Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

220  Dakshin Bharatiya Empire Year End Report Part :2

Dakshin Bhartiya Empire, Vijayanagara State, Capital City - Hampi.

The year-end meeting continued after a small break. Kiran Pujari still took the stage as he went on to explain the military reform bill that had been put forward in front of the ministers. Although the structure of individual units remained the same, the framework of the military had changed, with a few more new units added to the command structure and new official positions established in the military hierarchy.

Kiran Pujari started his speech by stating, "Currently, the strength of our standing army is 150,000 soldiers, after replenishing the troops following the wars. However, we have concluded that conflict with the Mughal Empire is inevitable, leading the Imperial Committee to decide on a drastic increase in the number of troops in the reform bill i propose. Furthermore, during previous combat situations, we have encountered numerous discrepancies within the command structure of the military. This reform is aimed at addressing precisely that problem."

The ministers nodded their heads as they looked forward to where this reform was going.

"According to the reform bill, The units in the military have been changed. While some unit names remained the same as before, there are new units being added and new positions for the leaders of these units."

"Firstly, in the chain of command, you've got the squad, the most basic unit, comprised of 10 soldiers with a sergeant calling the shots. Then, moving up, there's the platoon, assembled from 4 squads, where the second lieutenant takes the helm.

Next, stepping it up, there's the company, consisting of 4 platoons, with a first lieutenant at the helm. Following that, you've got the battalion, a formidable force made up of five companies, led by none other than a lieutenant colonel. Then, there's the brigade, a force to be reckoned with, forged from 5 battalions, and commanded by a brigadier general. After that, we've got the division, a strategic powerhouse comprising three brigades, with a major general at the helm. Then, there's the corps, a force multiplier, composed of three divisions, under the leadership of a seasoned lieutenant general. Lastly, towering above all, we have the legion, at the apex of the army, housing two corps and commanded by a decorated commander."

Upon hearing the figures outlined by Kiran Pujari, the ministers were surprised. As they were able to perform basic arithmetic calculations in their heads, the resulting increase in the number of soldiers, according to their calculations, amounted to nearly 50%. "Is the threat of war so imminent?" they pondered in grave expressions, their suspicions confirmed by the subsequent data disclosed by Kiran Pujari.

In terms of raw soldier numbers, a squad comprises 10 soldiers, a platoon includes 40 soldiers, a company holds 160 soldiers, a battalion consists of 800 soldiers, a brigade comprises 4000 soldiers, a division encompasses 12,000 soldiers, a corps includes 36,000 soldiers, and a legion boasts 72,000 soldiers. The Empire's army will consist of three legions, totalling 216,000 personnel. To bolster our forces, recruitment from the Military Academy will be intensified, with immediate plans for the construction of new academies.

Leading the legions are three seasoned commanders: Narasimha Nayak, Yogendra Singh, and Ramaiya Senapati. Two legions will be stationed along the northern border with the Mughal Empire, while the remaining legion will be deployed in the south, tasked with responding swiftly to any foreign aggression through shore landing operations.

Everyone got into a discussion in the crowd as they were not expecting that the recruitment would be for 66,000 new recruits. The burden on the Empire is very likely to increase significantly.

For this very reason, Finance Minister Jagannath Mohan couldn't remain idle. He rose from his seat and addressed, "Respected Marshall Kiran Pujari, could you please reassess the extent of army expansion? The coffers of the Empire will face considerable strain if your proposed reform bill goes through. While our present financial standing is stable, it won't withstand the magnitude of expenditure you're advocating for."

"Yes, exactly," Rajesh supported as he voiced his agreement, sharing the same opinion as Minister Jagannath Mohan since they are both ministers focused on finance.

"Yes, yes," some of the ministers who were their supporters from the same house also echoed.

Kiran nodded his head in acknowledgement, but he still did not budge from his demand as he pressed on the same demand again.

"Your Excellency, the Minister of Finance, although your points are valid in normal circumstances, please consider that this is not a normal situation. We face an Empire much larger than us, with a greater population and wealth as our adversary. This empire lies to our north, and their sole desire is our disappearance.

Despite our victories in multiple battles against them, we must acknowledge that there are still at least 70 million people living in that Empire, almost double our own population. While they have suffered losses in past battles, replenishing their troops is not overly difficult, as the Mughal Empire may have lacked military experience but not manpower. Their only deficiency compared to us lies in the skill and combat effectiveness of each soldier. However, we must also recognize that they have managed to replicate our muskets. As technology advances, cold weapons fighting skills become less relevant, as even a farmer in the countryside could eliminate an experienced veteran with a gun."

"With thousands of such soldiers armed with guns, the need for quality becomes secondary, Your Excellency. Hence, in the end, it all comes down to the number of soldiers. Also, sir, quantity has a quality of its own, Your Excellency, the Minister."

"Exactly," echoed a voice in support.

"Military strength is the key to the empire's existence," affirmed another.

"Well said," chimed in another supporter.

Kiran also had supporters as they echoed his sentiments.

Mohan frowned as all the points put forward by Kiran were true, and he could not openly refute them. He also knew that the common people of the Mughal Empire were their own people, so it was their duty to free them from the Turkish invaders' rule. However, as the finance minister of the Empire, he had an obligation to look after the financial security of the Empire. He was a staunch believer of the saying 'kayakave kailasa' (Work is worship), hence he stood his ground for what he thought was right for the empire.

He contemplated for a while as he got an idea. "While what you said makes sense, Your Excellency the Marshall, increasing the strength of the army so suddenly is unconstitutional."

"And how might that be, Your Excellency the Minister of Finance?" Kiran Pujari asked, curious about how his military reform bill suddenly became unconstitutional.

Sitting on the throne, Vijay furrowed his brow, deep in thought about Mohan's words. Soon, he grasped the heart of the issue and comprehended the implications behind Mohan's statement.

"Your Excellency, Marshal, as per the Law, the military committee within the imperial committee already receives a share of 5% of the empire's fixed budget for the year. With the sudden expansion of the army, this budget will be exceeded, potentially impacting other functions of the committee. This includes but is not limited to, inadequate funding support for the Navy and other departments within the Trishul Committee and Brahma Committee. Additionally, it's worth noting that the budget allocated to the military is stipulated in the constitution, and requesting more would be unconstitutional." Nôv(el)B\\jnn

*Clap clap clap*

Some of the ministers, who only now realized the consequences of military expansion on them, clapped in support of Minister Jagannath Mohan. Leading them was Rajesh, the original opposer of Marshal Kiran Pujari, the Minister of Trade and Commerce, as he, too, did not want a significant portion of the budget for the next fiscal year to be spent on the military, leaving only a little for the rest of the ministries.

Despite the compelling argument put forward by Minister Mohan, there were still supporters of Kiran Pujari who sided with him, even after knowing the consequences, as they knew that the strength of the Empire comes first and everything else comes after that. However, unlike the ministers who only needed to show support, Kiran had to respond. Sadly, he was having a hard time coming up with one, as what Minister Jagannath Mohan said was indeed true.

Currently, he also had to consider his position, as he is not only holding the post of Marshal of the Army; he is also holding the post of the Head of the Military Committee, responsible for both the army and navy. He cannot show his favouritism towards the army at this moment, which could cause his majesty to be disappointed and replace him with Gangadhar. Although Gangadhar is lacking in merit, Kiran was sure that after the fight with the Ottoman warships that were arriving and winning against them, which he was very confident in, Gangadhar's merits would be enough for him to take the post of the head of the military committee.

As he did not know what to do, he looked to Vijay for help, as it was Vijay who put forward the conditions for reforms. Maybe his majesty had a solution.

To Be Continued...

P.S. Something (Animals according to mom, I'm too much of a wus to see for myself) has died near the farmhouse; a murder of crows has been cawing since morning. It's my first experience with such a phenomenon. Perhaps that's why people often associate crows with death.

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