Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

165  New Cannons And A Mystery Girl

Vijay returned to the capital after congratulating the graduates and immediately drafted appointment letters for Gautam, Sarvesh, and Akhil. Gautam, recognized for his tactical prowess, was appointed as the commander of the eastern fleet, tasked with leading the charge against the main Mughal Navy Base located in Kolkata. Vijay selected Paradeep Naval Base on the eastern front for Gautam, appreciating his stability and ability to engage in long, drawn-out battles with the Mughal Empire. No other alternative seemed as fitting.

Sarvesh was positioned in the Mumbai base, as he was expected to play a crucial role in deterring merchants and the Mughal Navy stationed in the Gujarat region. His style of warfare suited the relatively open Arabian Sea, where the chances of ambush were much less. Akhil was stationed at the Colombo Naval Base in Sri Lanka, with his strategic style of warfare designated to deal with foreign aggression when the time arises. The terrain around the southern part of the mainland and Sri Lanka was advantageous to Akhil's style, as it was filled with numerous islands that could be utilized to his advantage.

Vijayanagara established three naval bases, with each military base hosting a commander as the topmost leader, a lieutenant commander as the representative from the Ministry of War, and the Admiral of Bhartiya Nausena. The eastern military base, located in Paradeep port, was headed by Gautam as the commander, armed with 35 Hampi class sloops and a single Dutch battleship. He had direct command over all the sloops except for the battleship, which was directly controlled by his lieutenant, as stated in the appointment letter sent by Vijay. This structure aimed to maintain checks and balances in the Navy. Although not error-proof, Vijayanagara only had 250 warships, most of which were captured from the Mughal Empire during the war, leaving only 122 new battle-ready warships. Thus, Vijay was not overly concerned about introducing more measures to control the power of these military leaders.

The Western naval base, located in Mumbai, was headed by Sarvesh as its commander. The number of ships he controlled was the same as the eastern naval base: 35 Hampi class sloops and a single Dutch battleship.

The southern base, located in Colombo, Sri Lanka, was headed by Akhil as its commander. Akhil controlled a force of 50 Hampi class sloops. He had no battleship assigned to him, So he was allocated more sloops. Also with his stealthy style of warfare, a battleship was deemed unnecessary, as it would only serve as a huge beacon alerting enemies.

With the establishment of the three military bases, the manufactured sloops were dispatched to their various posts with a crew of 40 new recruits and 10 experienced Mughal war veterans in each sloop to guide the newcomers through the journey. Additionally, patrol routes were established. The patrol route of the Western military base extended from the northernmost border of Maharashtra to Mangaluru. For the Eastern Naval base, its patrol route was from Balasore in the northern part of Odisha to Chennai in Tamil Nadu. The Southern Naval base patrolled from Mangalore in the west to Chennai in the east. The southern military base's job was to patrol the waters of Sri Lanka and the southern part of the mainland, protecting shipping routes and preventing illegal foreign entry. This formation provided reliable coverage for the entire coastline of the Dakshina Bharatiya Empire.

For the next few days, this formation was put into action as the new sloops started patrolling the coastal waters. This formation was also given a name, the Trikona Vyūha (triangular formation). The movement caught the attention of both the Mughal Empire and the European merchants and representatives. The Mughals did not show any immediate reaction, becoming suspiciously quiet. Even the frequent skirmishes that happened between the two empires reduced significantly. Vijay was doubtful about what could have caused this to happen. However, with no news from the Mughal Empire except that the people were growing more restless and that Muhammad was preparing for something else by hoarding weapons, there was nothing else notable.

As for the Europeans, they were initially surprised by the new sloops, which seemed to be no worse than their last generations. However, since it was only a small sloop and not a battleship, many of them did not take this new development seriously. Some even rejoiced, thinking that there would be no pirates in the presence of the Coast Guard. However, there was one person filled with hatred – Thomas Bartholomew, the representative and merchant from Britain. He was annoyed, as he had initially planned to contract the security services for this empire and later infiltrate it slowly. The establishment of coastal defences heavily interfered with his plans. " Damn it all... " He Cursed, As he broke an antique pottery on the table. But Vijay would not be afraid.

Now, with a secure and growing economy, Vijay felt a sense of confidence, as he was no longer afraid. The strength of both empires had significantly equalized. Although the Mughals had a much larger population, this demographic advantage proved to be a curse for the Mughal Empire, making it increasingly difficult to suppress, especially after the Dakshina Bharatiya Empire was established in the name of Bharat, impacting a lot of people in the Mughal Empire. Vijay also took advantage of this situation and played a role in it by continuing to fund the remaining members of the Mughal Bridge group who agreed to help out again. Additionally, new members joined, making the task much easier with already existing logistic channels.

So, Vijay shifted his attention to the news sent by the Boswell Design Bureau. According to the letter, Danior has come halfway to finalizing his draft for the 500-ton frigate, and he is requesting Vijay to arrange for the production of a stronger main cannon because it would be a waste to use the old cannon as the main gun in a 500-ton frigate, which is capable of carrying much more.

So, he quickly outlined a design for a brand new naval cannon and left for Raya armoury to meet with Sai, the designer of the 20 kg calibre cannon.

"Uncle Ravi, arrange the carriage."

Oh yes, Ravichandra Rao is back to being his butler, as Vinod had fully taken over as the temporary prime minister of the Empire.

Soon, Vijay reached the Sai Design Bureau, affiliated with the royal family's armoury. When he entered the design bureau, he was greeted by a messy Sai, exactly how he met the man the first time. Vijay is already used to dressing the same way, so Vijay did not mind his attire and questioned, "Enough of the formalities, tell me, are there any advancements with the cannons?"

Hearing the question, Sai, who was stiffly trying to flatter Vijay, quickly regained his confidence as the question was based on a field he was immersed in. He replied, "Your Majesty, with the help of the Bharatiya Academy of Military Sciences, the ratio for a more optimal mix of metals was obtained, getting a more heat-resistant variant of the metal we used before for cannon making. With this improvement, it is now possible for the cannons to be operational for a longer duration. Also, Manoj Reddy, the person who perfected the ratio for gunpowder, was successful in refining the gunpowder into smaller particles than before, making it easier to burn and more explosive and efficient. So, Your Majesty, the cannon, although it looks the same from the outside, has increased the operation time by 30% and an increase in range by a whole 15%."

Vijay was very satisfied with the improvements done, as these enhancements could be applied across all military sectors, including muskets, flintlocks, and even the standard 12-kilogram calibre cannons. However, he still had a sense of unfulfillment and asked, "Then what else is there? Any new plans for designing a new cannon?"

Hearing this question, Sai excitedly answered, "There is, Your Highness. This is the new design plan for a 25-kilogram cannon, an improved version of the 20-kilogram cannon." Sai showed off with pride.

Vijay, upon examining the design, acknowledged it as a significant improvement, but still, he felt that it was somewhat of an upgraded version of the 20-kilogram cannon. Consequently, Vijay nodded his head in approval for the remarkable progress but still presented the outline for a 30-kilogram calibre breech-loading cannon. Observing the outline, Sai was momentarily mesmerized. The concept presented was distinctly different from anything he had contemplated before. He hastily snatched the outline from Vijay and began envisioning the workings of the cannon in his mind.

"Amazing, amazing..." n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Wow, look at this; with this, the operator could load the ammunition from the back."

Vijay "..."

"Hey, the gunpowder could also be filled in this round cartridge, solving the hassle once and for all."

Vijay "..."

"Wow, there is also a separate compartment used to preload the Canon... why did I not think of that?"

Vijay "..."

"Hey, using this helical rod could be used to elevate the Canon; with this, there is no need for all the complex levers."

"It's great. How did you think of all this, your Majesty?" Sai asked as he lifted his head.

Sai "..."

Sai looked around the room but could not find Vijay. 'Why did his Majesty leave?' he thought to himself with confusion. Soon, he picked up a chalk, got rid of all distractions, and started making a rough draft out of the outline Vijay gave him.

Vijay felt like Sai would go on yapping for a while, so he left the design bureau and went to the Bharatiya Academy of Military Sciences to hand over his outline for a quick-fire, medium-range 15-kilogram Cannon.

As he reached the academy, he was greeted by all the technicians who were hurrying around. There were quite a few people who behaved like Sai, but Vijay did not mind, feeling more at ease with these scientific researchers than with anyone else, as he was one of them in his previous life.

As Vijay reached the corridor of Heyram's personal workshop and office, he could see a beautiful light-skinned girl walking out of the director office. She was carrying a tray with a few empty plates. The girl, upon seeing him, was startled but quickly regained her composure and greeted him as she left. What surprised him was a head poking through the workshop door of the director of the Bhartiya Academy of Military Sciences. This head was none other than Heyram's. Vijay looked at Hey Ram with a suspicious expression, but soon, remembering the girl who had just left holding the food trays, Vijay had a smile on his face as he eyed Hey Ram with an all-knowing expression.

Seeing that his cover was exposed, Hey Ram quickly ran into the workshop, as if running away would save him from the shame. Vijay entered the workshop, and Hey Ram greeted him normally as if everything that happened a few moments ago did not happen at all. However, a slight blush on his ears gave him away. Still, Vijay did not embarrass him as he handed over the outline for a 15 kg calibre fast-firing, medium-range naval Cannon.

As Vijay left the academy, he snapped his fingers, and a person among his guards quickly appeared beside him and knelt down. Vijay had a stern expression on his face.

"That girl, who is she? Is she cleared in the background tests?"

"Your Majesty, that girl is named Umashree. She is the daughter of the cook in the academy. Their background is clear; both father and daughter originated from Vijayanagar Empire, especially the capital. There is no doubt about their origin, and since both father and daughter live in the academy, there is no chance of leaking any secrets. Upon investigation, we found that the girl is lively, smart, and innocent. However, her father, while loyal to the Empire, has a clever mind. It is suspected that he ordered his daughter to get close to the director with the intent to get married."

Hearing the result, Vijay let go of his frowning brows. As it was not a security threat, he didn't consider the cook's intentions offensive, understanding the desire for one's daughter to live a good life.

"Alright, as you were."