Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology - Chapter 299

Chapter 299: Choosing A Target Chapter 299: Choosing A Target November 1st 1655 Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, the state of Satavahana (Maharashtra), Nagpur defence base headquarters.

Vijay, after completing the testing of the four new weapons for the military of the empire, finally felt that the preparations he had done were enough and that the second phase of the choking plan could be started to take away one more organ of the Mughal empire.

He had already received the news about the last resistance being removed from the region of Gujarat.

With that, he wanted to formalize the region as a state as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, things cannot go his way as they are currently engaged in a war against an enemy spanning millions of kilometres wide and with a population of more than 80 million, Vijay cannot afford the luxury of wasting time.

So As an alternative, he thought that he would complete all the procedures Of naming the state and officially starting its parliament when the integration process has been completed.  Vijay finds himself at the Amravati city fortress, conducting routine inspections of the defensive facilities.

Although inspecting the defensive facilities wasn’t his primary objective, the proximity of Amravati to his travel route prompted him to seize the opportunity and assess the fortifications while passing through.

*Thud, thud* Vijay tapped the giant 30-kilogram calibre cannon installed on the fortress turret a few times to listen to its resonance when it vibrated.

If the cannon was ill-maintained and had rust accumulated in it, he could usually tell by the minute sound difference.

This ability was something he discovered when he was leading the build of the machine tools.

After discovering this, he tried it some more and eventually figured out a lot of things about the ability.

As for the reason, Vijay had a conjecture that it could be because of his evolved brain giving him sharper senses.

While inspecting the soldiers’ equipment, he was satisfied with what he witnessed.

All the soldiers were equipped with proper iron gear, including breastplates, leather armour, helmets, and gauntlets for the infantry division.

The gunners and archers had light leather armour, and each soldier wore military-issue leather boots reinforced with iron plates at the bottom.

He randomly selected a soldier’s gun and meticulously inspected it to ensure it was well-maintained.

Fortunately, thanks to the strict military teachings and code regarding weapon maintenance, all the weapons were found to be in optimal condition.

At the end of the day, having completed his brief inspection, he was immensely satisfied with the maintenance of military discipline and organization, as well as the meticulous upkeep of the artillery pieces.

As a final event of the day, he met with the lieutenant general responsible for leadership at the military base.

After congratulating the young man and expressing his appreciation for the work he was doing, as well as encouraging him to maintain his current attitude, Vijay boarded the carriage in good spirits and departed for Nagpur.

Northern Frontier Defence Military Headquarters, Nagpur.

Having arrived in Nagpur, Vijay wasted no time in convening the meeting with Kiran Poojari, the Marshall of the empire, and other responsible parties.

Seated at the main seat in the fortress of Nagpur, he was joined around the round table by Commander Narasimha Nayak, who had arrived from the Gujarat battlefield after delegating the defensive task to Ramayya Senapati.

Additionally, two new faces representing the Bharatiya External Pragya, Manju Rao and Chandra Sagar, were present at the meeting.

Manju Rao and Chandra Sagar, senior agents in the Bharatiya External Pragya, attended the meeting in place of Roshan, who was unable to be present due to the heavy tasks he needed to handle in the region of Gujarat.

As the two senior-most agents of the organization, they were well-equipped to represent Roshan and contribute to the discussions at hand.

Vijay, sensing the opportune moment, began to address the gathering.

“Gentlemen, we have emerged victorious,” he declared, a sense of pride evident in his voice.

“With the conquest of Gujarat, we have taken the first crucial step towards dismantling the Mughal Empire.

We deserve to acknowledge this achievement,” he added, lightly applauding.

Observing Vijay’s gesture, Kiran Poojari, Narasimha Nayak, and the Bharatiya External Pragya agents joined in with soft applause.

However, Vijay’s demeanour swiftly shifted, his expression turning grave as he issued a warning.

“Yet, we cannot afford to become complacent.

While we must celebrate our victories, we must also recognize the challenges ahead,” he cautioned.

“The Mughal Empire only needs to win one significant battle to stall our progress for the foreseeable future.

We, on the other hand, should win most of our battles against the Mughal Empire in order to stay ahead.

Hence, we must continue to strengthen ourselves, for resting on our laurels is not an option,” he emphasized.

“Therefore, This meeting is convened to determine our next target,” Vijay continued, his tone resolute.

“We must decide which part of the Mughal Empire to strike next.

Though our initial plan focused on capturing coastal regions, we now have two directions to consider, and This decision is crucial,” he concluded, his gaze sweeping across the assembled group, awaiting their input and deliberation.

Listening to His Majesty’s words, everyone nodded in acknowledgement as they all understood this truth.

Vijay continued, “Now, we have three potential targets before us.

Firstly, Balochistan is situated near the border of the Safavid dynasty.

Secondly, there’s Sindh, a vital economic and agricultural hub within the Mughal Empire.

And finally, there’s Bengal, the economic powerhouse contributing a significant 12% to the empire’s GDP.

So, what are your opinions?” After making his statement, Vijay signalled the intelligence agents to distribute the collected data on the regions among the attendees.

Each person received a single copy of the document and delved into deliberation for the next couple of minutes, studying the rough data provided for each region.

” So what do you guys think” Vijay asked with a curious expression.

As the question hung in the air, a brief silence settled over the room.

Then, Narasimha Nayak lifted his hand, indicating his readiness to contribute to the discussion.

Acknowledging him with a nod, Vijay signalled for Narasimha Nayak to proceed.

Recollecting his thoughts, Narasimha Nayak began to articulate his perspective.

“Your Majesty, the region of Balochistan presents both advantages and challenges for our conquest,” he began, his voice steady and composed.

“With its expansive territory spanning nearly 347,190 square kilometres, Balochistan poses a logistical challenge due to its vast area.

However, it also possesses the smallest population among the three options, with an estimated 1.23 million inhabitants scattered throughout the region.” Narasimha Nayak paused momentarily, allowing his words to resonate before continuing.

“The rugged and inhospitable terrain of Balochistan serves as a natural defence, making it difficult for external forces to penetrate deep into its interior.

This geographic advantage was instrumental in enabling our ancestors to resist Central Asian and Arabic invaders for five centuries.

However, this advantage will become a major disadvantage for our army.

The harsh and unforgiving terrain of Balochistan, characterized by deserts and rugged hills, poses significant obstacles for our troops, who lack experience in such environments,” he explained.  Vijay, along with the attending members, nodded their heads in acknowledgement of Narasimha Nayak’s assessment.

Indeed, the region of Balochistan did possess these attributes, making it a formidable prospect for potential invaders.

After hearing him speak about Balochistan, which was mostly about its negative aspects, the next words that came out of his mouth were something totally opposite from what one might presume his choice would be.

“Your Majesty, in my final conclusion, I am more inclined to attack the region of Baluchistan rather than Sindh or Bengal for only one main reason.” He raised a single finger for everyone to see, then brought it down on the table, which contained the map of the subcontinent, and explained his reason with a serious expression.

“With the current military strength we possess, only the region of Balochistan is nearly guaranteed to be successfully captured,”  “Although casualties are expected, it is a victory nonetheless.

Another advantage in targeting Balochistan is that, if we are successful, we will establish another front of attack against the region of Sindh, akin to our strategic position against Bengal with the support of the Ahom kingdom acting as our foreign military ally.” “Furthermore, we already control the coastal areas of Balochistan,” he continued.

“As Balochistan is not connected to any land area in our empire, our navy, currently the most dominant in the Arabian Sea, could prove instrumental in transporting troops and maintaining our supply lines.” “In making this decision, we have positioned ourselves in a manner that the Mughal Emperor likely never anticipated,” Narasimha Nayak concluded, his tone resonating with confidence and determination.

Vijay nodded his head, as it was indeed a well-thought-out choice made by Narasimha Nayak.

Although the choice was not fully aligned with what Vijay was expecting, as he wanted to take down Sindh and Balochistan at the same time, he still needed to hear the thoughts of the actual military professionals.

So, he looked at Marshall Kiran Poojary to hear his opinion, hoping for a way for his objective to be fulfilled.

Looking at his Majesty staring at him, Kiran Poojari Felt a heavy burden on his shoulders as he knew what his Majesty wanted, but still, he couldn’t help but state his opinion, which would likely disappoint his Majesty.

“What Narasimha said is true, your Majesty,” Marshall Kiran Poojary began.

“As far as I could see, although Sindh or Bengal would be better options in order to immediately damage the strength of the Mughal Empire, in the current condition where our army has not yet reached the scale to take on these two Mughal economic powerhouses, especially Bengal, with its area of 238,322 square kilometres and a population of 25 million people, and an excellent terrain for urban warfare, we will have to expend nearly half of our resources at a time if we even have a chance to take on the region of Bengal.”  He paused, his expression conveying a sense of earnest concern, “On top of that, as far as I can see in this intelligence report, the Mughal Emperor is already stationing his troops in the region of Bengal, numbering upward of up to 50,000.

So, I would really not advise Your Majesty to choose Bengal, even though by conquering Bengal we have essentially crippled the Mughal Empire, reducing its war capabilities by more than a quarter and essentially moving to an equal footing with the Mughal Empire, making it easier to conquer the Mughal Empire due to our more advanced weapons.” With a touch of apprehension clouding his gaze, Kiran conveyed his concerns, hoping his words would resonate with His Majesty.

“Regrettably, Your Majesty, while the allure of this choice is undeniable, it’s important to remember that the most attractive options can also be the most perilous.

The path before us may seem enticing, but it is fraught with danger.” With a hint of pleading in his tone, Kiran continued, “According to my deduction, we would need to expend at least 200,000 troops to fully capture the region of Bengal With the amount of fortresses present in the region.

Although we could easily launch some sneak attacks and cause problems within the region of Bengal, capturing it entirely remains a formidable challenge, even if we were to launch attacks from both its southwest and northeast.

So, I would once again implore you to choose wisely, Your Majesty.” “Similarly, the region of Sindh has a similar situation.

Although it is not as large as Bengal, it is still the size of 135,000 square kilometres, with a population of almost 5 million people and an excellent urban terrain for defensive warfare.

So, I would similarly not advise picking the region of Sindh until our army is completely prepared in the next few months.” Vijay was really disappointed after hearing the opinion of Kiran Poojari which, not only mirrored that of Narasimha Nayak but further reinforced it.

However, after re-examining all the viewpoints and questioning his own plans, he concluded that his original strategy was too idealistic and impractical.

Recognizing the practical and feasible nature of the plans proposed by the two military leaders, Vijay acknowledged his errors and agreed to their proposal.

If he persisted with his unrealistic approach despite the overwhelming theoretical data and logical reasoning presented to him, he might as well relinquish his rights as an emperor.

Hence, he ultimately embraced the alternative suggestion put forward by Kiran Poojari and Narasimha Nayak.

On the bright side, as he contemplated further, Vijay acknowledged the strategic significance of targeting Baluchistan.

Despite its challenging terrain, capturing the region would prove instrumental in halting any incoming assistance or reinforcements to the Mughal Empire.

By controlling Baluchistan, the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire could effectively block naval routes through the Gulf of Oman, while also maintaining vigilance over the activities of the Safavid Empire in the region of the Pakhtun tribe, which served as a buffer zone between the Mughal Empire and the Safavid Empire.

Having reached their conclusion, Vijay, Kiran Poojari, and Narasimha Nayak delved into further discussions about various strategies.

They explored the idea of deploying multiple feints to confuse the Mughal Empire and devised offensive strategies tailored to the task of capturing Baluchistan.

CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Mithun_ReddyGaru P.S.

The Original draft for this chap was only 1.2k words & I was stuck, now it is 2.2k words.

P.S.

This chap was harder to write, so I tried a new dialogue style, what do the readers feel let me know.

P.S.

Is it Jargon: https://shorturl.at/kxUV3