The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 52
December 1723, 12, two o'clock in the afternoon, Multan city.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

Sarbanda Sonowal squatted on the ground holding the gun, looking at the city of Multan in front of him, which seemed to be shaking and shaking under the bombardment of artillery round after round, and large chunks of rammed earth were falling. Falling, countless gravels were splashing, and it seemed that the defenders on the city wall could still vaguely hear the screams from time to time.

In a battle in the morning, Sarbanda Sonowal's Xizhou garrison army easily defeated more than 22 mobs in the suburbs less than three kilometers away from Multan city, killing and wounding more than [-] prisoners. The rest fled back to Multan city in embarrassment.However, only five of the Xizhou garrison were killed and [-] wounded, so the losses were minimal.

Subsequently, the army quickly arrived at the city of Multan. After spending a lot of time building a temporary camp, they gathered again and began to prepare to attack the city.

Just when the Qi Army artillery team wasted no time setting up their positions, a huge balloon rose into the sky.A wooden basket was hung under the balloon, and two Qi State artillery observers were riding in it. In addition to providing the army commander with information about the entire battlefield, they also provided precise guidance for the subsequent artillery bombardment.

This was not the first time that Sarbandar Sonowal saw this magical high-altitude balloon. When he was stationed in Tianjin, whenever there was a military confrontation drill, the Qi people would raise this kind of balloon to provide each other with accurate offensive information. Target.

He even saw that the Qi people had tentatively moved a large number of hand-thrown bombs onto balloons to launch attacks on the enemy from the air.However, in August last year, either due to an operational error or the jet of flames detonating the bomb, the beautiful balloon was ignited by the huge explosion in the basket, turned into a ball of sky fire, and quickly fell to the ground.

This accident caused the death of three Qi soldiers, including a school lieutenant, which made people sigh.Later, the Qi people temporarily stopped the practice of dropping bombs from high altitudes, but continued to use it as an observation tool.

However, in Sarbandar Sonowal's view, this kind of experiment by the people of Qi is very amazing.Because the enemy has almost no way to deal with this kind of high-altitude attack and can only passively suffer "bombing" from the air.

Even further, the people of Qi can use this kind of balloon to carry a large number of soldiers, bypass the strong and tall city, land at the weak defense in the city, attack the enemy from behind, and then collapse their resistance.

Sarbanda Sonowal, who is a servant of the Qi people, does not reject him deep down in his heart, and even has some affection and closeness to him.He is a Hindu, but sadly, he is a Sudra, a person at the bottom of the fourth caste, who is born dirty. He is called "a Sudra among men, a horse among beasts, both are carriers" tool".

In India, the status of the four castes is different, and there is a huge disparity between them.Because of the different castes, even if they live in the same village, they hear the sounds of chickens and dogs but never interact with each other until death.Low-caste people like Sarbanda Sonowal are not even allowed to pass the houses of high-caste people, otherwise they may be attacked with cow dung and human urine, or violently beaten.

Of course, the people who are more miserable than their fourth caste are the so-called "untouchables", in other words, the untouchables.They have the lowest social status, are the most discriminated against, and are excluded from society.Their job is to sweep floors, clean toilets, and dispose of animal carcasses.In rural areas, they are only allowed to live outside the village or in a designated area. They are not allowed to use the same well as other castes and have no right to enter temples to worship gods.

In some areas, even the shadows and footprints of untouchables may cause pollution to other castes.When the untouchables see a Brahmin, they must kneel on the roadside far away to let the Brahmins pass first. The untouchables must also carry an earthen pot and a broom with them. The earthen pot is hung around their necks for spitting, and the broom is used for sweeping the floor to avoid defilement. passing road.

However, in the Xizhou governor-general controlled by the Qi people, these strict caste systems were weakened intentionally or unintentionally. The Brahmin Code was abolished, and some Brahmin caste privileges were deprived and restricted. The Qi colonial government directly cited a series of local laws to prohibit discrimination and unfair treatment based on caste.The implementation of these laws brought legal order and personal protection to the society in the Viceroyalty, and also indirectly fought for some equal rights for lower caste groups.

The people of Qi even recruited a large number of low-caste people into the army, expanding the scope of soldiers and breaking the monopoly of the original Kshatriya class on military status.

When Sarbanda Sonowal joined the garrison, not only her income and benefits were fully guaranteed, but her status and status also experienced earth-shaking changes, and she was also full of beautiful expectations for her future life.In the army, regardless of whether you belonged to the high castes of Brahmin or Kshatriya, or the low castes of Vaishya or Sudra, you must obey the unified management of Qi officers and strictly follow orders.As long as those with outstanding performance will be promoted to non-commissioned officers, they may even become a respected low-ranking officer.In the army, although low-caste soldiers will still be discriminated against, even verbally insulted, and violently threatened by high-caste soldiers in private, compared with the original Mughal Empire, life for low-caste people is undoubtedly easier. There is more, and there is more hope.

This time he marched into Multan and helped the Nawab Kingdom suppress the civilian riots. Sarbanda Sonowal responded with deep sympathy and believed that the civilians who initiated the riots were a group of pitiful people who were being treated by officials at all levels. They were oppressed arbitrarily and humiliated at will by the upper caste people. They worked all day long but did not have enough to eat.

Now, they will definitely suffer defeat under the powerful military attack of Qi State.Yes, although those rioting civilians numbered as many as 3, they were ten times the number of troops stationed in Xizhou.But no matter in terms of weapons and equipment or training level, they are no match for the garrison army.

As long as the city of Multan is breached, the outcome of the rioting civilians will be very tragic.The accompanying army of the Nawab Kingdom has received orders from King Azim I and will impose severe punishments on civilians who participated in the riots to warn all people, especially those of lower castes, that those who dare to resist will be completely punished. of liquidation.

Sighing softly, Sarbanda Sonowal turned to look at the Qi commander behind the formation and found that his expression seemed to be relatively relaxed. He was looking at the city of Multan in front of him, with a look on his face that was similar to his age. Incompatible stability.

As if sensing Sarbanda Sonowal's gaze, Li Yanliang glanced at him with majestic eyes, frightening the opponent to immediately turn his head and remain on standby to attack.

Multan, located on the lower reaches of the Chenab River, has a population of about 30. It is an ancient city with a history of 2000 years. It is the most important military town in the Punjab region after Lahore. The temple of Surya, the Hindu sun god, is located there. Located in the city.Back then, Alexander the Great was attacked and besieged by a large army during his eastern expedition.In the 11th and 12th centuries, the area attracted a large number of Sufi mystics, giving the city the reputation of the "Holy City".

Decades ago, when Prince Akbar established the Nawab Kingdom, he established this city as the capital. After years of construction, the city has high walls and thick walls, which cannot be easily destroyed by the army's light artillery.However, after the Xizhou garrison arrived at the city, they launched an attack on it without taking any rest, with the momentum of destroying the city immediately.

"If there is no internal response, even if the artillery bombards for several days, it may not be able to break through the city. In this way, the commander still ordered the entire army to attack, which must be very successful. I don't know how to launch this pre-arranged back-up move. ?" Li Yanliang looked up at the city wall and couldn't help but think to himself.

At this time, the balloon in the sky suddenly sent out a signal, and a small red flag kept waving.At the same time, the soldier in the gondola dropped a cloth bag containing a note. The intelligence staff on the ground picked it up and hurried towards the commander of the army, Linghu Lieutenant Colonel Jiang Chuntang.

"Order, all officers and soldiers are ready to enter the city!" After Jiang Chuntang read the font in his hand, a pleased smile appeared on his face, "After entering the city, we must first control the strategic points in the city, including the palace, official treasury, armory, and the residences of major ministers. , must be protected to avoid being plundered and destroyed by insurgents."

"Yes, sir!"

"Go ahead and order the officers and soldiers not to engage in excessive killings. As long as they surrender their weapons, they will be spared death."

"Yes, sir."

"By the way, after entering the city, we must control several important organizers of the mob. ... Of course, if there is resistance, we can deal with it decisively and do not leave it to the Nawab Kingdom's army."

(End of this chapter)