Chapter 68 Receipt
The tip of the authentic dum-dum bullet is not covered, and the lead core is exposed. After the bullet enters the human body, the lead core expands or ruptures, thereby expanding the wound area and causing serious harm to the person. A direct hit by a dum-dum bullet at a distance of 100 meters will result in 100% mortality if it is shot in the head, 20% mortality if it is shot in the limbs, and the rest will require amputation. A shot in the left chest near the heart will result in 100% mortality, and a shot in the right chest and abdomen will result in 70% mortality.
The simplified version of the dum-dum bullet is easy to make. Just use a file to slightly change the shape of the bullet head to increase its lethality.
Rock still doesn't know whether the British army has used dum bullets. At least the Cape Town Police Department has not used this type of bullet before. However, when the Boers started using dum bullets, Rock didn't believe that the British could resist not using them. After all, the dum bullets were first invented by the British.
The train gradually drove away from the unknown hill. Rock was in a heavy mood. The four policemen who died had just arrived in Cape Town, and Rock had not even had time to remember their names.
Although Rock wanted to bring the fallen Chinese police officers back to Cape Town for burial, the conditions were not met. Rock and his team had to continue to Dordrecht, so they could only bury the four fallen Chinese police officers on that unknown hillside. Rock secretly took note of the reference objects nearby, hoping that there would be a chance in the future to move the remains of the four Chinese police officers back to Cape Town for burial.
"Don't worry, Locke, I will apply for the highest standard of pension for them. Don't worry about the injured police officers. After they recover, they can continue to work. Even if they can't work, the government will not sit idly by." Henry is a very nice person, and the British government these days is indeed very generous.
"Thank you, Henry." Rock knew that Henry had done what he could.
From the perspective of the families of the four Chinese policemen who died in the battle , money certainly cannot make up for their pain, but being able to get a pension is already very good. The average life expectancy these days is only in his thirties, and the value of life is not that precious. If it were Qing soldiers who died in battle, it would be hard to say whether they would get a pension.
…
The eleven prisoners were placed in different parts of the train. Thanks to the open-top carriage design, the prisoners were tied to crosses and placed directly in the carriage and could be seen from a distance.
The Boers were not as ruthless as Rock had imagined, and everything went smoothly afterwards, with the train arriving safely in Dordrecht.
Dordrecht is a small town located in the Orange Free State, only 50 kilometers away from the besieged Ladysmith. The Eastern Front started from here.
Rock originally thought that as long as the supplies were delivered to Dordrecht, the commandos could return directly, but after the commandos arrived in Dordrecht, another accident occurred.
"Captain Henry, right? Bring your men and follow me." An officer with the rank of major motioned the commandos to follow him.
"Mr. Major, we are on a mission." Henry was not stupid and was unwilling to follow the major. God knew where he would be taken.
"Captain Henry, your last mission has been completed, and now you have a new mission." The major said expressionlessly.
"Mr. Major, we haven't completed the mission yet. This is only part of our mission. We still have to go back to Cape Town to continue escorting supplies." Henry already felt something was wrong. No matter what the new mission was, Henry was unwilling to accept it.
"I said, the mission of escorting supplies has been completed, and now you have to accept new tasks." The major's expression was serious, and his eyes looking at Henry became increasingly cold.
Henry was helpless. He could not defeat the enemy. On the territory of the expeditionary force headquarters, the commandos had no choice.
Let's go. The commandos packed their luggage on the simple platform. More than 40 war horses captured in the previous battle were also led out of the carriage. Looking at these war horses, the major had a new request.
"Give these war horses to the soldiers over there. You won't need them next." The major finally had a smile on his face. The expeditionary army lacked war horses, but more than a hundred policemen were equipped with sixty or seventy war horses. It was really too luxurious.
"Mr. Major, these horses were captured in our previous battles." Henry argued that the British army did not have the policy of returning all captured horses to the public, not to mention that the commandos were police, which were completely different from the military.
"Fighting, what fighting?" The major said impatiently, looking at the commandos with undisguised contempt.
"We were attacked by Boer guerrillas on the way to Dordrecht. We killed 35 Boer guerrillas and captured the remaining 11, those guys on the cross. These horses were all captured by us." Henry was full of pride. Even in the military, this was considered a great victory.
It was indeed a great victory. In the Battle of Ladysmith a few months ago, the British army had 1,139 killed and 250 missing, while the Boer army had only 8 killed and 30 wounded.
In the earlier First Boer War, the British army suffered 170 deaths, 280 wounded, and 54 captured, while the Boers suffered only 3 deaths and 9 wounded.
From the First Boer War to the present, the British have never gained any advantage over the Boers. In one battle, the commandos killed 35 Boers and captured 11, which was indeed a rare victory.
"35 killed, 11 captured, and dozens of war horses seized? Are you crazy or am I blind?" The major didn't believe it at all.
"I'm not crazy. As for whether you are blind or not, Mr. Major, I don't know, but if you want to know the truth, you just have to interrogate the prisoners." Henry also has a temper. What's more, he has made contributions. Does he really think that his father, the director of the Colonial Affairs Department, is a decoration?
By the way, the director’s father is a baron. Although the title is a bit lower, he is still a nobleman.
"As you wish, Captain Henry, I will of course have them interrogated. As for the horses, they have now been requisitioned by the expeditionary force headquarters. I can give you a receipt, and when you return to Cape Town, you can ask your governor for it." The major was not angry, probably because he had already understood Henry's background. His hypocritical behavior was annoying.
"Thank you, I will." Henry said seriously. As long as he had the receipt from the expeditionary headquarters, Henry really dared to ask Governor Alfred Milner for horses. Although Alfred Milner was the governor, he did not even have a title yet, so Henry was not really afraid of Alfred Milner.
Don't be afraid to go home. When you are under someone's roof, you have to bow your head when you should. After giving the receipt to Phyllis, Henry and Rock organized the team and followed the major out of the town. Before they left the town, Rock heard the rumbling of cannons in the distance.
