Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

July 1658

Safavid Empire

The flames of the Civil War had spread far and wide throughout the Safavid Empire. The five major families had already gone all out in the war for control of the empire.

Major cities like Baghdad, Khorasan, Isfahan, Azerbaijan, Golestan, Zabulistan, Kerman, Fars, Arabistan, Merv, and other significant cities had all experienced the terror of war.

Central areas where the Western royal faction and the Eastern Qizilbash faction meet are the hardest-hit areas. Villages, Towns, and Cities along this central imaginary line of fire have already turned to rubble. As for other cities and military fortresses in the interior, they were not spared either.

Constant assassinations and surprise attacks occur every other day, so frequently that the people at the bottom have even developed an instinctive reaction of seeking shelter at every loud sound they hear.

One might ask why the noble families would allow assassins and spies to enter their region, but sadly, the answer is that they simply had no other choice.

No matter how divided the Safavid Empire has become, it is still, at least to the people of the empire, a single nation, so the movement of people between cities has not stopped.

Even if the noble families wanted to halt these travellers, fearing enemy spies among them, they couldn’t effectively do so, as there were countless roads and mountain paths in every nook and cranny leading to major cities—except in particularly hilly regions, such as near the Zagros, Alborz, and Kopet Dag Mountains—which made completely blocking travel between regions much more challenging.

The Safavid Empire is not a new empire established by a Sultan from nothing but rather an empire built upon the rubble of one of the world’s greatest powers—the Persian Empire. Even though there was limited development in the region after the fall of the Persian Empire, the foundations it left remained.

At its height, the Persian Empire had been a hub for silk and spice trade between the East and the West, making it a crucial transportation link between two distant parts of the world when travel could only occur over land and not by sea. During such an era, who knows how many paths the merchants, smugglers, bandits, and other people of interests made?

Since the empire is mostly hilly, these paths are not easily covered up; the locals would know them, and from the locals, their neighbours would come to know of these paths if they wished to inquire. In this way, a wide network of countless small hilly roads is revealed.

The number so large that even if the nobles used all their manpower, they couldn’t effectively block all this traffic; the most they could do is control the inflow of people from the main arteries.

Concluding that blocking the flow of traffic was a lost cause, all the noble families came to a similar conclusion to focus on firmly defending their core territories and to use all available manpower to launch attacks on their enemies, whether through covert or direct means.

In this way, both factions clashed without either side firmly gaining a decisive advantage over the other, while the common people suffered. Since the Civil War began, the bloodshed has unexpectedly made the land more fertile, but understandably, the farmers are not pleased with this outcome.

If the Qizilbash faction launched a targeted strike toward the capital, the Western noble faction acted in unity, bypassing the main force and attacking the core territories of the Qizilbash families.

On the other hand, if the Western noble families firmly defended the capital, the Qizilbash seized the opportunity to flank the Takkalu and Zangana families from the rear, striking directly into their hinterlands. Thus, the Civil War within the Safavid Empire had become a chaotic chessboard, with troops moving across it in offence and defence.

Both sides waited for the other to make a critical mistake that would provide an opportunity to win it all.

However, July 16, 1658, would prove to be an unforgivable day for them.

---

Hamedam, Atashban Family

All the core members of the Atashban family had gathered in the main hall of the Atashban fortress.

The atmosphere was solemn, and nobody even dared to breathe loudly, as they were scared that the serious atmosphere would be disrupted because of them.

Keveh Atashban, the military general of the Atashban family; Fariba Atashban, the intelligence chief of the Atashban family; and Roxana Atashban, the heir of the Atashban family, were all present in the hall in front of their elders. The expressions on their faces were complex.

At first glance, all three had solemn expressions, but within this facade, one could also find fear and anticipation, doubt and confidence, hesitation and eagerness. The expressions were so intricate that one would not be able to discern what the three juniors were feeling.

The elders of the family, mainly the patriarch, Ardeshir Atashban; the matriarch, Mitra Atashban; the legal adviser, Shirin Atashban; and the chief diplomat, Parviz Atashban, were all engaged in deep discussion with each other. Their expressions were grave.

Ardeshir Atashban was feeling conflicting emotions in his heart because their family had suddenly received instructions from the Bharatiya Empire to immediately act and fully capture the four cities surrounding Hamedam.

Ardeshir did not know why the Bharatiya Empire had suddenly become eager and restless, but he knew that whatever was happening was not a good thing for him.

Since they had come into contact with the Bharatiya Empire’s intelligence organization, they had received a lot of help, which had made it possible for the Atashban family to expand their influence among the common people of the empire. By now, the Atashban family had already formed their own intelligence network based on the Bharatiya intelligence organization.

However, despite this advantage, Ardeshir was still not so sure this was the right time to act, as he guessed that the five families had not yet exerted their full strength and had only suffered a major setback, which would not take too long to recover from.

But sadly, Ardeshir had no power to refuse, since all the weaponry supplies and logistic channels to their family were actually provided by the Bharatiya Empire. Without these indispensable elements, he wouldn’t dare to launch a revolt, even if his family gained 10 times more influence than they had today.

*sigh!*

This was already the nth time Ardeshir Atashban had sighed, showing how large his dilemma was.

"Brother Parviz, should we follow the Instructions from the Bharatiya Empire? Do we have no other way?" Ardeshir asked, his expression desperate as if grasping for a single straw of hope.

"Do we even have the power to refuse the instructions that are more like a command, brother? As for whether there is any way out for our family except being vassals of the Bharatiya Empire, sadly, I don’t see any." Parviz let out a wry smile

Ardeshir was still unwilling. "Can’t we find another nation or an empire like the Bharatiya Empire to support us? Wouldn’t that help us balance the Bharatiya Empire?"

A hint of helplessness immediately appeared in Parviz’s eyes. "It’s not that I haven’t thought of this, brother; it’s just that it is impossible."

"To our north and south, we do not have any prominent empires that could help us. Instead, to the north, we are surrounded by enemies, and to the south, well, you know there is really nothing."

"As for the west, there is the Ottoman Empire, but sadly, it looks like they are embroiled in a war with the Venetian Republic, a powerful European country. I have to say, if it weren’t for this war, maybe the Ottomans would try to swallow us whole this time. They always wanted an entry into the Indian Ocean, after all."

His expression turned from helplessness to annoyance.

"I have even tried to bypass the Ottoman Empire and find support from any strong European country, but sadly, although most European countries are willing to help us as a counterbalance to the Ottoman Empire, all our attempts were squashed by the Ottomans, as they did not allow even a single shipment of goods to our empire without being noticed by their military."

"It looks like the Ottoman Empire, even if they cannot take advantage of our situation, is not allowing anyone else from the West to do so either. They naturally do not want a strong enemy in their backyard, after all."

Ardeshir immediately lost all hope. His expression was downtrodden, and he seemed to age a few years within a few seconds. His wife, the matriarch Mitra Atashban, grew worried for her husband and gently put her hand on his shoulder, trying to cheer him up. Fortunately, Ardeshir was not the patriarch for nothing.

Having grown up in a family that everyone wanted to destroy, he had the mentality and resilience to bear failures again and again and the strength and determination to get up after each setback.

He was not disappointed for too long. Ardeshir immediately straightened his back, regained his vitality, and his eyes became firm once again.

For the core members of the family, this scene was not surprising, as they had seen it far too many times to count. But for the younger generation, this was quite a spectacle. When they saw their patriarch recover to his original condition, they heaved a sigh of relief.

Ardeshir stood up from his chair and loudly proclaimed.

"We will follow the orders made by the Bharatiya Empire and immediately launch an attack on the neighbouring cities to fully bring them under our control."

Everyone in the hall immediately felt a chill run down their spine after hearing the declaration of the weak-looking old man who had the aura of a ruler around him.

"Kaveh!" Ardeshir stared intently at his son with a rare gaze of encouragement.

Kaveh immediately shook with anticipation as he could already predict what his father was going to say.

"You don’t have to hold back this time; utilize all your talents and conquer our neighbouring cities for me."

"Yes, patriarch! I swear by the fire to get the job done!" Kaveh screamed at the top of his lungs. This was the day he had been waiting for all his life. There was even a point when he became depressed, thinking that such a day would not come. But with his dream now a reality, he still felt a little unreal.

Ardeshir was very satisfied with his son’s response, and he, too, was confident in Kaveh’s performance. Then his gaze turned towards his daughter. Looking at her staring at him intently, Ardeshir couldn’t help but feel that she had grown up all of a sudden.

"As for you, Roxana, you’ll be in charge of the logistics for this war. This will be the biggest responsibility you will handle, as logistics is crucial to any war. This will also be your test to prove your abilities and earn your right to inherit the title of patriarch."

Roxana was immediately stunned; her mouth and eyes opened wide with disbelief, but only for a few seconds.

"I solemnly promise not to let down the teachings of the elders, and I swear by the fire to get the job done."

Ardessir continued, "Fariba, you will be responsible for intelligence in the army, and you will also be the main intermediary between the intelligence organization of the Bharatiya Empire and our own army."

Fariba was overwhelmed with emotion, but having served as the intelligence chief for so long, she had already mastered the art of controlling her emotions better than anyone else in the room. She simply bowed her head and solemnly declared,

"I will get the job done, even if it costs my life. This is Fariba Atashban’s promise, and I vow by the sacred fire."