Awakening of India - 1947

[A/N: Alright, I underestimated you guys, the things is, I only have a stockpile of 20 extra chapters, and at this rate, it's gonna go away fast. I had maintained it so that the update flow is not broken, if I get stuck with plot progression in future chapters.

So let's update the power stone limit: Extra chapter for every 200 stones, Hope you guys understand, Enjoy!

(This is the Wednesday's chapter, extra will be released by around 17:00 PM] 

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December 2nd, 1947

The swift and decisive actions taken by the Indian forces in Junagadh and Hyderabad, under Mehra's order, sent shockwaves through the remaining princely states.

Rulers who had been dithering, like those in Jodhpur (which had briefly flirted with Pakistan), Bhopal (whose Nawab was openly pro-Pakistan), or Travancore (which had dreamt of independence), saw the writing on the wall with clear simplicity.

The new Indian government under Prime Minister Mehra was not playing by the old, patient rules of gradual persuasion. The deadline of December 31st for full integration that was laid down by Arjun, loomed large like a blade.

Patel's strategy, which was now bifurcated with meticulousness, adapted to each state's unique circumstances and vulnerabilities. For some rulers, particularly those whose subjects were already restive and pro-integration, he deployed what his inner circle euphemistically termed "popular pressure campaigns."

Congress workers, often supported by carefully channelled funds and strategic guidance from Delhi, organized mass demonstrations, strikes, and civil disobedience movements that made governance impossible for reluctant princes.

The Nawab of Bhopal found his capital paralyzed by general strikes orchestrated with clockwork precision, while in Travancore, popular committees began assuming administrative functions as the Maharaja's authority simply evaporated under sustained public opposition.

For others, particularly those whose geographical position or military capabilities posed genuine strategic threats, Patel opted for what military planners termed "direct intervention protocols", the Hyderabad model applied with clinical efficiency.

The mere positioning of Indian Army units near the borders of recalcitrant states, combined with intelligence reports of their growing isolation, proved remarkably persuasive.

Economic blockades, implemented with bureaucratic thoroughness, strangled the financial lifelines of holdout rulers while media campaigns highlighted the feudal excesses and anti-democratic tendencies of princes who defied the popular will.

Patel's emissaries, armed with Menon's diplomatic charm and the unspoken but undeniable threat of 'Hyderabad-style' intervention, fanned out across Rajputana, Central India, Kathiawar, and Orissa like a precisely coordinated military operation.

Public opinion, already largely in favor of joining India, was skillfully mobilized through a combination of genuine patriotic sentiment and carefully orchestrated political theater. Rulers were reminded of their patriotic duty, of the substantial economic benefits of integration, and, more subtly but unmistakably, of the dire consequences of continued defiance.

States like Jaipur, Bikaner, and Patiala, already pro-India and eager to align with the winning side, led the way, their accession smoothing the path for others and creating an unstoppable momentum.

Even those with initial reservations, like the traditionally independent-minded Maharana of Udaipur or the rulers of the historically volatile Malwa states, found their room for maneuver rapidly shrinking as neighboring princes capitulated and their own subjects grew increasingly impatient with delay.

The few who still harbored serious ambitions of holding out, like the Nawab of Bhopal or the Dewan of Mysore, found themselves diplomatically isolated, their populace increasingly restive under Congress-sponsored agitation, and the shadow of Indian military power looming larger with each passing day.

By mid-December 1947, a mere four months after independence, the internal map of India had been radically, decisively redrawn.

Through a masterful combination of sophisticated negotiation, carefully orchestrated popular pressure, economic leverage, covert support for internal dissent, and the unambiguous display of military resolve, Sardar Patel, acting on Arjun Mehra's uncompromising directive, had achieved what had seemed impossible to outside observers.

Virtually all princely states contiguous to India, including those that had historically resisted integration until 1949 or later in the original timeline, were now firmly integrated into the Indian Union.

This of course included the territories previously held by France and Portuguese. The handful of remaining minor administrative loose ends were being swiftly tied up by Menon's capable bureaucratic machinery.

The ambitious target of full integration by year's end was well within grasp, with most of the critical political and military work already accomplished ahead of schedule.

Arjun reviewed the consolidated map with Patel in the War Room, the multicolored patchwork of the old British paramountcy now replaced by the unified saffron of the Indian Union.

The internal jigsaw puzzle was largely complete, the potentially cancerous growths of internal division surgically excised before they could metastasize.

"You have performed nothing short of a miracle, Sardar-ji," Arjun said, a rare note of genuine warmth penetrating his usually controlled tone.

"You have forged a united India from a chaotic patchwork of feudal territories, and accomplished it ahead of our most optimistic projections. This internal consolidation is the unshakeable bedrock upon which Operation Bharat Shakti will succeed. With our home front secure, our resources pooled, and our national will unified, Pakistan now faces not just an army, but an entire, resolute nation."

Patel, never one for effusive praise or emotional displays, merely nodded with characteristic stoicism, though a hint of deep satisfaction gleamed in his stern, weathered eyes. "It was necessary, Prime Minister. A house divided against itself cannot stand against external threats. The nation is now truly one for the trials that lie ahead."

Both men understood the profound significance of what they had accomplished.

This was more than just administrative necessity; it was a monumental achievement that would reshape the subcontinent's destiny, a testament to their shared vision of a strong, unified India and their ruthless efficiency in implementing that vision.

The path had been paved with broken treaties, shattered princely ambitions, and the iron fist of Indian resolve wrapped under the guise of democratic legitimacy, but the result was an India far more unified and strategically powerful than the fragmented entity the British had left behind.

With the home front thus secured by mid-December, there remained no compelling reason to delay the critical Eastern offensive any longer. General Thimayya's forces, already positioned and supplied for immediate action, had received their final operational orders.

As Patel and Arjun concluded their strategic review, the first coded reports from the East Pakistan border were beginning to filter into the War Room's communication center, Operation Eastern Hammer had commenced precisely on schedule in early December, but was on hold till now.

The swift, comprehensive integration of the princely states had ensured that India could now turn its undivided attention and full military might outward toward its external adversaries.

The wider storm of Operation Bharat Shakti was truly beginning to unfurl across the subcontinent.