Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology-Chapter 1208: WWI: The assault on Constantinople (2)

As the Bharatiya fleet moved forward and was about to reach the destination in only half a day, the winds suddenly became strong, and the waves became choppy. To make matters worse, out of nowhere, the rain began to pick up, putting the fleet in a perilous situation.

The cold air masses coming from the Siberian region, bringing freezing temperatures, heavy fog, and violent gales, were no joke.

Historically, the months from December to March were the off-season for sailing in the Black Sea, but given the tight schedule, the battle group had to depart despite the risk. After all, the end of winter was right around the corner, and the air had already grown warm. Unfortunately, the battle group was unlucky to encounter the bad weather; however, despite such harsh conditions, the Bharatiya fleet was unrelenting. The sailors came on deck without complaints and handled all the tasks assigned by the superior officers, whether it was a routine task or handling an emergency.

"Your Excellency, a few captains have suggested that we temporarily dock the ships until the weather subsides," an officer with a badge with three stars on his shoulders respectfully conveyed, his face carrying a worried expression.

Rear Admiral Anurag Abhimanyu stood on the bow of one of the Delhi-class battleships, pulling out a telescope and gazing at the other ships in the battle group. He showed a stoic expression, but when he heard his executive officer, a hint of concern tinged his eyes, but it was not for long, as it was quickly hidden away by a determined gaze. He could not allow himself to be faced with temporary hardships, as there was simply too much riding on his mission.

If he succeeds, not only will the ally, United Socialist Greek Republic, gain the necessary support in order to fight back against the Europeans and regain the lost ground, the Empire will also be able to take back the Suez Canal, re establish a direct naval channel with the Mediterranean, and put the empire in a dominant position when going against the European Union in the future.

For such a result, he is willing to face this harsh weather and dangerous winds head-on. Besides, his majesty the emperor has poured millions upon millions of Varaha into laying the groundwork for the last four to five years, not to mention his majesty has placed his complete trust in him. With so much at stake, how could he now take a step back just because of a little wind and rain?

"Trim the sails and adjust the angle of attack to harness the wind more efficiently. Maintain current speed and hold our present course. We proceed to the destination without deviation."

The executive officer let out a deep breath and nodded.

"Yes, sir."

He had already somewhat expected the rear admiral to make such a decision; after all, he received the order from his majesty the emperor himself, so even if he wanted to take the safe approach and dock the ships before continuing, he couldn’t voice out his opinion, but still, when the decision was made, he was indeed a little disappointed.

He walked back, his raincoat drenched in water. He knew relaying the message would immediately ruin his relationship with the captains of some of the Delhi-class battleships, who wanted to take the route of caution, but there was no helping it; he was a professional, and he would do his job, leaving no room for anyone to point fingers at him.

In this way, the journey, which was only supposed to take half a day, somehow stretched into a whole day, and throughout the day, the battle group faced numerous emergency situations. At one point, too much water had accumulated on the deck, and the sails were completely drenched, making the entire ship top-heavy and highly unstable. As it rocked violently from side to side, it looked as if it might capsize at any moment. Thankfully, the captain acted quickly. He ordered the sails furled and even brought out machine guns to blast open additional drainage holes on the deck so the water could flow out. Not only that, to further increase stability, he ordered all personnel to move to the lower decks, lowering the centre of gravity and improving the ship’s balance. His quick thinking ultimately saved the vessel.

At another moment, due to the violent pitching of the ship, one of the ordnance shelves came loose, sending artillery shells rolling everywhere. They bobbed up and down with the ship like runaway horses. Thankfully, they were not explosive shells. The captain immediately ordered his men to secure the remaining ordnance shelves using the wooden sheets normally reserved for emergency repairs within the ship.

There were many other such incidents, but in the end, all thirty-five Delhi-class battleships still managed to reach the westernmost point of the Black Sea, only a few dozen kilometres away from the Bosphorus Strait.

Several kilometres away, on a small boat...

A Byzantine officer in a grey uniform was horrified when he saw a battle group suddenly pop up on the horizon. This battle group, composed entirely of battleships, looked as if it was bathing in lightning; it was as if the tall waves crashing onto its hull and strong winds trying to push it back meant nothing at all, ’So this is the naval might of the eastern behemoth?’ he muttered as he was stunned into silence.

It was only a moment later that he remembered his job and loudly yelled at his captain, "Sir, the Bharatiyas are here, I count around 30 battleships, and most of them seem to be unharmed."

The captain, hearing the shout, was shocked; all colour left his face, and his hands began to tremble. "Quick, retreat, we have to inform his highness about this."

In a palace at the outskirts of Constantinople,

Dmitri sat along with several dukes, as well as his son Alexander, discussing the strategy for how to counter the Bharatiya Empire, who were coming to challenge the Slavic Byzantine dominance over the Bosporus Strait.

"So ultimately, your Highness, even if the Bharatiya Empire has better artillery pieces and their ships are notoriously hard to sink, with the number of naval guns we have installed on the shores of the Bosphorus, it is impossible for the Bharatiya ships to cross the strait," a noble gentleman dressed in a luxurious red outfit concluded with a look of nonchalance.

However, another noble, a slightly fat and stout middle-aged man dressed in a luxurious grey attire, shook his head, "I am sorry, your Excellency Duke, I believe you are being too optimistic." The man with the luxurious red outfit frowned, his eyelids twitching, but the stout middle-aged man did not care and continued, "As we have seen time and time again, the Bharatiyas are a smart and calculating bunch; they have never made a move that is not well thought out. So it would be foolish to conclude that the Bharatiyas would try to brute force their way through the Bosphorus Strait. I firmly believe they have another plan up their sleeve."

His expression finally turned grave, "Perhaps those Greeks down the Southern Frontier and those Bharatiya troops who have not made a move for so long will finally make a move." Thinking of something, he looked at the man dressed in red, "Your Excellency, you should have noticed this unusual situation yourself as well, haven’t you?"

"Or... am I wrong?"

The man dressed in red felt choked; he wanted to refute, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and nodded, "It is indeed the case. The enemy troop movements have become way more active than they were a few weeks ago, but Your Excellency, you should also know that even if their troops are acting unusually, the number of soldiers remains the same. They seem to have gotten new logistical supplies from the rear a few weeks ago, but apart from that, we haven’t seen a drastic increase in the number of troops. We still outnumber them five to one."

"Your Excellency shouldn’t be saying that a frontline that was propped up using nearly two million troops would fail, right?"

It was now the fat Noble’s turn to be at a loss for words, but in the end, he shook his head and replied, "Of course, that is not my intention; all I am saying is the Bharatiyas cannot be underestimated. I believe they are aware of the difficulty in breaking through the Bosphorus through brute force, so they will try other means to first weaken our coastal defences and only then make the move."

This back and forth continued a few more times until Dmitri finally put an end to the argument and made his decision.

"Given the weather, we can estimate that the Bharatiyas will show up within 24 to 30 hours. Within that time, install those French naval cannons along the shore as quickly as possible. Also, what the Duke of Sofia said is worth considering. The Bharatiyas have never made a move without preparation. Their intention to simply brute-force their way through the Bosphorus is indeed doubtful. So let the frontline troops remain in a 24-hour combat-ready state, and recall the forces from the northern border. Have them repositioned along the northern wall of Constantinople."

This surprised the chubby Duke of Sofia, "Your Highness is worried about the Bharatiyas sending troops through the rear?"

"Yes, that is one of my worries."

The chubby Duke showed a thoughtful expression, but the noble dressed in red looked confused.

"Your Highness, the beach is over 20 kilometres from Constantinople, isn’t it? Marching from there to target the naval guns at the centre of the city would take considerable time. Not to mention, they cannot use their steam trucks in that terrain, as it simply would not allow it. They could use the main road, of course, but our military is already stationed at various checkpoints along it. If they advance by road, we could easily slaughter them."

"There is also the possibility of them using those war tractors they have built, but those machines are far too slow. The only remaining options would be horses or those steam bikes, and even then, it would still take several hours."

"In contrast, our troops are stationed just across the Bosphorus at the frontier. They could reach the rear of the city in at most thirty minutes. Besides, if these enemy forces you suspect are arriving from those thirty or so Bharatiya warships, their numbers cannot be very large. Against our army, they cannot possibly succeed."

Dmitri was silent; he knew what the Duke of Bucharest was saying was the truth, but for some reason, he still felt like his worries would come true, so he put aside his insecurity and still ordered for the troops on the frontier bordering the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth to come back to Constantinople and stand guard on the northern wall. The time is a bit tight, but if they travel nonstop, they should be able to make it before the Bharatiya battle group arrives.

He looked at the two nobles, and neither offered an explanation nor changed his decision. "It’s good to be prepared, just do as I said."

The meeting was about to come to an end, but suddenly an officer broke in, his face showing a look of someone who had seen a ghost.