Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

North Andaman Island

On the northernmost part of this island, a confrontation is ongoing in a tribal village. Near this group of people, there is a mess of pots and pans, indicating that they were eating just a moment ago. The tribal warriors are wielding various weapons pointed at the soldiers dressed in iron armor, while the soldiers brandish sharp swords and sturdy shields.

"Didn’t you say that you had no hostility towards our tribe? Are you going back on your words now?" Hunter Crow, the chief of the tribe, asked with a livid expression, feeling betrayed by the breach of trust. Upon hearing this question, the Second lieutenant Varma showed no reaction except for a sigh. He knew this would happen after his declaration. Still, despite understanding the consequences.

Why did he decide to declare that sentence? Well, it was because it was protocol in the tribal encounter code. He did not understand why this protocol existed, requiring them to mention that they were outsiders and they were here to conquer their land. Was the writer of this code a retard or something? Well, they still accepted the code after it was promoted by His Excellency, Admiral Gangadhar.

* Sneeze *

Vijay sneezed in the royal palace as he was having lunch.

"Are you okay, husband? Is it a cold? Should I get a doctor?"

"No, it’s okay. Someone must be thinking how brilliant I am." Vijay said with a smile.

Well, it was Vijay who proposed this framework. Having experienced colonization in his past life, he harbours a deep aversion to imposing the same fate on others. However, the demands of the situation require him to remain steadfast, especially considering the strategic importance of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for the empire’s naval ambitions.

Serving as a pivotal gateway to Asia’s trade routes, Vijay is acutely aware of the opportunities they offer and is determined not to squander them.

In a bid to ensure transparency and avoid the whitewashing of the empire’s actions, akin to what the British did, Vijay laid down a crucial condition. He insisted that the truth be disclosed to any tribes encountered during their expeditions. Whether the empire’s intentions were conquest or otherwise, they must acknowledge their status as outsiders and the potential impact on the indigenous lands.

Also, Vijay gradually came to an understanding that such actions are inevitable in the pursuit of expansion. Moreover, he feels that making the tribal people citizens of his empire can be a good thing, as the tribal people do not even have a concept of a nation. If he did not integrate them into the empire, they would eventually end up as slaves to the Dutch.

Therefore, if they can live in a better environment, it is acceptable for them. The only thing stopping this from happening is that the tribal leaders do not want to let go of power or the unusual tribes which are very cruel and practice human sacrifice.

The standoff lasted for a few minutes before Second Lieutenant Varma opened the chest that he carried and offered its contents to Chief Hunter Crow. Hunter Crow was skeptical about what this person was giving. Upon opening the chest, he was stunned.

There were things he had never seen before clothes of unknown material, an excellent dagger made of metal, metal utensils, leather armour, and other items. He was confused as to why he was being offered all these things.

He looked at the person with a doubtful gaze. In response, the Second Lieutenant Varma replied as he anticipated the question coming from the gaze.

"We do not want to harm you; on the contrary, we want your tribe to be a part of our Empire."

"Part of the empire ?"

"Yes, it’s the same empire I mentioned before," Second Lieutenant Varma said, continuing his words after observing the complex reaction on Chief Hunter Crow’s face.

"Since you have received the gift, you should know the strength of our Empire. Joining our Empire, you will no longer have to risk your life in the wilderness or contend with your rival tribes for the resources you need. After joining the empire, your culture can also be maintained as long as it does not go against the dharmic principles of the Empire."

The offer was tempting for Hunter Crow as his tribe was only a medium tribe in terms of strength, and he had 4 to 5 rival tribes surrounding him with only two small tribes as backing. Moreover, with the dagger he received which could cut through his bronze spear with only a little force, he clearly understood the strength of this Dakshin Bhartiya Empire.

If their tribe joined this empire, it might not be too bad. However, he was still skeptical. Could these 40 people take over the island which he thought was the whole world before?

"But you are too few," he said which contained the acceptance of his tribe joining the empire and also the test for the person in front of him to prove his strength

Seeing that Hunter Crow had already made a decision, Second Lieutenant Varma smiled as his mission was fulfilled, and he sent a flaming arrow into the sky.

The tribal people were taken aback by this action but quickly obeyed the orders of Hunter Crow and calmed down.

Soon, the entire expeditionary fleet of the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire docked on the shore. They were accompanied by large ships adorned with sails unlike any they had seen before, as well as numerous small ships, each four to five times the size of their own boats. The sheer number of vessels left everyone in the tribe taken aback, and their worldview was heavily impacted.

Frantically, they fell down to the ground beneath them and started chanting mantras.

Hunter Crow was even more taken aback after seeing the massive 1000-ton battleship. In his eyes, this was not a boat; it was a floating island made by god.

Moreover, he had never seen boats using wind to travel. They had always thought that the wind was their enemy, but surprisingly, the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire had made it their friend.

"Looks like I made the right decision," tribal leader Hunter Crow said to himself as he observed the unloading of various items by the shore from the large ships.

Men disembarked from the ships, and the stronghold construction began. Gautam also met with Chief Hunter Crow and welcomed him for becoming a citizen of the empire. It took only a day to set up the stronghold, which left the tribals even more shocked. They witnessed how the grey powder, which was just powder yesterday, became as strong as stone in a day after mixing with rock and water.

It was miraculous, and yet another round of chanting began.

With the stronghold secured, the operations began. With the intelligence provided by Crazy Crow and his tribe, the soldiers of the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire started to contact all the friendly tribes who shared the same values as the Hunter Crow tribe. The belief of the Hunter Crow tribe is of a moderate nature where they collectively pray for nature for a bountiful harvest and other blessings.

This faith is one of the popular beliefs among the islands. While there are still other belief systems that worship individual animals or some sort of deity, it’s obvious that the faith of the chief Hunter Crow’s tribe, which aligns with Hinduism, is more acceptable to them.

While some tribes joined the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire immediately after witnessing the might of their force, there were still tribal leaders who did not want to lose their power. They were highly opposed to the idea, even though there was talk among the people leaning towards the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire, especially after they had sampled the food prepared by the military chefs.

Seeing these stubborn fools, Gautam acted decisively. These tribal leaders were silently assassinated, and new leaders were installed who had pro-Bhartiya Empire tendencies. Gautam couldn’t understand; did they not introduce themselves as outsiders and conquerors? Why were these tribal leaders so stubborn even after witnessing their strength? He could never figure it out.

The arrival of Dakshin Bharatiya soldiers caused a huge storm on the island as a polarity of power was formed in just a week, where the tribes began to take sides, reminiscent of the Cold War between the USA and USSR in the mid-20th century. In just a week after the landing, they managed to form a tribal alliance of 58 tribes, bringing the total number of residents to 9500.

With sides firmly chosen, the stage was set for war.

The military of the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire was dispatched to confront the formidable alliance of tribesmen. The challenge lay in dealing with tribes deeply entrenched in extreme practices, such as human sacrifices and, in the most severe cases, cannibalism.

No mercy was shown to these tribes as the full might of the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire descended upon them, uprooting them without hesitation. Only the young ones under 5 years of age were spared. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

A comprehensive brigade from the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire was mobilized for this critical operation, consisting of a total of 5 battalions. Among these were three battalions of infantry, each seasoned in ground combat tactics. Additionally, there was a dedicated battalion of forest warfare-focused rangers, skilled in navigating and fighting in dense jungle terrain.

Furthermore, a battalion of gunners and artillery provided crucial firepower support to the ground forces.

Fortunately, the need for such extensive deployment proved unnecessary, as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were solely inhabited by various tribes practising diverse forms of animism and speaking different languages. Consequently, heavy firepower was not required.

The brief tribal conflict in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands concluded within a week, culminating in the victory of the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire.

For those tribes that allied with the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, witnessing the fate of their enemies was a sobering experience. Though the tribal elders initially hesitated to fully embrace the Bharatiya Empire, any lingering doubts were swiftly dispelled by the week-long massacre.

Despite the victims being former adversaries, the elders couldn’t help but feel a sense of pity, as they never had a chance to defend themselves.

Despite the victory, Gautam couldn’t shake off a sense of regret, as he had wished for an opportunity to showcase his skills. He had hoped some of the tribesmen might launch naval attacks, yet he learned that their boats were only seaworthy during low tide, rendering them ineffective in the current high tide conditions.

It seemed he had arrived in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands under too favourable circumstances.

With a heavy heart, he sent a letter to Admiral Gangadhar, penned aboard a sloop.

P.S. Came to college, and a lot of time was wasted, the teachers did not sign the no-due certificate, as they had a meeting.