Chapter 119: Mohammad the Vth's Reaction, Part: 1
In the beautiful city of Agra, during the time when Vijayanagara waged war:
In the royal palace of Agra, His Highness Muhammad the Fifth drew an arrow and aimed at the marked target 80 meters away.
"Swish."
He let the arrow fly, and it pierced into the target. Although it was a few inches off from the centre, it was evident that His Highness Muhammad the Fifth had a good grasp of the art of archery.
A smile appeared on his face as he was very satisfied with his progress, and he couldn't help but feel excited about waging war on Vijayanagara in just a few days. He couldn't help but remember the dialogue he had with Fakir. "Your Excellency, our strategy to besiege multiple defensive points of Vijayanagara simultaneously is well underway," Minister of War, Fakir Ali Pasha informed him. "The army is in various places along the southern border, ready to campaign in just a week." Excitement filled him as he envisioned the obliteration of the Vijayanagara Empire. His smile widened at the thought.
"Bang."
"Vijayanagara launched a surprise attack on our Panhala fort," Moin Ali began, his voice tinged with hatred. "According to intelligence, they have managed to master the cannon-making technology similar to ours. The most surprising part is that they are able to produce a better cannon than us. One more horrifying detail is the existence of a larger cannon, the largest we had ever seen. It stands at about 6 feet in height and shoots a cannonball the size of a human head. It has a ludicrous range, which was used to breach the Panhala fort."
Mohammed's eyes widened with disbelief."What? How can it be? No, how can it be? I was the one who was supposed to attack." His emotions became disoriented as he spoke, struggling to accept the fact that Vijayanagara, a seemingly backward country, dared to launch a war on the mightiest Empire in the continent. Suddenly, as if just remembering the second half of the information, he, who was walking around restlessly, suddenly stopped and asked another question in disbelief.
"What did you say? Panhala Fort was captured? How is this possible? Didn't we have 30,000 troops stationed in the region? How could it be possible? What is Amir doing there? Is he eating shit?"
"Your Highness, Commander Amir Ali Khan was killed in battle," Moin Ali said with his head lowered.
"What? How is it possible? How could Amir be killed in battle?" This revelation came as an even bigger shock. Despite the political obstacles Amir faced, Mohammed knew that Aamir Ali Khan was a very good strategist and a first-class swordsman. Soon, his emotion turned into rage as he yelled to his servants, "Call Fakir Ali Pasha for me. I want him in front of me in an hour. What the hell was that buffoon doing when all this happened?"
In an hour, a bulky, stout man who resembled a dwarf but stood at a human height appeared in front of His Highness. Fakir had been enjoying his time with his woman when he was urgently called. His servant, who disturbed him, angered him to the point that he ordered his men to give him 20 lashes. However, when he learned that the Emperor, his cousin, was the one calling him, he put away his dissatisfaction and got ready as soon as possible, leading to his haggard appearance.
As soon as he entered the archery grounds, he saw Moeen Ali with His Majesty. Seeing the furious expression on his majestic face, he knew something big might have happened. He got very nervous, seeing the look on his cousin's face. "Your Highness, what can I do for you?" he asked with a humble tone.
To be continued...