the Chinese army is Zhang Zhidong. From this, it seems that Li Zhen is indeed loyal." We tried our best, but Li Zhen was hiding in Agartala, the capital of Tripura, which made our surprise attack very difficult.
Gulzari smoothed his gray beard under his chin, pondered for a while, and said: "Your Majesty, I think we should delay it for a little longer, make the war more intense, and even let Xi Changzhen take the initiative to attack and attract Li Zhen's power. In the past, let Agarta's defensive strength be reduced to a minimum so that we can kill it by surprise."
Singer nodded and said: "I agree with Lord Gulzhari's suggestion, just delay it a little longer."
Prawandin looked at Singh and ordered: "Singh, you are the best at military affairs. I will leave it to you. You should immediately telegraph Xi Yinglong and ask him to order Xi Changzhen to take the initiative to attack and create opportunities for us to attack Li Zhen." , you can even make a slight threat, saying that if Xi Changzhen does not cooperate, it will be difficult to determine the time for us to send troops."
Singer laughed and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry, I understand."
