Chapter Fourteen: The Brahmin Nobility

  New Delhi suburb, Jawaharlal Nehru's estate.

  After the Hu Maoyong explosion, this manor named after India's first prime minister strengthened its guard. In addition to more than 30 fully armed private bodyguards, an additional security company was added, and three armored vehicles were parked outside the gate. The dark machine gun barrels told any would-be intruders that this is not Hu Maoyong's tomb or the Prime Minister's press conference center, and trespassers will be shot on sight!

  Jawaharlal Nehru's nephew and current Defence Minister Santos Nehru lives here.

  Santos, who had Brahmin noble blood flowing in his body, went to the UK for further studies at the age of 16, just like his great-uncle. Three years later, he was admitted to Cambridge University, but unlike his great-uncle, he did not study natural sciences, instead, he studied international politics. According to the family's arrangement, after completing his studies and returning home, Santos entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with a promising future as India's foreign minister before the age of 50. The four years of university life completely changed Santos' worldview and values, leading him onto a path that was entirely opposite to what his family had envisioned for him.

  After graduation, Santos did not return to India but instead joined the French Foreign Legion.

  For this, he almost fell out with his family. In the following decade, Santos fought as a legionnaire in foreign lands, participating in the Gulf War and the Balkans War. It wasn't until he was thirty-three that Santos left the Foreign Legion after being injured by a landmine in Kosovo and returned to India.

  A decade of military campaigns had molded Santos into a man of unyielding character and determination.

  At the age of 40, Santos entered the Indian Ministry of Defence and worked in the department of military procurement. At the age of 43, Santos became a senior assistant to the Minister of Defence, advocating for the purchase of weapons from Western countries, increasing the level of domestic production of weapons, and abandoning the pro-Russian line. When De? Gandhi became Prime Minister of India, 46-year-old Santos Nehru was already the number two person in the Indian National Congress and played a crucial role in the government as Defence Minister.

  On the surface, Santos is no different from India's previous Defence Ministers.

  Hawkish representative figure, military background, participated in the war, was injured in the war, has a bumpy experience, heavyweight in the party.

  In fact, Santos is very different from previous defense ministers.

  What Santos learned in college made him keenly aware of the impact of international powers on a country, and even more clearly that India's future lay not in aligning itself with some powerful nation or group but in navigating between multiple great powers and international forces, seeking opportunities for survival and growth in the interstices.

  From the day he entered the Ministry of Defense, Santos has been working hard to promote military reform for nine years.

  The focus is on one thing: promoting the westernization of weapons and equipment, and even military institutions.

  Increase the share of Western equipment in the bidding process for air-to-air combat aircraft and light support combat aircraft; negotiate with the United States to acquire the "Little Eagle" aircraft carrier and its carrier-based combat aircraft; procure Western equipment to enhance the combat performance of the "Arjun" tank and the "Tejas" fighter jet; accelerate the construction of indigenous nuclear submarines and indigenous aircraft carriers, adopting a large number of Western standards; revise the performance indicators for jointly developing advanced fighter jets with Russia and reduce procurement quantities.

  These were major moves by Santos in pushing forward with the westernization of India's military forces.

  As Minister of National Defense, Santos has the decisiveness and bravery of a military man, the cunning and cleverness of a politician, as well as the eloquence and skill of a diplomat.

  When De Gaulle was assassinated, Santos was discussing the tense situation in South Asia with the three service chiefs.

  Upon receiving the message, Santos immediately thought of the impending war.

  Five hours later, Santos received a call from the Secretary General of the National Congress Party. In the vote held by the National Congress Party Central Committee, Santos was elected as the new Prime Minister candidate with 93% support rate. Since the ruling coalition led by the National Congress Party holds 67% of the seats in the Indian Parliament, it only needs to go through the motions in the parliament, and Santos will become the Prime Minister of the interim government of India. During this period, he will reorganize the government, submit the list of main members of the government to the parliament, as well as the ruling guidelines and purposes, and complete the preparation for his formal inauguration as Prime Minister.

  After hanging up the phone, Santos' first move was not to draft a list of government members.

  The list of government members is related to the interests of all parties, and each important position involves the fundamental interests of various interest groups and political parties within the ruling coalition, which requires weighing the pros and cons and balancing the relationships. In addition, he has half a month's time to reorganize the government, and there is no need to rush at this moment.

  Before dinner, Santos met with Japanese Prime Minister who was about to return home.

  Apart from promising to continue promoting the Indo-Japanese strategic cooperative relationship, Santos did not discuss more issues with Ozawa. Firstly, neither of them understood each other; secondly, Japan had no great help for India at present; and lastly, Santos still had more important things to deal with.

  After seeing off Ozawa, Santos contacted the commanders of the three armed forces and prepared to convene a high-level military meeting after dinner.

  Santos was about to enjoy a sumptuous dinner when an unexpected guest arrived: Markree, the director of the Bureau of Investigation and Analysis.

  The Research and Analysis Wing is India's largest and most secretive intelligence agency, equivalent to the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency in the United States. It is responsible for collecting intelligence, ensuring intelligence security and homeland security. According to external rumors, the head of the Research and Analysis Wing is actually the most powerful person in India.

  At half past dinner time, Santos finished reading the documents brought by Makri and immediately called the servant to take away the dishes.

  "Want another one?"

  Mark looked at the wine brought by the servant and shook his head with a smile. "No, I am a devout follower."

  "I'm also a follower, Shiva won't force us to do things we don't want to do." Santos raised his glass, "Your report is very detailed, but it lacks a focus. Does that explosive really exist as mentioned in the report?"

  "It definitely exists." Mark had anticipated Santos would ask that question. "I've personally seen the lab reports, and no zha residue was found in the samples collected from the explosion site..."

  "Or maybe it was a thorough explosion with no residue?" Santos had been in the army for ten years, rich in military common sense.

  "It's possible somewhere else." Markri cut off Santos, a bit annoyed. "The explosion occurred indoors with many people on the scene and it was very crowded. The site wasn't damaged before we collected samples. Judging from the situation at the scene, the explosive force is over 5 kg*. Even if the explosion was thorough, there would still be a large amount of residue left attached to buildings, clothing, and even human bodies. It's impossible that not a single bit of residue was left."

  Santos nodded slightly, indicating for Makri to continue.

  "We conducted several analyses on the sample and found that the carbon content exceeded the standard, and also discovered some trace elements."

  "Was it a high polymer that destroyed the press center?"

  Mark nodded and said, "About three years ago, we received information from Russia that they had been trying to obtain intelligence on the US's secret development of a special type of zha drug. Later, our intelligence personnel collected samples in Afghanistan, which confirmed that it was a US secretly developed special zha drug specifically designed to deal with terrorists hiding in caves. The explosive power of this special zha drug, made from high molecular hydroxide compounds and trace elements through special processing methods, is twenty times that of *, and its effect is even more lethal in confined spaces."

  Santos looked surprised, as if he found it hard to believe.

  "What's most important is that we have circumstantial evidence."

  "What circumstantial evidence?" Santos set down his glass, "What circumstantial evidence?"

  "After the Hu Ma Ying Ling bombing case, we raised our security alert level. The security alert level of the Prime Minister's press conference venue reached level 5. All personnel entering the venue underwent strict security checks. No one could bring in five kilograms* of explosives, let alone an explosive device. I checked the guest registration list and personally asked the security personnel, but didn't find any suspicious individuals entering the venue."

  He said, holding up a few printed pictures: "Special zha medicine is very similar to ordinary crystal and can be made into jewelry or even camera lenses. Although we're still unclear about how the special zha medicine was detonated, it's basically certain that it wasn't through chemical means, but rather through some physical method, such as a specific frequency of sound or a specific wavelength of light. I roughly calculated that only 50 grams of special zha medicine would be needed to blow up the press conference center, and judging from the extent of the damage at the scene, there was at most only 10 grams."

  "Is it that little?"

  "A small space can increase the power of an explosion several times."

  Santos hesitated for a moment. Although there was no direct evidence, Mark's inference and indirect evidence were convincing enough.

  "What's your conclusion, Mark?"

  "This was not planned and executed from Pakistan."

  "Can China be ruled out?" Santos' expression turned very serious.

  "China?" Marki shook his head. "What's the motive? China has no reason to stir up conflict in South Asia at this time, let alone take such extreme measures."

  Santos had to admit it. China would also send a special soldier, rather than a human bomb.

  "Your Excellency, I hope you will take seriously the intelligence I have provided. War is not in our interest. If it was not a Pakistani plot, then someone else is trying to provoke war and profit from it."

  "Is that so?" Santos hesitated for only a few seconds before making his decision. "You will immediately hand over the relevant information and the collected samples to the Ministry of National Defense. Not provoking war does not mean Pakistan won't provoke war. Now, Pakistan's military has been deployed along our border, and a single misfire can trigger a war. I don't want to learn about it from news reports when the war breaks out. From now on, the Investigation and Analysis Bureau must concentrate all its efforts and closely monitor every move of Pakistan."

  "Your Excellency..." Mark was taken aback. Santos' orders indicated that he had completely ignored the crucial intelligence that could have stopped the war, and was instead hell-bent on dragging India into it.

  "If there's anything wrong, I'll give you formal orders tomorrow."

  Mark Lee held back what he wanted to say. He knew that Santos would become the interim prime minister tomorrow, and might even become India's wartime prime minister.