pappabearbooks Chapter 88 "We Gained the Upper Hand in the Negotiations"
Chapter 88 "We Gained the Upper Hand in the Negotiations"
Chapter 88 "We Gained the Upper Hand in the Negotiations"
The Western Fleet was not authorized to directly declare war on Britain and India.
However, Zhu Guangrui and Dong Sheng did not mind creating some conflicts and frictions to test Britain's bottom line.
It is not a war unless a formal declaration of war is made.
Zhu Guangrui's orders were quickly relayed, and the Western Fleet sprang into action.
First, they hijacked a British patrol ship in the fleet, and then most of the warships continued to approach the coastline.
They then deployed their fleet in full force to blockade the mouth of the Hughley River, where Calcutta is located.
Kolkata was a trading center in northeastern India, and the lower Hooghly River served as its gateway.
The vast majority of merchant ships coming here have to pass through this waterway.
With the Han fleet blocking the river outlets, trade activities in Calcutta came to a complete standstill.
Zhu Guangrui and Dong Sheng do not believe Auckland can hold out for long.
All merchant ships that came to India for trade with the Great Han Western Fleet and have not yet had time to enter the Hughley River where Calcutta is located have successively received notifications from the Western Fleet:
The Governor-General of British India refused to comply with the orders and promises of the King of Britain and Parliament, and did not allow the soldiers transported by the Great Han Navy's Western Fleet to land and destroy the opium plantations, which was suspected of harboring opium smugglers.
Therefore, the Western Fleet of the Great Han Navy decided to blockade the mouth of the Hughes River and Calcutta, and the Great Han Army would land on its own and destroy the opium plantations, arresting all opium smugglers, their accomplices, and those who harbored them.
All legitimate businessmen may leave on their own, or wait until the operation is over before Kolkata reopens.
The merchants were naturally unwilling to accept this, but they were powerless to do anything about it, as the self-defense firepower of merchant ships was far inferior to that of regular naval warships.
The British naval fleet stationed in India, which was already patrolling inside the Bay of Bengal, has now assembled.
The British Navy has deployed a total of more than thirty regular warships in India.
Of these, only six ships have a displacement of over 1,000 tons and can be considered as third-class capital ships, and only four ships have a displacement of over 500 tons and are fourth-class warships. The remaining ships are all small ships of a few dozen tons.
This was due to the increasing threat from the Han Dynasty and the significantly expanded size of the British fleet.
Previously, there were only two capital ships here.
Their adversary, the Great Han Navy's Western Fleet, possessed sixteen main warships with a capacity of 20,000 shi (1280 tons), sixteen warships with a capacity of 10,000 shi (640 tons), sixteen armed transport ships with a capacity of 20,000 shi, and thirty-two armed transport ships with a capacity of 10,000 shi.
Although the British Navy had a high opinion of itself and believed that its ship handling and gunnery skills far surpassed those of its opponents, it did not dare to provoke a conflict given the huge difference in size and specifications between the two sides.
They simply confronted the Han fleet from a distance, monitoring its movements.
Upon discovering that the Han fleet was heading towards the river mouth, they simply continued to watch from a distance, not daring to open fire rashly.
However, they immediately arranged for a communications soldier to go ashore and meet with the Governor-General of India, Auckland, to inquire about what had happened.
When the Governor-General of India, Baron Auckland, discovered that Dong Sheng had left, he returned to the fortress on the shore with astonishment and confusion.
Auckland, holding binoculars, observed the distant sea, harboring a sliver of hope: "Since they've already made concessions, it means there's indeed room for negotiation. They probably won't launch a direct attack."
The governor's secretary, Colvin, calmed down slightly: "The Han Chinese—their way of thinking seems quite different from ours; it's really hard to judge—"
Auckland immediately said, "That's precisely why I'm so worried; there's no way to predict what will happen next."
Shortly afterward, the British Fleet's communications ship docked, and the naval communications officer brought what Auckland was most worried about, along with the navy's questions: "The Great Han Fleet on the sea is deploying, which can be considered as preparation for battle."
"They have now begun to control the entry and exit of merchant ships, and at the same time, the fleet has begun to approach the coastline further, and may very well block the exit of the Hughes River directly."
"The fleet commander instructed me to inquire of His Excellency the Governor what exactly happened between him and the Han envoy, and why the Han fleet suddenly prepared to attack."
Auckland looked shocked and incredulous: "Why is this happening? It shouldn't be like this—"
The communications officer continued to inquire, "I need to report to the commander. Could you please explain what happened at that time?"
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Auckland didn't want to talk, and glanced at his secretary, Colvin, beside him.
Colvin explained briefly: "After a brief probing, the Great Han did not maintain a tough stance, so they probably have no battle plan."
"We should have gained the upper hand in the negotiations."
"The Han envoy took the initiative to back down and put forward a so-called bottom line demand: at least 3,330 people should be stationed in Calcutta."
"His Excellency the Governor felt that the number was still too large, so he was prepared to continue to suppress their demands."
"But then the other side suddenly announced that they were preparing to attack and turned to leave."
After listening, the communications officer confirmed, "In other words, the Han envoy has stated his bottom line, but His Excellency the Governor finds it unacceptable."
"So the negotiations broke down, and the other side prepared for battle."
"If that's the case, then we should prepare for battle now. I'll go and inform the commander immediately."
Listening to their conversation, Auckland felt that something was amiss: "That's not how it is at all; they just verbally set a bottom line."
"We have no idea whether this is the real bottom line."
"They only verbally declared that they would attack, shell the coastline, and block the shipping lanes."
"We have no idea whether it's just a simple threat."
"Because they had initially insisted on having 10,000 people move in, but then voluntarily reduced it to 5,000, and then further reduced it to 3,000."
"There's nothing special about this number of 3,000 people."
The communications officer wasn't there to argue with Oakland; he simply took note of his words: "I understand. Anyway, I'm here to inform you that they seem to be preparing for battle."
"I must return to the fleet to report now. Is there anything else you require?"
Auckland, still somewhat bewildered by the warning, exclaimed, "Is this...is war about to break out? This is really baffling; it shouldn't be like this!"
After the communications officer left, Secretary Colvin reminded him, "Your Excellency, should we retreat now? Or send more troops to the coast to meet the enemy?"
Although Auckland was puzzled, it still issued the order as advised.
Send the communications officer back to Calcutta, and send another 3,000 troops to reinforce the river mouth fortress, increasing the garrison at the river mouth to 5,000 men.
Secretary Colvin continued, "If preparations for war are underway, wouldn't it be better for Your Excellency to return to the Governor's residence in Calcutta to take command?"
Auckland still harbored illusions: "A battle may not necessarily occur. Since the other side lacks sufficient resolve, they should come back to negotiate."
"All we need to do is pool our strength, increase our deterrent power, and make them submit to us."
Colvin wanted to flee, but the governor insisted, so he had no choice but to stay with the governor on the front lines.
At the same time, the sails on the sea grew closer and larger.
The outlines of more than sixty large and medium-sized sailboats gradually became clear, and at the same time, they slowly blocked the river outlet.
The larger sailboats gradually slowed down at the edge of the field of vision, while the smaller sailboats and steamships continued forward, sailing directly into the river estuary channel and completely blocking the waterway.
All the warships opened their portholes, and the dark muzzles of their cannons intimidated anyone who approached.
The British Indian Fleet remained at a distance, watched by the guard fleet left behind by the Han Dynasty's Western Fleet, and never had the determination to approach and engage in battle.
This standoff continued until the early morning of the next day, when the Great Han Western Fleet's 10,000-stone ships continued to approach the riverbank and began using landing craft to transport soldiers ashore.
The reinforcements dispatched by the Governor-General of India, Auckland, have arrived and are positioned below the fortress as arranged by the Governor-General.
Auckland spent the night in the fort and got up immediately the next morning.
He is currently using binoculars to continue observing the river's condition.
As the burly soldiers landed, the officer next to Auckland instinctively asked, "Sir, their soldiers landed without your permission. Should we open fire?"
Before Oakland could speak, Colvin immediately said, "Your Excellency, please don't be impulsive. The enemy fleet is threatening us in the estuary and waterways. If we open fire first, it may lead to a full-scale counterattack."
"The key point is that that would be tantamount to a breakdown in negotiations, and they would inevitably block the shipping lanes for a long time, which would affect all trade profits."
At this point, Colvin leaned close to Oakland's ear and whispered a reminder: "Even if it's time to officially open fire, His Excellency the Governor should withdraw from the front lines and command from a safer location."
Looking at the fleet at sea, facing so many cannons, Auckland felt very uneasy.
If the enemy were to retaliate with all their might, the small fortress I was in would soon be destroyed, and I wouldn't even have a chance to escape.
Colvin was right; even if it meant opening fire, they should have evacuated first.
But to withdraw in front of the garrison would make him, a nobleman, look like a coward: "They may be gathering more forces to threaten us at closer range so that we can resume negotiations."
"After all, they haven't launched an attack. Let's observe the situation first and then decide what to do."
Meanwhile, the Han army soldiers on the other side landed under the threat of naval artillery fire.
They formed ranks outside the firing range of the cannons at the river mouth fortress, with the number of infantry squares increasing to one hundred men each, and some field artillery pieces were also transported ashore.
Auckland, atop the fortress, used binoculars to count the number of formations, which gradually increased to ten, twenty, and finally thirty before slowing down slightly.
Looking at the densely packed formation of figures, cold sweat poured down Auckland's back. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, his mouth dry, "It seems that three thousand men really is their bottom line. I didn't accept it, so they sent their own men up."
"Fortunately, I dispatched another 3,000 men to garrison here yesterday, so there are now 5,000 troops here. Otherwise, the situation would be dangerous."
At the same time, the steamship of the Han Dynasty that had been there before also docked again. Dong Sheng, the representative from the last negotiation, came to the shore again and led a hundred soldiers to approach the fortress once more.
Auckland felt relieved, realizing the other party was indeed there to negotiate. He closed his eyes, made a prayer gesture, and decided to accept the "bottom line" proposed by the big man: "May God bless me. Three thousand men it is, as long as the conflict can be controlled. The twenty thousand men in Calcutta can still suppress them."
According to Auckland, although India has a larger total number of troops than the Han army, India would probably win if a large-scale war broke out.
Even if they were to win, it would be a pure loss for both Britain and India, so war should be avoided as much as possible.
For Auckland, the best outcome would be for the Han to send in a small force, which, under the deterrence of the large Indian army, would not dare to take any outrageous actions.
If the other side has too many, it will in turn intimidate India, forcing them to cooperate in order to avoid losses.
After offering a brief prayer, Auckland left the fortress with one hundred soldiers.
They lined up in the open space below the fortress, ready to wait for Dong Sheng to come over so that they could resume negotiations on the garrison.
However, his opponent Dong Sheng is not prepared to get close to Auckland this time.
Dong Sheng is here to announce a decision, not to negotiate.