Chapter 126: The Last Battle Part: 2
After the messenger departed, Vijay found himself in a foul mood. He understood that once the messenger returned to the enemy camp, the battle would commence. Vijay, possessing only partial knowledge of military command, did not insist on taking control of the battle. Instead, he entrusted the leadership to the Old Man, Martial Logananda Senapati. Given Logananda's extensive experience in numerous wars, Vijay chose not to interfere with his decisions. Logananda, accustomed to being a commander, accepted the responsibility without hesitation. Seated there, he scrutinized the map laid out in front of him.
He had spent the entire morning studying the diverse terrains, formulating strategies for an optimal attack. This war presented a stark contrast to every other battle he had commanded in the past. During those times, there were no weapons of mass destruction like the ones at his disposal now, especially with a firepower range exceeding 800 meters. Consequently, he had to devise new tactics on the fly. However, while scrutinizing the map, he observed something peculiar that he could leverage. Tapping a particular spot several times, A smile appeared on his face.
In the Mughal camp, Mohammed, listening to the messenger, nodded his head in acceptance, as he was not surprised by the outcome. If he were in Vijay's place, he would have taken the head of the messenger. He was a little surprised that the messenger came back in one piece.
"Sigh."
He ordered the artillery meant to move the new giant cannons in position to breach the city wall. The cannons, which were newly manufactured, were pulled into their places, and the elevation was adjusted for an optimal breaching angle.
"Boom, boom, boom."
Following salvos of 10 cannons at a time, they fired for a total of 5 rounds, planning to repeat the same action in the next movement. Cannonballs hit the large city wall in front of them. The impact surprised Mohammad because the city wall was not as damaged as he had hoped. It only had a few spider-like cracks in the place that was hit. Maybe a few more rounds in the same place would put a hole in the wall. Unfortunately, the cannons were not accurate enough to pinpoint a target with feet in accuracy from 500 meters away. Now, he noticed that there was something wrong with this wall. At first, he had thought it was nothing but a paint job. Now it looked like he was wrong. His eyelids jumped in a curious expression, and he grew increasingly more curious and greedy about the secrets of Vijayanagara.
Yogananda was not to be outdone; he promptly ordered the salvo to be fired. The 50 cannons of Vijayanagara positioned on the city wall roared in batches. However, these cannons were strategically aimed at the artillery of the Mughal Empire, specifically targeting the new Mughal cannons. While facing some disadvantages in terms of quality and accuracy, the Vijayanagara cannons demonstrated an even match in power.
Both sides relentlessly bombarded each other, the assault causing the cracks in the wall to widen with each passing moment. The Mughal artillery, despite its formidable presence, did not escape unscathed, as a batch of cannons erupted in flames upon being struck. Unfortunately, the Vijayanagara cannons faced a significant challenge with a dismally low hit ratio each time they managed to land a shot. Consequently, a notable gallery of the Vijayanagara Empire was set ablaze, adding a chaotic layer to the already intense battlefield.
This went on for a few more rounds until a small breach was made in the wall.
The Vijayanagara cannons heated up first, rendering them unusable for at least half an hour. Later on, the Mughal cannons were also rendered unusable due to the heat generated by continuous firing.
Observing that both sides were now left unarmed, the Mughals seized the opportunity to advance. However, their formation was peculiarly spread out across a large area. Iqbal, the new Minister of War, recognized that the Vijayanagara Empire still possessed regular cannons. Considering that Vijayanagara had mastered the technology before the Mughals, it was likely they had more cannons. In an effort to mitigate the impact of the cannons, Iqbal decided on a strategic move to reduce their effectiveness.
As the formation pressed forward, the Mughals brought their own cannons into play. A horse-drawn cart was employed to pull their newly improved general cannon, boasting a 10 kg calibre. With the range of both cannons being similar, the fireworks resumed once they entered the 100-meter range. The sheer number of cannons on both sides intensified the warfare, creating a spectacle of explosive chaos.
"Ahhhh!"
A soldier on the wall got hit by a cannonball and flew right over the wall. Cannonballs flew everywhere, causing total chaos. Screams and shouts echoed throughout the battlefield as casualties on both sides stacked up. The probability of a cannonball destroying a whole group was very low, as they were not explosive, but the sheer number of cannons used on both sides made it hard for anyone to predict the outcome of this shootout.
Both sides aimed their cannons at each other, intending to get rid of the artillery. The air was covered by black smoke, dust, and splinters from the broken carriages and the dust from the tall concrete wall. It looked like chaos, reminiscent of a battle right out of a video game.
As the Mughal army advanced, they soon entered the range of the flintlocks. Ramaiah, who had been waiting with bated breath, commanded, "Fire." The salvo erupted once more, with gunmen discharging their shots and swiftly retreating to the rear of the second row to reload and repeat the process.
On the Mughal side, casualties suddenly increased. Although they had more people, they couldn't withstand the relentless barrage from Vijayanagara's weapons. Iqbal had already read about this new weapon of Vijayanagara, so he quickly signalled his flag bearer to send the signal to the frontline of the battlefield.
After catching the signal from their commander, the formation underwent a complete transformation. The infantry, initially equipped with shields before the battle, raised the shields above their heads to intercept the relentless barrage from Vijayanagara. Although this tactic couldn't entirely ward off the thousands of bullets flying at once, casualties were reduced by at least 50%. However, as they advanced into the range of the muskets, casualties spiked once more.
The muskets proved more suitable for the occasion. Despite their lack of accuracy, their firepower surpassed that of the flintlocks. In the relatively dense target, it didn't matter where the bullet went; as long as it was fired in a general direction, it was likely to hit, resulting in another increase in casualties for the Mughal forces.
To Be Continued...
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