December 24th, 1655
Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, Vijayanagara State, Capital City - Hampi.
Today is the day that Commander Narasimha Naik and Ramayya Senapati left for the final phases of their respective missions. However, Vijay, usually very attentive to the ongoing war progress in Balochistan, has become less focused as things have changed significantly since the conflict in the region began.
The fall of the city of Indore became the trigger for the Mughal Emperor Mohammad V to disregard everything and madly pursue the destruction of the Bharatiya Empire.
Hence, Vijay, who now without a doubt had to go to the battlefield again, was preparing for the battle.
During his last battle, he felt that, due to his danger perception, long-range attacks had drastically reduced their effectiveness against him, and his battle prowess had increased with the presence of his danger perception.
So he had given himself the role of Ultimate Infantry, figuring that he would be most effective on the battlefield in close-range combat.
It’s not that he doesn’t want to stay behind the lines and utilize firearms to fight, but unfortunately, due to his perception of danger, staying in the backline seems like a waste of combat power. While firearms are deadly, they are slow to load and quite awkward to use.
Vijay, who had almost taken the heads of four to five people within a few seconds in the battle of Indore, feels that it’s a waste for him to stay behind the infantry.
Having already made the decision, Vijay then considered what he would require to be fully equipped for his battle style. The answer he came up with was good armour, a good short-range weapon, and a good long-range weapon that is light and easy to carry.
As for the armour, Vijay decided to custom-order a light armour made of the new steel alloy discovered by Hey Ram. This alloy, although not as strong as steel and 10% less resistant to piercing attacks, is almost 20% lighter than conventional steel, which more than makes up for its drawbacks. Additionally, Vijay mostly avoids fatal threats, so this armour suits him quite well.
Furthermore, its blunt force resistance is the same as conventional steel armour, making it purpose-built for him. With all these features, this armour, named Achedya armour (Indestructible in Sanskrit and Bharati), could also be very useful in the military. Unfortunately, it is too costly to be equipped on a large scale since each piece costs almost six times as much as normal steel or iron armour.
With armour out of the way, next was the gun, which served as the long-range weapon he chose. To make it more accurate during battle, Vijay had a craftsman of the highest sensitivity to movement add rifling to his wheel lock pistol, increasing the stability of the bullet along with its range and accuracy.
Even though the rifling machines in the empire are not yet capable of handling such small barrels of pistols and muskets, there are still humans capable of doing so. The only disadvantage is that these rifles are not always uniform, and uniformity is a significant requirement for a technology or product to be utilized by the military.
Hence, full-scale rifling of Brown Bess muskets has not started, as rifling machine technology has not improved to such a degree since its invention.
For the last item, all Vijay had to prepare was the short-range weapon, and being familiar with swordsmanship, he decided to continue with the sword.
However, he did not choose to go with the same Talwar he was carrying. Instead, he decided to forge a new sword himself. After fighting in the Battle of Indore, he felt that a longer sword would allow him to be more effective with its longer reach. With the help of his danger perception, the disadvantages brought by a longer sword could also be effectively mitigated.
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As for forging the sword, although he had not forged one in this life, in his last life he had worked with a lot of metals due to his profession as a scientist at ISRO. Hence, with his stronger body and sharper senses, Vijay was confident enough to forge the sword himself.
Vijay, dressed in a simple dhoti with his upper body adorned with a fabric similar to a tank top or vest from later generations, walked into the forge within the castle. This forge was installed for emergency measures when weapons in the castle needed to be repaired immediately in the event of an enemy attack.
Before the sword could be forged, Vijay needed to prepare suitable steel. For this, he faced a little dilemma as he had five options for steel: Wootz steel, Damascus steel, Japanese Tamahagane, Celtic iron, and Roman steel.
However, after only thinking for a few minutes, Vijay narrowed the options to only two: Wootz Steel and Japanese Tamahagane.
Both steels have acceptable tensile strength with similar toughness, edge retention, and flexibility.
However, the choice between these two steels ultimately came down to his personal preference and intended use. Japanese steel might be the right choice if he valued a consistently sharp blade that could withstand heavy use. On the other hand, if he wanted a durable and reliable sword, he would need to go with Wootz steel.
Hence, considering both the advantages and disadvantages, he finally went with Wootz Steel.
Surprisingly enough, the word "Wootz" comes from the Kannada word "Ukku." Some also say it originates from the Tamil word, but there are similar-sounding words for steel in all Dravidian languages, so it is not possible to pinpoint where the word actually came from.
Wootz steel emerged in the mid-first millennium BCE in the region of Tamil Nadu, specifically in Tiruchirappalli, Kodumanal, and Erode. It was also the same steel that was famous throughout the world in ancient times. For example, Wootz steel was imitated by the Chinese Bei Wei Dynasty (386-534 CE) as "Bintie" or "Pin t’ieh," which was initially imported from Bharat as gifts from Persian kings.
People might not know, but Wootz steel is also the reason for the famous Damascus swords, as these famous swords were produced in Damascus from the steel imported from Bharat. The remaking of this steel made in Bharat was called Damascus Steel. Although it was not as dazzling as Wootz Steel in its strength, it was still the next best thing for all the European and Arabic clients.
Speaking of Arabs, an Arab traveller named Edrisi praised the steel as "Hinduwani," referring to it as the best steel in the world. There was even a Persian phrase that highlighted the esteemed reputation of Wootz steel among the arab and Persian rulers, referring to blades crafted from Wootz steel as delivering an "Indian answer," signifying a cut with an Indian sword.
Hence, after considering all this, Vijay did not hesitate and started the process of steelmaking.
First, Vijay prepared a crucible, using clay to ensure it could withstand the extremely high temperatures required for steel production. The clay crucibles were chosen for their high-temperature resistance, essential for holding the molten steel mixture during the manufacturing process.
Next, Vijay prepared the mixture by selecting pieces of high-carbon steel used in cannon construction within the empire. He combined these with carburizing agents, specifically charcoal and wood, in precise ratios to enhance the carbon content of the resulting steel.
*gasp*
*gasp*
Panting and drenched in sweat, Vijay sat down on a chair, intently watching the steel melt at the high temperature of 1400 degrees Celsius. Before his eyes, he observed the charcoal and wood burning and gradually being absorbed by the molten steel.
Vijay let the molten mixture slowly cool down, allowing it to solidify within the crucible. This was a long process, so he went into the palace, had his lunch, and then returned.
By the time he returned, the ingot had formed, and the heat had reduced. After breaking apart the slag on top of the ingot, he took it out of the crucible. Holding the steel in his hand, Vijay could not help but marvel at its beautiful patterns and extremely dense feeling, like he was holding a small mountain.
He was delighted with the result and repeated the process several times until he had enough steel. With the steel ready, he moved on to the main part: casting the sword.
However, Before starting the process, he let out a deep breath, adjusting his mental state. He knew the next steps were crucial; even a small mistake would mean redoing the entire steel-making process, significantly reducing his chances of crafting the sword within the day.
Hence the next steps were done very cautiously.
First, Vijay took the ingot and cast it into a steel billet in the same forge where he had melted the steel. He then reheated it up to 1300 degrees Celsius until it reached a bright yellow colour.
Vijay hammered the billet to elongate it, then folded it over and repeated the process called forge welding, which is similar to the Japanese Katana forging method, to refine the impurities within the steel.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
A rhythmic strike of the hammer was heard as Vijay, with his higher mental powers and keen senses, could always find the right spot to get the most out of his energy with each and every hit. Every time he swung his arm, Scraps of black chips fell from the sword.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
The soldiers standing guard were taken aback by the strength shown by His Majesty. It had already been nearly 40 minutes since Vijay started hammering the steel, yet he had not stopped.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
Sweat dripped from his body, and his tank top was drenched, clinging to his abdomen, revealing his tightly hardened abs.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
An hour later, Vijay finally stopped after repeating the process 20 times. Usually, this process should only take 12 to 16 folds, but since Vijay was using steel to make a longer sword, he included additional folds. With his optimum and efficient hammering, the effect should be better than normal katanas or talwars.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
On the final fold, Vijay shaped the sword into his desired form: a broader blade similar to the Western knights’ longsword but with a slight curve akin to a traditional Japanese katana.
*Drip* *Drip*
Big drops of sweat fell from his forehead onto the sword, producing a sizzling sound as they hit the hot metal, creating steam. Finally, after all the effort of not choosing machine tools, Vijay completed the first stage of forging.
He immediately applied a clay mixture to the blade, with a thin layer on the edge and a thicker layer on the spine, creating a hard edge and a softer spine during quenching.
Then, he heated the blade evenly until it reached a critical temperature of 800 degrees Celsius.
With the help of tools, he quenched the sword in oil. Due to the blade being differentially hardened, it created a hard edge and a flexible spine, just as he needed it.
Vijay took a brief rest to replenish his energy, drinking water with added salt to quickly rehydrate and restore his energy levels.
Now, he was on the final stretch of the forging.
*Grrrrrrr*
Vijay used a rough grinding wheel to refine the shape of the blade and establish the primary bevel. During the process, sparks flew all around the area, creating a dazzling sight in the evening. After a few minutes, the sound eventually stopped as Vijay inspected the sword, his fingers running through the blade to ensure that the process was proceeding correctly.
After inspecting the roughly ground blade, he felt it was time to move on to the next step. He gradually switched to finer grits to hone the edge, aiming for a razor-sharp edge similar to that of a katana.
*Grrr**Grrr**Grrr**Grrr**Grrr*
After multiple layers of grinding, his desired sharpness eventually took shape. Vijay decided to test the blade’s sharpness with a strand of his hair. Carefully, he dropped the hair onto the sharp edge of the sword. To his satisfaction, the blade didn’t disappoint. The strand of hair was cleanly cut without any resistance or movement from the sword.
He then went on to polish the blade with increasingly finer polishing stones. Eventually, the sword blade revealed a mirror finish, and he could see his tired and sweat-drenched reflection in the sword blade.
The main components were done. Next, Vijay measured his hand and created a tang using wood for the core, covered with rice skin, and wrapped with silk for the grip. Eventually, Vijay attached a guard and a pommel similar to a talwar.
After completing the final assembly, Vijay, who suddenly felt like he had developed OCD, went on to make a wooden sheath.
After spending a little time on this, the product was finally completed.
*Click*
Hearing the click of the perfect fit, Vijay was happy and laughed with satisfaction. He had finally completed his personal weapon, the weapon that would accompany him to many fights, and the weapon that would lead to the formation of a United Bharatiya Empire.
The length of the blade was 3.4 feet, with a width of 7 cm, a thickness of 7 mm, and a curvature of 30 degrees. Its weight was around two kilograms and a few hundred grams, which was about 700 grams more than traditional katanas or talwars.
It was already 11:45 at night, but Vijay was restless and went to test the blade.
*Swish*
*Swish*
*Swish*
Vijay slashed the sword against different hard objects, and all of them, whether thick bamboo, strong wood, or even wrought iron, were cut through without much resistance. The only damage on the sword was a few scratches, which Vijay polished out using the polishing stones.
Although Vijay could not be sure about its accurate attributes on paper since he could not measure them, he was confident that the tensile strength of the sword in his hands was around 800 to 1000 MPa. For comparison, the 5160 steel, which is very popular for sword and blade making in the 21st century, has an MPa of 1300, which is not too far off from the sword in his hands.
This rating means that even if Vijay is caught off guard and cannot react immediately, he could use the sword to slice a bullet cleanly in half.
He could also imagine its toughness not being any lower than the 5160 steel, nor its edge retention being any worse. As for flexibility, although it might be a little lower than 5160 steel, Wootz is still the best steel in this era.
Vijay, realizing that he currently possessed the best blade in the world, decided to give it a name.
Thinking about his nickname on the battlefield, Raktabīja, the demon of blood, Vijay immediately came up with a name for the sword. "Rakta Astram," he muttered. Hearing the sound of the name, Vijay felt like it suited the sword and himself perfectly. As the word "Rakta Astram" translates to "the weapon of blood," it neatly increased its compatibility with his own nickname, Raktabīja.
Bringing the finished sword to his quarters, Vijay saw Kavya sound asleep. He slowly put down the sword next to his bed and finally rested, his eyes still burning with determination to protect the empire he built.