Wearing British clothes as a second-generation aristocrat

24. Fellow Scotsman

Dugan's roar made Lieutenant Cook tremble. He didn't dare to delay for a moment and quickly replied, "Yes, sir!"

Then, Lieutenant Cook strode hurriedly toward the quartermaster's office, his round figure followed by a fat pig.

Sure enough, Dugan's name worked.

In less than an hour, Lieutenant Cook arrived with a squad of quartermasters and a dozen horse-drawn carts.

The wagon was piled high with brand-new red military uniforms, lice powder, military razors, soap, several buckets of clean drinking water, and even some hair clippers—all the supplies were complete, even more thoughtful than Dugan had expected.

"Reporting, Major! All supplies have been requisitioned and are in place: six hundred sets of uniforms, lice powder, razors, soap, and drinking water—it's all here!"

Lieutenant Cook was sweating profusely, but had a fawning smile on his face. He was still a bit dirty, but his tone was full of respect.

When he went to the quartermaster this time and mentioned Dugan's name, Lieutenant Colonel Smith immediately ordered an inventory of supplies without saying a word, without daring to delay in the slightest. This made him realize that this young major had a very strong backing.

Dugan glanced at the supplies on the wagon and nodded in satisfaction. "There's a small river nearby. Have everyone go bathe in the river to wash off all the dirt. Wash your hair with lice powder, then cut your hair short, shave your beards, and put on your new uniforms. Meet here in an hour, and we'll head back to camp."

"Yes, Major!" Lieutenant Cook responded quickly and turned to organize the soldiers to distribute supplies.

The more than 600 remaining soldiers of the 72nd Regiment, upon seeing the brand-new uniforms and complete supplies on the wagon, instantly erupted in excitement. The dejection and numbness on their faces vanished, replaced by undisguised excitement and exhilaration.

They hadn't worn clean clothes or taken a proper bath in so long. Now that they had the supplies, they couldn't wait to rush to the nearby stream, their cheers echoing across the empty wasteland.

For a time, the riverbank was bustling with activity.

The soldiers took off their old, muddy, smelly uniforms that looked like rags and plunged into the river to wash off the filth.

The river water wasn't crystal clear, but it was enough to wash away their sweat and exhaustion. On the bank were piles of brand-new military uniforms, lice powder, and razors.

After showering, the soldiers gathered together, helping each other cut their hair and shave, carefully washing their hair with lice-repellent powder, and long-lost smiles gradually appeared on their faces.

Dugan and Tom stood at a distance, watching this scene, a faint smile on their faces.

Tom couldn't help but say, "Major, I didn't expect them to be so excited. It seems that what you gave them was more than just supplies."

Dugen smiled without saying a word. These days, being a soldier is just a job, unlike the People's Liberation Army soldiers of later generations. There's no sense of honor; it's purely about making a living.

Officers showed little respect for ordinary soldiers.

For example, Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, once said: "Our army, the ordinary soldiers are all the scum of the earth, the absolute scum of humanity."

So Dugan thinks that what soldiers want these days is actually very simple: enough to eat and wear, and some dignity. They'll be willing to work hard for you. If you can also give them promotions, raises, and a little extra money, they'll definitely be loyal to you.

An hour later, all six hundred soldiers were ready, dressed in brand-new red military uniforms, with neatly cut hair and clean-shaven faces, no longer looking as disheveled and dirty as before.

His entire demeanor has been completely transformed, and his posture has gradually straightened, giving him a more soldierly appearance.

"Assemble!" Dugan shouted, and the more than 600 soldiers immediately lined up. Although the formation was not very neat, it was much better than before when they were lax.

"Let's go! Back to camp!" Dugan mounted his horse, followed closely by Captain Tom, Captain Horn, Lieutenant Cook, and others. More than 600 soldiers marched toward the camp of the 2nd Battalion of the 94th Infantry Regiment.

Before long, the team arrived at the Second Battalion's camp.

At the camp entrance, Lieutenant Joffrey had already led over four hundred soldiers from the 94th Regiment in a line to wait. When they saw Dugan return with over six hundred soldiers in new uniforms, the soldiers of the 94th Regiment all cast curious glances their way.

Dugen dismounted and shouted, "Soldiers, these men behind me are from the 2nd Battalion of the 72nd Infantry Regiment. From this day forward, we are one family, all soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the 94th Infantry Regiment. We will fight side by side and wash away our shame!"

Dugan disliked long speeches, so after saying a few simple words, he ordered the meeting to be dismissed.

The two groups of soldiers began to chat in small groups. Someone in the crowd spoke up, calling out in heavily accented Scottish English, "Hey! You're from the 72nd Regiment? I'm from the 94th Regiment, my hometown is Inverness, Scotland!"

"What? Inverness? Me too!" A soldier from the 72nd Regiment immediately responded, a delighted smile spreading across his face. He quickly stepped forward, patted the other soldier on the shoulder, and said, "I didn't expect to meet a fellow countryman here! Did you encounter an ambush by the Marathas in Omarazi? We did too, those guys were too cunning!"

"Exactly! They hide in the woods, open fire when we're not looking, and then run away. We can't catch them at all!"

Dugan was washing his face in his tent. When he came out and saw the scene in front of him, he was quite surprised.

None of the conflicts and disputes he had anticipated actually occurred.

The soldiers from the two battalions seemed to know each other well, and they gathered together to chat, their tone friendly and their faces full of surprise.

It turned out that most of the two groups of people came from Scotland. Some were from the same hometown, and some were from neighboring towns. Even though they had previously belonged to different regiments, they instantly became closer because of their familiar Scottish accents.

To Dugan's surprise, the soldiers' conversation quickly turned to their experiences with the Maratha guerrillas.

Some recounted the harrowing experiences of being ambushed, others shared their breakout techniques, and still others discussed how to deal with the Marathas' guerrilla warfare. They exchanged ideas in a very harmonious atmosphere.

Just then, Tom patted Lieutenant Cook on the shoulder and asked in heavily accented English, "Hey buddy, does your accent sound like it's from Aberdeen, Scotland?"

Lieutenant Cook paused for a moment, then broke into a delighted smile and nodded vigorously. "That's right! I'm from Aberdeen! You are too?"

"Hahaha! What a coincidence!" Tom excitedly patted Cook on the shoulder. "I'm also from Aberdeen, we're even from the same town! When I left my hometown, weren't you still an apprentice at the bakery on the east side of town?"

"Yes, yes, yes! It's me!" Lieutenant Cook exclaimed excitedly, his chubby face jiggling. "I never expected to run into someone from my hometown here! I couldn't make it in the army, so I joined, and I never thought I'd see you here!"

The two chatted back and forth about trivial matters in their hometown, their tone warm and friendly, as if they had endless things to say.

Captain Horn, Captain Silva, and others standing nearby smiled as they watched the soldiers from the two battalions getting along so well.

They had initially worried that merging the two battalions would create conflict, but now it seems that such worries were completely unnecessary.