CHAPTER 46- Bayonet Bonanza.

September 1538, Capital City, Dharanikota.

Parade grounds.

"FIRING POSITIONS!!"

"FIRE!!"

'BANG!' 'BANG!'

'BANG!' 'BANG!'

'BANG!' 'BANG!'

The delegation which consisted of Rudra, all three of the generals, and various other officials in the army, such as Colonels, lieutenants and captains, had visited to view the weapon demonstration exercise, that was happening at the very moment. 

'BANG!' 'BANG!'

'BANG!' 'BANG!'

The soldiers of Musketmen companies were shooting at their assigned targets, and every ten seconds, hundreds of shots travelled down the range to hit the targets that were already set up beforehand. 

The reloading time of each musket was an average of 40 seconds. With prepackaged ammunition and better ramming rods, an average of 10 seconds could be shaved off, for each, bringing the average to about 20 seconds. But that is not the case for now.

However, the soldiers were now firing at the rate of 10 seconds per shot. This was not because the soldiers were reloading at that rate. They were firing in volleys and not everyone at the same time.

Each of the four companies was arranged into two lines each, and the firing bands made sure that the firing was going on smoothly. As each reload took 40 seconds, only one-fourth of the total soldiers fired at every turn.

'BANG!' 'BANG!'

'BANG!' 'BANG!'

'BANG!' 'BANG!'

Each company of soldiers was set up so that, it was divided into two firing lines. A company had 120 soldiers, according to the new organisation rules set up for the musketmen division. From that, 20 soldiers handled tasks like logistics, firing bands, etc. 50 were set up in line A, and the other 50 in line B.

At zero seconds, line A's of the first and third company fires the shot, down the range. They will then go into reload, immediately. At the 10-second mark, line A's of the second and third companies fire at the enemy. Then they will go into reloading.

Then it was the turn of line- B's. They were just as important as the line A's, so don't be confused with them being called line B. At the twenty-second mark, line B of the first and third company will fire at the enemy, and at the second mark, line B of the second and fourth company will fire at the enemy.

Then it is the turn of line-A's of first and third companies again. Completing the cycle, and returning to the starting point.

It was divided up into 4 separate firing squads, to keep the suppressive fire on the opposing side at all times. If every soldier was reloading at the same time, the enemy would have 40 seconds to run up to the soldiers, leaving them defenceless at that time. 

'BANG!' 'BANG!'

'BANG!' 'BANG!'

'BANG!' 'BANG!'

The targets were about a hundred and fifty yards away from the firing positions. The firing continued for 3 minutes, and from the 500 targets, a fifth of them, about 400, were hit.

"This… this is extraordinary. If we equip every soldier with these muskets, our armies would be unstoppable." General Saradhi, exclaimed. 

"At 150 yards, we are expecting a 10 to 15 per cent chance of fatal injury. It will increase to nearly 50 per cent shot for lethal shot at 50 yards of range. It might not sound like much, but that is for every round of firing. If five hundred soldiers are facing our four companies of soldiers, more than four hundred of them would be dead in three minutes." Rudra explained to the officers. 

It is a problem of compounding. If 15% is taken out of action every 10 seconds, those numbers will add up. Taking a 100 on the opposing side as an example, in the first round, 100 will be reduced to 85. The next 15% will be taken, not from the initial 100, but from the 85 that are left. 85 would be reduced to 72, and then 72 to 61. 

And this was all at the 150 yards of range. When the opponent is firing at you, you either take the losses and get into melee range, or retreat to save your numbers. If they get close, the accuracy increases and they would take devastating losses. If they choose to retreat, the enemy will have to reorganize an attack again, taking the losses again. 

'What about Cavalry? I get that, this continuous firing method makes it an advantage against infantry, but the cavalry can run them down. I should know, I lead the cavalry myself." Asked Colonel Nanda Nayaka, the head of Cavalry troops stationed in the Capital city, and a friend of Rudra Deva. 

"That is what all the soldiers at other bases are training in pikemen formations for. Musket men will kill the opposing side, while the pikemen will protect them from the opposing cavalry." Explained Rudra, to all the officers listening in. 

"But what about the plan to equip all the soldiers with muskets?" questioned Gen. Veera. He was right to be concerned, as just a few minutes ago, Rudra proclaimed that the plan was to equip all of the soldiers with muskets. 

"Show the Generals," Rudra said to flag signallers, and they sent the command to the soldiers. 

After receiving the order, the soldier shuffled around and made their formations a lot more tight. Then they removed a knife from their belts and held them up for everyone to see. 

As the delegation was far away from the soldiers, they could not see the details, that were on the knife. From the place they were in, they could barely make out the object as a knife. 

For a better demonstration, a soldier who was waiting on the side brought a musket, that was of a similar make to ones used by the soldiers. Then, he also took a similar Knife from his belt and showed it to the delegation. 

"This, knife, it is called a Bayonet, and the solution to the question of Gen. Veera," Rudra explained, while the soldier took the bayonet and attached it to the front of the musket, using the slot in the guard of it. 

It was one of the things he remembered while working with the blacksmiths, now gunsmiths, on the musket. He promptly added it to the design, still wondering how he had forgotten about it.

Bayonets were an important evolution in the design of firearms. It meant that additional troops such as the pikemen were not required to protect the musketeers, and they could repel the enemy themselves, on the frontlines.

Before the propagation of bayonets, the main formations utilized by armies were pike and shot. In that, pike men protected the musket men, while they attacked the enemy. In it, a lot of troops were dedicated to the pikes, but they were useless when they were not defending.

Bayonets meant every soldier could be equipped with a musket, and warfare evolved to adapt to the changes. The bayonets and many other small things were partly, responsible for the replacement of the pike and shot formations with line formations. 

"By simply attaching the knife bayonet to the musket, you will turn it into a spear," the soldier who was presenting the musket held it at an angle like a spear, while Rudra was explaining, " and what better weapon to use against a charging cavalry than a spear?" 

"Then, why use pikemen in the first place? It looks like the musketeers could protect themselves against the cavalry. Isn't it better if we kept the regular soldiers to their routine? A sword is a lot better to use against an enemy than a pike?" asked Gen. Veera. 

"That's the thing. I have recently been informed that we need to speed up the production of Muskets so that we can equip all the soldiers first. Now, the bayonets are made with steel and thus need extra care from the blacksmiths, and that means more time." 

Although seemingly a simple concept, the earliest and most simple form of bayonets- plug bayonets, did not appear until the 1600s. They were essentially pointy objects, which you shove down the gun barrel, making shooting impossible when they are in use. 

Rudra skipped many steps, to go directly with the knife bayonet. It was the last phase of the design evolution of the centuries-long history of the thing.

As they say, hindsight is 20/20, so Rudra was not going to make the same mistake and use inferior designs. But the material requirement for knife bayonets is more complex and requires more time, than simply shoving the plugs down the barrel. 

It always came down to time. It would take a lot of time for the soldiers to be fully equipped. Making all the muskets for the soldier would take a lot of time. If only Rudra had more time. 

The steel production was not that hard, as there were a lot of blacksmiths, who used crucible steel to make swords. The kingdom's steel was exported to the Middle East and Europe, with the name Damascus Steel. 

The steel was known for its beautiful patterned texture and earned the merchants a lot of money. The steel produced in the kingdom for regular use is not patterned steel, but the production is still of good quality. 

But producing so many identical Bayonets takes time, which was the original problem. Time.

"So, the pikemen are a stopgap measure?" 

"Yes, Veera, that is the plan at least. Now, let us see the bayonets in use." Rudra said and upon hearing that, the signal men waved the flag again, with the message. 

"FIX BAYONETS!!"

After getting their orders from their officers, the soldiers mounted the bayonets on their muskets and raised them to ready positions. All four companies of soldiers held their muskets up and with the addition of knife bayonets, any opposing force would have to face a spear wall, before touching the soldiers. 

"Tell me, Nanda, will you charge against that wall of pointy things?"

"A well-trained horse can be made to run to its death if its rider is willing, but most horses, are just as any animal. If they see something that can harm them, they will stop," Colonel Nanda explained, "If some horses stop in a charge, it will be a pile-up, as the horses behind them can't see the danger. So if you get enough of them, either pikes or your bayonets, you can stop a cavalry charge." 

Some of the officers from the cavalry, nodded at the answer Nanda, while some other officers pretended like it was not some new revelation to them. But it was only a basic concept, playing the base instinct of an animal. 

A cavalry charge could be devastating if properly used, but necessity is the mother of invention. Against such an attack, counters will be invented. A spear or pike wall is a known defence against cavalry. 

It works not by killing the horses and their riders charging against you but with the threat of killing them. If the Horses see it, they will hesitate and try to turn away. If the charge is still carried out, it means that the soldiers will have a horse kabab after winning the battle. 

"Now, raised bayonets might be enough to stop a cavalry charge, but they also come with an additional use," Rudra excitedly said and, instead of asking for the signalling troops, he shouted the command himself "BANZAI !!!" 

Hearing that command, the soldiers straightened up, held their muskets like a spear, and ran towards the opposing side. While they ran, only one word came out of their mouths.

"BANZAI !!!"