Chapter 72: Planning For War...!
Vijayanagar Empire, Four months from the attack:
Vijay received some exciting news today – he found out that the researchers had finally managed to make gunpowder! He couldn't believe how fast it happened. He thought it would take many more months, but it only took a few weeks to make usable gunpowder.
Reading about the researcher Manoj Reddy, who analyzed every detail of the gunpowder-making process, streamlined the manufacturing process, and determined the appropriate ratio of raw materials, Vijay was very happy. The talent Vijay needed had finally been unearthed, demonstrating the success of his plan.
Without hesitation, he promoted Manoj as the head of a department in the Bhartiya Academy of Military Science. "So it is time to plan ahead now that the gunpowder is available," he thought to himself.
Vijay immediately called for a military meeting about how to combat the Dutch. Two months have already passed since the preparations for the war started. In these two months, a lot of projects were started. The gunpowder, which he is most excited about, finally showed results. And with his help, the cannon manufacturing is not far behind.
He already has a rough plan on how to win this war, but he will need the help of experienced military personnel to iron out his plan.
Shortly after, all the military generals arrived.
"Long live Your Highness,"
They saluted one by one as they sat on the chairs with their names written on them.
The four generals of Vijayanagar were here: Ramaiya Senapati, Narasimha Nayak, Yogendra Singh, and Kiran Pujari, the four generals of an individual division.
They were all waiting for the military Marshall, Logananda Senapati. Finally, after a few moments, the old man also arrived.
"I have called for this meeting today to discuss how to proceed with the war against the Dutch. I have recently received news that a classified weapon, which I proposed, is in the final stages of development and is only missing a few steps for practical use. So, I convened this meeting in advance to discuss our attack strategy on the Dutch," Vijay stated his intent as everyone nodded their heads. Although they were confused about this secret weapon of the king, they kept their mouths shut, knowing that if it was meant for them to know, the king would reveal it to them eventually.
"So, let's talk about your ideas. We are going to face a war against a more technologically advanced world empire. How do you all think we should combat it?"
Everyone began to ponder, and hesitantly, Narasimha Nayak raised his hand.
"Nayak, go on," Vijay said.
"Your majesty, my plan is like this. Although the Dutch Empire is stronger than us in technology by many folds, my plan is, why don't we launch an attack on Lanka first and take them by surprise? They will not be able to take us all on simultaneously if it's a surprise attack," Nayak stated. The remaining generals in the room also somewhat approved of this approach. It was their 200,000-strong army against the Dutch's 50,000, so they thought that this was a sound plan.
But Vijay thought to himself with disappointment, "Looks like they don't know the power of advanced technology."
As someone from the future, Vijay knew that with technology one generation ahead of its peers, the difference in combat effectiveness was like night and day. Advanced technology weapons had more killing power than a hundred old weapons of the same type combined, especially in this era where breakthroughs happened daily.
Nayak was embarrassed as he did not get any response from Vijay. He knew that Vijay disapproved of his plan from his expression, but he was unwilling to admit that his plan was flawed. So he stared at Vijay, awaiting his reasoning.
Looking at Nayak and the surrounding generals staring at him for an answer, Vijay stated, "Although what you have said makes sense, it only works on an equal opponent, and the Dutch, by no stretch of the way, are an equal opponent." He continued amidst the bewildered expressions of the military generals.
"While your tactic may work on any other army, it would not work on the Dutch because they have cut off our channels to go to Lanka. Fighting against them at sea is like hitting a rock with a pebble, which is absolutely pointless. Our only chance to win against the Dutch is on land, but you have to understand that they have more advanced cannons and firearms than us. Although we have a 4:1 advantage against them, with their weapon superiority, we stand no chance in their home ground. They could shoot us down from a distance with only a few volleys, and a large chunk of our men will fall like flies."
Listening to this explanation from the king, cold sweat broke out on their backs as they couldn't imagine such an army. Although they had read about the Dutch military strength from the information provided by the king, they couldn't imagine such a powerful weapon. They felt that it was an exaggeration, but now, listening to the king's serious speech, maybe it could be true. They had their doubts.
"So what do you think we should do, Your Majesty?" Yogananda finally asked, feeling that his boys were still not fully convinced.
Vijay sighed as he noticed that the generals were still not convinced. Nevertheless, he continued to explain further.
"You will see the power of this new weapon in our own hands in the next few months, but until then, here is my plan. We have received information that the Dutch are going to attack Vijayanagara through Kochi in Kerala, but they wouldn't know of our awareness of their actions, which gives us an advantage," Vijay continued his explanation,
"First, we will put up no resistance to them as if we are completely unaware of their actions, so we'll leave the Kochi port undefended. After they land in Kochi, they will have to go through the Uppam forest to reach the capital, and that's where my plan comes in. There are only a few ways from Kochi to the royal capital, and we will build a barrier of sentry towers in the forest, camouflaged. My new weapon will be stationed there. First, we will eliminate their heavy artillery like cannons and siege weapons. Once their weapons are destroyed, we'll swiftly cut off their retreat. But still, we are not entirely safe. They will have a type of firearm called a flintlock. Now, this is a deadly weapon we have to contend with, and there's no easy way to fight against this Dutch infantry. The best strategy I can think of is to cover our bodies with heavy armour and overwhelm them with our superior numbers. We will have to take advantage of the time given after the flintlock is fired; this provides us with an opportunity to gain the upper hand."
Everyone was impressed by this plan of luring the enemy deeper into our territory and strangling them to death. But Logananda was not entirely sold on the idea.
"Your Highness, what if the Dutch suspect something is amiss when they encounter no resistance upon landing in Kochi? What if they decide to retreat back to Lanka and plan another approach?"
Vijay was dumbfounded by the question raised by the old martial; he had never thought about this point. But upon thinking about it, he formulated a plan.
A sly grin appeared on his face as he explained, "Aren't our jails filled with those criminals and the rich people from the rebellion? Send them out to Kochi and promise them freedom if they can defeat the Dutch. This way, we can reduce the vigilance of the Dutch against us, and we can also gauge the strength of the Dutch in this battle."
Everyone understood the cleverness in this proposal., as they didn't believe that anything was wrong with this approach. Allowing these prisoners to live for so long itself was a sign of the king's mercy.
Thinking of another point, Vijay continued, "Moreover, if we can drive out this Dutch army, we could take over the ships they came with and continue with our plan to launch an attack on Lanka, as Nayak suggested. If we are successful in taking over Lanka, we would inherit a lot of Dutch technology and infrastructure they have developed there."
"So, we have a lot to gain and everything to lose in this battle," he concluded the meeting as the plans started to move into action.
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