Nine years ago (1722), when the Third Mughal Civil War (also known as the Northwest War) broke out, the young Emperor Muhammadshah, at the instigation of Prime Minister Nizam, prepared to take a strong stand and destroy the self-reliant kingdoms of Nawab and Banjinad, thus bringing the rich Punjab and Sindh to the central government.

At that time, hundreds of thousands of troops from the three sides engaged in bloody and brutal battles in Ludhiana, Rajput and other areas, causing millions of innocent people to be displaced and turned into refugees.

The Kharat Khanate wanted to take advantage of this opportune moment, when several sides had no time to take care of it, and sent troops to invade Sindh and seize the populous and fertile Indus Valley, so as to strengthen the Baluchis.

However, the Qi people, who were determined to exhaust the strength of the three parties and plot the whole of India, immediately stopped the speculation of the Kharat Khanate and did not allow it to send troops to capture the Indus Valley, which was empty of troops.

What are you kidding, if the Kharat Khanate rashly intervened and attacked the Sindh region, where the Nawab Kingdom was based, wouldn't the entire situation in the northwest face the danger of collapse, and the Mughal Empire would be cheapened for nothing.

If the Mughal Empire is allowed to take advantage of the situation to defeat the Nawab Kingdom and the Banjinad Kingdom, thereby completing the de facto unification of the North and allowing the Mughals to achieve a "great revival", then how can our Qi State encroach on India again, how can we dismember the Mughal Empire again, and how can we fully colonize the subcontinent?

Besides, if your Kharat Khanate swallows the anointed land of the Indus Valley and gains a large number of people, its strength will inevitably expand dramatically, how will our Qi State pinch you again in the future?

Although the Kharat Khanate was unwilling to stop the Qi people, it did not dare to disobey, and honestly deployed troops on the border of Afghanistan, ready to follow the Qi army to attack Kandahar in order to copy the back road of the Gilzails.

But he never imagined that on this small steamer, such a brave and majestic man, he would vomit like a cowardly clown on the ship, and he was dizzy, his hands and feet were weak, and he could only curl up on the bed pitifully.

As early as more than ten years ago, after the government liberalized the technical control of the railway, the Qi State wanted to build a railway from Tianjin Gate to the Sindh region, so as to obtain the abundant grain, cotton and various mineral products in the inland hinterland, and at the same time to continuously transport the goods of the Qi State to the inland areas with large populations.

If they continue to take the small steamer, it will take more than a day to reach the Jinmen, and these barbarians from Khorasan are afraid that they will vomit out their bitter gall.

However, the prerequisite for passing through these two key mountain passes is to control Herat in the northwest corner of Afghanistan, and based on this, it can occupy the absolute strategic initiative and will exert greater military pressure on Afghanistan and India geographically.

Ibrahim Khan looked out the window in astonishment, and yes, the backward buildings and workers proved that the "carriage" they were riding in was moving forward, and through the half-closed window, the "wheels" could be heard clanging.

In the distance, rows of trees sway gently in the breeze, bringing coolness and comfort to the plains. The breeze blew and the grass under the trees rippled with it. In the meadow, there were some little lambs running freely, spreading their hooves and playing happily in the green grass. This fills the farm with laughter and vibrancy.

In this land, the land is fertile, the climate is pleasant, the sun is shining, and the waves of wheat that have not yet been harvested in the fields are gently swaying in the wind, making people feel abundant and satisfied.

After a two-day stay in the most important trading city on the lower Indus River, Ibrahim Khan and a dozen of his entourage boarded a small steamer with a displacement of just over 200 tons and sailed down the river to Jinmen (present-day Karachi), the seat of the Western Governorate's government.

It was the first time Ibrahim Khan had been on a boat, and it was a very fast steamer, and less than half an hour after leaving Sukkur, he vomited and fell into a faint light, and then languished like a dead dog on a narrow wooden bed, groaning and wailing in pain.

In the fruit forest, the full and round fruits make people salivate, three or five children, bare-chested, barefoot, clinging to the trees, secretly gnawing on them, bringing a quiet and peaceful atmosphere to the whole farm.

"At this time, Khorasan should also be in the autumn harvest, but I don't know how much harvest can be achieved after frequent wars and famines." Ibrahim Khan rode on his horse, looking at the farmland and villages on both sides of the road, contemplating the current situation in Khorasan.

In this beautiful agricultural landscape, one can feel the greatness and power of nature, and can also see the beautiful scene of human beings living in harmony with nature. In this oasis plain, a sense of happiness and calm flows through every corner, allowing people to escape from the hustle and bustle and war, and feel the blessings of nature.

It is only a marginal area of India, but it is faintly more than Khorasan in terms of agricultural production, industrial and commercial development. If you go to the heart of India, won't you be more prosperous and richer?

Well, the Qi people must have made a lot of money from India for decades, so they became so powerful and extended their influence to the Persian Empire.

At the same time, the state of Qi also secretly instigated the Maratha Empire to lead troops northward, directly targeting the core ruling area of the Mughal Empire.

How does such a "carriage" move?

These "carriages" are clearly connected from end to end, and if they are strung together, how much weight is there, and how many horses do you need to drag them!?

Filled with doubts, Ibrahim Khan sat down in a row of soft leather chairs rather uneasily, waiting for the "carriage" to start.

The Governorate of Western Prefecture mobilized thousands of garrison troops and Qiyin servants to invade Rajput, not only thwarting the Mughal Empire's attempt to attack the Nawab kingdom from the rear, but also successfully instigating the Rajputs to launch an armed uprising, expelling Mughal officials and soldiers, and claiming autonomy.

More than a dozen long "carriages" lie quietly on two rails cast from iron, countless coolies are constantly carrying bags of goods into the "carriages", and the bustling flow of people is guided by uniformed "soldiers" to climb the "carriages" in the front.

Just when Ibrahim Khan was secretly thinking about how to invade India in the future and grab a big one, their caravan had already arrived at Sukkur, an important town in the Nawab Kingdom.

With a roaring whistle, the "carriage" seemed to have a hint of movement.

The Qi people easily gained a great deal of commercial and political advantage in Sindh, Punjab, Rajput, and Gujarat, which not only further strengthened their control over India's northwest coast, but also extended their influence into the hinterland.

After consolidating its rule in the Khorasan region, the Nadir military group quickly sent troops to defeat the Abdaris and capture Herat, thus gaining an excellent strategic position in the region.

As the front of the car continued to spew black smoke, the sound of "roaring" became louder and louder, and the speed of the "carriage" gradually accelerated, and in the end, it was as fast as a galloping horse, and the windows on both sides of the carriage continued to pour in the cool evening breeze, so that the carriage that was still dull just now immediately became transparent.

In the carriage, many passengers who had taken the train for the first time like him were very excited, and they all stuck their heads out of the window in surprise, looking at the dark field, and their mouths kept making exclamations.

Unexpectedly, the Qi people who accompanied him happily told Ibrahim Khan that they would take a train here and reach Jinmen in just over three hours.

After meticulous and in-depth exploration and planning, Qi began to build the Jinmen-Multan railway last year, and by early June this year, the first phase of the railway from Tianjin to Hyderabad was successfully opened to traffic and achieved commercial operation.

Later, perhaps as a reward for the diligence and loyalty of the Kharat Khanate, after the end of the Kandahar War, the Qi people forced the Nawab Kingdom to "cede" an oasis plain of about 30,000 square kilometers in the northwest region to the Qalat Khanate on the pretext of assisting the Nawab Kingdom to quell the capital rebellion, and finally gave the Baluchis a land rich in water and grass.

O my God! Such a long line of carriages actually went on, and at such a speed, no less than the speed of the cavalry when they were rushing at a rapid pace.

As a result of this war, the construction of the railroad was delayed again and again and was put on hold indefinitely.

When Ibrahim Khan followed a large caravan through the rugged Bolun Valley, he came to an open plain.

However, in Ibrahim Khan's view, going south to capture Kandahar was not a good choice, because it would arouse the vigilance of the Qi people, and they would be strongly countered by them.

Since India is so rich, if we can lead troops to kill it one day, we will definitely be able to grab a lot of money, and then we will be able to recruit more soldiers, buy more weapons, and then continue to seize more land and conquer all the enemies we encounter.

...... any further on, well, there was nothing, no dragging horses, no grooms.

In addition to white cotton fields and golden wheat fields, there are also verdant vegetables and colorful fruit forests. In the vegetable field, rows of tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, and other vegetables are lined up one after another, and the crystal water droplets on the green leaves shine in the sun, creating a vibrant scene.

Whether it was on the endless steppe or on the perilous battlefield, Ibrahim Khan was a skilled warrior, wielding a sword on horseback, slaughtering cities and destroying the earth, what a wanton life. No matter how bumpy and swift the sturdy and majestic war horse was, he could sit firmly in the saddle, and the blade of the sword did not shake at all.

To the north, you can flank the Bukhara Khanate with Mashhad, so as to obtain more tribal cavalry resources; To the south, you can attack Kandahar and plunder the eastern part of Persia; Advancing eastward, they could seize Kabul and break into the Khyber Pass and enter rich India.

Don't be funny, even if the Nadir military group is really amazing, and it can break through the Kharat Khanate by attacking the city along the way, it will definitely lose its troops in the end, and it will become the end of a strong crossbow, and it will not be able to fight again.

Moreover, the Deccan and Bengal taxes have not been paid in full, and they are frequently in arrears, which has long made the central government in Delhi unable to make ends meet, resulting in many troops being in arrears for months or even a year or two. If the war in the northwest continues, there is no guarantee that there will be a serious crisis within the empire.

In the endless cotton and wheat fields, industrious farmers are busy picking and harvesting under the scorching sun. Although they looked tired and sweaty, they had big smiles on their faces.

However, the situation in Sindh has not been very calm, with border conflicts with the central government of the Mughal Empire from time to time, and a few years ago, the Northwest War spread to the entire Sindh, Punjab, Rajput and other regions.

In addition, there is a very inconspicuous mountain pass, which is the Polon Pass in the territory of the Kharat Khanate, after which is the fertile Indus Valley, whether it continues to cross the Indus River to the south, penetrate Sindh and enter Rajput, or turn southeast and attack the densely populated Punjab, it will be a flat river without any hindrance.

Therefore, when Ibrahim Khan arrived in Hyderabad by boat with his delegation, the Qi people in charge of the reception asked them to take the train to experience the baptism of modern civilization.

Throughout the millennium of history, any foreign force that wants to invade India will generally choose to break through the Khyber Pass, as long as it crosses this pass, there is an endless Indian plain, rushing down, can quickly sweep the whole of India.

Therefore, after the Mughal Empire and other three participating countries announced mediation in Qi, they all sold the face of Qi, ended the three-year war very happily, and signed a temporary armistice agreement.

What's more, even if Kandahar is successfully captured, can it still lead a large army across the vast desert for hundreds of kilometers, kill the Qalat Khanate, which is protected by the Qi State, and finally break through into the Indus Valley?

What kind of ride is a train?

Could it be a fire-breathing carriage?

Filled with great doubts, Ibrahim Khan and the other members of the delegation got into the carriage in a daze, and when it was completely dark, they came to a large "post station".

Subsequently, the people of Qi expressed their willingness to mediate for the ongoing war in the northwest to restore peace and stability in the entire region.

"Woo......"

At the very front of the long "carriage" was a solid iron locomotive, which, for some reason, constantly emitted white smoke outward, as if it was filled with boiling hot water.

Now that the war is over, let's carry out a large-scale post-war reconstruction.

On the other hand, those Qi people and some of the people of the Bysindhi were like nothing, and they all showed ridicule and contempt on their faces, which made Ibrahim Khan and others feel an inexplicable sense of shame and ...... Exasperation.

After several years of fighting, although the Mughal Empire did not fully achieve the set goals before the war, through a military strike, it had greatly weakened the strength of the two rebel kingdoms, and also succeeded in provoking a Sikh riot, which plunged the Punjab and Sindh territories into endless wars and felt that it was almost time to stop.

Fortunately, the speed of the small steamer was extremely fast, and in the evening, it reached Hyderabad, which is located in the lower reaches of the Indus River.

Originally, I thought that I would stay in the city for one night, and then continue to take a small steamer to Jinmen tomorrow morning.

A few years ago, seeing that the Nawab Kingdom and the Banjinad Kingdom were gradually unable to support the civil strife that broke out in their respective territories, the Qi Kingdom directly intervened in the war.

By taking the fast and convenient train, it took more than 140 kilometers to reach the destination in just over three hours.

Ibrahim Khan got off the train in a daze, and then boarded the carriage arranged by the Qi people, looking at the street lamps outside the window, and still didn't come back to his senses.

"O my true God! Could it be that the people of Qi are really the messengers sent by Allah to the earth, so that they can use the power of God to create such ingenious and miraculous things! ”

——

(End of chapter)