Chapter 340: Want to Quash the Rumors? Let Me Help You
Just a few dozen kilometers west of Mysore City, in the area close to the British-controlled Cannanore region, a senior representative of the British East India Company, Callum Griffiths, was glaring at Jahan Zeb across the table.
"Are you sure the French are behind this?" Griffiths demanded.
Jahan Zeb, the Sultan's personal secretary, replied confidently, "Well, I have no concrete evidence, Mr. Griffiths, but these rumors only started after the French arrived in Mysore. From what I've heard, those Frenchmen have been secretly urging the Sultan to attack British territories."
In Mysore, the title of Vizier is largely ceremonial, with the Sultan's secretary holding real power over the four main ministers. Despite his influential position, Jahan Zeb had aligned himself with the British after the Second Anglo-Mysore War, using their support to solidify his status.
Griffiths wasn't particularly surprised by this news—after all, the British and the French had been stabbing each other in the back in India for years. However, since the Seven Years' War, French influence had largely withdrawn from India, and they hadn't caused this much trouble in a long time.
Given France's near-bankrupt financial situation, Griffiths found it strange that they would invest so much in India, where they seemingly had no interests left. Nevertheless, he decided to proceed cautiously and instructed Jahan Zeb, "I want these rumors to disappear within a month. If you can manage that, I'll arrange for you to purchase half a ship's worth of textiles or iron goods at a discounted price."
British textiles and iron goods were in high demand in India, and getting them at a discount could easily double the profit, netting at least £20,000-£30,000 in profit.
Jahan Zeb was thrilled by the offer and immediately assured Griffiths, "Rest assured, Mr. Griffiths, by dawn tomorrow, you won't hear any more of these rumors."
Returning to Mysore, Jahan Zeb quickly leveraged the administrative system to issue orders for a nationwide crackdown on anyone spreading slander against the British.
Meanwhile, at Sheikh Khan's summer villa, several Mysore officials who were part of his faction looked anxiously at Salah. They had received word that Jahan Zeb had begun arresting people en masse for spreading rumors, with over a thousand people imprisoned within just three or four days, many of whom were their own operatives.
What made matters worse was that Jahan Zeb's actions were "justifiable"—silencing rumors was a legitimate concern, so even if the issue reached the Sultan, they couldn't accuse Jahan Zeb of wrongdoing.
After a long silence, a gaunt "Umda" (a high-ranking officer in Mysore) spoke with a grim expression, "These past few days, hardly anyone dares to talk about the British. Even when I send my men to spread the rumors, nobody dares to listen."
Another official quickly agreed, "At this rate, the British issue will soon be forgotten, and Jahan Zeb will likely use this situation to bolster his authority."
Sheikh Khan sighed and turned to Salah. "It seems we'll need a different approach to deal with Jahan Zeb."
Salah, who had been deep in thought, finally looked up with a smile. "General, do you remember why we started spreading these 'stories' about the British?"
"Of course, to stir up hatred against the British and weaken Jahan Zeb's pro-British faction," Sheikh Khan replied.
"Exactly," Salah nodded. "But simply stirring up hatred isn't enough to directly affect the pro-British faction. We need something to ignite public sentiment. And now, Jahan Zeb's crackdown on rumor-mongers gives us the perfect opportunity."
The officials exchanged confused glances before looking back at Salah. "What do you plan to do? Send more people to spread the rumors?"
"No," Salah said, making a grabbing motion with his hand, his voice cold. "We're going to help Jahan Zeb catch the rumor-mongers—only we'll do it even more ruthlessly. We'll make sure everyone is terrified."
A few days later, the Mysore military also began "responding" to Jahan Zeb's orders, arresting people across the country for spreading rumors about the British. Their standards for arrest were far stricter than those of the civilian officials—if anyone accused someone of speaking ill of the British, soldiers would immediately arrest them "in accordance with the Sultan's secretary's orders."
This was especially true in Mysore City and Seringapatam, the political and economic hubs of the kingdom, where tens of thousands were imprisoned. Jails meant to hold only a hundred prisoners were now crammed with over a thousand people, and even the barracks were overflowing with detainees.
At first, Jahan Zeb thought the military was trying to curry favor with him, so he cheerfully sent rewards to the soldiers involved in the arrests—only reinforcing the belief that the Sultan's secretary was behind the military's actions. As a result, Jahan Zeb was soon included in the rumors being spread by Salah's network.
However, it wasn't long before Jahan Zeb realized that things were spiraling out of control. The military seemed to have gone mad—one of his wife's relatives was even arrested for not immediately objecting when overhearing someone talk about the British on the street.
Now, the entire population of Mysore was living in fear, afraid to even leave their homes, lest they be caught up in someone else's misfortune. At the same time, public hatred toward the British grew even stronger—when people are told not to believe something, they often believe it even more.
Soon, even Tipu Sultan was alarmed and summoned Jahan Zeb to discuss the mass arrests. Realizing the situation had gotten out of hand, Jahan Zeb explained the rumor situation to the Sultan and promised to quickly review the detainees, releasing anyone who wasn't a serious offender.
Sheikh Khan's political circle held another meeting shortly afterward.
"Jahan Zeb has been reprimanded by the Sultan and is now being forced to release the first batch of detainees," the gaunt Umda said, visibly pleased. "This will be a significant blow to his authority."
Another official nodded. "With this setback, he won't dare to make any more arbitrary arrests. We can resume spreading those 'stories' about the British."
The officials turned to Salah, ready to praise him for his clever strategy, but Salah's expression was serious. "Jahan Zeb plans to release the first batch of detainees the morning after tomorrow. This is our best opportunity, and we must seize it!"
"What? An opportunity?" they asked in surprise.
Salah turned to Sheikh Khan. "Gather all your forces and send them across the country. We need to prepare in advance… and when noon comes the day after tomorrow, we'll strike all at once…"
(End of Chapter)
Friends, if you want to read chapters in advance, subscribe to my patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/johanssen10