Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

Dakshin Bhartiya Empire, Vijayanagara State, capital city - Hampi.

|| 1655 Vedic Calendar, three months and one week after the New Year ||

Discussions within the palace continued at length until a viable strategy for attack was formulated. Meanwhile, Vijay initiated the mobilization of the empire’s military forces and declared a state of military emergency, focusing efforts on bolstering the empire’s economy to support the impending military actions.

The Empire and its people were suddenly stunned by Vijay’s declaration. With the implementation of a military emergency, core factories deemed essential for the war effort began churning out equipment and materials non-stop.

Seeing the operation and mechanism of the military economy system working as intended, Vijay was highly satisfied with this model, which was inspired by socialist and communal countries like the USSR and China.

In a typical democratic setting, even during wartime, the country usually pays the standard price for necessary equipment. It’s rare to see companies reducing costs when selling to their own nation, even for war efforts. More often than not, prices surge during times of war, whether for ammunition, weaponry or even basic supplies.

In the 21st century where Vijay is from, this phenomenon has become so extreme that some believe the USA is governed by the military-industrial complex, reliant on war for sustenance.

Vijay even heard rumours within his circle suggesting that the USA’s military-industrial complex might secretly supply arms to adversaries in order to incite greater military spending from the American public and Taxpayers.

Although he did not know if the rumour was true or not, Vijay did not want any of those scenarios to happen. So, he had this system implemented during the Indo-Dutch war. Looking at it now, it has come a long way. The system, which had never been implemented in a democracy, has been tweaked and implemented in the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire so that it could fit the various systems of the Empire the best.

Currently, after optimizations in the military economy system, instead of bringing all the companies in the Empire under military control as it happened during the Indo-Dutch war, multiple laws and amendments have made the Military Emergency Act more flexible and able to last in a battle of attrition.

Now, the Military Emergency Act can gauge the seriousness of the enemy, and depending on the severity, factories are selected for procurement.

Even the benefits for the factory owners whose factories have been procured for military efforts have increased.

Not only will the factory owners have increased production capacity in their factories and tax benefits for the next couple of years, but when the military economy period ends, the government is also willing to provide no-interest loans for these companies that aid in military efforts to expand their factories.

After implementing these measures, the price paid by the government to procure materials from the factories only slightly differed from what it would have been if the factories had independently sold these products to the military. "Isn’t this just going around the head to get to the mouth, what’s the point then?" Many questions arose in parliament regarding the benefits of these measures.

However, all objections ceased when Vijay made a statement that left everyone speechless, as no one could provide a rebuttal. "Gentlemen, Previously, under the military economy system, every factory was procured, ensuring equal treatment by the government to all businessmen involved.

But as our military economy system became more flexible, allowing us to select which factories were necessary for war efforts, the remaining factories not chosen inevitably took advantage of their competitors’ absence and captured the market. Therefore, it would be unwise to penalize those businessmen who wholeheartedly support our war efforts."

"So providing more help and benefits to them is necessary. I understand all of your considerations. By providing this long-term interest-free loan, The Empire is paying only slightly less than what the merchants would have originally asked.

But please note the distinction: in the current scenario, the government is paying for the businessman, and not the businessman setting their own prices and demanding the money from the government."

"I will never allow any private businessmen to hinder the war efforts by arbitrarily increasing the prices. Even though in the current situation the difference between the parties is not too significant, the intent lies in who has the upper hand in this exchange of interests between the government and the businessmen of the Empire.

So if any of you have any better solution to compensate the businessmen who had their factories requisitioned for war efforts, now is the time for you to speak up."

Everyone in the parliament was silent as they did not have any answer to His Majesty’s straightforward question. Also, they did not consider what could happen by giving the businessmen the pricing rights of their goods during the war. It was natural, though, as they did not witness what Vijay had witnessed in his last life.

But now that Vijay talked about it, even the ministers realized that it was inappropriate for the businessmen to have the pricing power during the war. Hence, a support plan for the military-procured factories was established. The factories that were procured during the military emergency were handsomely rewarded after the emergency ended.

The rewards included tax benefits, long-term interest-free loans, assistance in acquiring foreign orders for weapon manufacturing factories, and the provision of excellent and high-quality production-trained workers.

Back to the present.

After the military emergency was declared, the procurement of factories was wholly focused on the Marine industry. All the reputable shipyards in the empire began to abandon civilian orders and fully work for the military. With the whole Marine industry of the Empire centralized under military control, keels were quickly laid down.

Despite the current speed of production, the ships were actually not being built to be used in the war, as the strategy this time was to destroy the warships of the Ottoman Empire by the time they reached the Gujarat port. However, the time would not be enough.

So what the shipyards were actually doing was preparing more ships so that after the war, the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire was ready to take on the Mughals at a moment’s notice.

Vijay’s Raya Armory and Iron Works factories were also requisitioned under his order and permission. He did not want to be an exception to the rule he created. The Armory started to produce cannons and ammunition at a large scale, as the human resources suddenly became abundant with the input of the military.

While the Empire was preparing economically, the hard power, the coast guard of the Empire set sail at a moment’s notice and travelled to the two ports of Maldives and Lakshadweep. For this battle, out of the 220 Hampi-class sloops, 180 were put in action. Out of the 48 Vinayak-class frigates, 35 were put into action, and both Dutch-origin warships were deployed.

So it is very clear that Vijay had put a lot of stake into this battle.

He is playing a risky move by putting all his chips on a single possibility. Now the coastal defenses of the Empire are looking very thin, and there is a possibility of foreign invasion at this time. So Vijay mobilized the reserve and active soldiers and stationed them at various strategic locations along the coast to ensure that no invasion of the Empire would take place during the naval battles. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Vijay and Gangadhar also took a carriage and made their way to the Mangaluru port. From there, they boarded a Vinayak-class frigate and sailed to the Lakshadweep Islands.

Half of the naval assets invested in this battle were present at Lakshadweep. The stationed captain came to receive him and Admiral Gangadhar as soon as they stepped foot on the island. After a grand welcome, Vijay stood on the stage and looked at the rows and rows of sailors standing in attention on a hot sunny day.

He nodded his head in appreciation for their discipline and began to deliver his speech.

"My naval officers and sailors,

Today, we stand at a critical juncture, facing a challenge that will test our mettle and our dedication to protecting our empire. The Ottoman fleet, bound for the shores of our Mughal adversaries, poses a grave threat to the stability of our region. But as the guardians of our empire’s seas, we will not waver in our duty.

The importance of our mission cannot be overstated. Should the Ottoman fleet reach its destination, it would undermine the internal security of our empire. The consequences of such an event would be dire, with our enemies gaining access to formidable naval power and posing a threat to our people’s safety.

However, we possess strengths of our own. Though we may be outnumbered, our resolve and courage are unmatched. Despite having only two battleships of the same calibre as the Ottomans at our disposal, the spirit of our navy knows no bounds. It is this spirit that will guide us through the storm and lead us to victory.

I call upon each of you to rise to the challenge before us. Let us draw inspiration from the bravery of our ancestors, who faced trials far greater than this with unwavering determination. Together, we will stand firm against tyranny and oppression, securing the future of our empire for generations to come.

As we set sail to intercept the Ottoman fleet, let us remember our duty, our honour, and our allegiance to our empire. With courage in our hearts and unity in our ranks, no obstacle can deter us. May the winds favour our journey and the seas be calm as we embark on this noble mission.

To victory, my warriors. To victory!

Jai Hind!"

The soldiers took on Vijay’s chants as they roared, motivated and ready for anything. Their voices reverberated throughout the island, echoing their determination.

P.S. FUK Laplace and Fourier