Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

"Ohhh, the ocean! We finally made it!!!" "Hahahahaha!!" A loud cheer was heard from a group of burly tribal men standing on top of a hill several kilometres off the coast of the Sea of Japan. They were the regimental commanders Peter had appointed, tasked with finding a safe passage between Western Siberia and the easternmost point of the Far East. Generals Ivan Timofeyevich, Künney Mongush Ugor, Baldan Dorzhievich Tseren, and Nurali Batyr-Uly Khasanov all clenched their fists and roared at the top of their lungs. The hardships they had to face were not normal, even for them, who had grown up in the ice-cold Siberian wilderness. The travel was fraught with dangers everywhere. It isn't too extreme to say that throughout the journey, as soon as they left the Nerchinsk fortress built by the Tsar's Russian Empire, they were walking a thin line between life and death. Especially now, with winter past and fierce predators emerging from their burrows to hunt, they were at their most dangerous—hungrier, more ruthless, and willing to risk their lives for even the smallest meal. At times, the group had no choice but to sacrifice people to escape the wild animals. The attacks were numerous, ranging from brown bear attacks to black bear attacks, occurring multiple times throughout their journey. It was as if their experience in the wilderness of western Siberia had become completely useless. If it wasn't for a tribal warrior known as Joe Roganovich, who led them out of bear-active areas and taught them how to identify bear regions and stay out of sight, they wouldn't be alive to this day. That's not all. On their journey, they came across massive wolf packs—enough to take down large towns and cities back in the empire. Fortunately for them, their knowledge of avoiding wolf packs still worked even in this godforsaken place, but even watching them brought chills. It made them constantly pray to their gods that these monsters wouldn't one day come wandering around the villages and tribes where their loved ones lived. The Siberian tigers were not relenting either. However, fortunately, since it was not a pack animal, even though there were casualties, they were not many, and they were able to successfully hunt it down, obtaining rare fresh food. Above all else, the most dangerous things they could encounter were the people and the environment. When they set off, the snow had already begun to melt, but despite that, the journey was still unforgiving. It was colder than the coldest days they had experienced in the western part of Siberia, and the ice on the rivers remained as strong as rock. They had to camp temporarily in several places before the ice could fully melt. They couldn't control this, so there wasn't any point in complaining. But the humans, on the other hand, were dreadful. Although they had researched the human settlements in the area as much as possible, seeing it on paper was completely different from experiencing it firsthand. Even though on paper these tribes looked like Indigenous people who practised and lived by their own rules in peace, in reality, they were savages who saw everyone different from them as an enemy. There was even one dreadful tribe who wanted to cannibalize them. The journey was filled with one battle after another. Their numbers dwindled very quickly, and in the end, only 5,000 people managed to make it to the coast alive. Ivan Timofeyevich Korchagin, dipping his face in the cold waters of the Sea of Japan, felt his body warm up. It was as if he had become a completely different person after going through the single journey. ''If anything good came out of it, it's that we now know what tribes his Highness could assimilate and what tribes he should exterminate." "Sigh!!" "True..." "But it's a pity a lot of my men had to be put down in order for us to get this information." "..." Hearing the discussion of Künney Mongush Ugor and Baldan Dorzhievich Tseren, Ivan Timofeyevich Korchagin smiled bitterly. --- A few days later, the generals were shocked when they discovered that a large warship bearing the flag of the Bharatiya Navy had come very close to the shore where they had set up camp. "Congratulations, brave explorers. I have been ordered to provide you with all the necessary military equipment and supplies that you require." The generals were soon led to the deck of the ship and then had all the supplies on board unloaded. The generals were overjoyed. They knew they had to go back and were preparing themselves both physically and mentally since, even if they now knew the road and were aware of what troubles to avoid, travelling through Siberia once again was still a very dangerous journey. But now, with the help of the Bharatiya Empire providing them with weaponry and supplies of the highest quality, much more precise than the ones His Highness gave them, they were more confident in returning with as few casualties as possible. "Thank you, Major. We are eternally grateful," all four generals wholeheartedly thanked the captain of the battleship. "Haha, you don't have to thank me. We are your allies, and helping each other is what allies have to do." "By the way, here..." The major immediately took out a sealed letter and handed it over to the generals. "Since the route from Central Russia to the Far East has been discovered, the trade between the Bharatiya Empire and the Tsarist Russian Empire could be taken to the next level." "In order to make sure that the Qing Empire does not take advantage of this superior geographic position, a few of our warships will be stationed in the nearby waters for the next few months." "However, that is all we can do." "I have been informed by my superiors to inform you that the letter contains His Majesty's personal message to His Highness Peter." "There are details about further deepening the relationship in it. Please make sure to pass over the letter." Ivan immediately rolled the letter in a waterproof leaf and stashed it inside his breastplate. "Don't worry, sir. I will deliver this letter even if my life depends on it." --- The news about the Russians finally discovering the route to the Far East was immediately informed to Vijay. Vijay was surprised and delighted. After a naval base was established on the island of Yonagni, military vessels had been ordered to patrol every once in a while to see if the Russians had finally made it. Who would have thought today was the lucky day? The Bharatiya Empire finally had another stable source of raw material supply, along with the resources of Australia, Central Africa, and the Middle East, although these resources were currently not being extracted, they were only an arm's reach away. The only thing he had to do was build up the capacity to reach these resources, which, considering the knowledge he had from his previous life, were among the richest in the world. Ranging from all sorts of minerals, chemicals, and rare metals, he wouldn't even have to worry about weapons-grade uranium that he would need to use in nuclear reactors. Although Russian minerals were not too reliable since, no matter what, they were still from a different country, with all things considered, it was still a good alternative for the current Bharatiya Empire, which was on the verge of a full-blast industrial revolution brought by steam power. If Germany in his previous life had such channels, they would have already conquered the world. Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on the perspective of the person judging—he did not have the ambition to conquer the world. All he wanted to do when he was first reborn was to make his empire strong, which he achieved; bring independence to the subcontinent, which he achieved; reclaim total control over the subcontinent, which he achieved; make it impossible for it to be colonized in the future, which he most definitely achieved; reignite the cultural pride and civilizational spirit of Bharat, which he achieved. Now, he was on his way to expanding the influence of the Bharatiya Empire beyond its borders and making its culture second to none in the world, ensuring it became the dominant philosophy, way of life, and culture globally. "I have to prepare to make contact with Australia. Things cannot be pushed back for too long." As soon as he made the decision, he acted resolutely and immediately summoned Marc Anthony, the best navigator present in the Bharatiya Empire. "Your Majesty," Marc Anthony cautiously greeted Vijay, not knowing why he had suddenly been called. Vijay handed over a document and looked up. "A new island, larger than anything we have seen, has been discovered to the south of Papua New Guinea. I need you to fully traverse the coast of the island and find me suitable locations for landing." "According to historical texts that have been unearthed, we know the rough shape of the island, and we do know that its size is greater than that of the empire, but we do not know anything more than that." "I need you to find at least 3 to 4 locations for landing on each of the western coasts of this island, the northern coast of the island, and the southern coast of the island. Additionally, I need you to discover at least 10 to 20 natural ports where ships can be docked on the eastern coast of this island." "If the records serve right, the eastern part of this island is the most habitable. The main focus of the empire will be maintained in this part, so I need you to especially focus on the eastern coast." "If you find any other islands while you are traversing its coast, ignore them for now and complete this mission for me. This is not a mission to discover new islands." To be continued...