Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

Chapter 203  War Of Ahom Part: 2

Dakshin Bhartiya Empire, Vijayanagar State, Capital City-Hampi, The Royal Palace.

At this time, the initial Battle of the Ahom Kingdom had already started, and they had succumbed to a disastrous defeat, losing three strongholds. However, Vijay is yet to learn about it, as he was sitting in a study room, reviewing the design drawings of the new ammunition for the cannon sent back by the Bhartiya Academy of Military Sciences. Upon examining these designs, a troubling matter he had not considered surfaced, It was the delicate manpower required to manufacture each of these cannon shots. Although he knew that these shots would require serious manpower, he could never have expected that some of the parts for the cannon shots, which he had upgraded to be comparable with the ones made in the early 1700s, required precision on a much higher level to what a normal craftsman can achieve.

So Vijay had two options in front of him now: either reduce the demands for precision and remove some unnecessary or unattainable specifications, bringing down the technology level to that of the mid-17th century, or develop machinery that could help with precision. After much thought, Vijay decided on the latter. If he could manufacture some machinery to assist with precision machining, it would not only benefit the defence industry but could potentially bring the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire very close to industrialization.

*Knock knock*

While he was excitedly contemplating the possibilities, there was a knock on the door which broke his flow of thoughts. "Come in," he said, and Ravichandra Rao entered.

"Your Majesty, I bring an urgent message from the Ahom Kingdom. This message was directly written by their general, Lachit Borphukan."

Vijay immediately got up from his seat as soon as he heard the reason, because, he had a suspicion about what this urgent message was about. Still, in order to be certain, he took the letter from Uncle Ravichandra and read it. It was as he expected, it was a distress letter sent by the Ahom Kingdom. According to the time this letter was written, the damage caused would have been a lot more than what was shown in the letter.

Vijay quickly convened an emergency military meeting with Marshal Kiran Pujari and Admiral Gangadhar. The generals stationed in different parts of the Empire also gathered within a day. Unfortunately, this delay wasted some time, but such formalities were inevitable to achieve proper coordination among the military. The military should never be made to feel left out on such occasions, which could be dangerous. Vijay, looking at the men who were staring at him with curiosity, first passed the document to all the generals present, waiting for their replies.

* Bang *

"The Mughal Empire is bullying the weak. Now that it couldn't defeat us, It has turned its attention to weaker opponents," Ramaiya Senapati commented with an angry expression as he banged the table.

Vijay frowned, as although this view was not entirely false, the problem was that it was only viewed from a two-dimensional angle. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Your Majesty, I suggest that we dispatch our troops in order to help out the Ahom Kingdom," Kiran said.

"Oh, your reason?"

"First, Your Majesty, we have already signed the military agreement which cannot be reneged on."

"But we can send some untrained cannon fodder and say that we have fulfilled our responsibilities," Vijay said, putting on a stern expression to gauge Kiran's thoughts.

"Certainly, we can. However, Your Majesty, we should also consider that if the Ahom Kingdom falls, the Mughal Empire's territory will further expand. It would also alleviate their military burden by establishing a natural barrier on one of their borders. Similar to the north, where the mountains provide a natural border, having a natural border in the east, like the dense forest currently safeguarding the Ahom Kingdom, might be appealing to the Mughal Empire, and a problem for us.

Furthermore, if the Ahom Kingdom ceases to exist, we will lose a cost-effective source of raw materials for shipbuilding. While my knowledge about naval affairs or shipbuilding is limited, I understand that the latest warships in our Empire are constructed using Himalayan oak wood. Presently, only the Ahom Kingdom, equipped with a port, can transport these materials to us. The other kingdoms, which might engage in trade of these materials, are all landlocked. Unfortunately, the presence of the Mughal Empire between our nations poses a significant challenge to this trade.

Moreover, Your Majesty, even if we somehow acquire the timber through the newly established 'Mughal Bridge Group,' it would be challenging to conceal the significant amount of high-quality timber being transported to the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire via the Mughal Empire. Especially since the cargo is so large, it would be particularly hard to conceal it."

Vijay nodded in approval; this nuanced answer was exactly what he was looking for. Initially skeptical when Kiran assumed the position of Marshal, recommended by Logananda, Vijay's doubts were proven wrong over time. As the days passed since Logananda's departure, Vijay increasingly believed that Kiran Pujari was a much better fit for the position of Marshal than his own son, Ramaiya Senapati.

Then Vijay turned his attention to Gangadhar. "What do you think, Gangadhar?"

"The Navy fully supports this expedition, Your Majesty. The eastern Naval base will fully support this expedition, which will even include the only one of two battleships of the Empire."

Vijay nodded as he asked, "Can we take our Navy through the inland avoiding Mughal-controlled Bengal?"

"It is not possible, Your Majesty. In order to get to the Ahom Kingdom through the Brahmaputra River, it is impossible to make that happen without traversing through the Bengal region. If you suggest transporting the troops through carriages, it is highly resource-intensive and overall not suitable for the mountain and forest terrain of the far East and northeast part of the subcontinent."

"So what would you suggest?"

"Your Majesty, I would suggest that we completely suppress the Mughal Navy in Kolkata and block off the entrance of the Brahmaputra river to the sea. This will temporarily stop any new ships from entering the river. As we read in the letter, the Mughals are rushing this war quite a bit, so I do not think they are planning this war with the intention of making it a battle of attrition. It is very likely that hundreds of new ships will not be manufactured throughout the month in the inland areas. We can expect dozens of ships manufactured and sent into battle, but it is very unlikely it would be more than that. So, I do suggest after blocking off the entrance of Brahmaputra river, we send in our special forces and target those bases where the ships are produced."

Vijay nodded his head as a plan was gradually being formed in his mind. He has just the right person to lead this special covert operation, which will act as a stealthy sword to destroy the shipbuilding capabilities of the Mughal Empire at the Brahmaputra River.

"As for the reinforcements, who do you think should lead them?" Kiran thought for a while and replied, "Your Majesty, the terrain of the Ahom Kingdom is quite challenging and unforgiving for our soldiers as we are not yet prepared for such a level of forest and hill combat. But, as we have sent a brigade for training in the Ahom Kingdom, we have only one viable option. It is the unit led by Yogendra Singh. His fighting style of guerrilla warfare also suits this battlefield quite well."

Vijay, upon hearing the person recommended and the reasoning behind it, agreed with Kiran. He looked towards Yogendra Singh to see if he had any objections. The big man, Yogendra Singh, who was sitting quietly at the table a moment ago, suddenly became excited, unable to contain his enthusiasm.

"I will definitely go, Your Majesty! I will teach those bastards a lesson," he said with a wide grin. It was then that Vijay became slightly worried that this guy was an adrenaline junkie. Well, considering his job demands it, it shouldn't be too bad, Vijay thought, comforting himself.

Somewhere in the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire

The duo of Dinesh Reddy and Lingesh were performing a joint training session for their special unit.

Dressed in black-on-black attire, significantly different from the standard army uniform, the soldiers of this special unit carried weapons focused on stealth and unconventional warfare. They were equipped with hidden blades, throwing weapons, black flintlocks, and more. This unit, newly established by Emperor Vijay in the military, was responsible for executing special operations in enemy territory, such as threat neutralization, extraction of friendlies, or any other mission requiring a small number of skilled and lethal forces.

Dinesh Reddy received a letter from the Emperor, and after reading it, his face remained stern as he said, "Let's go; we have work to do," to Lingesh.

Lingesh, upon reading the letter, had a happy expression on his face. He remarked while cracking his back, "Finally, something to do. It has been like forever since the last mission."

The Empire's war machine sprang into action. The Bhartiya External Pragya, controlled by Roshan, became highly active in the northeastern side of the Mughal Empire. Simultaneously, the Bhartiya Internal Pragya monitored any disturbances within the empire. The Bhartiya Sainik Pragya, under the orders of Aditya, dispatched a unit alongside Yogendra Singh to provide real-time intelligence support.

Despite the external appearance of the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire remaining unchanged, significant changes were occurring beneath the surface. The military-industrial complex was producing molten iron at an extraordinary rate. The entire Eastern Naval Base was mobilized as the army and navy collaborated in this first overseas battle for the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire.

P.S. Sorry, Folks! I got a viral fever. I just found out what I had a few days ago. I've had like three fevers in the last ten days, and a lot of funny things. So, sorry, I was not able to put out more.

P.S. After I recover, I might still continue one chapter per day only, as the semester exams are coming up, and this time I have to clear MATHS, my enemy, at any cost. So yeah.

P.S. Good news! I figured out how to put out two chapters in some days, so after my exams, there must be more chapters. Thanks.