1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 931 Aurangzeb's Choice
Jamnagar, January 1677, 1.

When Babur, the founding king of the Mughal dynasty, moved from Central Asia to India, his army was invincible when facing the various kingdoms of India, and the battle process was also in a crushing mode.They not only have powerful artillery and muskets, but also have the strong military qualities of Central Asian and Persian soldiers.Even in a headwind situation where the battle situation is unfavorable and the generals are killed, they can still fight tenaciously.

Later, the great Emperor Akbar of the empire carried out military reforms, which further improved the training, management and equipment levels of the troops, and laid a good and solid foundation for the empire to expand its territory in India.

But I don't know when, the once brave Mughal Empire army has gradually become a little "weak" and can no longer fight.

Decades ago, the Mughal army lost all three battles with the Persian Safavid Empire in the battle for Kandahar, so that the army suffered from "phobia".

In the subsequent melee of the succession to the throne, there were many defeats in which the entire army was defeated.In the course of many battles, the imperial army fought bravely in the downwind situation, fearing that they would not get credit for it, but once the situation was slightly unfavorable to their own side, their morale would be shaken immediately, and they would even flee timidly.

You know, when these various problems broke out in the Mughal army, less than 50 years had passed since the reign of Akbar!
As a foreign conqueror in India, most of the soldiers under the command of the Mughal emperor Babur came from the bitter cold mountains and deserts of Central Asia.These people grew up in a barren and difficult environment, and cultivated the excellent qualities of being hardworking, brave and good at fighting.At the same time, they also integrated the weapons and equipment, strategies and tactics of the Turks, Mongols, and Afghans, and possessed a terrifying combat effectiveness far exceeding that of the local princely troops of India.

However, as they went deeper into the South Asian subcontinent step by step, and gradually took root in the warm and fertile land of India, they were inevitably infected by the warm and humid climate and comfortable and affluent life here, and their combat effectiveness began to degrade rapidly. Gradually, he was blown away by the wind of extravagance and pleasure.

The Mughal Empire, and the Qing Dynasty, which appeared more than a century later, were both empires established by foreign conquerors, and they all faced the problem of the degradation of their original military strength.The difference is that the Mughal Empire could bring in more powerful sources of foreign soldiers from northwest India to replenish the army with more vigorous fresh blood.Compared with the sparsely populated Sauron soldiers in the Qing Dynasty and the no longer glorious Mongolian soldiers, the brave soldiers in Hezhong, Persia, Afghanistan and other places can be said to be endless.

However, starting from Akbar, three consecutive generations of Mughal emperors, in order to stabilize their rule, vigorously wooed local Hindu princes in India, allowing more and more Indians to participate in the military and political affairs of the empire.It even played the banner of "India is India for Indians".After marrying the daughters of Hindu princes, Akbar introduced these nobles into the court and let them hold important positions in the military and political system.

When Akbar ascended the throne, almost all the commanders in the Mughal army were foreigners from Central Asia and Persia. After 1582, only 200 of his more than 80 main military officers came from outside India. More than 120 people have become people of local Indian origin.

This reform has indeed eased the contradictions between outsiders and Indian natives, and enhanced the cohesion of the empire.However, as Indian natives gradually occupied an important position in the imperial military and political system, the activities of "supporting the army" in Central Asia and Persia, where traditional sources of troops were imported, were curbed.The chances of soldiers who were stronger and tougher than the Indians going out of the mountains, deserts and grasslands to make contributions to the Mughal Empire were also greatly reduced.

The fierce outsiders in the past continued to degenerate on the land of India, and the fresh blood from the outside could not be replenished in time. The Mughal army gradually began to be led by Indian soldiers.However, there is a big gap between Indian soldiers and those outsiders in terms of physical fitness, military literacy and morale.

Compared with the Central Asians who can tolerate the severe cold climate and poor environment, the Indian soldiers who enjoy the warm climate and fertile land in South Asia are obviously less able to tolerate unfavorable combat situations and harsh environments, and they have not developed in areas that are not as good as India. Enthusiasm to expand territory.

Back then, when Shah Jahan organized the campaign to march into Central Asia, facing the Uzbeks who were constantly harassing them and the natural environment that was much more difficult than India, the Mughal soldiers quickly developed unfavorable emotions such as war weariness and homesickness, which led to This costly military operation came to a bad end.

What they are worried about is not their tragic fate after defeat, but that once their side wins, they will be stationed in this desolate land and bid farewell to the "gentle nest" in their hometown.Therefore, a considerable number of officers in the army secretly hope that their side will be defeated, and then they can go back home in a legitimate way and enjoy the peaceful life in their hometown.

In order to boost the morale of the Qi army that landed this time, His Majesty the Emperor did not hesitate to lead an army of 15 by means of personal conquests, and marched from Delhi to Gujrat in a mighty manner.

However, after arriving in Ahmedabad, the army began to experience a relatively difficult journey. Sanand, Surendra Nagar, Jotila, Rajkot, Paddari, Troo Er, the large and small towns passing by were all attacked by the Qi army and suffered serious damage.

Not only was the army unable to get the supplies along the way, but they needed to appease the displaced refugees, take out precious food to help the people, use army officers and soldiers to clean up the ruins of the city, and then from the distant rear, bit by bit Transport the supplies needed by the army to the front.

Waiting to be killed in the small town of Jamnagar, the Mughal army all expected to complete their meritorious deeds in one battle. With an absolute superior force, they would make a quick battle and wipe out all the Qi troops who had fled here. Then the army returned safely to Delhi and continued to enjoy The good old days of happy life.

However, the army stormed for several days, not only failed to break through the small city and wiped out the Qi army, but caused the imperial army to suffer huge casualties.

The artillery that they relied on was beaten to the ground by others, and it was difficult to fight again; the cavalry, apart from jumping their horses and showing off their power, held down the ground for the army, and did not dare to attack the tight city defenses of the Qi army; In the middle of the battle, there were more than [-] casualties, morale was lost, and it was unbearable to drive.

Seven days ago, His Majesty the Emperor saw that the army suffered heavy casualties, the attack was weak, and the army's morale was obviously unstable, so he ordered the army to suspend the attack and rest for a day.

However, the army has not launched any attacks since that day, and has been in a state of "rest and reorganization", and has assumed a posture of besieging the Qi army for a long time.

For the Mughal army, this battle was completely a process of unilateral abuse.The Qi State has more artillery and stronger firepower, and their musket performance is better than that of the Mughal Army's matchlock guns, and the performance of the soldiers is also stronger and braver.

In the past, when relying on advanced firearms and a large number of people, the Mughal army was extremely calm when beating the rebel tribes in the northwest region. The exchange ratio on the battlefield was also more beneficial to the imperial army, and the results obtained were even more brilliant. Incomparable.

Even in the face of the Maratha cavalry coming and going like the wind, the Mughal Empire army can rely on sharp firearms and strong castles to beat those sturdy highland barbarians to pieces, and they can only travel to poor mountainous areas and remote villages, did not dare to confront the Mughal army head-on.

Today, more than [-] troops are besieging the humble and dilapidated town of Jamnagar. After several days of fierce attack, they have been unable to take it down, and instead lost troops and generals. In the end, they had no choice but to rely on the advantage of a large number of people to besiege the alignment army.

All the officers and soldiers are constantly praying to the great Allah, hoping that the Qi army in the city is not very rich in supplies, and the accumulated ammunition will not be too much. The army will be forced to run out of ammunition and food, and take the initiative to leave the city to accept surrender after ten days and a half months of hard work. .

Although it only took a few days to attack and defend the city, the Qi army's fierce firepower and well-trained musketeers still caused a serious psychological shadow on the Mughal army, and they dared not face the ants to attack the city.

This is not a war, it is clearly giving away the head!
Just when the Mughal army was expecting to disintegrate the resistance of the Qi army through the siege of the city, the army suddenly heard the news that their rear supply was cut off in the past few days.

It is said that a powerful Qi army appeared behind the imperial army and successively attacked Rajkot, Paddari, Morvi, Vanganel and other places, cutting off the supply routes in the rear.

However, officers at all levels in the army strictly stopped such unconfirmed rumors, claiming that this was false news deliberately spread by the Qi army to shake the morale of the imperial army and create favorable conditions for them to break out of the encirclement.

All the Mughal officers and soldiers were still half-believing in this news, thinking that the powerful imperial army has more than [-] people, and His Majesty personally sits in the army, how could it be attacked by the Qi army and run out of food? road.

But in the next two days, the food provided by the military logistics for officers and soldiers not only decreased, but also mixed with various wild vegetables and leaves, rice porridge and batter, so thin that they could look in the mirror.

As a result, people in the army suddenly panicked, and everyone felt a bad feeling in their hearts.

The army is out of food!
"Your Majesty, withdraw your troops." Aurangzeb's most trusted army commander, the Persian Saman Gudos, said solemnly: "We all underestimated the Qi people, and they even ambushed a powerful army behind us. Army. Undoubtedly, this small town of Jamnagar is naturally also a bait thrown by the Qi people, the purpose of which is to attract our 15 imperial army here, and then take the opportunity to cut off our rear supplies."

"In this situation, how to retreat?"

Aurangzeb was very annoyed at this time, thinking that since he led the army to attack the Quartet, he has been on the battlefield for decades, slaughtered countless local states and rebel tribes, and established illustrious martial arts.Unexpectedly, today in the state of Qi, he had found his way, but he was cut off from the way of retreat and the way of food supply, which made the army in a dilemma and fell into an extremely dangerous predicament.

"Your Majesty, please lead all the cavalry back to Ahmedabad quickly, and the old minister supervises the rest of the troops, and slowly retreat to the rear." Saman Gudos suggested.

"Jamnagar is more than 30 yojanas away from Ahmedabad (an ancient Indian length unit, 1 yojana is approximately equal to 11.2 kilometers), and the journey is far away. In addition... and the supply along the road is cut off, how can the army return to Ahmedabad safely? Bud." Aurangzeb asked in a deep voice.

"As long as His Majesty can return to Delhi safely, even if the army is exhausted, the empire still has unlimited possibilities to restore its incomparable strength again." Saman Gudos said with a smile: "The huge Mughal Empire can have no veterans, You can live without the 10,000+ army, but you can't live without Your Majesty."

"Saman, my dear comrade-in-arms, loyal subject." Aurangzeb couldn't help feeling a little moved, "I swear, when I return to Delhi, I will gather a powerful army again and crush the Qi people into countless I also assure you that your eldest son will inherit your title and all the wealth you possess, and become an indispensable and important minister of the empire."

In the Mughal Empire, no matter the official ranks at all levels, Mansabdar in the army, or even noble titles, they were lifelong to some extent, but they were not hereditary.Once they die, they will not only be deprived of all their privileges and benefits during their lifetime, but also unable to protect their children and grandchildren. The wealth they own will either be confiscated by the emperor, or become the food of other dignitaries.

But now, Aurangzeb felt that Saman Gudos sacrificed his life and led the army to the rear so that he could lead the cavalry to retreat to Ahmedabad first, and made a political guarantee to him that his eldest son Inherit the title and rank, and maintain the wealth he owns.

"Your Majesty, after this battle, try to make peace with Qi." Saman Gudos said solemnly: "Before this, all of us underestimated the people of Qi. Not only do they have strong sea power, they are enough to block Cut off the empire's overseas trade, and there is also a powerful land force that can cause serious damage to the empire's territory and cause a fatal blow to the imperial army. If they fall into a long-term war with them, it will inevitably weaken the overall strength of the empire. the enemies of the empire."

"After this... small setback, the empire wants to make peace with the Qi country. Wouldn't it damage the prestige of the empire, make the surrounding countries look down on it, and make the rebels in the empire laugh." Aurangzeb's face darkened.

"Your Majesty, the country of Qi came here just to ask for money and for trade." Saman Gudos saw that His Majesty was still unwilling to reconcile, and couldn't help but panic, and said eagerly: "Qi is tens of thousands of miles away from the empire. Gathering a large army and defeating the troops of the Qi State that landed will not cause great harm to the Qi State itself. However, the empire has to spend countless financial and material resources on this, depleting the precious imperial army. In this way, it will give those empires The enemy has an opportunity to attack."

"..." Aurangzeb was silent for a while when he heard the words, and then he sighed slightly, "It is war or peace with Qi, and we will talk about it when we safely withdraw to Ahmedabad. Tomorrow, I will receive eight thousand The cavalry turned to the northeast, and all the troops here will be handed over to you...Saman, you must come back alive to see me."

"The veteran will...do his best." Saman Gudos smiled. "Tomorrow, I will launch the most violent attack on Jamnagar. Your Majesty, be careful on the road!"

(End of this chapter)