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Volume Three: The Wind Rises in the South Chapter 93 Downfall

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    In this way, the largest battle in the history of the Green Cardinal (the green peacock was the symbol of the Burmese royal family at that time, because the usurper was also a member of the royal family, so it was called the Green Peacock War) - the Battle of Bagan  This is the end.  The British on the attacking side lost five of the twelve battalions - all Indian mercenary battalions, including three battalions that mutinied; the defending army also paid a heavy price - 600  Forty-five people, accounting for almost one-third of the entire force.  The direct consequence of the Battle of Bagan was that the Central Myanmar region, which was still on the fence, immediately fell to the side of the Chinese. In fact, the British plan to compete with China for the entire territory of Myanmar had failed.  After that, the British reviewed their Indian mercenary system and decided to improve the treatment of Indian soldiers while changing the structure of the Indian colonial army. In the past, soldiers from a single ethnic group and a single region formed a battalion-level army.  Instead, a certain proportion of Indian soldiers of various ethnic groups and religious beliefs were mixed into the battalion-level unit. Although this weakened the cohesion within the unit and increased the difficulty of command by British officers, it also reduced the possibility of mutiny.  possibility.  The indirect consequences are much more profound: although the Western colonists represented by the United Kingdom have encountered failures during their expansion in recent centuries, such failures are generally the product of special circumstances.  For example, a disparity in power balance, rare bad weather conditions, commanders making shocking mistakes, etc. In other words, this kind of victory cannot be replicated. The British can quickly make up for the loss of failure and then defeat them in the next battle.  The opponent put forward more stringent requirements in the treaty.  This time the battle with the Heshun Empire in Myanmar was completely different. Although the number of troops lost was very small, the opponents they faced were obviously different from the nomadic chiefs and feudal monarchs they had encountered in the past.  Although the national power of the Shun Empire is not comparable to that of the British Empire, it is already a fairly stable regime. It may not be advantageous to engage in a protracted war for hegemony with such an opponent in its neighboring countries.  London, Palace of Westminster.  Since the Middle Ages, this palace on the banks of the Thames has been the main residence of the British royal family. Later, the Royal Council, the predecessor of the British Parliament, was also located in Westminster Hall to allow these distinguished members to be closer to their masters.  Closer.  Later, although the King's palace had moved away from here, the Parliament did not move with it, and Westminster Palace gradually became synonymous with Parliament.  A fire in 1834 burned down almost the entire Palace of Westminster. Later, after it was rebuilt on the original site, the House of Commons occupied the northern end of the Palace of Westminster. Compared with the House of Lords on the south side, the decoration of the House of Commons was simpler.  There are not so many gorgeous stained glass mosaics and red curtains, but only simple green blankets. The space of the House of Commons is also much smaller than that of the House of Lords: there are several rows of seats on both sides of the chamber, and there are several rows of seats on the central axis.  This frees up a passage.  The speaker's seat is at one end of the central axis. Directly in front of his seat is the discussion table of the House of Commons, and the scepter will be placed on the table when the meeting is in progress.  The Executive Secretary of the House of Commons sits on the side of the table towards the Speaker to provide input to the Speaker as the proceedings proceed.  The seats to the right of the Speaker's seat are occupied by members of the ruling party, while those on the left are occupied by members of the opposition party.  There are two red lines spaced two and a half meters apart in the center of the floor to separate members of the two parties. Legend has it that the distance between the two red lines is exactly the length of two long swords. Members of both parties are not allowed to cross the red lines when speaking.  , to prevent the debate from turning into a fight.  On December 1, 1885, which was the first Wednesday of this month, the chamber of the House of Commons at the Palace of Westminster was extremely quiet. Even outside the door, the Prime Minister, the Marquess of Salisbury, could clearly be heard saying something.  With a stuffy and confused voice, the MPs on both sides exchanged silent glances, as if waiting for something big to happen.  A congressman with a red beard whispered to his colleague next to him: "My friend, did you hear the hissing sound of sparks on the medicine line?" "Yes, the barrel has been cleaned and the medicine bag  It has already been exposed, and we are just waiting for the gunner to give the order, and the cannon will roar!" The two congressmen looked at each other and smiled, saying nothing.  The speaker took out his pocket watch, looked at it, and announced loudly: "Now, it's time for the prime minister's question!" After a moment, the first row of members of the opposition party on the left raised an arm, and the speaker made a consent  In the gesture of speaking, a man stood up from the opposition seats. He was William Ewart Gladstone, the leader of the opposition party.  "The Honorable Prime Minister has just spent a long time stating the great efforts he has made in Asia for the interests of the Empire and has requested various proposals for reform of the local government in India. There is no doubt that I agree with his views on India's role within the Empire.  But before that, I would like to ask you a question." At this point, Congressman Gladstone paused for a moment, and then asked loudly: "What's going on with the war going on in Myanmar?"   The Prime Minister paused for a moment. Under the cover of his thick beard, people could not see clearly what his expression was, but then he calmly replied: "Dear Mr. Gladstone MP, Myanmar is far away from here.  Very far away, and the outcome of the war is like a ship in a hurricane, sometimes turning to the left, sometimes to the right. It is difficult for us to know the final outcome until the last moment. I have sent Mr. Balfour there as ambassador plenipotentiary. I  I believe you should know Mr. Balfour's outstanding abilities. All we can do now is to pray devoutly to God, hoping that God will grant victory to his loyal believers." The Marquis of Salisbury's vague answer immediately aroused.  There were boos from the opposition members on the left, and the Speaker had to shout loudly: "Silence, gentlemen, silence!" "Of course, like the Prime Minister, I believe in our distinguished colleague Mr. Balfour, who is capable enough to safeguard the interests of the empire.  . But before that, I want to announce a fact here!" Gladstone took out a piece of white paper folded in four from the pocket of his suit lining, which several congressmen with good eyesight could clearly see.  This is a telegram transcript.  "On November 27, 1885, five days ago, the Chinese defeated the British army near a city called Bagan in central Myanmar. The British army lost about 1,400 people.  Soldiers, and a considerable number of artillery, after this battle, the whole of central Burma has recognized the king of Burma, supported by the Chinese emperor." Gladstone's clear voice echoed under the dome of the House of Commons, finishing.  After copying the message, Gladstone opened his hand to the Prime Minister, the Marquess of Salisbury, and made a gesture asking for an explanation.  The Marquess of Salisbury frowned and tried his best to answer amidst the surprised comments of the MPs: "Dear MP Gladstone, I am not doubting your credibility, but may I ask -"  "Of course!" Gladstone interrupted the Prime Minister's question, which was a very rare phenomenon in the House of Commons: "I can tell you the source of my information. Do you remember Mr. Jenson from the Daily Telegraph? He  He is a very good reporter. This telegram was sent by him from Yangon a few days ago. He himself is in Yangon as a war correspondent. I think in a few days, all members of Congress will be able to publish it in the newspaper.  I saw the article from the front line!" "KO victory!" The red-bearded congressman just winked at his companion: "A beautiful left straight punch hit the face, and the victory was decided."  His companion nodded in agreement: "You are right! Gladstone has hollowed out the land under the Prime Minister's feet. I am willing to bet you fifty pounds that by this Friday at the latest, No. 10 Downing Street will be there."  It's time for a new owner!" "No, maybe it won't take until Friday. As far as I know, Gladstone is a ruthless character. I bet you that he still has a bomb in his hand that can kill him.  Someone else blew up the bomb!" "Okay, fifty pounds, it's a deal!" "It's a deal!" While the two MPs were betting on the fate of the Prime Minister, the Marquis of Salisbury was also making a bet.  He used his last bit of energy to work hard to prolong his first career as Prime Minister: "Dear Member Gladstone, I don't want to defend myself, but as everyone knows, God's will is great and wonderful.  The Iron Duke did not know that he could win the final victory before Bl¨¹cher appeared. Old England must unite in the face of difficulties! "" Dear Prime Minister, of course Old England will unite!  Before, I want to ask you a question. Where is the plenipotentiary ambassador you sent, our respected colleague Mr. Balfour, at this time? Shouldn't he be in Yangon preparing to recover losses as much as possible and prepare for the next battle?  ?" When Gladstone said this, he turned around and faced the opposition MP on the left, as if he was the Prime Minister: "But in fact, he is not in Yangon, and now he is driving to  On the Japanese cruise ship, maybe he has arrived in Japan now. Maybe this handsome man thinks it is more beneficial to go to Japan to recruit a group of samurai now!" Gladstone's clever irony immediately aroused the chorus of opposition parties on the left.  Laughter, as for the conservative MPs in power on the right, their reaction was much more complicated. Most of them showed angry looks on their faces and began to refute loudly, but a considerable number of MPs remained silent. Obviously, the current Prime Minister Sol  The Marquis of Isbury's position within the Conservative Party is not yet stable, and many Conservative MPs have not recognized his status as party leader deep down. Their hesitation will show up once they encounter setbacks.  The Marquis of Salisbury did not look back. From the sounds coming from behind, he could tell that the current situation was extremely unfavorable to him. He could almost hear the creaking of the throne of power under his feet. Apparently Gladstone  Already done before today's Prime Minister's Question TimeConsiderable preparation, including the "Daily Telegraph" reporter sent to Myanmar, otherwise he would not be able to catch himself off guard.  In this case, he should take the initiative to resign as prime minister before saying that the situation is out of control and spend his energy integrating the forces within the Conservative Party.  Thinking of this, he raised his head and whispered: "I can only say that I am very sorry for everything that has happened. I will submit my resignation to the Queen tomorrow morning. I hope that my successor can better safeguard the interests of the empire."  !" After saying that, the Marquis of Salisbury turned and walked towards his seat, his heavy footsteps making a series of dull sounds on the wooden floor.  For Britain at that time, this incident was not a major event that attracted attention. The eagle of the empire that never sets on the world encountered a small setback in a jungle in the remote Indochina Peninsula. Compared with the world  What do those Union Jack flags rising on the map mean?  It was only when historians retraced the historical context decades later that they were surprised to discover that the dragon that caused Twilight of the Gods actually originated in an unknown, small country on the Indochina Peninsula.
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