Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

Chapter 761: Kiran's Actual surprise: (3.3/3)

A few weeks ago...

Vijay looked at Kiran with interest. "Don't you feel disappointed, Kiran? Despite all you have done for the empire, this is how you are being repaid. Aren't you feeling betrayed?" he questioned as he sat down in front of Kiran, his expression curious.

Kiran's emotions were turbulent. Everything was fine just a few days ago, but out of nowhere, he was asked to give up half his powers. How could he not be disappointed? If it was just a commotion made by the politicians, he would normally not be so easy to concede defeat and relent his power. But he knew at the end of the day, it was His Majesty who made that decision. 

He wanted to ask His Majesty why he did such a thing. Did he do something wrong? But in the end, all his dissatisfaction, doubt, and unhappiness culminated in an emotionless response, "No, Your Majesty. My power has been given by you, and naturally, you have the right to take it back. I have no reason to be disappointed or even feel betrayed." 

Vijay, just by looking at his eyes, could understand that he was not telling the truth. Even though what he said was theoretically true, how could it be so easy to give up power after holding it for nearly half a decade? Even if he had not misused the power and had not made use of it for his personal gain, having it was completely different from not having it. Because having it was a testament to the empire's trust in him and his promise back to the empire to handle the responsibilities responsibly. 

Now, with half of the power being taken away, the trust was broken. 

Vijay knew that if things did not change, Kiran would have a gap in his heart. He might no longer dedicate himself as wholeheartedly to the empire as he did in the past. But he did not make things difficult for Kiran and expose him. Instead, he asked another question.

"So, do you want to continue to be the Marshal of the empire or the first Defence Minister of the empire?" 

Kiran's brows furrowed. He didn't know why His Majesty was asking this question. He naturally wanted to be the Marshal of the empire since, except for the power to make rules and regulations being taken away and the finances being monitored, the rest of the power was still a lot. 

Just as he was about to answer, Vijay cut him off. 

"I suggest you resign from your post and take over the post of Minister of Defence." 

Kiran was shocked. His thoughts were erratic. He could not understand, no matter how far back he thought and no matter how he questioned himself repeatedly in his mind, he couldn't remember when he had offended His Majesty in some way.

He could no longer hold on. "Your Majesty, could you please tell me, have I offended or disappointed you in some way?" 

He wanted to end the question by asking why his powers were taken away without any reason, but he stopped himself, knowing that it could really come off as him questioning the emperor's decisions. 

'Finally.' Vijay smiled inexplicably, which left Kiran bewildered. Vijay was waiting for this question. 

If he didn't hear any dissatisfaction or grievances from the Marshal, then he would really be worried, because who would not complain when half of their power had been snatched away from them out of nowhere, and then they were asked to resign from their post and take up another post in the government, a politician who would be replaced every five years? If Kiran didn't really ask the question, then it would be Vijay who would be heartbroken, because then he would have lost a talented commander and a hero to the empire.

Fortunately, the question was asked, meaning that even though Kiran was disappointed and heartbroken, he would accept the task and get the work done. 

Thinking about it, the smile on his face only widened. He was confident that Kiran would pass his test, but people's hearts cannot be calculated, so he was worried about the small probability that Kiran had completely changed and had been corrupted by power. Now, it looked like he didn't have to be worried—the Marshal was still the old Marshal. 

Kiran was bewildered. Why was His Majesty smiling so hard? Was seeing him suffer making His Majesty so happy? His expression turned complicated, and he bent down his head, letting out a depressed breath. 

It felt like he had overstayed his welcome. He wanted to immediately get out. He no longer had the will to work as hard as he did. As His Majesty suggested, he would take up the post of Defence Minister. After a few years, he would voluntarily resign and take care of his businesses and fields. 

Vijay controlled his smile, and he felt like he had tested the commander enough. So, he got up, went to a cabinet, and brought over a large map. 

He stretched it open for it to be the map of Southeast Asia and Australia. 

Kiran's gaze was attracted to it. He noticed something peculiar—apart from the kingdoms and nations listed on the map, other regions had been filled in with various colours and had been numbered. 

Especially the large island continent of Australia—it had been split between six different colours.

He was confused. 'Is His Majesty going to ask me to command some colonial stronghold?' His Majesty's decisions had had a great impact on him, so as soon as he saw the map, he thought of the most negative thing and felt very depressed. 

Looking at his face, Vijay was taken aback. This was not something Vijay had expected. Did he overdo it? Why did Kiran act like he was being sent to prison? 'Damn, I guess I overplayed it.' He came to the realization, but he knew that an explanation wouldn't be enough, so he simply came to the main point.

"Kiran, would you like to be a king?" 

Kiran looked up at His Majesty in surprise. 'Is even his title being taken away?' His eyes became red. 

'Goddamn it,' Vijay cursed, but he also became nervous because he couldn't tell how long the big guy was willing to endure. 

Because even if the rubber band is flexible, it will snap once it is stretched too tight. 

"What I mean is, do you want to be a king in your own kingdom and not just a nominal king in the Bharatiya Empire?" Vijay hurriedly explained. 

This time, Kiran's thinking came to a standstill. "What do you mean, Your Majesty?" he asked.

Vijay let out a sigh of relief because if Kiran thought that he was being seen as a rebel group leader, Vijay didn't know how he could turn things around. 

Fortunately, that didn't happen. 

"Look at the map. There are a total of 13 areas marked in it in different colours and different numbers." 

According to Vijay's previous life's geography, the marked areas were: Malaysia 1, North Sumatra 2, South Sumatra 3, the main Java Island 4, Central and Southern parts of Kalimantan Island 5, Timor-Leste 6, Papua New Guinea 7, Western Australia 8, Northern Territory 9, Southern Australia 10, Queensland 11, New South Wales 12, and Victoria 13. 

"Each one of these areas is a new frontier for our empire—for resources, population migration, and cultural expansion." 

"In the coming years, all the migration efforts will be focused on these 13 different locations in the southeast."

"For now, these places will be directly controlled by the Bharatiya Empire with the help of private companies doing business, but as the population increases and the need for more complicated governance arises, I am planning to upgrade these 13 places into their own kingdoms." 

"Naturally, a kingdom would require a monarch." 

"With your contribution to the empire, you are naturally among the list of people who could take over a frontier of your own." 

"So what do you think? Are you willing?" 

Kiran almost did not hesitate as he blurted out, "Yes!" For a moment, he was embarrassed by how quickly he gave the reply—it seemed like he was desperate. But who could blame him? He was shocked. Asking whether he would like to be a king made him think that he was being tested, but who could have thought His Majesty really asked him whether he wanted to be a king of his own nation? 

Even if he did not have this idea before, since His Majesty brought up the matter himself and, along with him, there were 12 other people who would get this opportunity, he did not hesitate and quickly agreed. Even if he felt regretful that he would no longer be a citizen of the Bharatiya Empire, which would make him feel like he had lost something very dear to his heart, he still could not resist the allure of being a king with his own kingdom. 

Vijay didn't feel surprised. How many people can actually say no to being a king in their own country? He hadn't asked this question to a lot of people. As far as he could remember, he had only asked Jaya Dwaj Singha before, but he reckoned that not a lot of people could say no. 

"You have to remember, Kiran, if you really are willing to leave everything behind in the Bharatiya Empire and make a new beginning, according to the rules of the empire, you would have to sell all the military shares and stocks you have on hand and reduce your shareholding of your other companies to nearly 49%." 

"In order to gain something, you'll have to let go of some things," Vijay reminded him seriously. 

However, Kiran did not take it into account at all, because from what His Majesty said, the people in these countries were primarily from the Bharatiya Empire. In this situation, will the empire treat these people badly? For the Bharatiya Empire, which gives extremely preferential policies even to allies, will their own people not be taken care of? 

"Which area will I be allocated, Your Majesty?" Kiran asked eagerly. 

Vijay thought about it and shook his head. "It depends. Thirteen pieces of land are being allocated according to a hierarchy." 

"The top person in the hierarchy gets to choose any plot of land in the 13 pieces he wants. After he has chosen, the remaining people get to pick in order." 

Vijay looked at Kiran. "You are third on the list." 

'Eh?' Kiran was surprised. He wanted to know who was above him. He was thinking about whether he could talk with these people and come to an arrangement because as soon as he saw the map, he immediately decided on a place. 

Thankfully, though, Vijay mentioned it himself. "The person in the first place is Raja Jaya Dwaj Singha. Second place is Raja Sarvesh. Naturally, you are in third place. The fourth place—well, I have people in mind, but they are not yet confirmed. For now, the top three are set."

"So if you want to discuss this matter with the above two, you can naturally do it since they are also aware of this information." 

Kiran nodded in understanding and then suddenly came to a realization. 'No wonder His Majesty could convince the King of Ahom so quickly to merge his kingdom with the Bharatiya Empire. In a situation where I am neighbouring a powerful empire that I cannot defeat even in my dreams if I was given a chance to rebuild a kingdom bigger and more powerful with the full support of an empire, I would agree too.'

P.S. Thank you Discord user @forgottenland for bringing the error to light.