Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology - Chapter 164 Graduates Of The Navel Academy

164  Graduates Of The Navel Academy

Vijay remains oblivious to any plotting against him in the Mughal Empire. He is currently in a good mood, knowing that the government-ordered Hampi-class sloops have been successfully manufactured. However, the orders took longer to fulfil due to delays at the Shivaji shipyard, Chola shipyard, and Ashoka shipyard. These delays were caused by their unfamiliarity with the new ship and the fact that logistics channels were not yet properly established. The entire process took a bit over a month and a half. While this might seem relatively short, it becomes evident that with all orders directed to the Raya shipyard and its dock area further expanded to manufacture multiple ships simultaneously, three ships could be produced in a single day, almost catching up with the rest of the shipyards. If the new shipyards operated at the normal efficiency of one ship a day before the expansion of Raya shipyard, the combined efforts of the four shipyards could have completed the task within a month, which did not happen.

Partially, it is Vijay’s fault, as he had ordered all four shipyards to have their own shipbuilding talent, logistic channels, and different managers. It was practically no different from forming three new shipyards. Fortunately, due to this insistence and a lot of government and royal family support, a small local economy for the maritime industry consisting of a few dedicated workshops making ropes, wooden planks, leather, etc., has formed in the local area where the shipyards are located.

Soon, the delivered ships were received by the government, waiting for further orders from Vijay on how to handle them.

The ships were manufactured. Then comes the main problem: what about the people who will sail them? Fortunately, the mock battles in Lake Chilika have come to a conclusion, so Vijay quickly leaves for Odisha to meet his new officers. After a day of travel, he made it to the end goal. When he arrived at the naval testing ground, there was a commotion as no one had expected his majesty to show up for their graduation ceremony.

Yes, after the mock battles, both recruitment into the Coast Guard and the graduation ceremony of the first naval officers’ class have been held. Vijay was greeted by the principal of the naval academy. This principal is actually an acquaintance of Vijay, as he had worked under Vijay’s orders during the Mumbai battle. It is the captain who led the battleship during the first Mumbai war, Srinivas. Originally, he was due to get promoted to a higher rank, but unfortunately, he was injured later in battle. Still, seeing that he was very loyal to Vijay and the empire, Vijay promoted him to the principal of the naval academy. At the time, the academy was still functioning without a principal and was directly managed by Vinod. Another major reason is that most of the teachers of the naval academy are of Dutch origin. So, Srinivas was a very crucial part of the naval academy, as he was also tasked with keeping tabs on the foreigners for any suspicious behaviour. So far, he has done fabulous work, as he has already caught a few mice trying to spread their religion under his nose. This was the most common type of mice, while there were still some extreme variants, and the punishment for such mice was compulsory maintenance of the ships, the duration depending on the offence level. The punishment was Srinivas’s idea as he felt putting them in forced labour was a waste of important technical talents.

Anyway back to the present

“Welcome, Your Majesty! Welcome to the graduation ceremony,” Srinivas said as he handed over a bouquet to Vijay.

Vijay took the bouquet, smiled, and nodded. After a few more pleasantries, Vijay said, “Let’s go, let’s meet up with Gangadhar.”

“Right this way, Your Highness,” Srinivas said as he led the way. When he got inside, Vijay frowned as he looked at all the new recruits wearing the dress assigned to the army. Noticing this detail, he quickly made a reminder for himself to change this as soon as possible.

Soon, Vijay met up with a dark-skinned man in his early 30s, no taller than 6 feet, with a lean physique. This person was none other than Gangadhar, the only other person in the empire who had been a Battleship captain with extensive experience in naval battles in the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire. Unlike Srinivas, who had help from Vijay, Gangadhar formulated the battle plans himself, during the first encounter with the Mughal frigates, as well as the constant harassment by ships sent by the Mughals during the year-long war, it was all his tactics that dealt with the enemies. Even if Srinivas was in good health, Gangadhar was undoubtedly the only contender for the position of admiral of the Bharatiya nausena (Indian Navy).

Seeing Vijay arriving, Gangadhar quickly greeted him, and after Vijay responded to his greetings, Vijay questioned, “How is our first batch of recruits?”

Listening to the question, Gangadhar answered, “Your Majesty, out of the 10,000 students, only a thousand enrolled for shipbuilding and design. Out of those 1,000 people, only 200 qualified and were recruited by Your Highness’s shipyard. As for the rest, half of them have decided to work as ship maintenance personnel and try again in a few years. Surprisingly, the rest were recruited by the three new shipyards Your Majesty had founded.” Vijay did not reply as Gangadhar continued, “As for the ship maintenance course, there were 1,000 people enrolling, but fortunately, the success percentage of this course was high, as more than 700 people graduated. For the crucial officers and sailor course, 8,000 people enrolled. Out of these 8,000 people, only 6,000 were selected. According to my own criteria for graduation, only 4,950 recruits actually made it through. But, Your Majesty, as per your instructions, due to the urgent need for sailors for the Coast Guard, I had to make concessions and pick another 1,050 barely qualified recruits from the disqualified.”

Vijay nodded, as this was what he expected. The courses in the Naval Academy are hugely compressed into very targeted courses, putting aside any other foundation that would normally be required. For example, properties of water or any mathematical calculations, aside from what is required to operate the cannon, were not taught. The only things taught in the whole span of almost 2 years were the ways to operate a warship, types of knots, how to handle different terrains, how to aim cannons and fire, different naval tactics, and practical hands-on experience. This was done to quickly produce ready-made naval officers as soon as possible. In the future, this practice would be normalized as the pressure on the naval front decreased.

“Except for the bottom sailors, did you find any gems?” Vijay asked, with anticipation.

Hearing this question, Gangadhar became quite happy as he replied, “Yes, Your Highness, by Shankara’s (God Shiva) grace, we have a few excellent prospects whose talents are even higher than mine before the war with the Mughal Empire.”

“Oh!” Vijay exclaimed lightly, a little taken aback. More talented than Gangadhar? Hearing Gangadhar’s evaluation, Vijay was quite surprised, given that Gangadhar himself had proven to be a genius during the year-long Mughal battle. Gangadhar displayed ingenuity even in his first battle. While one might argue that Gangadhar took advantage of the Mughals’ unreadiness in the Chilka Lake during his initial engagement, it couldn’t be denied that it was his first practical battle. Despite being abruptly pulled into the naval academy, he performed commendably. Furthermore, upon returning after the war, Gangadhar swiftly absorbed all the missed knowledge, evolving into a more well-rounded tactician and a naval expert essential for the Bharatiya Empire.

Looking at Vijay’s surprise, Gangadhar loftily explained, “It is true, Your Highness. I am not lying to you, and it is not just one. There are three excellent candidates who graduated. Please, come, let me show you.”

Soon, Gangadhar and Vijay reached a hill that provided a higher vantage point. Below the 50-foot elevation, the recruits were celebrating their graduation with songs and dances. Gangadhar directed Vijay’s attention to a table where three boys sat separately from the others.

Vijay raised his eyebrows as he eyed Gautam. Gangadhar continued, “That fat man sitting opposite to Gautam is completely opposite to him. His name is Sarvesh. He is very aggressive and fearless in his tactics. Sarvesh thrives on direct confrontation and overwhelming with force. He charges into the fray with reckless abandon, overcoming with brute force to conquer his enemies. His strengths are his courage, offensive power, shock tactics, intimidation, and breaking through enemy lines. His weaknesses are also obvious; he is vulnerable to ambushes and well-coordinated defences. He is also prone to making reckless decisions.”

22:25

Pointing towards the three boys, Gangadhar stated, “These three are the new prospects I mentioned. The one with a long beard and moustache is called Gautam. Despite his current appearance, he was quite clean and tidy in the naval academy. The trials made him appear like this, but please don’t judge him based on his looks. In my opinion, he is the most well-rounded among the trio. During the mock battles, he showcased outstanding methodical and calculated approaches. Gautam prioritizes precise manual and strategic positioning. He excels in utilizing terrain and the environment to his advantage. His main strength lies in his strategic mind, showcasing proficiency in planning, resource management, adaptability, and using cover and flanking. As for weaknesses, from my observations, he tends to react slowly to unexpected situations and hesitates when it comes to taking risks.”

Vijay raised his eyebrows as he eyed Gautam. Gangadhar continued, “That fat man sitting opposite to Gautam is completely opposite to him. His name is Sarvesh. He is very aggressive and fearless in his tactics. Sarvesh thrives on direct confrontation and overwhelming with force. He charges into the fray with reckless abandon, overcoming with brute force to conquer his enemies. His strengths are his courage, offensive power, shock tactics, intimidation, and breaking through enemy lines. His weaknesses are also obvious; he is vulnerable to ambushes and well-coordinated defences. He is also prone to making reckless decisions.”

Vijay eyed the bulky figure of Sarvesh as Gangadhar pointed to the last person with a bald head and a muscular physique. “This kid’s name is Akhil. By the looks of it, he may seem like a thug, but he is actually quite a cunning bastard. His tactics even make me itch with annoyance when I think about my enemies using the same strategies against me. Akhil is unpredictable and cunning. He relies on deception, misdirection, and guerrilla tactics to achieve his goals. He excels at using distractions, ambushes, and hit-and-run attacks to confuse and demoralize his opponents. His strengths lie in his stealth, agility, surprise attacks, and ability to manipulate enemies. However, his weaknesses are also apparent, as he heavily depends on deception and timing. His battle style could be vulnerable in prolonged engagements, and he does not have a good counter if his mind games and deception were to be exposed.”

Vijay nodded his head in understanding. Overall, he was very satisfied with these three individuals, each possessing distinct strengths. Vijay recognized the potential to assign them to terrains where they felt more comfortable, even though it could lead to over-reliance in the future. For now, Vijay accepted it as he needed the Coast Guard to be combat-effective as soon as possible.

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