Empire's Tomb #3: Plague Engulfs India Under Martial Law
A plague had swept over the Indian Empire, which was already under martial law. Suspected to be waterborne, it forced the Indians along the Ganges basin to hear news of the river's seizure—from the British, and from the martial law troops no less. In other words, an independence war had broken out. This even became a major issue in British politics, where they were locked in a real-time "who can starve more" contest with Germany.
"The soldiers are refusing to suppress them."
"Then what the hell was the point of declaring martial law? Suppress them right now!"
"The troops meant to do the suppressing are trapped among those rioters."
"Fuck."
At this rate, I had no idea where or how to intervene. If there had been no martial law forces, I could've declared it and sent in organized troops. But with those very forces isolated among the rioters, what was I supposed to do? Everything was fucked up in every way. Even Korea, which had troops deployed, was refusing to advance inland due to the waterborne epidemic—truly, no answers anywhere. Britain couldn't very well order its allies to send armies into a plague zone. That went beyond trust; it was a matter of basic sanity.
Unless there was no plague, or neither side knew about it, but after Korean forces reported the corpses floating down from the upper Ganges and confirmed the outbreak, no one could shove allies into that hellhole. They'd just hear "are you insane?" And the problem was, right now, the British had zero margin for error. They'd already pulled every last soldier from their Oceanian colonies for this mess. Even those scraped-together Indian troops were wavering due to the unrest back home. These were loyal underlings who could speak decent English, and they were shaken. So the situation in mainland India was obvious.
"Should we lift the martial law?"
He said it like it was as simple as unleashing a dog.
"No, absolutely not."
Martial law was meant to be a last resort. Even when cholera ravaged India before, Britain hadn't imposed it there. But with this suspected cholera spreading now, lifting it was impossible. The plague and protesters hadn't vanished. Kids and women still living near the river were suffering high fevers, abdominal pain, and skin lesions. Even sturdy men were hit the same—only fewer died outright. So naturally, the Ganges access controls under martial law couldn't be lifted.
If they were, everything would have to end first, then martial law. Why no martial law during past cholera outbreaks? Because Indians would've rebelled. Why not lift it now? Because they'd see Britain as utter trash. And in savage India, "trash" meant unable to control the surroundings. Hell, the moment Sikh officers in the military declared it, it was already a slapfight.
Without the plague, we could've blamed rogue Sikhs. But with the outbreak, it had escalated to a Britain-vs-India issue. Right now, Britain had to prove to India it controlled the military—while making that military handle the plague and riots. All during a war with Germany. There was only one answer: Britain itself becoming that military.
It didn't take long for the British wartime cabinet to hand the Sikhs a blank check. India wasn't something anyone could afford to abandon.
"We've heard about gold mines in the Caucasus region. The locals cooperated willingly."
"Is that so."
Well, the only power that might grant independence was America, the champion of self-determination—and they were in the middle of some civil war spinout, like they'd eaten something bad. Honestly, I figured America lost its identity the moment it expelled Blacks for being "different." Moral hazard was inevitable. Once their civil war and the world war ended, and their boom times hit, I planned to suggest selling US citizenship for cash. That'd really drive them nuts.
What's the point of a big country without inclusivity? Maintaining a large nation demands that level of tolerance—absolutely, necessarily. It's not optional. Beyond political correctness, societies without it have simplistic ecosystems that crumble at the slightest external shock.
That's why the Korean Empire declares itself a nation of unbelievers yet embraces theists. We aim to include Jews, Muslims—everyone. Of course, if they run usury rings or private cults within organizations, we'll crush those cults flat. I know wiping out religious groups with state power is near-impossible. Rome failed at it. But crushing them with their own kind? That's doable. Just spin up Korean-branch Judaism, Korean Islam. They'll hold the exact same doctrines but turn existing Jews into Israel loyalists surpassing any orthodox. Same for Muslims.
The issue with America is, if they don't snap out of it, that's problematic too. Without them, we'd have to liberate colonies with just the Soviets—and that wouldn't yield pretty results. I wanted to "operate" on America around the Great Depression, when empires were crumbling. But if the patient's already this fucked up early, it's a hassle.
Post-WWI, into the Depression—that's prime surgery time for America.
Right now, empires hadn't collapsed yet, America was still tough, and post-WWII, empires were gone but America was too strong. Depression era was ideal. Soviets and America teaming up for decolonization? Korea could just munch popcorn. Problem is, America's mess is out of my hands now.
I have no clue what's spinning where.
Right now, just handling the Eastern Front feels like my head's splitting. Black uprising in America? What the hell, scary. Sounds like some American porn plot.
"In exchange, they want railroads. I agree—we need a line from Caucasus to Persia. It's not just gold there."
"Railroads are doable. Need money?"
"No, more like... tech. Railroads aren't simple—they cross mountains."
Korea prides itself on top-tier canal-digging, waterway-building, and rail-laying tech... but tunneling? If we dig a trench, lay track, and cover it, does that count? Regrettably, no. Korea wasn't world-class at tunneling. Britain was—the Thames Tunnel under the riverbed. Impossible for us now.
Britain figured we needed tunnel tech for Caucasus rails, but honestly, Korea needed it more. They might value suspension bridges higher, but we needed tunnels through Mun Kyung Pass now, not some premature Hangang Bridge. That'd truly connect the peninsula. The bridge could wait—build it pretty with world-class suspension tech for fireworks viewing. Later, turn the banks into beaches, make it a resort(?). Hangang has Korea's biggest sandbar, after all.
What mattered most: my three long-term Korean redevelopment visions.
Pierce Mun Kyung Pass tunnel, lay the Gyeongbu High-Speed Rail.
Consolidate the chaotic West and South Sea islands and tidal flats into unified landmasses for higher productivity; reshape for easy cargo docking despite tides.
Slowly divert Hangang water to reservoirs, gradually lowering levels.
Hangang's too vast, deep, huge—probably forever, even into the 22nd century. Sadly, no dam possible; it'd turn into green algae soup. But we could build tons of reservoirs everywhere. Like Gangnam Reservoir.
I grew up hearing Gangnam was low-lying, watched it flood repeatedly in Joseon days. Plenty of reason to turn it from apartments to a massive reservoir. Gotta protect Hanyang from floods, right? Later, use it to briefly divert Hangang water for bridge-building—makes the reservoir essential. Even beyond Gangnam, Korea's a land of provinces; lowlands everywhere scream for reservoirs. Can't have water-guzzling industry without them.
Build massive water tanks—tons of huge ones.
Seems dumb compared to dams, but sometimes brute force is the only answer. 20th-century tech works for dams and reservoirs. Countries making the 'dumb' feasible become powers—like America.
Huang He wasn't brute-damming; it was brute-slicing mountains, reservoirs everywhere, heading to Manchuria. Wasteful? Nah. Now it's a one-way from Mongolian plateau to Manchuria, but when Huang dries up? Those reservoirs adjust via gates on level diffs. Or reverse: pump water back if needed. We're building pumps now; soon, cascade from Manchuria reservoirs to Huang He.
Ancient lore: who clears Huang He rules Zhonghua. Korea becomes that unprecedented force. Better than claiming emperor with fists—pouring clean Manchurian water into a cracked, dry Huang He will resonate with the people. They'll submit to Korean order. Only then will Han savages become civilized Korean citizens.
Britain's cutting-edge tech—subway tunnels—exactly what our earthworks needed. Not just Mun Kyung!! Mountain-scraping has limits; real peaks demand tunnels. Can't tell soldiers and laborers to erase mountains from existence.
Not like we're dooming the nation or anything.