xymnovel 28. That's fair.
28. That's fair.
After the man with the mustache was taken back to the interrogation room at the temporary command post, Lieutenant Joffrey took charge of the interrogation.
Lieutenant Joffrey had taken off his uniform, leaving him in only a close-fitting white shirt with the sleeves rolled up high, revealing his muscular arms.
Megawa found someone who knew some English to accompany him as a translator, while he and Dugan went to meet up in the town square.
The interrogation room was located in the dark and damp basement of a side hall of the Hindu elephant god temple, lit only by an oil lamp.
The dim light cast mottled shadows on the walls, and the air was thick with the smell of rust and blood.
The man with the mustache was tied to a chair with iron, his shoulder wound still bleeding. His face was pale, but his eyes were still fierce as he stared at Joffrey in front of him, a disdainful sneer on his lips, as if he had long since disregarded life and death.
Joffrey didn't waste any words or ask any questions. He started by throwing a flurry of punches, leaving the man panting heavily before finally finding a chair and sitting down in front of the man with the mustache.
Seeing his own bruised and bloodied face, Joffrey finally asked, "Your name, your unit number."
The man with the mustache sneered, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and said a few words in broken Hindi, his eyes still filled with contempt.
The temporary translator quickly translated, "Lieutenant, he said you are not worthy to ask him, and that even if you kill him, he will not reveal a single word."
A flash of anger crossed Joffrey's eyes as he beckoned to the soldiers beside him, "You guys come and greet our guests."
Two burly Scottish soldiers put down their guns, took off their uniforms, rolled up their sleeves, and walked toward the man with the mustache.
Then, the sound of sandbags being pounded could be heard coming from the interrogation room.
******
Around the same time, the town center square was already packed with people.
The townspeople looked on nervously, whispering among themselves, their eyes filled with unease.
In the middle of the square was a high platform, where Dugan stood. Prasad, Rajesh, and Agarwal, members of the puppet regime, stood below him. They had also heard about the capture of guerrillas in the town, and they knew that Dugan's gathering was definitely not for anything good.
Hundreds of British soldiers, armed to the teeth, stood in formation on both sides of the square, guarding all the exits.
Dressed in a crisp military uniform, Dugan, accompanied by Tom and Joffrey, slowly walked up to the high platform in the center of the square.
Megawa remained by his side, a vague sense of foreboding creeping into his heart.
Dugan stood on the platform, his gaze sweeping coldly across the entire arena.
The once noisy square instantly fell silent; everyone held their breath, unable to meet his gaze.
"Today is an unfortunate day..." Dugan's voice was loud and cold, reaching the ears of every townr through Megawa's simultaneous translation. "While I was patrolling the west side of town, I was attacked by two guerrillas. These two had been infiltrating the town for many days, but no one reported them to the British army, and the local government never investigated anything unusual."
As soon as he finished speaking, the square erupted in uproar, and the townspeople lowered their heads, their expressions growing increasingly panicked.
Prasad and his two companions quickly apologized, "Major, it was our negligence, please forgive us, we will definitely..."
Dugan ignored Prasad's apology, waving them off and speaking in an increasingly stern tone: "During the assassination attempt, a British soldier was stabbed by the guerrillas and is still in a coma. I made a pact with the maintenance committee and warned all the townspeople to behave themselves and report any guerrillas or suspicious individuals immediately. But what have you done? The maintenance committee has neglected its duties, the townspeople have turned a blind eye, and you have all broken your promises!"
He raised his hand, and two soldiers carried the body of the tall, thin man who had been shot to the platform.
"This man was one of the guerrillas who carried out the assassination; the other one has already been captured alive."
At this point, Dugan's gaze grew increasingly cold as he announced, word by word, "To warn everyone to keep their promises and behave themselves, I have decided to execute 20 townspeople as punishment. The maintenance committee will be responsible for selecting them, and in 15 minutes, right here in public, they will be hanged without exception!"
"What?!" These words were like a thunderclap, instantly stunning everyone present.
The townspeople were terrified and knelt down to beg for mercy, their cries and pleas echoing throughout the town.
Prasad and his two companions were deathly pale. Prasad pleaded desperately, "Major, for God's sake, spare these innocent townspeople!"
Prasad wasn't reluctant to part with the townspeople, these lowly Dalits; let them die if they want.
However, letting the members of the maintenance committee choose who to execute is such a wicked tactic.
Megava, standing next to Dugan, could no longer hold back and stepped forward, saying, "Major, this isn't fair!"
All eyes instantly focused on Megawa.
Prasad trembled with fear and tried to stop his son's reckless actions, but it was too late.
Dugan turned his head and looked coldly at Megava. "Oh? Tell me, where's the injustice?"
Despite his fear, Megava mustered his courage, his voice trembling slightly yet resolute: "Major, the guerrillas' infiltration of the town was a dereliction of duty by the puppet government, and has nothing to do with the ordinary townspeople. Most townspeople were afraid of retaliation from the guerrillas, which is why they dared not report them; they did not intentionally break their promises. Your execution of 20 innocent townspeople is unfair!"
"Fair?" Dugan sneered, his voice suddenly rising. "I made a three-point agreement with the maintenance committee, clearly stating that if anyone in town colluded with the guerrillas, attacked British troops, or concealed such activities, they would bear the consequences. Did I not say that?"
Megawa's face paled, and he said in a low voice, "I did say that... but..."
"No buts!" Dugan interrupted him. "I promised that any British soldier who committed rape, robbery, or murder would be hanged. Not long ago, two British soldiers committed rape, and I hanged them in public, as you saw. I kept my promise, without showing any favoritism, didn't I?"
The entire room was silent; no one dared to object.
Megawa was speechless and unable to refute.
Everyone knew that Dugan truly meant what he said, and even his own soldiers who broke the rules were severely punished.
Dugan's gaze swept over the three members of the maintenance committee again, then turned to the townspeople below the stage. He said with a look of disappointment, "I kept my promise, but what about you? You all broke your promises and broke your agreement with me. Now, I will punish you according to the agreement. This is fair."
After saying that, Dugan paused, then said in a kind tone, "Furthermore, I can tell you clearly that I know there are still guerrilla members hidden in the crowd right now. I'm giving you a chance to bravely step forward and voluntarily accept the hanging, so as not to implicate innocent people."
These words silenced the square once more. The townspeople exchanged glances, their eyes filled with astonishment and anticipation, but no one dared to speak.
Dugan looked at the silent crowd and continued, "I also welcome townspeople to report any guerrilla members hidden among the crowd. You only have one chance; the choice is yours."
Upon hearing this, the townspeople showed expressions of struggle. Some looked at the people around them with doubt in their eyes, but still dared not speak out for fear of retaliation from the guerrillas.
The guerrilla members hidden in the crowd were even more tense, with their heads down, not daring to breathe, for fear of being reported.
Prasad, Rajesh, and Agarwal quickly addressed the townspeople, saying, "Gentlemen, the major has given us a chance. If anyone can report the guerrillas, or if any guerrillas come forward, everyone will be spared from disaster."
No matter how the three shouted, the crowd remained silent. No one stepped forward, and no one was willing to report or expose the culprit.
Dugan looked at the scene before him, his tone turning icy again: "It seems you've all chosen silence. In that case, don't blame me for being ruthless."
He walked up to Megawa, looked down at him, and said with a hint of warning in his voice: "You are Prasad's son. You, your father Prasad, Rajesh, and Agarwal, each of you must choose five people to die."
Megawa trembled, his face drained of color, and he stared at Dugan in disbelief.
This handsome man could actually utter such cold-blooded and cruel words.
"A snake disguised as tree bark, seemingly a cultivator, but in reality, it has a mouthful of venomous fangs," Megava cursed inwardly.
Dugan's move was too ruthless. Regardless of whether the 20 people chosen this time were guerrillas or not, he, his father Prasad, Rajesh, and Agarwal had all incurred the wrath of the townspeople.
From then on, the only way for the four of them to survive was to cling tightly to the British.
Otherwise, even if the guerrillas don't retaliate, the families of the 20 townspeople who were executed will not let them off the hook.
Prasad, Rajesh, and Agarwal looked at the townspeople kneeling and begging for mercy below the stage, and then at Dugan, whose expression was cold on the high platform. Their hearts were filled with despair, but they were helpless.
They knew that Dugan had made up his mind, and any further pleas would be in vain.
"How can there be such vicious methods and such wicked people in the world!"
Agarwal was both afraid and angry.
"Great Ganesha, please appear and kill this Englishman!"
Prasad's hands were trembling, whether from anger or fear, it was hard to tell.
Rajesh was also cursing Dugan in his heart.
"I ask Shiva to bear witness: Your evil deeds today will one day be dealt with by His own hands, and you will be torn to pieces!"
However, the gods did not appear.
Seeing the three men and Megawa who were still hesitant to act, Dugan said, "What? Do you want to be executed first?"
Megawa walked shakily to his father's side. The four of them could only exchange a glance, their eyes filled with bitterness. They slowly got up and began to select townspeople to be executed according to Dugan's orders.
The townspeople's cries and pleas echoed throughout the square, but they could not shake Dugan's resolve in the slightest.
Ten minutes later, the 20 selected townspeople were led by soldiers to the gallows in the center of the square.
Among them were elderly people, young people, and several young women, all of them pale-faced, with despair in their eyes, constantly crying out for mercy.
Prasad and the others stood aside, their faces haggard, their eyes filled with guilt and pain, yet they dared not utter a single objection.
Megava lowered his head, clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his flesh, and felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
Dugan raised his hand, his tone icy: "Put ropes around their necks."
The soldiers immediately set to work, sending 20 townspeople to the gallows and putting thick hemp ropes around their necks.
"Ready..."
Tom raised his right hand and looked at Dugan, waiting for his command.