THE SUN ALWAYS RISES IN THE EAST
PROLOGUE
Sultan Aurangzeb stood atop his palace rooftop garden in Akbarabad as the dawn faithfully raised the sun once more. He watched it with intrigue, his aged features studied it dreamily as heat haze began to distort the golden horizon. This place was the throne of power which ruled almost the entire Indian Subcontinent. I noted that he had a certain Aura about him, whilst he was standing directly below Allah his court musician playing a distinctly Persian melody. From the way he stood beneath the magnificent decorative pillars designed and constructed by his Architect I could tell he was putting a good deal of weight on his cane, although his 82 year old frame didn't sway in the light breeze which buffeted us.
Aurangzeb is a devout Muslim, it troubles him greatly that his faith is in the minority in India with Hinduism rapidly spreading like a disease and the Sikhs in Punjab maintaining a strong, almost fanatical following. Naturally, the Hindus and Sikhs see him and the Mughals as oppressors. The Sikhs in particular refer to him as 'Aurangzeb the Tyrant'. In recent years he has begun to put more Rupee into the advancement of the once mighty Mughal Imperial Army. As I wrote about his character he caught me off guard as he addressed me.
The sun always rises in the East, Mahjid Farah. It has always been this way, it will always be this way.
I said nothing.
Just recently I came to a decision. I am a man of tradition, Mahjid. A descendent of the fearsome Timurids!
His words echoed slightly. I noticed the musician began to play a more mellow tune.
The Mughal Empire is in decline. I have watched over our lands as Religious intolerance has reached an all time high, we now sit precariously on the brink of widespread revolt and rebellion. We are still strong, but we are a shadow of our former might. Me and my ministers allowed ourselves to stagnate the past two decades. The upstart Marathas in the south rally more to their cause daily, we currently do not have the military capability to entirely crush the Hindu rebels. Mysore; a Muslim friend of old have distanced themselves from us, perhaps to fall in league with the Marathas.
I continued to write, peering up from my scroll every now and then to see if Aurangzeb had stopped his pacing.
But Mahjid! That is not the worst of it! Europeans, the West, come and claim lands which they have no business with. Men such as these Europeans are not to be trusted. I fear they come to pick apart our Empire whilst they sense it is weakened. That is why we trade with them, so they may have our goods at the price of gold, rather than our lands at the price of blood. Look to the south! Portugal holds Goa, the Dutchmen Ceylon... We would be fools to assume the rest of Europe is content with Trade. Why would they, when they could invade us; taking advantage of the state of unrest and war throughout India. No... as I said, Mahjid, I am a man of tradition. I would see the Mughals fight the Hindus, the Sikhs... I would even turn Mughal Imperial blades on other followers of Islam in order to defend against the greater enemy of the Europeans!
Aurangzeb leant over his cane a little as his burst of energy caused a series of deep chesty coughs. I was fascinated. My name is Mahjid Farah, I am a young scholar of proud Persian descent. I studied in Ottoman Anatolia until I returned to Esfahan, where I had found myself honoured to be requested to write a biography of sorts on Aurangzeb, Mughal Emperor. Little did I know I would be the witness to the embarking of a great journey for the Mughal people. I stayed in Aurangzeb's palace and was relayed battle reports and letters from all corners of the Empire, in order to collate them and write out the legacy of the Mughals.
CHAPTER 1
The Imperial Throne room was silent as Aurangzeb stripped former head of government Ghazi-ud-din of his position and had the palace guards throw him outside the gates. His replacement was a capable man. Far more suited to the important role than the imbecile Ghazi.
Aurangzeb then signed trade agreements with my homelands Persia as well as European nations Spain, France, Great Britain, the Dutch, Portugal and even New Spain in the far off Americas in order to stem their thirst for Indian resources.
Troops who had been trying to hamper the growth of the Marathas in Bijapur, a battle lost long ago were moved to reinforce Hyderabad.
These reinforcements were well timed as the Hindu Marathas launched an assault a few months later.
THE BATTLE OF HYDERABAD FORTRESS, SUMMER 1700
The defenders waited patiently as the Marathas marched purposefully towards the fortress the Mughals had occupied. The Mughal commander, Zulfiker Khan was Aurangzebs favourite of all his Generals.
As the Marathas prepared to scale the fort walls the defenders fired their muskets down into the rabble. Wall mounted defense cannons pounded their exposed position.
Some Hindus escaped the artillery barrage from above and managed to get atop of the walls. The majority of the Mughal army was not proficient in close combat. The two units of Islamic Swordsmen under the command of Zulfiker Khan would prove vital in the battle if more climbed the walls.
Soon enough the wall defenders, many of them civilian levies were being pushed back by the determined assault.
General Zulfiker sent the one of the Islamic swordsmen units out through the gate to prevent more Hindus from scaling the fortifications.
Although outnumbered they had the upper hand over the musket armed Marathas thanks to their swords, valour and close combat proficiency.
The Hindu swordsmen had secured the left portion of the wall after massacring many Mughal civilians. The second unit of Islamic swordsmen moved to intercept them before they could set up defensive positions in the middle of the fort.
The bold move to charge the swordsmen out of the front fortress gate paid off as the Bargir Infantry scrambled to push into the fort. In and around the gateway the swordsmen could confine and butcher them.
Smoke and gunpowder could be seen through the downpour from far away as the assault continued. Whilst outside the gate the other Islamic swordsmen were racked by the brute force of a full frontal cavalry charge. Luckily the battlement cannons and sustained musket fire quickly routed the cavalry unit.
Again on the inside of the fortress the Tufangi levies began to fire down from the battlements into the Hindu swordsmen who were about to engage with their Islamic counterpart.
The battle was won, at a high cost of Mughal life. As the final few Hindus begin to flee along with their commanding officer.
General Zulfiker ordered disengagement once the Marathas were on the run. With no highly mobile forces or cavalry at his disposal pursuit would be a waste of time. Instead he commissioned the removal and burial of the valiant Muslim defenders who gave their life for the Empire. Several cannons and part of the structure of the fortress needed to be repaired too.
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The Trade agreements signed with the range of European nations was being heavily raided by Pirates as far away as the African Coast. Little could be done as the Mughals had no fleet worth mentioning at the time of writing. Sultan Aurangzeb made a mental note of the issue however, I am sure.
As 1700 came to a close Aurangzeb commissioned the construction of a larger barracks at the Imperial capital Akbarabad. Roads, Farms, Rice Paddies and various other forms of infrastructure construction were also underway.
"We have the manpower. We have the bodies. We have the swords to fight the uprising and enemies. But our Empire is so vast that logistics is almost impossible. I don't want to commit the forces in Punjab to the battles in the south because the Punjabis and Sikhs there would be without a reason
News was received in Summer 1701 that the Marathas have intensified assaults on Ahmednagar. Particularly against the Mughal's trading ports in the region.
As the Summer drags on the true severity of Marathas presence in the ports comes to light. Income is slashed by more than half. This has seriously hindered the plans for economical infrastructure and perhaps more importantly - the re-militarisation of the vulnerable southern provinces. Troops are scrambled the area but the roads are still not quite good enough for the most efficient travel.
The final month of Summer in 1701 brought even graver news. The Islamic state Mysore has acted out against the Portuguese occupation in Goa, massacring colonial soldier, militia and European traders alike. Aurangzeb, although uneducated is a wise leader of his people. He warned his cabinet only the short sighted would relish in the vanquishing of the Portuguese.
"Absolutely; the European military and trade presence in Indian mainland is no more; but now a state of war exists between the Mysorians and Portuguese. We would be fools to think they will take such a loss in stride. The Indians are inexorably being pushed into a conflict with the Europeans."
The Persians expand north. Politically and Militarily pressuring the Ottomans in Mesopotamia. As a result the Ottomans cancel their trade agreement with the Mughals to focus on the Persian threat. I cannot help but feel a little patriotic upon receiving the news, Aurangzeb is less than pleased with his belligerent neighbours however.
Graver still, when in October the Marathas in the ports had still not been removed. From this Hindu occupation a smaller army formed and laid siege to Ahmadnagar.
If Ahmadnagar was lost to the marauding Marathas the central and most valuable provinces under Mughal rule would be up for grabs and the Empire would certainly not be able to defend them all. Luckily the reinforcements from the north had almost completed their march and liberation of the Mughal trade lanes and Ahmadnagar was at hand.
A A R S
:: The Sun always rises in the East :: Flawless Crowns :: Dancing Days ::
"We kissed the Sun, and it smiled down upon us."