Bab 19: Mines and Market

After deciding on the establishment of the factory, Vijay thought about another important thing that is required to make iron arms: the raw materials for the factory. He would need considerable amounts of iron for the next plan he made. So he searched in his memory for a suitable location for the mines, and after a while, he thought about a place. Without delay, he swiftly called Vinod and ordered, "Vinod, have the sondagars (literal translation from Hindi: Gold Miners) search for iron ore around the Bagalkot region."

In the 21st century, Bagalkot is a district in Karnataka, India, renowned for its iron ore deposits. The iron ore found in the Bagalkot district is primarily hematite ore. While most of the iron ore is underground, there are still some open pit mines that are sufficient for temporary use.

Another significant challenge in the plan for iron arms production is the market for the goods. While buyers are readily available for iron weapons in an era filled with wars, it's important to be cautious in selecting customers. After all, allowing the weapons to fall into the hands of an enemy would be akin to taking a brick and smashing one's own foot. Therefore, he must carefully choose whom to sell the arms to.

Considering this, he summoned the Head of Finance, Ravichandra, the Head of Business, Rajesh, and the Head of External Affairs, Logananda Senapathi, to a meeting so he could use their opinion.

Once they had arrived, Vijay told everyone his concerns and all the meeting attendees began to brainstorm.

The Head of Business, Rajesh, proposed, "Your Highness, we can sell the arms to the Dutch. This approach could maximize profits since they come from a distant land. Restocking locally would be more beneficial for them, and we could ask for a premium from them."

Upon hearing this, Vijay firmly rejected the opinion of the Head of Business, Rajesh, stating, "No! While this approach may indeed bring us the most benefits economically, it would also make the Dutch wary of our military strength, and I do not want them to know about our capability. I also do not, for a moment, believe that their intentions are only focused on doing trade with us. If not for my father's actions, they would likely have already established a stronghold in Kerala for themselves. Thanks to him, they have not been successful so far." He cautioned them, but what he didn't inform them is that he was aware of the Dutch's true goal: to plunder their lands.

While his father had temporarily averted a crisis, Vijay believed it was only a matter of time before the Dutch accumulated enough wealth through plunder in the South Asian countries and returned with more force to target Vijayanagara. He even suspected that the Dutch fleet might be behind the mysterious disappearance of large native ships in the Indian Ocean. Vijay even had a hunch that the Dutch had already formed a stronghold in Sri Lanka, waiting for the right time to strike. Now that they had experienced the wealth of the Indian region through trade, he believed they would not give up at any cost.

Uncle Ravi, the head of finance, thought it through and stated, "Your Highness, how about we sell our arms to the Maratha Empire in the north of our lands?"

Vijay thought about it. He felt it was feasible, but then he rejected the idea as he said, "While It is possible if we have a proper trading network with them, unfortunately, we don't. And for every trade we do with them, it would have to be passed through the Mughal Empire. If the Mughal Empire caught wind of us providing weapons to the Maratha Empire, it would lead to a conflict we are not ready for."

Vijay suddenly had an idea: the Mughal Empire was still in its early stages. While the current Vijayanagara Empire might not match the Mughal Empire's strength on the battlefield, it could still cause problems by arming revolutionary forces. Given that the Mughal Empire was encountering resistance within its own lands, this provided an opportunity for Vijayanagara's arms industry to develop and grow.

With much of the subcontinent under Mughal rule, there was a diversity of cultures and challenges within their territories. If Vijayanagara could somehow keep arming the resistance within the Mughal territories, it could create a chance to implement reforms and fasten development within Vijayanagara.

Vijay then constructed a plan that involved safely supplying arms to the resistance forces within the Mughal Empire. By keeping the Mughal Empire engaged and distracted, Vijay hoped to buy enough time for Vijayanagara to boost its economy and complete its own reforms. With this strategy in mind, Vijay shared his ideas with everyone present in the meeting and asked

"What do you all think ?",

Fortunately, everyone agreed to his plan.

But Ravichandra, being an experienced and wise old man, posed a critical question, "If I may ask, Your Majesty, How can we deliver arms to the rebel forces within the Mughal Empire without arousing their suspicion?"

"..."

Everyone, including Vijay, was stumped by the question asked by the keen old man and remained silent when even this plan seemed like a failure, Logananda slowly raised his hand and said, "Ah... Your Highness, I have no idea about the rebels in the Mughal Empire, but I know a person who does."

Vijay was intrigued and asked, "Oh, and who might that be?"

The Marshal replied with a chuckle, "Your Highness, you have also met this person once. He is none other than the newly promoted Major General Yogendra Singh. He himself used to be a general in the Rebel army, after all."

Vijay quickly recalled a bear of a man he had met during his visit to the barracks. "How could I have forgotten him," he thought to himself. Without wasting any time, Vijay swiftly ordered, "Call him over immediately."

TO BE CONTINUED...

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