Wearing British clothes as a second-generation aristocrat

39. Eye-watering

While Horn led his team to escort Major McKenzie back, reports of victories from the other cleanup squads also came in one after another.

In this comprehensive campaign to eliminate the guerrilla bases in the mountains, the British army, in cooperation with the Allied forces, achieved a decisive victory once again thanks to their superior equipment and meticulous search and capture.

In just one day, another 167 guerrillas were killed, 143 were captured, and 23 strongholds were burned down, which can be considered as completely destroying all the guerrillas' hidden strongholds in the surrounding mountains.

The 143 captured guerrillas were tied up with ropes by the soldiers and followed behind the column.

As they were being escorted past Major McKenzie's stretcher, some men smiled mockingly and even muttered curses under their breath, their words full of disdain and provocation when they saw the skinny, wounded, and dying British major on the stretcher.

This scene thoroughly enraged the British soldiers accompanying them.

Seeing their compatriots suffer such torment, and witnessing the guerrillas' unrepentant behavior, their anger flared instantly. One soldier couldn't hold back any longer, stepping forward to grab a guerrilla who was mocking McKenzie, and shouting angrily, "You savages, how can you be so cruel!"

The Indian joint defense team members translated the words into Hindi.

"Crippling? There's no need for mercy when dealing with invaders like you," the guerrilla fighter said defiantly, staring intently at the soldier.

These words completely ignited the soldiers' anger.

The soldier immediately snatched the curved knife from the militia member's hand and slit the guerrilla's throat.

Without hesitation, the other British soldiers also joined in the execution of prisoners.

Screams rose and fell, and within minutes, all 143 captured guerrillas lay dead in pools of blood.

The soldiers stared at the corpses on the ground, their anger still burning, until Horn ordered them to continue their journey, at which point they gradually calmed down.

As evening fell, Horn's team finally arrived in Omarachi.

Dugan looked down at Mackenzie, who was so thin she was just a skeleton and covered in wounds.

"How is it? Is there any hope?" Dugan turned to look at the accompanying doctor.

The doctor immediately stepped forward, carefully examined Mackenzie's condition, and bowed, replying, "Major, he is very weak."

Dugan thought for a moment and said, "Let's feed him liquids for two days first. Once his condition stabilizes, we'll send him to Bangalore. We must get him to the best hospital there and give him the best treatment possible. We must spare no effort to save his life!"

"Yes, Major!" the medic nodded.

******

Dugan directly handed over all the post-war cleanup work to Tom for coordination.

Although Tom's rank was only sergeant, the captains and lieutenants all respected him, and everyone knew that this seemingly honest Scottish boy was Major Dugan's confidant.

Dugan himself locked himself in a makeshift study to write a battle report, which briefly described his achievements and then mentioned Major Mackenzie's "unyielding spirit" and the inhuman torture he had suffered.

After writing the report, Du Gen carefully checked it and, after confirming that there were no errors, had the clerk make two more copies.

He stamped the letter with his seal, summoned three messengers, and delivered the three letters to Colonel Stevenson, Lord Congriffin, and Major General Wellesley, respectively.

After the report was sent out, the town of Omarachi fell into complete silence.

British soldiers were busy clearing the battlefield and reinforcing defenses, while the maintenance committee continued to manage supplies and register the population; everything was running smoothly.

With some free time, Dugan thought about taking stock of the spoils from this raid.

This operation to eliminate the guerrillas not only completely destroyed their strongholds but also seized a considerable amount of supplies.

These spoils, though not particularly valuable, were a testament to the victory and satisfied Dugan's vanity.

Lieutenant Cook was in charge of taking stock of the spoils. Dugan did not send anyone to summon him, but instead went to the warehouse where the spoils were stored himself.

When Dugan arrived at the warehouse door, he didn't see the bustling activity he had expected. The warehouse door was closed, and the sounds of Cook's laughter mixed with women's whispers could be heard from inside.

"Cook, you bastard..." Dugan kicked the door open without any politeness.

Before he could finish speaking, the scene before him made Dugan unable to open his eyes, and he was deeply disgusted.

Beside a pile of grain sacks in the corner of the warehouse, Lieutenant Cook, naked from the waist down, was pressing his fat, pig-like body against an Indian woman, moving like a greasy lump of lard writhing.

The woman, with her glamorous makeup, fawning eyes, and completely absorbed in her role, was utterly unaware that someone had entered.

"My eyes! Cook! Fuck, shit!" Dugan quickly turned his head and roared angrily.

It wasn't that Dugan was too shy to look; it was just too disgusting and an eyesore!

Cook and the Indian woman trembled with fear and quickly separated.

Cook, in a panic, jumped off the woman without even putting on his pants and saluted Dugan.

"Major...Major, what brings you here?"

"Dead fat pigs, bastards, donkeys in heat, breeding goats, dog poop, blue dermatitis..."

Dugan unleashed every swear word he could think of, hurling a torrent of abuse at Cook: "You piece of trash! You bastard! I put you in charge of counting the spoils, and here you are, indulging in pleasure! Don't you have any shame?! Do you think this is your backyard?!"

"Put the caterpillar back in your pants right now, or I'll cut it off and feed it to the dogs!" Dugan yelled, getting angrier and angrier.

Although it was swearing, the impact was halved when Dugan said it in his elegant Oxford accent.

Unexpectedly, Lieutenant Cook's skin was even thicker than his belly. Cook lowered his head and put on his pants while letting Dugan curse him, but he showed no remorse on his face. Instead, he revealed a shameless smile.

After Dugan finished his tirade, Lieutenant Cook slowly raised his head and said in a flippant tone, "Major, calm down. It's not my fault. Look, now that we've won the battle and the town is completely stable, those Indian women are practically begging to sleep with us British officers, even the ordinary soldiers, for money and food. I swear to God, it wasn't me who initiated it!"

He paused, then added, "Besides, we're stuck in this godforsaken place, we need to find some fun to relax, otherwise we'll get sick from being cooped up for so long."

Cook's words reminded Dugan.

He paused for a moment, and then it suddenly dawned on him that since arriving in India, he had been busy fighting, living a life of asceticism, free from desires, never slacking off, and never thinking of seeking pleasure.

These days, he faces bloodshed, battles, and scheming every day, his nerves are constantly on edge, and he is already exhausted both physically and mentally.

Cook's words caused a slight easing of the tension that had been building up inside him.

Perhaps I really should relax a little?

Seeing Dugan's expression gradually soften, Cook waved his hand, dismissing the Indian woman, then stepped forward with a fawning smile and whispered, "Major, I've actually been thinking about this for a while now. There's a squad leader in the joint defense team named Amir, and he has a very beautiful sister."

"Oh?" Dugan was intrigued.

"I heard she's different from that woman earlier; she has fair skin, delicate features, and is a rare beauty in our town."

Cook winked and made faces, speaking vividly.

"This Amir has been trying to get promoted in the joint defense team, hoping to get more food and benefits. He's come to me several times already."

Upon hearing this, Dugan glanced sideways at Cook, offering no comment.

Cook breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Dugan wasn't angry, and quickly said, "I didn't dare agree to this, so I'll tell Amir that only you, Major, have the authority to do this."

Dugan waved his hand and said calmly, "First, take stock of the spoils, then have this Amir send me the list."

"Yes! Yes!" Cook quickly bowed and replied, his face full of joy. He hurriedly pushed aside the Indian woman beside him, signaling her to leave quickly, and then walked briskly to the pile of supplies and began to work, not daring to slack off in the slightest.