ATPnovel 43. Various recruitment efforts
43. Various recruitment efforts
By this time, the town of Omarachi had long since returned to its former order. The town was peaceful and tranquil, with British soldiers and auxiliary police performing their duties in an orderly manner.
Duggan immediately summoned all the remaining British soldiers, garrison members, and officers to assemble in the square at the temporary command post.
In the square, everyone stood in neat rows, their eyes fixed on Dugen, who stood on the high platform, filled with awe and anticipation.
Dugan raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, then announced, "Gentlemen, I have some good news to share! With the approval of Major General Wellesley, the 108th Infantry Regiment has been officially formed, and I have been appointed as its commander, with Lieutenant Colonel McKenzie as its deputy commander!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of enthusiastic cheers rang out in the square, and the soldiers raised their hands in response, their faces full of excitement.
Dugan raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet and continued to announce a series of personnel appointments.
Upon hearing the news of their promotion, the officers stepped forward, straightened their posture, and saluted respectfully.
"Long live the Colonel!"
Their faces were filled with joy and gratitude. They already respected Dugan greatly, and now that he had been promoted, they were even more devoted to him, with their loyalty and trust growing stronger.
Following Dugan not only means winning battles, but also opportunities for promotion and a bright future.
As the cheers subsided, Dugan turned his gaze to Amir Wamusa Rao, who was standing in the ranks of the joint defense team, and said, "Lieutenant Amir Wamusa Rao, I'm entrusting you with an important mission."
Amir immediately stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said, "Sir!"
"I order you to immediately recruit Indians with a martial tradition into the 108th Infantry Regiment." Dugan's gaze was firm as he added, "Prioritize selecting strong, resilient, and combat-experienced young men. Ensure the quality of recruits. These men will become the core strength of our Sipaye Company. I believe you can accomplish the mission."
"Yes, sir! I will certainly live up to your trust!" Amir was overjoyed.
Megawa, standing in the crowd, watched Amir's imposing manner as he received the order, his heart filled with mixed feelings, a mixture of disdain and regret.
Megawa is also of the Brahmin caste, and his family background is arguably more noble than Amir's.
Seeing Amir gain Dugan's trust and favor by sacrificing his sister Milissa, and even being promoted to second lieutenant, filled him with contempt: "It's nothing but wealth and glory obtained through women, what's there to be proud of?"
While feeling contempt, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret and remorse.
He has several sisters. In India, girls have a low social status and are often used as tools for marriage alliances.
He secretly complained about his father: "Why didn't Father think of this sooner? If he had chosen one of his many sisters to give to Dugan, I would have been the one given important responsibilities, not Amir!"
A complex mix of emotions swirled within Megava. He looked at Amir's triumphant demeanor, his eyes filled with jealousy, yet he felt utterly helpless.
Soon, Amir recruited a large number of Kodawas from the Karnataka region.
There are many legends about the origin of the Kodawa people, with oral histories claiming they may be descendants of the Scythians or Alexander the Great's army.
The Kodawa people are tall, fair-skinned, brave, and fond of drinking. They have a martial tradition that has lasted for thousands of years and can be considered the strongest mountain infantry in South India.
Both the Prince Tipu Sultan of Mysore and the British army recruited them with high salaries, and Wellesley once said that "Kodawa soldiers are more adapted to the mountains than Scottish Highland soldiers."
Although the Indian battalion quickly reached full capacity, the European battalions were not yet full.
So Dugan's newly promoted officers began to use all their connections to recruit people from other units to "switch" to the 108th Infantry Regiment.
Of course, this approach will inevitably provoke dissatisfaction from other units, but they can only dare to be angry but not speak out.
Firstly, Dugan had indeed won a battle and was currently a favorite of the Governor of Mysore.
Secondly, the Connaught family has exceptionally strong connections. That fool Leo Wood was hanged simply for soliciting a bribe from Dugan.
Therefore, no one dared to provoke Dugan.
In order to complete the expansion as soon as possible, Dugan, with Wellesley's permission, moved the 108th Infantry Regiment to be stationed near Bangalore.
Here, supplies can be obtained more quickly, allowing troops to be fully equipped as soon as possible.
In addition, it was also out of consideration for the physical and mental health of his soldiers.
The 108th Infantry Regiment is currently stationed in an ancient castle from the Mysore era, located five miles east of Bangalore.
The reason for choosing that location was due to the strong demands of the soldiers.
Near this ancient castle is a market where many prostitutes engage in the sex trade.
During their time in Omarachi, Dugan's army maintained strict discipline, and after hanging several soldiers who couldn't control their own genitals, they essentially prevented rape from happening again.
However, soldiers are normal men, so after a series of battles, they need to relax and unwind.
So the generous Colonel Dugan sent Captain Cook to gather all the prostitutes in the market and pay for the entire 108th Infantry Regiment's soldiers' meals.
As a result, the soldiers almost lost their voices from shouting "Long live the colonel!"
But Captain Cook was in a dilemma, saying, "Colonel, the pay has already been paid in full, and I don't have any extra money on hand."
Dugan said, "What about the spoils? You can take them to Bangalore and sell them, then you'll have money."
Captain Cook, still troubled, said, "These spoils were supposed to be turned in. If we sell them, what if..."
Dugan, seemingly unconcerned, said, "Do as I say. But be very careful with the batch of salt inside. As far as I know, the East India Company has a salt monopoly in India."
Captain Cook replied, "Understood, sir. I'll be careful."
However, Captain Cook's mouth is even less reliable than the caterpillar in his crotch.
Just one morning later, Colonel Richard from Bangalore sent someone to find Dugan.
They said they had caught a corrupt merchant in downtown Bangalore who was illegally selling salt and evading taxes. The man claimed to be a logistics officer from the 108th Infantry Regiment.
"How could I have trusted that stupid fat pig?" Dugan slapped his head in anger. Without even thinking, he knew that it must have been that damned Captain Cook who caused the trouble.
Before Captain Cook set off, Dugan repeatedly instructed him to make sure that all the salt was sold to the East India Company officials in Bangalore.
However, Captain Cook, blinded by greed, secretly left behind a truckload of salt and went to the city to trade it as if it were on the black market. He was discovered and arrested by the East India Company's customs enforcement team in Bangalore.
It was only when Cook revealed that he was a British Army logistics officer that the customs service sent someone to verify his identity.
With Colonel Duggan's personal testimony, Captain Cook's military status was confirmed, but in accordance with East India Company regulations, all the salt he sold was confiscated, and he was fined twice its value.
If they refused to pay the fine, they had to perform two months of hard labor.
Deep down, Colonel Dugan's true desire was definitely the latter: to let this fat geezer lose weight.
But Captain Cook's persistent pleas, coupled with the fact that there was a lot of work to be done in the camp, eventually won out.
Finally, Dugan paid Captain Cook's £200 fine.
After bringing the unfortunate Captain Cook back from the West City Jail, Dugan once again plunged his riding whip into the flabby belly of Captain Cook.
"I'm warning you, if there's a next time, I'll make sure you rot in prison."
Captain Cook's stomach was throbbing from the whip, and he grimaced as he promised it wouldn't happen again.
Dugan and Cook returned to camp close to noon.
Dugan found his soldiers still "working hard," and the lunch prepared by the cooks was still the same standard military rations that hadn't changed in ages:
A few pieces of dark bread, plus a bowl of meat and vegetable soup.
"Ha, so British indeed. Even in later generations, it would only be fish and chips that never change."
Left with no other option, Colonel Dugan rode alone back to the vicinity of the Governor's Palace in Bangalore, because he vaguely remembered a nicely decorated French restaurant there.