172 The Purge
Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, Udupi.
Vijay is going through all the information collected in the past week. He has to say it has been hectic at the least.
"So, Roshan, tell me how did the Assassins get inside our Empire, and how did they even manage to sneak in a cannon?" Vijay asked.
Roshan felt embarrassed to admit it, but he still replied truthfully.
"Your Majesty, they were brought in by some Muslims within our Empire. In the past, they portrayed themselves as Pro-Hindu to attain higher positions. The government also wanted to showcase them as an example for other Muslims. However, it seems they were acting with deliberate intentions to rise in ranks and serve the interests of the Mughal Emperor, Muhammad. We were unaware of their true motives until recently.
Background checks had been conducted on them, revealing that they were born and raised in the Bharatiya Empire, and their grandparents were also Hindus. They were assumed to be safe due to this reason, and with the push of the government, they also increased their influence within the Muslim community, directly becoming imams. Unfortunately, the book seemed to be more important to them than the country. Mohammad managed to convince them to work for his cause by offering a small price - a visit to Mecca, their holy land.
As for the cannon, it was brought in through the frontline with the combination of Muslims and that of the secret service. Muslims helped transport internally, and the secret service was responsible for getting it through customs, acting as a distraction for the soldiers."
This news annoyed Vijay. When the plan to highlight and make an example of the pro-Hindu Muslims was brought to the table, he had reservations, but he still signed the bill , in the spirit of giving it a try. As expected, the plan did not work, but he could never have expected that these people, who were born and grew up in the empire, would do such a thing. Nôv(el)B\\jnn
"Then how did they get to know my location?"
"This is because of the X secret service agent, your majesty. Due to his familiarity with how the system works, he made a lot of connections within the secret service and gathered a lot of dirt on his colleagues. He used the same dirt to threaten them and got them to reveal your location."
"Dammit, alright," Vijay said in annoyance. He now felt that he should have split the secret service the first time they tried to infiltrate the army. But it is not all bad now, as he could thoroughly cleanse the empire of its filth and immediately push reforms, not giving the unstable elements a chance to rise.
"How is the situation in the empire?"
"It's quite concerning, Your Majesty. The citizens and soldiers are becoming suspicious, especially since you've been out of the public eye for a full week, disappearing abruptly. The overall security condition of the Empire is deteriorating rapidly. Factions are emerging within the army, and these factions are receiving support from both the bureaucratic and secret service factions. I regret to inform you that there are plans for a rebellion in the near future. Furthermore, the newly acquired territories are becoming increasingly radicalized as nobles continue to recruit individuals. There are reports of silent kidnappings of women by Islamists, with victims being sent to the Mughal Empire," the report detailed.
"Alright, that's enough. Are all the names recorded?" Vijay asked sternly.
Similar events unfolded in barracks across various locations in the empire. Noticing the change within the army, bureaucrats and members of the secret service faction quickly mobilized their troops. Police officers who fell for their greed acted as soldiers for the rebels. Unfortunately for them, they wouldn't be doing what they were doing if they knew Vijay was alive.
After purging the army of the rebellious elements, Logananda ordered the army to move inward. The people were stunned as their own army marched towards various cities. When the news spread, they were shocked by all the events that had taken place. They were on the verge of rioting when they heard that Vijay had passed away. However, noting the uncontrollable nature of the people, Raghavendra Rao quickly sent the message that His Majesty Vijay and the Queen were alive and well.
The old prime minister's words temporarily settled the people's hearts, but the separatist forces' hearts sank as they finally knew that they had fallen into the trap of the emperor. But now, they could not go back after showing all their cards.
The rebel forces, initially comprised of police officers, were strongly united in their belief that Vijay was dead. However, their unity crumbled as soon as it became known that Vijay Devaraya was alive. Though they tried to run, they couldn't hide, as the government issued bounties to disclose the locations of all individuals on the distributed list in government offices. The remaining police officers, who were innocent and confused about the whole ordeal, swiftly moved in to complete the task after identifying the culprits. The army played a crucial role, blocking various main cities to prevent entry and exit, thus capturing the fleeing enemies.
As the enemies attempted to flee, they even banded together to form a squadron. Trained by the empire military, their combat effectiveness was not negligible. Fights broke out in the outskirts of cities, with casualties mounting due to the use of muskets. This occurred not only in the capital but also in various cities with varying intensity. However, due to the lack of logistical supply for the rebels, they eventually succumbed to defeat.
In the new territories, a similar scenario unfolded. However, this time, after debilitating the forces of the nobles, the leaders of the rebellion, the nobles, were beheaded without mercy for the sin of launching the rebellion.
Within the secret service, Selvan utilized his ground intelligence work and cooperated with Roshan at the command level and Aditya, who was working in providing intelligence services to the military, to track down all the escaped secret service agents , and capture them.
The bureaucrats were the easiest, as they were toothless tigers without the support of the police or the army. They were quickly arrested, and the topmost official who got caught in this raid was the deputy of the agricultural ministry.
The Muslims were the last to bear the brunt. All the masjids were seized, and imams whose involvement was confirmed were arrested. The local goon units they controlled were apprehended and incarcerated. The kidnapped women were rescued and, if willing to return to their families, reunited. In cases where the women had been taken advantage of and did not want to return home, Vijay arranged for them to work in an orphanage as caretakers for the children. This operation took a whole week, as 30% of the Muslim population was arrested suddenly within the empire. The leaders among the Muslims who supported the cause were directly beheaded as a warning. Blood flowed in a stream that day.
Regarding the seized masjids, Vijay chose not to emulate the barbaric actions of the Islamic invaders. Firmly believing that two wrongs don't make a right, he refrained from the destruction of mosques and desecration of religious symbols. Instead, viewing Sanatana Dharma as a continually evolving and civilizing way of life, Vijay made the decision to preserve the mosques and ultimately handed them over to the Muslim community following the implementation of religious reforms.
After two weeks of turmoil, the purge finally ended. No mercy was shown to the soldiers who went against the empire, as nearly 9000 of them were killed. Initially, Vijay contemplated pushing them into forced labor, but realizing the need for deterrence, he ordered the execution of all locked-up criminals from the army. In various fields like the police, bureaucrats, and nobles, top leaders were killed, and nearly 30,000 supporters were arrested and put into forced labor camps.
Vijay finally boarded a carriage and left for the capital.
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