Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

Jinzhou was not far from Shanhaiguan after all, and although Suhe's "100,000 troops" did not move fast, they still reached Shanhaiguan a month later. After joining forces with the more than 20,000 troops of Jin Wang Ergalang and Chu Wang Baoyin, his force was close to 60,000. Although 35,000 of them were a motley crowd of prisoners, Solon tribe soldiers, and civilians, the number was still very impressive.

"Your Highnesses, the Khan has ordered us to launch an offensive at Shanhaiguan to create the illusion that a large army is gathering there. Please give me instructions on how to fight this battle." Although he was appointed as the commander of the Shanhaiguan Guard by the Great Khan Lianhua, Suhe did not dare to act arrogantly in front of the princes and respectfully asked the two princes for advice.

Baoyin wanted Ergalang to speak first. Although he was older than Ergalang, his fourth brother's mother was the royal concubine of the Kingdom of David, and he had the support of the Torghut tribe behind him. His status and power were higher than his own. His mother was originally just a singer. Although she was later named Jingfei, she was of humble origin after all, so she was courteous everywhere. Unexpectedly, Ergalang did not speak, but just smiled at his brother, indicating that the elders should be in order and let his brother speak first. Baoyin could not help but be moved. His fourth brother was gentle and respectful since he was a child. Although he wanted to find a big tree to rely on because of his mother's humble origin, he always followed the lead of the crown prince, but the longer he got along, the more comfortable he felt with his fourth brother. "Ahem~" He coughed lightly and expressed his attitude, "Don't be modest, Lord Baili. Father Khan has already decreed that you are the commander-in-chief of the entire army. Just give the order, and I am willing to obey the order."

Ergalang also followed up with his statement, "My third brother is right. Military orders are as heavy as mountains. Since my father Khan has appointed Lord Baili as the commander, I will also obey your orders."

"In that case, I will not refuse. According to the intelligence obtained by the scouts, there are about 38,000 Qing troops in Shanhaiguan, including 3,000 elite Eight Banners stationed in Beijing, 15,000 Beijing Camp, and 20,000 Shanhaiguan Green Camp." Having said this, Su He paused for a moment and then gave an order, "I will lead my troops to attack the city. Please ambush the two princes in the southwest of Shanhaiguan."

"Are you planning to ambush the Qing reinforcements? But after my brother and I left, the forces besieging Shanhaiguan seem to be a little thin," Ergalang said with some concern. The Shanhaiguan guards, including the 10,000 imperial guards (combat troops) of Jin Wang Ergalang, the 5,000 imperial guards and 7,000 guards (local troops) of Chu Wang Baoyin, were considered regular troops. Among Suhe's more than 35,000 "armies", only his 200 personal guards and the 600 artillerymen under the command of Khorchin County Prince Dushihuoer were considered regular troops, and the rest were a mob.

"Haha, Your Highness Prince Jin, there is no need to worry. When I was hiding in the secret camp of Yiwulü Mountain some time ago, I have been training the troops. Now, among the 35,000 troops, 10,000 fierce Sauron warriors are quite capable of fighting, and 10,000 prisoners are also brave and fierce. Although the remaining 15,000 civilians are a little weak, they can barely follow orders. Although their combat effectiveness is not as good as that of regular soldiers, they are not without the ability to fight. Moreover, the main force of the Green Camp of Shanhaiguan of the Qing Dynasty has been buried outside the pass, and most of the soldiers guarding the pass are battalions that have not been formed for a long time. Except for the 3,000 Eight Banners stationed in Beijing, the other soldiers are not necessarily much stronger than my subordinates," Su He laughed and did not take the enemies inside the pass seriously at all.

Ergalang and Baoyin glanced at each other, secretly impressed by Suhe's courage. Anyone with a discerning eye knew that the combat power of a regular army, even a newly formed battalion, was far superior to that of a mob that was put together temporarily. Even though Suhe had trained soldiers in Yiwulü Mountain for a period of time, his combat power was still not as good as that of the Qing army inside the pass. If his brothers led their troops away, the Qing army would probably be defeated if they launched a full-scale attack. But since he had just said that he would act on Suhe's orders, it was naturally difficult to disobey, so he had to obey the order and leave.
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Shanhaiguan got its name because it is surrounded by mountains and the sea. As the starting point of the eastern end of the Great Wall, it is known as "the first pass in the world", "the throat of the border counties and the guarantee of the capital". Since Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty ordered the construction of a city and a pass here, it has become a military stronghold that controls the throat of Northeast China and North China. This majestic pass city with a circumference of eight miles, a height of more than four zhang (14 meters) and a thickness of more than two zhang (7 meters) is connected to the Great Wall. It is a pass with a city as its gate, four city gates, and various defensive buildings, such as arrow towers and urn cities, which are all complete. It is really easy to defend but difficult to attack.

Spring is here, everything is reviving, and the area around the city is full of life, but the military camp in front of the city is filled with a war atmosphere that brings death, which is incompatible with the breath of spring. Suhe summoned the Liaodong Governor Salaletu, the Horqin Prince Dushihuoer, the Loyal Duke Alashan, the Daur Bekenzhe Ule, as well as Erdeni, Biltahar, Lawson, Dular, Amantai, Toheke, Narbu, Baobai, Abukai, Amba, Zhang Peng, Bai Yunming, and Li Mao to deploy military affairs.

"When we attack the city tomorrow, we will only attack the Zhendong Gate in the east, the Weiyuan Gate in the north and the Wangyang Gate in the south, and leave the Ying'en Gate in the west intact. Your two princes have led their troops to ambush in the southwest of Shanhaiguan. If the Qing army escapes from the Ying'en Gate, it will be like a fish falling into a net." Suhe smiled and continued, "Tomorrow, the Zhendong Gate will be the main target of attack. Dushihuoer will lead the artillery battalion to bombard the city wall, and then Alashan will lead 10,000 death-defying soldiers to attack the city. I will personally lead the guards and Toheiko, Abukai, and 2,000 Hulha troops of the Amba tribe to the east city to supervise the battle; Salaletu will lead 15,000 Liaodong troops to attack Weiyuan Gate; Kenzhe Ule will lead 8,000 Solon soldiers to attack Wangyang Gate. There is no need to really fight at Wangyuan Gate and Wangyang Gate, just bluffing will be enough." The so-called Death-Defying Army was actually an army composed of 10,000 criminals. The imperial court had stipulated that if these criminals dared to fight and made meritorious service, they would not only be rewarded but also pardoned. However, if they were afraid of fighting and retreated, they would be executed without mercy. Therefore, they were called the "Death-Defying Army" and were led by Alashan, the Duke of Zhongguo. The Liaodong Army was a nickname for 15,000 Liaodong civilians, commanded by Salaletu, the governor of Liaodong. As for the 10,000 Solon warriors, they were under the jurisdiction of Daur Bekenzhe Ule.

"Yes~" The generals accepted the order.

Suhe glanced at Erdeni, Biltahar and Lawson one by one, and said slowly: "You were originally relatives of the pseudo-Qing Dynasty, and you originally had no chance to lead the army to fight. It was Empress Zhuang who begged the Khan in every possible way, and gave you the opportunity to join the expedition. For the sake of the queen and your family in Khorchin, you must fight well and make more military exploits." Erdeni, Biltahar and Lawson were all great nobles of the left wing of Khorchin who had been married to the Qing Dynasty for generations. Biltahar and Lawson were also the sons of Wu Keshan and the brothers of Empress Zhuang Erdeni Bumba. Concubine Zhuang was quite favored by the Great Khan Lianhua. Originally, the Great Khan did not trust the great nobles of the left wing of Khorchin, but he could not stand the constant pillow talk. In addition, he also wanted to establish an image of magnanimity for himself and encourage more royal relatives of the Qing Dynasty to surrender, so he appointed each of the three as a deputy chief of a thousand households, and transferred them to the command of Alashan, the loyal Duke of the right wing of Khorchin. A Lashan ordered them to lead 2,000 "death-defying soldiers" each, considering that they were from the same Khorchin tribe. Perhaps they were secretly instructed by Concubine Zhuang, and the three generals worked very hard in training the troops.

"Thank you for your teachings, Marshal. We will fight to the death for our country." Hearing Su He mention their families in Khorchin, the three generals were alerted and expressed their opinions. (End of this chapter)