Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

18th October 1659

United States of Philippines, Capital City Manila

Experience exclusive tales on empire

The United States of Philippines, especially the city of Manila, has changed massively since its independence. The streets had been widened, a modern drainage network had been installed, and hundreds of restoration projects restoring the ancient heritage of the Philippines had been initiated. Police stations, courts, and colleges have been built. Everything a modern metropolis should have in this world is present in the Philippines.

Such development is mainly because of the efficient governance established by President Tamblot, whose entire government was based on the central government of the Bharatiya Empire, with extreme emphasis on minimum government and maximum governance. He created a system where his government would run without unnecessary interference within the private sector.

Due to this, the Philippines, who were given a golden opportunity for growth, immediately snatched it up and didn’t miss the chance. Hundreds of rich people with their worths soaring past a million Varaha were created.

Due to pro-capitalist policies put forward by Tamblot, the United States of Philippines was the first Southeast Asian country whose GDP came close to one billion Varaha. It was even more impressive considering that the country only got its independence barely a year ago.

But the positive atmosphere in the present day USP was not the same almost a year ago

Due to the country’s split between native Filipinos and converted Christians, the policies put forward by Tamblot, which were mostly pro-Dharmik, Buddhist, and Taoist, were completely opposed by the Christians in the nation. Each and every policy was strongly opposed by the Christian leaders. But unfortunately for the Christians, President Tamblot was not one to compromise. He was the greatest warrior and the first president of the United States of Philippines. He might have tolerated and accepted the overreach of the Bharatiya Empire due to his own nation’s safety and cultural integrity, but he wasn’t one to bend to the whims of the remnant Christians.

So unlike some "freedom fighter family/nation’s first family," in Vijay’s last life, Tamblot was very clear about who the nation belonged to. He readily pushed policies benefiting those still following the native belief systems, which included Philippine animism, people transitioning to Hindu animism—a new form of religion originating from the Philippines by adopting some of the practices of Hinduism—Buddhism, and Taoism, while actively pressuring the Christian community to reconvert.

Tamblot’s action of not following the will of the Christians irritated and annoyed the Christian leaders who used to have a lot of influence in the colony to no end. Soon, the Christian representatives, who had been silent throughout the independence movement and even after the founding of the country, fearing for their lives, suddenly stood up and objected to the anti-Christian policies put forward by President Tamblot. And humorously enough, the way they protested was by using the right to Parliament granted by Tamblot.

The Christian people, who were used to the preferential treatment given by the colonial rulers and who occupied most cities, took to the streets in protest. Although these scenes did not happen in Manila, as the Christian majority had been replaced by indigenous Filipinos, it still put a lot of pressure on Tamblot.

The Christian leaders even publicized that they would fight a civil war if necessary to secure their rights.

This made the indigenous Filipinos, who had only recently developed a backbone—which India did not even in the 21st century—hesitate a little. Their backbone, which had not yet hardened, started to bend. Even they began to put pressure on the president, requesting him to compromise.

However, who is Tamblot? He is a religious leader and the greatest freedom fighter of the Philippines. He knew that if he gave in now, he would never be able to solve the hidden danger for the Philippines forever. So he resolutely mobilized the army and forcefully scattered the opposition in the streets.

What’s more, the Bharatiya Empire provided secret support for him, and finally, Jaishankar came forward as a middleman to solve the problem.

In the end, with the mediation of the Bharatiya Empire, after negotiating between Tamblot and the Christian leaders, a deal was reached. Tamblot would not alter the policies he had put forward, but he would give a deadline of five years for the policies to be implemented. The Christian leaders were given an option: either convert back to their local indigenous culture or move to the Spanish colony and live under the Spanish crown as citizens of the Spanish Empire with all their belongings and their wealth intact.

For the Christian leaders, the second option was somewhat acceptable because, even when the Spanish Empire had ruled their nation, they were aware of the new Spanish colony, Mexico. But the first option was not very acceptable. However, what could they do? Even if they were being discriminated against, they did not have the military strength to protect themselves. So all they could do was comply while taking the way out provided by the Bharatiya Empire.

Days passed, and the number of Christians in the United States of Philippines reduced significantly, largely due to societal pressure alone. Those who decided to emigrate to New Spain had already packed up their bags and waited for the opportunity to move.

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Today is a special day for the United States of the Philippines. President Tamblot had personally come to Manila Bay along with the Minister of Transportation of the Bharatiya Empire, Nirmal.

The rich businessmen and ministers had gathered at the port as they saw the behemoth of a ship constructed by the Bharatiya Empire.

"May the journey be victorious," Tamblot wished as he held onto the hands of Minister Nirmal cordially.

Nirmal smiled. "Thank you for your auspicious words, Mr. President," he said.

The container version of the Guwahati-class armed merchant ship confused a lot of people as they did not understand what the square metal objects on top of the ship were. But the curiosity didn’t last long, as the ship had been docked in the Manila Bay for the last three weeks. People eventually forgot about it.

However, Nirmal, looking at the container ship, knew how important the current mission was. It was the first attempt of the Bharatiya Empire to cross the Pacific Ocean, and it was also the first shipment of goods from the Bharatiya Empire to the Spanish colony in the Americas.

Once the trade is successful, it means that the Bharatiya Empire has successfully established contact with the Americas, which contain two of the largest continents in the world.

As for why it is a container ship, well, it was an initiative of the Bharatiya Empire to try to convince the Spanish to adopt the port standards of the Bharatiya Empire. The idea is that once the Spanish understood how easy it was to unload the containers with a crane system, they would contact the Bharatiya Empire to build one for them.

As for whether they would ask to transport goods in a normal merchant ship, Nirmal never considered it because, although the container ship is cumbersome without the port infrastructure, its loading capacity is actually larger than that of a normal ship. This is because the usage of space is maximized in the container ship, whereas only the usage of weight is maximized and volume is not taken into consideration in the normal Guwahati-class armed merchant ship.

Once the Spanish realised that in the same ship, they had gotten 10% more goods they would immediately throw away the idea of using normal cargo ships. The hope of Nirmal and the Bharatiya Empire is that once the Spanish discover the usefulness of the container infrastructure built at ports, they would eventually adopt it according to the Bharatiya Empire’s standards even in mainland Europe, which would invisibly expand the market for the Bharatiya Empire.

The Bharatiya Empire is the only nation in the world with the capabilities to build container ships and their supporting infrastructure. More importantly, the goods of the Bharatiya Empire could be made cheaper due to reduced costs in transportation.

"Ding!"

A loud bell installed on the BNV *Dhairya* (Courage), the container version of the Guwahati-class Armed Merchant ship, rang loudly as it slowly moved forward out of Manila Bay.

"Clap clap clap."

"Good luck!"

"Safe journey!"

Loud cheers and applause broke out from the crowd who had come to witness the departure of the Bharatiya Naval Vessel. The people were not ignorant; they knew that once this journey of the Bharatiya Empire was successful, their country would become one of the most important transit stations for the Bharatiya Empire, making dreams of wealth similar to those of rich Bharatiyas no longer a pipe dream but a great possibility.

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On the deck of the BNV *Dhairya*, a man dressed in Bharatiya Naval attire stood with a complicated expression as he looked at the horizon of the Bohol Sea.

This was the place that made him feel like he was a god, and it was also the place where he fell to the ground, brought back to reality with the defeat of his fleet, the death of his executive officer, and finally, the betrayal by his nation.

The man was none other than Marc Anthony Lopez, the general of the Manila Galleon of the Philippines and a member of the Lopez noble family.

The Bharatiya Empire brought him back after capturing him, hoping that he would be taken away by his family after paying some compensation. But surprisingly enough, as there needed to be someone to take the blame, Marc Anthony Lopez, the highest-ranking Spanish leader still alive, took responsibility for losing the Philippine colony. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Maybe if the governor of the Philippines had been alive, he would have been the scapegoat, but as he had died, it had to be Marc Anthony.

What’s more, right after the battle, his Lopez family faced internal strife as power dynamics within the family changed, and a branch family, who were actually the distant relatives of Marc Anthony, took over the main lineage.

In the end, after experiencing blow after blow, he could not bear it anymore and gave up on life, living in prison listlessly without any hope for the future. That was until Commander Akhil, the person who defeated him, approached him and put forward an enticing proposal:

"Captain an armed merchant vessel and teach Bharatiya sailors how to sail across the Pacific, and the Bharatiya Empire promises you rich rewards, enough for you to gain a minor noble title due to the merit and enough money to buy a few hundred acres of land. You can start a new life here in the Bharatiya Empire. What do you think?"

At first, Marc Anthony did not want to take the offer, as the reason for his condition was the Bharatiya Empire. But as days went by and weeks passed, the offer put forward by Akhil was like an insect in his heart, devouring his will little by little until, in the end, he self-rationalized that it was the fault of the Spanish Empire for abandoning him. By looking out for himself and starting a new life, he wasn’t actually betraying anyone.

So Marc Anthony started his long and tiring journey as a student. He was given classes on Bharatiya language, history, science, mathematics, and geography up to the college level, and finally, he underwent the training required of any captain of a battlefleet in the Bharatiya Navy.

Only after all this was Marc Anthony allowed to captain the BNV *Dhairya*, the first-ever Bharatiya ship that was about to cross the Pacific Ocean.

Looking at the Pacific Ocean, a smile, long lost, appeared on his face. He hadn’t been in the Pacific Ocean for a long time, but he wasn’t unfamiliar with it either. He had personally led the Manila Galleon to and from the Pacific almost half a dozen times After all. In the whole world, if someone were to ask who is the most capable of traversing the Pacific Ocean if Marc Anthony says he is second, then no one in the world would dare to say they are the first.

This is one of the reasons Marc Anthony, despite being an enemy general, was given such an opportunity. Talents like him in the large and massive Bharatiya Empire, which has nearly 190,000,000 people, are almost nonexistent.

It was Vinod’s idea to use Marc Anthony as the teacher for the Bharatiya Empire’s oceanic travel ambitions.

P.S. The curse is Broken

P.S. I have Sem exams from 6th so I cannot guarantee 2 chaps per day next month

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