Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

Chapter 166  New Merchant Ship And Land Distribution

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and various tasks in Dakshina Bharat progressed at the expected speed. The reconstruction of temples was going well, the foundation for the Vishnu temple in Sri Lanka had been laid, The volcanic ash had also been imported from the Italian region, and road construction in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha had been completed. Due to the existence of the Coast Guard, trade through the sea increased, making it more efficient to transport goods from one coastal region to another through sea routes. However, there were small hiccups, like cunning fishermen forming groups and attempting to join forces to become pirates, Forchunatly they were met with a bad end as a group of Hampi class sloops blasted through their boats.

The four shipyards, having completed the military orders for new sloops, turned their attention to building merchant ships. They approached Boswell Design Bureau for the task. Since Danior was occupied with the design of the new 500-ton frigate, his disciple Vishesh Neeladri, along with a group of students, took on the responsibility of designing an armed merchant ship for the shipyards. Danior provided assistance whenever he could, which led to the design being completed in a week.

The first prototype, named the Dhana Class Armed Merchant Ship (Dhana = Wealth), was successfully completed in the Raya shipyard. It featured a length of 33 meters, a beam of 8 meters, and a draft of 3 meters. The ship adopted a robust round hull for extra stability and a two-mast design with Lateen sails. Armed with 15 6-kilogram calibre swivel guns, it was equipped to defend against pirates and privateers.

The Dhana class included a cargo hold below the deck for transporting goods, and hatches and winches facilitated the loading and unloading process. As a merchant ship, it required a smaller crew than the Hampi class sloop, with only 35 crew members needed. Under normal sailing conditions, it can achieve a speed of 5 to 6 knots, which could increase to 8 knots in special weather conditions. The carrying capacity varied based on cargo volume and type, But typically it ranged from 100 to 120 tons, with a displacement of 200 tons.

As soon as the prototype of the Dhana class armed merchant ship was manufactured and confirmed to be sea-ready after testing, it caught the attention of Raghavendra Rao, the butler of the royal family. Orders were promptly placed for 10 Dhana class armed merchant ships from the royal industries. Most of the royal family orders were tilted towards Raya shipyard, but upon witnessing the new merchant ship, Vijay's uncle, Ravi Shetty, also expressed interest and placed an order for 5 merchant ships from Shivaji shipyard. Additionally, rich merchants from the empire joined in, spreading their orders among the four different shipyards.

Finance Minister Jagannath Mohan happily reported to Vijay that with the surge in trade volume, the empire was expected to surpass the growth rate by 9%. This positive economic development signalled a promising future for the Bharatiya Empire.

This news pleased Vijay, as the empire had been growing its finances at a rate of 10% per year since he took the throne. The year 1654 was thought to be an exception due to the financial burden brought by the war and the acquisition of new territories. Fortunately, foreign orders poured in by the end of the year, and smoother transactions through shipping lines contributed to exceeding growth expectations, projecting a growth rate of about 15%.

While happy with the results, Vijay remembered the land distribution plan he had considered. He reviewed the merit records from the military logistics department during road construction, where a single worker was granted 5 acres of land. For particularly hardworking individuals, this allocation was increased to a higher number of 15 acres per person.

Vijay soon signed the merit list and formulated the land distribution bill, passing it to the government to handle the remaining matters.

The newly connected village of Lingapura in Maharashtra had a special significance, with its name derived from a Shivalinga found in the area. Initially settled by devotees seeking a tranquil place for worship, Singapura had transformed into a village over time. The recent construction of a gravel road connecting it to larger towns significantly improved its accessibility, fostering greater connectivity with the outside world.

People from this village, including the Singh family who arrived as outsiders, were recruited for the road construction. The allure of their own house, cattle, and grain attracted them. The Singh family, consisting of four members, three of whom were men, signed up. After enduring six months of hard work, they were allocated two cattle and a house as a reward for their efforts.

The three men, Kabir Singh and his twin sons, Abhay Singh and Aryan Singh, returned to the village after the final day of their labour. They spent a few days peacefully until news sent to the panchayat disrupted their calm lives.

Observing the rush of people towards the panchayat, Kabir Singh and his sons joined to see what had happened. As they approached, a large crowd had gathered, and, owing to their taller stature and better build from long-term labour, they managed to push themselves to the front. In front of them, soldiers of the Empire blocked their path, and the situation calmed with their intervention. A middle-aged man in good attire cleared his throat and bellowed, "Good morning, gentlemen. I am here in your village under the orders of the government to oversee that the distribution is done according to the decided-upon ratio."

The people exchanged puzzled looks, unsure of what more there was to distribute. The man continued, "The land confiscated from the Mughal nobles and elites will be distributed to all of you based on the work you have done. This land will henceforth be entirely owned by you, and you can decide what to do with it."

"What?"

Shocked murmurs and disbelief spread among the people. Some even slapped themselves to check if they were dreaming. The Singh trio, being outsiders, had no property like the higher caste people, so they were treated no differently from the lower caste individuals who were landless. However, His Majesty had given them a chance to earn their place in this village. With only a few months of hard work, they had earned themselves a good home, no different from an average higher caste person in the village. Now, His Majesty also wanted to distribute land, and they didn't know how to react; it was all surreal.

The call of names began, and Kabir Singh remained in disbelief, not paying attention. But He was soon shaken awake by his sons, who were quicker to recover. A few names had been called, and 5 acres of land each were distributed. Kabir eagerly awaited his family's turn.

The person continued to call, "Jayamma," surprising everyone with the mention of a lady's name. The villagers looked at each other in doubt, but soon, someone recognized the name and hurried back to the village to call Jayamma. Wearing clean but worn-out clothes, she arrived at the panchayat after being informed that the government representative had called for her.

She was in a panic as she did not know what to do, but as she entered in front of the Civil servant, The man took a metal plate and handed it over to her. "Jayamma, receive 10 acres of land, plot number 132." Hearing this, everyone was surprised, as there was soon an uproar. "What reason was there for a woman to get that much land without even working for it? " Some of them questioned the civil servant from the government.

The civil servant maintained a solemn demeanour as he retrieved another book, indicating a possible clue to the woman's unexpected reward. Upon inspection, he confirmed, "Ah, yes, this is extra compensation for you from the government. Unfortunately, your husband has passed away due to a rock falling on him while working in the hilly regions." He proceeded to open another box, producing a document. "Here, take this. You can enrol your 10-year-old daughter in school in the city. The government will assume all monetary responsibilities for her education due to your husband's death in service."

The people finally understood that the reason why the land allocation was doubled was because of the death of her husband. Now, no one had complaints. But Jayamma, who heard the reason, sat down crying in happiness. She was very worried about what to do after her husband passed away, and how she could take care of her daughter alone. Now, with the aid provided by the government, her burden had lessened.

"Thank you, Krishna," she prayed to her ista devatha (favourite god).

Jayamma's life took a new turn from that day onward. Influenced by her daughter's persuasion, she decided to mortgage the land allocated to her to open a restaurant in the capital. This marked the beginning of her journey as the first rich businesswoman in the Empire. However, the full extent of her success and the impact on her faith would only unfold in the future..n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om