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Chapter 107: Preparation For The Battle Part:2
With the initiation of the military economy system in Vijayanagara, panic once again gripped the empire. The aftermath of the previous Dutch War, while yielding gains for the Vijayanagar Empire, had consumed a significant portion of its resources. Now, with the military economy reinstated, supplies were in short order.
In various barracks of the Vijayanagara Empire, rows of carriages and marching armies headed towards the northern border. The procurement of war supplies, including medicinal materials, clothing, and ammunition, occurred at an exorbitant rate. The addition of Sri Lanka slightly alleviated the food shortage, bringing it to a more manageable level.
Two days had passed since Vijay ordered the collection of intelligence on the Mughal Empire and the formulation of a feasible attack strategy to Marshal Yogananda.
Vijay anxiously awaited news from Yogananda and, fortunately, didn't have to wait long. A servant informed him that Marshal Yogananda had arrived. Upon this news, Vijay knew that Yogananda had completed the assigned tasks.
Yogananda, accompanied by Roshan, the chief of intelligence, arrived and handed a bunch of documents to Vijay. These detailed the strategy devised over the past two days for the impending attack. Vijay, looking at the documents, placed them slowly on the table and asked Yogananda, "Tell me, what is the strategy? I want to hear it from your mouth."
Yogananda, nodding his head, replied, "Your Highness, from the intelligence we have gathered, the Mughal Empire has successfully mobilized 150,000 soldiers along with 115 cannons of 10 kg calibre with a range of almost 100 meters. However, based on our intelligence, these troops are currently on standby in various strongholds across different locations."
"Considering our strength, we are under heavy pressure If we compare our infantry to theirs, fortunately, with the foresight of Your Highness, we are better equipped. The Mughal Empire had 20,000 Musketeers along with 10,000 flintlocks, recycled and repaired from the Dutch. Moreover, our cannons have had a breakthrough in casting, and they can now fire with a calibre of 12 kg without adding any weight to the cannon as a whole. We now have 150 of such cannons capable of a range of 100 meters."
That's not all. As for the new heavy cannons, which proved more than effective for use in combat in our tests, we have manufactured 20 of such cannons."
Hearing all these details, Vijay nodded in approval. While they seemed to have an overwhelming advantage in weaponry, he was aware that things could go wrong in a battle, and considering the shortage of resources for the war, he wanted to expedite matters. However, he was somewhat surprised about the 20 cannons that were manufactured. It was not the speed that surprised him, but rather the fact that these 20 cannons used bronze, a relatively costly and rare material. Turning the ore into usable bronze took an extra amount of time, so he voiced his confusion, asking, "Where did the bronze come from? I don't recall the ironworks having it in stock."
Roshan was the one to answer this question. "Your Highness, we have received upwards of 250 tons of copper, bronze, silver, and iron in processed forms which are now placed in Royal reserve. We have reason to believe that these materials were confiscated from multiple black mines found in Sri Lanka. Fortunately, this came in handy."
Hearing this information, Vijay felt pleased with the rare metals he had obtained. With his doubts cleared, he motioned for Yogananda to continue narrating his plan.
Lokananda, getting Vijay's approval, continued. "Your Highness, with the intelligence we have received, we have decided to attack four key strongholds in the south of the Mughal Empire, namely The Port of Mumbai, The Port of Paradip, Ratanpur Fort, and Panhala Fort. Your Highness, from the information we have, it is concluded that both Mumbai Port and Paradip Port are natural harbour ports capable of docking our ships. As for Panhala Fort and Ratanpur Fort, they are located in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. If we occupy these two ports, they could be a spearhead for our further operations, and our logistics will be easier.
With the information we have received, the Mughals have mobilized 150,000 soldiers in the south of their empire, with 10 brigades stationed in Mumbai, as they attach great importance to this place. Five brigades are placed in Paradip Port, six brigades in Panhala Fort in Maharashtra, and five brigades in Ratanpur Fort in Chhattisgarh. The remaining four brigades are scattered in various places along the southern border."
"In our calculations, we have a huge advantage in artillery and weaponry, so it is beneficial to us for a quick war, as Your Highness suggested. Due to Mumbai being a crucial part of our plan, and with it being reclaimed, it will greatly damage the Mughals. Therefore, it is planned that ten brigades will be dispatched, armed with the Man of War battleship with its upgraded cannons of 12 kg calibre, along with a single cannon of 20 kg calibre."
"Four brigades will be dispatched for Paradip Port with our superior artillery and better weapons. It should be no problem to handle this small port. The remaining six brigades are assigned to storm both Panhala and Ratanpur Forts. Although we will be outmatched by a large margin, Six large cannons each will be deployed with each of the battle groups."
"This amount of firepower should be adequate to blast open the city walls within a few hours. The strategy is to quickly capture the Mumbai port as soon as possible, and then move on to Paradip port. The inland forts like Ratanpur Fort will need to endure a protracted battle of attrition until they receive backup from the coastal regions. The same goes for Panhala Fort. As for the commanding generals of these four military groups, Ramaya is assigned to be the spearhead to Mumbai port, Narasimha Nayak is assigned to be the spearhead to Paradip port, Yogendra Singh is to be the spearhead to Ratanpur Fort, and Kiran Poojary is to be the spearhead to Panhala Fort."
With that, the Marshall stopped speaking as he looked towards Vijay for approval. Vijay, having heard how the battle plan would unfold, nodded his head in approval. Signing the documents, Vijayanagara's war on the Mughal Empire which would start the unification of Akhand Bharat officially began.