Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

Dakshin Bhartiya Empire, Vijayanagara State, Bhagal Kota, Raya Ironworks.

October 1st, 1655

Multiple factories are lined up in a neat formation, smoke billowing out of each one of them. Workers in brown work clothes were hurrying in and out of these factories, and carriages, some with a yellow paint job, were seen coming and going frequently into this giant industrial cluster. Surprisingly, most of these factories have the same name: Raya Ironworks.

These factories are located in Bagal Kota in the Vijayanagar state of the empire, the first place where the iron smelting factory was established, the first step of His Majesty’s industrialization of the empire.

This is also the place where Hey Ram managed to install the first blast furnace, which directly propelled the empire’s industrial production capabilities to the top 10 in the world, so it is of huge significance to the empire’s heavy industries.

The only difference between a few years ago when the factory was newly constructed and now is that there are currently more than 15 factories dedicated solely to iron smelting and 40 to 50 small supporting industries like the new Frame manufacturing, nut, bolt, nail, and other small tool manufacturing workshops beside it.

It has been almost four days since the national emergency was declared, and the economy of the Bharatiya Empire has shifted into military economy mode. The Empire has already begun its mobilization for war against the Mughal Empire in full force. Most of the heavy industries in the empire have been nationalized, including those of the royal family.

All the factory managers and workers have received new roles since a few days ago, and all the workforce in the Empire employed in the heavy industry sector are now state-employed cadres. Although they are not calling each other comrades, their work titles are not much different from the communist system.

*phuuuuuu*

"Loud noises are being heard all over the industrial cluster as the production of wrought iron and steel, the blood of the industry, is going on in full scale."

"Manager, the new blast furnace has been installed," one of the workers who is working in the newly constructed factory informed the factory manager.

The manager, shifting his attention away from the steel production, approached the newly installed blast furnace. He meticulously inspected each part, ensuring there was no surface damage. Then, he carefully tested all the indicators to confirm the furnace could theoretically function correctly.

The manager, after ensuring everything was in order, ordered the raw materials to be brought in. Iron, coke, and limestone were mixed in determined quantities. With a trained eye and technique, the manager charged the inner layer of the blast furnace with these materials.

This work can only be done by a rare number of individuals as it requires careful attention to ensure that the materials are evenly distributed and properly layered to facilitate efficient smelting.

*After the charging process was concluded*, the blast furnace was ignited for the first time.

*"bhug"*

The furnace slowly started to heat up, with smoke blowing above the chimney. The manager once again inspected to ensure that the combustion efficiency was optimal. After confirming that everything was going according to the predetermined indicators, he instructed the bellows to be pumped.

Due to its large size, the bellows are connected to a slider with a rail, which is then connected to a rod fixed on a crankshaft attached to a large wheel. In order to increase the ease of operating the bellows, its reciprocating movement was driven by the circular movement from the wheel.

This alteration was made by one of the scientists in the Bharatiya Academy of Sciences, inspired by the machine tools and Raya printing machine.

The manager, satisfied with his inspection, noted the optimal output of both rot iron and slag. He issued a quality test assurance before moving on to inspect the next machine. By the end of 1654, the Empire boasted twenty blast furnaces. However, His Majesty, foreseeing the rise of mechanization, had already ordered the construction of ten additional blast furnaces.

Hence, currently, a new blast furnace is being added every two days. The iron and steel production capacity of the empire is increasing continuously. At the beginning of the year, the total output of wrought iron in the Empire was 10,400 tonnes.

But now, by adding 10 more blast furnaces, each capable of producing 1.734 tonnes of wrought iron per day for a total of 300 days nonstop, the total production of the empire has already reached 15,600 tonnes. This already surpasses countries like the Holy Roman Empire, the Russian Empire, and even the Venetian Republic.

Although the blast furnaces of the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire lag behind in technology compared to the West, they more than makeup for it in scale. Out of the 1.734 tonnes of wrought iron produced per day from a single blast furnace, 30% is allocated to the production of steel, which undergoes another process to manufacture the steel.

Out of the total number of blast furnaces in the empire, only half are located at Bhagal Kota, while the rest are situated in various special industrial zones, acting as suppliers of raw materials for the Bhartiya Heavy Industries.

Iron and steel produced by these furnaces are quickly poured into ingot moulds and transported throughout the empire to various arm manufacturing industries. This iron and steel are rapidly turned into cannons, flintlocks, muskets, grenades, reinforced carriages, materials for the navy, and other industrial needs.

With the declaration of the military economy, there was a surge in gross domestic product by almost 30%, which is unbelievable given that the yearly rise of the GDP of the empire was already at 10%.

As the empire’s industries churned out armaments and weapons at full throttle, His Majesty Vijay Deva Raya convened a crucial meeting with all military and intelligence leaders. The urgency was clear: rapid mobilization of both the army and the navy was imperative.

At the Royal Palace, Vijay accompanied Kavya on her usual walk. He had been inseparable from her since learning of Kavya’s pregnancy. She was overjoyed by this rare moment when Vijay spent a lot of time with her, However, she didn’t want him to waste all his time worrying about her. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

She knew that her empire was at war with the Mughal Empire, the same empire that had killed her father and her second brother. Despite her concern for Vijay, she fully supported the war.

"Your Majesty, the military and intelligence leaders are here," Ravichandra Rao, his butler, came to inform him.

Vijay, upon hearing the words of the old man, nodded without turning back. He wore a downtrodden expression because the timing of this war was truly unexpected. He would have loved to stay with Kavya and witness the birth of their child. However, things are always unpredictable. Who would have thought that the Mughal Empire would suddenly change its plans and attack Nepal and Bhutan instead of Tibet?

"Vijay slowly walked out of the hall in order to meet the military leaders. Just when he was about to leave the chamber, he heard something that made him very delighted.

"Your Majesty, the Empress, would you like something to eat? Are you craving for anything in particular?" Ravichandra said with a lot of carefulness.

"Hmm, yes, I would love a slice of mango, please, Uncle Ravi," Kavya replied after thinking for only a short few seconds.

"Right away, Empress."

’So my speculation is true then,’ Vijay thought as he walked away from the quarters with a happy expression. He was finally relieved that Uncle Ravichandra accepted Kavya as his legal wife. He had wondered why everyone refused to call Kavya Empress. Now it was confirmed; it was nothing other than her inability to give birth to a royal heir.

Vijay had underestimated the traditional concept of women being lower than them in the minds of the men in this era. He could have said something to make everyone call her by her official title, but by doing that, he would only be imposing his will on them, and they would never truly acknowledge Kavya as the Empress, even after she is capable of giving birth.

Now, seeing the scene where Uncle Ravichandra called Kavya the Empress, he was relieved, thinking that no one else would have an objection anymore.

Entering the meeting room, all the generals, the commanders of the navy, and the directors of the three intelligence departments quickly got up to greet Vijay. He had them sit down and arrange for a map of the Mughal Empire to be displayed in front of them.

As soon as Vijay took his seat, Roshan, The director of the Bharatiya External Pragya, brought over the report and submitted it directly to Vijay. Vijay quickly read through the report, and his aura suddenly changed. Vijay could feel the rage building up inside him with every passing moment. he felt like he was a volcano about to burst.

The generals and naval commanders stiffened their bodies as they observed His Majesty in seriousness, waiting to see what actions he would take next.

Vijay took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down after reading about most of the actions done by the Mughal Empire in Nepal and Bhutan.

The generals felt relieved as they sensed that the volcano, which was almost about to erupt, had suddenly become dormant.

"So, Marshal, are the army preparations done?"

Kiran Poojari, who had a little sweat on his brow, wiped it off and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. Thanks to your Reserve Soldiers policy, we were quickly able to expand the army up to 216,000 soldiers. Although the 66,000 reserve soldiers who have been formalized in the army are still rough around the edges, the upcoming battle should polish them well.

Also, the 66,000 soldiers were divided equally among the three legions. Currently, each legion of Narasimha Naik, Yogendra Singh, and Ramayya Senapathi have 72,000 troops each."

"Good. Also, reduce the courses in the military academy and compress it to half a year. I need 100,000 more reserved soldiers prepared."

Kiran Poojary was shocked again by this number, but he quickly realized that His Majesty was actually preparing to conquer the whole of the Mughal Empire and was not bluffing. Kiran Poojari’s face became serious as he realized that this could be his battle, which could propel him to the same pedestal as his master and predecessor, Logananda Senapati.

"Yes, Your Majesty. It will be done as you intended."

Vijay nodded his head and looked at Gangadhar. "What is the status of the navy?"

Gangadhar quickly responded, "Your Majesty, currently our Navy has almost recovered to the level before the Ottoman naval war. Although our battleship is only a single Dutch battleship, we currently have 240 Hampi class sloops and 44 Vinayak class frigates, which is almost equal to our capabilities before the Ottoman war."

"Very good. Has the efficiency of producing the ships increased now that the shipyards have been nationalized?" Vijay inquired.

"Yes, Your Majesty. With the addition of more shipyards to the empire, the production capacity of ships has increased. Furthermore, with the nationalization of these enterprises, the production speed has further accelerated, leading to a decrease in the price of a single warship."

"Then, What are the Venetians’ thoughts on this?"

Instead of Gangadhar, Selvan, the director of Bharathiya Internal Pragya, who had been silent until now, replied, "Your Majesty, based on my observations and the intelligence gathered, Mr. Leonardo Bellini does not appear overly concerned. He seems resigned to the idea that any hope of returns from the investment has been dashed. It is Mr.

Francis Molin who is greatly disappointed by the nationalization of the shipyards."

Vijay pondered for a moment before deciding, "Considering the significant drop in prices of military supplies due to the military economy system, let’s offer a 30% discount on all arms for the Republic of Venice for a limited period."

As Vijay prepared to depart after assessing the overall battle readiness of the Empire’s military, he was halted by Kiran Poojari.

"Your Majesty, there is one more matter requiring your decision."

Vijay was curious as to what it was and asked for the reason.

Seeing Vijay’s inquiring gaze, Kiran quickly responded, "In order to train so many Reserve soldiers immediately, we need a qualified person. And although I cannot officially speak for the Navy, His Excellency the Admiral would also like to have someone to train the naval personnel to fill up the battleships that are being constructed."

Vijay thought about it for a moment, realizing that it was true; normal teachers cannot handle hundreds of students at a time. So, he considered if he had anyone that he could put in charge directly. However, recalling no one with such talents, he replied, "I will look into it."

"Also, by the time I come up with a decision for the approach of this war, I need the military stationed in both the Mumbai base and Paradip base."

"Yes, Your Majesty."