Bhopal, West Madhya Pradesh Battlefield, the Mughal Empire
The Mughal troops, who were filled with high morale just a few moments ago, were now like chickens trying their best to escape the butcher. Unfortunately, there was no escape; they were sandwiched between two Bharatiya armies and had no resistance.
Although they later surrendered, it was too late. Out of the 50,000 soldiers of the Mughal Empire, only 22,000 soldiers were left alive; the rest were buried to become fertilizer for trees.
"Your Excellency the Marshall, it seems that one of our scouts found something," the lieutenant informed Kiran, who was now in a bright mood.
Kiran was intrigued and went over to see. He was surprised to find that it was a tunnel. "No wonder these guys came through suddenly; they dug a tunnel right under our feet," he said with a complex expression on his face. Most of the time, it was the Bharatiya Empire that employed a tunnelling strategy. Now, it was their turn to be on the receiving end of this strategy, which he found very unpleasant.
Kiran felt this way, but the lieutenant next to him had an unusually bright expression on his face. "Your Excellency, can we use this tunnel to sneak into the city?"
Hearing the suggestion, Kiran was thoughtful but then shook his head as he replied, "No, it is too risky. What if we go through the tunnel and reach the other end where there are cannons and guns waiting for us? Also, who knows which part of the city this tunnel goes to? Additionally, what if there are traps in the tunnel itself?"
The series of questions left the lieutenant stunned, and a cold sweat broke out.
Unable to look at the guy like this, Kiran simply shook his head and replied, "But it is true, we have to utilize the opportunity wisely if this is indeed an opportunity. So, let’s do it like this: send a group of scouts into the tunnel and confirm if there are any traps or not."
The lieutenant immediately acted. Six scouts entered the tunnel after saying their prayers.
On the other side of the tunnel, a Mughal soldier responsible for noting any anomalies within the cave was immediately alerted by the footsteps and the sounds of conversation coming through the tunnel.
Feroze Jung was immediately informed. With a stern expression on his face, he debated whether to activate the trap in the cave or not. Finally, he made up his mind and activated the trap because although he knew the enemy might not fall for the trap set up at the last moment, he could not afford to leave the tunnel open. Manpower could not be maintained near the remote location of the city 24/7.
*Zzzzzzz*
With his order, the fuse outside the tunnel was immediately lit up and moved quickly through the tunnel like a flaming snake.
The scouts who were inspecting the cave immediately heard the sizzling sound. They understood what was happening and turned back, fleeing at full speed.
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Unfortunately, their speed was not enough.
*BOOOM!* The explosion occurred, sending shockwaves and flames throughout the cave. The scouts at the rear were immediately burnt by the flames and dropped down, writhing in pain until they eventually passed away.
The scout who was farthest from the blast fortunately survived. He dived out of the cave and immediately rolled to the side, avoiding being killed by the flames that spewed from the tunnel opening, although some of his hair and skin were scorched.
The man, confirming that he was alive, devoutly started thanking the gods.
The lieutenant and Kiran Pujari, who had yet to leave the tunnel entrance, were taken aback by the explosion. The lieutenant, who previously suggested utilizing the tunnel to sneak into the city, had blood drained from his face and quickly turned white from fear, imagining what would have happened if his suggestion had been followed.
Kiran, who quickly recovered, had a complicated expression on his face as he mourned the loss of the five scouts. "What a pity," he thought. But then something happened that shocked both him and the Mughal General Feroze Jung.
The tunnel, weakened by the explosion, Unexpectedly due to hitting a weak spot on the ground started to collapse. The scouts, whose bodies were still inside becoming fuel to the fire, were extinguished as they were buried by the collapsing rubble from above.
The collapse, like a pack of dominoes, moved from the centre of the tunnel in both directions. This was not the most surprising part. As the tunnel collapsed under the city wall, some of the rocks sank into the ground, creating a weak point in the city wall. With one rock falling, multiple followed until a section of the city wall was completely destroyed and a breach was formed.
Neither Feroze nor Kiran would have expected that the collapse of the tunnel would breach the city wall. Feroze Jung was extremely shocked, angry, and regretful, while Kiran Pujari was extremely shocked, delighted, and thankful.
"Immediately reposition the cannons, expand the breach," Kiran Pujari said.
"Immediately reposition the cannons, aim at the enemy artillery, also prepare to retreat," Feroze Jung ordered.
Feroze knew that in a direct confrontation with the Bharatiya Empire, his troops would not last long, given the strength disparity between the two armies. He had just lost 50,000 troops, and the enemy had gained 62,500 troops. With their own civilian population supporting the enemy, defending the breached city seemed daunting.
Kiran Pujari did not let go of the opportunity. He immediately had the Bharatiya Hastha Dwani (Handcannon) unit advance simultaneously.
The Hastha Dwani unit, despite suffering heavy casualties, successfully opened up the breach even more.
Immediately after, the Bharatiya Army, numbering nearly 220,000, poured into the city of Bhopal like a torrent.
The Mughal soldiers were helpless as they dropped their weapons and admitted defeat.
Kiran Pujari, who had entered the city due to the unexpected turn of events, was surprised to find out that Mughal General Feroze Jung had retreated from the city along with his main army.
"Do you know where he retreated to?" Kiran Pujari inquired.
"I have been informed that Mughal General Feroze Jung had retreated to Shivpuri, Your Excellency," the lieutenant informed.
Kiran Pujari nodded with a slightly unwilling expression, as he would have loved to end Feroze Jung right here and now, sensing that the man was a threat. Unfortunately, it seemed the enemy was very decisive and chose to retreat without hesitation. This couldn’t help but make Kiran more worried about this venomous snake.
Overall, the Battle of Bhopal and the battle for western Madhya Pradesh ended with the victory of the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, due to some unforeseen circumstances for the Mughal Empire.
On the 21st of May 1656, the war for Bhopal came to its conclusion with the city captured. Kiran Pujari, who had achieved this victory withdrew from the battlefield, and took up his original post as the defender of the frontline, while the forward battle group he was leading was taken over by Yogendra Singh, who had returned from the northeastern battlefield after the victory in Bengal.
Things were looking very bright for the Bharatiya Empire, especially today, which was bound to be an extraordinary day for the empire.
May 21st, 1656
Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, Vijayanagar State, Capital City Hampi
Vijay, usually calm on weekdays, nervously paced around at the door of his room. Sweat could be seen on his forehead, showing his stress.
Surprisingly, he was not alone. With him were his family members, including his uncle, aunt, and grandfather. Also present were his brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and nephew, all with worried expressions on their faces.
"Ah!"
Screams constantly came from inside the room, unmistakably from Kavya.
Each time Kavya screamed, Vijay clenched his fists tighter. Due to the exertion, some of the scabs that had formed and almost healed began to reopen, but he did not care; his heart was filled with worry.
"UWwwhaaaaa"
"UWwwhaaaaa"
Finally, Vijay released his clenched fists upon hearing the cry of an infant, undoubtedly his own.
A few minutes later, a midwife emerged from the room with a happy smile on her face. She said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty. Both the empress and the child are safe and healthy. We have a prince."
Vijay didn’t care whether it was a boy or a girl; he was satisfied with either one. What he really cared about was the condition of his wife and the child, and knowing the answer, he was overjoyed that both his wife and child were safe and sound. He rushed into the room without looking back.
However, unlike him, his family members were very happy that it was a prince and not a princess, influenced by the biases of the era.
Entering the room, Vijay saw his wife with a smiling expression as she held their precious little child.
The child had stopped crying and appeared to be sleeping, occasionally popping bubbles in his mouth. Tears welled up in Vijay’s eyes looking at the scene. " Sniff " " Hahaha," he chuckled uncontrollably.
Vijay took the child into his arms, feeling the deep connection of bloodline between himself and his son. He was surprised by this feeling but attributed it to his special genes, which had changed since his rebirth.
Seeing her husband crying and laughing while holding their son, Kavya had a satisfied expression on her face. However, upon noticing blood on his hands, her worry surfaced. Yet, as she saw the bleeding stop, her concern dissipated.
"He has your face," she said with a smile.
Though Vijay couldn’t see the similarities his wife talked about, he was happy nonetheless.
Vijay moved closer to Kavya and kissed her on the forehead, whispering, "Thank you. Thank you for giving me a child."
With great humility and overflowing emotions, Vijay looked at the child’s face. He now felt the urge to conquer the world and give it to him. He felt like he could do anything for this child in his arms. In his two lifetimes, this was the first proof of his existence. This child was not only his offspring but also evidence of existence for a man named Vijay, an ISRO scientist in the 21st century.
Kavya’s eyes were also wet with tears as she remembered all the times she had endured the scrutinizing gazes of society when she couldn’t bear a child. Now, she had put those struggles behind her. She shook her head and replied, "I should thank you for being my husband."
Vijay had a smile on his face.
Kavya then asked curiously, "Do you have any name planned, husband?"
Vijay was taken aback by the question, but after a moment, he regained his smile and looking at the face of his child he declared, "I wish thee wilt be the fire that brings the nation forward, be the fire that brings prosperity, be the fire that brings deterrence, be the fire of wisdom, and be the fire of kindness and virtue.
My son, I name thee after the Lord of Fire, Agni, Agni Devaraya, the Prince of the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire."
Kavya immediately blossomed with a huge smile as she really liked the name.
Suddenly, the baby, who had just finished drinking milk, opened his eyes wide. Vijay was surprised to see that the pupils of this little guy were actually amber in colour, like the colour of the sun. The baby giggled, perhaps because he liked the name, or maybe he could feel the connection between the man who was holding him and himself.
Overall, Vijay was very satisfied that the name he had chosen suited the little guy so well.
P.S. Correction its Bhopal, not Jabalpur