The spy of the East India Company nodded with certainty, "It should be correct, I have heard the same message from multiple channels."
"Those Shah fellows are surrounding Tipu all day long, painting us as a huge threat. Additionally, the people of Mysore towards us..."
Although Sheikh Khan, Shah, and others had toppled Jahanzeb Khan, the pro-British faction in Mysore still held significant power, and they were bound to use this anti-British opportunity to reset the British influence in Mysore to zero.
Half an hour later, the spy left Griffiths' office. The senior representative of the East India Company immediately ordered his servants to prepare the carriage, heading to Ambavilas Palace, wanting to gauge Sultan Tipu's inclinations.
Sultan Tipu, who had lately been greatly troubled by the British supposedly "directing" Jahanzeb Khan to kill more than 300 people, naturally would not show him a good face. And Shah was also there adding fuel to the fire, desperately steering the conversation towards the "atrocities" of the British.
Griffiths was practically lectured from start to finish, and was then kicked out.
Leaving Ambavilas Palace, Griffiths' expression was grave – based on the spy's report and today's attitude from Sultan Tipu, the situation seemed to be very serious.
He immediately returned to his residence, wrote a report about the situation in Mysore to Governor Cornwallis, and suggested the temporary withdrawal of East India Company staff from Mysore.
He handed the letter to the messenger, then busily began arranging for the British to evacuate – war could be declared by Mysore at any time, and it would be too late to wait for His Excellency the Governor to reply before evacuating.
Meanwhile, Salah heard the news that the British were starting to withdraw from Mysore and immediately showed a smile.
The intelligence obtained by the spies of the British East India Company was precisely what he had instructed Shah to sell, and in addition, a close attendant of Sultan Tipu had also taken his money, hinting unofficially that "the Sultan has decided to take the initiative against the British."
Given the recent fiery anti-British sentiment in Mysore, it was likely that the British would choose to leave a place of trouble temporarily.
If Griffiths still wanted to persist, then the French Intelligence Bureau would arrange some more "surprises" for him, such as the Mysore public rioting and looting British merchants, or British subjects being kidnapped. He did not believe that the British could hold out.
Salah had not expected Griffiths to be so "cooperative," deciding to leave at the first opportunity.
He immediately went to consult with Lafayette, and the next morning, they together went to see Sultan Tipu.
Inside Ambavilas Palace, Lafayette looked at Tipu with an anxious expression, "Your Majesty, I have always been reminding you that the British will once again invade Mysore. Now the situation has become very clear; they are withdrawing from Mysore, obviously preparing for a military assault later on."
Though he somewhat disdained Salah's methods, since the latter had already paved the way, he naturally would not waste the opportunity.
Sultan Tipu's expression was also dark. As the ruler of Mysore, of course, he was aware of the news about the East India Company's withdrawal.
Salah immediately stepped forward, starting to portray in an emotional and vivid manner the brutal scenes of the first two Mysore Wars, especially the massive damage the latter war had caused to Mysore.
In fact, if Joseph had not intervened in the Indian situation, the British would have initiated the Third Mysore War at the beginning of the next year, which would deal the most severe blow to Mysore.
That war caused Mysore to lose half of its territory and to pay a compensation of 3 million British Pounds, which is 75 million livres.
After that, the "Tiger of Mysore," Tipu, became a tiger without teeth, no longer able to contend with the British, ultimately dying in the defense of Seringapatam during the Fourth Mysore War in 1799.
And at this moment, there was nearly half a year's time before the British made their war preparations complete – the East India Company needed a considerable amount of time to transport arms and supplies from Britain, thousands of miles away – if Mysore launched a preemptive strike against the British before that, it would cause huge losses for them.
Although it would be difficult for Mysore to completely defeat the British, given their resources, the British, if they wished to preserve India, the "most dazzling gem in the crown," would inevitably have to divert resources from elsewhere – for instance, the funds used to antagonize France in North Africa – and invest them into India.
This would immediately alleviate France's difficulties in North Africa and even allow for increased support for Mysore depending on the circumstances, further increasing British colonial costs.
Of course, Joseph would certainly not do as Louis XVI did in supporting the United States' independence, drawing a lot of his own blood to transfuse into Mysore. Maximizing gains at the lowest cost is his style.
Finally, when Salah spoke of his father Hyder's death in the war against the British, Sultan Tipu could no longer keep his calm.
He stood up abruptly from his wide golden chair, clenched his fists and said, "You are right, rather than waiting for the British to attack Mysore again, it is better for me to take the initiative!"
He turned to the court chamberlain nearby, "Pass the order, convene a council of ministers immediately."
Mysore's "council of ministers" also followed the European model of the Cabinet, composed of four ministers for finance, military, commerce and industry, religion, along with the Sultan's secretary — currently on a pilgrimage, temporarily absent — and important military commanders, serving as the core political power structure of the state.
Sultan Tipu then looked towards Lafayette, "If possible, I hope you can also attend this meeting."
The latter bowed slightly, "It would be an honor, Your Majesty."
At just after 5 p.m., Salah, who had been anxiously pacing outside Ambavilas Palace, finally saw Lafayette's figure and hurried to meet him, "What was the outcome, Marquis?"
Lafayette adjusted his coat with a relaxed expression, showing a rare smile since arriving in India, and spoke in a low voice, "War against Britain has been decided, with no objections from the ministers."
Salah too was excitedly nodding, "That's wonderful!
"All I could do has been done. Now it is up to you, Marquis."
Lafayette confidently patted his shoulder, "I won't disappoint you, my old friend."
Leading rookies into battle, especially foreign rookies, was what Lafayette excelled in.
In the past, he had led the rookie Continental Army to defeat the formidable British Expeditionary Force.
He had previously reviewed Mysore's military, which had clearly undergone some European training; though overall slightly inferior to the American militia, these men were more obedient — officers could even order them to take their own lives on the spot.
And an even greater advantage lay in the large number of soldiers in Mysore, which had not yet begun mobilization, numbering over 58,000. According to Sultan Tipu, the upper limit of troops that could be mobilized was around 120,000.