Chapter 17

Alivardi Khan, the Nawab of Bengal was in a meeting with his closest officers and generals at his palace in Murshidabad. He had just returned from a visit to Patna where Zain-ud-din, his nephew and son-in-law was ruling the Bihar region in his stead.

The meeting was about informing the Nawab about the changes in the region during his brief absence. Although Alivardi was getting old nearing his 70s, he was still actively holding on to power and governing the region on his own.

Very rare for the times, Alivardi had only one wife all his life with whom he had three daughters. This created a situation where the Nawab of Bengal had no male heirs to appoint as a successor. This changed when the daughter he married off to his nephew Zain-ud-din had a child.

This child, Siraj-ud-daula or Siraj, was born at the time of Alivardi's victory, which made him believe that this child was lucky. With that, he showered all his affection on this one grandson who he had decided would be his successor.

But in 1743, Siraj was still a 10 or 11-year-old kid. So, Alivardi was holding on to his position even in his old age, waiting for the grandson to grow up and take power.

"Jagat Seth Fateh Chand had come to visit while you were away." Mustafa Khan informed. He had risen to become Alivardi's right-hand man from a normal general leading the Afghan mercenaries in the Nawab's army after the war with the Marathas.

Alivardi asked with anticipation, "What did he have to say? Did he talk about donating more to the army?"

With the wars waged for the last 5-6 years, his treasury was shrinking rapidly, even though he reigned over one of the richest regions in the world. On top of that, because he had usurped the rightful ruler of Bengal, he had to pay a lot of money to his nominal superiors and the Mughal Emperor at the royal court as bribes for appeasement.

A lot of those costs were financed by Jagat Seth Fateh Chand. Although their relationship had started as collaborators, at some point Alivardi had begun to see Fateh Chand as just a petty merchant and a source of funds.

"No, Your Highness. He didn't explicitly state why he had come to visit but from what we know, Fateh Chand is constructing a large orphanage and a school in his name. He has been gathering support from all the large merchants so he might have come to ask for support from you too."

Alivardi frowned at Mustafa's explanation. His treasury was already getting lighter and the man he was expecting to give him some relief was instead asking for money. "Don't the temples and mosques already do a lot of charity? Why does he need to build an orphanage by himself? And that too with the support from others."

One of the courtiers answered hastily to show his presence, "The size of the orphanage is projected to be very large. From the buildings they are constructing, it is expected that at least 500 kids will be housed. They have even hired hundreds of teachers so there are rumors that they are planning to open a school too. Many female teachers are said to have been hired as well."

Mustafa Khan, the Afghani general who had always lived a rough life on the battlefield scoffed, "What female teachers? They are probably women hired to look after infants, cook food, and such."

Alivardi and the other courtiers nodded in agreement. They did not even think that anyone would hire female teachers. Their concern was entirely different. "If they have money to waste on such useless things, why are they not donating the money to the army?"

The question asked by Alivardi in annoyance resonated through all the participants of the meeting. Alivardi was highly reliant on the banker family ever since Jagat Seth Fateh Chand financed his rebellion to usurp the throne of Nawab of Bengal.

This was not a good thing for the courtiers and Alivardi's closest aides. With Alivardi's favor, the Jagat Seths were getting richer than ever and their influence was equal to or higher than the officials standing next to Alivardi.

When Alivardi's annoyance was still at its peak, Mustafa Khan added, "The Jagat Seths have also been talking with the land department about buying a large piece of land to build multiple factories. It is expected to be large enough to be called a 'factory town'."

Immediately, the annoyance on the Nawab's face increased. It was illogical to be angry at a merchant using their money to invest in factories and make a profit. But Alivardi was strapped for cash and was facing pressures from all sides, he couldn't afford to act only out of logic.

The Nawab had spent more than half a decade of his 67 years of life with great ambitions, trying to gain more power in politics and war. So he was fully aware of the intentions of the Europeans like the French and the British who wanted to take over by setting up a puppet ruler.

On the other side, the growing Maratha Empire wants to swallow up Bengal, the golden goose that lays golden eggs, in its entirety. Not only that, the Delhi court of the Mughal empire also didn't like their largest cash cow, the Bengal region, becoming more independent from them.

With the checks from the Mughal empire, the invasions from the Maratha empire, and the sneaky tactics of the Europeans, Nawab Alivardi Khan had to balance all three of them without losing power. But his army was exhausted and dwindling.

"Ask Jagat Seth to come meet me soon. We have a lot to talk about." Alivardi ordered his men.

Although he was angered, Alivardi hadn't lost all reason to attack Jagat Seth or even act disrespectfully towards him. He hadn't forgotten that he was able to become the Nawab because the last Nawab had disrespected and angered Fateh Chand.

And Fateh Chand hadn't betrayed him yet. The Jagat Seths were also in control of all the coin minting and tax revenue of the entire Bengal region. So they were very important for his stable rule. They were in a symbiotic relationship for now.

....

Fateh Chand met the Nawab in a marble gazebo overlooking the Hooghly River. It was in one of the many gardens made by the previous Nawab to enjoy wine with his many wives and mistresses. The well-maintained garden and the serene river on either side of the gazebo were a beautiful contrast to be admired.

"Greetings, Your Highness. I see that you are in fine health." Fateh Chand greeted Nawab as he entered the gazebo, escorted by a servant. Fateh Chand was respectful but not overly respectful like the Nawab's people who had to curry favor with him.

"You are here, Jagat Seth. What health can we even have at our age? We are just old ghosts hanging on to this world for the sake of our descendants." Alivardi Khan didn't talk down to Fateh Chand either. His tone was high but he spoke casually.

"You are still healthier than me as an active warrior. For me, I just want to quickly leave behind some wisdom to my children and a legacy to remind future generations that someone named Fateh Chand once existed. I don't know when my shaky flame will be put out by the winds."

Fateh Chand subtly answered the questions Alivardi wanted to ask by calling him there. Both of them knew the purpose of the meeting so Fateh Chand made his intentions clear from the very beginning.

As a businessman who had risen to the highest level, Fateh Chand had long gained the skill of reading the opponent's emotions from their expressions, tone, and body language. Sensing Alivardi's annoyance and sense of distance, he decided to clear the air between them first.

Alivardi sensed the intention as well, "You seem quite healthy to me. Why the hurry? You can spend a long time looking after your grandkids and great-grandkids while teaching them your wisdom. You are even a few years younger than me. Bengal needs you to live longer."

The Nawab who was himself feeling the limits of his age could understand Fateh Chand's thoughts. As a Nawab, Alivardi's legacy and his descendant's future were tied to the position of Nawab. But Fateh Chand had to do whatever he could to secure a better future for his family and a legacy for himself. 

Understanding didn't mean Alivardi was agreeable to Fateh Chand's choices though. So he tried to push for Fateh Chand to focus his spending more on supplying the Nawab's army.

"I can feel my time slipping away. That's why I am in a hurry to accomplish all that I can within whatever time I have left. I'm not just thinking of my family but also of the future of Bengal. Bengal should develop and earn as much as it can from the European wolves."

Fateh Chand threw a bone to the persistent Alivardi. You approve my factories and I'll pay you from the money I earn from the Europeans. Although he didn't explicitly speak the words, it was implied.

"Indeed, Jagat Seth has always been at the forefront of the economic development of Bengal. I can rest assured that you are actively working to make Bengal better and richer." Alivardi smiled for the first time since he met Fateh Chand.

The message from the Nawab was clear, I am happy as long as you help fill up my treasury, do whatever you want. Just make sure that I get paid a lot.

Fateh Chand answered with a smile too, "It is my duty to do so. I am just a businessman who is sharing some of the Nawab's burden. You have a tougher job of ruling and protecting the vast lands and its people."

The reply from Fateh Chand was similar, I'll continue the payment so you should focus on stopping the invasions and protecting the region.

Both of them didn't like each other a lot. They each held too much power against the other in each other's minds. Jagat Seth was the economic lifeline for the Nawab and the Nawab had an army that stopped others from invading and taking over Jagat Seth's business.

This balance could be maintained only until something happens that changes the balance of power. In this regard, Alivardi felt more secure because he knew that if push came to shove, he could always attack the Jagat Seths and find someone to take over their work.

It was an incredibly ineffective solution since he had to fight Jagat Seth's army to take over whatever they had in Bengal. But their business and family were spread across the lands where the Nawab's army couldn't reach.

The same calculation was going on in Fateh Chand's mind too. That was why he had been pushing for Vir's plans for the orphanage, factory town, and restructuring the family business. The last two ideas would provide the family with a level of protection against not just the Nawab but also the rulers from other regions.

A tight-knit organization led by a single family that is spread across all the empires and deals with the money of the people is not an easy entity to touch. If a standing army of well-trained soldiers were added to the mix, their family might reach greater heights.

The two old men drank happily with each other with smiles on their faces and words of friendship and harmony coming out of their mouths. Both of them were plotting to break the balance and stand atop the other as the victor.

"I heard you took in a young great-grandson to be taught personally by your chosen successors themselves. You are very lucky. You are even preparing for a successor for your successors." Alivardi brought up Vir. He had heard that the young kid was currently the apple of the eyes of the whole Jagat Seth family.

"Ah, Vir. He is my brother's grandson. He is very cute and smart. Everyone in the family is charmed by his antics these days." Fateh Chand spoke vaguely but the pride in his voice wasn't hidden.

"It would be good if he could become friends with my grandson Siraj." Alivardi talked about his true intention for bringing up Vir.

Although he worded it as a friend, he wanted the significantly older Siraj and young Vir to meet early so that a hierarchical relationship between the two future successors could form at a young age.

The idea was simple, Vir would naturally become Siraj's follower since he was much older than Vir. This relationship would carry over to their adulthood and the Jagat Seths would be subordinated or even completely submit to Siraj.

Although he was laughing out loud in his head, Fateh Chand made a complicated expression as if reluctant to let the kids meet. He was sure that Vir could handle Alivardi himself if necessary, so a kid like Siraj wasn't even an issue.

"Since he has just recently been brought to Bengal Vir hasn't completely settled here. When he is a little more comfortable being around new people, I will bring him when I visit next time. He must also learn etiquette while meeting people in high positions."

Alivardi lightly nodded in agreement. He wasn't in any hurry to meet Vir. It was just something he had mentioned casually because it came to mind then.