The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 410 Stirring
The Western Ghats, which the people of Qi called the Funiushan Mountains, are the mountain range on the western edge of the Deccan Plateau in India. They run from north to south, roughly parallel to the west coast, and span more than 1,200 kilometers.

The mountain range is a cliff with steep western slopes and many deep streams. The western part is bordered by the coastal plain, with steep terrain and abundant rainfall during the monsoon, dense forests, and large areas of tropical rain forests near the southern part.

However, the mountains in India are neither as majestic and tall as those in Shenzhou, nor as low and gentle as those in Hanzhou. The altitude is between 1,000 and 1,500 meters. Moreover, the Funiushan Mountains are not continuous and dangerous mountains. There are many low and gentle mountain passes, which are important transportation channels between the east and the west.

On March 1738, 3, a team stretching for several miles was traveling through a valley. There were more than 10 of them, hundreds of packhorse vehicles, and nearly artillery carts. They were pulled by horses and pushed by people, and were moving forward with great difficulty.

"Damn it, how long will it take to get out of this mountainous area?" Captain Cao Tinglu, commander of the 4th Battalion of the 8th Mixed Regiment of the Qi-Indian Army, took out his water bottle, took a big gulp, and looked at the winding and undulating mountains in front of him. He couldn't help feeling annoyed.

"Sir, it should take another day." His orderly Ashik Kurunyan responded immediately.

"I'm using you to say it!" Cao Tinglu glared at him, scaring the other party so much that he shrank his neck and dared not speak again.

"We have come a long way, taking both a boat and a train, and now we have to climb over the mountains. Don't let the Marathas block us at the mountain pass, that would be really frustrating!"

"...Well, even if we were not blocked in the mountains by the Marathas, if they destroyed our lair and occupied Guangwei, it would be a loss."

"...Hey, you know what, if the Marathas occupied Shanghai, and we seized their royal city of Jalna, what would happen?...Okay, we have completed a home exchange operation! Hey, Ashik, please say something!...It's really a waste of time! Tell me, why did I choose a fool like you to be an orderly!"

Ashik Kurunyan heard his superior muttering to himself first and then scolding him. His expression was very conflicted, and he looked at him helplessly with a bitter face.

Sir, you won’t let me speak!

Cao Tinglu was born in Fengyuan (now Chennai, India, also known as Madras). His family had no military tradition. His father was a businessman and his mother was the daughter of a local indigenous official.

Although he was born in India, the Chinese blood flowing in his body made him believe that he was a true Qi citizen. When his father died, he was only sixteen years old, and his eldest brother inherited the entire family business.

For young sons in families like theirs, the traditional choices were to go into business, join the army, or seek employment in the local colonial government.

So, after graduating from high school, Cao Tinglu applied for the Anfeng Military Academy. In order to train the large number of indigenous vassal troops and the Cochin Kingdom army and improve the professional level of officers, the army founded this academy in the tenth year of Shaoning (1696).

After two years of systematic study and one year of military practice, he became a junior officer of the Qi-Indian Army as he wished.

After eight years in the army and participating in countless battles, he was promoted to the rank of Imperial Guard Captain and was in charge of a battalion. He was only one step away from becoming a mid-level officer.

Cao Tinglu was not averse to war. Instead, he was extremely eager for it, as he wanted to gain numerous military merits and stand out from the crowd.

Moreover, when participating in various wars in India, relying on Qi's powerful national strength and advanced weapons, almost every war was basically a one-sided situation, easily crushing the opponent, and there were rarely large-scale casualties.

Although, in every battle, it was the Qi-Indian Army vassal troops that they belonged to that led the charge, but it was not very dangerous. Because the enemy rarely maintained a complete formation under the fierce bombardment of Qi's artillery, all they needed to do was to place a few rounds of volleys in front of the formation, and then charge with bayonets to defeat the enemy.

The remaining work is nothing more than clearing the battlefield, taking in prisoners, taking over enemy positions or occupying cities.

This time, in the face of a fierce offensive launched by the Marathas, the Guangwei garrison troops drew on the Qi Army's 5th Mixed Regiment, the 9th Cavalry Regiment, and the Qi-Indian Army's 8th Mixed Regiment, with a total strength of 4,500 people, to form a task force, ready to bypass the Maratha attack line, break into their rear, and launch a fierce attack on the Maratha hinterland, so as to disrupt the opponent's offensive rhythm and gain the initiative on the battlefield.

It is said that the garrison headquarters debated the battle plan for only a moment, and soon reached a consensus, deciding to deal a severe blow to the Marathas to teach them a lesson.

Don't think that we, the Qi State, can only passively defend because of our lack of military strength. In our eyes, you Marathas are nothing but a "sell-out" group. How can we allow you to attack us at will?
When the attack order was issued, the officers and soldiers assigned to the task force were all excited and motivated.

By invading the heartland of the Marathas, wreaking havoc on local order and shaking the foundation of their rule, they will be able to seize more property and thus fill their own empty pockets.

On March 3, the task force left the mountainous area and reached the heavily defended city of Nashik, which is about 11 kilometers away from Nanxu (now Daman City). It is a major military town in the northwest of the Maratha Empire and the northern logistics center of the Maratha army's invasion of Guangwei. Its strategic position is extremely important.

The city walls are tall and strong, and there are more than 4,000 local garrisons stationed there. If conventional warfare were used, the army would need to surround the city, dig trenches, and slowly attack.

However, the task force commander Li Yanliang did not hesitate and directly ordered the entire army to attack the city immediately.

Under the cover of infantry musket fire, the heroic artillery troops, with a spirit of fearlessness and sacrifice, pushed several 55mm army light artillery to the vicinity of the city gate. After only three rounds of artillery fire, they blasted open the thick city gate.

The 8th Mixed Brigade of the Qi-Indian Army immediately rushed into the city with bayonets in hand and pushed back the defenders who were trying to block the gate.

The Marathas probably never thought that the Qi people would have the strength to launch a counterattack, and even bypass their attack line and suddenly appear at the gate of Nashik.

After the Qi army entered the city, these local garrison troops, who were like civilians, immediately fled in all directions, threw away their weapons, and hid in people's houses to avoid being hunted down.

The city of Nashik fell in twenty minutes, and several nearby forts and towns were captured one by one in the next two days.

A Maratha tribe leader who surrendered was astonished and said privately to his eldest son, "The fighting power of these Qi people is incredible, and their general is also an extremely courageous and resolute man. They came to the city in the morning, looked at the city wall, pushed out the cannon, and under the situation of arrows raining down from the top of the city, they quickly and accurately blasted open the city gate, annihilated all the defenders, and then had plenty of time to eat breakfast. I don't know how we Marathas can resist them!"

The victory in the first battle greatly boosted the morale of the entire army. After looting the entire city of Nashik, the task force set a fire and continued to move eastward four days later.

On March 3, the Qi army arrived at Gopalgaon, an important town on the north bank of the Godavari River.

The artillery fired only one round and the gunners had not yet completed their calibration work when the defenders simply opened the city gate and announced their surrender.

There was no other reason. The number of defenders in Gopalgaon was less than a thousand, and they were all old and weak local garrison troops. After hearing that the city of Nashik in front had been captured, the bigwigs in the city had already packed up their valuables and fled to Devagiri (now Aurangabad, India) in the rear.

Seeing the powerful Qi army coming, the generals left to defend the city no longer had the energy to continue resisting. After hearing the cannon fire, they simply surrendered the city to avoid being slaughtered by the Qi people.

This was indeed the case. Their voluntary surrender meant that the Qi army had no reason to carry out large-scale looting. They simply collected some "military labor fees", which to some extent saved the wealth of the people in the city.

After obtaining sufficient supplies, the Qi army rested for two days and continued to advance into the heart of the Maratha Empire.

On March 3, the army approached Devagiri.

Devagiri is located in the upper valley of the Godavari River and was the capital of the Yadava dynasty between the 12th and 14th centuries.

After the city was captured by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1631, it became an important center of imperial administration.

During the reign of Aurangzeb, this place was also an important base and temporary palace for his conquest of the Deccan.

After receiving the news of the Qi army's attack, the Prime Minister of the Maratha Empire, Salam Singh, who stayed behind, had gathered more than 30,000 soldiers from all over the place and stationed them in the city to prevent the Qi army from advancing further.

When the Qi army lined up outside the city, the Maratha army did not show any weakness. They filed out of the city, with more than 30,000 troops leaning against the city wall, confronting the Qi army from a distance.

In addition to more than 20,000 infantry, the Maratha army also had a large number of cavalry and artillery. It should be that the Marathas had withdrawn all the troops they could mobilize from the rear.

This large army was leaning against a thick city wall, with a shallow river in front of it. The infantry and artillery were in the center of the formation, with cavalry on both wings.

This is a fairly stable deployment that is not easily attacked. Although the small river ahead is in the dry season in winter and spring, if the Qi army attacks head-on, it will certainly greatly delay their actions.

It can be seen that the Marathas have been reborn after long-term training by mercenary officers from the French and other European countries. They know how to deploy troops and respond properly when facing a firearms army. At this time, all the officers in the Qi army array looked at the commander Li Yanliang, waiting for his decision. In terms of numbers, the enemy army is nearly seven times larger than ours, and backed by a strong city, it has an excellent geographical advantage. Even if we barely defeat the enemy in front of us, the enemy will retreat back to the city and hold on to the fortress.

But retreat was not the best option. The Marathas had cavalry twenty times their own, and it would be difficult for them to escape unscathed. Their baggage and artillery might all be lost, and they might even be pursued by the enemy, leading to the annihilation of their entire army.

If they chose to attack, they would only have 4,500 men, including 2,000 ground troops and 26 artillery pieces. The enemy would have 30,000 men and more than 50 artillery pieces, so the difference in strength was huge.

What was even more fatal was that the Qi army had marched more than 200 kilometers in more than 20 days. The soldiers and horses were exhausted and extremely tired. The attack seemed to be a futile effort.

"Attack!" Li Yanliang stopped his horse and watched for a moment, then gently put down the telescope and ordered loudly: "The 5th Mixed Army Regiment will attack the enemy's front with an attack array, the 8th Mixed Army of Qi and India will drag on the two wings, and the 9th Cavalry Regiment will be on standby behind the formation to protect the artillery position. Today, the entire army will work hard to advance, and we must be determined to break through the enemy's formation, and we will die! ... Great Qi will win!"

"Great Qi will win!"

"Great Qi will win!"

"Wan Sheng!"

As the military order was issued, the 5th Mixed Brigade of the Army quickly changed its formation, moved forward, and formed two parallel battle lines. At the commands of officers at all levels, responding to the high-spirited drums and trumpets, and marching in neat steps, it rushed towards the Maratha army without hesitation.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

The artillery of both sides opened fire in succession, and dozens of Maratha artillery pieces poured shells on the thin battle lines of the 5th Mixed Brigade of the Army.

During the march of more than 500 meters, these fearless warriors in navy blue uniforms were exposed to enemy artillery fire, and soldiers were constantly hit, screaming and falling to the ground. But the vacant positions in the battle line were quickly filled by soldiers who silently took up their positions, holding muskets and continued to advance at the set pace.

The fierce artillery bombardment blew the soldiers into pieces, and they screamed in pain, but the thin battle line formed by the 5th Mixed Regiment did not show any sign of wavering, and they still moved forward fearlessly, forward, and forward again.

When the column advanced to only sixty meters away from the Maratha army formation and could already see the frightened faces of the enemy soldiers, a familiar order came.

"Standing!"

"……Prepare!"

“…Raise your gun!”

"……shooting!"

The sound of orderly musket shots followed.

"……charge!"

The next order was for an all-out assault, and nearly two thousand soldiers from the Fifth Mixed Regiment, with bayonets pointed, rushed towards the chaotic Maratha formation through the gray-white smoke of shooting.

At this time, a strange scene appeared on the entire battlefield. The Maratha army with more than 30,000 people collapsed immediately when 2,000 Qi troops broke into their formation.

When more than 20,000 infantrymen were bombarded by artillery, great chaos broke out. These local garrison troops from different tribes and towns had never experienced such fierce artillery attacks, nor had they ever faced a intensive musket fire from the enemy at such a close distance.

When more than 700 soldiers at the front of the formation fell in front of them one after another, and then countless bayonets flashed coldly, piercing through the smoke and rushing towards them, everyone was frightened and subconsciously turned around and fled to the rear.

The most surprising thing was that the Maratha cavalry not only did not launch attacks on both wings to curb the momentum of the Qi army, but when the infantry collapsed, they turned their horses around without hesitation and rushed towards the city gate first.

"Sure enough, they are all a bunch of chickens and dogs!"

Li Yanliang waved his hand and ordered the entire army to press forward, chasing the Marathas and charging into the city in one go.

"Commander, we won!" Chen Yongli, the third-class tactical staff officer of the Guangwei Garrison Army's General Staff and the Imperial Guard Captain, shouted with surprise.

"Well, we won." Li Yanliang nodded calmly and tried his best to control the corners of his mouth so as not to burst into laughter.

Damn, I won the gamble with my life!
Although the Maratha army had undergone a series of modernization reforms and training, and the weapons they were equipped with were not much different from those of the Qi people, their military system and combat mode were still traditional and backward.

Even the most "modernized" new firearms troops of the Maratha did not reach the professional level of Qi, and were even less organized than the Qi-Indian Army, which was mainly composed of Indian natives.

The biggest problem facing the Maratha army was the lack of a large number of officers and non-commissioned officers trained in new tactics.

Not to mention the highly professional Qi Army, even in the Qi-Indian Army, each battalion had at least twenty-five Qi officers (or Qi people born in India) who had received systematic education and training.

On the other hand, among the Maratha troops, even in the best condition, a Maratha battalion would have only one or two European mercenary officers or Eurasian officers, but they would have to command more than 500 soldiers.

When the Marathas launched a war against the Qi, the number was even lower, because the Qi's stern warnings and death threats caused many European mercenary officers to leave the Maratha army before the war.

There were almost no local Marathas to fill the gaps left, and they never established a military academy to train a professional officer corps.

Therefore, it can be said that Maratha officers at all levels are of "wild origin", and their combat effectiveness depends entirely on the amount of personal experience they have gained.

This time, the Marathas launched a massive attack on the Qi-Guangwei Governorate, and a large number of "experienced" officers led their troops to the front line with Bajirao I. So, it is easy to imagine what the quality of the generals and officers who stayed behind was.

In fact, for the Marathas, it was by no means an easy task to truly modernize the traditional tribal army.

Training and managing an army requires a management body whose members should be selected at least to some extent on the basis of their abilities, should have received a long professional education, and should perform their duties relatively honestly and efficiently.

This would be a huge and difficult reform for the Maratha and other tribal leaders, where nepotism and family relationships are prevalent, and it would also mean abolishing traditional military leaders, that is, depriving tribal leaders or chiefs of direct power.

Moreover, keeping abreast of the latest military developments required considerable academic freedom and a scientific attitude that was incompatible with the absolute rule of the Maratha nobility.

Organizing an army on the Qi or European model required arming and educating the common people, whose obedience the nobles took for granted.

The most important thing is tolerance of new ideas and voluntary reform of old ways of behavior. For the Marathas who govern their lives by ancestral laws and religious teachings, anyone who holds such ideas should be hostile and cursed.

If you want to create a military force that can rival Qi, you must reform the entire society, not just the army and introduce some advanced weapons.

In addition, there will be a period of intense pain when power is taken away from the country's traditional military aristocracy and other elites.

It is obvious that the Marathas are unwilling to go through the pain of birth, and even less willing to reform society. So, how much combat effectiveness can the new army that they have spent a huge amount of money to build have?

(End of this chapter)