Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

"So, why hasn't the Emperor come to negotiate?" asked Aadarsh.

"The Emperor is busy with some affairs back home."

Hasan had a wide smile. His tone was diplomatic as he came to end the war.

"So he is taking a break after instigating a whole war on the kingdom."

His brow twitched by the comment. It was the truth. The emperor's planning for the war was highly flawed from the start. He couldn't unleash his whole army due to the issues with improper integration, yet he went on insisting to wage war. The damage done was irreversible but Hasan didn't really care about the nitty-gritty. As long as his needs were met, he would stay in the Empire; if not, he would leave.

Hasan stayed silent for a while and diverted the topic.

"Let's get to the terms of the ceasefire!"

"What's there to discuss? You haven't captured a piece of our land. So there is no need for terms."

Hasan sighed deeply.

'This….'

"You are about right about that."

"Then why not just agree not to attack and leave?"

"Fuck this facade!" Hasan sighed and put his legs back on the table. He leaned back on the chair.

Aadarsh was intrigued by the sudden change in behaviour.

"We can sign and leave but there are some eyes on me right now. I need to make it look like I worked my ass off to make you agree." He sighed again and played with his book.

"Eyes? So you mean spies are nearby?"

"Eh! You didn't notice. They are closeby. Those bastards think I haven't noticed." Hasan grimaces. "That dumb Emperor." He curses.

Aadarsh was pretty taken aback by the shift in attitude. He went from a polite gentleman to a brat with a stuck-up attitude. The most concerning fact was the fact that he could detect the spies that he failed to notice. That fact alone told him about his immense strength and experience.

"Aren't you loyal to the Emperor?"

"Loyal Eh? It depends." He said. "I really don't care about what he does as long as it doesn't involve me."

"Really?" Aadarsh scratched his chin.

'It seems he is not that loyal to the Empire.'

"I came to negotiate because that dumbass was going to send me to fight and I don't want to fight knowing that I will win anyway."

"Huh?" Aadarsh exclaimed.

"Why are you surprised?" Hasan asked with a nonchalant look. "You cannot beat me! That is a fact!"

Aadarsh took a deep breath to calm himself. He listened to his instincts and decided not to question the man. He wasn't even sure that he could beat the man with a sword while he was bare-handed.

He didn't want to take any risks, as he was the future of the Maratha kingdom. A true warrior should know his limits as well.

"So what are we supposed to do?"

"Just talk for a while and sign this agreement." He produced an agreement and put it down on the table. "You can read it."

"Hmmm." Aadarsh took the agreement to read.

"It's all the same. The Empire and Marathas will have a ceasefire for 2 years," he began. "The borders will be restored to the ones before the war."

He read the agreement thoroughly to see anything amiss. The agreement was written in 2 different languages and had 2 copies each. Two for each kingdom, to keep track of terms.

The agreement was just as Hasan said. The terms were the same.

"What if I don't agree to sign?" Aadarsh asked, putting down the agreement papers.

The room suddenly went silent. It became extremely chilly and the air around the tent was almost suffocating him under the pressure. The bloodlust was seeping out of Hasan.

He froze for a moment but managed to reel himself back to reality.

"If you don't." His voice was cold as ice. "I will have to kill you right here and now."

"I don't wish for meaningless bloodshed, Prince. But if you wish to provoke me like this."

He stared at him. "I will have no choice."

"Fine." Aadarsh nodded. "I will agree to these terms of ceasefire."

'We don't have many people left on our side either way.' He thought.

The Marathas had lost a huge chunk of their army in this war, unlike the past wars. In retrospect, they also incurred the most damage to the Mughal army.

Aadarsh used his seal on the agreement, effectively agreeing to the terms. Hasan also produced a seal and used it on the paper.

The ceasefire agreement was in place and both states were responsible for upholding it.

Hasan grabbed his share of papers and put them away safely, while Aadarsh kept his copies in his hand.

"Hmmm…" Hasan's ear perked up. "In exchange for you keeping this conversation a secret. I will ensure you are not followed back to your capital."

Aadarsh thought for a while and nodded. He couldn't sense the spies; it was good to have them off his back.

Today he learned that Askar wasn't the strongest on the Mughal side. He couldn't imagine himself winning against Hasan in any way. This just gave him motivation to become stronger to protect his kingdom.

He took a last glance at Hasan and left without a word.

The war between the Mughals and Marathas had officially ended with a ceasefire in place that was effective immediately.

Aftermath of the War

.

Battle of Nadiad—Won by Marathas

Battle of Surat—Won by Marathas

Battle of Daman—Won by Marathas

Battle of Patan—Won by Marathas

Battle of Karnavati—Won by Marathas

Battle of Siddhpur—Won by Mughals

Territories gained by Marathas—Daman, Thalner, Baroda, Rewantkantha.

Skirmishes

Total skirmishes: 62

Mughals won:17

Marathas won: 45 (Maratha skrimishes pushed them out of the borders)

Notable deaths.

Qutb Royal Commander-Omar

Portuguese mercenaries captains— Diogo Barbosa and Fernando Gouveia

Mughal Royal Commander, Askar Khan

Twin commanders—Babar Khan and Bairam Khan

Maratha King, Devendra Chauhan

Maratha Royal Commander-Baldev.

Hero of Karnavati: Shivaji Bhonsle.

Total Casualties

Qutbs Sultanate: 35300

Portuguese: 6000 (notable losses—two second-rate ships at Surat.)

Mughals-131340

Marathas-59720