Chapter 124: Aftermath of Civil War

The battle of Hampi concluded with the total surrender of the first prince's army. Additionally, the second prince had completely surrendered to Prince Harsha. The second prince's army was taken prisoners of war for namesake.

Bhairava was confined to his chambers for the time being and got treated for his severed hand.

There were hundreds of casualties in the grueling civil war that took the Empire by storm. The strife had finally settled as the news began to travel to the other parts of the Empire. The royal army was first notified of the victory of Prince Harsha. S~eaʀᴄh the Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The Royal Army commander was visibly surprised by the unexpected victory of Prince Harsha, who was nicknamed "talentless" by his peers. He had managed to snatch victory from all the other princes.

The Royal Army commander was an individual named Rajagopala Timmarasa. He was a man in his late forties with a very muscular build. His body was riddled with scars from countless battles under the reign of Krishna Deva Raya.

He was one of the cornerstones of the Empire. Rajagopala was well respected in the army and held massive influence. The man was very loyal to the monarchy. Rajagopala had taken charge of the royal army after the previous commander retired.

The previous commander had left a mess he had to navigate through. There was a divide in the royal army. It came to light when the civil war had started. The soldiers were divided into two factions in his observations. One faction was loyal to the Emperor, and the other one was loyal to Lakshmi.

He had learned from Rakhtasura that Lakshmi had dug her nails into the royal army. Her plan ensured that the Royal Army would break apart if they had tried to intervene in the Civil War.

Rajagopala had to make the tough decision and control the borders for the time being.

He didn't want the Empire to break apart from this. He managed to smooth the wedge between the two factions in the army. The death of Lakshmi had united the army once again. There was no need for a separate faction.

The soldiers didn't try anything that indicated treason, as it would be dealt with very seriously by Rajagopala.

Meanwhile, the two traitors of the Cochin faction were caught hiding close to Hampi, awaiting Lakshmi's orders. The old man Nayaka had caught Parvathi Nair and Gopala Sastri under the information provided by Viswa.

The casualties on Harsha's side were kept to a minimum, excluding the total wipeout of the Shekhar noble family.

The news of the youngest prince winning against his brothers sent ripples through the Empire.

Another shocking story was circulating among local nobles and high-class merchants about the Empress committing suicide after her son and daughter died.

The factions had died out, and most notably, most of the higher noble households had taken a significant hit in this civil war. They had lost a sizable chunk of influence in their respective regions except Nayakas and Patwardhans, who were supporting Harsha.

The neutral faction of local nobles began to align with Prince Harsha as soon as they heard that the Nayakas were the ones behind the prince.

The Reddy family was wiped out along with all their heirs and elders. The Reddies' properties were seized by Nayakas for the time being.

The Mudialiar family was taken over by the middle child of the family, who was known as a genius. The Mudialiars changed their stance from support to the First Prince just before the battle of Hampi.

The new head of the Mudialiar family, named Arvind Mudialiar, had cut ties with the first prince as soon as he took power. Despite this, he was under restrictions for the time being.

Arvind was summoned to the capital under the strict surveillance of the elite unit under the Patwardhan household.

But the quick thinking of the head saved the family's future in the Empire.

Asokan Nair was escorted to the capital by Viswa and Raj Patwardhan.

The merchant unions that were in support of the First Prince were taken over by an elite force under Harsha. Some of the merchants managed to flee to the sultanates and Yadava Kingdom.

The properties and wealth remaining were seized by the throne.

Govinda Rao was also under surveillance by the special unit sent by Nayakas. He was also an accomplice with the first prince.

Trade started occurring as usual, and the capital city was filled with a bustling atmosphere as the war ended.

Mithun Reddy took advantage of some merchants fleeing the Empire and began to capture markets that were once controlled by these unions.

With the help of Rudra Simha Nayakas and Patwardhan's, the road patrols were resumed to ensure the safety of merchant goods.

The royal family of Cochin didn't exist anymore as the last surviving member, Concubine Rani Jyothi Lakshmi, had met her demise. Her cousin and Bhairava's uncle Rama Varma had also died at the hands of Rakhtasura.

The noble armies that participated in the civil war ended up with a huge casualty count and also a loss of funds.

Harsha got a report compiled for the approximate casualty count for the civil war. The war hadn't been a pretty one. Hundreds and thousands of men had died on the battlefield.

Report of Casualty

Imperial Faction.

(Deaths)

Infantry: 38,900

Cavalry- 13,400

Archers: 9200

War elephants: 340

Prisoners of war: 41,700

Cochin Faction.

(Deaths)

Infantry: 28,400

Cavalry- 10,200

Archers: 8100

War elephants: 300

Prisoners of war: 38,200

They also lost 40 Culverins

Harsha's faction

Infantry: 7,900

Cavalry: 2,400

Archers: 1800

War elephants: 200

Prisoners of war: 0

Battle Report

Battle of Mahishapura: Won by the Imperial Faction.

Battle of Anantapur: Won by Nayakas in Harsha's faction.

Battle of Warangal: Won by Nayakas in Harsha's faction.

Battle of Mangalore: Won by Patwardhans in Harsha's faction

Battle of Hampi: Won by Harsha

There were some notable noble deaths as well.

Anand Jadhav was killed by Raj Patwardhan to take his revenge for killing his cousin.

Deaths of Raghav Reddy, Vijayarama Panicker, Venkat Shekhar.