Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

Cochin, Vijayanagara Empire

Bhairava had gathered his army and began the march to the capital. The biggest battle for the throne would happen right close to the capital. He had taken control of the royal army of Cochin. Although dismissed, many soldiers integrated into the army of the Empire. Some quit the army due to the historical cede of Cochin.

The army was remade from the ground up as soon as the Bhairava took control of the Cochin faction, giving him a lot of leverage and political power. The defeat of Keshav Pillai reached him.

It was an unnatural victory for the imperial faction. Bhairava didn't really care about the death of his pawn, Keshav. He made him march first to give them some trouble initially and lose some strength defending.

The reason is his nonchalant attitude. He had superior ability on the battlefield among all the princes, and he also possessed some of the best-equipped military forces in the Empire. He was experienced in warfare as well; leading battles against the Bahmani at the young age of sixteen helped him gain the experience of blood and war.

Bhairava also had his own trump card for the war, pulled along by oxen cannon carts that were being hauled to the battle. The cannons procured from the deal struck with Alfonso possessed immense destruction capabilities.

Back at the Royal Palace, he instructed Ashokan Nair and Parvathi Nair to take over the Mangalore region and defeat Anand Jadhav. Anand Jadhav was a high-class target like Balaji Mudaliar, and the major reason for it came from the strength of his army. It wasn't easy to defeat Anand in battle; only a few could accomplish it.

Since Bhairava had the first prince to take care of,. He provided Parvathi with some cannons to use on Anand Jadhav.

Bhairava marched with a large army directly to the capital of Hampi. He had an infantry size of almost 30,000 soldiers, and the total army was close to 55,000 considering the number of other support soldiers like archers, cavalry, and war elephants.

The strategist Vikrama and his bodyguard Arjun were present; both were accomplished in warfare.

News of the rout of Vijayarama was yet to reach Bhairava.

"Any news about that half-blood bastard?"

"Your Highness. We have no idea about his whereabouts, but his mother is at the palace," responded Arjun with a solemn expression.

"Well, he has done his part. Now it's time for us to seize the throne." He shrugged it off.

Rama Varma, the uncle of Bhairava, interjected and asked.

"What if he is plotting against us?"

"Eh! There is no way that half-blood bastard would do that. Even if he does, he is powerless. The royal army would have been deployed to the borders. The Portuguese presence has significantly decreased due to the high security."

Vikrama looked around the terrain curiously, his mind racing on different tactics to employ in the battle against the first prince. He knew the first prince as a tactically sound person.

Although it doesn't have the martial prowess of Bhairava,. He had his own advantages of being less emotional in stressful situations, which was proven to be a great ability to maneuver through various issues with clarity.

At his base, Chandra was preparing for the battle. Chandra figured that the battle would most likely take place on the outskirts of the capital, and he didn't have to move much looking for Bhairava.

The news of Keshav's defeat bolstered his support even more and gave him more political power. The scouts and informants that were placed to monitor the situation in Anantapur were yet to reach his base. Chandra was seated in the large room, checking documents and looking for new tactical changes by studying the terrain on the outskirts.

He had the advantage of surveying the terrain and studying all the aspects before Bhairava. Chandra was well aware of his shortcomings; the martial prowess of Bhairava was a massive influence on the army and his aides.

The quick adaptability of Bhairava and his ruthless nature always gave him an edge over everyone.

His time was interrupted by a servant entering the room and slightly bowing to greet him.

"Your Highness, Balaji Mudaliar's son has arrived. Can we send him in right now?"

"Yes, send him in."

A young man entered the room, his hair neatly combed, and his youthful face was marked with a tinge of arrogance as the young patriarch of the influential family. The young man had a large belly, probably from days of drinking.

He awkwardly bowed to Chandra and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Greetings, your Highness,"

"So you are the son of Balaji. May Lord Krishna bless his noble soul."

"Yes, your highness."

"You know why I have called you here?" Chandra asked, sitting with an arched brow.

He wasn't offered a seat to sit by Chandra. Standing before the prince, he did feel a bit inferior due to the authority he held in his appearance and voice.

"No, Your Highness. I wasn't briefed on it."

Chandra was briefed in on some interesting developments by his spies. The Gajapathis were sending in funds and weapons to the Shekhar family, and a tip from the spies came from the merchants carrying in the weapons that the Gajapathis were planning an incursion with Shekhar's at the helm.

They already began marching towards the territory of the Reddies; the arrival of new funds and weapons bolstered their arsenal. Raghav Reddy couldn't handle it all alone.

"Go and help Raghav Reddy with your army." Chandra ordered the son of Balaji.

"Raghav, you say? Your Highness?"

"We have received information of the Shekhar marching onto the Reddies region, and I want you to reinforce them. Raghav will lead the battle; you don't need to do anything."

Chandra sent a messenger along to inform him that the command of the army was under Raghav Reddy for the battle. Chandra knew Balaji's eldest son was an imbecile and useless for the war, so the most he could get out of him was to use his army for their cause.

"Any objections?"

"No, your highness."

He silently scrambled and left the room.

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