Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

July 1st, 1657

"Mr Yash, could you do 5 Varaha per piece?" a European merchant asked in a strange Bharti accent, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the clamouring crowd.

Yash, a sales manager at a furniture company, stood amidst a group of traders, artisans, and hawkers loudly advertising their wares. He shook his head firmly and responded. "I am very sorry, Mr. Charles. My price of 7 Varaha per piece is very fair. It is already close to the manufacturing costs.

If I reduce it any further, I will be selling at a loss," he explained, raising his voice over the noise of a nearby spice vendor enthusiastically bragging about the taste and fragrance of his fresh cardamom.

Charles did not give up, his face reddened by the heat and commotion around him. "Mr. Yash, we are ordering over 500 units. Seven Varaha is a bit much. If it wasn’t for your company having a unique design, I would have already bought from someone else. You see, Mr.

Yash, I will make a final offer: six Varaha per piece. If you do not sell it to me at this price, I am not buying."

Yash stared at Charles for a while, his brow furrowed. After realizing he could not make any more money, he nodded his head resolutely. "You win, Mr. Charles. It’s a deal."

Just a few paces away, An Italian adorned with silk fabric, shouted, "Madam, how much is the spice mix per unit?"

A nearby vendor, her voice slightly hoarse from bargaining all day, answered loudly, "Respected sir, this spice mix is called Garam Masala. It’s priced at two Varaha per piece."

At a nearby Bearings Company stall, a tall Irish man with a lost expression called out, "Excuse me, young lady. Could you please direct me to the office of any major shipbuilder in Bharat?"

The customer service agent looked up from a ledger, her face marked with curiosity, and replied over the noise, "Are you new here, sir?"

"Ah, yes," the man replied, wiping sweat from his brow. "Why do you ask, kind lady?"

"Oh, then it makes sense," the agent continued, barely pausing to catch her breath as she waved down another customer. "You are new here, so you don’t know that the major shipbuilders of the empire do not directly do business with merchants. They are currently only doing business with countries. Their orders are filled up, you see, so they don’t have time to handle individual merchant deals.

If you want, you can place an order after requesting through the person responsible in your country."

The Irishman, John Brown, was a little disappointed by the news, his shoulders sagging slightly, as he watched the lively crowds around him haggle, barter, and trade with great enthusiasm. He had come to the Bhartiya Empire with many expectations.

Noticing John’s disappointed expression, the sales representative hesitated for a moment, then leaned in closer, speaking over the crowd’s noise. "Sir, if you don’t mind, you can visit 4th Street. There are three shipbuilder offices located there. Although they are not the best in the empire when it comes to shipbuilding, their expertise lies in catering to the civilian market.

The price is also cheaper, so you can give it a try and see if you like their ships."

John Brown soon cheered up, his smile broadening. "Oh, thank you for your help, dear Miss."

"Hahaha, no problem, no problem," the agent replied, already turning to help another customer.

Nearby, a boisterous voice called out, "Brother Joseph, are you here to buy oak barrels again?"

"Haha, Brother Ram, of course!" replied Joseph, a broad grin present on his face. "Your Himalayan oak barrels are very popular back home. This time, I’m going to order 2,000 units. It’s a big order, brother, so provide me with a proper discount."

"Hey, Joseph, you don’t even need to ask," Ram responded with a hearty laugh. "Our cooperation has been going so well; how can I afford to cheat you? How about this: I will reduce 5% for each barrel."

Joseph frowned slightly. "It’s too little..."

Such scenes could be seen in almost every major economic capital in the southern part of the empire. European merchants, after getting used to doing business in Bharat, have begun to buy more frequently and in larger quantities.

This is because the European merchants discovered that the larger the quantity of the orders, the lower the price per unit, which is completely different from the pricing situation back home. They found that the price of goods in Bharat is nearly 30% lower than what they could get back home, and even after adding the extra charges for shipping, they would still get a profit of 10% per unit.

Adding up so many units, the profits are really considerable. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The European merchants, having discovered this, started ordering goods like barrels, chairs, tables, and other simple objects that needed to be mass-produced while maintaining quality.

The Europeans had already recognized the BSO and "Made in Bharat" symbols on almost all the products, and they would never buy a product that did not have the BSO and "Made in Bharat" symbol.

Given the increased profits, more European merchants have been attracted to doing business in Bharat. Even merchants from some of the smaller European city-states and principalities have sent representatives to conduct business.

For this reason, the nation’s economy is booming. Trade with Europe has already multiplied many times over compared to last year. Money was pouring into the industrial sector of the empire, and the size of the treasury had to be increased.

Jagannath Mohan and Rajesh are happy every day, laughing ear to ear; they have even stopped scolding their subordinates when they do something wrong. Vijay is no different; he is in a very good mood these days. He was happy that he managed to clean up all the issues within the industrial system and officialdom before the economic expansion and trade boom.

However, Vijay could not be content for too long, as the framework of the empire he had set up during the Vijayanagar Empire era had already become outdated, and some departments had too much work focused on them. So, he has to reorganize the empire’s organizational and governmental structure.

Fortunately, he had taken a step forward and set up a guiding framework when the Dakshin Bharathiya Empire was established.

And now all he had to do was further classify the tasks of each department and see if a new department was needed and, if so, to add it.

Thankfully, he had done all the planning when he was free, and now it was time to implement it.

"Ganesh, call for a cabinet meeting," Vijay ordered.

Ganesh was taken aback, as a cabinet meeting had not been held for many years. Seeing that his majesty was calling for a meeting of the ministers, he knew that something important was about to be discussed. So, without hesitation, he dropped all his current work and personally sent letters to all the ministries and ministers in the empire.

---

Bhartiya Parliament, Bengaluru

Arjun, Bhuvan, Rajesh, Raghavendra Bhatt, Amit Shah, Lokesh, and all the other ministers had arrived at the parliament and were excitedly talking with each other. They hadn’t met together in the same place for a very long time. All their interactions had been through their subordinates, and they had not had time to actually meet up amidst the war.

"I wonder why His Majesty called a cabinet meeting today," Arjun said.

Bhuvan, the Minister of Justice, shared his opinion: "Maybe it’s something related to our trade with Europe. The volume is too exciting, after all."

Jagannath Mohan shook his head and disagreed. "No, I think His Majesty has come up with a new taxation scheme. The current form of taxation is really not keeping up with the growth of our empire."

Just as the ministers’ discussion was getting deeper, Vinod arrived at the parliament, causing all the ministers to quiet down.

"Good morning, Prime Minister."

"Good morning, Sir."

The ministers greeted him one by one. Vinod nodded his head and exchanged greetings, after which he took his seat in front of the cabinet ministers.

The discussion among the ministers was about to continue, but just then, the sound of a bell was heard, signifying that His Majesty, the Emperor, was on his way. Hearing this, everyone quieted down.

"Long live Your Majesty, Rajyapati Vijay Devaraya!"

"Long live Your Majesty, Rajyapati Vijay Devaraya!"

Upon Vijay’s arrival, the greetings of the ministers rang out. Vijay was wearing a yellow sherwani with golden Airavata embroidery, looking regal and majestic. He was carrying his weapon, Raktha Astra, by his side, making his appearance even more dignified.

Even the powerful ministers in the empire began to feel the pressure emanating from Vijay as he passed by. Vinod was no exception; even as the Prime Minister, he began to feel a little nervous around Vijay.

Vijay himself was unaware of the changes that had taken place within him and how they affected his subordinates. He simply took the center stage of the parliament and, without any distraction, stated today’s objectives.

"I feel very happy that all the ministers of the empire have attended, well, except for the Minister of Agriculture. I heard Mr Narasimha is not in good health; let’s hope he gets better soon. Having said that, let’s start today’s objective: it’s the reorganization of the government." Saying this, Vijay stared into each and every minister’s eyes, sending shivers down their spines.

The ministers were taken aback; they could never have expected that the reason for their gathering was to reorganize the government. They began to panic—would their ministries lose any power? What sort of changes would take place? They were unsure, but they had no power to change it. His Majesty, Vijay, currently held supreme power in the Bharatiya Empire.

The people respected him greatly, and the soldiers in the military adored him as a great military hero. Legends had been told about his battle with the Mughal Emperor, so the government, in the current situation, had been reduced to a steward under His Majesty the Emperor. Hence, they could only hope that the change would not be too bad for them.

Vijay didn’t notice the complex emotions on the faces of the ministers, but even if he did, he would not care; the bitter pill must be swallowed whether anyone likes it or not.

Raising his voice he stated, "Before, when the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire was just established, the organizational structure of the previous Imperial Council of the Vijayanagara Empire was used as a basis for the evolution of the government system."

"When the government was established, it worked wonders for us in unifying the subcontinent. However, Unfortunately, this structure has become too constricting for today’s Akanda Bharatiya Empire, so it is necessary for the organizational structure to evolve with the nation.

Thus, the agenda I have taken upon myself is to further divide the executive branch of the government and the legislative branch of the government."

"As expected!" Some ministers had already become sad, realizing His Majesty was indeed focused on further separating the two divisions. "When His Majesty set up the government system, he had already dabbled in this a little, but it looks like His Majesty is going all out this time," Vinod thought to himself.