Chapter 918 Infighting

On February 21, the German Eighth Army captured Mumbai, and then the Eighth Army moved north along the coast.

A day later, the German 4th Army landed in Mumbai, and then the 4th Army moved south along the coast. Two armies, one north and one south, swept across the west coast of India.

At the same time, the Indian Ocean Fleet provided fire support for the two armies throughout the entire process. Under the fierce attack of the German army, the British and Indian troops could not resist the German attack at all. It can be said that the British and Indian troops on the entire west coast are retreating.

The battle situation has become more and more unfavorable to the British and Indian troops.

Delhi, British Indian Command. Baron Charles Harding, Governor General of India, Tilak, Gandhi and Nehru of the Congress Party, and Jinnah of the Green Party Alliance all rushed here. They put all their strength into this battle with the German army. However, the current development of the war situation made them very worried.

"Your Excellency, how is the current war going? Can we resist the German attack?" Baron Charles Harding frowned tightly. He is also very pessimistic about the current situation. If this continues, it may be very difficult for them to resist the German attack in India. Once the plan fails, the German army will capture the whole of India. What's more terrible is that the power of Indian aboriginals will also be greatly weakened during the war. At that time, the German rule in India will become very stable. Because those who dare to resist have almost died in this war, and the rest are those who have been tamed and content with being oppressed and exploited.

"Your Excellency, the current situation is indeed very unfavorable to us! The fighting power of the Germans is too strong. Their two legions, 400,000 people, beat the more than one million people we deployed on the west coast. They have already been swept away by them." Lord William Nicholson looked helpless.

He had to admit that the current situation was completely beyond his expectations. The strength of the German army and the weakness of the British and Indian troops were beyond his expectations. This led to the defeat of the British and Indian troops in this war.

"Your Excellency, does that mean we are losing this war?" Tilak asked.

The expressions on the faces of several Indian elites were not very good. The news they got was that most of the British and Indian troops were on the west coast. Not to mention the fall of Mumbai, even the entire west coast is about to be captured by the Germans. The British and Indian troops suffered heavy losses, especially Indian soldiers. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed or injured. More were captured or escaped.

"It is too early to say that we have lost this war. Although we have lost a lot, we still have millions of troops. In addition, the mobilization of the second batch is also very fast, and a large number of troops are being formed. We There is still enough strength to fight the Germans!" Lord William Nicholson said.

Although he is also very pessimistic about the current war situation, he will never admit that the war cannot be fought.

"Your Excellency, our people suffered heavy casualties. Those are young Indians, good lads from India! Although we know that for India's independence, we must pay a certain loss. However, such a loss is too much. Big. I hope His Excellency will still consider them when commanding operations, and don't let them make unnecessary sacrifices!" Gandhi said.

Although, at the beginning they all promised to fully cooperate with the British and Indian colonial authorities, and they were prepared to sacrifice many compatriots. But now, the loss has far exceeded their expectations. This immediately made Gandhi and others very regretful. Because they know that if such losses continue, India may lose millions or even more young people. Although India has a large population, there is no shortage of soldiers. But those who died were young men in their twenties! These young men are the middle force of a nation. If there are too many losses, this will have a great impact on India's future.

Both Lord Charles Harding and Lord William Nicholson looked uneasy. It is undoubtedly an extremely bad phenomenon that those Indian natives dare to criticize them.

"I don't have any problems with my command. The combat effectiveness of the British and Indian troops is too bad. We have some weapons and equipment, although they are a little worse than the Germans. However, the gap is very limited. If the soldiers of the British and Indian troops can Be braver when fighting, maybe the battle situation will not be like this." Lord William Nicholson said. He put all the responsibility on the Indian soldiers.

Immediately, the faces of Tilak and the others became even uglier. Their people shed blood and died on the battlefield, but not only were they not respected, but they were insulted. It would be unbearable for anyone.

"Your Excellency, I am afraid that you are biased in saying this! I admit that the combat effectiveness of Indian soldiers may not be strong, but this is not their reason. They have been treated unfairly for a long time, with the lowest salary, But they have to engage in all kinds of jobs that have nothing to do with fighting. And their training is pitiful. The Germans came, but you sent them to the battlefield in a hurry. Now you can’t beat the Germans, but you are shifting the responsibility It's really inappropriate for them to fall on them!" Tilak's face was full of anger.

Lord William Nicholson was about to retort, but Lord Charles Harding stopped him.

"Okay, stop arguing! The Germans are about to fight, but we have internal strife. If this is the case, how can we defeat the Germans?" Baron Charles Harding said with a dark face.

For a while, everyone shut up. Baron Charles Harding, as the governor of India, is still very prestigious.

"The current war situation is very unfavorable to us, but I believe we still have a chance to defeat the Germans. The more we are at this time, the more we must unite. Otherwise, there is really no chance. Your Excellency , I hope that in the next battle, you can come up with a practical way to defeat the Germans at the least cost and win this war!" Baron Charles Harding said.

"Yes, Your Excellency the Governor." Lord William Nicholson nodded.

Tilak and the others couldn't say anything more. After all, it was for the promise of Baron Charles Harding that they agreed to cooperate with the British and Indian colonial authorities. If the two sides fall out, it will not be of any benefit to them.