Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

The sea glistened under the morning sun. There was a gentle salty breeze as the ship swayed and headed to the port city of Malacca. General Barnabas, along with the Portuguese nationals, was heading to Malacca.

He already planned to send them back to Portugal via Malacca. He asked Rodrigo to arrange the ships for the journey.

A seed of doubt was planted in the mind of Barnabas as he saw the Dutch. Taking Daman at such a time would be a fool's endeavor. He suspected the Empire that supplied the Dutch with the information of their defeat in Daman.

Now the taking over of Daman was more unlikely than before. He sighed and felt the salty breeze.

'Rodrigo wouldn't allow it either.' He thought.

Rodrigo's logical attitude wouldn't let him send support to take over Daman.

Barnabas gritted his teeth and clenched his fist in anger. He still couldn't get past the humiliation of getting completely outwitted not once but twice by the Emperor of Vijayanagara.

'We might have underestimated him too much.' He thought. It was true that the European nations looked down on the subcontinental kingdoms and actively tried to establish their influence in the region. After all, it was a golden goose of the world.

His mind was racing with thoughts of how to deal with Harsha; his influence would certainly dictate their movements in the subcontinent. They were already on the bad side of the Empire due to the incident in Goa during the reign of Krishna Deva Raya.

The current emperor also didn't seem to like them much by the looks of it. He was actively trying to push them out of the subcontinent.

Barnabas could see the port city of Malacca in the distance.

He needs to address this issue before it gets out of their hands. If the Empire grows influential in the subcontinent. Their trade with the Empire would surely decline.

'Finally I can rest for a while before leaving for Portugal,' he thought.

Meanwhile, Rodrigo was pacing up and down in his huge study room. He heard some information about the Dutch ships patrolling the area around the Kandy kingdom. This definitely meant that there was a leak of information to the Dutch about the incoming Portuguese ships.

Although Rodrigo knew that the Dutch wouldn't try to harm them, he was still worried about the nobles en route to the Port of Malacca. It would definitely become a huge mess to deal with if they got hurt. It would result in him and Barnabas losing their positions.

'Damn it. I hope nothing much happens.' He bit his nails anxiously.

He looked out of his Famosa's window at the port city. He also smelled the winds of rebellion in Malacca. Some forces were actively trying to sabotage their influence in the city. He already increased patrols in the cities and spread his spies to find out any clues about the rebels.

'Those fucking infidels.' He thought. 'How dare they try to rebel against our authority!'

A soldier barged into his room and saluted.

"The ships have arrived."

"General Barnabas is here." He declared.

Rodrigo quickly turned on his heel and wore his fur coat. He made his way to the docks to welcome the general in Malacca. He also needed to see the situation of the nobles and arrange and guide them to their accommodations that he prepared in the city.

He reached the docks to see a queue of workers lined up to unload the luggage from their ships. The workers began to move the luggage while the nobles got down from the ships onto the stone-paved docks.

Rodrigo noticed Barnabas getting down from the ship and quickly made his way towards him.

"Greetings! General Barnabas." He said with a smile. He extended his hand.

Barnabas glanced at the extended hand for a moment and shifted his gaze to Rodrigo's eyes. He shook his hand.

"Likewise, General Rodrigo."

"How was the journey to Malacca?"

"Nothing too bad, General." He replied.

Barnabas glanced at the nobles chatting in the back and cleared his throat.

Rodrigo waved at the soldiers that accompanied them.

"Go and guide them to their quarters."

The soldiers saluted him. "Yes, General.".

Local merchants and workers glanced at the huge number of Portuguese nationals descending from the ships.

He shifted his gaze back to Barnabas. "I guess we have something to discuss."

"Isn't that right? General Barnabas."

"Yes, let's move to somewhere more private."

"Right."

They walked towards the Famosa and ended up in the study room of Rodrigo. Barnabas took a seat and was served some tea and snacks by the servants in the Famosa.

"So what happened in Daman?" Rodrigo's voice was serious. "How did you lose?"

"It was a surprise attack," Barnabas replied while sipping tea.

"Surprise? If it was you, you should have accounted for it."

"I would have if I were in Daman."

"Where the hell were you then?" Rodrigo asked. "Were you loitering around?"

"Calm down, Rodrigo." Barnabas said sternly.

"Huh? Calm down. You realize how much money was invested into that base."

"I hate to admit it, but I was outwitted."

"Outwitted? By Whom?"

"It is surely the Emperor of Vijayanagara. He is the mastermind behind all this mess."

"Huh? He is just a kid." Rodrigo said angrily. "You expect me to believe you, the "Great" Barnabas, was outwitted by a barely adult Emperor?"

"It is the truth."

Rodrigo took a deep breath and sighed. "What happened exactly?"

Barnabas put down his teacup to explain. He began to explain the things that happened over the course of the past few months. How the Emperor invited him to the Royal Palace for a deal and by the time they had reached the palace and discussed the terms of the deal. They got the news of the Daman takeover by the Marathas.

"So you are telling me that the Emperor predicted not only the victory of the Marathas in the Surat."

"But also that they would attack our base in Daman?"

"I know it's hard to believe. This is the truth."

Rodrigo sat down and sunk into his seat. "If this is true."

'The Emperor might be a dangerous being beyond their imagination.'

"So what about the takeover?" He asked. "Do you still plan to do it?"

Find adventures on empire

"No, it is a fool's endeavor." Barnabas frowned. "He didn't leave any loose ends."

"But I don't understand. How did they know of our enmity with the Dutch?"

"Me neither." Barnabas shrugged.

"I don't have any proof that the Emperor did it either." He sighed. "It could all be a huge coincidence."

Rodrigo ran his hand through his disheveled hair. "AH. This is so confusing."

"I know."

"We have to get this situation under control." Barnabas suggested. "Our influence in the subcontinent is done for."

"It is..." Rodrigo also nodded. "I can't help you."

"What?"

"I can't help you, General Barnabas." He frowned.

"Why is that?"

"Because there are many problems here as well."

"There are still problems here?"

"I can't help it."

"They keep popping up like cockroaches." He slammed his fist on the armrest. "These infidels."

"Hmm…I guess we all have our own problems."

"So what is your plan now?" Rodrigo asked. "I have already arranged ships for the nobles to leave by the next week."

Barnabas thought for a while and glanced at him. "I think I need to go back to the kingdom and present this issue directly to the council."

"Huh? Are you serious? You know how stubborn they are?"

"This is a serious issue. We need more military strength in the subcontinent." Barnabas countered. "We might have underestimated the Empire a little too much this time."

"The young Emperor is a dangerous man."

"I see... Since it's you, the stubborn old men might consider it because of your achievements for the kingdom."

"Although I suggest you take the help of the Castro family." Rodrigo scratched his chin. "It would certainly give you an edge in convincing them."

Barnabas frowned. He didn't want to deal with the Castro family. They were a pain in the rear, but there was no choice now. He needed some form of support in the Royal Council. The Castro family head and the father of the Concubine Luisa hated the Vijayanagara Empire more than Barnabas.

He would most likely lend his support in this issue. There was also a recent snub from his own grandson, Alfonso Deva Raya. All his support and money went down the drain supporting his grandson for the throne.

So the Castro family's patriarch would be certainly looking to damage the Empire for his revenge.

"Fine, I have no choice either way." He sighed deeply and got up to leave. "I need to rest before I leave for Portugal."

"I will have all the preparations done for the journey, Barnabas." Rodrigo assured him with a pat on his shoulder.

"Take some extra rest. You might need it for dealing with that stubborn old fool from the Castro family."

Rodrigo knew about the behavior of the Patriarch of the Castro Family. He empathized with Barnabas on this issue.