Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology-Chapter 1183: WWI: Siege of the Americas (7)

The situation unfolding within the Ohlone Tribe was neither rare nor unusual. Nearly all tribes along the western coast of the Americas, usually hidden in the dark, had already been contacted by members of the Bharatiya military, either by soldiers in the military from their own tribe who had previously fled to Suvurna Dwipa, or by members of other tribes who were familiar with them or had maintained friendly relations in the past.

In this way, without the realisation of the Europeans, right under their noses, the Bharatiya Empire gained a lot of support for its upcoming actions.

Although most of the tribals did not participate in the war personally by sending troops, they provided logistics support, intelligence support, and more importantly, gave the Empire the local geographical guidance required to defeat the enemy.

With their help, the Bharatiya army that was at a disadvantage while being in the opponent’s home ground subtly shifted the disadvantage. Although the shift was not to an advantage, it was at least into an equal playing field.

Though the "equal footing" only applied to familiarity with the terrain and access to intelligence. In reality, the gap in firepower and overall military strength between the two sides was worlds apart. So even if, thanks to native support, the Bharatiya Empire could only be considered equal to the Europeans on their home ground, in practical terms, the empire gained an overwhelming strategic advantage.

North America, a French colony

On a large island, nearly the size of the Kingdom of Taiwan, a massive barracks complex, built mostly from wood, had been constructed. A rough, makeshift road connected the port to the barracks, carved out by cutting down trees and removing their stumps. The timber was repurposed to build cabins, while the branches and messy twigs were stored for future use as firewood.

Along this crude road, a sight never before seen on the American continent unfolded. Multiple steam belching machines rumbled forward, hauling large wooden crates filled with unknown materials, accompanied by thousands of people moving in organised streams.

Inside the barracks, activity was relentless. Some groups worked on constructing medical facilities, others unloaded cargo from transport vehicles into warehouses, while another set of workers focused on fortifying and fencing the perimeter. Every corner buzzed with movement, creating an atmosphere of controlled chaos.

Amidst this constant motion, two men stood out. Both wore five-star badges on their shoulders, though they belonged to different departments. Calm and composed, they inspected the supplies being unloaded from the trucks, overseeing the operation with the authority of seasoned commanders.

"Where are all these supplies coming from? And these guns, they are model II brownbess aren’t they? They’ve already been discontinued. Why are you giving me these? Is it really fine to use them?"

Brigadier General Kapil Padmanabham pointed at the reserve stock laid out before him, his brows furrowed, and his expression filled with confusion as he voiced his concern. But even though he felt the matter was somewhat unreliable, having trust in the organisation, he still took the pad from the logistics officer and signed on it without hesitation.

The logistics officer thought for a while and responded, "Originally, this news was classified, but since the truth has come to light, it’s no problem telling you. In fact, all these weapons and ammunition are from the natives on this land?"

Kapil Padmanabham’s eyes widened, "The native Americans made these guns?"

The logistics officer nodded solemnly. "Yes. Arming them and giving them basic self-defence capabilities was a decision made by the empire. It was part of the ’Native Hope Project’, a highly classified SS-level initiative run by the Bharatiya External Pragya for the past two decades. Its primary goal was to ensure the survival and protection of native populations across the American continents."

"These weapons and ammunition are one of the byproducts of that project. Since we could not directly equip them through official logistics, we instead distributed older and outdated technology to as many hidden tribal groups as possible."

Kapil understood, but then he got curious, "How were they able to stay hidden for so long, especially when the factories are basically live signboards?"

The logistics officer shook his head, "These are not made in factories."

Kapil’s expression turns strange, "Then is it made by hand?"

"..." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Damn! Seriously?"

The logistic officer nodded, "Yes, each and every one of them is made by hand."

Kapil clenched his fist and showed a hint of worry, "Is it really reliable?" It was not that he was looking down on the Native Americans, but he simply could not play with the lives of his men. After all, the idea that weapons are the second lives of the soldier has been drilled deep into their instincts, so it is hard to accept weapons that are unreliable.

The logistics officer thought for a while, hesitated, but still nodded, "It sure is unreliable, after all no matter how meticulous their craftsmen are, it is made by hand, i’m sure they misfire a lot, you could shoot a lot of duds, the aim would be terrible, power would be unpredictable, there is even a rare chance of the barrel exploding in the face. Even the empire’s own artisans could not escape from these flaws in the early stages. But don’t worry, this is simply the reserve stock used in case the current supplies run out."

Kapil was taken aback. "Isn’t the empire sending more supplies?"

"Sigh, it is, but who could have expected that the EU’s navy would be so brain-dead. According to the original plan, the navy’s plan was to take about three to four months to occupy the western coast, and by the time the Army lands in America, the supplies should have been delivered along with the secondary reinforcements, but now that the Navy has captured the coast so quickly and the organisation has decided to not hesitate and move forward, the possibility of the ammunition and weaponry stock running out before the reinforcements and supplies arrive is not low."

"Not to mention, when we set off, most of the military transporters and even the warships were occupied by the troops. How much ammunition do you think could be brought from the empire?"

"So the higher-ups ordered to make do with this for now and persist until the supplies arrive."

Kapil let out a suppressed breath, "Well, alright, I can work with it, I guess."

Just then, Kapil’s attention was immediately attracted by a group of people that entered the barracks, and it was not only his attention, but they also attracted the attention of other soldiers, with officers as well looking at them with curiosity, inquisitiveness, and interest.

"Are they from the tribe that had agreed to directly reinforce us?" Kapil looked at the logistics officer with a questioning gaze.

The logistics officer looked thoughtful for a split second, then nodded, "They should be from the Nuu Chah Nulth Tribe."

"Is it a large tribe?"

"Not really, it’s a small one, the tribe used to be a large one, but now only around four to five thousand people are left."

Kapil’s eyes widened, "Then why did they agree to send troops to support us? I know we have a lot of targets to capture and not a lot of manpower, but still, we are not that limited, are we?"

"No, you misunderstand, it’s simply that their situation is special."

"How so?"

"They were one of the few native tribes that excelled in seafaring, and also one of the few that lived on an island"

Kapil was momentarily confused, but he suddenly realised something, "Could it be they used to live on the island we are on right now?"

The logistics officer shot a pitying look and nodded. "Before the French occupied this island(Vancouver), or rather before colonisation, it was the territory of the Nuu chah nulth people, a large tribe known for whale hunting and harpoon warfare. But as you might expect, when the Europeans established a port here due to its strategic importance, conflict broke out, and bloodshed followed.

"In the end, only a few thousand survived. They fled their homeland and moved inland. Some of our merchants later encountered their tribe during trade, and through the ’Native Hope Project’, the empire provided them with support to help them survive."

"Logically, they wouldn’t have volunteered to participate in the battle, but it looked like the person who went to contact them seemed to have made a claim that once the Europeans are defeated, they can have their homeland back."

Kapil was astonished, "How can such claims be made so simply? Who is this person? Does he know it’s against the rules?"

The logistics officer solemnly nodded, "Indeed, it is really against the rules, and the person did end up getting punished severely by having to run for a dozen times on the training grounds of the barracks, but the strange thing is he was neither suspended nor sent to the military court. Only a few days after recovering his strength, he joined back into duty."

Kapil felt enlightened, "Hehe, isn’t the organisation simply agreeing with his decision and only punishing him with a light tap on the wrist?"

"I think so too, and it is exactly why the Nuu Chah Nulth People have come to support us in the battle."

Finally knowing the ins and outs of the matter, Kapil was relieved, but then he asked, "You said they were good at seafaring and whale hunting, but that does not seem to have anything to do with the army?"

The logistics officer suddenly smiled. "The place they chose to settle is extremely inhospitable. In fact, if it weren’t for a young brat from a merchant family getting lost and stumbling into them, their location might never have been discovered. But here’s the interesting part: if you move through their territory to reach your target city, you won’t just avoid enemy scouting, the route is also shorter."

He continued, "Logically, no one should be able to cross that icy hell, not us, and not even the Europeans themselves. But with their guidance and support, you can take your brigade straight to the back door of Fort Laurentia."

"Now, do you still think they have nothing to do with the army?" The logistics officer looked at Kapil with a teasing expression.

"Only a fool would think that, hehe. Looks like I don’t have to use these outdated weapons after all."

The logistics officer remained silent for a moment and nodded, "You are quite lucky in that respect; the tasks of most people are not as convenient as yours."