Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

Chapter 316: Battle of Makran Part 2

November 23rd, 1655.

The city of Makran, Southeastern part of the Safavid Empire, on the Gulf of Oman.

The sun shone brightly over the Arabian Sea, with temperatures soaring to a sweltering 38 degrees Celsius. Along the sandy coastline of Balochistan near Chabahar Lake, an incredible sight unfolded. From the vantage point atop the hills, one could see around 400 canoes moving inland like a group of diligent marching ants.

Each canoe was borne aloft by a squad of Marines, carrying the boats on their heads as they advanced.

The Marines, covered in sand and dust, had faces filled with a mixture of sweat and dirt, making them look like wrestlers fighting in the mud. Some of their hands were shaking, unable to bear the weight of the boat, but with the constant encouragement echoing from their comrades, no one had the intention of dropping the boat.

A single canoe could weigh up to 400 kilograms, and with the Marines’ luggage also inside, the weight could go up to 600 kilograms or more. That’s over 60 kilograms distributed to each person if everyone were the same height, but unfortunately, they weren’t. So, some taller Marines had to bear extra weight for the shorter Marines.

Although this was unfortunate and could also be seen as unfair, no one complained as it was seen as acceptable because they were taught to "bear the weight for your brother when you can, and your brother will bear the weight for you."

A few minutes later, the Marines began to pant as their march slowed slightly. Sarvesh, leading at the forefront, bore the weight of his side of the canoe alone, as some Marines had advanced to scout the path ahead.

Despite the strain, Sarvesh breathed heavily, his gaze unwavering with an intensity like that of a perpetual nuclear fusion reactor. Though fatigued, his muscular frame, appearing as if crafted from carbon fibre, and his nerves, fortified like titanium alloy, adamantly refused to yield the canoe even by a fraction of an inch.

Sarvesh’s expression showed his disdain for even the slightest falter, his face reflecting the emotion that any reduction in the height of the boat would be deemed a disgrace. In fact, he felt furious by his own fatigue, unwilling to accept any hint of weakness.

With this anger bubbling inside his heart like magma, he fueled it into his voice as he roared, "Who’s gonna carry the boats?" His look was defiant.

Hearing the war cry of their commander, the Marines, who were starting to slow down, immediately felt like their hearts were turbocharged as they lifted the boats up in the air like they were trying to throw them a hundred meters across, and roared together in unison, "We are!" in a hoarse voice.

Sarvesh’s voice boomed across the gruelling march, echoing with blazing intensity. "Who’s gonna carry the logs?" he thundered.

"We are!" came the resounding reply from the Bharatiya Marines, their voices unified.

"Who’s gonna climb the mountain of bones?"

"We are!"

"Tell me, who’s gonna climb the mountain of bones with me?"

"WE ARE!!"

"And who’s gonna be taking their souls?"

"We are!"

"On top of your lungs, who’s gonna be taking their souls and their names?"

"WE ARE!!" they shouted, their voices ringing out, causing an echo in the isolated mountains.

Sarvesh was now pumped up as his pace continued to quicken, and the Marines following him did not fall behind too much. The whole group wore smiles, smiles where the gums bled due to the force at which the teeth were gritted together, as they enjoyed the pain, with happy expressions as they absolutely destroyed their bodies and strengthened their minds.

For the last time as they were moving forward, Sarvesh roared, "Who are we?"

"The Bharatiya Marines!"

"What?"

"The Bharatiya Marines!"

"I said what?"

"The Bharatiya Marines!"

"WHOOO RAAHHH!"

With this mental boost of strength provided by the mutual exchange of bravery among the men, the distance of 500 meters from the Arabian Sea to the nearest point of Chabahar Lake had been crossed in just over an hour. Although it was only an hour, this hour felt like a day for the Marines as they operated at their maximum capacity throughout.

If Sarvesh were to somehow do the improbable and impossible task of arriving at this place in the 21st century, then the task they had just completed would have been way easier, as the distance between the sea and the lake had actually reduced to only a few hundred meters in the 21st century, unlike now, which was nearly half a kilometre.

Nonetheless, with a ’THUD’, the canoes were brought down on the ground again, and finally, the Marines fell down one by one, panting. Sarvesh was also not excluded from this effect, as his adrenaline died down. He sat down, limp on the ground, taking fast and rapid breaths, his stomach heaving front and back, and his heart beating out of his chest.

"20 minutes," Sarvesh muttered, and the Marines understood what this meant. It was time for them to rest.

A Marine who was lying down next to Sarvesh suddenly had his eyes wide open, mouth agape with disbelief on his face. What was he seeing? A lake of blood. Where did this blood come from? The Marine’s mind was in disarray as he could not comprehend what he was seeing in front of him.

Noticing the unusual reaction of the Marine next to him, Sarvesh also turned around. Most of the Marines had their backs towards the lake, which was after a small hill-like bump behind them. Having gotten up, curious, Sarvesh peered over the hill, his gaze met by a shocking sight. The lake, in a hue unlike anything he’d ever seen, glowed a vivid red, akin to the color of blood.

However, unlike the Marine who initially discovered the phenomenon and was convinced of its blood-like nature, Sarvesh swiftly concluded otherwise. Despite the striking resemblance, he discerned that the substance was not blood, as he would have been able to detect its distinct odour if it were so.

The Marines, Who eventually got up one by one to witness this site, stood still in shock. 4000 Marines stood on the edge of the Chabahar Lake, witnessing its magnificent red waters between the Makarwal Mountain Range, a scene that could only be depicted in the heroic epics of the past.

Sarvesh was the first to recover from the shock and quickly ordered for the canoes to be brought over. The Marines hesitated, but still, they did as ordered.

All 400 canoes were now placed in the water. But still, the Marines hesitated whether to climb aboard or not. Sarvesh knew that he had to explain to the Marines this time, or else the mission would not go forward. So he immediately opened his mouth and yelled, "This is not blood, you idiots. Get on the canoes before I break some bones!"

Throughout his yelling, his face was static, like an emotionless terminator, and yes, that was his convincing.

But, were the Marines convinced? Surprisingly, yes. Since the commander said that this water was not bloody and that was the only thing holding them back, they no longer doubted the commander’s words. They didn’t care what the commander knew; the only thing they knew was that this water was not blood, and their commander said to get on the canoes, and that was exactly what they would do.

*Row*

They finally resumed their journey after taking a few minutes of rest. Although it may not look like it, rowing a boat is also physically demanding, just not as demanding as overhead pressing a freaking boat, Hence the Marines had an easier time rowing the boat as their faces were actually relaxed.

At the picturesque lake that would later be known as the Pink Lake, 400 boats gracefully traversed the water, heading towards the northwest corner of the lake. This area marked the extreme end of the lake, where its shores met the outskirts of Makran city.

As for the actual reason for the pink colour of the lake, believe it or not, it was a natural occurrence caused by specific halophilic (salt-loving) algae and bacteria living in it.

The lake has a very high concentration of salt and ample supply of nutrients, and given the high-temperature region it is located in, which amplifies the growth of these microbes, the colour of the water turns red in different intensities of light and salt content.

Currently, as it is midday when Sarvesh and the Marines are travelling in the sweltering heat of 38 degrees Celsius and the salt content is at an all-time high, the pink hue that should have been visible on the water has turned red.

Finally, Sarvesh and his crew reached the edge of the lake. The canoes were left behind on the shore, camouflaged by a camouflage net, and swiftly and stealthily moved towards the road they could see 100 meters in front of them on the hill.

Peeking at the traffic on the road, it was confirmed that the traffic was not too heavy. Hence, Sarvesh made a few hand gestures and acted fast.

*Bang**Bang**Bang**Bang*

The bullets from the Brown Bess Rifles were immediately aimed at the people who had weapons, while the rest of them were not shot at.

"Ah!"

Multiple sounds were heard, and the people who were unharmed stood there motionless after they realized what had happened. Before they could understand what was going on, thousands of soldiers walked forward in a neat and organized way like they had never seen before. They were momentarily afraid for their lives.

"Inquire!" Sarvesh ordered, after which all the details about the obstacles to the city of Makran and even about the dead people on the ground were inquired by the Marine who knew Arabic.

"Your Excellency, after interrogating multiple of these turban-wearing men, I found out that the men we shot were actually soldiers from the Safavid Empire. These people said that the soldiers from the Safavid Empire had visited the city more regularly after the civil strife in the empire became known to the populace, in order to do the bidding of their masters.

Unsurprisingly, this route we are standing actually leads towards the inland of the Safavid Empire," reported the Marine as he pointed towards the north of where they were located.

Sarvesh then thought about it for a moment and asked, "Is there a checkpoint?"

After confirming with the turban-wearing civilian again, the Marine responded, "It is said that there is one a few hundred meters to the north, controlled by the Safavid Empire."

"Is there any information on the strength?" Sarvesh asked again.

"There wouldn’t be more than a few hundred people, as according to these Makran citizens, the trade route with the city of Makran to the Safavid Empire was actually a minor one, and usually not a lot of people visit their city. The attention was only given to them recently after the civil strife broke out," the Marine said.

Sarvesh nodded his head and quickly commanded two battalions to immediately launch an attack on the checkpoint, which was actually a hill that had been carved out for its strategic importance in blocking the path from the Safavid Empire to the Makran City.

Fortunately, as informed, the checkpoint was not tightly guarded, with only around a hundred people guarding it. Seeing the approaching 1000 or so people, all equipped with guns and coming in formation, the captain in charge of the checkpoint actually gave in and dropped their weapons, raising their hands above their heads.

Sarvesh, who had these soldiers in his iron sight, felt disappointed as the enemy readily gave in. He dropped his gun and told his Lieutenant in an annoyed tone, "Arrest them."

The checkpoint captain breathed a sigh of relief, reassured by the imposing presence of the large man emanating a fierce will to fight. He realized that his decision to yield was justified, especially after witnessing the disappointment in the man’s demeanour when he initially surrendered.

"That guy is crazy," he thought to himself, feeling a tinge of fear in his heart, especially after seeing the twin blades armed on his back as the man turned around to leave. With this fear, without hesitation, he cooperated fully with the Marines, even allowing them to disarm him of knives hidden within his inner clothing, though such measures were typically deemed excessive.

After occupying this checkpoint and ensuring that no other force would interfere with their operation, in a few hours, Sarvesh and his crew marched a distance of 13 kilometres on the flank of Makran City. On their way, they came across multiple Safavid soldiers, similar to the ones they had encountered earlier.

If the soldiers did not drop their weapons fast enough, they were directly killed, while the civilians, though not killed, were taken into custody, tied down, and left at the place where they were caught. They lay sprawled on the ground like loot found in dungeon video games. Sarvesh and his Marines left like a plague that had come to this land.

"We are here, sir," the Marine said, seeing the city bustling with people a few hundred meters ahead. Sarvesh silently stared at the city, nodded his head, and said, "Ten minutes."

" However, commander it is already night " A Marine hesitated but still voiced out his doubts

" I said 10 minutes" But unfazed, Sarvesh repeated his order, sticking to his own judgement

P.S. Was a busy day only 1 chap.