Empire of India: Rise of the Ruthless Prince

Chapter 171: Tricked

The ground trembled under the bright sun. The dust rose as the soldiers marched through the fields towards the borders of the Marathas.

The soldiers were dressed in high-quality armor. They were marching in neat formations to take on the army of the Marathas. Archers wore leather armor to move easily. There was a special unit of the soldiers in the back of the army.

Scouts were ahead of the army, reporting any sighting of the Marathas as they approached the outskirts of the small town near the border called Siddhpur.

Askar Khan was leading the army in the Vanguard.

He was the strongest commander on the Mughal side, as he always stood toe to toe with the Maratha king in battle and strategy.

He was well favoured by the Emperor since he was a crucial card in taking over the lands of the Marathas.

He rode his horse, donning his special-made armor, a sign of his commander status.

Askar was a man in his late 30s. He wore an eye patch, as it was injured by the king of Maratha in the previous battle. Askar vowed to take revenge by capturing the capital for his humiliation in the battle.

A scout came back to report.

Askar turned to the scout. "Did you find anything useful?"

"We are approaching the border; we don't have any sightings of the Maratha army yet, Commander." He spoke with a nervous glance.

Askar clicked his tongue in disgust. "Where are those pests?." he muttered.

"I can't even know if Shahbaz managed to get them with his little tricks." He added.

"The minister's plans never failed. We just have to trust him, Commander." The vice commander said.

The vice commander was a young man named Usman, a young and promising talent who rose to his position with hard work and dedication.

He had participated in the previous war as a normal soldier in Askar's army and witnessed the power of the Maratha king.

Shahbaz's misinformation tactics to send the king on a detour would let him march easily to the capital. The other Maratha commanders never stood a chance against Askar's shrewd tactics.

"What about the king's son?" He asked curiously as he heard that the Crown Prince was ridiculously strong for his age.

The scout thought for a moment and replied. "The crown prince should be accompanying the king. So you don't have to worry about that."

"I see, then we take on the scum that comes my way. I would rather not get stuck in a stalemate with that bastard king." He said with a smirk.

His focus was ahead on his enemy. He wanted to show his might to the Maratha scum by killing every defiant soldier.

Another scout came running to him.

"Commander, we have news?"

"What is it?"

"We have spotted the Maratha army in the distance." He said, taking a deep breath.

Askar had a dark smile on his face. "Who is leading the army?"

"It is Baldev. The king has fallen for Shahbaz's tactics." The scout declared with a smile.

"AHAHAHA, Shahbaz has done it again. That bastard!!" He exclaimed.

Askar glanced back at his soldiers marching neatly in formation.

"Soldiers." He yelled. "The time of war has come."

"Raise your weapons and prepare to kill those Kafir scum." He roared.

"ALLAH HU AKBAR!!"

"ALLAH HU AKBAR!!"

"ALLAH HU AKBAR!!"

"ALLAH HU AKBAR!!"

Meanwhile, in the distance on the outskirts of the Siddhpur Village. The Maratha army was marching towards the border to fight anyone approaching their borders. They looked determined and poised to protect their motherland.

The army was led by Baldev, a seasoned commander. He was strong and had experienced countless battles in his life.

The soldiers had restocked their supplies from the nearby villages to continue their march to the border. They were wearing the best armor procured by the kingdom. The Marathas were in a do-or-die situation and Baldev knew very well that he had to win the battles for them to stand a chance against the enemies.

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Accompanying Baldev was the young commander from the Bhonsle clan known as Shivaji Bhonsle. He was recommended by another commander to him. He was apparently a straightforward and strong individual.

Baldev saw the man take a blood oath to protect his motherland. It showed his dedication to the Marathas.

"Shivaji," Baldev asked. "Were you serious when you took the blood oath?"

Shivaji looked confused. "I wouldn't have taken it if I wasn't serious!"

"Are you sure you want to waste your life? You could survive and live a long life far from war."

"Commander, if I decided to give my life to protect the kingdom. I would do it. My mother always told me, Only take the oath you can keep."

Baldev was quite surprised, as he thought that Shivaji took the oath on the spur of the moment.

"Hahaha, are you sure you can keep your words in the face of death.?" He teased him.

"I will keep my word!" He declared.

"If it was that easy," mumbled Baldev.

"What did you say, Commander?"

"Nothing, just was wondering why Askar Khan decided to go to the western border."

"Maybe to use the terrain to his advantage since the Mughals would have a pretty good grasp of the region." He responded.

The scouts were ahead, searching for the Mughal army.

"Commander, have you fought against Askar Khan?" Shivaji asked.

"Yes, once I almost died. He is a strong man. Only His Majesty or the Crown Prince could match him in terms of strength and strategy."

"Hooo. Is that so... I didn't know that."

A scout quickly came with a nervous expression and whispered something to Baldev.

Baldev's expression turned serious.

"The Mughal army has been spotted and it is being led by Askar Khan."

Baldev realized that they were fooled by the Mughals. Askar was the Vanguard. They diverted the king and crown prince away from the Vanguard to take Askar, but it turned out that Askar was leading the Vanguard.

Thoughts raced through his mind.

"You!! Send a messenger to the king's army. We have been fooled." He ordered the Scout.

He then turned to Shivaji. "You!! Go back to the capital and protect it till reinforcements come. Take some soldiers with you as well."

"What?" Shivaji said with a confused face.

"Don't ask question. Follow orders!!" He screamed.

Shivaji understood the gravity of the situation and followed the orders without further questions.

Baldev took a deep breath as he prepared for the battle.

'I have to stall this bastard. I can't let the capital fall to these scum.'