Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, Vijayanagar State, Capital City: Hampi.

|| 1655 Vedic Calendar, four months and two weeks after the New Year ||

Today holds special significance in the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire as it marks the day when Vijay appointed two new kings for the empire. Vijay possesses the constitutional authority to designate a king in a state of his preference. These kings serve as his representatives in their respective states and aid in overseeing the state governments.

In Vijay’s absence, they are empowered to mobilize the army and suppress any rebellion or unrest. Additionally, unlike government ministers, the position of a king is lifelong, allowing them to hold their title until their demise.

This is why Vijay hesitated to choose a king until now. He was only satisfied with two individuals for the position and hoped to wait for more candidates to coronate all the kings at once. However, plans don’t always unfold as expected.

With the empire expanding and acquiring several islands, Vijay realized that even with improved travel and transport capabilities, he couldn’t oversee all affairs in these islands. Thus, he ultimately decided to grant the title of king to the two individuals he was already satisfied with.

Vijay made his way to the courtroom of the Royal Palace where the coronation ceremony would be held. The courtroom was filled with dignitaries and ministers of the empire. The Chief Ministers of all the states had been seated as the VIP guests. Prime Minister Vinod, Marshall Kiran Poojari, and Admiral Gangadhar were also present, as their presence was crucial to the occasion.

As soon as Vijay entered the hall, the music began to play loudly. Everyone rose from their seats to show their respect to the monarch. Vijay, wearing a black sherwani coupled with his light wheat-coloured skin, looked very dazzling. The black sherwani had golden threading with a pattern of a tiger, making him look more imposing.

Vijay took his seat on the throne and placed his right leg on the gold footrest. "Let the event begin," Vijay said as everyone took their individual seats.

With Vijay’s word, rituals and prayers were performed. After that, Vijay, knowing that the time was right, looked to his right and snapped his fingers twice. Soon after, from both sides of the courtroom, two squads of soldiers carrying two separate boxes arrived. These soldiers were wearing red ornamental uniforms tailored for the special occasion, They came forward in an orderly March.

The boxes they carried were very large, at least as tall as 7 feet. However, seeing how the soldiers carried the boxes effortlessly, it

could be concluded that the contents inside were not too heavy.

Vijay then began his speech. "I am delighted that we have all gathered here for this joyous occasion. Today marks the day when I appointed two new kings for the empire. These new kings will serve as my representatives in the states of my choosing." n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Before I proceed to reveal my picks for the kingship, there is a decision I have made that needs to be known to everyone. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, recently conquered, will not be considered a state but a union territory. It will be under the direct control of the Imperial committee and the Union government.

Therefore, one of the positions of kingship today will be allocated and stationed at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Since there is no local government in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the king of that region will have more autonomy and can make his own decisions as long as they do not go against the principles, laws, and rules of the empire.

However, as a consequence of this autonomy, the military and navy will not fall under the jurisdiction of this king even during my absence, but will be under the Bharathiya Navy and Bharatiya Army."

Discussions broke out after Vijay’s declaration. Some people understood the intentions of His Majesty, while others were still in doubt.

"Why couldn’t Andaman Nicobar be made as a state? Wouldn’t it solve all the problems?" one of the parliamentarians of the state government voiced out his doubt.

Hearing his doubts, Vinod, who was nearby, went on to explain to the newcomer. "Andaman and Nicobar Islands could never be considered as a state because it is too far separated from the mainland by the whole of the Bengal Sea. Also, making it a state poses a risk for the Empire as it could lead to the formation of separatist forces.

Normally, a minister or government holds a lot of power in their local states, hence the military power serves as a deterrent against them.

However, since Andaman and Nicobar Island does not have a government, there is no need for any military deterrence. Since His Majesty decided that the king of Andaman and Nicobar would have more autonomy and power equal to that of the government, centralizing even the military power would be disastrous.

Imagine, in the case of His Majesty’s absence, it could lead to Andaman and Nicobar Islands temporarily becoming an independent kingdom-like entity, which is very bad. So, this is essentially His Majesty balancing out the power of his subjects."

Hearing these reasons, the parliamentarian finally understood the ins and outs of the problem. The people who listened to this explanation were also enlightened.

As Vijay rose from his throne and stepped onto the centre stage, he made a declaration, "The inaugural king of our empire shall be Logananda Senapati. His remarkable contributions to our military and his dedication to safeguarding our empire and its interests surpass what any noble title can confer. Therefore, Logananda Senapati shall be the first to bear the title of king.

Going forward, he will represent me in the state of Anuradha Puri (Sri Lanka)."

"Clap, clap, clap, clap."

Listening to Vijay’s decision, everyone was very excited as they stood up from their seats and clapped loudly. They were finally happy that the old marshal got the respect, dignity, legacy, and status that he rightfully deserved as the first marshal of the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire and the decorated war commander of the Great Vijayanagara Empire.

Many people were not satisfied when the Emperor made Ramayya Senapati a noble and not his father, who had more achievements and merit. They simply couldn’t voice their thoughts to His Majesty earlier. However, after Vijay’s decision today, it became clear to them that he wasn’t being partial or unwise; he was simply waiting for the right moment to elevate Logananda’s status To a higher level.

This decision granted Logananda a position equal to that of the prime minister of the empire. It reinstated him to a status no lower than what he held before the noble titles of the empire were revoked, a rank 4 noble status, the pinnacle of achievable power within the empire in a lifetime.

Logananda, who heard his name being mentioned, smiled as he got up. He was not surprised by this news as he was personally informed by His Majesty about the title he would get on the day of the coronation of the nobles. So, he had been preparing for this day for a long time.

He had no ambitions left for anything in his life, but with this title, he would be etched into the history books of the empire. That, he liked a lot, so he was looking forward to this day, the day of his eternal legacy being passed on to the citizens of the empire.

Logananda, already in his 60s, knelt down in front of Vijay with difficulty amidst the cheers and admiration of the people. Witnessing this scene, the military top brass, like Kiran Poojari and Gangadhar, cheered even more loudly. This was the pinnacle of their aspirations—to achieve greatness worthy of being granted the title of a king, a league of its own.

Although they had achieved the same rank of nobility, it was different from the title of a king. They had to constantly prove their abilities to retain their title, whereas the title of a king was for a lifetime.

Vijay drew his Talwar from the scabbard and lightly tapped it on both sides of Logananda Senapati. "I, Vijay Devaraya, Emperor of the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, hereby pronounce Logananda Senapati to be granted the title of a Raja (King), along with a fief of a thousand acres to be granted immediately."

*CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP*

The claps rang out throughout the courtroom again, and the old man, Logananda, got up smiling. Seeing him like this, Vijay smiled too and hugged him lightly.

Next, Vijay unveiled the emblem of the Senapati family. He instructed the soldiers to his left, who were carrying the boxes, to remove the cover.

The box was quickly disassembled, revealing a flag inside. This flag was fully saffron in colour, with the Ashoka Chakra in the centre—the symbol of the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire. Behind the Ashoka Chakra were two talwars crossed, representing the emblem of the Senapati family.

Logananda Senapati was very happy with how the emblem turned out; it exceeded his expectations. He happily accepted the flag with both hands as he left the stage.

Next, Vijay announced the second king of the empire, who was none other than his brother-in-law, Aditya Bhonsle. This was expected, as a pact had been signed between the Devaraya family and the Bhonsle family. According to the pact, if the Dakshin Bharathiya Empire could defeat the Mughal Empire and reclaim the lost lands of the Maratha Kingdom, it would be a part of the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire.

In exchange, Vijay had promised that Aditya could become one of the kings of the empire.

So Vijay was just fulfilling the promises he had made.

Aditya got up from his seat with a calm expression, showing how much he had matured since settling in the Empire. With the remaining assets of the Bhonsle family brought with him, he set up a medium-sized company solely focused on mining. Through hard work, he was able to grow it into a large company, currently ranking among the top five in the industry.

Aditya knelt down in front of Vijay as he was coronated as the king of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Vijay made this choice because he had further plans for his brother-in-law, and this was the opportunity he provided for him to rise up to the responsibility he was planning to hand over.

The flag was also unveiled, bearing the same saffron colour, but with the Ashoka Chakra in the top left corner like a sun and a warrior on a horse underneath it, pointing his sword upward. This warrior was depicted as a black silhouette. Seeing this image, Aditya felt a special reverence, while Vijay felt a sense of sadness.

The man depicted on the flag was none other than Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, one of the greatest warriors Bharat has ever seen. In his remembrance, Vijay made the emblem of the Bhonsle family his depiction.

Though Aditya didn’t know all these details, he felt a special connection with the man in the silhouette.

With the coronation of the kings concluding, it was time for the nobility rank-up ceremony. The Observer, Kishore Balabatra, had provided Vijay with a list containing the names he had compiled after analyzing various merits.

Among those names was Gangadhar. After the battle against the Ottoman fleet, Gangadhar finally succeeded in being promoted to a rank four noble, the same rank as Kiran Poojari. However, despite their significant merits, Navy commanders Akhil and Gautam, who were currently ranked at rank two, did not manage to break through the gap between the ranks.

On the other hand, Sarvesh, who had made major contributions, was promoted to the rank of three nobles.

Hearing his name, the big man, who had been silently sitting in his seat, rose and slowly knelt down in front of Vijay. Vijay pronounced him a rank three noble and presented him with his title and rewards. Just as Sarvesh finished expressing his gratitude to His Majesty and was about to leave, Vijay placed his hand on Sarvesh’s shoulder, stopping him.

Sarvesh was confused by this gesture, but the words whispered in his ear by His Majesty shocked him.

"Sarvesh, I know you’re not a simple man. I have my suspicions, but I have no way of knowing the truth, as the Bharatiya Internal Pragya did not exist when you did what you did. So, I won’t pry into your details.

But if you even think about bringing any harm to the empire, no matter how strong you are, I will ensure that you can no longer breathe," Vijay said, his smile unwavering as he tightened his grip on Sarvesh’s shoulder. Sarvesh felt the force increasing, his face already white from shock.

"However, since you have chosen to contribute to the strength of the empire, I am under the impression that you want to invest in the growth of the empire. I will not stop you from pursuing any ambitions you have, but whatever you did in the past must not repeat itself.

Do I make myself clear?" Vijay’s smiling face held a glint of absolute seriousness, and in his eyes, Sarvesh could see the demeanour of a predator. He, who felt like he was seen naked by his majesty, had cold sweat on his back. He quickly nodded to his majesty. Seeing his acceptance, Vijay smiled and took his hand off Sarvesh’s shoulder.

Sarvesh, as he sat back in his seat, had sweat on his face because of the force with which his majesty exerted on his hand. If it were anyone else, he was sure it would have dislocated their shoulder. Looking back at Vijay, he felt fear because the force he felt was no different from that of a wild gorilla.

After Sarvesh, more promotions were conducted as Vijay coronated each eligible individual one by one until eventually, the ceremony concluded. With the event at the Royal Palace coming to an end, good news arrived from the Bharatiya Academy of Sciences.

P.S. 2-3 Chaps for The War

Correction: Previously I put Gautam in place of Gangadhar so a correction now:

Gangadhar was promoted to Rank 4 noble admiral

Goutham was still in rank 2

Akhil was still in rank 2

Sarvesh Promoted from 2 to 3 cus of his merit.