NOVEL NEXT Chapter 190 The Ahom Kingdom
190 The Ahom Kingdom
Northeast of the Bharatiya subcontinent.
In the northeast of the subcontinent lies a land blessed with beauty and natural resources. On this land, there is a powerful regional kingdom called the Ahom Kingdom, founded by a Shaan Prince who came from present-day Thailand in 1228. The kingdom was established in the Brahmaputra valley for its fertile soil and good habitable conditions.
The main inhabitants of the empire for the first few decades were the Thai ethnic group, who were the Shan people of Burma. The small gathering, which was once only a city-state, expanded heavily and later made Charaideo its capital city.
In this present timeline, some changes have occurred. General Lachit Borphukan, who became famous for his Battle of Saraighat, was noticed early on by King Jaya Dhwaj Singha.
Further changes ensued. General Lachit Borphukan, discerning the recurring Mughal invasions, proposed an expansion of the territory to acquire more strategic depth. Jaya Dhwaj, a smart ruler who saw the merit in such actions, concurred and proceeded to conquer the Manipur city-state, certain tribal lands, and the Mrauku kingdom to the south of the empire. This move not only provided strategic depth but also opened a channel to the blue waters of the Bengal Sea.
With the land expanding so much, although Jaya Dhwaj had to give up the capital in pursuit of the Mughals like in the past timeline, it did not take long for him to win back the capital. The strategic depth of the kingdom had increased, and the losses in battle were recovered very quickly. Unfortunately, the expansion of the land and increased strategic depth, also brought more security concerns. Although the expanded land gave the kingdom direct access to the Bengal Sea, it also left its coastline open to the Mughals, where one of the main naval bases of the Mughal Empire existed in Kolkata. Noticing this, His Majesty Jaya Dhwaj swiftly made a move after retaking the capital. He expanded the navy of the kingdom, which was only active in the Brahmaputra River, into the sea, making it capable of protecting against intruders.
Though not a strong naval power, the kingdom could be called a regional naval power capable enough of protecting the trading lines with different South Asian kingdoms along with the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire.
The people of Ahom practised animism, which was the Ahom religion that believed in spirits and rituals. Later, it was influenced by Brahminism, a precursor to Hinduism. Over time, influenced by the mainland, they turned to Hinduism while preserving their own rituals and beliefs, combining them with Hindu philosophy.
The Ahom Kingdom became a legendary existence for the youth of the 21st century. In the 17th century alone, 17 battles were fought against the Mughal Empire, and all were victories with no losses. This alone is enough to give the small Kingdom a cult status for standing against the behemoth Mughal Empire. Unfortunately, nothing about this Kingdom was taught in the school or college curriculum, leading to many people not knowing about this historical powerhouse, except for those who are interested in history.
One month ago,
Ahom Kingdom, Charaideo.
In a large and luxurious royal palace in the capital city of the Ahom Kingdom, a mature and handsome man, not older than 38, with typical Asian features, was sitting on his throne. He listened to court cases brought to him by his nobles with a frown on his face.
"Your Majesty, what should we do with this case?"
Jayadwaj, annoyed, responded with irritation, "Have him be lashed 50 times."
The court nobles were surprised. Wasn't the punishment too much? But they clearly did not want to refute His Majesty, as just by the looks of it, His Majesty Swargadeo (Lord of the Heavens) was in a bad mood. They quickly finished the affairs of the court and left His Majesty alone.
The reason for Jaya Dwaj Singha's anger was because of what happened this morning. General Lachit Borphukan came to him and informed him that the Mughals were on the move again. However, this time it did not look good, as they had successfully infiltrated the tribes down the southwest and gained a stable foothold.
Also, he got to know that, After the Dakshina Bharatiya Empire defeated the Mughals in the one-year war, their attention shifted from the South to the East. It was confirmed that an army of 50,000 would be dispatched. More importantly, the Mughals had upgraded the fire guns to carry a larger load and shoot farther distances. According to information, they also possessed some sort of firesticks that could shoot out flaming iron.
The news greatly angered Jaya Dwaj Singha, and he was also nervous about what could be done. While contemplating alone in the royal court, his courtier, Somsak, came into the palace in great excitement. Seeing the excited courtier, who always put on a stoic expression, Jayadwaj knew that it was good news, or else the courtier would not change his face suddenly. He put away his annoyance and asked calmly, "What is it? Why are you in a hurry?"
Somsak, hearing His Majesty's questioning, suppressed his smile and replied, "Your Majesty, a delegation has been sent by the Dakshina Bharatiya Empire to do a big trade deal with our kingdom and strengthen the ties between our two nations."
Jaya Dwaj was still confused. "Isn't it only trade? Why are you so excited about it?"
"Your Majesty, this trade is exceptional. It involves Himalayan oak wood and other robust timber varieties unique to the Himalayan region, and it's in substantial quantities. From my assessment, it appears that the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire is gearing up to construct larger warships. This inference is drawn not only from the type of timber being traded but also from the presence of sloops accompanying their merchant vessels, who came as a military escort."
"True, that might be the case. A few weeks ago, a merchant purchased a few trees at a premium, Perhaps that was for testing purposes. Moreover, those sloops from the Bharatiya Empire are quite impressive. Though not significantly more advanced than ours, they boast superior artillery and sea-faring capabilities. In comparison, our boats are only stranded in our coastal waters. If we had the technology and experience of shipbuilding like those Bharatiya vessels do, I would definitely resist those hateful Mughal Turks, who keep harasing our ports. "
"But still, you did not answer my question. Why are you so happy all of a sudden?"
"Your majesty, it's like this. The person who led the delegation also mentioned a military alliance with our Kingdom. According to him, the Dakshina Bharatiya Empire will be willing to provide us with artillery and training on how to use it, along with naval help. If the Mughal Empire decides to launch a war on our Kingdom, they will send their own navy to assist. Also, they have requested to train a battalion of their troops in the kingdom in jungle, hilly, and guerrilla warfare."
Hearing this news, Jaya Dwaj Singha's mood finally improved. , After hearing the information provided by his general, he had been contemplating since morning, becoming angry and irritated multiple times when not finding any solution. Now, with the help of the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire, there is a chance of victory. Placing the artilary in main locations along the logistic channels should be enough to give the Mughals a headache. Additionally, since the Dakshin Bhartiya Navy was able to defeat the Mughals before, there should be no problem doing it again. With that assurance, more investment could be put into defending the Brahmaputra River. Jaya Dwaj was also proud that the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire requested his kingdom's training in guerrilla forest and hills warfare, as his kingdom is number one when it comes to these types of warfare. It is only because the kingdom is proficient in this type of warfare that he could defeat the Mughals over and over again. However, suddenly he frowned, thinking about something.
"But what is the price for this help?"
The messenger, Somsak, calmed him as he replied, "Your Majesty, all the services provided would be exchanged for 50% higher Varaha worth of timber, along with the training provided for free."
Jayadwaj Singha ":0? "
Jayadwaj Singha questioned, "That's it, no more demands?"
Somsak answered, "Yes, Your Majesty, that is what I have been conveyed."
"Okay, you may go. I will think over this matter."
Dakshina Bharatiya Empire.
Vijayanagara State, Hampi.
A lot of changes are underway in the empire. The first thing Vijay did was deal with the grieving Kavya. After consoling his wife and reassuring her that they would definitely have a child, further assuring her that the only reason for the infertility of the couple was some sadhu's curse for the rise of the family (which is a lie).
Regarding handling his maternal grandparents and uncle, Vijay decided to endure a mouthful from his grandfather and a disapproving gaze from his uncle for a few moments until he explained his views on the future world.
But did it change anything?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. Both his grandfather and uncle did not approve of his decision, but they let out a sigh and gave up trying to suggest to Vijay to take back his orders. Although they knew that Vijay would never rescind his orders, just like an arrow released from a bowstring, they still had to try.
He finally came back to the study room in the palace and started to write the inheritance conditions for his children.
First, he began forming a council of elders, consisting of individuals dependent on the Devaraya family for their survival or family members with no inheritance rights but still connected to the Raya family for their livelihood. Currently, the only person falling into this category is the elderly butler Ravichandra Rao. However, considering that he might not be alive when the throne is eventually passed on, Vijay decided that he would personally choose his successor, expressing confidence in his impartiality.
These elders will be tasked with selecting the crown prince or princess for the empire based on their testing of various attributes related to governance. This includes assessing the candidate's competence in different aspects of ruling and their adaptability to different environments. For instance, during peaceful times, an emperor should be well-versed in economics and possess a strong grasp of military affairs to be prepared for potential conflicts.
While Vijay and Kavya, as the only two members of the Deva Raya family at the moment, would typically be the ones making this choice, Vijay decided to expand the family to ensure a larger pool of potential heirs. His aim was to have at least five children. Taking this decision, Vijay couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about Kavya.
To ensure a fair and unbiased selection, Vijay stipulated that only the elders would have the authority to choose the crown prince or princess. The rationale behind this decision was to avoid any parental bias towards a particular child. Elders, being connected to the Raya family for the benefits it brings and collective family honour, would prioritize selecting an heir capable of leading and enhancing the family's wealth and status. Vijay also included many clauses to prevent the formation of a group of elders from forming a vote bank and playing vote bank politics. He believed that this approach would ensure a more objective decision in choosing the future emperor.
Vijay decided not to disclose this news to anyone ( readers ) to avoid causing more uproar. Additionally, he began writing a manual titled 'How To Emperor.' This manual would become a family tradition in the future, with each emperor writing their own version and summarizing the previous ones, creating a significant heritage for the family despite potential competition.
Unknown to Vijay, his plan partially failed because he didn't share the family inheritance rules until a decade before he was about to abdicate. The next two emperors were actually selected by Vijay himself, one while he was alive and the other due to Vijay's influence. Because of the good reputation of the Deva Raya family, even after Vijay's reign, and the fact that the next emperor was handpicked by Vijay and had a good public opinion, the elders did not have to work hard. The somewhat capitalist nature of the family also contributed to this outcome.
However, when the public still held a high opinion of Lord Vijay Deva Raya, the same treatment was not extended to his descendants, who fell behind due to no pressure from the family. The council of elders remained untrained in catalyzing the transition of power. Fortunately, they woke up quickly and used a provision in the inheritance rules of the family to amend some of them to reduce some of the capital nature of the laws. Still, it was a little late as the people wanted to see a change in governance.
Afterwards, the empire became prime minister-centred and emperor-driven. It wasn't until the space age that the Deva Raya family regained the throne, and, due to Vijay's rules, a female ruler took charge for the first time, that too due to a majority vote. Further alterations were made to consider the emperor from the family in the selection of the next heir, with the opinion of the ruler from their family also taken into account. Also, the number of heirs at a time was capped at 50, as, following Vijay's example, all his descendants decided to have many children. To increase the pool, all direct and closely indirect line members were given a chance at the throne. Although the main heir of the direct line initially disagreed, the pressure from the family due to losing the battle for the throne for the first time, and his own weak will made him succumb. Surprisingly, it was then that the empress was produced, leaving behind a good legacy after pioneering the Mars terraforming operation which would have been close to impossible under a government.
P.S. The electoral monarchy is designed to be future-proof and does not make any immediate changes to Vijay's rule. It was brought up quickly due to no resistance from the nobles and to establish the framework beforehand for the future united Bharat Empire.
P.S. Spoiler: Independent Hindu kings will retain their kingship under Vijay's throne and their land as a state in the empire under the law. However, all the main departments will be controlled by the empire, making them no different from any other state.
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