Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

26th September 1655

10 KM away from Thimphu

Zulfikar Khan led his army on the march towards Thimphu, and so far, the battle had favoured their advance. While there had been scattered incidents of resistance following news of their arrival spreading throughout the kingdom, these posed little concern. Unfortunately for the Bhutanese, the sheer strength of the Mughal army far surpassed theirs, rendering any opposition futile.

Zulfikar was taken aback to find that some of the fortresses in Bhutan were equipped with cannons. However, his relief came when he realized that these cannons appeared to be several centuries old based on their operation. Also, these cannons seemed to have a calibre of fewer than five kilograms, and the range was ridiculously small, only around 10 to 20 meters.

This range was even less than the muskets they managed to imitate. What troubled Zulfikar the most was the challenging terrain of hills and forests upon which the kingdom was built. The air in this environment felt different, causing many of his men to struggle with breathing difficulties, fainting spells, severe headaches, and vomiting.

Tragically, numerous soldiers were unable to endure the journey and succumbed along the way.

After enduring several days of these harsh conditions, Zulfiqar now comprehended why His Excellency Iqbal had emphasized that the greatest adversary for their expedition was the environment, not the people. Nonetheless, he set aside his thoughts as they drew closer to their objective, with the hill housing the fortress of Simtokha coming into view.

A few moments later, they reached the hill and arrived at the Simtokha Dzong. Zulfikar couldn’t help but marvel at the fortress architecture of the kafirs. Despite having demolished a few such structures along the way, he was impressed by their resilience and sturdiness.

If these buildings were armed with better artillery, he doubted his ability to breach them after considering their robust stone construction. Unfortunately for the Bhutanese, they were not well equipped. Zulfikar’s arsenal included 50 cannons of 15KG calibre, meticulously designed by the chief Ottoman designer, Adam.

While individually insufficient to penetrate the stone walls of the Dzong, when deployed en masse, they posed a formidable threat.

Zulfikar spotted the King of Bhutan atop the Dzong, where a dragon flag fluttered proudly.

Near Simtokha Dzong, Thimphu, Bhutan Kingdom

Four days had passed since the Mughal Empire’s expedition began, and only one defensive barrier stood between Zulfikar and his goal, which was the royal capital of the Bhutan Kingdom, Punakha.

However, as he surveyed the fortress before him in Thimphu, perched at a higher elevation with superior strategic positioning for artillery operations, he sensed that the decisive battle might unfold here instead. He felt like the situation was tricky even with superior firepower and larger numbers.

After the standoff between the two armies went on for a few moments, a person wearing a dark grey robe approached Zulfiqar and said something in his ear.

"Are you sure?" Zulfikar asked, his expression troubled as he received information he didn’t want to confirm.

"Yes, Your Excellency, the commander, there is no other suitable path to the capital of Bhutan. This right here is the only way. If you would like to avoid this path, you will have to travel another 50 kilometres to the east before another suitable path is found, as the mountain range you see spreads in that direction for vast distances," the scout said with certainty in his voice.

"Sigh, I guess it can’t be helped, Although there will be more casualties, but there is no other way now." Zulfikar thought to himself and waved away the scout.

Zulfiqar, although he knew that most of the time this formality did not work, still followed the tradition and formally sent a messenger to demand the acceptance of defeat from the Bhutan King.

Back at the fortress, Druk Desi Langonpa, standing on the fortress, saw a man carrying a white flag come forward and say some words in Persian. He did not understand what the messenger said, but he had a translator. Frequent trade was happening between the subcontinent and Bhutan, after all.

"His Majesty, Emperor Mohammed V of the Mughal Empire, has declared Bhutan as his territory and demands the occupants to immediately dissolve the false kingdom," the messenger proclaimed.

"As a gesture of goodwill for accepting this offer, the royal family of Bhutan will be granted the rights of nobility in the Mughal Empire, along with a fiefdom spanning no less than 50 square kilometres and a remuneration of fifty kilograms of gold."

"So, Your Excellency, the King of Bhutan, do you accept the Supreme Emperor’s kindness?"

After hearing this audacious claim, Langonpa’s face remained outwardly calm, but only his subjects standing behind him witnessed his clenched fist trembling with anger. While the temporal leader managed to rein in his emotions, the same couldn’t be said for the inexperienced young prince.

He began to unleash a torrent of scorn towards the Mughal Emperor, condemning him, his parents, and his ancestors.

"That nomad bastard! How dare he lay claim to the Bhutan Kingdom as his property! Did his father or mother build it? D*** F*** **** S*** F*** mother ****." His subordinates refrained from intervening, as they shared in the prince’s outrage, although they were unable to voice such sentiments in the presence of the temporal ruler.

Seeing the messengers still awaiting a reply, Langonpa calmly raised his head and uttered, "I deny it."

The messenger, seemingly anticipating this response, nodded in acceptance and departed, bidding, "Well, that’s unfortunate then. Good luck to you."

As preparations for war commenced, the Mughal forces began assembling cannons in a linear formation, while the Bhutanese side fortified the Dzong with fire lances.

With arrangements completed, a moment of calm settled over the battlefield. However, suddenly...

"Fire!"

The fire lances of the Bhutanese belched forth fire from their tubes, while simultaneously the Mughal’s 15KG calibre cannons unleashed iron shot projectiles towards the fortress. Though the range of the fire lances was only about 13 meters, and the weight of the projectiles no more than 5 kg, it proved sufficient for this battle.

Positioned atop a hill, the required range was not excessive, The terrain was in such a way that only a maximum of 10 to 15 columns of soldiers Could fit atop the hill.

The iron projectiles from the fire lances swiftly tore through the air, bombarding the Mughal army. However, despite their efforts, precise aim couldn’t be achieved to target the Mughal cannons, which were shielded behind a makeshift wall of soil. Only a small portion of the cannon barrel, about six to seven inches, was visible, making accurate targeting impossible with the fire lances.

The projectiles from the fire lances, though missing the cannons directly, tore through the ranks of Mughal soldiers. "Ahhh, ahhha, ahhhhh!" cries of desperation and agony reverberated across the battlefield instantly.

"Boom!"

The damage inflicted was not solely on the Mughal army; The Bhutanese forces also suffered casualties. While the cannon projectiles fired simultaneously by the Mughals failed to breach the thick defensive fortress, they managed to injure many, when on rare occasions, the projectiles passed through artillery openings, striking soldiers within.

Langonpa was taken aback by the impact generated by these cannons, which made him suddenly realize that the outside world had advanced much further in this technology. He had always thought that the Chinese were the strongest when it came to this technology, but now he realized that he was sorely wrong.

"Let the archers act," he ordered, coming back to his senses.

"Yes, Your Excellency," The Governor replied as the order quickly passed through the ranks.

*swish swish swish*

Hundreds of archers, under the command of their leader, swiftly unleashed a barrage of arrows. In a split second, the sky was filled with projectiles raining down upon the Mughal Empire. Despite using shields for protection against the arrows, the casualties of the Mughal forces continued to mount, as the shields proved inadequate to withstand the onslaught.

While the Bhutanese may lack ample artillery, their archers were among the finest in the region. Ignoring the frontline troops who carried shields, the archers aimed their shots at the vulnerable rear of the Mughal army.

*slice slice slice slice slice*

The arrows sliced through the ranks like a scythe through wheat, mercilessly claiming lives without pause. It was akin to the god of death Yama, restlessly harvesting souls without an interval. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Zulfiqar, witnessing the devastation caused by the arrows, could no longer contain his impatience. "Infantry, advance swiftly!" he commanded.

A flag was raised, signalling the frontline soldiers to assume formation and advance steadily towards the fortress.

Meanwhile, the cannons continued to chip away at the fortress wall, bit by bit.

*bang*

Another impact was felt.

Langonpa grew increasingly anxious as sweat poured down his brow. "Target those fire lances with the Barbarian killer!" he commanded urgently.

His subordinates promptly obeyed, swiftly adjusting the aim of the Barbarian killer cannon.

TO BE CONTINUED...

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