NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: 5. Akhand Bharat
After conquering the Southern Bharat the rest of Bharat bacame wary of me and my growing empire. It was after a long time that someone has tried to unite Bharat in one empire. It was not done since the Mahabharata era.
Those king that were smart and farsighted sensed the threat to their sovereignty and started to form alliances with neighbouring kingdoms or conquering them to increase their power and countering mine. But still most of them were too arrogant to realise the threat and take action.
But even I am not that strong militarily or economically, that I can fight the Northern and Western Bharat just after conquering the Southern Bharat. So for now I remained silent. I let them kill each other and form enmity between them which will later help me.
For now my focus was on building and restructuring my army and arming them in quality steel. I will attack East in the end because there are not many kingdoms and they are not too powerful. For now, even if I shifted my focus slightly I may have to face the attacks from North. That's why I left the region of East for the end.
After preparing for 3 years I launched a mass attack on Anarta, Saurashtra, Dwarka, Surparaka, Dandaka, Asmaka, Anupa, Heyheya, Avanti, Vidharba Gurjara, Nishadha, Nishadha, Malava, Kunti, Chedi, Karush, Dasarna, Vatsa, Kasi, Malla. I have been secretly sending small forces for all these years and having them group and set up their base away from the sight but around these kingdoms.
At my signal all the southern kingdoms were attacked at once and after taking over one kingdom, a new battalion of fresh soldiers went towards the northern kingdoms. This way I carved a path of conquest from modern day Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh.
Now only the modern day Pakistan, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and northern states are left. But this time I didn't wait for long and instead led back to back small campaigns and defeating small alliances of border kingdoms, forging my own alliances, I kept moving inwards.
This way, defeating one alliance after another, I was able to conquer the region of modern India within 5 years but still the area of Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir remained. Not because they were strong or anything but because I have to defeat the alliances of Northern Bharat before they can unite together before focussing on West.
Now taking a break of 2 years and I allowed my army to rest and recuperate from the back to back wars with these kingdoms and than moved towards west.
After a break of 2 years I again led my vast army towards the West. Again not because they were strong but now almost all the remaining kingdoms have allied together and I want to end this as fast as possible.
So we went to attack Sauvira, Sindhu, Sivi, Amvastha, Kekaya, Madra, Trigant, Pulinda, Bhalika, Kambhoja, Gandhara, Kasmira, Darada. I attacked all of their kingdoms at once, as well as went with a vast army to attack their main force.
They didn't know what to do now, they wanted to leave and protect their kingdom, some wanted to kill me, some just felt like crying. But before they could decide my army and their army was infront of each other. And they were left with no choice but to fight and maybe win this war.
But unfortunately their last hope was also crushed when they saw my vast and well equipped army. Some of them tried to surrender but all of them were crushed and their male line exterminated.
But I didn't stop their, after conquering their kingdoms after a long seige. I turned my army towards East and finally went towards East to conquer the final 3 kingdoms, Pragyajyotisha, Sonita, Lauhitya and establish myself as the Chakravarti Samrat of Bharat.
These kingdoms even allied couldn't put up much resistance as even if their region is mountainous and difficult to track, they couldn't counter my vast army and have to finally face defeat.
After a conquest that lasted many years, I have finally done it. I have United Bharat. First time in Kaliyug and build an empire that will last till the end of this world if I have any say in it.
When I returned to Magadha, after a rest of few days I invited many known priest and sages and asked them to find the most auspicious time for my coronation as the Chakravarti Samrat.
That was a day of joy as even if the people may not like me now, but they also like the idea of an Akhand Bharat (unbreakable Bharat).
The ritual started with bathing the new emperor in milk, honey, water of sacred rivers, putting the paste of turmeric, sandalwood and many other things while the priests chant sacred hymns infront of holy fire. And then after the emperor gets ready after the bath he joins the priests in the ritual and than he is crowned.
This day according to the Vedic calendar is marked as the birth of the Bharatya Samrajya. An empire that will outlasts any and all empires, may they be of current era or in future, which will become one of the biggest empire, if not the biggest in the world.