Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"Your Highness, we have reached the foot of Xikui Mountain. Once we cross this mountain, we will reach the territory of Xiangyang," said the trusted adviser Chen Hongzhu to King Melas of Qi.

"Well, I have written to my sixth brother (referring to Qin Wang Chuo Siji), Duke of Turpan (referring to Xi Rimo), and Hu Maozhen, asking them to wait for me to arrive in Xiangyang and follow my orders. I heard that the Ming army in Kuidong is very fierce and difficult to fight!" Melas's eyebrows were filled with joy. How could he not be happy to be ordered to lead the 200,000 troops in Huguang and Sichuan? In front of the Great Khan Lianhua, even if he was happy, he had to hold it in. Now that he was leading the troops outside, he naturally didn't need to be polite anymore, and the joy in his eyebrows could not be hidden.

"I think the first thing you should consider is how to deal with the relationship with the King of Qin and the Duke of Turpan. Although you are the commander-in-chief, you only have 50,000 soldiers. The King of Qin and the Duke of Turpan each have 80,000 soldiers, which are stronger than yours. Moreover, you are the king, and the King of Qin is also the king; you are the general who pacifies the south, and the Duke of Turpan is also the general who conquers the south. What should you do if the two do not obey your orders?"

"Humph! How dare they! I am the commander-in-chief appointed by my father the Khan himself, do they dare to disobey my orders?" Melas spoke firmly but his face became solemn.

Chen Hongzhu smiled slightly, "The Duke of Turpan is an old minister who followed the Khan in the uprising, and he is far away in Shu. You must not offend him. You should first treat him as an elder, and then lure him with military merits, and he will surely obey your orders."

"You are absolutely right. Duke Turpan once served my grandfather, so I should treat him as an elder," Mailas nodded in appreciation. The old general Xirimo was a famous general known as the "Wolf of Oirat". Together with the "Tiger of Oirat" Bars and the "Eagle of Oirat" Toli, they were called the "Three Heroes of David". These three people were close ministers of their grandfather Nomudalai Taiji, and later followed their father Khan to fight in the south and the north and founded the Kingdom of David. Their qualifications in the army were far beyond what I could compare with. If I offend him, he might complain to my father Khan, and then my father Khan might not protect me. Well, I really can't be tough with such senior officials, I can only treat them with courtesy. Fortunately, the Kingdom of David attaches great importance to military merit. If I lure him with military merit, this old general will still obey my orders.

Seeing that the King of Qi had listened to his advice, Chen Hongzhu went on to say: "You are the elder brother and the King of Qin is the younger brother, so there is a difference between the old and the young. The King of Qin has only 5,000 imperial guards under his command, and the rest are surrendered generals. Their combat effectiveness is not as good as your subordinates, and they just suffered a defeat a few days ago. You might as well show your brother's momentum to him. On the one hand, you can intimidate him, and on the other hand, you can secretly win over his subordinates. Most of these surrendered generals are fence-sitters, and when they see that you are powerful, they will definitely change sides and surrender to you. You just need to treat him with respect and give him official titles, and the soldiers from Huguang will definitely be used by you."

"Wonderful! I am so lucky to have you, sir!" After hearing this, Melas patted Chen Hongzhu on the back and laughed.

"The Khan has given you all the military power of Huguang and Sichuan. You can win this battle but not lose. The Kuidong bandits have always been fierce. Although our army is far more powerful than them, if the bandits hide in the mountains and defend themselves in dangerous places, it may not be easy to defeat them. The art of war says 'make the strong appear false and the false appear strong'. You might as well hide your main force in Xikui Mountain and only bring 5,000 cavalry into Xiangyang. Then order the Xiangyang garrison to make a big show of force and prepare to march south to Jingzhou. When the Kuidong bandits see that you have few soldiers and are claiming to be marching south with great fanfare, they will definitely think you are bluffing. If you launch a surprise attack at the right time, you will surely win in one fell swoop", Chen Hongzhu offered another brilliant plan.

"Great! If this plan succeeds, you will be the main contributor!" Melas laughed.

When the King of Qi, Melas, entered the battleground of Xiangyang with only 5,000 cavalrymen, the two defenders of Xiangyang, the First-class Earl of Hanyang and the Governor of Huguang, Hu Maozhen, and the Deputy Admiral of Huguang Navy and the General of Xiangyang, Yang Laijia, were greatly surprised: The King of Qi asked us to prepare the food and supplies for 50,000 people a few days ago, how come he only brought 5,000 people?
Hu Maozhen was a man of great shrewdness. He calmly led the generals to meet the King of Qi and then warmly hosted a banquet to entertain the distinguished guests without asking any other questions.

Melas was very polite and warmly greeted Hu Maozhen, Yang Laijia and their generals Zhao Liang, Hongfu, Yang Mingfeng and others. He also introduced the civil and military officials who accompanied him to the expedition, such as Asu Husaihan, Chahar Admiral Alinbao, Du Qianhuzhang Ada and Chen Hongzhu. The famous Prince Qi was so approachable that the local generals in Huguang could not help but feel warmed and unconsciously became closer.

After three rounds of drinks, Mailas said to Hu Maozhen, Yang Laijia and others with a smile: "The small Ming court in Kuidong actually dared to borrow the passage from the Qing. My father Khan ordered me to lead the troops from Huguang, Sichuan and other places to intimidate them. Since ancient times, fame and fortune have been achieved on horseback. Now is a good opportunity for you to establish your career. Fuyuan Hu can lead the land army to station at Jingshan, and General Yang can lead the navy to station at the mouth of Zhanghe River, and prepare to enter Jingzhou." "Yes," Hu Maozhen accepted the order silently.

Yang Laijia was not as shrewd as Hu Maozhen, and could not help but say, "Your Highness, the main force of the Kuidong Ming army is in Jingzhou, with 70,000 to 80,000 people, while Xiangyang has only 20,000 troops in total. Even with the 5,000 cavalry you brought, there are only 25,000. Moreover, there are many rivers in Jingzhou, which is not conducive to cavalry. Forgive me for being frank, but it will be difficult to take Jingzhou without reinforcements!"

"Mr. Yang is really straightforward! I like men like you the most!" Melas laughed, "No problem! All you need to do is to raise the flag and drums and make a big noise. Remember, the bigger the noise, the better!"

"I obey your orders," this time Hu Maozhen and Yang Laijia seemed to understand a little and said in unison.

"Well," Melas showed a satisfied smile, and drank another round with the generals. Suddenly, he asked casually: "Why don't you see your sixth brother? Publicly, I am the commander-in-chief; privately, I am his elder brother. Both publicly and privately, he should come to Xiangyang to meet me. Immediately send someone on a fast horse to Wuchang to invite your sixth brother to discuss military affairs. Haha, if we meet, I will definitely punish him with three big bowls of wine."

All good things must come to an end, and after a round of drinking, Hu Maozhen led 10,000 infantrymen to Jinxiangping in Jingshan, and Yang Laijia also led 10,000 naval forces to the mouth of Zhanghe River. The two of them built warships and collected food and grass, making a big fuss, as if they were afraid that the Ming army would not know.

"I have been ordered to persuade the emperor to surrender, and I have come to bid farewell to His Highness." Fu Yijian and Chen Tingjing also came to bid farewell. In the Qing Dynasty, one of them was a university scholar of the Internal Secretariat, and the other was a president of the Hanlin Academy. After surrendering to the imperial court, they were only given a nominal position of the same rank without a real job. The Great Khan sent them to persuade Kuidong to surrender, and he also considered their talents. Fame and fortune are the most attractive to people. They were eager to make achievements, and they came to say goodbye just after the banquet.

"Do you remember what the two of you said when you went to Jiangling to meet Jiangling King Li Laiheng?" Melas asked them indifferently.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I will demonstrate the imperial military might to the Kuidong bandits so that they will not dare to refuse surrender," Fu Yijian shouted.

"Your Highness's admonition to 'make the empty real and the real empty' is in my mind and I will definitely live up to your high expectations!" Chen Tingjing also said generously. (End of this chapter)