Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

22nd January 1658

Akhand Bharatiya Empire, Imperial Capital-Bengaluru, Simhasana Bhavana

According to the schedule, Prime Minister Vinod, Minister of Internal Affairs Arjun, Minister of Finance Jagannath Mohan, and Admiral Gangadhar all arrived at the Royal Palace right on time in a single carriage.

None of the four knew the reason they were called upon, but considering the fact that Admiral Gangadhar was within their group and that His Majesty had called for a meeting with the ship designers of the empire just a few days ago, they quickly pieced together that today’s meeting might involve the naval industry or the Navy.

"Welcome, Your Excellencies. Please come in. His Majesty will be here to meet you shortly," Ganesh skillfully led the guests to the conference room. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

None of the four people were unfamiliar with Ganesh, so they engaged in a bit of small talk.

"I heard that you’re getting married, Ganesh. So, when’s the date?"

"There aren’t any good dates for the next two months according to our *jataka*, Sir Vinod. I am planning to hold the wedding around April or May."

"That’s good, that’s good."

"..."

Ganesh, directing everyone to their seats, proceeded to inquire if they needed any beverages. "Recently, we have imported some tea seeds from the Qing Dynasty of China. His Majesty has taken quite a liking to the new beverage invented by the royal chef using these tea leaves.

Would any of you like to try it?" Vinod, Jagannath Mohan, Arjun, and Gangadhar were all intrigued, as normally, whenever they came to the Royal Palace, the only beverage they asked for was water or lime juice. This was the first time they had heard about the tea.

Gangadhar, in particular, was very intrigued as he had quite an interest in exotic foreign foods. "I’ll take one of this tea, then."

Following Gangadhar, the rest of the group followed suit. Ganesh did not speak further as he quickly instructed the servants to bring in four cups of tea.

The tea was brought in porcelain cups, which looked very delicate. Gangadhar carefully picked up the teacup and looked at the brown liquid inside with an ugly expression.

"Are you sure this is for human consumption?" Gangadhar asked the question that everyone was wondering.

"Of course it is. His Majesty personally drank it," Ganesh replied without hesitation. In fact, initially, even he was skeptical about whether the drink was suitable for human consumption, as at first glance, it looked like muddy water. Who in their right mind would want to drink muddy water?

But after witnessing His Majesty drink a cup of tea himself, Ganesh made up his mind to try it out, and to his surprise, the tea was actually very delicious and flavorful.

Gangadhar suddenly shivered. He cautiously looked around and was startled by the gaze of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet ministers. They were looking at him as if he were some sort of lab rat. He couldn’t help but curse himself for being the first one to order the tea. Now, seeing the stance of the ministers, he knew they wouldn’t touch the tea until he had tested it himself.

With a sense of despair, he went for a sip, but suddenly, a delightful aroma hit his nose. The aroma was hard to describe; it contained an earthy herbal scent mixed with the smell of various spices blended together and the unique scent brought by milk. This was the most unique aroma he had ever encountered. ’Well, at least the smell is pleasant,’ he thought.

He finally took his first sip, and his eyes widened in surprise. This was the most delicious beverage he had ever tasted. If he had to describe the effect of the beverage, he would say it felt like he had been standing all his life and was only now able to sit down.

After the first sip, he did not stop, taking one sip after another. If it weren’t for the fear of burning his tongue, he might have even drunk all the tea in one gulp.

The ministers looked at each other in surprise. Although they were confident the tea was consumable since Ganesh had assured them, they hadn’t expected it to be so delicious that the Admiral almost chugged the tea down his throat.

Finally getting the confirmation they needed, Vinod, Jagannath Mohan, and Arjun took a sip of the tea, and similar to Gangadhar, they were all amazed by its rich flavors.

Their methods of consumption were also diverse.

Arjun, like Gangadhar, proceeded to chug the tea down his throat, while Jagannath Mohan and Vinod preferred savouring one sip at a time. It was almost as if they were cherishing each and every sip of the tea.

Unknowingly, the four of them had sat down drinking tea for nearly 15 minutes. During this time, Vijay had entered the conference room and had already taken his seat.

Seeing how the four were engaged in drinking tea, Vijay did not disturb them and ordered a cup of tea for himself.

Vinod was the first to notice that Vijay had arrived in the conference room and taken his seat. He was momentarily startled, but he quickly calmed down and greeted Vijay after composing himself.

Hearing the greeting, the other three quickly followed suit, showing a little embarrassment on their faces.

Vijay didn’t mind and gestured for them to sit down. "I’m happy that all of you like it."

"What is this tea called, Your Majesty?" Gangadhar eagerly asked.

"Well, I decided to name it masala tea since it is a tea mixed with a spice blend."

"It’s a good name. I wish I could drink more of this," Arjun voiced his opinion, and the other three nodded in agreement.

Jagannath Mohan had something else in mind. "Your Majesty, almost everyone would like this beverage, so I think we can make this tea a huge industry in our empire. Is it possible to plant the tea seedlings on a large scale?"

Vijay smiled. "Of course, it is possible, but the number of tea seeds and varieties we received from the Qing Dynasty is not too many, since apparently, there is an embargo on tea seeds being exported from the Chinese Empire."

"So we need to wait for a while until we have enough research on the different tea seeds and the various environments suitable for their growth. Currently, the tea seeds we have imported are in the Agronomy Department of the Bharatiya Academy of Civilian Sciences."

"The agronomists are currently conducting various research studies on different tea seeds. For now, we have found three different breeds suitable for planting in the Assam region of Ahom State, the best parts of Bengal, some parts of Cholapuri, Vijayanagar, Charan Nadu, and other places."

"We are currently in the process of producing enough seeds to start large-scale production of tea in these regions. By the end of the year, a few thousand acres should be planted."

Jagannath Mohan felt relieved, thinking that the Empire had one more special product that could be used for exports, while Gangadhar was just happy that he would get to drink the tea regularly from now on.

---

Finishing his masala tea, Vijay carefully placed the porcelain cup on the table and wiped his mouth with a towel.

"I know all of you are curious about why I called you here, but before I reveal the reason, let me ask you something."

"Gangadhar, what is the current strength of our navy?"

Gangadhar looked up toward the ceiling, falling into deep thought. "Excluding the strength of our Coast Guard, we currently have 30 Pune-class battleships, 280 Vinayak-class frigates, 420 Hampi-class sloops, and 20 Lakshyam-class clippers."

"If we are talking in terms of tonnage, it’s 214,000 tonnes. The strength of our navy, at least on paper, has surpassed all the European countries according to the data we have from the year 1655."

"The only navy that has more warships than us is maybe the Chinese Qing Dynasty, but those warships are already outdated and pose no threat to us. Adding the Coast Guard and the defensive line built with catamarans, our naval strength is regarded as the number one in the world." Gangadhar felt very proud when mentioning this.

Vijay nodded his head. "Our strength is indeed considerable when we consider the strength of our navy with tonnage. But Gangadhar, tell me what you would require at a minimum to completely defeat the Spanish galleon you saw at Mangaluru Port."

Gangadhar was immediately stunned. Thinking about the large behemoth of a ship that completely dwarfed the large Pune-class battleship, Gangadhar became hesitant. Still, due to the question, he made some calculations in his mind based on the battle report he received from the war in Southeast Asia for the Philippines.

"If our naval commander is someone like Sarvesh, then I would be confident in fully defeating the Spanish galleon with only two Pune-class battleships. It is also possible to defeat multiple Spanish galleons under special circumstances, as it happened in the battle for the Philippines.

But Your Majesty, you’re asking about the minimum requirements for the Bharatiya Navy to defeat the Spanish naval fleet equipped with a galleon, aren’t you?"

Vijay nodded. "Yes, we only have one Sarvesh Ranavikrama, and we are unlikely to get such advantageous conditions for war every time. So tell me, how many battleships would we require if a naval fleet of the Spanish Empire, composed of frigates, clippers, and sloops, is equipped with a galleon?"

To Be Continued...