Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

"Hahaha!" Jagannath Mohan hadn't laughed so hard in a long time.

The income the government obtained from the auction was a whopping 1.05 billion Varaha, and he, who sat through the whole process of the auction with bated breath, could not help but burst out laughing. He was like a green goblin, eyes filled with the glint of gold. With this amount of money, more than half of the navy could be rebuilt and still have some leftovers.

Even Dharmendra, who did not directly profit from the auction, was overjoyed and couldn't stop smiling. Even if he did not directly benefit from the auction, he benefited indirectly, as he naturally knew that all the money earned by the government would eventually be spent on the economy of the empire, which in turn would bolster the economy to a much more energized and healthy state.

Director of the Tax Bureau, Radhakrishnan Iyer, was similarly happy for the same reason. Thinking about the business tax that would be coming in after the billion Varaha was spent, stars appeared in his eyes.

In this jovial atmosphere, sadly, there was an outlier. It was Vinod. His emotions were very complex. Selling the entire military-industrial production plants of the empire to the private sector may have made the government the richest organization with the largest cash flow in the empire, but considering everything that the government had invested into the factories, and the enterprises' ability to produce steady profits from selling arms to the government, the auction was actually a huge loss. But sadly what could he do? It was the decision taken by His Majesty, and he could not go against it. Neither as the follower of the Devaraya Royal family nor as the prime minister of the empire, both politically and constitutionally, there was nothing he could do about it.

*Sigh!*

'At least these enterprises will be more prosperous in civilian hands.'

In the end, he let out a breath of turbulent air and hoped for the best.

A small banquet was held right after the auction, and seeing as how it was the elites of the empire that attended, Ganesh resolutely ordered the food from Bhukha Youdha Street.

The crowd of kings, nobles, and businessmen were very happy with the banquet. People laughed together and made each other try different delicacies. The atmosphere was quite joyous.

Even the group of Gangadhar and Narasimha Nayak ate till they were full. They had lost the auction, which made them a little sad, and all the funds they had mobilized were sort of pointless. But still, with Gangadhar and Narasimha in charge, Naveen came up with an alternative solution.

"The conglomerates hold absolute dominance in the military industry, especially since they are responsible for manufacturing. I agree they have won the competition this time, and we have lost, but let me tell you, it's only half the truth." Naveen Ambani got up from his seat and voiced out. "Can anyone guess what the other half is!?"

There were people who had a vague idea but did not voice it out.

"It's design, research, and sales of firearms—the same functions which the military conglomerates do not have," he said, his eyes filled with fighting spirit. "On special occasions, these functions are more profitable than manufacturing while being less risky than the latter," he looked around. "I believe everyone remembers Dr Manoj Reddy, senior researcher of Bharatiya Academy of Military Sciences."

People nodded.

"Recently, he invented a new device called the thermometer, which has become popular all over the empire. His current earnings are a few Varaha for every thermometer sold in the empire. With hundreds of thousands or even millions of thermometers sold, Manoj Reddy has already become a millionaire."

"It's not that research, development, and design are not profitable; it's just that they are not as secure compared to the steady profits of manufacturing. But if we still want to get involved in the military procurement of the empire and want to engage in the global arms trade, this is our last chance. And maybe, just maybe, if we do things right, our profits are bound to be larger than those of the conglomerates."

Everyone fell deep in thought and nodded their heads.

"Until now, there wasn't any chance for us to participate in military affairs. But now, His Majesty himself has given a green light. He legalized setting up design firms and research institutes as a private individual as long as the investors are not more than five and there is no cross-shareholding."

"With the resources we have currently mobilized, can't we set up a few dozen research institutes and design firms?" Find your next adventure on empire

"As of right now, there is a lot of demand for ordnance from Europe. This is one of the reasons the military conglomerates were so sought after. But we have to remember the military conglomerates can no longer innovate in weaponry technology—it has been capped. The only way they can grow is by innovating their manufacturing technology."

"But we are different. We can innovate, we can research, and we can create," he clenched his fist in excitement. "Let's all find a market demand, and let us design a unique gun for the market."

"These military conglomerates have no choice but to accept our contracting and produce the weapons we have developed."

"Or else, by selling only old weapons, they are bound to go bankrupt, they are no longer state-owned companies after all, and they will no longer be spoon-fed by the government."

Ambani looked at a corner in the crowd,

"Bajrang and Indrasena, all three of us have already set up a research and design institute for our shipyards. What do you three say that we jointly set up a research and design institute for ordnance as well?"

Bajrang Dharani and Indrasena Reddy looked at each other. They smiled, "Of course, we couldn't ask for better."

This scene mobilized the emotions of all the elites in their group. Both Gangadhar and Narasimha Nayak declared that they would set up their own research institutes and design firms. Looking at them, the elites who had not gotten the chance to invest quickly perked up and declared that they would set up their own research and design firms.

Though there were twists and turns in the process, at the end of the day, everyone prepared to leave the parliament satisfied.

A few days later, the news fermented throughout the empire. The group led by Naveen Ambani set up their own military research and design firms. Soon, design firms were established one after another, rising from the ground like bamboo shoots after the rain.

The enthusiasm of the empire was at an all-time high.

Meanwhile, outside the parliament building...

"Your Highness, as the proud owner of the northern military conglomerate, what name did you decide to give to the enterprise?" the young female reporter asked with a smile.

"Haha," Jayadwaj Singha laughed out loud. "One correction, madam, I am not the owner of the northern conglomerate. I am just one of the largest shareholders, that is all. I only own around 6% of the company. As for the name, I am not qualified to give it on my own, but as a collective, we did come up with a name."

"What is it, Your Highness?"

"It's called the Himalayan Group."

"Is there a deeper meaning in this name?"

"No, the meaning is relatively straightforward. All of us want the company, which we have taken responsibility for, to reach the pinnacle of the world, just like how the Himalayas are the peak of the world."

"Could it be considered a challenge to His Majesty's Dynasty Corporation?"

"Haha," he chuckled. "Madam, you're trying to sow discord, aren't you? But you are not entirely wrong."

"All of us know that His Majesty is a broad-minded monarch. So, let me officially declare this: our Himalayan Group's ultimate goal is to even surpass His Majesty's Dynasty Corporation and reach the pinnacle of military manufacturing."

The reporter was surprised, as she did not expect that His Highness Raja Jayadwaj Singha would really put out a declaration of war against His Majesty's Dynasty Corporation. 'This will definitely get me a promotion,' she screamed in her heart.

"What about you, Your Highness? Does the southern conglomerate have a name?" she asked, turning to Aditya Bhonsle and Ramayya Sennapathi.

"Yes, after discussion with our shareholders, we decided to call the southern military conglomerate Mahabali Enterprises... named after our beloved deity, Sree Hanuman."

Jayadwaj Singha, standing at the side, smiled cheerfully. "It's a very good name," he commented.

"Thank you, Your Highness. Himalayan Group is an outstanding name as well, which shows the company's ambition and persistence," Ramayya Senapati said with a smile.

"Where... where..."

"...."

---

In the meantime, within the parliament building:

"Joseph, is everything ready?"

"It is, Your Majesty. I have been able to train 200 stockbrokers, all graduates from Bharatiya Institute of Technology, Business major."

Vijay nodded in satisfaction. He was a little disappointed when the stock market could not be opened in November as promised, but no one could have expected that everything in a stock exchange was considered except for the crucial element: stockbrokers.

For this reason, the opening date had to be pushed forward.

"Very good. Let's open the stock market in two weeks."

"Now that Dynasty Corporation, Himalayan Group, and Mahabali Enterprises have become independent non-government organizations, let's start the opening of the stock market by listing them."

"20% is issued, Your Majesty?"

"Yes."

"Then what about the number of shares issued and the valuation?"

"Ah!" Vijay was stumped. He did not actually buy the company, after all, so he wouldn't know how much it was worth.

"Let's do it like this: calculate what an average factory is worth in the Himalayan Group and Mahabali Enterprises, given the cost they have paid."

"Take the average and multiply by the number of factories the Dynasty Corporation has. That should vaguely give the asset value."

Vijay knew it was a dumb way, but since it did not matter to him if his company was undervalued, he did not care.

"As for the number of shares issued, let's issue 10,000 shares."

"As for the matter of Mahabali Enterprises and Himalayan Group, you will have to consult with them. I no longer have any say over their matters."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," Joseph obliged.