Stories From The Great Game

Stories From The Great Game - GreatGameFag - /his/

This is a collection of tales that all relate back to one central theme - the Great Game. The Game was an important part in the histories of South, Central, and at times even East Asia. It was a Cold War of sorts, a battle of minds that almost spilled into all out war over Afghanistan. The players were the Russian Empire and Great Britain, and the ultimate goal(for Russia at least) was control of the Indian Subcontinent. I'll try and paste a story each week(or two/three), though no promises since I'm busy and looking into sources can take a while.

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Story #1 - The Hero of Herat: Eldred Pottinger

	"India, fertile in heroes, has shown since the days of Clive no man of greater or earlier providence than Eldred Pottinger"
		- Sir Henry Lawrence KCB
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	Preface:

	This is easily one of my favorite stories from the Great Game, and although I've told it on /his/ before, I figured I would try and go a bit more in detail this time around. Hopefully you guys don't mind.
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	Story:

	It was 1837 in the Afghani city of Herat, under the rule of Shah Kamrun and his Vizier, Yar Mohammed Khan. The city was under the authority of a man who, among many others, laid claim to the throne of Afghanistan. Of course, while Kamrun was technically the Shah, the de facto ruler was Yar Mohammed, known for his vicious and harsh punishments. In the city was a man with dyed skin and cold blue eyes. Eldred Pottinger was not supposed to be in Herat, nobody from the East India Company board had ordered him to do such a dangerous task. For in that year, 1837, Herat was preparing for defense. The Persians, allied with the Russians, were coming to invade the city, as it lay out of the rule of Dost Mohammed, the man who controlled most of Afghanistan at that time. This of course, was not known to Pottinger, who had only arrived here for a routine reconnaissance mission. He entered the city on August 18, dressed up as horse dealer, or, as a Muslim holy man, often switching his identity should he need to get out of sticky situations.

	Meanwhile, the East India Company was terrified of the diplomatic proceedings in Afghanistan. For information was now coming out about Count Viktovich, a Russian officer in Afghanistan who was in talks with Dost Mohammed. Alexander Burnes, the British diplomat and spy, had cultivated a great relationship with Dost Mohammed, but it seemed all in ruin as multiple dealings with him had failed due to overruling by the East India Company board. Should Russia gain control over Afghanistan, then the path lay open to the Indian Subcontinent. Now, news was coming out from West of Kabul that an invasion of Herat, a city often called the "Key to India" was about to take place. Many in the East India Company, Burnes especially, had lost hope for peaceful relations with Afghanistan.

	Rumors quickly circulated in the bumbling bazaars, and the information reached the ears of both Yar Mohammed and Pottinger. Mohammed immediately set out to strengthen his defenses by fixing the walls and ordering farmers to gather their crops and enter the city. People suspected of dubious loyalty were to be rounded up and executed. Anything that could be useful to the enemy was destroyed, including fruit trees and wells. Pottinger would also make his presence known to Yar Mohammed. As he was knowledgeable on defensive tactics as well as modern styles of warfare, Pottinger convinced the Vizier that he was indispensable.

	By November 23, the first of the Persians, under the guidance of Count Simonich and other Russian advisers, had reached the city. Some skirmishes with Herati infantry had already occurred, but many of the returning Herati cavalrymen had complained that the Persians were fighting in a cowardly manner. New tactics on the Persian side had yielded an abnormally low number of prisoners. Now, the first true fighting started, this time, in the North-East suburbs. The defenders fought bravely, though the Persians slowly gained ground.

    As for the Persian army itself, the start of the siege was rough. The scorched earth policy of the Heratis was working wonders, food was already starting to run low for the Persian invaders. The food problem was only really solved by the Spring of 1838, when the army began plantings its own crops. The army was also low on soldiers, reinforcements eventually brought the number of Persian combatants to 40,000, but that was still only barely enough to surround the city.