Wearing British clothes as a second-generation aristocrat

16. New Task

Dugan and Haywood waited outside the camp.

Dugan, riding on horseback, saw a bustling scene at the camp.

The vast camp resembled a city, divided into several areas by different flags.

Some soldiers were training, some were organizing equipment, some were moving supplies, and some were setting up tents.

The soldiers included not only Europeans, but also many dark-skinned Indians and Sikhs wearing turbans.

Soon after, Colonel Stevenson arrived at the camp gate with several guards.

Colonel Stevenson, dressed in a neat and tidy uniform, stood in stark contrast to the disheveled appearance of Dugan and Lieutenant Colonel Haywood.

"Lieutenant Colonel Haywood, Major Connby, you've done a great job!" Colonel Stevenson strode forward, his tone tinged with approval. "You've done an excellent job leading the Second Battalion to the camp after being ambushed by the Maratha militants."

"By God's grace, and by the command of Lieutenant Colonel Haywood and the bravery of the soldiers," Dugan said, raising his head and saluting Stevenson.

Lieutenant Colonel Haywood didn't seem to be very eloquent; he just saluted.

Colonel Stevenson nodded and waved his hand, signaling for the main force to enter the camp for repairs.

The British army's method of occupying land and constructing barracks was very similar to that of the ancient Roman legions, with clear divisions of camp functions and different flags used as markers.

Upon entering the camp, Major McKenzie led the soldiers directly to the barracks, while Dugan and Haywood followed Stevenson to the regimental headquarters.

Upon entering the regimental headquarters, Dugen found the furnishings to be simple, with a huge table in the center. However, upon closer inspection, he discovered that it was actually just a stack of ammunition boxes covered with a large tablecloth.

Maps, documents, and pens were laid out on the table. The tent, facing the gate, was adorned with the regimental flag of the 94th Infantry Regiment and a portrait of King George III of Great Britain.

Colonel Stevenson gestured for the two men to sit down and said, "Tell me, what happened to you both?"

Lieutenant Colonel Haywood immediately stood up, took out a prepared report from his bag, and handed it to Colonel Stevenson.

Heywood's report was neatly written and detailed, recording in detail the marching route, the ambush, troop casualties, and material consumption.

Based on Dugan's interactions with Haywood and Mackenzie over the past few days, Dugan believed that the report was written by Major Mackenzie. Haywood, being a roughneck, couldn't have written such a report, and besides, he had spent most of his time with Haywood and hadn't seen him put pen to paper.

The report summarized Dugan's performance in a single sentence: "Major Connby was an excellent marksman who killed enemy standard-bearers and commanders in succession during the battle, playing a key role in defeating the enemy." There were no extra praises, only an objective statement.

Colonel Stevenson smiled slightly after Heywood finished reading the report. He looked up at Dugan.

"Major Dugan, do you have anything to add?"

Dugan said, "Lieutenant Colonel Haywood and Major McKenzie remained calm and held the line when the unit was ambushed."

After a pause, Dugan continued, "But the 2nd Battalion is full of new recruits, and they fired indiscriminately when lured by the enemy. They were lucky this time, but Lady Luck won't always be on our side."

Lieutenant Colonel Haywood nodded in agreement.

Colonel Stevenson smiled. "So..."

Dugan continued, "So I hope to break up and reorganize the 2nd Battalion, or add more veterans to serve as sergeant majors and other positions."

Colonel Stevenson shook his head upon hearing this and said, "No, reorganizing would be too much trouble, because there's a tricky mission that requires your attention. However, I can replace your losses with some veterans."

"What mission?" Dugan asked.

Colonel Stevenson pointed to the high-hanging defense map, his finger lightly tracing its outline. "The Schollingur camp is strategically located, our core stronghold in this area, but the area around the camp is not peaceful."

Colonel Stevenson pointed to several markers near the camp on the deployment map and continued, "Several towns are scattered around the camp, the most crucial of which are Omarachi, Kapur, and Bandawa. These towns have long been the operating areas of the Marata Federation militia. They lurk in the houses of these towns, appearing and disappearing unpredictably, frequently harassing our supply lines, plundering supplies, and threatening the security of the camp."

Although Colonel Stevenson used the term "militia," the first word that came to Dugan's mind after hearing Colonel Stevenson's description was "guerrillas."

However, the word "guerrilla" did not appear in Spanish until the Peninsular War of 1808, when it was translated as "guerrilla" (small war), and it did not enter English until 1809.

The emergence of truly systematic anti-guerrilla warfare tactics did not occur until the 1840s, during the time of French Field Marshal Thomas Robert Birou de Labigonly.

After listening to Colonel Stevenson's description, Lieutenant Colonel Haywood's expression gradually became serious.

The previous ambush by scattered Marata forces had already cost the 2nd Battalion a considerable amount of money, and now, judging from Colonel Stevenson's tone, it seems that the 2nd Battalion is about to head to this troublesome place.

"Previously, this defense zone was the responsibility of the 72nd Infantry Regiment for encirclement and suppression," Colonel Stevenson said with a hint of helplessness. "But after they arrived, not only did they fail to complete the encirclement and suppression mission and completely eliminate the guerrillas, they were also frequently harassed by the militia. After several months, the 72nd Infantry Regiment suffered heavy casualties and huge losses of supplies, and was simply unable to hold the defense zone any longer. With no other choice, they had to be transferred to the rear for rest and reorganization, and this defense zone was taken over by our 94th Infantry Regiment."

Lieutenant Colonel Haywood frowned and said, "Colonel, these militiamen are hidden in the town, mixed in with the civilians, making them difficult to distinguish. Moreover, they are familiar with the terrain and adept at surprise attacks. Completely eradicating them will be extremely difficult. The fate of the 72nd Infantry Regiment is enough to illustrate this point. And our 2nd Battalion is just a temporary addition..."

Colonel Stevenson nodded in agreement: "You're right, that's precisely the difficulty of this mission. But the defense zone can't be left undefended, otherwise the guerrillas will only become more rampant, and may even directly threaten the safety of Camp Schollinger. Therefore, I've decided that Lieutenant Colonel Haywood, you will lead the 2nd Battalion of the 94th Infantry Regiment to garrison the town of Omarazi."

Lieutenant Colonel Haywood remained silent for a few seconds before finally standing up, giving a reluctant salute, and saying, "Yes, sir."

Colonel Stevenson nodded, then turned his gaze to Dugan.

"Major Dugan, you will remain at the regimental headquarters to oversee intelligence work in the defense zone, gather information on the movements of the Marata guerrillas, communicate with Lieutenant Colonel Haywood in a timely manner, and provide support for the Second Battalion's garrison and mopping-up operations."

Dugan also stood up and saluted, "Yes, sir."

Colonel Stevenson's arrangement was largely within Dugan's expectations. He did not believe that Colonel Stevenson would send him to Omarachi Town with Lieutenant Colonel Haywood to participate in frontline garrison and clearing operations.

Just kidding, I'm Dugan Connby.

He himself was a person of connections, from a long-established aristocratic family with influence and connections, unlike Heywood, who came from a commoner background and rose through the ranks entirely through military merit.

How could they possibly send me to the front lines to wipe out the guerrillas? It's such a dangerous task.

If anything were to happen to him, Colonel Stevenson's days would be numbered; even Jesus couldn't save him.

Lieutenant Colonel Haywood gave Dugan a meaningful look, his eyes seeming to say, "Different people, different fates!"