Wearing British clothes as a second-generation aristocrat

33. Encirclement and annihilation of the guerrilla force 1

It is located in a mountainous area less than 30 kilometers from the town of Omarachi.

The mountain wind, carrying dust and withered branches, howled through the guerrillas' makeshift camp, making the canvas tents flutter loudly.

Raj Singh Chauhan leaned against a cold rock, gazing wistfully northward.

That's the direction of Hyderabad, the place where he once enjoyed immense glory.

No one would have imagined that just two years ago, Raj was a renowned nobleman in the Hyderabad region, living in a spacious and magnificent palace, surrounded by servants, and in charge of vast lands and wealth. Even local officials had to show him deference.

At that time, he never imagined that one day he would be huddled in this desolate mountain area, living a life of hunger and uncertainty.

The change began more than a year ago.

The Battle of Hadapsaal on October 25, 1802, marked the climax of the Maratha Civil War.

The combined forces of King Daulat Rao Sindia of Ujain and King Bajirao II of Maratapesva (leader of the alliance) suffered a fatal blow from King Jaswant Rao Horka of Indore.

The Cindian army suffered 5000 casualties or wounded. Of the four European officers commanding the army, three were killed on the spot, and one was forced to surrender to Horka. All artillery and supplies were captured.

Subsequently, Basilão II signed the Treaty of Basel with the British, resulting in a large number of professional soldiers losing their jobs.

Raj Singh Johan is one of them.

He came to the mountains near Omarachi, organized a group, and lived a carefree life by robbing passing caravans, attacking British supply lines, and extorting local tribes and villagers.

Initially, Raj did not take the British army seriously.

He believed that the British army was just acting on a whim, and that as long as he used the complex terrain of the mountains to wage guerrilla warfare against them and wear them down, it wouldn't be long before the British army would be unable to bear the harassment and would take the initiative to withdraw.

During that period, the guerrillas relied on supplies from surrounding villages, had ample food and provisions, and were able to launch occasional raids on small British units, achieving some sporadic victories.

But to his utter surprise, Dugan's arrival shattered his illusions.

Instead of employing the British army's previous "sweeping" tactics, Duggan, upon taking office, adopted an iron-fisted approach to establish safety zones in various villages, conduct large-scale investigations of suspicious individuals, hang those associated with the guerrillas, and sever all ties between the guerrillas and the villages.

At the same time, they controlled supplies and prohibited townspeople from transporting food, medicine and water to the mountains, effectively trapping the guerrillas in the mountains.

By the time Raj realized Dugan's true intentions and tried to re-establish contact with the surrounding villages to obtain supplies, it was already too late.

Under Dugan's iron fist, no townspeople dared to secretly provide aid to the guerrillas anymore. Some even reported the guerrillas' whereabouts to the British army. The town's former popular support had been completely destroyed by Dugan.

Even more deadly than food shortages is water shortage.

During the dry season in the Deccan Plateau, water is the most precious resource.

Dugan not only ravaged the villages, but also polluted all visible water sources. Now, in the Omarazi region, apart from the safe villages under British control and the town of Omarazi, there is almost no drinkable water.

Even if there were scattered water sources, they would be in open fields with no cover, where British cavalry could appear at any time.

"Chief, the water... the water is running low, and we only have enough food for less than three days. The brothers haven't had enough to eat for two days." A guerrilla fighter walked quickly to Raj, his voice hoarse, his lips chapped and peeling.

"The mountain spring is starting to dry up too." The guerrillas shook their heads helplessly. "We can only scoop out mud now."

"Wait a little longer, think of another way." Raj's voice was hoarse and weak. He knew himself that the so-called "solution" was nothing but self-deception.

The surrounding villages were firmly under the control of the British army, and supplies could not be transported in. The resources in the mountains had long been exhausted. They were like wild beasts trapped in a cage by Dugan, and could only sit and wait for their death.

Just then, another guerrilla fighter ran over in a panic, his face filled with terror, his voice trembling slightly: "Chief! Something terrible has happened! News has come from down the mountain that our second-in-command, Kamal... Kamal has surrendered to the British!"

"What?!" Raj jumped to his feet, his eyes wide with disbelief. "What did you say? Kamal surrendered? That's impossible!"

"It's true, Chief," the team member said quickly. "The townspeople down the mountain are all saying that after Kamal was captured by Dugan, he couldn't withstand the threat of torture and not only surrendered, but also told the British our hideout, our usual routes, and even our code words!"

"Damn it!" Raj slammed his fist into a nearby rock.

When Raj returned to the camp, he saw that his men were all in a state of panic.

The news of Kamal's surrender had spread far and wide, and the guerrillas who heard it were instantly thrown into chaos. Some panicked, some cursed Kamal in a low voice for betrayal, and others lowered their heads in despair.

"What's the panic!" Raj roared, his voice instantly silencing the chaos in the camp. "Kamal betrayed us, but we haven't betrayed our faith! Shiva will use his trident to rip out his heart as atonement. But we haven't betrayed this land! The British want to trap us in the mountains, to force us to submit—that's impossible!"

Raj was a highly respected figure in the guerrillas, and after hearing his inspiring words, many guerrillas gradually calmed down.

"The British in Omarazi number only 1000, and they're scattered across dozens of villages. We, on the other hand, have 3000! If we work together, we can definitely defeat them!"

Raj's words were like a shot in the arm, instantly igniting the fighting spirit in the hearts of the guerrillas.

"Follow the leader and fight the British!" A young guerrilla fighter stood up first and shouted, his eyes gleaming with determination.

"Fight! Fight!" More and more guerrillas stood up and shouted, their voices echoing through the valley.

"Kill them all!"

"fighting!!"

"Execute the traitor!"

The guerrillas responded in unison, their voices strong and clear. Despite their haggard faces and rumbling stomachs, they stood tall, their eyes gleaming with a fearless determination.

The camp instantly sprang into action, with team members busily organizing their worn-out weapons. Some sharpened their scimitars, others inspected their muskets, while still others hurriedly ate a few bites of their remaining dry rations to replenish their strength.

*****

Just as Raj was boosting morale, our time traveler Dugan was undertaking a major construction project in the town of Omarachi.

"Lieutenant Cook, I order you to finish this within a day." Dugan poked Lieutenant Cook's belly with his riding crop, the thick fat causing the crop to sink in.

"Major, there's no time!" Lieutenant Cook puffed out his chest and let Dugan's whip poke at his thick belly fat.

"That's your problem. If I see it still not finished by this time tomorrow," Dugan said, pointing to the corpse hanging in mid-air.

"Yes, Major." Lieutenant Cook knew that this handsome young nobleman was absolutely capable of uttering such a harsh phrase as "hang him" in an elegant Oxford accent.

"Report!" At that moment, Captain Horn arrived. "Major, the artillery unit transferred from the regimental headquarters has arrived."

As he spoke, Captain Horn pointed to his position, and a short, young officer stood at attention and saluted, "Artillery Captain, Chrysler."

Dugan returned the greeting and asked, "How many cannons did you bring?"

Captain Chrysler replied, "Two 4-pounder cannons and four 6-pounder cannons."

"That's enough." Dugan pointed to the temporary command post at the converted Ganesha temple not far away. "Place the cannons there."