Alappuzha, Vijayanagara Empire.
As the news of Balaji's assassination spread to the Cochin nobles, they all began their path of war to seize the throne for Bhairava. Keshav Pillai of Alappuzha was the first to set out with his troops towards the capital, Hampi.
Keshav Pillai stood, his voice echoing through the field, addressing the soldiers gathered for war.
"BRAVE SOLDIERS, HEAR ME.
THE DAWN OF DESTINY HAS ARRIVED AT OUR DOORSTEP! TODAY WE SHALL MARCH TO THE CAPITAL! OUR HEARTS BEAT AS ONE WITH PRINCE BHAIRAVA, THE TRUE HEIR TO THE IMPERIAL THRONE!
WE, ARE UNBREAKABLE, UNDEFEATED. OUR RESOLVE STANDS AS FIRM AS MOUNTAINS, AND OUR COURAGE IS VAST ENOUGH TO COVER THE HEAVENS.
We fight not just for glory but for our homes, our families, and our very way of life.
WE ARE THE SWORD OF JUSTICE!
WE ARE ALSO THE SHIELD OF OUR PEOPLE!
Victory is our birthright.
LET OUR CRIES SHAKE THE HEAVENS. LET THE EARTH TREMBLE BENEATH OUR FEET!
SOLDIERS! RAISE YOUR VOICES! RAISE YOUR WEAPONS!
Let history remember this day!
FOR COCHIN! FOR BHAIRAVA.
The soldiers cries echoed throughout the field.
FOR COCHIN! FOR BHAIRAVA!
FOR COCHIN! FOR BHAIRAVA!
FOR COCHIN! FOR BHAIRAVA!
The soldiers of the Patriarch Keshav Pillai marched ready with all their newly acquired weaponry and armor. The preparations for the war were underway for a long time, and the Emperor's temporary coma was the best time to take action.
As soon as the confirmation from Bhairava reached him, Keshav set out with his army. The army contained well over 7000 infantry troops, 3000 cavalry, 30 war elephants, and a contingent of the special units specialized in guerilla warfare—that was, 1000 soldiers strong and a separate squad for logistical support.
It was not just Keshav Pillai. Most of the major noble groups of the Cochin faction began setting out with their armies to take control of the capital, Hampi. Ashokan Nair, Vijayarama Panicker, and others had also begun moving within a week of the emperor's coma.
A messenger came up to Keshav as he exited the stage.
"Lord, we are to meet up with Rama Varma first in Cochin. We will be the first to march towards the capital."
"Why do we have to meet up?"
"Lord Rama Varma said we have to brief him at the palace before we set out."
"I see, we can make a brief stop as we pass through the Palace anyway."
"Yes, my lord."
"Do you know any information about the others?"
"Apart from Ashokan Nair and Parvathi Nair setting out for Mangalore, others are yet to be given orders by the prince."
Meanwhile, in Shastri's mansion,. There was an intense discussion going on after the assassination of Balaji Mudaliar. The death of Balaji created a huge void in the imperial faction's power. Balaji was a wise man who was renowned for not only his wealth but also his intellect.
Balaji's death was a heavy blow, with his eldest son taking on the reigns hastily. The situation was barely stabilized, and the imperials could still use the Mudaliar against Cochin, although not as effectively as when Balaji Mudaliar was present.
Govinda Rao furrowed his brow.
"Your Highness, is it wise to let his son hastily assume the role of head?"
"What choice do we have, Govinda? We don't really have any other choice, or else we just lose the Mudaliar support, which in itself is a huge army."
"I understand, Your Highness, but the eldest son is nothing but a fool. He is not the one to run the family. We should give the reigns to the middle child of Balaji."
"What's wrong with him now?"
"The eldest son is a coward, Your Highness," added Gopala Shastri, sipping on tea.
"Yes, Your Highness the Middle Kid is the best choice. He is the most talented out of them, but he lacks the influence."
"We cannot do anything about it right now. Do you want them to fight amongst themselves in this situation?"
"No," Govinda said meekly
Neelakanta, the prince's aide, was talking to a man dressed in black; after a brief talk, the man disappeared, blending into the shadows.
"Your Highness, our informant has found some interesting stuff to share about Prince Harsha."
"What is it?" asked Chandra curiously.
"Firstly, we have no information about his current whereabouts or if he is alive or not."
Govinda lightly tapped on the armrest with a frustrated look.
"Was the prince also assassinated?"
"There seemed to be an attempt. Although the traces were wiped hastily, we could find something. It seems very unlikely the prince is alive. There are so many body traces found in the region."
"So he was ambushed?"
'Yes, Your Highness, and the guard captain is likely to be complicit in this cause; he has yet to reveal his disappearance."
"Have you found his body or any traces?"
"We found many body traces of killed assassins—but we have yet to find the body of the prince, and the numbers of assassins don't seem to be low either. There were many assassins."
"Anyway, moving on from this matter,. Assign a small squad to search this."
"Understood, Your Highness."
Chandra shifted his gaze back to the nobles.
"Are all the preparations done?"
"Yes," they all said in unison.
"Prepare; their army should be heading to the capital soon. We shouldn't allow them to take the key positions first."
"Where should we focus first?"
"Gopala will station close to Anand; I do feel like they would target Mangalore."
Govinda Rao glanced up at the prince, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"What about the others? Your Highness"
"Station yourself in your respective regions. I will relay information as our scouts report the movements of their armies."
A man appeared out of nowhere in the room, dressed in black.
"Your Highness, Keshav Pillai is marching to the capital."
Govinda Rao cursed and gasped along with the others present in union.
"Lord Govinda will handle Keshav."
"Bu-"
Chandra dismissed his statement with a wave.
"I believe Lord Govinda can win against Keshav. We need to win this battle. We already lost a key figure, I trust you to win, Lord Govinda." He assured.