November 14th, 1655.


    Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, The region of Gujarat, The City of Karnavati


    The unit of Bharatiyamandos was just dispatched to the region of Baluchistan yesterday, and back in the empire, the preparations for the war have started in full swing. As Vijay had already predicted the harshness of the environment of the region of Balochistan, he had prepared a lot of equipment to be used by the military.


    Unfortunately, unknown to Vijay, although the preparation he is making might be sufficient for the army, it would not be sufficient for the Bharatiyamandos who were just dispatched, since their mission was not only collecting information but also to do so stealthily.


    Their tasks generally require them to work in unusual ces and take the more dangerous route, like climbing the hills or navigating through the wilderness at night, in order to reach their objective and avert any suspicious gazes. This problem is not found with the army, as they had no reason to hide their presence when entering the area they wished to conquer.


    The efficiency of iron production in the empire had increased once again with the frenzy of the war. With the innovation of a scientist from the Bharatiya Academy of Sciences, rail and carriage systems were implemented in the process of mining, making the logistic trouble of iron ore transportation easier.


    Consequently, with the non-stop operation of the st furnaces, more workers became familiar with the process, and more iron was churned out in this boom of production.


    The already turbocharged heavy industry in the empire, Due to orders issued by Vijay, the military began procuring four categories of tools immediately for the battle of Baluchistan, and with these orders, the industry of the empire became even more frantic, simr to the injection of NOS in an already turbocharged car, squeezing out all the horsepower the engine could withstand and fighting for each and every advantage in speed.


    Factories were continuously built to meet the demand immediately. The Riverbank industrial zones were being upied at a breakthrough pace, and ns were being made to create an industrial zone in the region of Gujarat too, since Gujarat is blessed with ample water resources from multiple rivers flowing through its hearnds.


    However, Vijay held it back since the area is not fully integrated, and there is a very high possibility that there would be a lot of spies still lurking around in the region.


    As for the tools Vijay ordered, they were in four categories. The first one is trench warfare tools such as shovels, spades, pickaxes, barbed wires, and wooden stakes. All of these tools are very easy to produce but they are very effective during warfare.


    The second order Vijay ced was for the textile industry. He orderedrge quantities of camougeting for the army to build their tents as well as to use as camouging equipment.


    The third order was for survival gear, which included things like canteens made of copper. At first, Vijay did not want to use copper as the material, as currently, copper prices had risen due to copper coins being dumped into the market in order to stabilize the price of Varaha notes and coins, as these copper coins are currently used for small transactions by themon people of the empire.


    Unfortunately, excluding copper, his other options were limited.


    Vijay contemted using wood for making small bottles but ultimately dismissed the idea due to the extensive manpower required for productionpared to other options. As a result, wood was ruled out as a viable choice.


    Next options: y or ceramic were easy to break, silver was even more expensive than copper, and brass, although usable, was heavier than iron and still a lot more expensive than the already high-priced copper. Vijay also considered iron, but he immediately rejected the idea due to its susceptibility to rust; if iron was used, within a few weeks, the water stored would be unusable.


    Tin could also be used, but it is a softer metal that could be easily damaged, and ss was out of the question. So, the final option was only copper, which was already used as amon utensil to carry water for its antibacterial properties. Hence begrudgingly, Vijay gave in to reason and decided to use copper.


    Fortunately In order to meet this rising demand, Vijay had opened a few copper mines in the empire in order to keep the cost of copper from skyrocketing. Although the subcontinent is not self-sufficient in copper as the deposits make up only 2% of the world’s reserves, it is still enough for the current state of the empire.


    So, remembering the minor copper ores in the southern part of the subcontinent from his previous life, Vijay opened the copper mines in Agnigund (Andhra Pradesh), Chitradurg and Hasan (Karnataka), and South Arcot (Tamil Nadu) districts.


    Apart from canteens, Vijay also designed and prepared mess kits, which proved helpful for portable cooking as they contained both cooking and eating utensils. The manufacturing was done in two versions. In the first version, each mess kit was provided for one soldier, equipped with eating utensils.


    In the second version, the kit was designated for a squad member responsible for cooking for the entire squad during independent operations, as it contained cooking utensils.


    Turning to food provisions, Vijay inspected the rationing by the logistics department to ensure adequate stock for the uing battle. Recognizing the arid and desert climate of Baluchistan, he ordered the production of nkets tobat the potentially cold nights. Additionally, fire-starting tools such as standardized flint and steel were ordered for igniting fires in the challenging terrain.


    With orders pouring in for thousands of pieces, all the industries involved in manufacturing these products thrived under the massive scale of demand. Items such as shovels, spades, and picks rolled immediately off the production line. The empire saw a new production line installed every few hours to meet the growing needs of the military.


    The production of barbed wiremenced, made from an iron alloy containing about 0.35% carbon, in order to obtain a metal that is both durable and stic enough to be bent without breaking. Interestingly, this alloy is simr to the material used in the 1 Varaha coin. A new copper canteen production line was also immediately set up.


    The copper raw material was promptly moulded and forged into copper canteens, and finally, with the stamping of the seal, they rolled off the production line as well.


    The fourth andst piece of equipment Vijay ordered was hiking and climbing gear used to traverse the harsh terrain of Baluchistan.


    This gear included ropes, harnesses, carabiners, and fortified boots designed for improved traction and support.


    With all this gear, Vijay felt the military should be ready for the expedition.


    However, even after all these preparations, a problem arose regarding the inability to use cannons in the warzone. It’s not that the cannons couldn’t be used or that the physics of the region differed; rather, it’s the transportation of the carriages manufactured by the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire that was the problem. The terrain of Balochistan does not allow for smooth carriage transportation.


    Even if one location can be reached, it’s uncertain if the carriage could be taken to the next location due to potential obstacles like hills or mountains.


    Vijay, still unaware of the political and military centres of Baluchistan, wanted to prepare more for the battle and provide more versatility to the army in case cannons could not be used.


    So, Vijay decided to design and develop a kind of artillery that could be mobile and carried with the soldiers in a modr form, assembled and directly used in battle.


    For this construction, Vijay set a few prerequisites for himself. Firstly, the artillery should not weigh more than 500 kg, with each module being detachable and no part exceeding 50 kilograms. Secondly, the parts should be reliable and durable, capable of functioning in war conditions, including extreme dust storms.


    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Lastly, the projectiles should be readily avable, without requiring extra projectiles to be carried by the army, as Vijay did not want to increase the logistic pressure of the military which was already at a super high level.


    *Step, step, step...*


    Vijay, still in the Karnavati Castle which he named himself, was walking around the room which he converted into his makeshift design studio, thinking about the possible options that he could use for the construction of artillery he requires.


    He went through many options in his head, but he rejected them one by one due to various reasons that did not match his ideas. After being stuck in his mind without any lead for a few hours, he suddenly realized something. "Why does it have to be a ready-made design? Can’t I develop it myself?" he thought, and with this thought, his eyes lit up.


    He felt like he had opened a new path in gun development within his own understanding of his knowledge.


    So, Vijay quickly picked the Roman Scorpion mobile artillery design, which he felt matched his specifications somewhat, and worked on it further.


    The Roman Scorpion was an ancient artillery device utilized by the Romans during antiquity. Originally introduced by the Greeks, it waster adopted and refined by the Romans to better suit their military needs. The Romans valued the scorpion greatly, employing it for various purposes including siege warfare, infantry support, naval battles, defence of fortifications, and psychological warfare.


    yes, you heard it right, it’s psychological warfare.


    When fired, the scorpion emitted a terrifying sound that instilled fear in enemy soldiers. Unlike other siege artillery, the scorpion was specifically designed to target humans rather than stationary objects. Its uracy and power were unparalleled for its time, capable of disrupting enemy formations with a single shot.


    No shield could adequately withstand the force of its blows, making it a formidable weapon on the battlefield.


    Due to these reasons, Vijay decided to take Scorpion as a foundation and build on top of it.


    Since he decided on the modr artillery mechanism, he designed each module one at a time in such a way that each of these modules would be assembled together to form the Bharatiya Scorpion Grenadeuncher.


    The first part was the main beam. Serving as the foundation for the weapon, Vijay decided on wooden nks joined together with strong dowels and tenon joints. A robust metal band would be wrapped around the beam at stress points, specifically near the connecting points, for reinforcement and securing the nails.


    Additionally, the main beam contains several holes that serve as slots for the rest of the mechanism to be installed.


    The next part is the design for the spring housing. A sturdy wooden box would be crafted to house the powerful torsion spring, where one end of the spring would be securely anchored to the housing, and the other end would be used topress the spring and store the potential energy.


    This usage of spring is a significant upgrade from the traditional Roman scorpion, as it did not use a spring but instead relied on stic ropes or tendons.


    The next module was the winch and gear system.


    Vijay designed this system to make it easier to pull the arm and enable the use of more powerful strings, thereby increasing the range. Firstly, Vijay designed a wooden winss with a crank handle and gears. The winch would be positioned on the main beam with a mechanism to engage the gears andpress the spring, ready to be released at any time.


    The final module is the throwing arm.


    With Vijay’s design, the throwing arm would be crafted from two sections of wood connected by a metal hinge. The front section would have a metal cup designed to hold the projectile. As for why it is a cup, the answer is that this artillery would not be firing any spike or arrow-like projectiles but would be using the already avable weapon in the logistics catalogue, the frag grenade.


    Though he hadn’t fullypleted his calctions, Vijay could conclude that if the range of the artillery reached more than what he expected, the frag grenade’s fuse could be extended for the perfect timing of the st.


    The second part of the throwing arm is directly connected to the main beam. Since this part serves as the rotationalponent of the machine, metal ball bearings would be embedded within the throwing arm to reduce friction during movements. Simrly, Vijay designed holes in the throwing arm sections for attaching it to the main beam.


    After finalizing the design, Vijay concluded that The Bharatiya Scorpion grenadeuncher could reach a range of 100 meters and weigh no more than 500 kilograms, Which was derived after calcting the individual weight of each part used in the artillery. With the modrization of the artillery, they should be easy to carry.


    With the design of the artillerypleted, Vijay also went on to write a guide to the assembly of the artillery:


    Step One: Preparation - Identify and ensure allponents are present.


    Step Two: Main Beam cement - Position the main beam on the chosen tform and secure it firmly by driving sticks or wedges into the ground.


    Step Three: Spring Housing Attachment - Using the designated slots on the main beam, attach the spring housing.


    Step Four: Throwing Arm Assembly - Connect the sections of the throwing arm using the hinge and designated lock-in pin.


    Step Five: Attach the assembled throwing arm and carefully install it on the designated slots on the main beam, securing it with wooden dowels.


    Step Six: Check the functioning of the winch and gear system and carefully install it onto the main beam after proper lubrication.


    Step Seven: Install the spring onto the spring housing and check itspression.


    Step Eight: Load the grenade.


    Step Nine: Safety Check.


    Step Ten: After carefully measuring and calcting the projection and distance,unch the grenade.


    *chick, chick*


    The Quill pen drenched in ink, which Vijay was holding gently, fell to the ground as he leaned back onto his chair with a tired expression.


    *groan*


    Vijay groaned in pain as he had been writing continuously for thest two hours, but fortunately, he hadpleted the design. He immediately sent the design through the clipper to the capital Hampi, as heliographmunication was yet to be established. With Vijay’s orders being conveyed to the government, The government should prepare these artillery within a week.


    As for whether it would be possible? Well, actually, yes.


    Deliberately, Vijay chose wood as a raw material for the scorpion grenadeuncher instead of metal, despite its greater durability and strength. This decision was due to the avability of the production capacity of wooden products in the empire, as the heavy industry was already struggling to satisfy the orders of weapons for the empire.


    Although the timber industry was also blooming in the empire, the small-time woodworkers were still capable of taking over this task, Since there were not too high uracy requirements for the scorpion grenadeuncher, Vijay’s decision to use wood was a deep consideration of weight and production capabilities.