In the opening of his essay, Orwell states that he is opposed to the British empire and on the side of the Burman. If this is the case, why does he seem to try so hard to save the face of the British empire?

Well from the essay he (Orwell) was tender to face his own dilemma, his fear of humiliation and how he converted this fear to act confidently and decisively. so, Orwell believe that this fear of humiliation was the motivation behind the entire British empire.