Scindia of Gwalior held a lavish Elephant Regatta as he called it. He held a parade of the gigantic elephants through town. Each behemoth certainly moved like a gigantic ship. Each royal elephant was adored with elaborate chalk designs, their gigantic toenails gilded, their tusks adored with silver and gold, boasting every sort of elephant tapestry and howdah. Courtiers and townspeople drawn by lot dressed up like the gods and rode on the howdahs. There was music from a brass band and a traditional band and the shrill howl of a Gurkha pipes band. He had just hired a small company of Gurkhas. The giant silver insignias of Gwalior were paraded through the streets. Flags blew. There were fireworks too. Food. A short Rama play was performed with the climax bonfire at dawn to burn Ravana to complete the shindig. Then the elephants lined up before the towering walls of Gwalior and bowed to the Rajah of Gwalior who was flanked by his minister Dinkar Rao and also Major Macpherson as modern horse artillery commanded by a very special elite force of Sikhs blasted out the official 21 gun salute with military precision (while displaying the precision to kill enemies as well).
After the shindig was over I attended the Rajah on the observation post where once long ago I held a small boy as we watched twin battles being waged in the distant darkness. It was now midmorning as people dispersed to their homes and a belated bed. It was officially a ‘day off for hangovers’.
We stood side by side and surveyed the rolling landscape of Gwalior. “I am planning the battles in my head” the Rajah said softly. “The fords to be guarded. Ferries to be cut when needed. What to do if and when unreliable regiments mutinies. How to get the artillery out of the hands of the Muslim soldiers who command the artillery. I have men I have trusted with my life. But I trusted before and was betrayed before. In reality I have to anticipate every Muslim betraying me next year. How do I forgive such betrayal afterwards?
I am moving Elite Special Forces into key positions. I have hired Sikh Police. They will be the only ones to have guts to enforce law and order next year. I will not allow a single damn mutineer to rape or loot or murder a single one of my people! I will place the Gurkhas in a rapid strike force position. I have Thakurs too that I can rely on with my life. The British and foreigners are rehearsing emergency responses. I am establishing ‘safe houses’ to retreat to if they cannot reach the fort. Secret places. The Europeans will be a lighting rod when the rebellion starts. There are only 30. Alas, some are key telegraphic and engineering experts I will need later, if there is a future, to modernize Gwalior. Two are doctors. Several are nurses. Several are teachers. The targets are all experts as well as my Major and his small family. I have a printing press to wage propaganda war. I appreciate your press and it’s latest propaganda which I find very effective in rebutting their propaganda. The Rajah of Jammu and Kashmiri is writing very effective propaganda as well. He is an amazing buttress! I have spies in every mosque and open the mail of every cleric and mullah excluding the tiny Sufi Shrine. But war is unpredictable. All you can do is react and hope.”
“The difficulty if you cannot preemptively strike or else you alienate men who might be waffling. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. You cannot arrest men for treason or mutiny until they commit treason or else mutiny.”
“A dainty dance to be sure!” the Rajah agreed.
“Don’t come out too soon. Don’t show your hand Your Majesty” I said.
“Major Macpherson has so advised me” the Rajah said. “Stall. Play for time. Lure them into complacency. Provide them with wages and liquor and drugs if need be. Appear to dither. Divide and conquer. Then strike the lethal blow while they are drunk and dithering. I have a telegraphic line north and south and west to each key military headquarters.”
“Can be cut” I said.
“Teams to rewire as fast as it is cut. The Telegraph is still the fastest way to react in an unified military assault. The enemy has no idea the power the telegraph will play next year! I have Dak courtiers. Elite Forces of course. A network of eyes and ears. I may appear to be isolated but I will not be isolated. I will hold Malwa! And Gwalior! No one will disthrone me this time!”
“Gwalior will be a direct target” I said. “The rebels will think forts. Take forts. Then they will plot a siege. Defensive warfare. They will take forts and cities with massive urban defenses. Alas, we have must erected massive urban walls and cannon at Delhi. They will take Delhi. They will want Gwalior.”
“Yes. Gwalior is historic. Beautiful. I pray they will not blast her to pieces. But ignorant rebels and amateur ‘generals’ and make believe rajah warrior kings think sieges. Sit. Wait to be attacked. Meanwhile, squander resources on coronations and wild parties and drink and drugs and women and rape and loot. The mutineers surely will! Defensive fighting after spontaneous destruction. That is why they will ultimately lose. I will win because I will wage war in conjunction with my allies. They will think small and spontaneous battles. I will think of the overall campaign. They will think of random violence and terror. I will think cool strategy. They will think in the short run. I will think in the long run. They think only of themselves. I think of Gwalior and India. I will win. I must win! Or else Gwalior and India will have no future!
I will control the roads and the fords of the river and therefore the river. I will control the supplies. I will control the food. I will control the assets. Once they mutiny, they will have no officers and no paymasters. They will run riot. I have to endue the initial horror. But then they will have to continue to riot and loot because they are not being paid and it is their nature to loot and rape. That will ultimately alienate the local populations. As the war drags on they will have to loot every village and town and city. Each looting will be a nail in their coffin. The population will see their true face. They will be not be liberators but thugs! I will resupply my people. My people, after a possible honeymoon with thugs, will realize only I can save them —especially when they are being looted and raped. Which will happen. Soldiers’ nature when out of control. The jihadists will quickly show their true natures too. They hate the Shirk with fundamental intensity that cannot be concealed for long. They will show their fundamental hatred for the Hindus.
Meanwhile, I will ride out the initial horror and then plot the overall strategy. Not random little battles over treasuries and bazaars. Overall campaigns that create a tightening garrote. I think the war will start in Spring. Late Spring. Warm. Lush. Lots of food. But by monsoon their warm and lush war will be bogged down in mud and violence. By cold season the noose will strangle them. Did you know the Russians defeated Napoleon’s War Machine by using weather and retreating? Napoleon got Moscow and crowed. By winter he was fleeing in cowardly retreat, leaving his men to die along a 3000 mile retreat that was utter hell! It all but destroyed his entire War Machine. The genius of strategy fell for the classic mistake of betting the house on one battle in one town. Moscow? It was just real estate. It was not Russia. And Russia won. I think the rebels will bet the house on Delhi and like Napoleon, they will lose India.”
“They may besiege Gwalior precisely because it is the key fort in the key region and Jhansi will provide safe sanctuary to attack you and Bhopal. That is why Azimmullah Khan has manipulated Nana Sahib into seducing his childhood friend the Rani. They need Jhansi as an sanctuary to attack you and Gloriana. Break out of the Indian Mason Dixon Line that could bottle the war up in the Punjab. Break up the Maratha Confederation that is the historic line of defense of the Decca and South India from Punjab attack. Then attack Baroda to get Bombay.”
“No. That is British strategy. They will think Delhi. And me. The fort has historic and symbolic value. But at the end of the day Gwalior is just a piece of real estate. If push comes to shove I will retreat like Russia and fight by overall strategy instead of focusing on one tiny piece of real estate. I will leave lots of food and drink and drugs and some cheap money. It will be a honey trap.”
“You would sacrifice Gwalior as a honey trap to bait your enemy?”
“Russia did. Russia won. Mutineers and people like Nana Sahib will be precisely the types to fall for it! Stay. Squander the cheap drink and drugs and cheap money. Lose precise time. Think defense. Sit. Wait to be attacked. Meanwhile the real battle, the Battle of India, whirls around them and finally and at last the garrote will tighten and strangle them. The trouble is I have a large chunk of the suspects. And General Anson and Ludhiana and I calculate that if I can keep this horrifying large chunk of suspects bogged down here in Malwa then we can divide and conquer the Bengal Army and the Muslim insurgents when it mutinies.”
“But that is too dangerous for you!” I said shocked. “That means you will be facing almost a third of the Bengal Army! Here! They cannot asked that! It is too dangerous!”
The Rajah blinked once but did not ‘bob’. “Logically speaking it is the best plan John! General Anson swears Meerut will handle Delhi along with the Sikh Triad. The Corp of Guides can be a Punjab fall back to strike at either Delhi or else come here. And the Bombay and Madras Armies can march if need be. But Anson and Canning think the Punjab Situation will be contained in the Punjab and Anson can handle it – as long as I can keep 1/3 of the suspects bogged down here until I can be reinforced. If the initial mutiny is quickly slapped down the suspects here will crumple immediately. I just have to stay cool and not ‘bob’ to use the favorite expression of the horse artillery.” The young Rajah smiled a crooked smile. “Don’t worry John. My dear Irish Giant! I am the Once and Future King for this Time of Distress. I know now that whatever happens I will meet the challenge. My Rani is with child. She will be sent to safety. Whatever happens…..Gwalior will survive.”
“King Arthur died saving Camelot” I said. “And Camelot was not saved.”
“Gwalior will be saved. Magic! Magic and Strategy! We did the Ashvamedha Horse Sacrifice. Remember? In India there are rituals for every occasion. I will meet my enemies welding my Excalibur Sword! They will laugh. They will say see that old thing and say silly man! But they will be ignorant of the true merit of my sword and myself. And at the end of 1857 I will be winning. They will be losing. And when the War of India is over Gwalior and India will be saved. I did the Ashvamedha Horse Sacrifice. They did not. And Shiva will bless me and fight along side me. And I would pick Shiva against Allah any day of the week!”
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John Nicholson and the Great Mutiny of 1857 