December 16, 1723, at two o'clock in the afternoon, the city of Multan.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! ……”

Sabanda. Sonoval squatted on the ground with a musket in his arms, watching the city of Multan in front of him seem to be shaking and shaking under the bombardment of artillery round after round, large pieces of rammed earth were falling, countless gravel was splashing, and faintly, it seemed that the defenders on the city wall could still hear the screams from time to time.

In a battle in the morning, Sabanda. In the suburbs less than three kilometers from Multan City, the Xizhou garrison where Sonoval was located easily routed more than 6,000 mobs, killed, wounded and captured more than 2,000 prisoners, and the rest fled back to Multan City in disarray. However, only five people were killed and twenty-two were wounded, and the losses were minimal.

The army then quickly marched to the city of Multan, and after spending a lot of time building a makeshift camp, they regrouped and began to prepare for the siege.

Just as the Qi Army artillery hurried to set up their positions, a huge balloon rose into the sky. A wooden basket was hung under the balloon, in which two Qi artillery observers were mounted, who not only provided the army commander with information on the entire battlefield, but also gave accurate guidance for the subsequent artillery bombardment.

Sabanda. It was not the first time that Sonoval had seen this kind of magical high-altitude balloon, and when he was stationed at Jinmen, as long as there was a troop confrontation exercise, the Qi people would raise this kind of balloon to provide accurate targets for each other's attacks.

He even saw that the Qi people had tentatively carried a large number of hand-thrown bombs to balloons to launch attack drills against the enemy from the air. However, in August last year, either a mistake or a jet of flame detonated the bomb, and the beautiful balloon was ignited by a huge explosion in the gondola, turning into a heavenly fire and quickly falling to the ground.

This accident caused the death of three Qi soldiers, including a lieutenant officer, which made people sigh. Later, the Qi people temporarily stopped this high-altitude bomb-throwing drill and continued to use it as an observation tool.

However, in Sabanda. In Sonoval's opinion, this kind of experiment by the Qi people is very amazing. Because, in the face of such a high-altitude attack, the enemy has almost no way to deal with it, and can only passively suffer from air "bombardment".

Even further, the Qi people could use this balloon to carry a large number of soldiers, bypass the strong and tall city, land on the weak points of the city's defenses, attack the enemy from behind, and then break their resistance.

Align the countrymen, Sabanda as a servant soldier. Sonoval is not repulsive in his heart, and even has some affection and closeness. He was a Hindu, but sadly, he was a Sudra, a person at the bottom of the fourth caste, born a filthy person, called "the Shudra of men, the horses of beasts, all the means of transport".

Within India, the four castes have different statuses and disparities in their dignity and inferiority. Because of the difference in caste, even if they live in the same village, they still hear the voices of chickens and dogs and do not interact with each other. Like Sabanda. Low-caste people like Sonoval are not even allowed to pass through the homes of high-caste people, otherwise they may be attacked by cow dung or human urine, or violently beaten.

Of course, the more miserable people than their fourth caste are the so-called "untouchables", in other words, untouchables. They have the lowest social status, are the most discriminated against, and are excluded from society. Their job is to sweep the floor, clean the toilets, and dispose of the carcasses of animals. In rural areas, they are only allowed to live outside the village or in a designated area, and cannot use the same well as other castes, and do not have the right to enter temples to worship gods.

In some areas, even the shadows and footprints of untouchables can pollute other castes. When the untouchables saw the brahmins, they had to crawl far away on the side of the road so that the brahmins could pass first, and the untouchables had to carry clay pots and brooms, which were hung around their necks to spit, and brooms to sweep the floors so as not to defile the road they had traveled.

However, in the Xizhou Governorate's territory, which was controlled by the Qi people, these strict caste systems were weakened, consciously or unconsciously. The Brahmin Code was abolished, some of Brahmin caste privileges were denied and restricted, and the colonial government of Qi directly invoked a series of local laws prohibiting discrimination and unfair treatment on the basis of caste. The implementation of these laws has brought law order and habeas corpus to the society of the Viceroyalty, while also indirectly securing some equal rights for the lower caste groups.

The Qi people even recruited a large number of low-caste people into the army, expanding the scope of military sources and breaking the monopoly of the original Kshatriya class on the status of soldiers.

Sabanda. Sonoval's joining the garrison not only has a full guarantee of income and treatment, but also a earth-shaking change in his status and full of good expectations for his future life. In the army, whether you once belonged to the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras of the lower castes, you must obey the unified management of the Qi officers and strictly obey orders. As long as the performance is excellent, they will be promoted to non-commissioned officer, and may even become a respected junior officer.

In the army, although low-caste soldiers are still discriminated against, verbally insulted, and threatened with violence by those high-caste soldiers in private, compared with the original Mughal Empire, the low-caste people are undoubtedly much better off and more hopeful.

This march into Multan helped the Nawab Kingdom to suppress the civilian rebellion. Sonoval reciprocated with deep sympathy, believing that the civilians who started the riots were a wretched bunch of wretched people who had been oppressed by officials at all levels, who had been insulted by the high castes, who toiled all day without having enough to eat.

Now, they will definitely suffer defeat in the face of a powerful military attack by the Qi State. Yes, the rioting civilians numbered as many as 30,000, which was ten times the number of their troops stationed in Xizhou. But in terms of weapons and equipment, or the level of training, they are no match for the garrison army at all.

As long as the city of Multan is breached, the civilian population of those riots will end very tragically. The Nawab army has received orders from King Azim I to severely punish civilians involved in the uprising, warning all people, especially those of the lower castes, that those who dare to resist will be completely liquidated.

Sighing softly, Sabanda. Sonoval turned his head to look at the prefect of the Qi country behind the formation, and found that his expression seemed to be relatively relaxed, looking at the city of Multan in front of him, and his face showed a steadiness that did not match his age.

Seems to feel Sabanda. Sonoval's gaze, Li Yanliang's eyes swept over majestically, and the other party was so frightened that he immediately turned his head and remained in a state of attack standby.

Multan, located in the lower reaches of the Chenab River, with a population of about 300,000, is an ancient city with a history of 2,000 years, and is the military center of the Punjab region after Lahore City, where the Hindu sun god Surya temple is located. In that year, when Alexander the Great was on his crusade to the east, he was attacked and besieged by a large army. In the 11th and 12th centuries, the area attracted a large number of Sufi mystics, giving the city the nickname "Holy City".

Decades ago, Prince Akbar established the Nawab Kingdom and made the city the capital, and after years of construction, the city was built with thick walls, which could not be easily destroyed by the army's light artillery. However, after the Xizhou garrison army arrived in the city, they launched an attack on it without making the slightest rest, and had the momentum of breaking the city on the same day.

"If there is no internal response, even if the artillery bombardment is for several days, it may not be able to break through the city. In this way, the commander still ordered the whole army to attack, which must have been a complete success. I don't know, how to launch this pre-arranged backhand? Li Yanliang looked up at the city wall, and couldn't help but think to himself in his heart.

At this time, the balloon located above suddenly signaled, and a small red flag kept waving. At the same time, the soldier in the hanging basket threw down a cloth bag containing a note, and after picking it up by the intelligence staff officer who received it on the ground, he hurriedly ran in the direction of Jiang Chuntang, the commander-in-chief of the unit and Captain Ling Lu (Lieutenant Colonel).

"Order, all officers and soldiers are ready to fight into the city!" After Jiang Chuntang looked at the font in his hand, a pleased smile appeared on his face, "After entering the city, you must first control all strategic points in the city, such as the palace, the official treasury, the armory, and the residence of the main ministers, and you must protect them to avoid being looted and destroyed by the rebels. ”

"Yes, sir!"

"Order, the officers and men of the army should not kill more, as long as those who surrender disarm will be spared death."

"Yes, sir."

"By the way, once we enter the city, we must keep several important organizers of the mob under our control. …… Of course, if it is resisted, it can be dealt with categorically, and it should not be left to the Nawab Kingdom army. ”

(End of chapter)