Iron Dynasty

Chapter 1085

“Hmph, as long as the Cao family father and son are in India, I will definitely not let them get away with it this time.” Lei Ming clenched

“Hmph, as long as the Cao family father and son are in India, I will definitely not let them get away with it this time.”

Lei Ming clenched his fists tightly. He still remembered the destruction that the Cao family father and son had caused in the south, and he would not rest until these traitors were eliminated.

“I hope so. This Cao Kun is very cunning. It might take some effort to capture him, but with our people keeping an eye on him, we will be more confident this time,” Wang Xuan said in a sinister tone. This sent a chill down the spines of both Lei Ming and Yue Yun. It was indeed very stressful to be with this head of the secret guards.

Wang Xuan’s purpose for coming to Singapore was only to warn Lei Ming and Yue Yun. After giving them his instructions, he and his entourage boarded a warship and left. No one knew where he was going.

After seeing Wang Xuan off, Lei Ming immediately summoned his generals. The intelligence that Wang Xuan brought was very important. After being besieged for half a year, the allied forces in Calcutta had finally run into trouble. This was a golden opportunity for them.

Once Wang Xuan delivered this intelligence to Qingzhou, the Emperor would most likely give the order to attack Calcutta. So from now on, they had to be prepared.

Like Lei Ming, Yue Yun also smelled the gunpowder getting closer. India was now the hardest nut to crack in Southeast Asia. Once this nut was cracked, the Empire would truly lock down Europe’s path to colonization in Asia.

Calcutta.

Nicholas and Butler walked past rows of corpses. These were all British soldiers who died in the conflict.

Since the Indian coast was blockaded, they had been trapped here for half a year, and the allied forces’ situation had been getting worse and worse during this time.

He now had to admit that this Eastern Empire was truly terrifying. He had thought that the Eastern Empire would take advantage of its naval victory to land in Calcutta and have a head-on conflict with them. But they waited and waited, but the Eastern Empire’s soldiers never came.

And the anger they had felt from their naval defeat was completely worn down by this strange peace. The morale of the allied forces’ soldiers was now at an all-time low.

In his opinion, the root cause of all this was the Eastern Empire’s blockade of the coast, which made the allied forces’ soldiers see no hope of returning home.

“We have six hundred dead and more than two thousand soldiers wounded,” Nicholas said with a dejected look. “What great lads. They didn’t die at the hands of the enemy, but at the hands of our allies.”

“If the situation continues to worsen, we will lose more than just this many people. Now, the problem of food is our biggest crisis,” Butler said. “You must now forcibly have the native states donate food.”

Nicholas’s brows furrowed tightly. “Butler, that’s impossible. Do you not think it’s chaotic enough here? There have always been forces here that oppose us. If we do that, the native states will unite and drive us out!”

“Based on them? A bunch of rabble. Have you forgotten how I eliminated the rebel forces these past two years?” Butler sneered. “We control India not through benevolence, but through guns and cannons. Look at these soldiers who are on the verge of going mad. Maybe tomorrow, their muzzles will be aimed at us.”

Nicholas sneered. “If we were not facing the threat of the Eastern Empire, this plan might be feasible, but what if the Eastern Empire attacks at this time? Do you still have the strength to pacify the native states’ attack?”

“I don’t care about that anymore. Without food, we will still die anyway.” Butler motioned to the soldiers beside him.

The soldiers all raised their muzzles and aimed at Nicholas.

“Are you crazy?” Nicholas roared at the dark muzzles of the guns.

Butler sneered. “I don’t want to be pointed at by their muzzles. I can only have them point at you. Give the order, Nicholas. We have no way out.”

Nicholas closed his eyes in despair. After a moment of silence, he turned and entered the Governor’s Office. A moment later, an order signed by Nicholas was delivered.

Taking the order, Butler immediately summoned the allied forces’ officers. With this order, they could conscript food in the name of the Governor’s Office.

With a legitimate excuse, the allied forces quickly sent a large number of soldiers out of Calcutta. Outside the city was the territory of the Cuttack native state.

In a hotel in Calcutta, the Cao family father and son witnessed all of this. With them were the powerful family members they had recruited during this time.

Unlike the calm and collected atmosphere of a few days ago, everyone’s expression was now solemn. The imperial navy had blockaded the coast, which meant that their path back to Britain was also cut off.

“Dad, where are they going?” Cao Zheng-tong asked, a little confused.

“To seize food. I never thought the allied forces would be pushed to this point. It seems this war will have more bad luck than good. We must find a way.” Cao Kun said.

The others all looked grim. Some were even so scared that their faces turned pale. They were very clear about the consequences they would face if they were captured.

The Empire’s Emperor, Xiao Ming, would surely hang their heads on the city wall of Qingzhou.

“Staying here is just waiting for death. The allied forces’ morale is now in disarray. They are no match for the imperial soldiers. Once the imperial soldiers attack, none of us will be able to escape.”

“What should we do?” I don’t want to die here.”

“Sigh, this is really bad luck.”

“…”

A dejected atmosphere filled the hotel room.

“I know a pirate named Ma Hai. He has been plundering merchant ships near Burma. As long as we can get to Burma, we might be able to escape on his ship.” A young man said.

“Is that true?” Cao Kun asked in surprise.

“Of course it’s true. We once called each other brothers. He was captured by officials in Guangzhou back then, and I was the one who sheltered him.” The young man said.

Cao Zheng-tong and Cao Kun looked at each other. This young man joined them a year ago and was also a child of a powerful family who was stranded overseas.

“This is our only way now. Qing, this is no time for jokes. Don’t make me be rude to you.” Cao Kun threatened.

“President, I also want to live. Why would I lie to you?” Qing said innocently.

Cao Kun nodded slightly. “It’s easy to get to Burma. Back then, I went from Guangzhou to India through Burma. At that time, I paid off the various checkpoints along the way. Now, they will surely give me some face.”

After agreeing on this matter, everyone smiled and returned to their rooms to pack their luggage.

Qing also turned around and left, a cold look flashing in his eyes. The Cao family father and son would never have thought that he was an undercover agent from the secret guards.

And the pirate Ma Hai he spoke of was also one of their people. As long as the Cao family father and son boarded Ma Hai’s ship, they would have nowhere to escape.

The reason he made this decision was that he could tell that the Cao family father and son wanted to run. Rather than letting them run around recklessly, he would set a trap for them.

Now, the Cao family father and son, desperate for a solution, believed him, which gave him this opportunity. But before he left, he had to send the news out, which would require the Empire’s wireless radio that used a battery.