On the morning of the third day, the British magistrate, his face pale with frustration and exhaustion, gave the order to retreat. There was simply no way to break the disciplined blockade without resorting to an unacceptable level of violence that would ignite the entire province. The protest had achieved its objective. Just as calmly and orderly as they had formed, the masses dispersed, leaving behind only the dust and the profound impression of their silent power.
The Chauri Chaura incident, which in the original timeline had been a bloody stain on the nationalist movement, became a landmark victory for disciplined, non-violent economic resistance. The news spread like wildfire, carried by Swarajya Party pamphlets and word-of-mouth. The image of the unmoving, silent Indian crowd, refusing to be provoked, yet completely paralyzing the British administration, was seared into the world's consciousness. It was a new, potent image of Indian power.
Adav, observing the aftermath from his Bombay office, felt a rare surge of something akin to satisfaction. He had not only prevented a historical tragedy but had fundamentally reshaped the narrative of Indian nationalism. It was no longer about Gandhi's spiritual moralizing, or the Congress's meek petitions, or the Ghadarites' doomed violence. It was about disciplined, strategic power. The British had been shown that India could bring them to their knees not with guns, but with unity and economic leverage.
The year was 1922. The Swarajya Party, with Bose's magnetic oratory and Adav's silent, strategic genius, stood as the undisputed leader of the nationalist movement. The British, economically dependent on Adav's corporations and politically outmaneuvered by Bose's party, were finally ready to negotiate seriously. On a screen in his Mind's Eye, the Codex displayed an updated projection:
[INDIAN INDEPENDENCE: 1930. PROBABILITY: 92%].
He had broken the back of the Raj without a major war. The seeds of the empire were fully planted. Now, the real work of building his hyper-capitalist, technologically advanced India could truly begin.