Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

204  War Of Ahom Part: 3

The Dakshin Bhartiya Empire, off the coast of Paradip Port.

The entire navy of the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire, stationed at the Eastern Naval Base, has been dispatched for this military operation to reinforce the Ahom troops. While the Eastern Naval Base is empty, in order to strengthen defences against any third-party intrusion, some BNV warships have been dispatched from the Southern and Western Naval Bases. This battle group, consisting of a man-of-war battleship and 35 Hampi-class sloops under the command of Admiral Gangadhar, with Gautam as his deputy, has been dispatched on this first overseas expedition of the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire. The fleet also includes thousands of merchant ships in tow. These merchant ships are armed with swivel guns and belong to the Dhana class of armed merchant ships. They carry five brigades of troops, totalling 25,000 soldiers, headed by Yogendra Singh and two units of special forces headed by Dinesh Reddy and Lingesh.

Soon, the fleet reached the coastline of Mughal-occupied Bengal. As they approached, the coastline became clearly visible.

At the coastline, the Mughal ships also noticed the battle group of the Southern Empire. They quickly mobilized and dispatched their vessels as soon as possible.

Upon seeing the approaching Mughal vessels, Gangadhar was disappointed. What he least wanted to happen did occur because the Mughal vessels that responded numbered only 30 to 40 frigates. Despite the Mughals having superior numbers, it's important to note that the Mughal Navy's strength is lacking. All their vessels are outdated compared to those used by the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire. The ships of the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire practically outshine the frigates of the Mughal Empire in all measurable parameters except for displacement. In the present case, even displacement becomes a weakness as it leaves the Mughal vessels less flexible against the more manoeuvrable Hampi-class sloops.

Technically, this should be a reason to be happy, but what is Gangadhar disappointed about?

This is the exact question some sailor asked Gangadhar, to which he replied, "According to our previous calculations, there should be 60 to 65 frigates patrolling this area, but now there are only around 40 ships. Do you know what this means?" he asked. To which, the sailor responded with a clueless expression, "What, sir?" "What it means is that the rest of the ships have been dispatched to fight the war inland, which will also mean that the Ahom Kingdom will have to resist a lot more firepower than we initially anticipated."

The sailor who asked the question finally understood the admiral's concerns, and he too grew worried. Despite the challenge ahead, the admiral quickly devised a battle plan. He made some hand gestures, signalling like he was doing some sort of gang sign.

Suddenly, the fleet split into three different battle groups and launched independent attacks against the Mughal vessels from all three directions.

"Port Rudder!"

"Aye, Sir"

"Starboard Rudder!"

"Aye, Sir"

The sails shifted as the rudder turned.

Shouts from the captains and the crew of different ships rang out, and the flags on top of the ships changed to convey different messages between the ships.

The Hampi-class sloops sailed at speeds of 7 knots per hour. *Bang!* The loud shots of cannonballs rang out from their small decks. Although the hit ratio was very low due to the targets also moving at a speed of 5 knots per hour, the Mughal ships were not all equipped with cannons, whereas the ships of Dakshin Bharatiya were all armed. Even the merchant ships were equipped with swivel guns, so wolf pack tactics were employed, picking off one ship at a time. Fortunately, the enemy also cooperated, as they formed a defensive formation, preparing for a boarding battle. Sadly for the Mughals, the Bharatiyas never intended to board. *Bang!* Farther away from the battlezone, Yogendra Singh, seeing this naval battle unfold from a distance, grew restless. He pleaded to the captain operating the ship he was on, "Come on, let's join! Doesn't this ship also have guns? Let's go!"

The captain of the ship maintained a stone face and did not reply. Although this might come off as rude considering that Yogendra Sing is a few ranks above him, he couldn't care less. This was not the first time Yogendra Singh had asked this question. Initially, when he asked the same question, the captain politely responded, rejecting Yogendra Singh under the pretext of battle safety. However, as Yogendra Singh persisted, the captain stopped responding altogether.

"Hard Port"

*Bang!*

"Hit Affermative Sir"

A Dakshin Bharatiya Empire sloop acted as a distraction when another sloop cut through the waves from its port side, putting a huge hole in the hull of the Mughal frigate. The Mughal crew on deck panicked as they scrambled to get off the ship. As more and more frigates of the Mughal Empire sank in the seawater, the formation they adhered to started to resemble a bunch of grapes, with each fruit being picked off one ship at a time. Noticing this, they decided to split apart. Unfortunately, it was too late, as 15 warships had already sunk, making it very hard to resist the hit-and-run tactics of the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire.

The naval battle between the Mughal Empire and the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire unfolded like this:

After finally clearing the coast, Admiral Gangadhar picked three outposts as temporary bases along the coast of Mughal-occupied Bengal.

Gangadhar strategically chose solid locations that allowed a ship to patrol the entire Bengal coast without returning to the original base. The first base was established at Sagar Island near Kolkata city, providing a central point for monitoring activities along the coast. The second base, Ganga Mati Island, was strategically positioned between the first and third bases, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the region. Finally, the last base was established at the far East Kutubdia Island, securing control over the easternmost part of Bengal and completing the strategic triangle for effective naval operations.

As the bases were established for this operation, fortifications of the islands were quickly built, as the fleets would stay in these bases for at least a few weeks. With the coastline secured and no ships going in or out of the river, the soldiers were swiftly dispatched through the Kutubdia Island base, while the special forces had to stand by. Although they could have gone directly through the Ahom Kingdom's port located to the south, this strategy would have taken longer to reach the battle zone. So instead, after getting off the Kutubdia Island, they searched around for small fishing boats. Fortunately, as this was a coastal region, there were thousands of such small fishing boats.

The soldiers quickly hopped on board and travelled upstream through the Kamapuli River into the inland areas of Bengal. Although these are the inland areas of Bengal, it is also the easternmost area covered with forests, making it less frequented and more isolated. Hence, this route was chosen.

As they went further into the inland areas, they finally met resistance, with a few outposts visible. Fortunately, everyone was equipped with muskets, and a select few had flintlocks. Dispatching the Mughal scouts was not difficult. With further travel, they reached a large lake called Kaptai Lake.

After reaching the northernmost end of the lake, everyone collectively got off the boat and proceeded to trek through the forest. Fortunately, they had received good training on how to work in a forest environment from the Ahom Kingdom.

With half a day's trek, they eventually reached the border. The patrol soldiers at the border were initially wary of this group, but as they were confirmed to be from the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire, the soldiers of the Ahom Kingdom did not hinder them; instead, they warmly welcomed them, aware that these were reinforcements they had requested. After a few hours of rest and replenishing their rations, they resumed their journey. While travelling within the Ahom Kingdom, their pace quickened, utilizing carriages whenever available.

They passed through the cities of Tiabung, Lunglei, Aizawl, and Silchar, and finally reached their destination, Shillong. Their journey of nearly 600 km ended in a week, but unfortunately, they were a little bit too late. The southern base where they were stationed had turned into the last line of defence against the southern army of the Mughal Empire. After Villa Nagar, it did not take long for the Mughals to breach Nongstoin and finally approach Shillong. Fortunately, due to the terrain, the Ahom soldiers could still hold on.

Yogendra Singh noticed the dire situation immediately, took control of the command with the approval of his highness, Jaidwaj Singha, and dispatched three whole brigades to the Saraighat region where the general of Ahom, Lachit Borphukan, was resisting the main force of the Mughals. In theory, he should be the one to take on the main force of the Mughal invasion, but for some reason, his majesty advised that he should let the general of Ahom take care of the main battle, and he should cover the rear, not letting the Mughals take one more step inside the Ahom Kingdom.

Yogendra Singh honestly did not know why his majesty Vijay, put so much trust in this foreign general. Looking at the new reports he was updated with after reaching Shillong, he was even more skeptical, as effective resistance was not able to be put up against the Mughals since the battles started. When the Distress letter had reached his majesty, Vijay Devaraya, the Mughals were stationed in Bilasipara. Then, they stream rolled all the way through the towns and cities of Chapar, Abhayapuri, Kalgachi, Barfaiadi, and Hajo, and finally reached the destination, Saraighat town.

The casualties of the Ahom soldiers had been massive, with over 20,000 soldiers dead, taking out only 10,000 to 13,000 Mughal soldiers. Although skeptical, he chose to believe in his majesty. Yogendra quickly got to work, inspecting the terrain and looking for perfect spots for cannon placement. He also examined the road maps of the region to see if he could take advantage of anything.

Like it ? Add to library！

Mithun_ReddyGaru