Specialized riverine vessels such as corvettes or Caravel which can also act as escorts and modified shallow/flat hull Dristi class Heliograph platform ship variants can also function as troop transports.

Maybe it would be a good time for DBE to introduce a new dimension to the war, by introducing a riverine naval force. They would essentially be attached to the Bharatiya Marines due to overlapping missionand would.essentially work to support Bharatiya Marines and extend logistic support to Army as it moves along rivers to capture cities . Most cities were historically built along rivers any way. These naval vessels would have to have shallower draft to be able to traverse and could incorporate some form of paddle wheel that could be powered by a Persian wheel like mechanism linked to a Sterling Cycle as advised by alpa previously on Discord worldbuild channel. They could even usebpaddle oars ro supplement sails till Sterling Engine is ready to be produced.

Glad that you not only considered my Heliograph idea, but also chose to include the metal mirrors aks "Aranmula Kannadi " as it is much more practical in case of on field deployments.

Yes..Just joined the group.

That's also the reason why Vijay needs to introduce radical technologies that he is able to produce swiftly in large volumes. That's also why I had been emphasizing development of Withworth Rifling. Since they too were casted barrels , Vijay can significantly improve the accuracy and range of his muskets with minimal change in manufacturing capabilities or tooling. Thus a musket with hexagonal barrel Withworth rifling, can be produced in vast volumes and DBE military can be outfitted with relatively modern firearms very very quickly.

Ah, but human psychology is such that, a country making rapid technology innovations will invariably trigger concerns and jealousy among other countries. Who will first try to fight individually and when they fail tgey will try to band together to take the country down, as it disturbs the strategic balance. So make no mistake, as the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire (DBE), consolidates it's rule in India, other peripheral kingdoms will invariably try to invade the country to limit its growth and capture the technology for themselves.

Also its imperative that Vijay expands Empire. Remember Chanakya once said an empire that does not try to expand influence or territory constantly will stagnate. Thus to avoid stagnation, Vijay can employ a closed fist approach. Ge need not necessarily initiate attack, but he should make it a point to destroy invaders.For near shore invaders duch as Ottomans, Durrani or Safavid Empire's He can literally chase them down and counter invade the invaders homeland. However, for far off countries that strategy of expansion msy not be feasible. Instead, he can then negotiate transfer ownership of certain overseas colonies and territories after routing them in war and force them to sign unconditional surrender and then trading territorial consessions for war repatriation.

True! it would be one battle at a time. But Vijay can impose upon Sarvesh that the thrill of battle he seeks would always be there as enemies would attack them invariably. Apart from this, he can give some exploration duties during peacetime and ask him to explore the neighborhood especially in East Asia and create maritime navigation charts. Maybe he can pioneer trade routes to China, Korea, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Australia and Japan. The inherent risks involved in Sea exploration, would be enough to quell his adrenaline rush out battle. As an added bonus since much of Singapore and South East Asia was infested with pirates there won't be any lack of thrill and he would always have something to do.

Battles will come anyway. After destruction of Mughal Empire, do u expect Ottomans and Safavid Empire's to sit quietly, especially when tgeif hated kafir kingdom has gained so much power? Moreover , a showdown with British is actually very much possible. The British governor of Mauritius , has already eying taking control of region. Apart from this, even Dutch are likely to act up in future. So it's not as if he would be bored. Before engaging in open confrontation both British and Dutch East India Companies are likely to hire privateers (pirates authorized by crown to raid shipping of some specific countries) To keep him interested, it's best to give his command job of hunting down pirates during peace times. That way it may mantain constant state of high readiness.

Vijay should create an Amphibious independent rapid action group, snd hand over its command to Sarvesh after promoting him to atleast a rear admiral. Else the guy's tactical brilliance is wasted with heading just a surface fleet. Have him share his ideas and expertise in academy and have him develop a whole new style of warfare "Amphibious Assault" and write tactical handbook for new Marine division which should be created later on. Although, a battle junkie like him may not truly enjoy it, it is imperative that his expertise is percolated down to every naval cadet.

The foolish Mughal Governor, is more likely to be lynched by his own citizens, before being killed by the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire military. Really? To increase taxes even more on to an already heavily taxed population is a recipe for disaster.

Yes! Nicely Done. Impressed especially with the ease Sarvesh seems to handle the transition from naval battlefield to terrestrial battle and the abnormally high speed of his advance 😳. Strongly feel his tactical brilliance is being wasted on small battles. The guy deserves his own command. Just create an independent rapid action group built around marine component or even best have Vijay sign order fir raising a dedicated Marines force (Marine Force) and hand over the command to Sarvesh. Just ensure that he does not move too fast else he would be outrunning Dakshin Bharatiya Empire to support him logistically.

Sarvesh seems to have an excellent tactical mind and has demonstrated a capacity to think instantly on the fly. Given the inherent complexity of undertaking an amphibious raid afkgainsr a heavily fortified position, his units performance has been nothing short of incredible 👏. The guy deserves to have his own independent command. I would suggest Vijay reward him by giving a well deserved promotion and ask him to catalogue his tactics. His expertise and experience can play a pivotal role in developing n operational hand book for future seamen and marines. Also it would be best to have him train and lead an independent action battle group developed around dedicated marine divisions. His tactical genius is being wasted in leading support operations.

By the account of battle and the previous action against the Ottomans, Sarvesh seems to be a battle junkie of highest order and is likely to fight with a frenzied berserker rage when engaged in combat.

True! But the point Iam trying to make is, while you either have to be a fanatical religious zealot or have personal connections to rise up the ranks, a fanstical Badshsh himself is unlikely to connect with anyone thought to be lacking religious fervor and is thus unlikely to entertain them. On the other hand my idea of eliminating troops of any rank is to do with strategy rather than revenge. You see while Mughal Srmy us indeed large and fan mobilize more manpower juxtaposed to Dakshin Bharatiya Empire (DBE), it's officer cadre is limited to a relatively small group of nobles. Remember the Mughal Badshah unlike Vijay never bothered to either impart education to commoners nor improve their lives. So if DBE, starts eliminating the officer class in mass, then their military's chain of command will be degraded systematically over a period of time. With loss of experienced officers especially above the level of lieutenant the Mughals ability to command and coordinate military formations will be severely degreaded. That means as time passes, it makes it more easy for DBE to win battles and conclude war swiftly by delivering a decapitation strike on the Mughal Empire once and for all.

Didn't he already do that previously..All POW captured during the war were forced to work in pretty dangerous conditions in mines.

Thats why I emphasized Mughal officers of "Rank". The Mughal system was such that only the most religious fanatical zealot could rise through ranks. Generals with even mildly moderate views were often penalized by pushing them into obscurity and handing them dead-end commands. It makes little strategic sense to kill average rank and file soldiers who are little more than pawns in grand game. On the other hand, it is far more prudent to eliminate Mughal military chain of command when given chance to do so. Once u eliminate enough of them, Mughals will reach a point when although they may yet have expendable troops, they won't have qualified commanders to command them resulting in a collapse of defense operations against Dakshin Bharatiya Empire. Since there is a high probability a large section of them are likely to be fanatical zealots it's an easier decesion.

While it's true that with backs against the wall, Mughals are likely to fight more fiercely,. The fanatical Mughal officer class already fights with extreme fervor, so it's not as if it changes much for Dakshin Bharatiya Empire. They anyway have their task cutout and best way to deal with fanatical extremists is to eliminate them once and for all.

The Mughal communication system was notorious for being excessively bereaucratic and thus it would have been unlikely that the information of attack could have Diu so quickly. Infact in all probability it would have been atkeast a couple days till the news of such attack transpiring on Naval Head Quarters reached outside. Otherwise good chapter.

That's right he should exterminate it, by fighting a total war. For starters when his armies start defeating Mughal field armies, every single one of the military officers of some rank should be executed and have their heads sent back to that foolish Mughal Badshah. The way situation should evolve , is to sow seeds of abject terror with respect to its impending doom and as they scatter every one of the commanders should be hunted down with extreme prejudice.