gnovel 72. Distribute the spoils of war
72. Distribute the spoils of war
The senior management of the East India Company in Kolkata have almost reached a consensus.
Compared to Garfield, who made empty promises and spent huge sums of money but produced dismal results, Megan was pragmatic, efficient, and capable of producing tangible results. She was the kind of pragmatic high-ranking official that the colonies needed most at the time.
In this round of competition for the position of Vice Chairman of the Board, Galfort was completely eliminated and has no chance of making a comeback.
Moreover, rumors even circulated among the top executives of the East India Company in Calcutta.
It's said that once the news reaches London, the board leaders will definitely praise Megan highly.
With Meghan's abilities, qualifications, and family background, she has a very good chance of being transferred directly to the secretariat of the East India Company's board of directors, joining the company's highest power circle and participating in the overall coordination of the British overseas colonial trade and resource strategy.
In an instant, Meghan's prestige in Kolkata soared, and all the previous factional criticisms and workplace doubts disappeared, replaced by the awe and sycophancy of countless people.
Just as Megan's career was soaring, an urgent transfer order from the War Office in London traveled thousands of miles by sea to Calcutta and was delivered to Duggan.
In the document, the Army fully affirmed Duggan's achievements on the Indian battlefield: from encircling and annihilating guerrillas and innovating battlefield medicine to besieging cities, turning the tide of battle several times, and severely damaging the Maratha coalition forces.
In recognition of his outstanding performance in overseas colonies, the War Office in London officially promoted Dugan Connby from Infantry Colonel to Brigadier General.
At the age of 24, Dugan had risen to the rank of general, a remarkable speed of advancement for the entire British Indian Army.
The order was accompanied by a strict directive: upon receiving the document, Duggan was to immediately cease all duties on the Indian front, rest and recuperate, and then immediately return to London to await further orders from the War Office.
"We have to leave immediately?" Dugen frowned slightly as he looked at the transfer order, but he had no choice.
After quickly packing his bags and handing over all the trivial matters, Dugan solemnly bid farewell to Megan.
After leaving Kolkata, Dugan returned to Bangalore via the old route.
Dugan traveled south, weary from his journey, and returned to Bangalore once more.
Dugen had barely settled into his quarters when Captain Cook, the quartermaster in charge of the army's supplies and finances, rushed over, carrying a neatly bound ledger and followed by several soldiers carrying heavy wooden crates.
"Colonel...no...General, you're finally back!" Cook saluted, his large belly protruding.
This indicates that Bangalore already knew about Dugan's promotion.
"Since the start of the Maratha War, I have strictly followed military regulations and compiled statistics on all the spoils of war obtained by the 108th Infantry Regiment in all its attacks, city captures, and stronghold clearings, including all publicly captured, privately seized, noble ransoms, and cashed-out materials."
He opened the account book and checked the report item by item, his words clear and logical: "After deducting the legal share that was handed over to the military each time, and after deducting the expenses for military supplies, ordnance repairs, and casualty compensation, the remaining net profit that can be freely distributed within the team totals seven thousand five hundred pounds."
Cook presented the list and ledgers while having the soldiers place the heavy wooden crate of cash in front of Dugan: "This money has no accounting issues, requires no reporting, and is entirely at your disposal and allocation."
Seven thousand five hundred pounds is a considerable sum of money these days.
According to the practice of the British or European armies at that time, all gold, silver, weapons, and other property captured by the army were handed over to the War Spoils Committee for registration and auction. The proceeds were distributed to the entire army in fixed shares. The commander-in-chief and the front-line general each received one-eighth of the total amount, and the officers of the rank of colonel, lieutenant, and sergeant divided the remaining share in turn. The most numerous ordinary soldiers took three-eighths of the total.
Taking Asayer's great victory as an example, the spoils of the entire battle were worth a considerable sum.
Major General Arthur Wellesley, as the commander-in-chief of the front lines, will receive between £25000 and £35000 for this single battle, an income far exceeding the annual salary of his brother Richard Wells when he was Governor-General of India.
All the colonels under Arthur Wellesley received the same share as the division-level officers, and each officer could usually receive 1000 to 2000 pounds, which was equivalent to several years' salary for an ordinary captain.
On the surface, the British army has strict laws prohibiting looting, but in private, officers would secretly intercept jewelry and valuables. These unregistered assets were often divided up among high-ranking members, becoming an unspoken gray income.
It should be noted that the annual salary of an ordinary British soldier is only a little over ten pounds, and the annual salary of a captain is less than one hundred pounds.
Dugan asked Cook, "How much of this is truly my personal money?"
Cook was taken aback for a moment, then answered truthfully: "According to customary calculations, you personally will receive at least three thousand pounds. Of course, you have full control over the money."
In this era, there were many officers who lined their own pockets with all the spoils of war, and there were also many precedents of military mutinies caused by unfair distribution and arrears in military pay.
But Du had no interest in money and never thought of keeping the money for himself.
"Go and issue the order to summon all officers of the regiment, captains and above, to assemble here," Dugen ordered, grabbing a few coins from the box and clattering them back into the wooden crate.
Before long, all officers of various ranks, from lieutenants to field officers, had arrived. Although Tom, the military police captain, was not a captain, he was in charge of the entire regiment's discipline and, as usual, attended the meeting.
The room fell silent. Dugen looked around at everyone and said, "I've gathered you all here today to announce two things."
"First, the War Office order from London has arrived, and I have been officially promoted to Brigadier General for my performance in the Indian theater."
"Congratulations, Your Excellency General!" the officers greeted in unison.
He rose to the rank of general at the age of 24 and was promoted several ranks within a year, a remarkable feat in the overseas colonial legions.
Everyone was filled with admiration and genuinely proud of the commander who had single-handedly led the 108th Infantry Regiment.
Dugan gestured for him to stop, then continued, "Secondly, the military has ordered me to return to London immediately after my resignation to await a new appointment."
As soon as he finished speaking, the room, which had been somewhat lively, fell silent instantly.
The officers' faces lost their joy, replaced by varying degrees of disappointment and reluctance.
Dugan gestured for Cook to push the wooden box containing the money in front of everyone.
"This spoils total seven thousand five hundred pounds. Each of the officers present will receive three hundred pounds, and the rest will be distributed to the ordinary soldiers in the regiment."
After saying that, he turned his gaze to Amir, who was standing in the crowd, and softened his tone: "Amir, you know that I cannot bring your sister back to England with me."
He turned to Cook and said, "Take an extra £200 from my share and give it to Amir separately."
"Yes, sir." Cook's fingers were short and stubby like carrots, yet he could write quickly and neatly in his notebook.
Looking at the familiar faces before him, Dugen felt a pang of emotion; the camp remains, but the soldiers come and go.
"You are all outstanding soldiers. Fighting alongside you is the most precious experience of my military career."
After saying that, he stepped forward and embraced his colleagues, including Joffrey and McKenzie, whom he had spent every day with.
Without many formalities, each hug was a solemn farewell to comrades who had fought side by side.
Thus, in December 1803, Brigadier General Dugan boarded an East India Company merchant ship in the port of Madras to return to Europe.