Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

It was dark, and Sultan was staring at the map of Ningguta in the big tent in deep thought, when he was suddenly informed that the Left Censor-in-Chief Hu Lianqi wanted to see him. He raised his eyebrows, smiled and said, "Let him in."

"Your Majesty deliberately let the Qing army reinforcements into the city. Are you hoping to win the battle in one go and wipe out the main force of the Qing army in Ningguta?" Hu Lianqi asked as soon as he entered the tent.

"I knew I couldn't hide it from Lord Hu," Sultan smiled even more happily.

"But in this case, the number of Qing troops in Ningguta exceeds 20,000, and they have a strong city to rely on. It will be difficult for our army to capture the city. Does Your Majesty have any good ideas?" Hu Lianqi asked.

"I have thought of a plan, but Mr. Hu came to see me late at night, so I believe you must have a good idea. You may as well tell me first," Sultan said calmly.

"There is a small mountain called Ninggutai in the northeast of Ningguta City, which is the commanding height of this place. I think our army might as well make every effort to capture this mountain, and then put the artillery on the platform to bombard the city, and we will definitely be able to break the city," Hu Lianqi confidently suggested. In fact, there is no tower in Ningguta. In Manchu, "Ninggu" is translated as "six", and "Tower" means platform. This platform refers to Ninggutai, which is Longtou Mountain on the Hailang River in later generations.

Sultan shook his head, "Although Hu Qing's plan is brilliant, Bahai is a good general. He has already stationed heavy troops on Ninggutai to form a pincer attack with the city. The enemy is in a dominant position. If our army wants to capture Ninggutai, I'm afraid there will be heavy casualties. Moreover, even if we capture Ninggutai, the city is strong and our heavy artillery has not yet arrived. It will be difficult to knock down the city wall with only Portuguese cannons and Tuotu cannons." Bahai was indeed good at using troops. He ordered Deputy Governor Haita and Jala Zhangjing Kuoliha to lead 7,000 troops to station on Ninggutai in the northeast of the city; he ordered Deputy Governor Nihari and Jala Zhangjing Yine to lead 6,000 troops to build a water and land camp on the northwest side of the city along the Hailan River; he personally led 8,000 troops to defend the city. The entire defense formed a solid triangle. If they attacked one point, the other two would come to the rescue.

"Your Majesty does not want to attack Ninggutai, so does he want to attack the enemy's camp in the northwest of the city?" Hu Lianqi thought for a while and said, "The Hailan River is not wide, but Bahai chose to set up a land and water camp in the northwest of the river, which shows that it is a strategic point. According to my observation, there is a river embankment in the northwest of Ningguta, and the terrain is higher than the city. Could it be that they are afraid that our army will flood the city?"

"Pa~Pa~Pa~" Sultan suddenly clapped his hands, "Mr. Hu and I have the same idea. It is the rainy season now, and the water level is very high. I want to break through the enemy's stronghold in the northwest corner first, and then dig the embankment to release the flood, so that I can break into the city without any effort. These days, I have ordered people to dig trenches and build fortifications around the city to surround the defenders tightly. We will flood Ningguta as soon as we break through the enemy's stronghold. Although there are many defenders in the city, they will all become food for fish and shrimps when the time comes. The only pity is that there are too few Qing troops coming to rescue Ningguta, hahaha~" Sultan laughed proudly.

"Khan, there are not only soldiers but also civilians in the city. If the water is released to flood the city, I am afraid that all the people in the city will die in the flood, which will damage your Majesty's reputation for kindness." Hu Lianqi felt a chill down his spine and wanted to dissuade him.

"People?" Sultan sneered, "Those who died were just Manchus, not our people. When they destroyed the Yuan Dynasty and killed so many people from the Chahar tribe, how could they ever talk about mercy? In the fight for the world, what does the empty reputation of mercy mean?"

Hu Lianqi let out a long sigh and said, "Even if Ningguta City has been besieged by our army, if we attack the stronghold, the Qing army on Ninggutai will definitely come down the mountain to rescue, and this stronghold may not be easy to capture."

"Haha, what I want is the Ninggutai defenders to go down the mountain. As long as they go down the mountain, we will be like a tiger in a plain. What is there to be afraid of?" Sultan sneered.
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The Great Khan Lianhua ordered his fifth son Biligendalai, the Junggar chief Urigendalai, and the Durbet chief Obodu Ulanghai to lead 1662 troops to surround Ningguta City; the second-class Kashgar Marquis Aldar, the chief of a thousand households Okchotbu, and Shilabu to lead troops to surround Ninggutai; the Khoshut chief Suhe and the Huite chief Mandulatu each led elite troops to ambush in the woods west of Ninggutai; after making all these arrangements, on the early morning of July , the th year of Qianyuan (), the Oirats war god ordered the Yarkand general Toroshihu and the Western Regions general Buhe Altu to lead elite troops to attack the Qing army's water and land camps on the banks of the Hailan River northwest of Ningguta; he himself leisurely led guards to supervise the battle on the high ground not far from Ninggutai.

The last time Toroshihu and Buhealtu led the "navy" to cross the Songhua River, they suffered a great loss from the Qing navy on the Jilin Wula River. When they learned that the commander of the Qing army's water and land camp on the banks of the Hailan River was Nihari, the deputy commander of the Qing army's division camp in Jilin Wula, they became extremely jealous and attacked very fiercely. Not long after the war began, they broke through three land camps and one water camp.

"Deputy Commander, the guards are too fierce. Let's light a beacon to ask for help," the subordinate said to Nihari.

"Don't worry, wait and see, don't fall into the enemy's trap." Nihari was a veteran in the battlefield after all, and he fought calmly, so he didn't let the water fort release the wolf smoke. But Jiala Zhang Jing Yine, who was guarding the land fort, couldn't sit still. His 3,000 men were a coalition of Huerha, Wuji and Valka. They were poorly equipped and did not belong to the same tribe, so it was difficult to command. Not long after the battle started, the three land forts were breached. Under great pressure, he ordered his men to light the wolf smoke to ask for help from the friendly forces in Ningguta City and Ninggutai.

When Ba Hai saw the signal smoke, he wanted to go out of the city to rescue, but he was surrounded by deep trenches and high fortifications by the guards outside the city and could not get out.

On Ninggutai, Deputy Governor Haita saw the urgent situation and said to Jala Zhangjing Kuoliha: "Zhangjing, this is the time for us to sacrifice our lives for our country!"

"Don't worry, deputy commander. My six thousand men are willing to die for the Qing Dynasty," Kuliha patted his chest.

Haita then ordered Kuliha to lead 6,000 soldiers down the mountain to rescue, while he himself took 1,000 people to garrison Ninggutai.

"Warriors, if you are paid by the Qing, you must be loyal to the Qing. Follow me to kill the enemy. The emperor will not forget your contribution," Kuliha shouted, picked up his sword, and led 6,000 coalition forces composed of Geikler, Nuyel, Hushhal, Shumulu, Kusakali, and Horfokuo to rush down the mountain. The Aldar guards at the foot of the mountain were very "weak". Not long after the battle, they were surrounded by Kuliha and rushed straight to the banks of the Hailan River.

"My lord, what does the Khan mean? He actually ordered us to let the Qing army go to Hailan River?" The captain of the thousand households, Okchotbu, was not satisfied and grumbled in dissatisfaction.

Aldar was a famous general in the guards, good at using iron forks, and had made many military achievements. He was awarded the second-class Kashlek Marquis. At this time, he was also very angry because he could not fight the enemy happily. He shouted angrily: "Shut up! Military orders are like mountains, how can you talk too much?" Okchotbu was so scared that he dared not say anything.

Seeing the Hailan River in sight, Kuliha was about to rescue his friendly troops when he heard the sound of cannon fire. The fierce generals of the Wei army, Suhe and Mandu Latu, each led 8,000 elite soldiers to rush out from the woods on the roadside. The two men's subordinates were all elite Wei troops, with far more troops than the Qing army and better equipment. They quickly defeated the Qing army.

In the melee, Kharada Sishini of the Nuyel clan and Kharada Namuda of the Geykel clan were chopped into two pieces by Suhe's axe; Kharada Bukten of the Hushhali clan and Kharada Bena of the Kusakali clan were smashed into meat patties by Mandulatu's mace; Kharada Jingdali of the Horfoku clan and Kharada Kuliganefu of the Geykel clan died in the chaos.

Kuliha was in a panic, and Harada Buzhu from the headquarters rode his horse and rushed to his side with a spear in hand, "Guolunda (minister), follow me and fight." After saying that, he charged forward with his spear like a snake. Thanks to his bravery, Kuliha and Harada Chongguka of the Shumulu clan were able to lead the remaining troops out of the encirclement. They wanted to return to Ninggutai, but the retreat was blocked by the guards, so they had no choice but to flee to Ningguta City.

"My father Khan has ordered that if any defeated Qing soldiers flee into the city from Ninggutai or the banks of the Hailan River, they should all be allowed to pass without a fight." Biligenda, who was in charge of the siege, conveyed the Great Khan's order to his subordinates, ordering them to make way for Kuliha's defeated troops to enter the city.

On Ninggutai, the Qing vice governor Haita was not so lucky. He only had 1,000 men left. As soon as Kuliha led his army down the mountain, the Great Khan ordered Aldar's troops to attack Ninggutai fiercely. Aldar, Okchotebu, and Shilabu had been holding back their anger, and now they vented it out like a mad tiger, and it took only half a day to capture Ninggutai. Haita himself saw that there was no way out, and jumped off the cliff in despair.

After annihilating most of the Ninggutai defenders, Sultan ordered Suhe, Mandulatu, and Aldar to lead their troops to attack the Qing army's land and water camps on the banks of the Hailan River together with the Toroshihu and Buhe Altu troops. Nihari and Yine could no longer resist and had to lead their troops to break out and flee to Ningguta. Fortunately, with the order of the Great Khan, the guards besieging the city did not stop them and generously opened the way to let the remnants of the two generals enter the city.
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The seemingly rock-solid iron triangle defense formation was soon broken by the guards, which caught Ningguta Angbang Zhangjing Bahai by surprise. Fortunately, several thousand Qing troops fled back from outside the city, and after collecting the defeated troops and the troops in the city, there were still 13,000 people.

"Tear down the door panels in the city, prepare more rafts, and get ready for naval battles," Bahai calmly ordered his subordinates.

Upon hearing this, Deputy Governor-General Nihari, Jiala Zhangjing Zhanukabuketuo, Yine, Kuliha, Niulu Zhangjing Chongguka, Buzhu, Taifeiyinga and others all turned pale.

"Marshal, the guards are unfamiliar with the local geography, and the fake Khan claims to be Guru Padmasambhava incarnate. He won't necessarily release a flood to submerge the city, right?" Zhanuka Bukto, the Manchu Jialazhangjing of the Bordered Yellow Banner, couldn't believe it. Born into the Daur ethnic group, he had the straightforwardness and kindness of a Mongolian hero. He didn't believe that the Great Khan Padmasambhava would be so cruel as to release a flood to submerge the entire city. After all, in addition to the army, there were also a large number of civilians in the city.

"Others may not, but the pseudo-Khan has always been kind-looking but cruel at heart, so how could he care about the lives of the people?" Bahai smiled bitterly, "Maybe he will be soft-hearted because of the Bodhisattva's reputation for compassion, but we cannot pin our hopes on the enemy's softness, let's be prepared."

The Great Khan Lianhua was indeed merciless. In the face of huge utilitarianism, he threw all his compassion out of the window. In the early morning of the next day, the guards dug up the Hailan River embankment, and the surging river water rushed straight to Ningguta. Although the city was strong, it could not resist the power of nature. It was soon submerged. There were limited planks available for making rafts in the city, so Bahai could only ensure the rafts used by the troops, and did not care about the people. Countless people became food for fish and shrimps amid screams.

The guards came on rafts and sheepskin rafts. Although the Qing army, which had lost the protection of the city, tried their best to resist, they could not withstand the large number of guards. Soon after the fierce battle, Nihari, Zhanukabukto, Taifeiyinga, and Kuliha were killed in battle, and Yine, Chongguka, Buzhu, and Garu were captured. The cavalry captain Alanjika held a pole in one hand and a gun in the other, escorting Bahai to break out. But how could they break out? They were surrounded tightly.

"The Great Khan has issued an order that those who surrender will be spared~The Great Khan has issued an order that those who surrender will be spared~" The guards wanted to capture him alive and kept persuading him to surrender.

"Alanjika, I am Ningguta Angbang Zhangjing of the Qing Dynasty. It is my duty to die for my country. You don't have to follow me." Bahai smiled at his trusted general, then slashed himself with his sword, and his body fell into the flood.

"Why do you underestimate me, Marshal? You are the Angbang Zhangjing of the Qing Dynasty, and I am also the Xiaoqixiao of the Qing Dynasty. You are a dignified sixth-rank official, why can't you die with honor?" Alanjika was furious, pointed his lance at his throat and stabbed himself hard, dying on the spot. (End of this chapter)