Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology-Chapter 1226: Manufacturing the Naya Samrat (3/3)

The fat man’s eyes went dark, and he nearly collapsed as a sudden wave of dizziness struck him out of nowhere. If it had not been for his eldest daughter, who came running after noticing that something was wrong and quickly supported him, he might have truly toppled to the ground and eaten a mouthful of iron-rich sand, enough to meet his body’s needs for several years.

"Dad," the girl cried out, her face shrouded in worry and concern.

"I’m alright, thanks, dear!" The fat man found his footing and took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart.

Sitting down with a grunt, his expression immediately darkened. ’Sigh, what have I done?’ He lamented, finally realising the absolute stupidity of his decision. He was not worried about the officer going back on his word; no, he was only worried about not being able to fulfil the contract.

’What do I do?’ The bitterness in his heart deepened as the weight of his decision pressed heavily on his mind. The deal to mine over 20,000 tonnes of iron ore and sell it to the Bharatiya Military was, on the surface, an excellent opportunity. The real problem, however, lay with the equipment he possessed. At maximum capacity, his company could mine only around 5,000 tonnes, and even that was pushing its limits. In fact, in the five years since he had begun mining, such output had been achieved only once, when they happened to strike a particularly rich section of the mine where the minerals were much easier to extract, and the miners had worked continuously in two shifts.

’Since it’s impossible with the equipment I have, should I take a loan?’ he asked himself. But he quickly shook his head. ’It won’t be enough.’ The advance payment alone for the 20,000 tonnes of iron ore was already larger than the total payment from his last order, which clearly showed how far beyond his usual scale this contract was. ’Normal loans won’t work, I will have to risk it all to even have a chance to come out alive.’

’But once I do,’ a light appeared in his eyes. What he signed was probably the largest private mineral deal in the kingdom. If he managed to complete it, the money he would earn could immediately double his net worth in less than 60 days. And he was not just talking about the money in his bank. It included properties and even the value of the 60% stake he owned in the mining company itself.

’Shiver!’

Remembering he would have to call for a board meeting and inform the other shareholders about the contract, he trembled all over. Although he has absolute decision making rights in the mine, since he is the discoverer, and he was also the one who developed the mine along with managing it, while the rest only contributed some money in the initial stages, a bad decision like he made right now would lead to all the board members questioning his ability, which may lead to increased disagreements within the company.

’No, I cant let it happen.’ A hint of determination appeared in his eyes, ’I will not lose everything I have built up just because of a moment of weak judgment.’

When he looked at his daughter, who was looking at him with concern, the determination only grew stronger.

The very next day, the fat man made an earthshaking decision. He put his entire net worth, including his house, over 20 acres of agricultural land, and 60% of his mining company, along with the individual mining permit of the very mine he was operating, as collateral and took a loan of over 60 million Varaha from the Ahom Bank.

The shareholders were panicked and objected, but their opinions were all shot down immediately. The fat man, without hesitation, ordered the latest mining equipment, which included installation of a powered rail system, a stronger water pump, and the new hydraulic drilling machine that makes mining easier, all for the price of over 50 million Varaha. But he did not pay the full amount; instead, he simply put a down payment of 25 million dollars.

His idea was simple: to pay it if he could survive the ordeal, if he couldn’t, well then it’s too bad, he would have gone bankrupt, so it would not be his time to worry about all that nonsense anyway. With the remaining money, he invested everything in poaching and training new miners, his recruitment spreading throughout the kingdom.

Such situations appeared all over Suvarnadhvipha, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and even East Asia, along with Russia.

It was a feast for those who were able to control their greed, and a battle of life and death for the greedy and ambitious ones.

During the same time, the mainland of the Bharatiya Empire wasn’t any less lively.

In a large parking ground filled with hundreds of steam trucks, a tense conversation was unfolding.

"Does that mean our trucks no longer belong to us?" a small truck driver who also happens to be the owner asked with concern.

A well-built middle-aged man standing at the centre of the group hesitated for a moment, but still nodded. "Technically, yes. After our Independent Truck Drivers’ Guild was nationalised, the trucks contracted to it and the drivers themselves were also brought under national control."

He was about to explain the benefits of the new arrangement, but unfortunately, he was a little too slow. His words had already caused an uproar among the truck owners and drivers.

"Manager, how could you do this to us?"

"Exactly! We bought these trucks after years of labour and hard work. How could you agree to the guild being nationalised just like that? Couldn’t you have thought about our situation as well?"

"Manager, although our trucks are contracted to the guild, we still own our own trucks. We only joined the guild in an equal relationship, not as employees, and we even have shares in the guild, remember? Even if you nominally have the decision-making rights and the authority to represent us, in such major matters, we should have had a say as well. What you have done is illegal, Manager. I have the right to take you to court."

"That’s right, Manager. You have been too hasty in making the decision, but I will not forget the help you have given me. So, Manager, please see if you have any way to salvage the situation. I will try to convince everyone not to make any trouble for a few days."

"Everyone, shut up for a moment!" the middle-aged man roared. His face was red, and his anger was not hidden. "Can’t you guys at least let me finish what I have to say?"

The truck owners looked at each other in bewilderment.

"While it is true that the trucks have been nationalised along with the guild, it is also true that the empire will take over the maintenance and investment of the guild throughout the span the war is taking place, so any repairs or any problems that come with the trucks the empire will bear the cost to repair it, and I have been informed that the large logistical companies will now be developed towards the major routes in the empire and will be expanding to the international scale, where they will mostly be operating in the enemy territory, so the local routes will still have to be traversed by local guilds and organisations like ours."

"What this means is the guild will immediately get a large investment to expand our scale, and new trucks will directly be allocated to us from the military logistics department at the cheapest price."

"So if all of you simply do your job like always without trying anything sneaky like taking advantage of the military by deliberately causing damage to your own trucks in the hopes of replacing old parts for better and new parts, you could potentially have a few more trucks right in your name without having to invest the money yourselves."

These words immediately calmed the truck owners down, though their breathing remained rapid.

They had nothing more to say and quickly agreed. In this way, the logistics network of the empire was completely mobilised, capable of transporting anything from any corner of the empire to the battlefield in Europe.

Simultaneously, the iron, coal, rubber, and manufacturing industrial zones had turned into massive black holes, relentlessly pulling in everything around them. Raw materials, labourers, machines, and supplies were all drawn toward these centres of production as if caught in an unstoppable current.

The Imperial Government was doing everything it could to keep feeding the empire’s military industrial complex, which had grown into something like a runaway beast, always demanding more resources, more materials, and more manpower to sustain its momentum.

As a result, even the allocation of jobs has been nationalised.

"Great, I have been assigned to the Shankaracharya Bearings unit."

"Dammit, why do I get assigned to the lubrication plant?"

"Haha, awesome, I’ve been assigned to the 5th aeronautics department."

A group of university graduates had just come out of their career allocation run and were excitedly discussing where they would be sent next.

Such scenes were not limited to just one or two universities. Across the entire empire, from first-tier institutions to even fourth-tier colleges, the situation was the same. Upon graduation, students were given only a few choices: either accept a post assigned by the military according to their field of study, or enlist in the army and serve the empire directly. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Thanks to this initiative, the army continued to expand without any sign of slowing down. At the same time, the military industrial complex received fresh blood every day. Although, as a result, the skies above various special economic zones turned dark with the continuous burning of coal, creating an atmosphere like a dystopian sci-fi Middle Ages, the factories and workshops were able to operate without rest.

Steam engines bellowed, conveyor belts ran at full capacity, and clouds of steam exhaust escaped into the air. Clanking and banging sounds echoed everywhere, sweat evaporated almost instantly, and sometimes even blood trickled onto the metals of war being forged with everything the Bharatiya Empire had at its disposal.

The three major military conglomerates, in particular, had turned their factories into gold-devouring beasts. Millions of Varaha were poured into them every single day, and in return, they produced weapons of all kinds. Guns and artillery rolled off conveyor belts as if they were freshly baked cakes coming out of an oven.

Even the people in some remote village could feel that the drums of war were becoming louder every passing moment.