Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology-Chapter 1207: WWI: The assault on Constantinople (1)

March 4th 1704

For more than ten years, the transportation corridor connecting the Middle East and the Bharatiya Empire had remained under continuous construction, never once coming to a halt. Even when the war raged across Europe and the Empire was deeply embroiled in it, the work did not stop, and the project continued to advance steadily, day after day, without interruption.

Thankfully, after so many years of unrelenting and uninterrupted investment, the Bharat Middle East Transportation Corridor had finally reached a stage of preliminary completion. Although it could not yet be said that a single continuous railway line or road directly connected the Bharatiya Empire with Israel or the Greek Republic of Anatolia, that day was not too far off.

The Baghdad Express, a vast network of interconnected roads and railways, had already been laid out, cutting directly through the heart of the Persian Kingdom and making the largest stretch of the journey relatively smooth and hassle-free. It was only upon reaching Lalishtan that transportation became somewhat difficult due to the harsh terrain. Even so, several alternative routes had been carefully developed over the years, allowing them to effectively substitute the direct transportation link the Bharatiya Empire had originally envisioned.

Beyond that point, however, transportation was effectively cut off. Greek Anatolia, being a war-torn region, neither had the capacity nor the stability to focus on large-scale infrastructure construction. Nevertheless, the infrastructure that had already been laid in the surrounding regions was substantial enough to support limited movement and logistics when necessary.

The 100,000 Haridwar motorcycles, transported in several batches, were shipped by locomotives directly to Lalishtan and Greek Anatolia.

The transportation process took several months, but in the end, the motorcycles successfully reached their destination, making all the hardships and logistical strain worthwhile.

The Empire’s Army, over a million soldiers strong, had finally received mobile equipment suitable for the planned assault on Constantinople.

However, the motorcycles were only one of the two hidden cards Vijay intended to use for a decisive breakthrough. The other, naturally, involved the Navy, though not in the manner of a conventional fleet.

Ever since Constantinople had been occupied by the Kingdom of Slavic Byzantium, Vijay had long held a hunch that one day he might be forced to storm the city without the support of the Mediterranean Navy. When he first conceived such a plan, he had never imagined that the Empire would end up losing control over the entire Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara. Yet, regardless of how circumstances had unfolded, the plans he had carefully prepared and the cards he had set aside for such a scenario were finally coming to fruition.

Along the northern coast of Greek Anatolia, as well as the western coast of Lalishtan, where it met the Black Sea, several hidden dry docks had been constructed, within which Delhi-class battleships were built in absolute secrecy.

Very few people knew about this project. Vijay made sure that no more than a handful of trusted individuals were aware of what was truly happening in those dry docks. Even the workers were brought directly from the Empire and were not allowed to leave the dock premises. To further enhance security and maintain the illusion that they were merely warehouses rather than naval facilities, the dry docks were not even directly connected to the Black Sea, but were instead located a few hundred metres inland.

Over thirty-five Delhi-class battleships have been constructed so far, and they were ready to sail at the drop of a hat.

Trabzon, Greek Republic of Anatolia

Under the escort of the royal guards and the Punjabi regiment stationed in the northern part of Greek Anatolia, Vijay arrived at the port city of Trabzon, a small harbour on the southern edge of the Black Sea.

Vijay set foot in Trabzon for the first time in his life. In his opinion, it was a very interesting city, one he would have loved to explore, with its unique fusion of Greek and Turkish elements. Unfortunately, he did not have the time for sightseeing. Even though he had left behind a clone in the Empire, Vijay was certain it would not take long for the Europeans to realise that something was wrong with the "Emperor" of the Bharatiya Empire, and the so-called ’Emperor’ was nothing but a clone, prompting them to begin a frantic search for his true whereabouts.

The deadline was tight, and he had to act quickly. Of the four-year window he had set for himself, one year had already passed. If, by conservative estimates, it would take two years to bring the Europeans to their knees, then he had no more than a few months to storm Constantinople, bring it down, and launch a direct raid toward the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean.

Vijay stood at the balcony of a large warehouse, right in front of three newly constructed Delhi-class battleships. His expression was sombre as he gazed at the sailors and the officers. In the anticipatory eyes of the three crews that stood right on the rear of the ships, Vijay nodded and resolutely ordered. "Commence the operations "

Moments later, on the shores of Trabzon, a dull explosion echoed through the area. In the next instant, water began rushing inland into what appeared to be a drainage channel. However, the channel was unusually wide and deep, more like a canal than a simple drain. Shortly after the explosion, the ceiling above the concealed passage collapsed rapidly, clearing the path for the Delhi-class battleships.

Back at the warehouse, smiles spread across everyone’s faces as they watched the water gush into the canal and directly fill the dry dock. Vijay, too, wore a faint smile. Secretly digging an underground canal had been a difficult undertaking, yet they had somehow managed to complete it over the past year.

While the Empire had been frantically manufacturing motorcycles, the canal had been steadily excavated beneath the various warehouse complexes where the battleships were being constructed. To avoid unforeseen complications and uncontrollable risks, even the sailors and officers had personally taken part in the digging process. Although the canal itself was relatively short, only around a hundred metres or even less, the task was still arduous, given that only a few hundred people were involved. Even so, they carried it out without a single complaint.

The thirty-five Delhi-class battleships finally entered the Black Sea. The moment they did, they regrouped in the western part of the sea and headed straight toward Constantinople.

The Black Sea, being almost like an inland lake, bustled with fishermen and maritime activity throughout the year. So when people suddenly witnessed the arrival of such a massive battle group, everyone was left stunned, and chaos quickly ensued.

"What did you say? Are you sure you are not hallucinating?" Dmitri asked, with an expression of disbelief written all over his face.

"It is the truth, Your Highness, we have received the same report from multiple sources, a large battle group comprised of over 35 Delhi class battleships is enroute to Constantinople through the Black Sea."

Dmitri took a big gulp, and his heart started to beat out of his chest. His naval presence in the Black Sea was practically nonexistent, and even if he wanted to maintain any, he knew that his dear brother Peter wouldn’t allow him to do so, but now that very reason became his biggest weakness.

But he wasn’t going to give up, "Install more coastal defences, I need the entire coast to be lined with naval cannons, even if the Bharathias come with their entire fleet, they should not be able to cross the Bosphorus Strait," he ordered, his expression ruthless.

"Yes, Your Highness."

The same news reached the ears of Peter as well, and he was in a dilemma.

He did not know that his in-law would give him such a surprise; it’s a bit rude, but most importantly, he was put in a hard position.

He had already declared himself to be the leader of the non-aligned movement, not participating in any camp of the war, be it the European or the Eastern. But now the Bharatiya Empire was actually using the Black Sea, which he considered to be Russia’s inland lake, as a launchpad to attack the European Union. He did not know whether he should intervene or not.

The Russian Empire has quite a bit of naval power in the Black Sea, so it is not a problem to intervene in the war, although it is still a question whether his outdated ships could stop the Delhi class battleships, that’s beside the point, the point is, if he intervenes, it will send a message, a message that could be understood in multiple ways. In one way, it could be interpreted as the Russian Empire not allowing any of the warring country to use their resources for the war, and in another way, it could also be interpreted as the Russian Empire fighting with the European Union, which has the possibility of leading to another interpretation where the Bharatiya Empire might consider the Russian Empire as a potential enemy as well.

But unfortunately, even if he does not intercept the Bharatiya battle group that is now sailing straight towards Slavic byzantium, there is a high chance that Russia’s silence on the matter will be interpreted as Russia silently siding with the Bharatiya Empire.

The Romanov family having an in-law relationship with the Devaraya family does not help either.

Hence, one can understand why Peter felt that he had been placed in a very difficult situation. In the end, he chose to remain silent and avoid involving his country in the tussle, and it was for one simple reason. Being the enemy of the European Union was troublesome, even a pain in the ass, but it was not entirely unmanageable. Russia, as an aggressor on the European continent, was already used to such hostility, although the fact that Europe had now unified into a European Union did trouble him.

Nevertheless, Russia was still Russia. It had come a long way, and the resources gained from the war had only accelerated its mechanisation and industrialisation. He was confident that by the end of the war, he would no longer be helpless in the face of the European Union, or at the very least, not completely vulnerable. However, he could not say the same if he directly opposed the Bharatiya Empire.

So, in the end, his decision was based on a simple calculation of who he could afford to offend, and who he absolutely could not. A simple, yet effective line of reasoning.