Kingdom of Amber, Fort of Jaipur, few days back on 12th march 1557.
Emperor Hemu faced a crucial challenge when he received the news of attack on the western regions of his empire. He did not want to be at odds with the Rajputs but this ti they went too far. He knew the situation demanded his personal intervention.
However, leaving his seat in Delhi for an extended period posed significant risks, so he implented martial law and entrusted the administration to his father, the Pri Minister, while he rallied his own forces.
He concealed his involvent to such an extent that he did not even inform Prince Aditya stationed at Rewari about his departure, instructing him only to remain on guard and assured him that the imperial army would soon reach Amber for support. He also kept the fort at Ar unaware of the incoming reinforcents to prevent any potential leaks to enemy spies.
Navigating the terrain proved more ti delaying, forcing him to take a detour through the northern forest. As he erged, he found himself facing the full might of the Rajput army besieging the fort.
In comparison to the Rajput forces, his own numbers were lacking. He had brought only 45,000 troops, which paled in comparison to the 60,000-strong Rajput force standing by. But he had a trump card, and to use it, he needed to eliminate the Rajput cannons first. He had positioned his own cannons on a hilltop with so protection and began bombarding the Rajput cannons stationed at the rear while he maneuvered his forces for final contest.
From the hilltop, the 100 cannons roared with thunderous intensity, catching the Rajputs off guard. Fortunately for the attackers, the Rajputs were unprepared. Heavy cannonballs slamd into their artillery, splintering wood and shattering tal.
One by one, the Rajput cannons were targeted as their gunners scrambled in panic. Chaos erupted within their ranks as the unexpected barrage wreaked havoc. The shockwaves from the impacts sent shivers down their spines, and their once-proud artillery was reduced to tangled wreckage in few minutes.
Once the cannons were taken care of they were swiftly packed for transportation.
King Maldev Rao, fuming with anger, sat atop his horse as he watched his precious cannons being laid to waste. Despite the destruction, he recognized the small scale of the enemy’s artillery and knew he still had the upper hand. However, his confidence wavered when he spotted the flag of Samrajya. It ant the reinforcents had arrived. With urgency mounting, he knew he had to act decisively.
The terrain was uneven, with rolling slopes making it challenging to gauge the size of the enemy reinforcents. Maldev Rao still had 10,000 cavalry in reserve and 55,000 infantry under his command. His imdiate priority was to deal with the cannons before their numbers grew.
Turning to his trusted commander, he bellowed to Subedar Vaibabh.
"Destroy those cannons!"
"Take 5,000 cavalry and put an end to this!"
Subedar Vaibabh accepted his command and rallied his cavalry to the distant target, which was 1 km afar. But as his cavalry approached the small hill, the ground beneath them began to tremble.
At first, the tremors were subtle, but soon they grew more pronounced. A sense of unease spread among the cavalry as the air filled with the deafening roars of war elephants.
Erging from the crest of the hill, 300 massive elephants thundered down towards the cavalry. Their sheer size and imposing presence were overwhelming. Despite the initial panic, he was a proud Rajput within. He knew that turning back without butting heads was not within his realm.
With lances out, he and his n charged ahead, shouting , "For Rajputana!"
However, this charge proved to be a suicidal. The cavalry attempted to stab the elephants with their lances, but the lances broke against the thick hides. The front row of elephants, enraged by the attacks, roared in fury, causing fear to spread among the remaining cavalry.
The elephants swung their trunks like mighty whips, sweeping up riders as if they were re playthings. The unluckiest soldiers were crushed like insects under the elephants’ massive feet.
Soldiers on horseback targeted the elephants by throwing spears, but the elephants, resembling moving fortresses, continued their rampage. Commander Vaibabh, losing his lance, drew his sword and tried to strike the legs of the elephants. This proved fatal as the elephant struck his horse, tossing him to the ground.
Subedar Vaibabh broke his arm, but the ordeal was far from over. Another elephant wrapped him in its trunk and slamd him down to the ground. With a nacing roar, the colossal feet ca crashing down. It shattered his chest, splattering guts and armor alike. His eyes, nose, and mouth bled profusely with despair as his last expression.
Enraged by their commander’s death, the cavalry hurled spears at the elephants’ body, but they were t with lethal counterattacks from the archers atop the elephants. The cavalry, now heavily thinned, struggled to maneuver around the beasts.
Attempts to attack from the sides or rear were thwarted by the coordinated defense of the elephant riders and the relentless pressure from the ancient beasts.
The cavalry fought valiantly, but the imnse bulk of the elephants trampled through their ranks with sheer brute strength. The cavalry formation was shattered and they were forced to break free and attack but all futile.
Attempts to throw spears at the elephants’ eyes and cut at their trunks were also largely ineffective due to the elephants’ frenzy movents. Furthermore, the thick armor of the elephants and the riders’ ranged weaponry made it nearly impossible for the cavalry to gain a foothold.
The elephants’ riders, ard with muskets, crossbows, and bows, kept the cavalry at bay with accurate ranged attacks, preventing them from inflicting significant damage. Their fate was sealed to a struggle surviving only for minutes. The battlefield turned into a bloody ss.
Witnessing the peril of his once-glorious cavalry being crushed like rubble, King Karan Singh pleaded to King Maldev, the acting supre commander.
"It’s better to send so rangers for support. The elephants are slow, and our n are dying."
However, Maldev’s reply shook him to the core.
"They are a lost cause. I cannot send more troops until I am certain of the enemy’s formation."
Soon, the ground trembled from their left at the western direction, and for more than two kiloters straight, they could see the full army of Samrajya marching in neat columns. The vast size of the army pressed heavily on them.
Two flanks of thousands of cavalry, with 500 additional war elephants as vanguard and an unknown number of stretched infantry, created a formidable sight. Number’s were hard to gauge from straight assault but the presence of elephants were certainly a heavy challenge.
To make matters worse, leading them was none other than the Samrat, renowned for his infamous elephant, Hawai, which was said to have crushed 10,000 skulls previously.
A feeling of despair crossed Maldev’s mind. Did he have to face such a large army?
As the cavalry struggled, King Harshraj from Jaisalr rode to King Maldev. He urged, "We need to stop. If we clash now, there won’t be any army left to defend even our regi."
Karan Singh, standing beside him, retorted, "Sha on you, Rawal Harshraj. You call yourself Rajput. We got such a large force"
However, the King of Jaisalr refuted, "I was not made aware that the Emperor would join this battle."
Pointing at the approaching enemy, he exclaid, "We have to face those beasts without any CANNONS?? There are more reinforcents from Rewari to co anyti soon, and I would be a fool to continue this battle without any assurance."
Karan Singh tried to argue, but Maldev’s gesture silenced him.
Nodding to Harshraj’s suggestion, Maldev ordered, "We need to retreat for now. We didn’t pay enough attention to their elephants." Clenching his fist he added, "In the age of cannons without there presence, these beasts are a nace."
Turning to Karan Singh, he commanded, "Send word to the Mughals. It’s ti they honour their part of the deal. It’s not over yet."
anwhile on Ar fort’s side
The defenders of Amber Fort rejoiced as they saw the reinforcent arrived. To them the thunder of cannons along with the roar of mighty elephants were like triumphant of the gods arrival. The sight of fresh reinforcents of such massive size made many broke to tears of joy.
An archer standing on the wall pointed out the arrival of the reinforcents, exclaiming, "Look, the reinforcents are here!" His colleague rejoiced, shouting, "The Samrajya has arrived! We will be saved!"
"Long live our Samrat!"
"Long live Bhargav Samrajya"
On the ramparts the soldiers cheered loudly chanting in praise of their benevolent. A surge of loyalty and gratefulness flushed through them as they realised the benefit of being the part of empire.
Queen Kalyani who was shooting in defense, turned to General Puran Das and inquired, "Isn’t that our Emperor’s flag?"
General Puran Das replied with a gentle smile, "Yes, Your Majesty, it seems the Samrat has co himself."
General Nagpal Singh, nearly overwheld by the thunderous roar of cannons, breathed a sigh of relief when he realized the sound ca from the allies’ artillery. He rejoiced, "Thank to lord shiva, it’s our allies!"
General Mahesh Bhupati, who was engaged in leading the cavalry himself, laughed aloud at the glimpse of the reinforcents. He charged his horse, shouting at the retreating soldiers, "Where are you running? Your death awaits here!"
Below, the cavalry, engaged in fierce combat with the invading forces, felt a wave of relief as they looked up at the fort. Seeing the reinforcents, especially the impressive elephants, gave them new strength. They fought harder with renewed spirit.
anwhile, the invading Rajput soldiers, already exhausted and battered, saw the elephants and cried out in panic. "Look at those beasts!" one soldier shouted. Another added, "We’re dood if we have to fight them!"
Subedar Mrinal , witnessing the overwhelming arrival of reinforcents and the advancing elephants, ordered in desperation, "We need to retreat! It’s full retreat! Fall back!"
The invading forces who were struggling few monts before had their confidence shattered and as soon as they witnessed their main force retreating they too began to break free and run from the battlefield.
On the other hand, Emperor Hemu was surprised by the sudden turn of events. It seed the enemy was too intimidated by his trained beasts. He halted the assault, allowing them to escape. Patting his favorite beast’s head, he assured, "It’s alright. Next ti..."
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//A/n: Forces involved
Reinforcent: Bhargav Empire
Leader: Emperor Hemu
Total Forces: 45k (15 k cavalry, 30k infantry), 900 elephants, 100 cannons
Invading sides: Rajput coalitions forces
leader: Maldev Rao from Marwar (supre head)
Karan Singh from Bikaner, Harshraj Singh from Jaisalr, Prithviraj Singh from Ajr
Total forces: 60K rear and 9k near fort
Total cannons: 0
Defending sides: Amber forces
leader : Queen Kalyani Devi and General Puran das of Amber (leading head)
General Nagpal Singh from Gwalior(allies) , General Mahesh Bhupati (allies)
Total forces: 28k
Total cannons: 6 and 20 catapults
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