Chapter 73: Indifference
After Christmas, Winston returned to the front line to participate in the battle to relieve Kimberley. Three days ago, Winston had just arrived in Dordrecht to participate in the attack on Ladysmith.
"- At noon, I heard that a troop had wiped out a Boer guerrilla force. By the afternoon, almost everyone was talking about you, saying that you defeated Joubert and killed Louis Botha. What's even more amazing is that it was a group of policemen who did all that. When I heard that the heroes were a group of policemen, I immediately knew that it must be you who came. You are the most amazing police in the world. What the Imperial Army couldn't do is easy for you. Talk about how you did it. Your name will once again resound throughout the British Empire." Winston , and the main idea was just one sentence: Give me a chance to interview you.
Oh, by the way, I almost forgot, Winston is a war reporter.
Also, Winston was captured by Louis Botha, who was the most outstanding general of the Boer Army. In a few months, he would succeed Joubert as the commander-in-chief of the Boer Army. After the establishment of the Union of South Africa, Louis Botha was the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa.
After reading Louis Botha's resume, I feel that it is not so unacceptable that Winston was captured by Louis Botha.
Unfortunately, neither Rock nor Henry knew who Joubert was, nor who Louis Botha was, so Winston's excitement seemed a bit crazy to Rock and Henry.
If it were two months ago, Rock and Henry would not miss the opportunity to become famous. But now, times have changed and Rock and Henry have fully experienced the consequences of being famous, so they are not very excited.
"Who is Louis Botha?" Henry did not directly agree to Winston's interview request.
"You don't know?" Winston's expression froze. After confirming that Rock and Henry were not lying, Winston laughed and said, "That must be a rumor. I will tell you, I will kill a man like Louis Botha with my own hands. I will wash away the shame that Louis Botha has imposed on me with my own hands."
impose?
Not necessarily. As a war correspondent, Winston carried weapons with him when he went to the front line for interviews. That's why the Boer Alliance detained Winston. This was not an imposition, he deserved it!
However, neither Rock nor Henry refuted Winston's opinion. They smiled at each other and raised the enamel mugs of hot coffee to signal each other that fame, wealth and power are all fleeting.
"Hey, aren't you excited? You won the victory. You will definitely be commended by the expeditionary headquarters. You may even be awarded an honor by the Queen. This is real military achievement!" Winston didn't understand why Rock and Henry were so indifferent.
The British Empire is now past its barbaric pioneering period. To obtain a knighthood, one must have military merit. Generally speaking, military merit is earned through hard work, so it is very important. Winston has been in the army for many years, but has not received any military merit reward until now It is conceivable how difficult it is to obtain military merit.
"Sit down, Winston, sit down and take a rest, don't be so excited--" Rock said lightly, the blazing bonfire shone on Rock's face, and it seemed that Rock and Henry's skin color was no different: "Do you know how many people we had when we left Cape Town? Along the way, we have lost twelve brothers. So, I'm sorry Winston, I don't feel there is anything to be excited about. Perhaps only this cup of coffee after the fierce battle can make me feel that I am still alive."
"Why do you think so? Isn't it normal to sacrifice in war? We should be grateful just because we are still alive." Winston didn't understand Rock's sadness.
"If you knew what we went through, I believe Winston, you wouldn't think so. When you heard that a group of police launched an attack on the Boer coalition's position, didn't you realize why this happened?" Rock would be more vague, but Henry was so direct.
"Why?" Winston was not stupid, and his face turned pale immediately: "You mean, that report -"
"Winston, we are friends. I don't mean to blame you, but Winston, I really don't want to be in the newspapers anymore. The protagonists of this war should be the soldiers, not us policemen." Henry can now understand the meaning of being unworthy of one's position. Blindly flattering is sometimes not a good thing, but rather a form of flattery.
Winston did not argue any more. He sat down beside the campfire and watched the blazing fire in silence.
Although Winston is still young, it does not mean that Winston does not understand the ways of the world. On the contrary, Winston, who grew up in an aristocratic family, is more sensitive to conspiracy than ordinary people. When Winston reported Henry, he might have thought that this might cause trouble for Henry and Rock , but Henry and Rock were policemen affiliated with the Cape Town colonial government, which was two systems from the expeditionary force headquarters. Winston did not think that the expeditionary force headquarters could threaten Henry and Rock.
Things are unpredictable. Winston has long learned to use all objective factors to achieve his goals, but Winston has never deeply understood the serious consequences that certain potential dangers may cause.
Rock and Henry didn't want to talk either. Rock was thinking about the future, and Henry was helping Phyllis with her hair.
Phyllis had fallen into a deep sleep with her head resting on Henry's legs. The experiences of the past few days had been too much of a shock to Phyllis. The world of the Boy Scouts was completely different from that of adults.
Not far away, the remaining commandos gathered around several bonfires, wrapped in blankets and snuggling together. Some were already fast asleep, some were whispering, and some were sharing the spoils captured in the day's battle. Although the bonfire could only warm half of their bodies, they were not alone because they had brothers behind them.
After a long time, a knight passed by not far from Rock and his group's camp, and the breeze brought some intermittent words.
"——They were the ones who captured the positions of the Boer coalition forces. Before that, they also wiped out a group of Boer guerrillas. It's really unbelievable that a group of police officers did all this——"
"This is a disgrace to the empire. Two thousand five hundred expeditionary soldiers attacked a position defended by less than three hundred Boers for a week. It was in vain and they suffered heavy casualties. It was actually a group of policemen who completed this task. The generals of the expeditionary army should reflect on themselves."
"——Our problem now is how to deal with these policemen. They should not be on the battlefield——"
"--then let them do what they are supposed to do--don't make any more trouble, there are enough troubles already--"
