Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology - Chapter 757

Chapter 757: Separation of Military power
February 1662

Akhand Bharatiya Empire, Bharatiya Mahasabha (Parliament)

It has been almost a week since the Bharatiya Africans have set off on their mission to various Central African kingdoms and empires, and the commotion it caused within the military and the government was not small.

“Respected Prime Minister, we can understand the need for the military operation in the African continent since we can all see the wolfish ambition of the Ottoman Empire, but,” Narasimha Modi, the Chief Minister of Solanki Puri, slapped the bench strongly. “The power of the military is too much. With there being active military operations in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and now even in Africa, the total personnel in the military has already exceeded a million, and the percentage of GDP put aside for military purposes has once again increased. Yet we, as the government, have no say in this matter. Apart from His Majesty, who can control this force? All the power lies centralized in the hands of His Excellency, Marshall Raja Kiran Poojari.”

“This is not a good thing for the stability of our empire.”

Vijay, who was spectating the proceedings of the parliament from the top floor, raised his eyebrows in surprise. He never expected that someone would bring up this point, at least not so soon. He naturally knew that the power of the military was currently vastly unchecked, and apart from him, no one could tame this wild horse. But he did nothing about it since the development of the Bharatiya Empire, with the introduction of industrialization, had also boosted the military capabilities and combat effectiveness of the empire’s military. One reason for this was the centralized military command, where Kiran Pujar did not have to listen to anyone’s orders apart from Vijay’s to make things happen in the empire. Therefore, everything got implemented at lightning speed, and the empire’s military was always evolving.

“But now that the research of new-generation firearms has been put forward several years ahead of schedule, maybe it is the right time to separate legislation and implementation in the military as well. This cannot go on forever, after all,” Vijay sighed.

Below, in the parliament, there was an uproar.

“What!!!!”

“Your Excellency, do you know what you’re talking about?”

“How dare you question such a figure who single-handedly held the defences of the empire for several years straight?”

“Please take your words back, Mr. Narasimha. This sort of language is not welcome in the parliament.”

Shouts and screams filled the parliament room. Everyone, even the allies whom Narasimha Modi had, started to look at him with pity. They would not stand up and accuse him since it would be stabbing the allies in the back, but they wouldn’t stand up and support him either.

“Silence!!!” The speaker, a man with a loud voice, shouted, silencing the whole crowd with his voice reverberating in their ears.

“Is this a parliament or a fish market? Mr. Narasimha Modi has every right to question the power of the military since it is a right granted to him by the Sacred Bharatiya Constitution, personally penned by His Majesty, the Emperor.”

“So what right do you all have to question his right to speak and stand in this parliament?”

“Heed this as a final warning. If there is a next time, I will politely ask you all to leave.”

There was pin-drop silence in the room, except for the newly added fan blades spinning at a slow speed, producing a creaking sound. No other sound could be heard.

The speaker, S.S. Rajamouli, stared at the man sitting in front of the parliament. “Your Excellency, Prime Minister, do you wish to respond?”

Vinod thought for a while and shook his head. “I feel like respected Chief Minister Narasimha Modi still has some unfinished words. Please let him finish his case, after which I will respond accordingly.”

Rajamouli nodded and motioned for Narasimha to continue.

Narasimha Modi looked at Vinod and nodded in gratitude.

“Respected colleagues, I am very well aware of the contributions the army has made to the Bharatiya Empire, as I am one of those helpless people who had been saved by a kind Bhartiya warrior when I was imprisoned and tortured by a Mughal noble for demanding back my ancestral land that had been unlawfully taken away.”

“At that moment, I came to know, when I was rescued by a Bhartiya holding a vintage Bharatiya-made musket, that actual strength triumphs over everything.”

He looked at everyone as if they were hollow sack of cloth.

“All of our power, position, and our rights to govern and manage various villages, towns, cities, and states are nothing compared to the real power of hot iron coursing through the air at unimaginable speeds.”

“This is a power that has the ability to collapse this mighty empire of ours on a whim.”

“All of us, the citizens of the Bharatiya Empire, are eternally grateful to His Excellency Kiran Poojari for taking on the responsibility of a Marshall to a military of a million soldiers from a legendary figure like the late great Loganandha Senapathi, and even more to his kind-hearted and enlightened ruler, His Majesty Emperor Vijay Devaraya.”

“But my fellow colleagues, I ask you, why did His Majesty spread his power, which was inherited by him by birth, to commoners who were destined to be at the bottom of the society for the rest of our lives?”

He looked around, and there was pin-drop silence. No one opened their mouths.

“Is it so that the poor people like us will get an opportunity to rise up in this society? Maybe, but that is not the main reason.”

“Is it because it will bring the empire more riches? No, because by maintaining the old system, His Majesty was bound to gain more riches unimaginable to anyone in the world, especially given his wisdom. But he did not do that, did he?”

“Then I ask everyone in the parliament, why did His Majesty take a bold step, sailing the uncharted waters in a storm, splitting apart his rights and powers? I ask each and every one of you, can anyone answer…?”

“Hm?”

Narasimha looked around at the ministers who bowed their heads in thought.

A soft yet resolute answer was heard.

“To exist for an eternity.” It was Vinod, and as soon as the members of parliament heard the answer, their eyes lit up, and they were suddenly enlightened.

“Yes, yes! It is for eternity!”

“Precisely! Only if everyone in the empire gets a chance to represent themselves do we have a functioning society where the repressed emotions of a certain group of people wouldn’t burn down the whole empire with it.”

“Well said, well said! The Prime Minister—really well said!”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Narasimha roared, each time louder than the last.

“The Prime Minister knows exactly the core reason why our empire is a democratic monarchy. It is because of the hope that with enough people being satisfied in the empire, there won’t be enough people to bring it down.”

“Now, for such an ambitious goal, every part of the system running this country should be foolproof, and that goes for the military as well.”

“No one can question the integrity of His Highness, the Marshall Raja Kiran Poojari, and no one would even dare to think about the wisdom of His Majesty, the Emperor Rajyapathy Vijay Devaraya. But what about a hundred years from now?”

“With the teachings passed down by His Majesty, maybe His Highness Agni Devaraya will be as smart and wise as His Majesty, but what about the Marshall in that era? Will he be a person of integrity, or will he be a person with great ambition?”

“Can anyone tell? Alright, let’s forget 100 years from now—what about 200 years? Can anyone promise whether the emperor then would be as wise as His Majesty and without any ambition for personal profit?”

“Can anyone promise me this…?”

The questions were like loud bells ringing in people’s hearts; every question was like a heavy hit on everyone’s minds.

Not to mention the MPs in the parliament—even Vinod fell into deep thought. No matter how he tried to refute the statement, he could not even have assurance in his own words, much less assure his opponent.

“Hahaha.” Vijay, sitting on top of the parliament room on a balcony, laughed. Not to mention the ministers and Vinod—even he could not promise how his descendants would behave two centuries from now. This was exactly the reason why the emperor in the Bharatiya Empire could be elected among the kings of the empire and was not inherited through the right of birth.

Vijay didn’t want a descendant who would bring down the whole empire he had painstakingly built just because they shared his lineage.

“Prime Minister, do you have a response?” Speaker Rajamouli asked, his expression emotionless.

Vinod got up, his emotions a little turbulent. “For the most part, I have no choice but to agree with your point of view, Mr. Narasimha Modi. What you said does make sense if you consider a span of a hundred years, 200 years, or even 500 years. But unfortunately, the government does not have the power to make any changes to this system, as only the Imperial Committee can make this decision.”

Narasimha Modi nodded. He knew this—that was exactly why he only brought up this point when His Majesty was present. In fact, he wanted to bring it up during the first parliamentary session of the year, but since His Majesty had to skip at the last moment, he did not voice it out, as he knew that even if what he said made sense, nothing would change without the approval of His Majesty, the leader of the Imperial Committee.

Vinod paused for a moment, then added, “But since we have a parliamentary session with an attendance of more than 70%, we can put forward a petition and propose it directly to His Majesty. With his approval, the bill can officially be passed.”

Discussion broke out between the MPs as they talked with each other about their views.

“I think what Mr. Narasimha said makes sense, but I don’t know if signing the petition would leave a bad impression in His Majesty’s mind,” an MP from the Vijayanagar State voiced his concern, a little worried.

“Huh? What are you fearing about? His Majesty is not so narrow-minded. How many times did the Finance Minister, Jagannath Mohan, directly question His Majesty on his plans, and His Majesty had to explain himself for the Finance Minister to calm down? Isn’t he still in his position and stronger than ever? Doesn’t this alone show the magnanimity of His Majesty? Stop worrying too much and simply follow your heart,” his companion sitting right next to him comforted.

“I think what Mr. Narendra said is right. We have to be responsible for the people and not for the military. Even if I oppose him in many of his views, I will agree with him on this specific view,” a female politician strongly declared.

In a few moments, the petition was drafted, and the signing began.

Half an hour later, Vinod, along with the Chief Ministers who were present in the parliament, came in front of Vijay and handed over the petition to him carefully, as if handing over a treasure.

Looking at it without emotion, he flipped through the pages briefly.

Vinod, along with the ministers, felt a chill in their hearts. They hadn’t seen eyes more intimidating than His Majesty’s. Narasimha Modi, the person who initiated the topic, was feeling the most pressure. He took large gulps and wiped his forehead several times, but his heartbeat was still like a runaway horse, increasing wildly. He almost regretted bringing up the topic, but he stopped himself. He simply loved this empire too much to see it get destroyed. In a way, he had the same ambition as His Majesty—to see the Bharatiya Empire be eternal—and for that to happen, he would do anything necessary, even if it meant offending the founding monarch himself.

With determination, he clenched his teeth, making his gums bleed, and looked bravely into His Majesty’s eyes without flinching, proudly displaying his unshakable determination and steely will.

Looking at those eyes and the emotions they conveyed, which were ready to die by their words with conviction, Vijay suddenly took back his pressure and smiled. He had just been testing these ministers, especially Vinod and Narasimha, to see if they were determined enough to face the backlash from the military.

In theory, all the backlash should fall on him since he was the one who would be signing the document and the one who had taken all the responsibility of feeding the military. But he had too much influence over the military, and they would never do anything detrimental to him. Even if such thoughts arose, Vijay had his ways to completely crush them in the bud and not let them grow.

Therefore, the only outlet for the top leaders in the military to let out their suppressed emotions would be the government, which had little actual power apart from the police. Unfortunately, even the police might side with the military, since the backbone of the police in the Bharatiya Empire was the Bharatiya military.

In front of the incredulous expressions of all the ministers, Vijay actually signed the petition without any comment.

Although signing the petition didn’t mean the bill would be passed—since this was about the division of power in the most important entity of the Bharatiya Empire, the Bharatiya military—it still brought smiles to the ministers’ faces. His Majesty’s signature meant his acquiescence, and for many things in the Bharatiya Empire, even if they seemed impossible for many ministries, His Majesty’s acquiescence alone would be enough to get things done.