Bab 81: Military Economy
"Kavya, please listen to me. It's not like that. Can you at least say something?" Vijay pleaded as he ran behind Kavya, clutching at her saree, pleading for her forgiveness. She hadn't spoken to him properly ever since she found out that he had hidden such a significant piece of information from her.
Since that day, she had been avoiding him, refusing to talk. Vijay looked helpless as he turned his head towards his baby nephew and said, "Rajendra, at least you tell her." Kavya, who had her back turned towards Vijay, was amused by his antics as she had a smile on her face. But she quickly adjusted her expression and spoke in a stern voice glaring at him, "Don't listen to your uncle; he is a very bad person. Come here, and your aunt will take care of you."
Vijay felt helpless in the current situation. He had no previous experience with girls, and he didn't know how to deal with them. Perhaps if he had any experience in his previous life, he would have known that Kavya was just teasing him. Unfortunately for him, he was a thousand-year-old virgin in his last life.
Suddenly, a series of footsteps broke into the room as Roshan entered with a sealed box, accompanied by his guards. Seeing the serious expression on Roshan's face, Vijay knew that the matter was serious. He quickly took the document from the case which was marked as confidential.
As he read the news, his heart raced. The day he had been waiting for and preparing for had finally arrived. "Is there any change in their plan?" Vijay asked, concerned, as Vijayanagara was walking on a very tight rope, which was entirely dependent on the Dutch not changing their plan.
"No, Your Highness. The fact that we know their plan has not been leaked out. In Sri Lanka, only a select group of people know the actual plan. There is no possibility of a leak," Roshan replied, his face full of confidence, trying to reassure the king's worries.
"That's good," Vijay said, relieved.
Later that day, Vijay called for a military meeting, and all the military leaders of the empire gathered.
"The thing we have been waiting for is finally here. I have invested lakhs of varahas and millions of human resources into preparing for this war, and the time to show results has finally arrived," Vijay said in an awe-inspiring tone. He spoke with majesty as he continued, "Now, a status report. How are the preparations going on?"
The generals in the room quickly turned their expressions solemn as the war was finally here. One by one, they stepped forward, saluted Vijay, and reported the information they were responsible for handling.
"Granadery team ready, Your Highness."
"The sentry towers have been built, and camouflage has been applied, Your Highness."
"The cannons are Cast and ready to be delivered, Your Highness."
"The infantry and cavalry are both ready to go, Your Highness."
"The logistics for food, clothes, and medicine supplies are all ready to be shifted at your notice, Your Highness."
For a final time, Logananda replied with a proud expression on his face, "All teams are ready, and I'll be waiting for your orders, Your Highness."
"Very good. Now let's switch to military economy, and everything in the Empire should be used for this war."
Military economy? What is that? Everyone was confused by this term, but since the word "military" was used, they assumed it was something related to the military.
Vijay explained, noticing the doubts on their faces, "Military economy, as the name suggests, means that all the resources in the country will be used for the purpose of war. All food, clothes, medicine, weapons, equipment, and logistics of the whole Empire will be prioritized, and all other projects will have to wait until the war is completed. After implementing this system, all construction of new schools, courts, and roads will be temporarily halted until the war ends."
Now everyone understood. Logananda couldn't help but admire Vijay for coming up with new ideas. He could only imagine the enormity of using the entire Empire's resources for the purpose of war. Sometimes he wondered if his royal highness was the same person he had seen when he was a child.
And Logananda's guess was completely true, but he would never know.
Within a matter of hours after concluding the meeting, the Vijayanagara government shifted into military-economic overdrive. Clothes, grain, and medicine were rapidly transported from various corners of the empire, akin to nourishing roots supplying resources to a growing stem. Roads were cleared to facilitate the swift movement of military personnel and supplies for the impending war. All of Vijayanagara's diverse factories commenced running at maximum capacity, churning out a continuous stream of various weapons. The cannons from the Academy of Military Sciences were swiftly transported to Kerala at an unprecedented pace.
While this adjustment diminished the profits of merchants, the government's significant resource expenditure led to a substantial economic upswing. Numerous resources were procured by the government from merchants at the most favourable prices. The entirety of Vijayanagara transformed into a colossal, well-oiled machine, poised for action at a moment's notice.
In the Uppam Forest.
5th Artillery Division.
"Sir, everything is ready, sir," the deputy squad leader replied to Chandra, the squad leader of the fifth artillery battalion.
"Very good. Get to your positions and wait for further instructions," Chandra replied, very satisfied with the routine check after their arrival in the Uppam Forest.
Superiors had informed them that they were going to face an enemy army in this forest, and they would be waiting here for the right time to ambush them.
Chandra, hailing from a humble peasant family before enlisting in the army, joined the military with dreams of wealth and the promised land. However, he quickly drew attention due to his exceptional aptitude, particularly in mathematics. His talents didn't go unnoticed, and the battalion commander recognized his potential, appointing him as a squad captain in the artillery division.
Initially, Chandra was perplexed about his assignment, but it didn't take long for him to realize that artillery operations heavily relied on mathematics and real-time calculations on the battlefield. As he witnessed the devastating power of the cannons, he developed a deep affection for these formidable weapons, eagerly anticipating the opportunity to unleash their terror upon the enemy.
"Snakes in the rat hole!" Lookout shouted as he got a signal from Kochi harbour about the appearance of a Dutch vessel.
Chandra grew excited, as the day they had been waiting for was finally here.
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