Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

173  Mohammad's Reaction And Split of The Secret Service

Two weeks ago in the Mughal Empire, Agra.

Mohammed was awaiting news of Vijay's death from Naveen. He waited with a bated breath in anticipation. A week passed just like that, and although he did not receive any news from Naveen, rumours were spreading around the Bharatiya Empire about the death of Vijay Devaraya. Mohammed used some of his connections to learn about this news; he was elated at first and even threw a banquet.

But still not hearing any news from Naveen after all this time made him hesitant to act. He called over Moin Ali, "What do you think, Moin? Do you think we can launch an attack now?" Moin Ali thought for a while and, after referencing all the knowledge about the Bharatiya Empire in his mind, he replied to His Majesty, Muhammad, "Your Majesty, I do not recommend it. The events that have been happening are a little suspicious. The sudden disappearance of Naveen and the assassins sent to the Bharatiya Empire are the main points of unease. Another point is that it is very suspicious that, despite all the noise that has been happening in the Bharatiya Empire, the real power holders like the military generals and the ministers have not taken any action against the people's behaviour of inciting riots. On the other hand, they seem to be fanning the flames and making the people more belligerent."

"So, Your Majesty, all of this looks like a ploy played by Vijay Devaraya. According to me, the uneasy atmosphere in the Bharatiya Empire will be settled quickly."

"What you said makes sense. Unfortunately, if what you said came true, a good pawn like Naveen would be wasted. Fortunately, his knowledge of the organisational structure of the Secret Service became very useful for us. Then tell me, what do you think about launching a surprise attack when the Bhartiya Empire is least prepared during the chaos?" Muhammad asked with anticipation. Moin Ali's eyes flickered with the comment made about Naveen, but soon he recovered as he answered, "I do not think it is feasible, Your Majesty. In the last war, we lost thousands of soldiers, and more were captured. I do not have the details about the exact number of troops we have available now, but it should not be enough to launch a war against the Dakshina Bharatiya Empire."

Muhammad pondered, as it was his concern too. He quickly called Iqbal, "Iqbal, how many troops do we have that could be deployed at any time?"

"Your Majesty, we currently have 80,000 troops that are ready for dispatch."

But he soon added, "But please refrain from using them, Your Majesty. If your will is to launch a war on the Bhartiya Empire, I plead with you to reconsider. The army of 80,000, even with the new muskets we are successfully producing, will not be able to take on the Bhartiya Empire. Also, these 80,000 people were crucial in suppressing any rebellions that would take place in the empire. Please, Your Majesty, give me a year and sufficient resources. I will rebuild the army capable of taking on the Bhartiya Empire again."

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Iqbal said in a single breath, fearing that His Majesty, Mohammad, would want to wage war on the southern neighbour again.

Mohammed let out a deep breath as he realized he had no chance of taking advantage of the upcoming chaos. He couldn't help but envy the natural geography of the Dakshina Bharatiya Empire. With only one land border, the Dakshina Bharatiya Empire was surrounded by water on three sides, enabling them to station their maximum soldiers on the Border without worrying about land invasions. Meanwhile, he found himself caught in a more complex situation, having to contend with the Assamese Ahom Kingdom to the east, the Dakshina Bharatiya Empire to the south, and the Safavid Dynasty to the west.

"Sigh." He sighed, feeling disappointed.

In the following week, Moin Ali's predictions came true as news confirmed the well-being of Vijay Devaraya and his wife, Queen Kavya Devaraya. Throughout the week, all separatist forces who opposed Vijay's rule were also wiped out cleanly.

What annoyed Mohammad was that most of his pawns within the Bharatiya Empire were also beheaded, and almost 30% of the Muslim population was arrested. Although he felt a little anger, he wasn't irrational enough to wage a war, especially considering that the converted Muslims were not even pure-blooded like him.

Unexpectedly, with the Bharatiya Empire arresting a quarter of their Muslim population, the Hindus in his Empire became emboldened. A freedom movement started in the countryside areas where the Empire's control was less. Mohammad was annoyed by this news, wondering why these people didn't accept his reign as a superior being and devote themselves to Allah.

In order to quell the internal struggles, he quickly mobilized the army to temporarily suppress the freedom movement within the empire and planned to wage war against the annoying Ahom Kingdom.

Back to the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire.

Vijay convened a government meeting attended by all the ministers. Roshan, the spymaster, and Selvan, along with Aditya, who were both involved in intelligence, were present at the meeting, marking an unusual occurrence.

"Good morning, my ministers. I have deliberately proceeded cautiously with reforms in recent years to minimize bloodshed. However, it appears that delaying further only strengthens opposition within the empire. Henceforth, this entire year will be dedicated to relentless reforms. I expect your unwavering commitment, working day and night. By the year's end, I demand the complete implementation of all my reforms."

Vinod, along with all the other ministers, looked at each other in seriousness. More reforms? They thought, as even the current mode of governing by the emperor was unheard of. What more does His Majesty the emperor, want to do?

Observing the silence, Vijay raised his voice and reiterated, "Have I made myself clear?"

" Yes, Your Majesty," everyone answered in unison. At this moment, there was no one in the Empire who could oppose Vijay Devaraya. Those who opposed were either buried six feet in the ground or rotting in jail or quarries.

"Good. Now, the first task is not a reform but a rectification."

"I am extremely disappointed by the recent performance of the secret service. Two rebellious factions have emerged consecutively from within, and the assassins who nearly succeeded in killing both me and my wife were also led by a former secret service agent."

Roshan bowed his head down in shame, prepared to accept any punishment, feeling embarrassed that all this had happened under his watch. Surprisingly, His Majesty's next words indicated that he was not angry with him.

"But it was to be expected, as the tasks of the secret service are very broad and cover all fields. There is only so much a person could handle. So, I decided not to hold Roshan personally accountable for the errors because the problem is within the management structure of the secret service. When it was established, the organization was small and worked very well with centralized command. But now that the Secret Service covers the entire Empire and also has to monitor the Mughals' movements along with keeping an eye on the Europeans, the current structure of the Secret Service can no longer be used. Also, Roshan's devotion to The Empire was made clear in the past week, as he was the one who was able to catch the most ex-agents from the secret service."

Roshan was relieved that he wouldn't be fully sacked, but His Majesty dropped a bomb in the meeting, saying, "Not holding Roshan personally accountable does not mean that the secret service will remain the same. No, we have learned from our mistakes and paid the price, so we must change. Therefore..."

"As of immediately, the secret service will be dissolved."

Roshan was shocked. Before he could plead with his majesty, Kiran Pujari, the martial of the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire military, was the first to object.

"I kindly request you to reconsider the decision, Your Majesty. Although mistakes have been made by the secret service, their contribution to the Empire is also immense. We have come to the conclusion after our experience within the military that fighting a war without intelligence is no different from fighting a war blindfolded."

Hearing kiran's argument , Many ministers also seemed to agree with him as they nodded their heads.

"When did I say that I did not want the intelligence services provided by the secret service? In place of the dissolved secret service, three new agencies will be established."

Hearing his Majesty, everyone, including Roshan, calmed down with a breath of relief.

"The three new agencies are Bharatiya External Prajñā, which is responsible for collecting foreign intelligence information; Bharatiya Internal Prajñā, solely responsible for collecting information within the empire; and Bharatiya Sainik Prajñā, directly responsible for military intelligence during wartime and spying on enemy military intelligence."

"The Bhartiya External Prajñā will be headed by Roshan as its director."

"Roshan is very adept at infiltrating various enemy institutions, as we have seen happen in the past. He was able to source information directly from Mughal military institutions. Therefore, Roshan is well-suited for the work of external intelligence. The Bhartiya External Prajñā will be directly under the control of the government."

"As for Bhartiya Internal Prajñā, its director will be Selvan."

"His intelligence-gathering techniques are very grounded. He leverages the common people and a plethora of contacts for his intelligence work. He is adept at extracting usable and important information from the mountain of intelligence collected through this mass intelligence acquisition model. The Bhartiya Internal Prajñā will be directly under the control of the royal family."

"As for the last, Bhartiya Sainik Prajñā will be headed by Aditya. He has proven time and time again that he is very adept at providing critical intelligence during war. We have seen this happen during the one-year war, the quelling of the rebellion in the new territories, and even recently last week when he helped Logananda identify internal traitors among the army."

"Bhartiya Sainik Prajñā will be under the Ministry of External Affairs, as an equal department to the Bhartiya Army and Bhartiya Navy."

"All three of these departments have separate tasks, but keep in mind, all three are responsible for keeping each other in check, or else you will be replaced."

Hearing this news, everyone was taken aback for different reasons. Vinod was impacted because the government would get its own intelligence department. Kiran Pujari was also taken aback for the same reason. Selvan and Aditya were overwhelmed with joy and disbelief as they rose up in rank so quickly to the same position as their chief, Roshan. Roshan was taken aback by the sudden formation of two new competitors and his previous assistant and friend of the same cause suddenly becoming his equals. He was also a little unwilling to let go of all the power he had wielded before, but his life experience told him that it would be dangerous to hold on, so he comforted himself, feeling that it was for his own good, and the pressure on him would not be so high.

P.S. Prajñā

(प्रज्ञ) Means "wise", "learned man", "intellectual", "clever", or "intelligence dependent on individuality". It can also mean "intelligence", "judgment", "mental attitude", "insight", or "mental disposition".

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