Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"Datong is in imminent danger but must be saved. Tell us what should be done?" Sultan asked the ministers participating in the court discussion with a gloomy face in the Shenyang Palace. The matter was confidential, so it was called a court discussion, but in fact not many ministers participated. Only important officials in the court were qualified to participate.

"I think Datong is a strategically located place in the world and we must not lose it. We should send a large army to rescue it as soon as possible," said the Prime Minister Batuhetan. The Prime Minister knew the true dragon's temperament well and knew that the Khan was seeking the opinions of his ministers on the surface, but he had actually made up his mind to send troops to Datong. The only difference was the number of troops to be sent, so he immediately expressed his support for sending troops to rescue.

"Before the troops move, the food and fodder must be sent first. The military report says that the Qing army attacking Datong has exceeded 150,000, and it will take 100,000 troops to lift the siege of Datong. The money and grain stored in the national treasury now is not enough to mobilize such a large army. We have to wait another month or two for the autumn tax to be deposited into the treasury, and then we can send troops. Barshu is a good general, and Datong is also the strongest city in the world. I think we can hold out for another two months," the second assistant Tie Moli suggested sending troops after the autumn tax was deposited into the treasury.

As soon as they opened their mouths, the court officials immediately split into two factions. Some suggested sending troops immediately, while others suggested postponing the dispatch, and the argument continued.

"I think that to save Datong, we don't need 100,000 soldiers and horses, 30,000 will be enough," Grand Secretary Liu Haogu suddenly said.

"Thirty thousand people? Master Liu, did you underestimate the Qing army?" Sultan was stunned when he heard this.

"The 30,000 people I am talking about are not ordinary 30,000 people. They are the most brave and capable ones selected from each army. We don't need them to lift the siege of Datong. We only need to tie down the Qing army besieging the city so that the defenders can hold out until the autumn tax is deposited. Datong is a fortified city. With the help of 30,000 elite troops, it will surely hold out until the arrival of our army," Liu Haogu smiled.

Sultan understood that Master Liu was advising him to select elite troops to harass the Qing army besieging the city, so that the enemy could not attack the city with all their strength. This way, less money and food would be consumed while achieving greater results. He nodded and said, "Master Liu's words make sense." He smiled and asked the new Minister of Revenue Hu Lianqi, "Mr. Hu, can the Ministry of Revenue provide the money and food needed for 30,000 people to fight for half a year?"

"Your Majesty, don't worry. Although the Ministry of Revenue's deposits are insufficient, there is still enough money and food to support 30,000 people in fighting for half a year," Hu Lianqi reported calmly.

After hearing this, Sultan's eyebrows flew up and he shouted, "In this case, pass on my military order to immediately select those who are good at riding and shooting from each army, and form a 30,000 cavalry to chase Datong."

"Father Khan, I am willing to lead the troops to the battle!" As soon as the Great Khan gave the order, he heard a clear and firm voice. He looked closely and saw that it was the Crown Prince Zhuo Ligetu. The Crown Prince had been ordered to stay in Lhasa to supervise the country and had no chance to lead the troops to the battle. Seeing that his younger brothers had repeatedly made military achievements and to some extent endangered his position as the crown prince, he was uncertain and wanted to make military achievements to consolidate his position.

Lotus Khan, who has been in charge of the whip for thirty-three years, has the sharpest grasp of people's hearts. Naturally, his eldest son's calculations can be seen from his keen eyes. However, as an emperor, what he least wants to see is internal unrest. As a father, there is no reason for him not to want his son to succeed. Hearing this, he laughed and said, "It's great that you want to share my worries. Let me put it this way. I order Ebodui Ulanghai and Orros to assist you. Both of them are experienced generals, especially Orros who has experience in long-distance raids on Heilongjiang. This is your first time leading troops, so your experience is inevitably insufficient. Listen to them more when encountering problems."

Sultan made such an arrangement with good intentions. The third-class Hoboksali Marquis and the head of the Durbet Wanhu, Obodu Wulanghai, was the elder brother of Queen Ulijibayar and the uncle of the crown prince. It was not a problem for him to assist the crown prince. However, although Obodu Wulanghai had fought many battles, his military exploits were mediocre and he was not considered a famous general. Therefore, he asked the first-class Hequbo and the head of the Torghut Wanhu, Orros, to assist him. He also pointed out that Orros had experience in long-distance raids on Heilongjiang. The implication was: the two assistants I chose for you, Orros is better at fighting than your uncle, so listen to Orros's opinions in combat. As for your uncle's opinions, they are only for reference.

"I will not let my father down. I will ensure that Datong is not lost!" Zhuoligetu said calmly, as if he understood what his father meant, but also as if he did not. "Since the emperor of Manchuria has ignored my repeated warnings and insisted on attacking Datong, there is no need for peace talks between Wei and Qing. Let our delegation return to Beijing." The Great Khan suddenly changed his tone and ordered the recall of David's delegation that was negotiating with the Qing court in Beijing. He was a pragmatic and face-saving man. The purpose of sending the delegation to Beijing was to confuse the Qing court. However, the Qing court only wanted to use the peace talks to confuse him. Both sides had no sincerity in peace talks. In this case, it would be better for me to suspend the negotiations first, at least I can take the initiative in diplomacy and suppress the enemy in momentum.

Everyone was surprised to hear this. A few days ago, the Khan said that he would use the peace talks to urge the Qing army to withdraw from Datong and relieve the pressure on the garrison. How could he change his mind in the blink of an eye? But it doesn't matter if you don't understand, as long as you follow the emperor's will. "The Khan is wise! I think that the delegation staying in Beijing is really useless, and it will make people mistakenly think that I, David, am afraid of the pseudo-Qing Dynasty." The Prime Minister Batuhetan was the first to support it.

Everyone woke up as if from a dream and immediately expressed their support.

"Well," Sultan nodded with satisfaction and said slowly: "I am a little tired. You all may leave. The Crown Prince, Obodui Ulanghai and Orros will stay."

After all the ministers left, he calmly asked the three people who remained: "How do you plan to fight the battle of Datong?"

"I think we should lead the cavalry to harass the Qing army's food supply route, harassing them day and night, and make sure the Qing army is exhausted," Zhuo Ligetu spoke first. Although my son has never fought in a war, he has read military books, and this method is quite suitable for the art of war! The old father nodded happily.

"The enemy is strong and we are weak. I think we should take advantage of the cavalry's fast running speed. If we can win, we will fight. If we can't win, we will run. We will try our best to contain the enemy outside the city and relieve the pressure on the defenders." Although the brother-in-law did not make many military achievements, he had fought for so many years and had some experience in commanding cavalry. Sultan smiled and nodded again.

"I think that although the Qing army has a large number of troops, they are scattered around Datong; although our army has a small number of troops, they are all cavalry and can come and go quickly. We should concentrate our forces to attack the enemy in one place and gain a local advantage." Orros also proposed a solution. This man is a talented general, but unfortunately he has a bad temper. I don't know if he can be used by my son in the future. Sultan glanced at him intently and then smiled approvingly.

"What you just said is wonderful! If we fight like this, our army will have nothing to worry about," Sultan affirmed the feasibility of their strategy, and suddenly changed his tone, "It is important to defend Datong, but what is more important is to use the strong city of Datong to consume the pseudo-Qing. Think about it, 150,000 or even more Qing troops are stationed at the gate of Datong, and they cannot capture it after a long siege. Not only will many people die, but the money and food consumed every day will also be staggering. Over time, the Qing army will inevitably be exhausted, and when its national strength is exhausted, that will be the day when the Qing will be destroyed! Therefore, don't be anxious about the battle of Datong, you must fight slowly."

After hearing this, everyone couldn't help but shudder and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the Khan is wise! We understand."

"That's good. Leave now." Seeing that they understood what he meant, Suletan ordered them to leave. As a time traveler, he knew about the Battle of Verdun during the First World War. The brutal offensive and defensive battle turned Verdun into a meat grinder, and also caused the arrogant Germany to lose huge manpower and material resources, and lost the initiative in the war. So he decided to refer to this battle, use the strong city of Datong to consume the manpower of the Qing army, and turn Datong into a meat grinder. (End of this chapter)