Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"Great! I was just about to attack Wuchang, but I didn't expect an uprising to break out in Huangzhou Prefecture. The people raised the flag of rebellion to welcome our army. This is truly the will of the Eternal Heaven!" The news of the Huangzhou uprising quickly spread to Hanyang. General Dingyuan of the David Kingdom and King Chuo Siji of Qin were very pleased to hear it, and said proudly to the generals.

"The people of Qihuang are tough and brave. Your Highness can recruit these heroes to serve you," suggested Xuan Youcai, the general of Jizhou.

"Well," Chuo Siji smiled slightly, "I have recommended Huang Jinlong as the third-level captain, Tan Yicong and Liu Qizhen as guerrilla generals, each leading a battalion of soldiers, each with 4,000 people. In this way, our army will have more than 10,000 soldiers. I also ordered Huang Jinlong to lead these three battalions to cross the river from Huanggang to attack Fankou and contain the Qing army in Wuchang."

"Your Highness is wise~" the generals praised in unison.

After winning a series of battles, Chuo Siji suddenly became ambitious and said to his generals: "According to reliable information, the Hanyang defenders have no more than 15,000 troops, while our army has 80,000. We should use the advantage of superior numbers to defeat the weak and capture the city quickly."

"Your Highness, I think if we want to capture Hanyang we must cut off the connection between Hanyang and Wuchang. Otherwise, the defenders will rely on the fact that the other side will send troops to help and will not surrender easily," suggested Guo Yi, the general of Yunyang.

"I also understand this, but what can we do since our army lacks navy?" After hearing Guo Yi talking about the shortcomings of his army, Chuo Siji couldn't help but sigh while looking at the Yangtze River (Changhan River).

"I, Admiral Cai (referring to Cai Lu), General Yang (referring to Yang Laijia) and I once served under Zheng Guoxing. Many of our subordinates are proficient in water. We only need to collect ships, install cannons and convert them into warships, and we will have a navy," Guo Yi was confident.

"Great! This is a great idea! I will recommend you as the admiral of Huguang Navy and Yang Laijia as the deputy admiral of Huguang Navy. I order you to collect civilian ships and convert them into warships and select those who are good at water warfare from Henan, Xiangyang, Yunyang and other towns to form the Huguang Water Camp." Chuo Siji was overjoyed and patted Guo Yi on the shoulder to encourage him: "You have made many military achievements. I will definitely write a petition to my father Khan to request credit for you."

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your support!" Guo Yi was overjoyed when the King of Qin patted him on the shoulder, and he turned to express his gratitude.

Under the urging of the King of Qin, the guards collected grain transport ships and civilian ships and converted them into warships. They selected more than 6,000 soldiers who were good at water and water warfare and formed the "Huguang Water Camp". Although this water camp was newly formed and its ships were hastily converted from civilian ships, many aspects were not satisfactory, but many of its subordinates were old pirates who had fought in sea battles, and their combat power was not weak. After its establishment, it fought several battles with the Qing Wuchang Water Camp and actually effectively prevented Wuchang from reinforcing Hanyang.

The Battle of Hanyang started on August 1665, . Chuo Siji used the troops of Xuan Youcai, the general of Jizhou, as the reserve force, and ordered Cai Lu, the governor of Henan, Zhang Wei, the general of Tongzhou, Chen Shikai, the general of Hangzhou, and Feng Duo, the general of Shanhaiguan, to attack Chaozong Gate (East Gate), Nanji Gate (South Gate), Fengshan Gate (West Gate), and Chaoyuan Gate (North Gate) respectively. He also ordered Tegus Chaoktu to lead the cavalry to patrol outside Hanyang City, and Babai to organize the supervision team to supervise the battle at each gate. Liu Zhaoqi, the governor of Huguang in the Qing Dynasty, personally guarded the Chaoyuan Gate, and ordered Zhao Yongbin, the lieutenant general of the Fu Biao, Dong Chaolu, the garrison commander of Hanyang, and Qu Shengning, the county magistrate, to guard the Nanji, Chaozong, and Fengshan gates respectively. When crossing the river, the governor had already made up his mind to die, and he was not afraid even though he had few soldiers.

Hanyang City was actually captured by the peasant army under Zhang Xianzhong in the 1643th year of Chongzhen (), and the city was completely destroyed. A few years ago, Qu Shengning, the magistrate of Hanyang, and Dong Chaolu, the garrison commander, presided over the reconstruction of Nanji Gate and Fengshan Gate, but only hastily repaired Chaozong Gate in the east city and Chaoyuan Gate in the north city. The guards first bombarded with heavy artillery and then attacked with infantry. Despite heavy casualties, they did not dare to relax their offensive under the strict order of the King of Qin. After days of fierce attack, the old Chaozong Gate finally could not withstand the continuous attacks day and night, and a large section of the city wall collapsed. The garrison commander Dong Chaolu wanted to use a knife cart to block the gap, but the brave Cai Lu personally rushed in front of him and cut it in two with a knife. Seeing that the east gate was breached, Qu Shengning, the magistrate, sighed and ordered his subordinates to open Fengshan Gate and surrender to the guards.

"Fuyuan, Zhao Yongbin, the lieutenant commander, asks you to break out from Nanji Gate." Liu Zhaoqi was commanding Fu Biao to fight with the guards at Chaoyuan Gate when he heard the news of the fall of Chaozong Gate and Fu Biao Lieutenant Commander Zhao Yongbin's request to break out from Nancheng. His armor was covered in blood and his sword was bent. He smiled bitterly and said, "As the governor of Huguang and a recipient of the late emperor's grace, it is my duty to die in Hanyang. Tell Zhao Yongbin not to worry about me and break out immediately."

Seeing that persuasion was ineffective, the messenger had to bow and return to the South Gate. Soon, Xuan Youcai, the general of Jizhou, entered the North Gate from the East Gate and surrounded Liu Zhaoqi together with Feng Duo, the general of Shanhaiguan. Half an hour later, Liu Zhaoqi was wounded several times and could no longer stand upright. He fell on the city wall, and all the guards around him were killed in the battle.

Xuan Youcai could not bear to see this and asked, "Liu Fuyuan, you and I are both Han Chinese, why would we die for the Manchus?"

"Bah!" Liu Zhaoqi spat at him and said sarcastically, "Xuan Zongzhen, you and I are both Han Chinese, why should we be loyal to the Mongols?"

“You don’t know how to appreciate a favor!” Xuan Youcai was furious and chopped off Governor Liu’s head with a vicious blow of his sword.

Hearing that Liu Zhaoqi refused to leave the city to escape, the Fu Biao Lieutenant General Zhao Yongbin sighed and had to lead the remaining men to break through the Nanji Gate. At the critical moment of life and death, Zhao's troops burst out with extremely strong fighting power, and actually fought their way out and escaped to the river. Just as they were about to find a boat to cross the river, they suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves. The head of the Wei army, Tegus Chaoktu, led two thousand cavalrymen to chase them. This Mongolian cavalry was very fierce. They first shot arrows, and then rushed to the front and chopped down anyone they saw. In a hurry, the Qing army took off their clothes and swam across the river. When they reached the center of the river, Zhao Yongbin was exhausted and sank into the surging river, becoming food for fish and shrimp.
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"Report! Qihuang bandits Huang Jinlong, Liu Qizhen, Zou Junsheng and others have captured Huanggang and are building boats with the intention of crossing the river."

"Report! Hanyang was lost, Liu Fuyuan, Zhao Canrong and Dong Shoubei were all killed in the battle."

When the news of the two disastrous defeats reached Wuchang, Governor of Huguang Zhang Changgeng's face turned bitter when he heard it. He hurriedly summoned officials including Admiral Hu Maozhen, Commander-in-Chief Sai Baili, Provincial Governor Cui Dai, Deputy General of the Central Army Li Qing, Lieutenant General Li Ruzhang and Ren Ruwei to discuss the matter.

"Gentlemen, a few days ago, General Zheng (referring to General Zheng Liuwei of Jingzhou) sent Ren Canrong to lead 4,000 troops to aid Wuchang. It was a timely relief. I had planned to launch a counterattack against the Wei army when the reinforcements from various towns arrived. Unexpectedly, Huanggang and Hanyang were lost one after another. What should I do?" Even though Zhang Changgeng had experienced many political ups and downs, he seemed a little at a loss after the continuous loss of troops and territory.

"Although Hanyang has been lost, our army still has the danger of the river. You can order the water camp to patrol the river and deploy heavy troops on the riverside." Sai Baili is a Manchu, and even at this point he still wants to fight to the death with the Wei army.

"Although the Yangtze River is dangerous, it stretches for thousands of miles. Our army is small and it is difficult to defend it everywhere. Wuchang is a strong city! I think it is better to concentrate our forces and hold Wuchang." Cui Dai had a different opinion.

"What do you think, Mr. Hu?" Zhang Changgeng looked at Hu Maozhen hopefully. He knew that the admiral had joined the army at a young age and had fought in countless battles, big and small. He wanted to hear the veteran's opinion.

"General Sai Baili is right, and what Minister Cui said is also reasonable. Including the water camp, there are only 35,000 defenders in Wuchang now. It will be difficult to defend such a large river beach if we set up defenses everywhere. We can only concentrate our forces to guard the Wuchang section of the river. But the guards have already captured Huangzhou, so we must prevent them from crossing the river from Huangzhou. I heard that the Qihuang bandits Huang Jinlong, Liu Qizhen, and Zou Junsheng are trying to cross the river, so we must send heavy troops to guard Fankou and Huhuangzhou." As a veteran, Hu Maozhen spoke very logically, and Zhang Changgeng nodded repeatedly. At that time, the prefecture of Wuchang was Jiangxia County, not Wuchang County (now Ezhou) of the same name. Fankou in the east of Jiangxia was opposite Huanggang. Huhuangzhou was originally a sandbar, located between the lake and the Yangtze River, opposite to Huanggang Yangluo Town and Tuanfeng Town on the other side of the river. Most of this place was water, and only a narrow land could lead to Jiangxia. Even if the guards captured Fankou, as long as they held Huhuangzhou, it would not be easy to pass. These two places were both important military locations in the east of Jiangxia.

"Well, Mr. Hu, who do you think can guard Fankou and Huhuangzhou?" Governor Zhang asked again.

"Fankou is opposite Huanggang, and the enemy is strong. It can only be defended by a famous general. I think General Sai Baili can take on this important task; Huhuangzhou has a narrow terrain, and it can only be defended by a brave general. Canrong Ren is known for his bravery and can defend this place." Hu Maozhen smiled and recommended General Sai Baili and Canrong Ren Ruwei to go. The two generals were praised by Admiral Hu and smiled happily.

"Mr. Hu is absolutely right. Fankou and Huhuangzhou will be handed over to you two." Zhang Changgeng bowed to Sai Baili and Ren Ruwei. The two generals were so frightened that they said they dared not do anything.

Everyone quickly reached a consensus on the deployment of defense in Wuchang: Sai Baili led 7,000 soldiers to guard Fankou, Ren Ruwei led 5,000 soldiers to guard Huhuangzhou, Li Ruzhang led 5,000 water camps to patrol the river, and Zhang Changgeng, Hu Maozhen, and Li Qing led 18,000 soldiers to guard Jiangxia City and the river beach.
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After discussing military affairs, Hu Maozhen returned to his residence and summoned his confidants Zhao Liang and Yang Mingfeng to discuss, "Huangzhou and Hanyang have both been lost, and the Qing Dynasty is doomed. I intend to lead the army to rebel, and you should prepare in secret and take action in three days." "We are willing to obey the orders of the general," the two generals said in unison.

"General, my army has only 13,000 men, while Governor Zhang has more than 20,000 men under his command. I'm afraid our chances of success will be slim if we start an uprising right away," said Lieutenant General Yang Mingfeng, somewhat worriedly.

"It's okay. I have already considered this. Under the pretext of defending the guards, I have persuaded Zhang Changgeng to transfer Sai Baili to Fankou and Ren Ruwei to Huhuangzhou. Now, besides my 13,000 troops, there are only Zhang Changgeng's 5,000 governors and Li Ruzhang's 5,000 water camps around Jiangxia. If we don't move now, when will we move?"

"General, this is a great plan. I admire it very much," Generals Zhao and Yang expressed their sincere admiration.

"Okay, quickly invite Deputy General Liao, I will entertain the distinguished guest tonight," Hu Maozhen laughed and ordered people to invite Liao Lian'an, the deputy general of Yunyang of the Daiwei State, who was under house arrest in the back garden.

On August 1665, the nd year of the Qianyuan reign (), shouts of killing shook the surface of the Yangtze River in Wuchang. Li Ruzhang, the adjutant general of the Qing Wuchang Water Camp, led his troops to fight a fierce battle with the Wei Army Navy. After all, the Qing Navy had been established for a long time and had the upper hand in the naval battle, once again repelling the enemy navy.

"Uh~" After getting off the boat and returning to the water fort, Li Ruzhang yawned loudly. He had been fighting hard these days and was really tired.

"Military Commander, Military Commander Yang asks you to go to Luzhai to discuss matters," the subordinate reported.

"Discuss matters? Humph, it's our navy that's been fighting hard these days, and their land forces just stay on the shore and watch the fun," Li Ruzhang snorted coldly. However, in order to unite to resist the enemy, he still took a few personal soldiers and entered the camp of Yang Mingfeng, the lieutenant general of the Wuchang City Defense Camp.

Seeing Yang Mingfeng, Li Ruzhang showed a polite smile and asked, "What did Yang Canrong invite me to discuss?"

"Li Ruzhang, how has the Qing Dynasty wronged you? Why are you rebelling? Capture him!" Yang Mingfeng gave him a warning. After that, a group of soldiers, as fierce as wolves and tigers, rushed towards him with sharp blades in their hands.

"Treason?" Li Ruzhang was stunned, then reacted, "Yang Mingfeng, you bastard, you actually dared to betray the Qing Dynasty!"

Yang Mingfeng did not say anything. He looked coldly at Li Ruzhang and his party lying in a pool of blood, then shouted, "Brothers, follow me to the water camp!"

The officers and soldiers of the Wuchang Water Camp did not expect to be attacked by their own land camp, and the water fort soon caught fire.

Seeing the fire, the Wei navy quickly crossed the river with the infantry.

"General, the water fort is on fire," Deputy General Zhao Liang reported to Hu Maozhen from the top of the Wuchang city wall.

"Quick, surround the Governor's Mansion and don't let Zhang Changgeng escape," Hu Maozhen sneered.

Team after team of soldiers from the Ti Biao Battalion charged towards the Huguang Governor's Mansion. Although Zhang Changgeng's Governor's Battalion was elite, they were outnumbered and unprepared, so the rebels soon broke through the gate.

Li Qing, deputy general of the Huguang military command, stumbled to Zhang Changgeng and said, "Governor, Hu Maozhen has betrayed the Qing Dynasty and is charging in with his battalion. Please follow me to break out."

"Even Hu Maozhen has betrayed the Qing Dynasty?" Zhang Changgeng smiled bitterly. "Deputy Li, it's too late. Hu Maozhen is very thoughtful. How could he leave me a chance to escape? If I'm right, the Governor's Mansion has already been surrounded!"

"Hahaha~ Mr. Zhang is a smart man, why not follow me to surrender to David?" Hu Maozhen's figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Mr. Hu, it is wrong for a minister to be a traitor, how can you do it again and again?"

The words "again and again" angered Hu Maozhen, who shouted coldly: "Since Mr. Zhang wants to be a loyal minister, how can I not help him? Shoot their arrows and send them on their way."

Arrows rained down, and soon Zhang Changgeng, Li Qing and his personal guards all became hedgehogs.

The governor Cui Dai did not have the courage of Zhang Changgeng. After being captured by the Wei army, he obediently served as a minister of the Wei army.

With Hu Maozhen as his internal support, Qin Wang Chuo Siji crossed the Yangtze River without much effort and captured the important military town of Wuchang. While lamenting that the victory came so easily, the great general ordered Dingyuan Deputy General Tegus Chaoketu to lead the Jizhou General Xuan Youcai, Tongzhou General Zhang Wei, Hangzhou General Chen Shikai and Hu Maozhen's surrendered troops, a total of more than 40,000 troops, to continue attacking Huhuangzhou and Fankou.

Ren Ruwei, the garrison commander of Huhuangzhou, had been on guard against the Wei troops on the other side of the river. He did not expect the enemy to attack from the rear, and was caught off guard and died in the chaos. Sai Baili, the garrison commander of Fankou, was trapped in the siege of the Wei troops and the rebel army of the 48 villages of Qihuang. After holding out for three days, Fankou City was broken, and he died for the Qing Dynasty he loved.

The victory report reached Dadu, and the Great Khan Lianhua was delighted. He issued an edict to commend the King of Qin, conferring Hu Maozhen the title of First-Class Earl of Hanyang and Governor of Huguang, and promoting Xuan Youcai, the General of Jizhou, to the position of Admiral of Huguang Army. The rest of the meritorious officers and soldiers were also rewarded. This supreme ruler always liked to show off his achievements, and ordered his son to pursue the victory and take over the entire territory of Huguang, and even Jiangxi as well. (End of this chapter)