Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology-Chapter 742: ASEAN Diplomats

June 1661

The Visakhapatnam Port was noisy with merchants, tourists, and travellers coming and going, sailboats from small to large frequently docking and departing from the harbour. Hawkers a few hundred meters away were shouting in loud voices, selling their wares. At the edge of the port, in an area blocked off to normal people, a Guwahati-class armed merchant ship was docked, unloading the containers. Occasionally, even the military vessel of the Bharatiya coastal defence could be seen patrolling the waters not too far away from the coast.

In such a lively atmosphere, suddenly, out of nowhere, a loud cymbal sound was heard, making people turn their heads simultaneously.

"Bang bang bang!"

The sound of a band immediately attracted the attention of everyone, making them curious. The beats were rhythmic, and the tune was catchy. It couldn’t help but make people move forward unconsciously. When they got near the sound, surprisingly enough, a small barricade was formed, stopping everyone from rushing over.

Within the barricade, the onlookers could see three people discussing something in loud voices in each other’s ears. Most of the people did not know who the three men were, but the merchants who frequently travelled to the Visakhapatnam Port and port workers immediately recognized two out of the three people. One was the managing director of the port, Bahadur Singh, and the other was the deputy director, Lal Chandra Oja. As for the third person, not many people recognized him, but some people who were from the capital and were working in a very high position at a government agency immediately recognized the man as the Minister of External Affairs, His Excellency S. Jaishankar.

"It’s the Minister of External Affairs," someone shouted, and the discussions from the crowd immediately flared up.

A few minutes later, the band eventually stopped playing. Bahadur Singh came forward, looked around at the crowd, and shouted, "In a few minutes, diplomats from various Southeast Asian countries will be arriving at the port for the first time. I hope all of us can be welcoming."

"It is for this reason that His Excellency Jaishankar has personally arrived at the port, so please, everyone, if all of you can give applause during the time when Southeast Asian diplomats step foot on the dock, it would be wonderful."

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Hearing the request, the people immediately responded positively, with a few people taking the initiative.

"Isn’t it just welcoming guests? Do not worry, Director, we will definitely show the hospitality of the Bharatiya Empire."

"Yes, yes, we cannot make these foreign guests feel unwelcome."

Everyone nodded their heads and speculatively discussed with each other with lively expressions on their faces.

Bahadur Singh smiled in satisfaction and looked back at Minister Jaishankar, only to see him giving him an approving nod.

---

30 minutes later

A large Delhi-class battleship slowly arrived at the port, but what was unusual was, instead of the flag of the Bharatiya Empire and the Bharatiya Navy, the ship had the flag of an unrecognizable entity. However, looking at this flag, Jaishankar smiled because this was the flag of ASEAN, and the ship was the one that the Bharatiya Empire sold to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations during its founding.

Sourigna Vongsa II stood on the deck of the ship with expectation and anticipation. He was feeling giddy with curiosity about what this legendary nation would be like. He had heard many stories and incredible things about the Bharatiya Empire from travelling merchants and travellers, but this was the first time he personally saw the Bharatiya Empire for himself.

His curiosity was one of the reasons he volunteered to be the diplomat being sent to the Bharatiya Empire representing the Kingdom of Lan Xang. He wanted to see this vast and mighty empire for himself, so he put forward his request to his father with nervousness while preparing many arguments in his mind. Unexpectedly, his father the king agreed.

Sourigna was stunned. He felt like he had prepared very hard for a maths exam with great pain, but on the day of the exam, the questions asked were about simple arithmetic operations. Although that was what he wanted, he had a feeling of loss remembering all the preparations he had made. He felt like he hit cotton. For a while, he was confused as to why his father, who was always so strict, agreed so easily. After thinking a lot and not getting the answer, he forgot about it.

In fact, what Sourigna Vongsa II didn’t know was that even before he brought up the matter, King Sourigna Vongsa I wanted to send his son to the Bharatiya Empire not only to build a better relationship with the Bharatiya Empire, which is now the only overlord of Southeast Asia but also to learn as much knowledge as possible. Sourigna Vongsa I was 71 years old—he knew that he wouldn’t live much longer, and he wanted his successor, Sourigna Vongsa II, to have a wide view of the world unlike him, whose whole worldview was constrained to Southeast Asia. So when his son brought up the matter of going to the Bharatiya Empire as a diplomat, he readily agreed with the condition that he would also finish his education there. To his satisfaction, little Sourigna agreed.

Sourigna Vongsa II carefully got down from the ship with the help of a ramp. As soon as he touched the ground, he heard loud applause coming from people all around him. The people were wearing colourful ornamental clothes, wearing silver jewellery adorned with various gems, and their faces clean and tidy—nothing like the people he had seen in his kingdom. He was mesmerized. The very next moment, the rhythmic sound of a marching band was heard, startling him a little. The music was powerful and sonorous, which immediately caught his attention.

Soon, a man he did not recognize came forward and did a namaskara.

"Welcome to the Bharatiya Empire, Your Highness. My name is Jaishankar. I am the Minister of External Affairs."

"I wish your stay in the Bharatiya Empire would be pleasant."

"Oh!" Sourigna Vongsa II immediately responded with a namaskara of his own.

Soon behind him, several people started to get down slowly, one by one. These were the diplomats from other Southeast Asian countries. Sourigna Vongsa II was allowed to get down first because of his high status as a prince of a nation, but he knew that he could not abuse the convenience he was given, so he quickly gave way to the ministers, ambassadors, and envoys getting down one by one.

In the meantime, Sourigna Vongsa II ventured to the back in order to greet Bahadur Singh and Lalchandra Oja.

"Please, guests, come with me. I have prepared the carriage for you. I will show you to your embassies!" Jaishankar politely invited.

During the journey, Sourigna Vongsa II and the other diplomats were amazed at how smooth the ride was. This was hands down the smoothest ride they had ever had in their lifetimes.

Sourigna Vongsa II looked out the window and saw the evenly paved cement road and immediately realized why the journey was so smooth. ’If such a developed transportation network was present in Lan Xang, Ayutthaya Kingdom wouldn’t dare to threaten conquest,’ he thought to himself. And he was not alone, since all the diplomats thought something similar. The first thing they realized after experiencing the transportation network in the Bharatiya Empire was its military significance.

"Faster roads lead to faster military mobilization. I wonder why we did not think about it," Ambassador Chao Phraya Sorasak asked out loud, which drew in hatred from all directions, mainly because he was the ambassador of the Ayutthaya Kingdom—the kingdom which might as well be the French equivalent of Southeast Asia.

Very soon, the diplomats were introduced to urban features of the Bharatiya Empire, like the tall towers upon which light could be seen flickering, which they got to know as Arkha Dristhi communication channels used to initiate communication between cities and states, along with police stations, schools, and colleges in every city, post offices, and other necessities.

Even before starting to live in the Bharatiya Empire, the diplomats felt what it was like to live in a civilized country. Sourigna Vongsa II meticulously wrote down all the amazing ideas he had gained from the Bharatiya Empire, wanting to suggest his father implement them when he goes back—especially the Arkha Dristhi communication channel, the biggest tool for communication during military conflicts.

With the establishment of ASEAN, even though he knew that the frequency of wars would be drastically reduced—since if anyone starts a war, it will incur criticism and questioning from all different Southeast Asian countries—what if some kingdom disregards this questioning and goes its own way? Although this was a very unlikely scenario, he still felt like he had to be prepared.

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A few hours later, Simhasana Bhavana

"Your Majesty, the Southeast Asian diplomats have been settled in their respective embassies. They are requesting a dialogue with you."

"Hmm, alright."

Vijay arrived at the embassy street and entered the convention hall at the end of the street.

He immediately received a warm welcome and greetings from the diplomats of Southeast Asian nations, which he greeted one by one and interacted with for a while. Everything was normal until Prince Sourigna Vongsa II came before him, did a small bow, and said, "As a gift of gratitude and friendship, I present Your Majesty with our finest Lao textiles, rare fragrant agarwoods, and a sacred gold-plated Buddha statue." Vijay was handed over exquisite textiles, a piece of wood that smelled otherworldly, and a golden Buddha statue. Instinctively taking them, his face froze. He had completely forgotten that Southeast Asian cultures, like the Chinese and Bharatiya cultures, had a habit of giving gifts to guests. He clicked his tongue in annoyance but did not show it outside. He simply passed on the gifts to Ganesh and smiled.

Other diplomats, taking this opportunity, came forward with various presents of their own. Minister U Thant Myint of the Toungoo dynasty presented a similar golden Buddha statue along with some high-quality Burmese rubies and lacquerware.

"Thank you, Minister. I am very grateful," Vijay responded with a smile.

Ambassador Chao Phraya Sorasak came forward. "Your Majesty, as a sign of friendship between both our nations, please accept this red ruby taken out of the royal treasury, this exquisite silk garment specially custom-made for you, and an intricately crafted gold ornament for Her Majesty."

Vijay’s eyes widened because the red ruby at least took up half his palm. He could not imagine how many carats this was. He immediately thanked him and put away the gifts.

Surprisingly enough, the diplomat from the Chenla Kingdom was a woman named Keso Rak Devi, who gifted him with carved ivory, Khmer golden crowns, and precious gemstones.

Envoy Lý Quốc Tuấn from Đại Việt presented exquisite, legendary ginseng he had heard about in his previous life from the highlands and high-quality jade.

Minister Nguyễn Văn Khải of Đàng Trong presented luxurious silk pulled from the South China Sea and dragon-shaped golden jewellery.

Envoy Lakan Dula II of the United States of the Philippines presented a sacred golden ancestral idol and fine pearl jewellery.

To Vijay’s surprise, Minister Amihan, the diplomat from the Kingdom of Mindanao, was another woman who presented him with pure gold kris daggers, T’nalak woven fabric, and jars of the finest Mindanao honey.

And finally, Minister Haji Badruddin of the Sulawesi Confederation presented him with rare spice seedlings, finely crafted gold jewellery, and ceremonial kris swords.

"Thank you all for your show of friendship. It is a great gesture from your end."

Vijay said as he did a namaskara, after which he whispered something in Ganesh’s ear.

Ganesh quietly went back to the palace and brought back several books with him after dropping off all the gifts he had in his hands.

In the meantime, Vijay had a meal with the diplomats. By the time the meal was completed, Ganesh had come back.

Vijay took over a single book and flipped through it, making sure that this was what he asked for. After looking at the design drawings inside the book, he nodded with satisfaction.

He asked Ganesh to distribute the books to the diplomats.

The diplomats took the books with some confusion. They did not understand what His Majesty’s statement meant.

"As a show of friendship that is everlasting, I present to you 50 design drawings of everyday objects we use in the Bharatiya Empire. All of these design drawings can be manufactured with the help of Generation Three machine tools.

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"Along with these design drawings, from my end, each of your countries will get four 3rd Generation machine tools for free in order to kick-start your industries."

All the diplomats’ eyes widened. This was the first time they had seen someone giving gifts like this, especially Sourigna Vongsa II, who was amazed at the various designs mentioned in the book—like the design drawings for an ironing machine, a standing mop, several agricultural tools, a stamp, a bell, manufacturing of plumbing pipes, and many other things.

Everyone looked at Vijay with awe and respect.

In fact, the gifts Vijay gave could be considered excessive, but it was not too much because Vijay had an ulterior motive for giving the gifts. When these Southeast Asian countries bring back the design drawings and the machine tools to their kingdoms, they will realize that for all the manufacturing processes, metal and steel are required—and that can only be purchased from the Bharatiya Empire. So, even though he is making a loss by giving away too much technology and machinery, he is making money by finding a big customer for the empire’s iron and steel industry. What’s more, in the future, even if these countries want to manufacture and smelt their own steel and iron, the technology will have to come from the Bharatiya Empire.

Hence, Vijay’s one move was like a domino that pushed the Southeast Asian nations to become more interconnected and dependent on the Bharatiya Empire, one domino at a time.