Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

15th July 1660

Dozens of Bharatiya warships were docked at the port of Kuala Lumpur, with a few Delhi-class battleships armed and ready with cannons, locked and loaded, staring right at the approaching ships with utmost caution.

Vijay, who had invited all the kings and leaders of Southeast Asia to Kuala Lumpur, saw this as the Bharatiya Empire's first attempt at leading a diplomatic event on a regional stage beyond the immediate vicinity of the subcontinent. This was his first step in hosting something even remotely similar to the United Nations General Assembly, so he was not taking any chances with security. Vijay knew that his caution could offend a lot of kings who had never had to look up to anyone all their lives and were arrogant by nature, but he was willing to deal with the consequences; he would rather be disliked than risk permanently damaging relationships with any nation he wanted to establish ties with.

The rulers of various Southeast Asian countries arrived at the port one by one. Some frowned, annoyed at being looked at as some sort of criminal, while others felt nothing at all, simply in awe of the power of the Bharatiya Empire.

King Sourigna Vongsa, who had just arrived at the port on his newly purchased ship, looked at the mighty navy of Bharat stationed at the port with palpitations in his heart.

'Gulp!'

He did not feel offended by the treatment he received, mainly because, unlike other kings who had their own navy and were asked to stop behind the perimeter, he came alone on a single ship weighing less than 50 tonnes.

However, it didn't mean that he had no grievances at all. In fact, he was already unhappy even before he came near the perimeter since his request to enter Kuala Lumpur from inland was rejected. If this had been the only issue, he wouldn't have been too upset, but what made him grit his teeth was the fact that, due to his kingdom not having any coast, he did not have a navy. He personally owned a few merchant ships, but those were only used in inland rivers and lakes—nothing capable of taking him to sea and then back to Kuala Lumpur. As a result, he had to request the King of Ayutthaya to purchase a ship, which led to him being extorted out of a lot of money by King Narai. But looking at these mighty behemoths right in front of his eyes, all the dissatisfaction he had disappeared.

The might of the Bharatiya Empire was something he had only heard about through travelling merchants and bards, but witnessing it firsthand, he felt that even the Qing Dynasty, which in his opinion was the most powerful empire in the world, could not match the might of the Bharatiya Empire.

Sourigna Vongsa was not the only one who had such thoughts—almost every Southeast Asian king who saw the Bharatiya Navy reacted in a similar way. They might have been furious and fuming when their navy was asked to stay behind, but after seeing the 2,000-tonne battleship, they realized that what they had witnessed was only the tip of the iceberg—they all immediately calmed down and stopped complaining. Especially since they almost immediately realized that the navy they had brought along was as effective as paper blocking a bullet. The only exceptions were the close allies who were already familiar with the might of the Bharatiya Empire, like the United States of the Philippines or the Kingdom of Mindanao. Besides them, the only other country was the Toungoo Dynasty, mostly because it was a country that shared both a naval and land border with the Bharatiya Empire.

Sourigna Vongsa got down from his ship and was still mesmerized as he looked back at the giant warships.

"Sir!"

Suddenly, he was startled when a loud shout was heard in his ear. He turned back reflexively with a little panic—it was a miracle he didn't get a heart attack. Seeing that it was not an enemy holding a dagger, waiting to stab him in the heart like it had happened many times in his younger days when he used to go hunting and travel around his kingdom, but only a man from the Bharatiya Empire, he clutched his chest and let out a deep breath of relief.

Old King Sourigna Vongsa, calming down and looking at the young man, squinted his eyes as he looked at the Brown man with a little interest. His guards and the few important courtiers he brought along with him immediately felt annoyed.

"You insolent Im—" His general, wielding an iron sword, suddenly came forward, about to pull it out of its scabbard. However, he suddenly froze when King Sourigna himself gestured for him to keep quiet.

Sourigna might have never been in contact with the customs of the soldiers from the Bharatiya Empire, but he was wise enough to note that not every country followed the same rules as he did. And looking at the warships, where even a single one could flatten out a few cities, he did not want to create unnecessary problems over a simple misunderstanding.

The Bharatiya officer didn't mind the unkind gazes that the people from the Lan Xang Kingdom were giving him. He had already experienced the same thing a few times, it felt a little annoying at first, but later, he got used to it and began to look at the Southeast Asian kings with a sense of pity.

"Welcome to the city of Kuala Lumpur, Your Highness. My name is Abhimanyu Srinivas Yadav, and I am a battle group captain serving in the Bharatiya Navy."

"It is my honour to escort you all to your designated locations."

Sourigna Vongsa nodded in understanding and followed the captain on the red carpet, which he had previously ignored. Suddenly, a melodious music, warm and welcoming, was played by the musicians standing at the side.

Sourigna Vongsa smiled bitterly, realizing that in focusing on the warships, he had ignored so many details.

"So tell me, Mr. Ya—Yadav, do you command all the warships docked around us?" He looked intrigued.

Abhimanyu nodded. "Yes, you could say that." His answer was straightforward.

The people who followed behind Sourigna Vongsa were surprised and looked at the young man with their eyes widened.

The general opened his mouth wide open—the man he was about to chop off with one swing was actually a person who could butcher his whole kingdom by himself. Cold sweat broke out on his back.

'Thank God we do not have any coastal regions,' they thought to themselves in their hearts.

"Mr Abhimanyu, stationing so many warships in Kuala Lumpur—wouldn't it be a problem for the Bharatiya Empire?" Sourigna asked because, in his opinion, the navy he saw here was at least composed of half of the Bharatiya Empire's navy. "I heard that the Bharatiya Empire has a very large coastline. Isn't it too risky?"

Abhimanyu looked at Sourigna with some confusion. "Your Highness, the warships you see here do not even count as 10% of the fleet, so it is all right."

Sourigna's eyes widened, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat. He thought that the Bharatiya Empire was already ridiculously strong with the naval might they possessed, but now he understood that the Bharatiya Empire and their Kingdoms were not even in the same dimension. Sourigna Vongsa, an old man in his 70s, had nothing that could stimulate or surprise him anymore, but ever since he received the invitation letter from the Bharatiya Empire, he had been continuously surprised. Now, looking at the strength of the Bharatiya Empire, his eyes were already burning brightly. 'Good thing I followed the suggestion of Vongsa Jr. Making a relationship with the Bharatiya Empire might really be useful.'

The rest of the journey was silent except for the murmurs from his guards and his confidants.

Abhimanyu soon brought them to a mansion.

"Your Highness, as a show of kindness from our Empire, this mansion shall from now on belong to the Khon Kaen Dynasty. Everything that is required for you to live can be found inside, and if there is anything missing, please do order for it anytime," Abhimanyu motioned them in. "There are still a few guests who are on their way, so please make yourself comfortable. I will personally welcome and greet you once all the guests arrive."

Sourigna Vongsa looked at the large bungalow and nodded in satisfaction. Although it was not as good as his own palace, it was not much worse.

Abhimanyu saluted Sourigna Vongsa and was about to leave, but the king, who noticed this detail, suddenly asked, "Captain, what you did just now—was it the etiquette of showing respect in the Bharatiya Empire? But wasn't it the namaskara? Has there been a change?" He asked, confused. However, if it was as he speculated, he wouldn't be too surprised, since he had already experienced a new ruler changing old customs—for example, the Qing Dynasty, which had made all its people shave their heads except for the pigtail.

Abhimanyu shook his head. "No, Your Highness, we still use namaskara to greet our guests, but what I did was called a salute, and it is only used by people in the military and the police force. It is similarly a show of respect and commitment."

"Commitment?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Commitment—it is the commitment and responsibility I owe you as the person in charge of your security and safety. So when I salute you, it means that you can rest assured that I am doing my job to the absolute best," Abhimanyu explained, his eyes filled with determination.

Sourigna Vongsa was left awestruck. He had never seen soldiers like this before. Not to mention his own royal guards—even the soldiers of the Qing Dynasty could not be compared to the soldier in front of him. Looking at the tall young man standing straight like an unbending spear, only one word came to his mind: competence.

The competence that comes from fulfilling huge responsibilities for a long time, and the same competence that gives rise to confidence in one's own ability and pride in one's work.

Looking at the young man who was staring straight into his eyes without a hint of fear, hesitation, or malice, Sourigna Vongsa suddenly felt that this was how a soldier should be.

"Then I wish you all the best in fulfilling your responsibilities. I will leave my safety in your hands," he said, smiling cheerfully.

"Don't worry, sir. Even if I have to die, I will fulfil my responsibility to get you to safety before I meet Yamaraj."

His smile immediately froze because he could feel that the young man was telling the truth.

Sourigna suddenly had the urge to find out what the Bharatiya Empire did to train these men to make them like this.