Kashmir border, captured fort in Kohala Valley, afternoon of April 22, 1557
In the cool breeze, standing atop the fort walls, a team of Bhargavian artillerymen prepared their cannons for the oncoming Ladakhi soldiers.
The air buzzed with tension as the soldiers moved with well-practiced precision, readying for the first real test of grapeshot in battle.
The gunners gathered around the imposing cannon which was mounted sturdily on wooden wheels.
Beside it lay an open ammunition crate which held the new shells to be first fired upon this battlefield. It consisted of dozens of small iron balls packed tightly together, held by a thin canvas casing shell.
These iron balls were slightly larger than a marble gleamed in the sunlight. Their surfaces were rough and unpolished.
