Wearing British clothes as a second-generation aristocrat

37. Encirclement and annihilation of the guerrilla force 5

As the last British soldier holding the third barricade fell to his scimitar, the guerrillas finally broke through the line, and the chaotic footsteps and shouts surged toward the town center like a tide.

At the top of the Elephant God Temple tower in the center of town, Major Dugan stood with his hands behind his back, overlooking the battle below.

With the faint light of the torches held by the guerrillas, he could clearly see that the densely packed torches, like a twisted fire dragon, were rapidly approaching, less than fifty meters away from the fourth barricade.

Just then, the guerrillas in the front row seemed to sense something, their steps suddenly stopped, their faces showing hesitation and fear, and they all subconsciously retreated.

Perhaps they smelled the increasingly strong gunpowder in the air, or perhaps they caught a glimpse of the faint muzzle of a cannon on the fourth barricade. Their resolve wavered in the face of unknown fears.

But more and more guerrillas surged in from behind, and the continuous flow of people pushed those in front forward, giving them no chance to retreat.

The narrow streets were packed with thousands of guerrillas, some of whom were pushed and shoved and fell to the ground. The once orderly formation had become completely chaotic.

Dugan looked down at the chaotic crowd below, and a scene he had witnessed at a pig slaughterhouse when he was a child inexplicably surfaced in his mind.

The fat pigs, driven into the narrow passage to await slaughter, were also crowded and panicked, their eyes filled with fear, yet they had nowhere to escape.

In his eyes, these guerrilla fighters were no different from livestock waiting to be slaughtered.

He slowly raised his eyes and looked toward the fourth barricade.

This line of defense is far more robust than the previous three.

The lower level of the barricades consisted of a breastwork over a meter high, guarded by British soldiers.

Above the breastwork was a two-meter-high semi-circular gun emplacement, with three black 6-pound cannons firmly mounted in their positions, their muzzles menacing, like lurking beasts, coldly staring at the approaching guerrillas.

As early as the moment the guerrillas broke through the third barricade, the soldiers on the gun emplacements had already loaded ammunition. Every cannon was filled with grapeshot, enough to sweep away any flesh and blood.

Gupta, who was at the forefront, finally saw the scene on the fourth barricade by the dim light of the torch.

When the three dark cannon muzzles came into view, his pupils contracted sharply, his blood seemed to freeze instantly, and a terrified roar escaped his throat: "Cannons! Cannons!"

The three cannons, like three deadly grim reapers, were steadily positioned fifty meters away, aimed directly at him and at his densely packed comrades around him.

"Back off! Back off!" Gupta roared like a madman, trying to turn around and retreat, trying to warn his companions, but the chaotic crowd had already trapped him firmly, and his voice was drowned out by the chaotic shouts and shoving sounds, and no one heard him at all.

Just as he was struggling to break free from the crowd, the British soldiers on the gun emplacement received Dugan's orders.

Without the slightest hesitation, the gunner forcefully shoved the red-hot ramrod into the gun's firing port.

Boom boom boom

Three loud bangs rang out almost simultaneously, deafeningly loud, and the entire town of Omarachi trembled slightly.

Three 6-pound cannons fired simultaneously, unleashing a barrage of grapeshot that rained down on the chaotic guerrilla force.

Without any suspense, the guerrillas at the forefront fell one after another into pools of blood, like weeds swept away by a whirlwind.

The grapeshot pierced their tattered clothes, leaving countless wounds on their bodies. Blood gushed out instantly, staining the ground beneath their feet and the walls beside them.

The screams and wails instantly drowned out all the shouts of killing, so horrifying they sent chills down one's spine.

Gupta was hit in the shoulder by a lead bullet, and half of his body went numb.

The once crowded streets were instantly transformed into a scene of carnage, with blood flowing like streams through the cracks in the streets. The air was thick with the stench of blood and gunpowder, a nauseating mix.

The surviving guerrillas were utterly terrified by the horrific scene. Gone was their previous bravery and determination. They fled in a frenzy, pushing and trampling intensified, and more people died in the chaos.

Those guerrillas who were directly hit by grapeshot had few intact limbs; countless human fragments, along with splattered blood, were scattered in all directions through the air.

"Wow..."

Megava, who was standing at the top of the tower, vomited all over the ground.

Dugan remained standing with his hands behind his back, looking at the horrific scene below without any emotion on his face, as if everything before him had nothing to do with him.

Because the battle plan was prepared in advance and command was delegated to officers at all levels, there was no need to wait for Dugan's orders; officers at all levels could command the battle according to the actual situation.

The British soldiers on the gun emplacements acted swiftly, quickly reloading their ammunition, and the three cannons were once again aimed at the chaotic fleeing guerrillas.

Boom boom boom

Three more loud explosions followed, and another barrage of grapeshot rained down, leaving another group of guerrillas lying in pools of blood.

But with the narrow passageway and the crowded people, they had nowhere to escape.

A few seconds later, the third round of artillery fire was launched, also using grapeshot, with the same power and the same effect.

Within 10 seconds, the grape-shaped projectiles fired from the three cannons created 1500 demon eggs. At least two-thirds of these iron pellets hit the guerrillas on the street directly, causing nearly 400 casualties in an instant.

But when the guerrillas in the back row discovered that their comrades standing in front of them were dying layer by layer, like an onion being peeled, the survivors finally broke down. They screamed in panic like women who had been violated.

Many people began to discard their weapons and desperately turned and retreated, trying to escape the bombardment.

However, it was too late. In the lull between shelling attacks, hundreds of British infantrymen, who were hiding on the balconies on both sides of the street and below the gun emplacements, pointed their guns at the fleeing guerrillas.

Bang bang bang

A barrage of gunfire erupted, and a large number of Indians accepted Shiva's call and went to heaven.

Because of the overcrowding, many guerrillas died, but their bodies could not fall to the ground and were instead pushed and shoved by their comrades in the crowd.

On another street, a similar frenzied massacre was unfolding.

Within just two minutes, almost all of the thousands of guerrillas who poured into the two passages perished under artillery fire or gunfire.

The British barricades they had just captured now became obstacles to their escape; very few were able to cross the first barricade and escape.

Megava finally finished vomiting everything in his stomach. Gasping for breath, he said to Dugan, "Major, we won, didn't we?"

"Not yet!" Dugan frowned, his gaze sweeping over the guerrillas still struggling to escape below. His tone revealed a hint of impatience and disdain: "The grapeshot is too slow. At this rate, it's just a waste of ammunition."

"What?" Megawa was taken aback again.

Dugan raised his hand, signaling the communications officer to come forward, and said, "Pass on my order: immediately switch to solid shot and fire at the dense crowd in the middle of the street. Don't conserve ammunition; clear these scum out as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Major!" The messenger immediately relayed the order.

"Why switch to solid shot?" Megawa still didn't understand Dugan's intention.

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers on the gun emplacement immediately sprang into action, firing grapeshot rounds from the breech and then reloading solid shot.

The dark, heavy solid shot was carefully pushed into the breech, the ammunition was tamped, and the firing angle was calculated.

"Ready—Fire!" the gunner shouted sternly.

Boom boom boom

Three louder, more muffled, and more deafening explosions rang out as three cannons fired simultaneously. Three dark, solid shot bullets, like arrows released from a bow, hurtled towards the crowd in the center of the street with a whooshing sound.

The first solid shot struck the crowd, instantly piercing through the bodies of three guerrillas and shattering them. Blood and bits of flesh splattered onto the walls, the ground, and even onto fleeing guerrillas in the distance.

Immediately afterward, the solid shot continued to roll forward with tremendous force, knocking down a group of guerrillas along the way. Some had their limbs broken, and the crisp sound of bones shattering was mixed with shrill screams, sending chills down one's spine.

The second solid shot landed in a densely populated area, instantly exploding into a cloud of blood mist.

A guerrilla fighter was hit directly in the chest by a solid shot, his body was blown to pieces, and his internal organs were scattered all over the ground.

The surrounding guerrillas were thrown into the air by the shockwave and fell to the ground. Some were hit by the residual force of the solid shot, while others were trampled by the people behind them. In just a few seconds, dozens of people lay motionless in pools of blood.

The third solid shot tumbled and rolled across the ground, crushing the legs of guerrilla fighters wherever it went, accompanied by cries of agony and screams.

Those team members who were lucky enough not to be directly hit fell into utter despair at the horrific scene before them. They frantically tried to escape this hellish street, but were trapped by the crowded masses and could only watch helplessly as solid shot came at them again and again.

The narrow streets were no longer filled with intact corpses; instead, there were broken limbs and flowing blood everywhere. The craters left by solid bullets were filled with blood and bits of flesh.

The surviving guerrillas were covered in blood, their eyes were vacant, and some collapsed to the ground, giving up the struggle.

Some were wildly waving their weapons, but didn't know where to rush towards.

Others tried to climb over the piles of corpses to escape, but were shot dead by British soldiers on the rooftops and second floors along the street, instantly becoming part of the corpses.

"Ugh!" Megava vomited again, but there was nothing in her stomach, only bile.

Dugan glanced at Megava and said dismissively, "Never seen anything like this before..."

Actually, Dugan himself felt a little uncomfortable at this moment. As a surgical intern in this world, he had performed many autopsies, but...

Upon witnessing the same horrific scene, Raj, the guerrilla leader, was completely stunned.

This is hardly a war!

It was a one-sided massacre!

By the time Raj came to his senses, all he could do was flee eastward with his distraught men. They prayed incessantly to Shiva, Brahma, or any other god, urging them to act quickly.

Help yourself escape this hell on earth and follow the path you came from to successfully return to the mountains.