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The Fox of France - Chapter 175
🕑 Added 2023-11-09 18:16:38 +0000 UTCEarly in the morning, Matt got up and prepared to leave the village with his father. They were headed to the fields to hill the potatoes. This was a busy time for farming. The potato plants in the fields had already started to bloom, indicating that the tubers beneath the soil were growing. Hilling the potatoes at this stage was crucial to ensure good yields.
A group of farmers gathered at the village entrance. The village was surrounded by a ditch about twelve to thirteen feet wide and more than two feet deep. Wooden stakes were driven into the bottom of the ditch, and there was about half a foot of water at the bottom, thanks to seeping groundwater and rain.
At the village entrance, a collapsible wooden bridge spanned the ditch. Several Irish police officers from the garrison were stationed there, checking the people leaving the village.
The British had forcibly gathered people from nearby villages into this one for "management," as they claimed. However, it had created difficulties for the local residents. Some families had homes in this village, but those forced to move here had no proper shelter and had to make do with makeshift huts of branches and mud.
The other challenge was the distance to their fields, which was far from the village. The British imposed curfews, so people couldn't leave the village until it was nearly dawn, and in the afternoon, the bridge was raised, preventing those returning late from entering the village. Missing the curfew meant being considered suspicious and subjected to investigation. Even if someone could prove they were not involved with the rebels and it was their first offense, they would be whipped. A second offense would result in a year of hard labor in a quarry or similar place. If they survived the year and reoffended, they would be hanged.
This put the lives of nearly all the villagers in the hands of the "Black Dogs," as they called the Irish police. These officers deliberately delayed opening the bridge in the morning and closed it early in the evening. Those who couldn't get in had to bribe them for entry.
Matt's family's field was about four miles from the village. Even if they rushed, they could work for only an hour in the field before having to hurry back to make it before the bridge closed. However, Matt's father had recently given a bribe to their captain, Captain Hulahan, which had bought them some leniency.
Captain Hulahan was infamous for his greed and ruthlessness. In just one month after arriving, he had sent ten people to the gallows and over twenty to the quarries through various means. Through such methods, he made everyone in the village bow to him.
After Matt's father had given him a sum of money, Hulahan issued a loan note, allowing them to return later each day. He didn't specify how late "later" was, though. He just said, "I'm Irish too. How can I not know it's the time when potatoes are flowering? If your crops fail and you can't repay what you owe, when will you ever be able to? Don't worry; now you're working for me. Why would I make things difficult for myself?"
Hulahan didn't cause any more trouble on this matter after that. Even if people returned late, they were allowed in as long as they owed him money. It was said that Hulahan's subordinates had suggested that it wasn't safe, and they should leave the farmers to fend for themselves in the open fields until morning. Hulahan had brushed it off, saying, "The rebels are finished now. What's there to be afraid of? Besides, Robert's mounted police patrol at night sometimes. If these folks run into them, it'll be trouble, big or small."
Many people in the village had taken a page from Hulahan's book. They, too, had used his connections to secure some leniency and started returning late.
On their way to the field, Matt passed through the village where he used to live. It had been burned to the ground. He remembered that when they were forcibly relocated, an old man from the village had clung to a large tree near the village entrance, vowing never to leave. A British soldier had used his bayonet to fulfill that promise. To this day, there was a deep mark from the bayonet on that tree.
Matt's family's field was right beside the abandoned village, and the potato plants were growing beautifully, with tiny buds forming on the stems. In another ten days, the field would be covered in white flowers.
This was a critical time for the potatoes, and if they didn't tend to them properly, it could affect the yield. Failing to repay Hulahan's loan, let alone the rent to Lord Anderson, was not an option.
The farmers worked in the field. Since they were allowed to return late, they worked a bit longer. They toiled until the setting sun painted the sky red, then started packing up to head back.
As they reached the village entrance, the sun had set, and the moon had risen. A group of farmers, each carrying various tools, walked to the village entrance. If some bourgeois with a touch of romanticism saw this scene, they might have recited a verse like "Awakening at dawn to reclaim the wilderness, returning under the moonlight with hoes in hand."
However, no one was in a leisurely mood. They were all waiting for Hulahan to lay the bridge for them to enter the village.
A narrow plank, much narrower than in the morning and only wide enough for one person at a time, was passed over the ditch and placed on the bridge. Several Irish police officers, holding knives and torches, stood there.
"One at a time, come over here. Put down your tools and raise your hands for a search," one of them ordered.
The villagers, one by one, walked over the narrow plank, left their tools on the ground, and raised their hands for a search. The officers would search one person, then allow the next one to come over.
After a while, Matt's father was next in line. However, someone suddenly cut in front of him, stepping onto the plank.
"Who's this?" Matt whispered.
The person was carrying a hoe, and the brim of their hat slightly covered their face. They calmly walked over, placed the hoe on the ground, and raised their hands for the search by the Black Dogs. The officers moved to remove their hat, but in that instant, the person's raised hands dropped swiftly. Their wrists flicked, and two knives appeared out of nowhere. They thrust the knives into the throats of the two officers searching them.
That person was Verfuh. Having killed these four Irish police officers, he felt a sudden danger. This feeling had saved his life on the battlefield more than once, and he didn't hesitate. He immediately ducked and rolled. Almost simultaneously, two gunshots rang out, hitting where he had been standing moments ago. Hulahan had prepared two hidden sentries. However, Verfuh was too fast, and they had just reacted.
As he rolled on the ground, Verfuh drew two revolvers from his back. He fired several shots toward the source of the gunfire and heard a muffled groan and the sound of bodies hitting the ground. In the darkness, he heard someone drop a rifle and run. That person shouted, "The guerrillas have broken in! The guerrillas have broken in!"
More people rushed from the bridge, holding guns, and stormed into the village. Matt saw his father among them.
"Follow me! I know the way in there! I know where they are!" Matt's father yelled.
Verfuh followed Matt's father and the other fighters into the village.
The ensuing battle was one-sided. When the guerrillas shouted "Surrender your weapons, and you won't be harmed," almost all of the Irish police officers chose to surrender. Only Hulahan was nowhere to be found. Upon hearing the gunshots, he had immediately lit a pre-prepared beacon and disappeared into the darkness.
Now that the beacon was lit, the guerrillas had to consider the possibility of British reinforcements. Estimating the distance, the British could arrive within approximately two hours after seeing the beacon. However, they still had to decide whether the British would dare to come out on such a night. If they did, Verfuh had a surprise waiting for them.
Even so, the guerrillas had to think about a retreat. They gathered the relocated villagers and told them they were an anti-British guerrilla group, here to defend the Irish people. They explained that the British might retaliate against the villagers, but they had the option to abandon the village and follow the guerrillas to the "free lands" where the British wouldn't dare to go. Most of the relocated villagers chose to follow the guerrillas, while those who originally belonged to the village decided to stay.
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