Chapter 341: Intensified Conflict
After Salah explained his plan to several Mysore high officials and made some adjustments to the details, he hurried back to his inn to report the operation to Lafayette.
As Salah departed, Sheikh Khan watched the receding silhouette of his carriage, then turned to those beside him and remarked, "If this goes smoothly, Jahanzaib will be dragged down to hell."
The lean officer responded with a hint of hesitation, "But merely abducting those who are to be released doesn't seem secure enough..."
A cold sneer flickered in Sheikh Khan's eyes. "These Europeans are certainly clever, but they aren't decisive enough. We must act our own way to ensure Jahanzaib has no chance of turning the tables!"
"What do you mean?"
"We will do this..."
The others nodded repeatedly at his words.
...
The next day.
An open space outside the city's largest prison was packed with four to five thousand people, all craning their necks, gazing expectantly at the prison gates behind a dozen guards.
Today was the day the government had announced the release of the arrested rumor-mongers, with over 370 people slated for release.
This brought a slight reprieve to the people of Mysore, who had been living under the suppression of panic for some time. Besides the families of those to be released, many more wished to witness the process firsthand.
After being reprimanded by Tipu Sultan face-to-face, Jahanzaib had already ordered a halt to the arrests of rumor-mongers. After a period of severe crackdown on rumors, he believed that even without further arrests, no one would dare casually discuss matters related to the British.
However, the administrative system had become less efficient this time. His orders were strictly enforced only in Mysore and Seringapatam; in more distant areas, the army was still making widespread arrests of people spreading rumors.
Jahanzaib hoped that this "demonstration" of releasing prisoners would send a message across the nation that 'the rumor incident was over,' thereby allowing the fervor to die down.
Not long after, the sun had climbed to the center of the sky. Under the anxious gaze of thousands, the prison gates remained stubbornly shut. Instead, the number of guards at the entrance significantly increased.
"I knew it! They're lying to everyone!" one of Sheikh Khan's planted men shouted as planned. "The arrests haven't ended at all; we're still in danger!"
"I heard that these widespread arrests were what the 'Demons' demanded of the officials; without the 'Demons'' consent, they wouldn't release anyone!" another man loudly echoed.
Recently, because "British" had become a forbidden word, people secretly used "Demons" to refer to them.
The crowd immediately stirred, shouts rising one after another. "Open the gates! They are innocent..."
"My child's father has been locked up for half a month already. If he doesn't come back, our family won't be able to survive..."
"Please, release them... Haven't the officials already promised?"
Just then, a young man suddenly slipped out of a small side door of the prison, rushed to the front of the crowd, and cried out hoarsely, "No one will be released! They're dead, all of them!"
This man, naturally, was also arranged by Sheikh Khan.
Another planted voice immediately asked, "Who did you say died?"
The young man's face was filled with terror as he pointed at the prison behind him. "Those who were about to be released. They've all been killed! I saw it with my own eyes!"
His words were like cold water poured into boiling oil; thousands erupted in an uproar. Especially the families of the scheduled releasees, many women collapsed to the ground, weeping uncontrollably.
A high-caste middle-aged man stepped forward, pointing at the young man. "If you're lying, I'll have you thrown into prison too!"
"I'm not lying; the bodies are laid out in the prison courtyard..."
The middle-aged man frowned and waved vigorously at the crowd behind him. "Come on! Let's go in and see!"
Thousands roared in response, and led by dozens of high-caste individuals, they surged towards the prison like a flood.
The prison guards offered only a symbolic threat before wisely retreating from the crowd.
Some agile individuals quickly scaled the wall, then nimbly climbed over a few large trees, reaching the buildings inside the prison.
They then pointed to the inner courtyard of the building, exclaiming in horror, "They really are dead!"
"There are hundreds of bodies! The 'Demons' killed them!"
"These cursed wretches, they killed hundreds of people!"
The people outside the prison completely exploded. Since the first batch of releasees were all people of some status, their relatives and friends were not to be trifled with. Soon, someone forced open the prison gates, and thousands streamed inside.
What appeared before them was a nauseating sight: over 300 bodies lay casually on the ground, like slaughtered animals. The hot weather had already filled the air with a foul stench, and large swarms of flies circled above the corpses like black clouds, buzzing in a grotesque symphony. Nearby, over a dozen prison guards were hastily wrapping bodies in straw, but with so many dead, they hadn't even finished a single corner.
Women, pulling their children, poured into the courtyard, identifying their relatives among the piles of corpses. Piercing wails echoed incessantly, and periodically, someone would faint. This was followed by thunderous curses.
Some high-caste individuals led people to drag out several prison officials. Under the interrogation of thousands, one official stammered nervously, "They were all fine yesterday, but this morning they suddenly started vomiting and bleeding from their eyes and noses. Before I could summon a doctor, they all died..."
The high-caste middle-aged man demanded, "Were these all the people scheduled for release today?"
The prison official nodded.
"Aside from them, has anyone else died?"
"No, no one else..."
In the crowd, someone, no one knew who, shouted, "The 'Demons' made the Sultan's secretary order their killing!"
"Yes! It must be him!" someone immediately echoed.
"He's trying to use their deaths to threaten us."
"The 'Demons' killed hundreds of people just to stop us from talking about their evil deeds!"
"The Sultan's secretary is an accomplice of the 'Demons'!"
"We must get justice for the dead!"
"Let's go, we'll complain to the Sultan..."
"We accuse them of their evil deeds before the Maharaja!"
Led by a group of high-caste individuals, the enraged people marched, escorting several prison officials towards Ambavila Palace.
News spread rapidly, and more and more people joined the procession to accuse the Sultan along the way. This, of course, was all the result of Sheikh Khan's people fanning the flames and going door-to-door to spread news of the "massacre of the releasees."
When Tipu Sultan saw the dense crowd gathered around the palace, he almost thought it was an uprising, but he finally breathed a sigh of relief when an official from Sheikh Khan's faction came to report the situation.
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