Chapter 222: Battle of Kashmir Part -5
Kashmir , outskirts of Sri Nagar , night of April 25, 1557
As the partial moon reached its peak, darkness engulfed the entire city of Srinagar. The city lay to the west of Dal Lake , with Hari Parbat Fort standing guard to its south. The Silk Route ran through the city’s center, stretching from the southeastern entrance to the northwestern exit.
Dense forests bordered the city to the west, while mountain ranges rose imposingly in the north. Trapped in between the human settlement is the city that world knows as Srinagar.
Fortunately, the small outposts on the city’s western edge had already been sabotaged by spies disguised as Locals. They not only planted gunpowder for explosives but also marked key locations for later operations.
According to Rudra’s strategic plan, the 10,000-strong force was divided into four groups.
Faujdar Harish Pal would lead 1,000 cavalry through the forest, entering the city at multiple points under the cover of darkness.
The remaining 2,000 infantry units, organized into squads of ten, were tasked with evacuating as many civilians as possible, supported jointly by Sardar-ranked veterans.
Faujdar Amrendar Singh was given the critical mission of blockading the only entrance to the city. He commanded 1,000 arquebusiers, 2,000 spearmen, and ten cannons strategically positioned near Shankaracharya temple at the southern edge.
While Rudra would seize the Hari Parbat Fort with his main remaining army.
The reason Rudra wanted to evacuate the villagers was because they were assets to the kingdom, as most of them were prominent traders. He had learned while staying with Aditya how civilians can be helpful or disastrous for the army, whether in favor or against them. So he wanted to evacuate them at all costs.
As the night deepened, a series of blasts echoed through the western region, signaling the destruction of the outposts.
The cavalry stormed into the dark alleys, charging down the pre-marked paths with a fierce determination. Ladakhi patrols were caught off guard as they struggled to react with the cavalry which unexpectedly appeared from alleys both right and left, and overwhelmed them with speed and ferocity.