Vijay quickly realized the difficult situation they were in. "Not the time yet," he muttered to himself, understanding the seriousness of the issues he had to deal with. He chose to wait for the right moment to take action.
Vijay replied, "Okay Arjun, do as I said. It seems the nobility wants to test my determination to form the police department. Send 4,000 experienced veterans from other locations to Bengaluru and wipe out the noble family involved in this crime. let the transfer of personnel be as low-key as possible, I don't want other nobles to jump over the wall. Also, since they are so open to breaking the law, they should have a lot of Black material for evidence. Find that material and let it be known to the public,"
Vijay continued, "Show them my determination for the police department. From now on, every criminal you catch should be tried in the panchayat, like in the old system. However, the head of the police department in that location will be present in all the judgments as a deterrent. This will make them think twice before acting so arrogantly again."
Vijay added, "And don't worry about their retaliation. They are not a monolithic entity; I still haven't touched their core interests yet. They will not go overboard in their response."
"With pleasure, Your Majesty," Arjun saluted and exited the room, filled with excitement.
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In Bengaluru, inside a big mansion, an old man sat on a chair that looked like a throne, accompanied by 4 to 5 members discussing something. He was the patriarch of the Vardhan family, and unfortunately, the young man who raped a girl was from their family. They used to be normal nobility in a small town but with the help of the town lord, who provided beneficial tax policies to Bengaluru, their family quickly expanded their industries throughout the city, including shops, farms, and other lucrative ventures.
When news of his grandson's crime reached him, he was furious, not because he cared about the girl, but because his grandson had provoked the newly formed police department in public. The memory of how Vijay's father had slaughtered the disobedient nobles in the past made him hesitant to offend the current king.
Initially, he wanted to request leniency from the police chief for his grandson, but soon he was contacted by other noble families offering resources, money, and people to provoke the royal family and test the king's response. Vishnu Vardhan, the patriarch, was sceptical at first, but the allure of riches and power made him agree to the plan. However, he still believed that the king would compromise with the nobles, considering that the king himself was a noble.
Among the gathered members, a middle-aged man, Kishor Vardhan, worriedly asked, "Dad, is Ramu going to be alright?" Kishor was the father of the young man who was arrested and also the eldest son of Vishnu Vardhan.
"Don't worry, elder brother, the king wouldn't dare to do such a thing," replied another man in his late 20s, Mani Vardhan, the second son of Vishnu Vardhan. "He needs nobles like us to look after his empire after all."
Mani continued, "If our plan works, we can spread our industry throughout the country with the help of other nobles. We took a huge risk, acting as spearheads for them."
Vishnu Vardhan nodded, indicating his agreement. "While there is risk involved, I don't believe the king would go against the entire nobility for the sake of a common girl."
"Police Don't move"
Suddenly, a group of 50 police officers barged into the mansion without any announcement and began beating up people. Even though there were nearly 100 people in the compound, they couldn't stand against the battle-tested veterans.
Vishnu Vardhan was scared and muttered to himself, "What is he doing? What is the king doing? Lunatic! Lunatic!" He couldn't believe that the king would go against the entire noble class for a common girl.
But then, he recalled the resources provided by the nobility. So, he ordered, "Hold them off for a few moments," whispering to Kishor, "Call the wolves."
As the police got the upper hand and almost defeated the mob, they suddenly found themselves surrounded by thousands of goons. Vishnuvardhan, driven by arrogance, went straight to the police officer and said, "What is the king going to do now? Even a strong dragon has to bow down before a local snake. Will his position be stable after offending all the nobles in the empire?"
The police chief of Bengaluru police station, Verma, didn't appear scared by those words. He calmly responded, "Looks like the bait worked. Constable, send the signal."
Vishnuvardhan was confused by Verma's response, but before he could react, there was a whistle from the constable.
He had an ominous premonition that something bad was about to happen, but before he had any chance to react, thousands upon thousands of strong men surrounded the entire area. They all looked like battle-tested veterans. Verma, the police chief, said nonchalantly, "Our group was only the bait to bring out the big fish. Looks like it worked."
Family members slumped to the ground, defeated, muttering, "It's all over, it's all over."
Officer Verma blew the whistle and yelled, "Charge!"
The battle-tested veterans lunged into the mob like wolves to a flock of sheep. Within a few moments, all the resistance was mowed down, and crying family members were arrested. Verma and his team checked their property to find huge amounts of gold and silver jewellery. They even discovered a large number of gold statues stolen from nearby villages.
As the news of the raid spread, shockwaves ran through the kingdom. The commoners were overjoyed to know that they would be getting their money back, but the nobles got the message: Vijay Deva Raya is serious and does what he says.
In most of the noble families, conversations like "looks like a lion father does not have a dog son" were going on.
After this event, the establishment of police stations in various towns and cities went unimpeded. This also increased the king's influence among the common people unintentionally.