Chapter 117: Battle of Nagpur
While all the other generals left for their respective goals, Yogendra Singh held back as his target was deep inside the battle line. He waited in the barracks for two whole days until he got the message that Panhala Fort had been conquered by Kiran Pujari. Upon hearing the news, he couldn't wait any longer and quickly mobilized his three brigades of the army, soon heading to the Panhala fort. Upon arrival, he could see the destroyed city being reconstructed, with dried bloodstains all over the ground wherever he looked. His heart dropped as he knew what this meant.
Passing through the city walls, Yogendra encountered increasingly gruesome sights, with remnants of human bodies scattered about in the groves of the walls and buildings. Despite efforts to clean up the battlefield, the pervasive bloodstains made certain details difficult to cleanse in such a short duration. Yogendra proceeded towards the barracks where Kiran had stationed his forces. Upon entering, he immediately sensed the sombre atmosphere prevailing within. Although everyone appeared to be fulfilling their duties, an intangible heaviness hung in the air, indicating that the soldiers were not in their optimal state of mind.
Finally, he met Kiran Pujari, who looked a little thinner than before. The moment he saw Kiran, Yogendra asked, "What are the casualties?" He noticed no pride of conquering the most difficult fort in Kiran's eyes; on the contrary, a hint of guilt was evident. Making his heart firm, Kiran replied, "8000 dead, 2000 heavily injured, and 2500 with light injuries."
Upon hearing the data, Yogendra's jaw dropped in astonishment. This amount of casualties had never been seen in the Vijayanagar Empire. His face contorted in rage, and he was about to lose his mind and confront Kiran Pujari, but suddenly, he saw a yearning in Kiran's eyes, A yearning for him to get punished. This calmed Yogendra down as he realized that he was not the one to punish Kiran Pujari; only his highness could do that.
In the present time:
"Ahh...!", a chilling cry echoed through a luxurious villa as a person's throat was ruthlessly slit. The unfortunate victim convulsed on the ground, writhing in pain. This individual unfortunately held a prominent position on the dangerous targets' elimination list of Vijayanagaras intelligence network which brought him this fate.
Simultaneously, across different parts of the city, similar scenes unfolded. The throats of combat-effective Mughal officers were slashed, and they bled out in silent, deadly efficiency. By the time the Mughals became aware that something was amiss, Yogendra, orchestrating the covert operation, signalled the soldiers stationed outside the city to launch a synchronized attack.
This situation caught the Mughals off guard, as there were enemies inside and outside the city. The infantry poured in like a tide to every street and corner of the city. The Mughal soldiers, with no strong leaders surviving, could not form an effective plan and couldn't regroup. Gunshots and the sounds of grenades being exploded could be heard throughout the day. The civilians were in panic, fleeing away from the chaos of the city.
Fortunately, the Vijayanagara army did not harm the actual civilians; they assessed them carefully and let them go free. Suspected individuals were not left free; they were detained for interrogation at a later stage.
At the end of the day, the battle ended quickly without a cannon shot being fired.