Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980, also mocked one of his critics, Roman Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube, saying he needed prayers after being sued for adultery on Monday.
The veteran Zimbabwean leader accused London of continuing to seek ways to topple him, suggesting that Britain had tried to encourage a coup in exchange for helping the country, which is mired in a deep political and economic crisis.
"They (the military) have refused to be tempted to go against their own people," Mugabe told thousands of people at the National Heroes Acre shrine in Harare during the burial of a senior army officer.
"The British thought that because of the suffering here there would be a coup. They were dangling the coup as if it were a cake ... but they (the military) were able to distinguish the enemy's bait from true help," he said.
Mugabe, 83, who plans to stand for another five-year presidential term next year, accuses the West of working with the opposition and businesses to overthrow his government.
Critics say Mugabe has increasingly relied on the military and other security agencies to hang on to power despite a severe economic crisis that has seen inflation spiralling above 4,500 percent and unemployment and poverty levels rising.
Last month the government imposed a blanket price freeze -- which authorities intend to extend indefinitely -- after accusing businesses of unfairly hiking prices as part of a wider plot by the West to remove Mugabe from office.
