Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

206  War Of Ahom Part: 5

Dakshin Bhartiya Empire, Vijayanagar state, capital city Hampi.

Vijay had just received the report sent back from Yogendra Singh after he had arrived at the Ahom Kingdom. What surprised him the most was the performance of General Lachit Borphukan in this battle; unexpectedly, he performed poorly. This was not what Vijay expected from this historic general who famously defeated the Mughal Empire in the legendary Battle of Saraighat.

Vijay was not willing to believe that Lachit was a lucky guy who somehow defeated the Mughals, so he continued to think about it further. Suddenly, he got enlightened as his eyebrows raised. "That's it," he muttered. Finally, it all made sense that General Lachit Borphukan was not doing well in this battle. In his past timeline, General Lachit Borphukan was much older when the Battle of Saraighat was fought, in 1671 to be exact. At that time, he would have engaged in numerous skirmishes with the Mughal Empire to gain the experience needed to lead the battle. However, in the present war, he was still relatively inexperienced, all things considered.

After considering the variables that led to the change, Vijay revised his opinion and acknowledged that General Lachit Borphukan was doing an amazing job containing the Mughals for so long. Additionally, in this altered timeline, Guwahati has not been lost, which was not the case in the past timeline.

In the previous timeline, following a humiliating defeat at the hands of Subahdar Mir Jumia, the elderly Ahom King Jayadwaj Singha succumbed to the weight of disgrace. In his final moments, he implored his successor, Chakradwaj Singha, to restore the nation's honour, which he believed had been tarnished. Subsequently, the Ahom Kingdom underwent a comprehensive transformation – witnessing an upswing in food and military production, fortification enhancements, and the command of an expeditionary army led by the seasoned Lachit Borphukan, who was older and more experienced. Additionally, in the past timeline, neighbouring the Ahom Kingdom were the Jaintia and Kachari kingdoms, and their alliance, which had previously faltered, was re-established. However, in the new timeline, the Ahom Kingdom has already annexed these two kingdoms.

In August 1667, an Ahom army led by Lachit Borphukan sailed downstream to retake Guwahati, which was captured by the Mughals. After capturing various forts along the Brahmaputra River, Lachit went on to besiege Joiduar and successfully recaptured Guwahati in November 1667. This was then retaliated by the Mughals, which fortunately did not work out. Informed of these losses, the then-Mughal emperor Aurangzeb commissioned Raja Ram Singh to retake Guwahati. Several battles took place between the Mughal forces and the Ahom, with the control of the forts changing hands constantly throughout the battles.

There was a temporary victory for Raja Ram Singh, which pleased Aurangzeb and led to increased reinforcements and personal investment in Guwahati.

Diplomatic efforts were made to retake Guwahati, which was under Ahom control. An offer was made to end the war and return to the situation as it was in 1639 in exchange for some payment. As expected, the Ahom Kingdom refused the offer and decided to stage a final battle at Saraighat. Finally, under General Lachit Borphukan's leadership, the Ahom forces emerged victorious in the final battle, preserving their independence from Mughal control. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

*Shake*

"Vijay."

When he was in his reverie, Vijay was suddenly awakened by Kavya. He then suddenly remembered that he had promised to have lunch with her. So he smiled and took her hand as he left his study room, but still, he couldn't help but think, "I wonder how this battle will turn out in this timeline."

Ahom Kingdom, Guwahati, Northern Battle Zone, Saraighat Town.

In the hilly terrain of Guwahati, on the outskirts of Guwahati city near Saraighat Town, General Lachit Borphukan is holding a military meeting with his subordinates, including Neerub, along with the officers who arrived from the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire as reinforcements.

Similar to when Yogendra Singh recognized Ripun, Lachit Borphukan also recognized some of the faces among the officers sent by the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire. These were the same people who came to the Ahom Kingdom for training. Upon seeing the reinforcements sent by the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, Lachit Borphukan was very satisfied because he knew exactly what these soldiers were capable of, And also being aware of the type of training they had undergone.

The training they received was the same as that given to their own soldiers but tailored for elite units. Surprisingly, the people from the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire learned what they were taught very quickly. Intrigued by this phenomenon, when further questioned by the instructors, they handed the instructors a handbook in which the essence of their training was written in concise exercises, proving to be quite helpful.

Impressed by this note-taking technique, Lachit Borphukan even wanted to spread this method among his own army. Unfortunately, before he could discuss it with His Majesty, the war started. At present

The soldiers at the northern military base were very happy, and their morale was very high because they learned that the southern military base located at Shillong successfully defended against the Mughal invasion under the command of His Excellency Yogendra Singh.

Even Lachit Borphukan was impressed with how the battle was fought, gaining many insights after reading the strategies implemented by Yogendra Singh. Regarding the matter of Yogendra Singh not setting out on an expedition to reclaim the lost lands, Lachit Borphukan was not disappointed or angry because the treaty they signed with the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire only stated that when a party among the signatories is involved in conflict with the Mughal Empire, the rest of the parties will help resist the Mughal invasion together.

Hence, in actuality, the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire had no obligation to help the Ahom Kingdom regain their lost grounds. It was for him and His Majesty Jayadhwaj Singa to consider that decision.

In a separate room at the barracks adorned with green clothes and Arabic writing, which could be seen that was arranged temporarily, Hamza Umar, adorned in his abaya (long dress?) and Kufi (cap), is knelt down on the ground. Facing the qibla (direction) of the Southwest, where the sacred mosque, al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, could be found.

19:10

Finally, after the morning of discussions, the war horn at the fort in Guwahati rang.

*Hoooong*

The renewed battle with the Mughal Empire began once again, and today held special significance as both parties regarded it as a final clash—the last showdown at the town of Saraighat. Similar to the past timeline, it seemed that some elements in the vast multiverse of time and space remained constant. Guwahati, being a hilly terrain, underwent pre-battle fortifications, and with the Ahom Kingdom having more time, these fortifications were meticulously reinforced with cannons, trained guerrilla soldiers, musketeers, and various defensive measures. Consequently, unlike the past timeline, the Ahom Kingdom did not lose Guwahati.

To establish the naval defence, the Brahmaputra River at Saraighat, with its narrowest width of only 1 km, was deemed an ideal location. On the south bank of the Brahmaputra River, there is a hill known as Itakhuli Hill, chosen as a strategic location to position the large 30kg calibre naval cannons. However, the Ahom ships, being outdated, couldn't withstand the pressure from the 30-kilogram naval cannon. Consequently, all Ahom ships were equipped with the updated 20-kilogram calibre cannons, which fired more rapidly than their older counterparts.

Fortunately, in this battle, Lachit Borphukan was in good health, unlike in the previous timeline, which had demoralized the Ahom soldiers.

Hajo, Mughal-occupied Ahom.

"Bismillah Allahu Akbar, may you give me strength to defeat these Kaffir's."

In a separate room at the barracks adorned with green clothes and Arabic writing, which could be seen that was arranged temporarily, Hamza Umar, adorned in his abaya (long dress?) and Kufi (cap), is knelt down on the ground. Facing the qibla (direction) of the Southwest, where the sacred mosque, al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, could be found.

Hamza is praying for the success of this battle. He has been quite rattled after knowing that the southern army had lost in their expedition. Although His Majesty managed to send reinforcements quickly, it could be seen that Shillong had turned itself into an iron barrel. So, without overwhelming firepower, it would be quite hard to breach this turtle of a city.

Also, in the past few attempts, the town of Saraighat could not be breached. Although he could continue his expedition by going inland at the northern shore of the Brahmaputra River, there were many problems that hindered him. For one, the logistics line of the Mughal Empire had been quite stretched already, and if Guwahati had not been captured, it would be impossible to reach the capital of Ahom. The second point is that the northern coast of the Brahmaputra River gets hillier and colder the farther you go. Honestly, his soldiers are not trained to handle battles in such terrain.

So it is imperative that by any means possible, that town should be breached and Guwahati should be captured. Afterwards, utilizing Guwahati as a logistics node, power could be projected farther inland. Hamza, after completing his salah (namaz), left the room and arranged for a military meeting of his own in order to discuss how to conquer Guwahati in the most minimal time possible.

To Be Continued...

P.S. This Arc Will End in 2 more chapters and the season will end after a little while Longer.