Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

30th November 1658

It has only been a month since Vijay was pleased with the changes brought about by the integration, but now, a month later, he is having to reconsider the aftereffects.

Vijay closed a report with a dignified expression on his face. "Is the data mentioned here true?" he asked.

Ganesh nodded with a serious expression on his face. "It is, Your Majesty. This data has been collected from multiple sources, including the intelligence departments, citizen database management department, land audit and management bureau, and various state governments. I even had the research and analysis wing of the Emperor’s office cross-check the data, and the result I got is totally consistent with the report I submitted."

Vijay’s heart suddenly dropped to his gut. Even though he asked for confirmation, he instinctively knew the report was true. Yet, he held out hope for it to be false, as the consequences of the data being accurate were a bit too severe.

Vijay leaned back in his chair, massaging his head and trying to think of an emergency remedy.

"From August to November, a total of three million labourers have migrated to the south in search of jobs." Although Vijay could see that with the influx of this labour force, the productivity of the empire had taken a drastic upturn and was producing capital benefits at a never-seen-before pace, he was worried about what to do if all the idle population, especially unemployed men, continued to migrate south now that there were no borders hindering them.

Just thinking about nearly 20 million additional unemployed migrants migrating to the south in search of jobs made Vijay break into a cold sweat. He could imagine that if such a thing really happened, those unable to find jobs would have to resort to any means to make a living, be it theft or murder. The labourers and blue-collar workers of the southern part of the empire would feel immense pressure to support themselves, as, without special skills, their market competitiveness would collapse compared to a northerner.

Homelessness would increase, public safety concerns would rise, hygiene issues would worsen, the general outlook on life for these citizens of the empire would drastically decline, living standards would sharply reduce, and many other severe consequences could unfold.

All these scenarios appeared in Vijay’s mind like a nightmare, a cruel nightmare that had the possibility to greatly damage his 8 years of hard work. "No, I’m not going to let such a thing happen, not while I’m breathing," Vijay said to himself through gritted teeth.

"Ganesh, contact Marshal Kiran Pujari, director of Bharatiya External Pragya Roshan, the deputy director of Bharatiya External Pragya who is in charge of operations in the Safavid Empire Harpreet Singh Gill and Immediately convey my decree to start the Ancient Persia revitalization plan beforehand."

Hearing the anxious tone from his majesty, Ganesh was taken aback,

"As you command, Your Majesty."

Although he did not know why His Majesty had such a strong reaction, he did not question it, knowing that His Majesty would have deeper considerations when assessing the situation.

---

Chabahar Bay Military and Intelligence Joint Operations Forward Base

"Is His Majesty being a little too hasty?" Ramayya Senapati, the general tasked with handling the military affairs pertaining to the Safavid Empire, muttered.

"I guess some unforeseen changes may have taken place in the South," Roshan commented.

"Then, Your Excellencies, according to the decree, should I initiate the Persia revitalization protocol and inform the Atashban family?" Harpreet Singh Gill asked.

Ramayya and Roshan looked at each other. Soon, both of them nodded in acknowledgement.

The army stationed in Chabahar Bay was immediately mobilized and got into a battle-ready stance.

---

Atashban Family Fortress, Hamedan City, Safavid Empire

The heir of the Atashban family and the youngest daughter of the patriarch, Roxana Atashban, who served as the liaison and logistics director between the Bharatiya Empire Command and the Atashban family, was surprised to receive an unusual news from the Bharatiya Empire.

As soon as she read the news, Roxana’s pupils dilated wildly as if she couldn’t understand why things had to be so rushed. She knew of the Bharatiya Empire’s Persia revitalization plan but did not expect the plan to be put into action so soon. Even though this plan is ultimately the objective of their family and the reason for their family’s existence, the pace at which the Bharatiya Empire was moving was a bit too difficult for her to handle. She began to panic, so she immediately went to her father for advice.

"Father, the Bharatiya Empire has urgently demanded us to start offensive actions against the Zangana family and the Afshar family. They did mention that they would provide sufficient military support, but I’m still worried we are moving too fast," Roxana’s face was filled with uncertainty and worry.

However, her father, the patriarch of the Atashban family, Ardeshir Atashban, showed only a slight fluctuation in his expression. ’Did something happen in the Bharatiya Empire? Why is the Persian revitalization plan starting so soon? Wasn’t the initial date to start February 1659?’ he was thoughtful. But then he quickly set aside any concerns, realizing it had nothing to do with him and that there was probably nothing he could do about it even if he knew the reason either way.

In the end, he gave a reassuring smile to his daughter. "Roxana, just proceed bravely. Don’t worry too much about things you cannot control. We have come this far with the help of the Bharatiya Empire and are entirely dependent on them for our freedom. From the moment Director Roshan revealed the Bharatiya Empire’s Persian revitalization plan and their objective to completely revitalize a Zoroastrian-dominant Persian Empire, our freedom and goals have already aligned and become dependent on the Bharatiya Empire. Our chance to turn back has long passed. Right now, it is either we follow the orders of the Bharatiya Empire and emerge from the tunnel victorious or be permanently buried in it. So, be determined; convey your orders to your brother, Keveh. Let him take charge of the military operations once again. Also, instruct Fariba to mobilize our intelligence channels within the Zangana and Afshar family territories. This should make things easier for you."

Roxana nodded in understanding. Her mind was much clearer now. "All right, Father, I understand," she said as she left.

---

Over the coming weeks, as Vijay had expected, the rate at which migrants arrived in the South increased once again. The total number of migrants who had come into the southern part of the Bharatiya Empire had already reached five million and continued to rise day by day.

Thankfully, due to Vijay’s quick decision-making, the military-industrial complex of the Bharatiya Empire—which had stagnated due to the absence of war within the empire—absorbed a significant amount of excess labour in society, breaking out with great momentum and force. Throughout the month of December, the military enterprises were still under government control, as the last industries operating in military economy mode, began to employ low-skill labourers by the hundreds of thousands.

Weapons production, especially of last-generation weapons, was ramped up, and within days, the superior logistical capabilities of the Bharatiya Empire, which had not regressed but improved, quickly transported these weapons into the hands of the Atashban family within the Safavid Empire.

This change took many elites in society by surprise, as the military-industrial complex of the Bharatiya Empire reached 70% of the capacity the empire’s military had during peak mobilization in the middle of the War of Annihilation with the Mughal Empire, all within the span of a month.

Millions of rounds of ammunition, hundreds of thousands of guns, tens of thousands of cannons, thousands of heavy cannons, and even hundreds of first-generation rocket launchers were dispatched to the Safavid Empire.

With this decision, Vijay was able to temporarily quell the unrest that was about to arise in society due to the high population of unemployed and illiterate people.

---

19th January 1659

Akhand Bharatiya Empire, Imperial Capital Bengaluru, Simhasana Bhavana

The capital, Bengaluru, is still enveloped in the festive atmosphere of Deepavali. Although the festival ended a month ago, the celebratory spirit has not left this magnificent city.

However, amidst this festive atmosphere, Vijay is pacing around his office, worried. His expression is uncertain, and his heart feels restless. This isn’t because something has suddenly gone wrong with the empire; rather, it is the exact opposite. Since the integration, everything has gone perfectly. Even his decision to prematurely initiate the Persian Revitalization plan yielded unexpected results, as it managed to catch the Zangana and Afshar families off guard. But unfortunately, as the saying goes, ’Extinguishing a spark doesn’t extinguish the fire.’

Due to the drastic measures Vijay had taken, although he did manage to slow down the trouble brought by the high population of unemployed people, he could not completely avoid it. Currently, as of date, the southern part of the Empire has already welcomed 9 million people who have come seeking jobs since the time of integration.

Even though due to the barbaric growth of civilian industrial enterprises and the empire’s military-industrial complex, 5 million jobs were temporarily created, but that was already the limit. Currently, there are 4 million unemployed and illiterate migrants loitering in various cities in the southern part of the empire, affecting public security and social stability in these cities.

This situation is still at manageable levels, but what worries Vijay is that, considering migration is ongoing, and with real estate companies in the south constantly buying land in the north and putting farmers out of business, Vijay knew this problem could worsen in the future. He could already envision another 5 or 6 million migrants coming to the southern part of the empire within the next few months.

Vijay could alleviate this problem by immediately stopping the purchase of land by the Southern Elites, but that would directly go against his plan for large-scale agriculture and once again imprison the Bharatiya labour force in the small-scale agricultural economy, which is highly inefficient and leads to a lot of wasted resources. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

This brought Vijay a great dilemma, "Damn it!" Vijay couldn’t help but curse in irritation, throwing his pen aside.

He had hoped that after integration, he could directly move on to the Industrial Revolution, which could immediately absorb any amount of excess labour. But, unfortunately, it seemed integration had produced too strong a reaction, putting the empire’s economy and internal security in danger.

He had been thinking about a solution for this matter since morning, but no matter how much he thought or how many things he considered, they all ended up being remedial measures, not long-term solutions.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, a red mark on the empire’s map caught his attention.

When he threw his pen, it fell onto the map and spilt ink all over it.

Looking at the pattern left behind after the ink dripped all over the map, Vijay suddenly got an idea.

"That’s right, the best way to use such large amounts of labour is nothing but to start a few mega projects. Why don’t I just start the ’Great Tri Nadhi Canal Project’, (The Great Three Rivers Canal Project), and the Railway Foundation Laying Project now? It takes at least two to five years to complete the projects anyway. By the time these projects are done, the Industrial Revolution would have arrived. Then I don’t have to worry about productivity issues. Even if excessive productivity problems arise, I can just export all the excess materials to Southeast Asia or maybe... " Suddenly, Vijay got an idea. "Maybe even Australia." The more Vijay thought about it, the more correct he felt. His eyes brightened like two flaming torches.

Vijay did not hesitate anymore and directly called Ganesh.

"Ganesh, immediately summon Prime Minister Vinod, Minister of Finance Jagannath Mohan, Minister of Transportation Nirmal, Director of the Reserve Bank of Bharat Dharmendra, the dean of the Bharatiya Institute of Map Sciences Karunanidhi, all the top scientists and civil engineers proficient in large-scale construction projects, and most importantly, summon Sanjeev Bansari, the expert in Fluid Mechanics, and Chaitanya, the expert in water infrastructure construction."

P.S. The timeline Fuked up my brain, Check Comments ill classify