Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2369: Battle of Bihar (Part )
When the battle under Rajmahar was in full swing and the soldiers of both sides were fighting in blood and fire, Gao Shizhong's cavalry troops continued their mission quietly like a stalking cheetah. They planned to go big this time and set their target on the most important logistical fulcrum of the Mughal Eastern Expedition Army - the military supply warehouse outside Patna, the capital of Bihar.

Having followed Gao Youshi for many years, Gao Shizhong knew that the outcome of a war was not only determined by the fighting on the front line, but also by who had more adequate and stable logistical supplies. Logistical supplies certainly included food, but they were not limited to food.

As the rate of firearms equipment increases year by year, consumables such as gunpowder and projectiles are becoming increasingly indispensable combat materials. Once the supply is lost, an army that was originally as ferocious as a tiger will instantly lose all its power and become pigs and sheep that can be slaughtered at will.

Under the cover of night, Gao Shizhong's gaze penetrated the inky night sky and locked onto the dimly lit Mughal army logistics camps several miles ahead.

Gao Shizhong's troops have confirmed the intelligence that the dozens of warehouses in this camp store at least half of the gunpowder, lead bullets, and artillery shells needed by the Mughal army for the Eastern Expedition, as well as a large number of sabers, saddles, horseshoes and other military supplies for the cavalry in the army.

The reason why such an important military supply depot was not placed in Patna but outside the city was because there was too much gunpowder and it was too dangerous to place it in the city - especially considering that His Majesty the Padishah was also in the city.

"Brothers, we have said what needs to be said. Now it's time to let the Mughals see what we can do!" Gao Shizhong's voice was low and powerful, and his sword flashed coldly in the moonlight.

The cavalrymen's eyes were burning with the flame of battle, and they pursed their lips tightly. Yes, what should be said has already been said: they have made many contributions this time, but none of them is big enough to change the trajectory of their lives and gain a turning point in their military careers from now on - whether it is to confer titles on their wives and children, or to change their names, or to grant land and titles, it all depends on this gamble tonight!
In addition to the unique practice of changing names to surnames (granting the surname Gao), Gao Youshi, as a minister, should not be able to confer titles on them, grant them land, or give them wives and children, but this is not the case. Although Gao Youshi himself would not do so due to etiquette, the "Kings" under the control of Jinghua could confer titles at will.

In the Jinghua Nanjiang system, there are quite a few high-ranking officials and important generals who have been granted titles by various puppet kings. However, in the past, given that Gao Youshi was still the Marquis of Nanning in the Ming Dynasty, the highest title among them was only earl, and most of them were viscount and baron. The Ming Dynasty did not have the two levels of titles, viscount and baron, but that did not mean that these kings had to abide by them.

The title itself is important, after all, it is a symbol of status, but for ordinary officers and even soldiers, what is more important is to be granted fields and land.

With more and more immigrants from the South Xinjiang Peninsula and the South Pacific Islands, the development is also getting faster and faster. Many territories that were originally "squandered" by the local natives have shown their development potential and have attracted the envy of countless people. Among them, the most reliable and cheapest way to obtain it is to make contributions to the host and get it.

Even if it was not enough to obtain a title, being awarded dozens or even hundreds of acres of fertile land to be developed for a military achievement was something that ordinary soldiers would not even dare to think about! As for the fact that these fields still needed to be cultivated, that was not a big deal. There was a complete system in the Jinghua system that allowed these meritorious people to choose.

For example, they could choose to get less land and use part of the credit to exchange for tenants. These tenants were divided into several categories. The most "expensive" were immigrants from the Ming Dynasty, who were basically assumed to have good character and farming skills; the second were the original natives who passed the "Naturalized Household Registration System" and were recognized as naturalized; the third were prisoners of war who had a skill or were relatively young; the third were ordinary natives who had not yet been recognized as naturalized but were learning Chinese; and the last were the primitive natives whose level of civilization was almost zero and who had difficulty even communicating in daily life.

In short, the prices vary according to the categories. For example, an immigrant from the Ming Dynasty can be exchanged for a hundred people of the lowest level of primitive natives.

However, Gao Youshi also had strict regulations, no matter which level of tenants, they were to "work hard but not sell their bodies", and their landlords were not allowed to injure or kill them, otherwise they would be convicted according to the degree of violation. As for the "working hard" period, except for the Ming immigrants, it was also uniformly set at 30 years. After 30 years, unless the tenants were willing to renew the contract, they would automatically regain their freedom.

As for the Ming Dynasty immigrants, the "hard work" period was greatly shortened to only ten years. After ten years, they could renew or terminate the contract according to their own wishes.

The reason for such an arrangement seems to be to deliberately make the "cost-effectiveness" of Ming Dynasty immigrants appear to be low. Naturally, it is because Gao Yousi does not want Ming Dynasty immigrants to fall to the bottom of society. He always hopes that they can get out of the initial difficulties, gradually accumulate family business, and at least become what later generations call the "middle class" in the future, and naturally become the backbone of Jinghua's rule over the local area.

Back to the point, the cavalrymen followed Gao Shizhong closely, their horses slowly moved forward, then slowly accelerated, and finally turned into a black lightning, kicking and breaking the tranquility of the night. The sound of horse hooves was cleverly covered up by them at first, until they were about to approach the camp, and the vibration like an earthquake and tsunami sounded, and the Mughal sentinels were horrified to find that a cavalry team like the god of death had appeared in front of them.

"Strong attack!" Gao Shizhong pointed his sword forward, and the cavalrymen were like arrows from a bow, skillfully divided into a dozen teams, and each rushed into the various directions of the Mughal army's logistics storage camp. Torches, rockets, and pottery oil cans fell like raindrops, quickly turning the camp into a sea of ​​fire. The Mughal soldiers and civilians woke up from their dreams. Faced with the sudden attack, they were panicked and unable to organize any effective resistance.

Gao Shizhong and his cavalry galloped through the camp. Their goal was not to kill any specific enemy, but to create chaos, ignite flammable materials, and destroy supplies.

In the firelight, the tents storing armor and weapons were set on fire, and dozens of oil tanks were smashed outside the warehouse storing gunpowder and projectiles. The black kerosene flowed all over the ground, waiting to be ignited by long-range rockets before leaving... Amid cries and screams, the most important material warehouse of the Mughal Eastern Expedition Army suffered heavy damage in this sudden night attack.

Nearly a thousand cavalrymen worked in perfect harmony and completed the sabotage mission in less than an incense stick of time, and finally gathered at the east gate of the camp. Gao Shizhong showed a cold smile and said viciously: "Archers above four stones, listen to my order, load heavy arrows, ignite and shoot in unison, and show Jahangir a gorgeous fireworks display!"

As about 300 heavy archers shot rockets from their bows, the gunpowder warehouse a hundred steps away was ignited by kerosene, and the fire quickly burned the wooden part of the warehouse and approached the boxes of gunpowder inside. At the same time, Gao Shizhong led his cavalry to turn around and run, not cherishing the horses at all - now is not the time to cherish the horses, who knows how powerful the explosion of these gunpowder is, if they are blown up by the aftermath, it will not be a joke.

The continuous loud noises woke up almost everyone in Patna. Many people were confused and wondered what was going on, or asked their loved ones if it was an earthquake. Then they woke up, put on their clothes in panic and ran out. The whole city soon became a mess.

Jahangir also climbed down from the fine silk sheets at this moment. At first, he also thought it was an earthquake and his face turned pale instantly, but as the loud noises reached his ears, he finally realized what was going on. He began to feel angry and blame himself, knowing that he had made a serious mistake - he underestimated the tactical flexibility of the Southern Xinjiang Army and the audacity of Gao Shizhong's elite cavalry.

"Send troops, quickly send troops to pursue, send troops to encircle them!" Jahangir's voice was seven parts anger and three parts panic. He gave urgent orders in an attempt to stabilize the situation.

However, people are most likely to engage in blind mass action when they are not in a clear mind, just as a military camp is most afraid of camp roars. Now the entire city of Patna is in complete chaos.

Among the Mughal military leaders, General Aziz Koka, who was second only to Man Singh in rank, was also not trusted by Jahangir. He had been kept by Padishah for various reasons recently and was also in Patna. He was also awakened by the explosion, but he immediately heard that it was the explosion of the gunpowder depot outside the city, so he immediately guessed that there would be chaos in the city, so he immediately ordered his personal soldiers to leave the palace and try to maintain law and order as much as possible.

However, it was too late. The number of his loyal soldiers was too small. Even if they tried their best, they could only barely keep a street outside the gate of Azizkoka's temporary residence from being attacked by the chaotic people. They were completely powerless to control more places.

Aziz Koka himself changed into military uniform as quickly as possible, wearing a helmet and armor, holding a scimitar, and personally went out of the palace, leading his personal soldiers to squeeze towards the Padishah's palace. Although he did not want to see blood and cause greater chaos, he was eventually forced to kill dozens of people who blocked his way, and only then did he barely reach the outside of the Padishah's palace.

Outside the palace, martial law was in place. The Padishah's personal soldiers stared at Aziz Koka, who was fully armed and leading his troops, with red eyes. The leading general shouted, "Old Marshal, stop! What do you want to do by leading troops to the Padishah's palace?" Aziz Koka, as an imperial general as famous as Man Singh, could not be frightened by such a small scene? He sheathed his saber, threw it to his confidant, strode forward, and said coldly, "I came to see the Padishah and saw the chaos in the city, so I brought my personal soldiers. Now I have put down my saber and come to see the king alone. Do you want to stop me?"

At this point, Azizkoka paused for a moment, stared into the eyes of the general of the Padishah's personal army, and said slowly without any emotion: "Think about it before answering."

The general was obviously suppressed and choked. He subconsciously took a half step back, bowed slightly, and said, "Since you are here alone, you can enter the palace at any time. However, please allow me to pass on the message for you, old Marshal."

Aziz Koka retracted his aggressive gaze and said calmly: "Of course I won't break the rules, but I still want to remind you that the situation is urgent now, and some red tape can be saved if possible, but I hope it will be done quickly."

The general's eyelids twitched, and he suppressed his dissatisfaction, replied "Please wait a moment", and hurried into the palace to report. Soon he came out of the palace again, made a gesture of extending his hand expressionlessly, and said: "The Padishah has allowed you to meet, old marshal, please."

Azizkoka ignored him and walked into the palace with a cold face. The curtains of Jahangir's bedroom swayed in the light, and his figure cast a long shadow on the curtains. In front of him was a map, which was densely marked with every corner of the recent battlefield, but those symbols representing defeat were like thorns, piercing his heart.

“Padishah, Aziz Koka salutes you…” the old marshal’s voice rang out at the door.

Jahangir turned his head and looked at him with a dark face, and replied in a cold tone: "Are you here to laugh at me?"

Azizkoka frowned, walked into the room, shook his head and said, "I'm here to share your worries."

"Oh?" Jahangir sneered, "I never thought you were so loyal to me... Hum, if I remember correctly, you advised my old father to pass the position of Padishah to that boy Khusrao."

"I did advise you to do so." Aziz Koka nodded fearlessly, but added, "But before the old Padishah died, I also promised him that I would transfer my loyalty to the new Padishah - you."

Jahangir was silent for a long time before he asked, "Why did you come to see me?"

Aziz Koka said without hesitation: "I have a message: the war of conquest must be stopped."

Jahangir's suppressed anger suddenly rose up again. He kicked a tin wine jar away and shouted angrily: "Even if all the supplies stored outside the city are destroyed, I can mobilize them again, or even more!"

However, Aziz Koka remained unmoved, and continued in a calm voice: "As you know, we have lost most of our gunpowder, and the loss of other supplies is also extremely serious, but this is not the most fatal. Around nightfall, I received news from Mewar that our suppression forces encountered strong resistance. Not only was the progress slow, but we even suffered two defeats and lost more than 3,000 people." Although his voice was calm, every word was like a hammer, hitting Jahangir's heart.

Jahangir clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palms. His strategy, his plan, and his empire all seemed to be in jeopardy at this moment. He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and began to re-examine the entire battle situation.

The "Mewar" mentioned by Aziz Koka refers to a dynasty that existed in the central and western region of India for about 900 years. Its current area is roughly equivalent to two-thirds of Zhejiang Province.

The relationship between this kingdom and the Mughal Empire has always been tense. Except for a few periods when it could accept the nominal rule of the Mughal Empire, it has been at war with the empire for most of the time. From the official to the civilian, the Mewar people's resistance to the Mughal Empire has never stopped, causing the empire to spend a lot of energy on it... and gold.

The worst thing is that since the country is not too far from the imperial capital Agra, the Mughal Empire cannot just sit there and do nothing. It can only continuously invest its power to try to suppress it, and now it has almost become a bottomless pit.

"Mewar's resistance was stronger than we expected, and in Bengal... the war was not going well, and the morale of the army must have hit rock bottom."

Aziz Kokar paused, and his eyes fell on the map that Jahangir had been looking at. He wandered on the map for a while, and finally stopped at the location of Mewar. He slowly spoke again: "We must make a choice, Padishah. If you continue to insist on investing your strength in the Eastern Expedition, then Mewar will be out of control, and the surrounding areas such as Hadot and Dundar may become restless. By then, even Agra will be on the verge of danger, and the foundation of the empire will be shaken."

Jahangir was just too vain and power-hungry, which did not mean he was a fool. He also understood what Aziz Kokar said. At this moment, he was struggling fiercely. On the one hand, he was eager to reconquer Bengal, which was not only an expansion of power, but also a proof of his personal prestige. On the other hand, the turmoil in Mewar directly affected the stability of the empire, and he really could not sit idly by.

"If we continue to waste time in Bengal, our logistics will become increasingly difficult to sustain. Even if you invest everything you have, we will eventually run out of strength if we cannot quickly eliminate that hateful enemy cavalry. At the same time, the problem in Mewar will become more and more serious." Seeing that Jahangir refused to speak, Aziz Kokar continued.

Jahangir remained silent, with a conflict in his heart. He knew that if he withdrew his troops from Bengal, all his previous efforts would be in vain, the Southern Xinjiang Army would consolidate their rule in Bengal, and he, Jahangir, the title of "World Conqueror" would become a laughing stock in the history of the empire. But if he did not withdraw, the resistance movement in Mewar would intensify, and the internal stability of the empire would be seriously threatened, which was especially intolerable at the moment when he ascended the throne as a new monarch.

"Padisha, hesitation is not a trait of a wise ruler. Please make a decision as soon as possible." Aziz Koka's voice sounded again, and it was obviously much harsher, which interrupted Jahangir's meditation.

Jahangir raised his head, his eyes finally becoming firm and resolute: "Pass my order to Man Singh, the main force is ready to retreat, we... will turn our strategic goal to Mewar first."

This decision was not an easy one to make, but Jahangir also knew that as the Padishah of the empire, he had to prioritize the stability of the empire. The campaign in Bengal could be put on hold for now, as the southern Xinjiang army did not seem ready to expand its conquests, but the unrest in Mewar had to be quelled immediately.

"Ming people, we will meet again." Jahangir said silently in his heart, his eyes flashing with a light of rebellion. Although he chose to retreat this time, the seeds of future revenge have been planted in his heart. I just don't know whether he will still start the next war, or whether the Southern Xinjiang Army will take the initiative to attack...
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