"Dear Ali Khan, allow me, on behalf of the British Empire, to pay the truest tribute to you, a long-time loyal ally." Alan Wilson was an old civil servant as soon as he opened his mouth, and with just the right smile, he courted the unseemly Turkish emperor, "For three hundred years, Hyderabad and the royal family have been very happy to cooperate with the British Empire, and we have benefited a lot from this harmonious relationship, both in the past and in the future, I hope our friendship will continue." ”

"The similarity between you and the previous commissioners is that you speak the same stylized language." Mir Osman Ali Khan smiled slightly, broke the common ground between the other party, and waved his hand for the servants in the palace to prepare the meal, "I have just finished the service, and now I invite the new commissioner in Hyderabad to have lunch with me, and by the way, to strengthen our relationship with each other." ”

"I feel very honored. Dear Maharaja, I am amazed by your proficiency in English. Alan Wilson made a disrespectful gesture and agreed to the invitation.

Because of the dimensional relationship, Hyderabad is located in South India, but because of the Deccan Plateau, the temperature here is not much higher than that of New Delhi, and in the climate at the beginning of the year, people feel a little cool.

But it is clear that Mir Osman Ali Khan, a native of Hyderabad, had become accustomed to the climate, and prepared cutlery for Alan Wilson, while he himself used his hands to eat like a normal Indian, even with knives and forks ready to be placed next to the plates.

It wasn't until the silver plate was licked clean that Mir Osman Ali Khan slowly spoke, "As the new Commissioner of Hyderabad, I very much welcome your arrival, whether it is New Delhi or London, I believe it has been carefully considered. ”

At this time, Alan Wilson learned that although the monarch of Hyderabad had never left his princely state, he was very well informed, and he had fallen into the eyes of the other party before he left New Delhi.

From asking whether the Anglo-Indian Army's march into Burma was going smoothly, to hearing that Prime Minister Churchill was about to go to Yalta to hold a meeting with the Soviets, everything was clear. It's far from the way I licked the plate just now.

After going around the circle, Mir Osman Ali Khan asked with a seemingly nonchalant feeling, "I heard that Nehru and Ali Jinnah had a quarrel, which caused a lot of trouble in New Delhi and London. To be honest, I myself don't really like this kind of bickering. ”

"From the point of view of the British, I certainly don't like it either, my honorable Maharaja." When Alan Wilson heard this, he took a closer look at Mir Osman Ali Khan's expression, and always felt that the other party seemed to mean something, and said slowly, "It seems that the Maharaja seems to be very concerned about some rumors and wants to get urgent answers. ”

"Well, I've heard some things, and although it's a bit bad to ask them before the war is over, please understand that this involves a big problem in Hyderabad." Mir Osman Ali Khan did not hide it, and his thin body matched the loud voice, "I wonder what London thinks of the current independence movement in British India?" Is it Ali Jinnah's or Nehru's claim? ”

Alan Wilson almost scratched his head, the question was beyond the scope of his commissioner's answer. As to whether British India continued to exist, whether it would try its best to maintain it, or whether it would let India become independent. I believe that in London now, neither the Conservative Party nor the Labour Party has an accurate answer, and it should still be discussed.

It seems that Mir Osman Ali Khan cared about this issue to an extraordinary degree, otherwise he would not have asked him, the newly appointed commissioner, a little too eager.

But the point is that he really can't answer this question, but he can't give a clear answer just after meeting with the monarch here, which may destroy the relationship, and it is nothing to destroy the relationship between the British Empire and Hyderabad, and the destruction of personal relations is something Alan Wilson does not want to see.

The other party is not only the ruler of Hyderabad, once India became independent, he was driven away, you must know that Mir Osman Ali Khan is still the richest man in the world who has been on the cover of Time magazine in the United States, even if he loses his status as a ruler, the huge wealth is still highly visible, even Alan Wilson, who dug up the Golden Temple.

"On this issue, in fact, there is no conclusion on the part of London, esteemed Maharaja, but in the name of a private person, I can imagine several possible situations to judge what kind of attitude the Maharaja will adopt at that time." Alan Wilson made a very sincere expression and spoke in his private name.

"Oh? Please speak! Mir Osman Ali Khan's face was calm, and he didn't know what he was thinking.

"In fact, the idea of the Congress Party represented by Nehru himself is a well-known fact, that is, it hopes that after independence, India can maintain the framework of a state, and what he wants is the legacy of the British Empire in the whole of South Asia." Alan Wilson added, "This is the premise of the final success of India's independence, and as for the Muslim League, which Ali Jinnah represents, is very resistant to the idea of living in the same country as the Hindus, and from the current attitude, Ali Jinnah's attitude is very tough, and he would rather fight a civil war than compromise." ”

"Jinnah's attitude, I've heard of it too." Mir Osman Ali Khan nodded, apparently agreeing with Alan Wilson's analysis of the two most powerful local politicians in South Asia at the moment, and changed his words, "But what about the status of the princely states, including Hyderabad?" I don't know what the commissioner thinks. ”

"Let's assume the worst!" Alan Wilson also knew that now was not the time to hide, and that the monarch of Hyderabad had to be recognized by the monarch of Hyderabad at the first meeting, and that he was a commissioner who was superior and not a rice bucket who was bribed, even if he was indeed bribed to become a commissioner.

Mir Uthman Ali Khan was concerned with the question of the ownership of the princely states, which involved his interests. Alan Wilson also knew that the question of the princely states had caused a series of disputes after India's independence.

Without mentioning Kashmir and Hyderabad, let's just mention two issues that have not attracted much attention, Sikkim and Bhutan. One was annexed by India in the sixties, and the other became a protectorate of India.

On the current map of British India, both Sikkim and Bhutan were part of British India and existed under the name of princely states. India's constant wars also saw the need to restore the territory of British India, in other words, India was facing the territory of British India since ancient times.

Putting this issue aside, what Nehru thinks is clearly not the concern of Hyderabad monarch Mir Osman Ali Khan, in fact, the positions of the two are diametrically opposed.