Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

208  War Of Ahom Part: 7 (END)

Ahom Kingdom, Northern battle zone, Guwahati.

The Mughal army that invaded Guwahati had just suffered a complete defeat. Bodies were scattered everywhere in the city, which had undergone major destruction. Corpses lay buried under rubble and debris of fallen buildings. As soon as the battle ended, the counting of casualties began, along with taking custody of the prisoners of war.

Lachit Borphukan observed all this with a complicated expression. His face did not reflect happiness or contentment. According to common sense, Lachit should be happy as his plan worked out nearly perfectly, but judging by his expression, it didn't seem like that of a person who led to a huge victory.

Observing the general's demeanour, Neerab decided to question him, "General, what happened? Didn't we win the war?"

Lachit Borphukan sighed as he replied with an uncertain expression. "Well, maybe we did defeat the Mughals, but the cost of this victory is the destruction of this beautiful city. I couldn't help but wonder what if there was another way in which the city did not have to be sacrificed," he said, his eyes filled with clouded thoughts and a flicker of doubt.

Neerab, hearing the general's troubles, was suddenly taken aback and felt that these thoughts of the general were ridiculous. So he made up his mind and decided to voice his reply, although it may come out as rude. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"General, please don't think too much into this or take offence to what I say. But aren't we being too arrogant to think that we could defeat the Mughal army without sacrificing anything?" Neerab only made this comment because he knew that General Lachit Borphukan was an open-minded and generous commander. Moreover, his father was a family friend of the general's family, so Neerab was confident that even if General Lachit wanted to find fault, his father would help him out.

Hearing the criticism coming out of Neerab's mouth, Lachit Borphukan frowned as he stared at Neerab.

Neerab did not avert his gaze as he continued, "In all honesty, General, we would never have won this battle so easily without the help of the Bharatiyas who aided in blockading the south and providing us with reinforcements and armaments."

"So, if you ask me, we got a huge bargain by defeating the Mughals after only sacrificing a city."

"Also, the city is not fully destroyed, as the defensive walls are still intact. The people and valuables were evacuated earlier, so no humans or resources were damaged. And also, since this city is bound to become a defensive frontier against the Mughals, if you ask me, General, it is a good thing that the buildings in the city have been destroyed. It only means that we can rebuild a stronger city, turning it into a solid fortress."

Lachit Borphukan, amazed and never having imagined that things could also be looked at this way, finally felt that his choice was not so bad. He smiled and had a content expression, "I guess you are right."

Neerab, seeing that the general accepted his suggestion, let out a sigh of relief.

"Step, step, step."

The content expression on the general's face did not last long, as a messenger ran to him with full speed.

"General, there has been a breach in the naval blockade; the Mughal ships are about to pass through."

Hearing this, General Lachit Borphukan was angry at Pradyut, the person in charge of the Ahom Navy for letting this happen. Feeling that all his hard work was about to be wasted, he quickly mobilized his subordinates and ordered, "Pick up all those 10-kilogram calibre Mughal cannons."

"Neerab, you get on the Itakhuli hill and wait for my signal to launch a coordinated attack."

"Yes, sir." Neerab and his subordinates quickly followed his orders as they left to get the job done.

At the Brahmaputra River, a few hours ago.

Pradyut, a 42-year-old tough-looking middle-aged man, is The naval commander of the Ahom fleet. He has long braided hair, black eyes, and black hair. He comes from a noble family lineage and was named Pradyut, meaning "the one who is like light," as he was born when his parents were in their late 20s.

On the opposing end, the Mughal Empire's Navy was stationed at a small island on the Brahmaputra River called Majir Gaon, and its commander was Azad Ali, nicknamed the Lion of Bengal. He has hair of two different colours, one golden-orange and another black. It could be seen that Azad had applied some colouring to cover up his grey hair. Azad was an old naval commander at the age of 58, assigned to this battle because of his long battle experience. Although the Mughals have been frequently losing against the Bharatiyas, it doesn't take away from Azad's years of naval experience.

Both sides were in a stalemate as the battle had yet to begin, but suddenly a signal could be seen on Azad's right side, coming from the direction of Guwahati. Seeing the signal, Azad smiled, knowing that it was time.

"Onward," he ordered.

Pradyut also saw this sign and got worried about Guwahati. However, looking at the approaching Mughal vessels, he felt that he did not have the luxury to worry about Lachit's battles. He quickly put aside his unnecessary thoughts and decided to focus on the approaching enemy.

As the Mughal ships approached, Pradyut ordered, "Fire!"

"Boom boom boom boom"

The 20-kilogram calibre cannons roared as they shot towards the Mughal vessels at full speed, hitting them with precision.

The Mughal ships spearheading this battle took the brunt of this attack and sank in the shortest time. However, they did not go alone; as they sank, their forward momentum could not be maintained. The sinking ships were dragged downstream by the river, causing a few ships at the back to stumble and sustain damage to the hull. This happened because the Mughal ships were numerous, and in this narrow part of the river, they became packed closely together.

The cannons placed on the Itakhuli hill also fired.

"BOOM"

As the cannons on top of the hill were all heavy cannons, they made a significant impact on the river water. Although the hit ratio was not too good, around 50% at best, the power at which the projectiles entered the water caused it to become unstable and turbulent, making the ships surrounding the blast also unstable. Taking this opportunity, Pradyut also started targeting these unstable ships.

The Mughal ships did not passively endure the hits but fought back with their own cannons. Unfortunately, their cannons did little damage due to the dense blockades on the river, and the Mughal cannons were less accurate. Nonetheless, the sheer quantity of firepower favoured the Mughals, and it rained projectiles on the river.

But overall, everything was looking good for the Ahom Navy for a while. Unfortunately, the good times for the Ahoms ended as things did not go exactly as planned from the next moment onwards, completely opposite to how things went with the army. Asad Ali did not mind the casualties but focused on the blockade put forward by the Ahoms. He quickly devised a solution to this dilemma. His solution, though crude, was effective. "Order the frontline ships to aim their firepower at a single position on the South Bank of the river, breach that location. It is a soft spot in their defences."

His orders quickly passed to the frontline as the Mughal ships recalibrated their cannons and started firing at a specific point in the blockade.

"Bang, bang."

Although many ships were sacrificed, it was worth it as a breach finally opened up in the defences.

On the Ahom side, Pradyut became confused about what to do next. Despite destroying numerous Mughal ships, more ships kept getting replenished. They had already destroyed at least 20 ships, but the Mughal ships continued to come back, keeping the pressure on them constant. Additionally, they suffered casualties from the crossfire, losing 12 of their own ships. Seeing an opening torn in their defences, he became desperate as the conditions for victory became slimmer and slimmer. Pradyut witnessed the Mughal ships advancing towards the barrier and starting to board the Ahom ships. It was a massacre of the Ahoms.

"Slash!" A sailor in front of him, who used to be his subordinate, was slashed apart.

"Ahhhhh!"

His agonizing cry reverberated throughout the battlefield. Blood of Ahom ran downstream the Brahmaputra river.

Pradyut could not watch these scenes anymore. He unsheathed his sword and went into battle himself. Although his body was not as responsive as it was in his youth, he still had a lot of experience which made up for his deficiency.

"Slash!"

His first swing cut through a Mughal invader's neck, chopping it right off. He managed to rally a sizable force and went on the counterattack. He and his group jumped from ship to ship, clearing the Mughal invaders. They knew that they would eventually get tired and killed, but they did not stop because they remembered what they were fighting for. Although his group of young men could still persist, Pradyut, being the elderly among them, could not keep up. His injuries accumulated, and finally, he took a sword to his chest. In his last dying breath, he managed to swing his sword one last time and take the head of his assailant.

In his final moment, he was filled with regret because he knew that without a leader, the group he had brought together would be dispersed in no time. But before his life left his body, he was relieved because he heard the sound of Lachit Borphukan, that overenthusiastic and talented young general of the army.

"Take care," he said as his life finally passed, and the light was no more.

200 meters away, on the south bank of Saraighat, there was a middle-aged man witnessing all these scenes with fire in his eyes. Seeing the scene in front of him, of his people being killed, Lachit Borphukan was angry. He took control of eight ships at the bank all by himself, rallied his soldiers to board the ships, and proceeded to move towards the blockade.

When he arrived near the blockade, which didn't take long due to the river's current pushing the ships along, the people Pradyut rounded up also joined Lachit's group. The condition of the battle suddenly tilted in favour of the Ahoms, although it was only temporary because more ships approached their way. However, Lachit Borphukan did not mind, as he and his soldiers quickly cleared out the Mughals on the blockade, and the ships he brought filled up the opening created by the enemy in the blockade.

He yelled towards his soldiers to boost their morale while pointing his bloody sword towards the Mughal ships that were approaching.

"Fellow warriors, the Mughals have discovered a vulnerability in our defences, but let it not be the breach in our resolve. Guwahati stands on hills where the Mughal army struggles. Our Brahmaputra, not just a river but our shield, will protect us. Our ancestors fought fiercely for this land, and today, we continue their legacy. Our people look to us to defend their honour and the sanctity of Ahom. Remember, our strength lies not just in arms but in unity. Our cause strengthens my spirit. Fight for Ahom, fight for our ancestors, and fight for the freedom that courses through the Brahmaputra. Let the Mughals witness the resilience of the Ahomse. Onward, my comrades, for Ahom, for our people, for victory!"

19:12

"Fellow warriors, the Mughals have discovered a vulnerability in our defences, but let it not be the breach in our resolve. Guwahati stands on hills where the Mughal army struggles. Our Brahmaputra, not just a river but our shield, will protect us. Our ancestors fought fiercely for this land, and today, we continue their legacy. Our people look to us to defend their honour and the sanctity of Ahom. Remember, our strength lies not just in arms but in unity. Our cause strengthens my spirit. Fight for Ahom, fight for our ancestors, and fight for the freedom that courses through the Brahmaputra. Let the Mughals witness the resilience of the Ahomse. Onward, my comrades, for Ahom, for our people, for victory!"

The cannons of the Ahom started firing again, but this time it was not only the cannons of the ships participating in the blockade but also the cannons on the Itakhuli hill commanded by Neerab. A signal was sent by General Lachit Borphukan to coordinate the strikes at the same time. The Mughal 10kg calibre cannons, which were confiscated by the Ahoms after the war, were also utilized as they were placed along the South Bank. These were used as crossfire cannons to create a blanket of cannonballs.

The Mughal ships were finally getting destroyed; more ships were destroyed than were being replenished. Asad Ali finally got nervous because the warships had stopped being replenished. Theoretically, the warships should be continuously replenished, as the ships were continuously manufactured in Bengal. Although not hundreds of ships at a time, 2-3 ships could be manufactured in a day, so what happened?

"Hay, why are the ships not being replenished?" he asked his assistant, who is in charge of conveying the intelligence between the capital and the war zone.

"Your Excellency, I do not know."

Asad Ali got restless and boarded a ship in order to retreat, but unfortunately, he was unlucky because he was caught by Lachit Borphukan.

As revenge for Pradyut, he was not taken as a prisoner and was directly beheaded.

The Mughals' invasion of the Ahom Kingdom ended like this.

All in all, the Ahoms lost a part of their lands till Guwahati and Shillong but still maintained their independence, while the Mughals gained new lands but lost a lot of soldiers, ships, and resources.

Overall, the biggest winner became the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire. As one of the main contributors to this victory, the special forces commanded by their leaders Dinesh Reddy and Lingesh performed exceptionally. They were responsible for going inland in Bengal and destroying the shipbuilding capabilities on the coast of the Brahmaputra River, along with destroying some warships on the move with the help of gunpowder bombs.

Their contribution finally sealed the victory of the Ahom. Also, the Bengali shipbuilders working in these shipyards were evacuated to the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire. As the Bharatiya ships were still stationed at the Bengali ports, they were quickly accommodated in the ships and soon evacuated from the Mughal waters.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

P.S. Scrapped the next chapter which is about the special soldiers taking down the shipbuilding in Bengal. Thought that the Ahom arc became too lengthy.

P.S. Some readers complained about the Ahom arc being too lengthy. I tried to make it more detailed, but it seems it is not working out as intended. What do the rest of the readers think?

P.S. Please answer this poll to let me know how the war stuff should be written. It is not an ad, so don't worry. Also, anyone, please type this out in the comments so that it is a copyable link. Thanks!