diymy 32. Even terrorists couldn't withstand it.
32. Even terrorists couldn't withstand it.
In another interrogation room, Kamal was tied to a chair, head bowed, eyes fixed intently on Dugan, and roared, "Bring it on! Even if I, Kamal, am torn to pieces, I will never bow down to you invaders!"
Dugan ignored his roars, found a chair, and slowly sat down in front of him. He looked at him calmly for a long time before turning to Joffrey, who was standing to the side, and asked in a flat tone, "Joffrey, you've been in charge of the interrogation for so long, you should know some torture methods, right? Tell me, what are some ways to get someone to talk?"
Joffrey paused for a moment, then replied, "For example, whipping, branding, finger clamping, and piercing the palm with a red-hot wire."
He paused, then added, "But this Indian man has a strong will, and these methods have no effect on him."
Upon hearing this, Dugen shook his head slightly, a dismissive smile on his face: "These are all too ordinary, merely the tip of the iceberg, hardly qualifying as real torture."
As he spoke, his gaze returned to Kamal, his tone still calm, and he said, word by word, "I know of a form of torture from ancient China called 'Lingchi'. It involves using a sharp knife to cut away pieces of flesh from a person's limbs, one by one. With each cut, the victim must not die immediately, but must watch their own flesh being cut away, experiencing the agony of being worse than dead. The whole process can last a whole day, or even several days."
Megava felt extremely uncomfortable just translating these words.
Kamal, who was listening to this, trembled slightly, and a crack flashed in his arrogant eyes, but he still pretended to be calm, biting his lip tightly and not saying a word.
Dugan seemed oblivious to his reaction and continued slowly, "There's another one called 'branding iron.' A copper pillar is heated until it's red-hot, and then the person being tortured is forced to lie naked against it. Their skin is instantly charred, making a sizzling sound. The burning pain is enough to break even the most resilient person."
Joffrey added at the opportune moment, "Like frying a steak, Major?"
Dugan nodded and said, "Pretty much. After all, we're not beef, so we don't know what it feels like."
As Megawa translated, he glanced sideways at Dugan, thinking to himself, "How can this handsome Englishman be so perverted?"
"In addition to this, there is another form of torture called 'drowning in a pig cage,' which involves putting a person into a bamboo cage and then throwing them into the water, letting them struggle and suffocate. When they are about to suffocate, they are pulled out and this is repeated several times until they are willing to talk."
Dugan described each form of torture in great detail, as if he had witnessed it firsthand. Then, Joffrey would thoughtfully add a sentence or two, making the listener feel even more immersed in the experience.
Megawa, who was in charge of translating, was in deep trouble. He was getting goosebumps all over and was hoping that Kamal would confess soon so that this damned interrogation could end.
"There is an even simpler method: using a thin needle to slowly pierce a person's fingernails, from the fingertip all the way to the base of the finger. The excruciating pain is ten or a hundred times more painful than whipping. There is also 'cadaverization,' where a person is nailed to a wooden board, causing them to bleed uncontrollably and die slowly. The process is long and painful."
Joffrey crossed his arms. "Major, for God's sake, please spare me. Just hearing this makes me feel like you're going to crush every bone in my body."
Kamal, however, had long lost his former arrogance and composure.
His face was ashen, his body trembled slightly, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. His eyes were filled with undisguised fear. He had experienced the cruelty of the battlefield, been captured by the Mughals, and endured the agony of interrogation.
But each of the tortures Dugan described was more cruel and terrifying than he had imagined.
He wasn't afraid of death, but he was afraid of the excruciating pain, afraid that in the extreme agony he would be unable to resist leaking information about the guerrillas and becoming a traitor.
However, Kamal was more afraid that he would not be able to withstand the torture and would end up with no remains.
Seeing Kamal's gradually softening expression, Dugan knew that Kamal's psychological defenses had crumbled.
However, Dugan remained calm, "Oh, right, there's another simple and easy-to-use punishment."
"Lieutenant Joffrey, go get the water bottle and some towels," Dugan said.
"Yes, sir." Lieutenant Joffrey quickly brought over a water bottle and a towel.
"Put the towel on this gentleman's face, then pour water onto the towel." Dugan's tone remained calm. "After pouring the first pot of water, add another towel, then continue to the second pot, and so on."
Joffrey had never seen such torture before, so he couldn't help but ask, "Is this all there is to it?"
Dugan nodded, glancing sideways at Kamal, whose handsome face looked as sinister as Satan in the dim, flickering light.
Of course, military strategy emphasizes surrounding three sides and leaving one side open, and the same applies to interrogation.
Dugan said softly, "I know, Mr. Kamal, you are a warrior of principle, but principle is worthless in the face of extreme pain. I don't want to torture you like this; after all, you still have Mijiga to protect."
Upon hearing the name Mijija, Kamal immediately started shouting.
Megava didn't dare reveal what Mijiga had gone through, so he translated, "Major, he said you shouldn't hurt Mijiga, this has nothing to do with her."
Dugen smiled and said, "As long as you are willing to surrender and disclose all the guerrilla strongholds, troop deployments, and material reserves, I will keep my promise, let you and Mijija leave, and give you enough food and money so that you will never have to live a life of wandering and fear again."
Kamal's body trembled even more violently. He closed his eyes tightly, his mind replaying the tortures Dugan had described, and the image of Mijija with tears streaming down her face. The struggle in his heart intensified.
His loyalty and integrity gradually cracked under the dual impact of fear and love.
Dugan waved his hand and said, "Lieutenant Joffrey, what are you waiting for?"
"Yes, Major." Lieutenant Joffrey and several burly men stepped forward, placed towels on Camar's face, and began pouring water on him.
The torture of covering the face with a towel and pouring water on it may not kill immediately, but it can create an endless feeling of drowning and suffocation.
A person's mouth, nose, and eyes are covered, and water is slowly poured down. With each breath, they can only inhale the cold, damp air, causing their throat to constrict and their chest to feel tight, as if they are being held underwater and slowly sinking.
A combination of lucid consciousness, the fear of impending death, and the despair of being unable to struggle is enough to break even the toughest person after a few rounds, forcing them to break down and confess.
Drowning and suffocation are instinctive fears of humans, and willpower alone cannot overcome these instinctive reactions.
This method of forced confession works even on terrorists in later generations, let alone a mere Kamal.
Kamal's attitude changed after he had just finished watering the first pot.
Megawa translated, "Major, he has agreed to confess, as long as you release him and let him and Mijiga run away together."
"Deal." Dugan nodded in satisfaction.
Soon, Dugan learned everything he wanted to know.
The leader of the Maratha guerrillas was named Raj Singh Johan. Johan was from one of the core clans of the Rajput Shahtili, a family of warrior nobles for generations, and the most powerful caste in the Maratha League.
Raj himself was born in 1775 in the Kingdom of Chauhan (a Rajputkshatriya city-state under the Maratha League), belonging to the highest Kshatriya caste. His family had guarded the northern border of the Maratha League for generations.
In 1792, when Raj was 19, the Maratha League, in order to counter the remnants of the Mughal Empire and the infiltration of the British East India Company, hired military advisors from the exiled French Bourbon dynasty (due to the Napoleonic Wars, a large number of French military talents had fled to India). Raj, with his noble status and outstanding military talent, was selected to join the "Maratha French-style training regiment" and received three years of systematic military training.
In the Battle of Agra in 1798, the young Raj defeated a 3000-strong Mughal garrison and captured a large number of cannons. In 1801, he destroyed the British temporary armory in Agra, inflicting heavy losses on the British army.
The number of guerrillas operating around Omarachi was larger than Dugan had imagined; according to Kamal, Raj's guerrilla force numbered around 3000. However, they were almost completely untrained, severely lacking in equipment, with no artillery and only 800 firearms, many of which were old-fashioned matchlock muskets.
"Mr. Kamal, congratulations." Dugan smiled smugly as he watched Kamal spill his beans. "You can continue living. With your Mijiga."