March 28th, 1656
Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, Vijayanagar State, Ballari
Vijay, who had travelled for two days and two nights non-stop, heaved a sigh of relief after confirming the information about the simultaneous riots that had started within the Mughal Empire.
As for why he was relieved, well, it was because as he expected, the million army of the Mughal Empire, which would have made contact with the Northern Frontier right about today, had been delayed due to various noble families calling back part of the forces in order to suppress the riots.
This gives the Empire some time to transfer the troops from various militia units around the nation to the frontline.
All these events unfolded because the Mughal Empire had cunningly orchestrated a secret operation, covertly sending their military soldiers southward disguised as civilians, while simultaneously relocating actual civilians further north. This operation was controlled at the highest levels of the military.
Although intelligence departments noticed these unusual movements, the speed of events prevented them from drawing reliable conclusions swiftly. It became increasingly evident that these movements of the Mughals were preparations for war. Unfortunately, by the time the full extent of the operation was understood, it was already too late to prevent its impact.
As an emergency countermeasure, Vijay immediately decided to relinquish some territory and establish a second defensive perimeter 200 kilometres further inland, taking Mumbai to Brahmapur as a defensive line. He also ordered the evacuation of all cities and towns within the buffer zone he had established.
Fortunately, things did not escalate to the point where such desperate measures were needed, Because, His trump card, the pathogen plan, worked better than expected. With the delay of the Mughal army by a few more days, he was confident that the militia would be armed and ready just in time to face the 1.5 million Mughal troops.
This is one of the reasons Vijay had not spread the propaganda in the Mughal Empire before on a full scale. It was because he knew how much of a decisive advantage propaganda designed with human psychology would play in the war. Vijay, who was from the 21st century, knew that propaganda itself is half the battle not only in military aspects but also in civil and societal control.
He understood that propaganda is extremely crucial and forms the core of any strategy or ideology. For example, America, a superpower, somehow convinced a large majority of its population that a man could give birth and a woman could physically perform better than a man (If both are athletes), and people actually believed it. That alone explains how effective propaganda can be.
If you say a lie about someone a thousand times and it is heard by a large enough group of people, it ends up becoming the truth. Most importantly, Vijay is not even spreading lies; on the contrary, he is only revealing the truth, which increases the appeal and logical completeness of the story he propagated. You can imagine the effectiveness that resulted from his strategy.
Fortunately, with the small gap provided due to the riots, Vijay decided to deal with the Europeans first.
----
On a large hill, in the city of Bhallari stands a fortress made of rock and reinforced cement. The flag of the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, along with a red and turmeric flag bearing the emblem of the royal family, fluttered in the wind.
The royal guards, who rarely saw action, were now excitedly cleaning the bores of the cannons and prepping them for battle.
Vijay stood at the top of the fort entrance near the flags, the wind ruffling his hair and making his clothes flutter, giving him a regal appearance, especially with his cold gaze.
"The preparations are done, Your Majesty," his captain of the guard said with a serious expression.
Vijay did not say much and just nodded his head.
The captain of the guard, getting the answer he wished for, quickly left to arrange the soldiers.
Vijay was currently very angry, both at the enemy and at himself.
He was angry at the Europeans for meddling in affairs that had nothing to do with them and most definitely angry about them cooperating with the Mughal Empire to attack at an opportune time.
He was also angry at himself because if he did not have a trump card that ended up slowing down the Mughals, the Europeans who had breached the rear would have run rampant, and it would have taken a lot of effort to take down these elite mercenaries.
He still did not know which European forces acted together to fund these mercenaries.
However, with his fists clenched, he determined in his heart, "I will find out one day or another, and on that day you will know what it is like to have a butcher knife at your throat," he declared, his eyes firm.
---
A few hours passed by, and the Swiss mercenaries finally showed up.
Vijay, who had adorned his armour stood on top of the fortress wall like a dark knight and saw the man who was his enemy: a Caucasian man with Germanic features, blue eyes, blond hair, a tall and strong body, along with an air of calmness and clarity.
Vijay knew that he had met a tricky opponent; his face turned serious and cautious.
General Conrad von Zwingli, the commanding officer of the Helvetian Vanguard, was also a little cautious and vigilant when he saw the tall fortress wall and the artillery that had been installed in optimal positions.
Originally, he and his mercenary group did not intend to attack this place, but his intelligence channels, borrowed from the Mughal Empire, informed him that His Majesty, Emperor Vijay Devaraya, himself would be present at this location. Hence, Conrad had no choice but to change his destination from Hampi to Ballari.
He was also relieved since the travel distance could be reduced from 400 or so kilometres to 300, which meant it gave them more time to complete the mission. Additionally, it meant that they could save more grain and feed than they had originally carried for the totality of the operations.
This is one of the reasons not to attack any defensive city along the way, which was not too hard considering the vacuum created for a small amount of time due to a large number of resources being redirected to the northern frontier and Gangapuri, especially due to it being attacked by the Bengal Army.
Conrad had to say that although the plan was blasphemous and treacherous, he had to admit that it was very brilliant.
Using an army of 1.5 million as a distraction to empty out the strength of the enemy and allow them to run rampant is not an easy plan to think of or execute, so Conrad was very impressed.
---
The ceremonial diplomacy of Vijay asking the Europeans to surrender and the Europeans asking Vijay to surrender ended, without doubt, in failure, and the war immediately began.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Cannon fire erupted from both sides.
The projectiles flew through the sky like meteors crashing down onto the mortal plane.
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Vijay’s eyes flickered with a hint of apprehension, and Conrad couldn’t help but be impressed.
Vijay noticed that although the enemy cannons had a similar range to his giant cannons, they were more accurate than his own. The projectiles consistently hit only a few feet away from their target each time, and the chances of a direct hit were not low either.
Conrad similarly noticed that although the enemy’s cannon did not have the same accuracy, they had better power and the same range as their own cannons. This caught him by surprise as he did not believe the intelligence personnel of the Mughals when they gave him this information. Now there was nothing he could do but believe it.
Vijay had brought with him a total of 70 cannons, and adding the pre-existing cannons on top of the fortress wall, it made the total artillery present 130 cannons.
As for the enemy, Vijay had already received information during their travel that they had 60 pieces of field artillery and 20 pieces of heavy artillery. This did not sound too bad, but in actuality, they were deadly.
In a scenario where two fighters with equal arm lengths face each other, it is always the one who is more mobile and accurate in attack that wins, even if their opponent has a much stronger fist.
This is what Vijay is worried about. Right in front of him, he could see that more of his own cannons were being destroyed. The enemy’s cannons, although damaged, were not to a degree that satisfied him. If he had to estimate, he would say the ratio was two to one. That is, it currently took two Bharatiya cannons, whether giant cannons, general cannons, or culverins, to take down one enemy cannon.
The problem was not only the quantity but also the variety of cannons the enemy possessed — more variety, more mobility, and richer combat experience.
The only thing currently favouring Vijay is the fortress and the terrain, which somehow balanced things out. He felt fortunate that he chose this place.
He could already tell this battle was going to be bloody.
Conrad also came to the same conclusion as he understood that with the larger number of cannons and better defensive fortifications, it would eventually come to a draw, even though he had better equipment.
To be Continued...
P.S. There is a loophole in the mogul army mobilization, but I decided to go with it since, I want to end the Mughal arc and start the technology building