Far north.
Beyond the hills.
Beyond friendly territory.
A disciplined war camp burned with quiet order.
Its commander was not careless.
He was not arrogant.
He studied defeat before it happened.
Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung
The intercepted reports disturbed him.
Not because of losses.
But because of patterns.
Three ambushes.
Different terrain.
Different commanders.
Different timing.
Yet—
Identical counter-response windows.
Zulfiqar Khan stared at the map.
And whispered a sentence no Mughal general should ever say.
"This is not human command delay."
He summoned his intelligence officer.
"Tell me exactly how fast the Maratha responses occur."
The answer came softly.
"Sometimes before our messengers arrive, Khan sahib."
Zulfiqar Khan closed his eyes.
He had fought Rajput kings.
Afghan raiders.
Rebellious governors.
But this…
This felt like an opponent who could see the future.
That night…
A single Maratha scout was allowed to escape on purpose.
Not to leak.
To be followed.
The Vanrakshak Network noticed immediately.
But Sambhaji did not cancel the trail.
🧠 SYSTEM – Counter-Intelligence Simulation
Allow controlled exposure: Recommended
Two days later—
Zulfiqar Khan finally received the fragment he needed.
Not documents.
Not plans.
A pattern of command relay fires.
A rhythm.
Too clean.
Too optimized.
He spoke the word quietly.
"System."
Not technology.
Not sorcery.
But something structured.
Something repeatable.
Something terrifying.
For the first time…
A Mughal general stopped underestimating Sambhaji Maharaj.