Wearing British clothes as a second-generation aristocrat

30. A treacherous plan to undermine the enemy's defenses.

Tom walked away quickly.

Dugan had a chair brought over, and he sat on the high platform, still scanning the entire room with a seemingly gentle gaze, patiently waiting for Tom to bring up his mustache.

However, no one present dared to look up at Dugan.

At that moment, in their eyes, this young British officer was more ferocious than the devil.

"He's a demon, chanting 'God's name' while harboring man-eating fangs in his heart." Megawa's fear of Dugan intensified.

Before long, heavy footsteps approached, and Tom, accompanied by two British soldiers, brought over the man with the chained mustache.

The man with the mustache was still covered in wounds, his face bruised and swollen, and the wound on his shoulder was bleeding again, staining his clothes red. But his eyes were still fierce and arrogant. Even when he was taken to the center of the square, he still held his head high and refused to submit in the slightest.

"Lieutenant Joffrey, did you find out anything?" Dugan asked Joffrey.

Joffrey shook his head, looking ashamed, and said, "I'm sorry, Major."

"Bring him here." Dugan smiled, raised his hand, and spoke calmly.

The soldiers immediately dragged the man with the mustache below the platform, making him face the townspeople.

Before Dugan could speak, someone in the crowd suddenly pointed at the man with the mustache and shouted, "I know him! His name is Kamal! He's the second-in-command of the nearby Marata guerrillas!"

Another older villager quickly spoke up, his voice tinged with lingering fear: "That's right! It's Kamal! He often led guerrillas to attack British troops in the surrounding villages and even stole our grain! I saw him in the mountains last time, I can't be mistaken!"

Another middle-aged woman pushed her way to the front, gritting her teeth as she said, "I know him too! He's having an affair with Mijija, the widow from our town! He often sneaks into town and stays at Mijija's house. I've seen him leaving Mijija's house at night several times!"

"Migija?" Dugan raised an eyebrow, immediately memorizing the name. He turned to Joffrey and ordered, "Immediately arrange for soldiers to conduct a thorough search of all safe villages for a widow named Migija. Find her and bring her to me! Don't let her escape, and don't harm her!"

"Yes, Major!" Joffrey quickly saluted and immediately turned to arrange for his soldiers to split into several groups and head to various safe villages to begin their searches.

When Kamal heard that someone recognized him and mentioned his relationship with Mijija, a flash of panic crossed his eyes, which was then replaced by overwhelming rage.

He jerked his chains away, staring intently at the middle-aged woman who had denounced him, then swept his gaze over the townspeople who had pointed the finger at him, and roared in Hindi, threatening, "You traitors! You're all British lackeys! You think you can survive by joining the British? Just wait! The guerrillas will return, they'll kill you all, burn your houses down, and make you pay a terrible price!"

Kamal's voice was fierce and harsh, full of hostility. Many townspeople turned pale with fright at his threats and subconsciously took a half step back. The courage that had just been ignited in their eyes was replaced by fear. The originally noisy square instantly became quiet, with only Kamal's curses and the clanging of chains remaining.

Megawa didn't dare delay and immediately translated Kamal's threat into English and told Dugan. Then he turned to the townspeople and translated Kamal's words word by word.

After listening to Megawa's translation, Dugan's face remained expressionless. Instead, he gave a cold laugh and slowly raised his hand to signal for silence.

"You all heard that. These are the guerrillas you once tried to protect, who only know how to threaten and kill you."

Dugan's gaze swept over the townspeople whose faces showed fear, and his tone became serious: "Kamal's threat is not empty talk. Once the guerrillas return, the first to retaliate will be those of you who reported them."

The townspeople below the stage, including Prasad, Rajesh, and Agarwal from the maintenance committee, immediately became restless again.

Dugan was pleased with their reaction and continued, "The British have come here not to enslave you, but to protect you. To protect yourselves and your families, I hereby announce a decision: every family that has reported guerrillas may send one male member to join the militia and cooperate with the British army to resist the guerrillas and protect your families."

Upon hearing this, the townspeople below the stage instantly showed hesitation and unease.

"Families with male members who have joined the maintenance association's joint defense team will receive an extra portion of food rations when they collect supplies from the maintenance association in the future, as compensation and incentive."

Before the townspeople could think it over for long, Dugan announced another rule.

"In addition, to prevent anyone from secretly hoarding supplies to fund the guerrillas, from today onwards, everyone can only keep three days' worth of rations at home. All other food, medicine, clothing and other supplies must be handed over to the maintenance committee for unified safekeeping and registration."

These words caused another commotion in the square, with many townspeople showing expressions of dissatisfaction.

Dugen raised his hand to stop the townspeople's chatter and continued, "You don't need to worry. Every three days, everyone can go to the maintenance committee to collect their rations and necessary supplies based on the number of people registered in their household. No one will be shortchanged."

These words instantly ignited the enthusiasm of the townspeople.

Those who were initially hesitant about joining the joint defense team are now all tempted.

An extra portion of food would provide more security for the family, not to mention the protection of the British army, eliminating worries about guerrilla retaliation.

"I'm willing to join the joint defense team!" A young man was the first to raise his hand and shout loudly.

With the first person taking the lead, more and more townspeople raised their hands and volunteered to join the joint defense team. Their initial hesitation and unease were gradually replaced by anticipation and determination.

Dugan then addressed Prasad, Rajesh, and Agarwal: "Remember, the storage of supplies must be open and transparent. Record the quantity of supplies and population information for each household clearly. If anyone is found to have embezzled supplies, withheld rations, or falsified information, they will be treated as colluding with the guerrillas and executed by hanging. There will be no leniency!"

"Yes, Major!" Prasad, Rajesh, and Agarwal responded immediately, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

"Lieutenant Cook, you're in charge of supervising them," Dugan said to the portly Cook.

"Yes, sir." Lieutenant Cook saluted, his belly jiggling.

Megawa stood beside Dugan, silently translating each sentence.

Kamal was taken back to the interrogation room by the soldiers, where he would face even harsher interrogations and an unknown fate.

His only concern was Mijiga. He could only pray silently that Mijiga could escape safely and not be found by the British army.

Meanwhile, soldiers searching for Mijija in various safe villages have begun their operations.

Having failed to get Camar to speak, Joffrey was eager to salvage his image in Major Dugan's eyes through concrete actions.