Wearing British clothes as a second-generation aristocrat

29. The whistleblowing began.

But Dugan remained silent. He slowly raised his hand, gesturing for Tom to lower it, and his gaze swept across the room once more. His tone was unusually calm: "Wait, I'm giving you one last chance. Megawa, translate for me."

Megawa raised an eyebrow and immediately stood next to Dugan. "Yes, Major."

Dugan first swept his cold gaze slowly over the tense, deliberately bowed figures in the crowd, then his voice suddenly rose, laced with sarcasm: "People of Omarachi, look! Those guerrillas hiding in the crowd are watching you right now. They're watching these twenty innocent people, about to lose their lives for their cowardice, and they're completely unmoved."

Megawa translated Dugan's words truthfully.

"You've always thought these guerrillas were fighting for you, to drive us British out of your land, to bring you a peaceful life. But what about now?"

Dugen sneered, his tone full of disdain, "They'd rather watch you innocent villagers die for them than stand up."

Dugan slowly walked to the edge of the platform, leaned down to look at the family members kneeling and begging for mercy below, and said, "Is it worth it for your families to bear the punishment themselves and watch their loved ones die unjustly in order to protect such a group of cowards and selfish people?"

"It was these guerrillas who killed your families!" Dugan's voice rose again. "They just wanted to step over your corpses to seize their wealth and power, exploiting your fear and loyalty to fight against us and satisfy their ambitions! You thought you were protecting justice, but in reality, you were just pawns they used as shields, stepping stones for their own gain!"

"This time, these twenty people died unjustly..." Dugan's gaze swept over each terrified face, his tone full of warning, "But what about next time? Next time, when the guerrillas infiltrate the town again and launch another attack, those chosen to die could be you, or your parents, wives, and children! Will you continue to protect these selfish people, will you continue to pay the price with your lives for them?"

Megava broke out in a cold sweat; these words were incredibly hurtful. But Megava had no choice but to translate them truthfully.

The townspeople below the stage began to stir, their fear gradually replaced by struggle and anger. The selected family members of the townspeople had red eyes and stared intently at the suspicious-looking people around them.

"No! I don't want my family to die in their place!" A middle-aged man suddenly stood up and roared, "I know who the guerrillas are! Karim from the east of town, he often secretly contacts the guerrillas in the mountains and even helps them pass messages!"

Once the first person spoke up, it was like opening Pandora's box; more and more townspeople began to muster their courage and raise their hands to report and expose wrongdoing.

"And Amir from the south of town, he met with that tall, skinny guy who was beaten to death yesterday!"

"I know! I know! My neighbor Rahim, he had guerrilla weapons hidden in his house, I saw them with my own eyes!"

"And the owner of the grocery store next to the puppet regime's headquarters, he often delivers food and medicine to the guerrillas!"

Reports came one after another, and more and more names were mentioned. The guerrillas hidden in the crowd, as well as those who had dealings with the guerrillas, were instantly identified by the crowd.

Some tried to escape, but were forced back by heavily armed British soldiers with their dark gun barrels and gleaming bayonets.

Dugan looked at the scene before him and finally smiled with satisfaction.

This was exactly the effect he wanted. Killing was merely a means; destroying their spirit was the goal. Only by destroying the trust between the guerrillas and the townspeople could he truly sever the guerrillas' mass base and leave them with nowhere to hide on this land.

"Very good." Dugan raised his hand, signaling the townspeople to quiet down. His tone was cold and firm. "Since you are willing to take the initiative to report this and are willing to keep your promise, then I will fulfill my promise."

He turned to look at the twenty townspeople under the gallows and said in a deep voice, "These 20 people are free. Their death sentence is commuted."

British soldiers immediately stepped forward and untied the ropes around the necks of the twenty townspeople.

Those people instantly collapsed to the ground, weeping and kowtowing repeatedly to Dugen in gratitude, their faces filled with the relief of surviving a disaster.

Their family members rushed forward, hugged their loved ones, and wept with joy.

Then, Dugan pointed to those identified by the townspeople and ordered sternly, "Arrest everyone who has been reported! Leave no one alive!"

British soldiers immediately sprang into action, arresting those connected to the guerrillas one by one, based on the townspeople's identification.

In the chaos, some people tried to resist, but were subdued on the spot by the soldiers and dragged to the center of the square.

Before long, the center of the square was crowded with the arrested people. Tom counted them and there were 134 people in total.

Among these people were genuine guerrilla fighters, accomplices who relayed messages and provided supplies to the guerrillas, and civilians who had only had sporadic contact with the guerrillas.

"No! I didn't collude with the guerrillas! I only delivered food to them once; I was forced into it!"

"Please have mercy! I know I was wrong, I will never do it again!"

Those arrested knelt down and begged for mercy, their cries and pleas echoing across the square once more, but they could not shake Dugan's resolve in the slightest.

The gallows were rearranged, and the soldiers carried 134 people up to the gallows one by one, with thick hemp ropes around their necks.

This time, Dugan didn't hesitate at all, raising his hand to order: "Execute!"

Since there were only 20 gallows, the execution of 134 people had to be carried out in seven separate executions.

In other words, the townspeople witnessed the horrific scene seven times.

Some timid people fainted from fright after seeing it for the third time.

After the execution, Dugan gave another order: "Hang all these bodies in the most conspicuous place in Omarachi."

Tom, directing the soldiers, said, "Let all the townspeople see this at the town gate, on the pillars of the square, and under the eaves of the main streets—the consequences of colluding with the guerrillas and betraying promises! Let the guerrillas in the mountains see this too!"

The whistleblowing is ongoing.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd spoke up, pointing at the tall, thin corpse, and shouted, "I know him! He was the bodyguard of the second-in-command of the Maratha guerrillas, named Muhammadja! He used to be a regular army officer in the Maratha, and often led guerrillas to attack British troops in the vicinity!"

Another villager quickly chimed in, "That's right! I know him too! He was the one leading the guerrillas when they attacked the British stationed in our village last time!"

At this point, Dugan remembered the man with the mustache who was still being interrogated.

"I wonder if Lieutenant Joffrey got anything out of him." Dugan thought for a moment and said to Tom, "Go tell Lieutenant Joffrey to bring that guy up here so these guys can identify him."

"Yes, Major." Tom saluted.

Meanwhile, another group of British soldiers had already begun moving 134 bodies to various prominent locations within the town.

In an instant, the streets and alleys of Omarachi were filled with corpses, and the stench of blood in the air grew stronger, sending chills down one's spine.