14th May 1662
The move made by Defence Minister Kiran Poojar imdiately shocked many people in the empire. A base stretching seven kilotres, with all the living necessities and security asures needed for an ard force of 5,000 people to be stationed for years at a ti, had never been thought of.
Until now, all the troops who were deployed to the Middle East in order to fight the proxy war of attrition with the Ottoman Empire only stayed there for a few months until they completed their mission and returned while soone else took their place.
One reason is that the war has been waged on a line of control with terrain that is very hilly and mountainous, which could be very harsh on soldiers who are not specifically trained to fight in that environnt. But the other reason is that there is no stable base where everything is self-contained and there is a sense of security.
Even the several strongholds built in the Middle East are only cent buildings constructed for the resting of soldiers, with a few cannons as a defensive asure. But now, with the Vajra Garbha Fortress plan brought forward by Raja Kiran Poojar, there was unanimous praise and approval from various branches of the military, even the regints in the empire praised Kiran profusely for his idea.
Even Jagannath Mohan, who saw the monitary spending on the fortresses, did not complain about their extravagance to His Majesty. Instead, he directly made his opinion clear to a reporter in an interview.
"Each fortress could cost anywhere from 5 million Varaha to 215 million Varaha, depending on the location where the fortress is being built. If it is being built on flat ground with accessible resources, it will cost less, but if it is being built on rugged terrain, on a slope, or on a hill, then it will cost more."
"Minister, don’t you think this sort of spending is a bit too luxurious?"
"Not at all. I think this is the money that should be spent. You have to understand that these military fortresses are like the Delhi-class battleships of the Bharatiya Navy. They not only represent our power, reign, sovereignty, and dominance but also represent our influence and authority. Army—fortresses are the flagship infrastructure of the Bharatiya military on foreign soil. As long as one of these structures is present in a nation, no outsider would dare to take that nation lightly for the sole reason that the Bharatiya Empire’s flag waves in the wind on that soil."
"Because they know even if one of our soldiers get injured, that would be tantamount to declaring war with the Bharatiya Empire, a price no kingdom or empire in the world would dare to pay without proper consideration."
"So yes, I do think the Vajra Garbha Plan brought by His Excellency, Minister of Defence Kiran Poojari, is impeccable and flawless in its intent, and I wholeheartedly applaud him for going the extra step to make the fortresses future-proof with his peerless vision."
There was a hint of flattery in Jagannath Mohan’s tone because him along with the other Cabinet ministers were still a little awkward in front of Kiran, as they were partially responsible for him losing most of his political power in the military. But for the most part, Jagannath Mohan still believed what he said.
"Also, the spending of the military, unlike the governnt where the Ministry of Finance is responsible, is directly handled by the Imperial Committee under His Majesty. Since the Imperial Committee has no problem with this sort of spending, what opinion can I have? Not to ntion, from a common man’s perspective, it is the governnt—vis-à-vis the Ministry of Defence—that put forward the plan."
"Now, how can I, a Cabinet minister serving in the sa Cabinet as the Minister of Defence, speak against him?"
The interviewer was taken aback. ’ He realised the stupidity of his question ’, His face imdiately beca red and embarrassed. Fortunately, he hid it very well. "Thank you for the interview, Sir. I hope you have a wonderful day. I look forward to taking your interview once more."
"Haha, sure, Kartik, anyti."
---
Singha Constructions, Shetty Builders and Infra, Kalyan Constructions, and Bhonsle Fortifications Limited—the four biggest construction companies in the Bharatiya Empire—were mobilised, and engineers, architects, and layout planners all set off for the Kingdom of Persia, where the first star fortress would be constructed.
The city of Basrah suddenly beca lively.
"Thousands of job opportunities very near to you! Don’t miss this chance and snatch it while you can!"
News screars were going from one local to another, informing the people about the new project of the Bharatiya Empire in their close vicinity.
The excitent was palpable as people rushed to the recruitnt points in eagerness to snatch the opportunity. Even people from nearby towns and villages rushed to the city in order to claim the opportunity because for the sort of money the Bharatiya Empire was paying, they could actually buy several plots of land—enough to be comfortable farrs for the rest of their lives. This, for the people of the Persian coast, was a golden opportunity.
A drastic movent of population happened in the region, sothing never seen before. Each village and town made their own carriages for people to be transported. Wives sent off their husbands with hopes of getting the job, while sons and daughters wholeheartedly wished for their fathers to bring back so tasty treats or entertaining toys. The movent was so drastic that it even caused the economy to rise in the region by giving opportunities to rchants whose earnings had been stagnant, allowing their profits to shoot up several levels. The incident even caught Golnar Atash Bhan, the Minister of Trade and a mber of the royal family, off guard.
But there was no official statent from the royal family since the actions of the Bharatiya Empire could only an that although their safety had increased, their dependence on the Bharatiya Empire had also increased. It was a complex situation where they could neither cry nor be happy, so any sort of response would be useless.
In a barbershop in the downtown of the city
"Huh! Is that true? Is there really such a high-paying job?"
"Yes, it is said that the Bharatiya Empire will be constructing a massive building on the outskirts of the city, and they require local labourers to help with the construction."
"What if they don’t pay as much as they promise? Wouldn’t it then be a loss since I will have to quit my current job?"
"Haha, don’t worry about it. The Bharatiya Empire only employs people after signing a labour contract. Everything will be according to the contract."
Darius hrdad, who heard the conversation between the barber and the unusual middle-aged man wearing a brown coat, was imdiately stunned. He beca panicked and hurriedly interrupted them.
"Excuse , sir, is what you are saying really the truth? Will they really pay several hundred rials?"
Arash Ramin looked at the young man who had suddenly interrupted him.
"You are?"
"My na is Darius hrdad, sir. I work in the nearby quarry. I am used to lifting stones, sir. I can bear the hardships. Could you please tell if I am qualified to do this job, sir?"
Arash Ramin looked at the worn-out but clean clothes he was wearing, as well as the strong body that was visible beneath the baggy cloth covering it. He slowly nodded. "Of course, you can join. You just have to go to one of the recruitnt points in the city and give your na."
"The nearest recruitnt point is near the Amiri Sweet Shop. You know the shop, right?"
"Ah, yes, sir, I do know. I buy sweets for my daughter there regularly."
"Good. You can go there, and there will be a crowd gathered. You can simply stand in the line. When the ti cos, you can start the work."
"Thank you, sir! Thank you!" Darius hrdad completely ignored the haircut he had co for in the first place and wildly ran down the street.
Arash Ramin, the local recruiter employed by the Bharatiya Military, once again looked at the barber boy, with whom he had a distant relationship. "You see, people are so eager for this opportunity. How long are you going to work in the shop for a agre salary of 50 riyals? Just go quickly and sign up. I’ll talk with your boss."
The barber was already restless when the strong middle-aged man ran to the recruitnt point, but now that his distant uncle had given him a way out, he did not hesitate. He quickly closed the blade, kept it aside, ruffled his clothes so that the hair on his body would fall off, and quickly ran in the sa direction.
---
On the northern bank of Shatt Al Arab
Thousands of people had lined up for several kilotres along the northern coast of Shatt Al Arab. The people travelling by boat were amazed by the sheer number of people that had gathered, It was as if they were going on a pilgrimage on the banks of the Sacred River Ganga.
"What are they doing, Father?" a little boy travelling on a boat innocently asked.
The father’s eyes were filled with amazent and shock. "They are going to construct the biggest building in the kingdom, son."
"Wow!!!"
Small boats kept crossing the river, continuously adding to the number of labourers on the other side. The boatn were grinning from ear to ear as they made a killing. The labourers were not unhappy either, since the boat fares were borne by the Bharatiya military.
’Crack!!’ A large tree slowly fell down with a loud ’Thud!!!’
"Good! Flatten the land, and let’s go to the next tree!"
Local labourers who knew how to read and write were made the captains of a team of 12 labourers, and they were given tasks to level the land and remove all obstacles throughout the place where the wall would be built.
In their path—shrubs, weeds—nothing survived.
As soon as this demolition team left, another team of labourers quickly flattened the land with a rolling rock boulder.
A few kilotres away, engineers from the Bharatiya Engineering Corps had sat down in a temporarily built tent.
"Sir, how do you propose we build the secret structures that are to be built underground? Should we start the digging right away, or should we wait until the walls are built?"
An elderly grey-haired man, who obviously looked like the leader, did not answer the question directly. Instead, he took over the design drawings he had been given.
"Let’s see, we have to build a magazine and armoury storage station underground with a thick soil layer, which will be able to resist any sort of bombardnt."
"Hmm... we can use multiple layers of hardened bricks or even thick reinforced concrete for this."
The old man looked up. "How many of these depots should we build?"
"Sir, a total of eight such basents will be constructed, each capable of equipping a thousand soldiers and several artillery companies."
The old man nodded his head.
"That’s alright. What about the bombardnt towers?"
"These things are impossible to hide, sir, we might as well use the local labourers to dig out the foundations for these to be built."
"Also, in the design, several bombardnt towers are placed outside the boundary of the wall, so I think these towers are not ant to be hidden in the first place."
"That’s good... Let’s see moving on ."
"For water sources, we can dig out a small lake to make the base self-sustainable. Also, we will have to dig a well that is hidden deeply so as not to be a target for the enemy."
"Water we can get from the nearby Shatt al-Arab River, and for evacuation and ergency escape, we can also use this river. A tunnel could be dug right to the riverbed so that it will not be discovered easily."
’A part of the base should also be allocated for high-yield crops to make it self-sufficient, and we will have to construct establishnts for the poultry.’
’What else... hmm, nothing? Alright then,’ he looked at the faces of the engineers.
The old man paused briefly. "Have I covered everything?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then what do you guys think?"
The engineers looked at each other and finally ca to a unanimous conclusion. "Sir, except for preparing the foundation for the bombardnt towers, no additional preparatory work is needed for the construction of secret facilities."
"We can get started with them after the wall is built. It will be much safer, and its existence will be kept secret with no locals to snoop around."
"Also, for the secret facilities, it will be better if the military logistics departnt sends its own n instead of normal labourers."
"Agreed, let’s do it like that."
P.S. Thank you Abi for your consent suggestions
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