Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

Mao Shoudeng left the Sangzhi Tusi's mansion and persuaded him to surrender smoothly. Sangzhi's pacification envoy Xiang Ding had always wanted to expand the territory. After agreeing to Xiang Ding's annexation of Anfu's land, everything went smoothly.

However, he encountered a setback when getting along with Peng Zhao, the envoy of Yongshun. This chieftain was of a weak character. Intimidated by the reputation of the Kuidong Army, he only expressed his admiration for the David Kingdom verbally, but refused to submit his allegiance on the grounds that the army of Ming Jingguogong Wang Guangxing was right before his eyes.

After all, Mao Shoudeng had been the governor of Huguang during the Ming Dynasty. He was familiar with the situation of the chieftains in Huguang and knew the grievances between the chieftains of Baojing and Kuidong. He simply left Yongshun and went to Baojing. Among the chieftains in western Hubei, if we talk about the strength of the troops, the Baojing local soldiers are second, and no other chieftain dares to claim to be the first. Not to mention the distant past, Gao Yigong, the former leader of the Eastern Army, died under the poisonous arrows of the Baojing local soldiers fifteen years ago.

Mao Shoudeng thought that Baojing and Kuidong had a grudge, and that if they surrendered, they would succeed immediately. However, he was caught off guard. Entering the Baojing Tusi Mansion, there were local soldiers in armor everywhere, with long machetes flashing coldly and full of murderous intent. He could not help but get furious, "I came here with the sincerity of His Royal Highness the King of Qi, why is the envoy doing this?"

"Haha, I am a minister of the Qing Dynasty. No matter you represent the Ming Dynasty or David, you are an enemy country. You are a high-ranking official after all. If you kidnap and present you to Zhou Fuyuan and Cui Zongzhen, wouldn't it be a great achievement?" Baojing Xuanwei Envoy Peng Ding sneered, his sinister eyes resting on Mao Shoudeng. Zhou Fuyuan refers to Zhou Zhaonan, the governor of Pianyuan in the Qing Dynasty, and Cui Zongzhen refers to Cui Shilu, the general of Yuanzhou in the Qing Dynasty. Because of the conflict with the Kuidong Army, the chieftain of Baojing regarded the Qing army stationed in Chenzhou as his backing. Peng Ding had a good relationship with Zhou Zhaonan, Cui Shilu and other Qing Dynasty civil and military officials, so he said this.

In an instant, Mao Shoudeng felt cold all over, as if he was dead. But he was the governor after all, and although he was shocked, he did not show any fear on the surface. He laughed loudly and said, "The main force of the Qing army in Chenzhou has gone to Yuezhou with Tunqi. The envoy wants to rely on the Qing army. Can they really be trusted?"

Hearing this, Peng Ding's face changed several times and he remained silent. He was not stupid and knew that what the old man said was true.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Mao Shoudeng had an idea in his mind and continued, "In terms of strong soldiers and horses, how can the Ming and Qing dynasties compare with David? Wherever David's troops pointed, with the bravery of the Eight Banners, Beijing was broken and the emperor and empress were killed; King Jiangling relied on his military strategy, and in the battle of Songzi, an army of two hundred thousand (this is a deliberate exaggeration) was wiped out. If you tie me up and take me to Yuanling, you will be an enemy of David. The mere Kuidong bandits have made you uneasy, and if you offend David again, I'm afraid that Baojing will no longer be the ancestral property of the Peng family wherever he goes."

“How dare you!” Upon hearing this, Peng Ding’s son Peng Zeqiu became furious. He pulled out the machete from behind and waited for his father’s order to chop the old thief into meat paste.

Peng Ding did not say anything, but glared at his son angrily, meaning that he should not interrupt and let the old man continue speaking.

Seeing this, Mao Shoudeng threw out a bait, "If you are willing to submit to David, His Royal Highness the King of Qi will recommend you as the first-class Baojing Earl, the hereditary Baojing Xuanwei Envoy, and will also support you in obtaining the lands of Nanweizhou and Tianjiadong."

Peng Ding's eyes lit up when he heard this. Being a first-class baron and a hereditary envoy was already considered a great honor, but what made him even more excited was the two places of Nanweizhou and Tianjiadong Changguansi. The core areas of Yongshun Xuanweishisi, which was known as the "three prefectures, six longguansi, fifty-eight banners, and three hundred and eighty Dongs" of the Tu Miao people, were the three Tuzhous: Nanweizhou, Shangxizhou, and Shirongzhou, and the six longguansi: Laredong Changguansi, Luchidong Changguansi, Shirongdong Changguansi, Maizhehuangdong Changguansi, Baiyadong Changguansi, and Tianjiadong Changguansi. If he could get Nanweizhou and Tianjiadong, he would be able to greatly expand the power of Baojing Xuanweishisi. In fact, Peng Ding had always been eyeing the Yongshun Xuanweisi, his own clan. When the old Yongshun envoy, his father-in-law Peng Hongshu, was around, he did not dare to act rashly. After all, he was the first person to submit to the Qing Dynasty. Not only was he highly respected in Yongshun, he had very good relations with Qing officials and had a huge influence on other chieftains in western Hubei. Later, when Peng Hongshu passed the throne to his eldest son Peng Zhaohuan when he was old, he still did not dare to act. On the one hand, although Peng Hongshu was old, he was not confused, and Peng Zhaohuan was also quite capable of controlling his subordinates. Under his rule, Yongshun was like an iron plate.

Heaven will not let down those who work hard! Two years ago, Peng Zhaohuan died of illness, and the position of chieftain of Yongshun was passed to Peng Hongshu's second son Peng Zhaoxiang. Peng Zhaoxiang was weak in character and could not suppress the arrogant and brave generals under his command. His great-uncle, Peng Tingyu, who was entrenched in Shangxi Prefecture, took the opportunity to start a rebellion and led the local army into Yongshun to hold Peng Zhaoxiang hostage, plotting to seize the position of chieftain day and night. Peng Zhaoxiang, unwilling to be a puppet, sent people to Baojing to ask Peng Ding for help.

Even though the pie in the sky fell on Peng Ding, he still didn't dare to act rashly, but sent people to secretly investigate his father-in-law's movements. When he learned that Peng Hongshu was too old and sick to manage the affairs, he was relieved and ordered his son Peng Zeqiu to lead the local army to attack Yongshun, beheaded Peng Tingyu and his seven sons, and helped Peng Zhaoxiang to restore his position. Of course, he would not help in vain. He used the excuse of helping his brother-in-law Peng Zhaoxiang to deter the scoundrels and ordered his son Peng Lun to station 700 soldiers at Liangjiangkou, actually controlling the area.

Human greed is endless. The mere Liangjiangkou area was not enough for Peng Ding. When he heard that there was a chance to obtain Nanweizhou and Tianjiadong, his eyes lit up. However, as cunning as he was, he still refused to express his opinion easily and continued to play dumb and remain silent.

Although Mao Shoudeng was very good at cultivating his qi, he could not help but become anxious when he met the scheming Peng Ding. He sneered: "When I was the governor of Huguang in the Ming Dynasty, I heard that Li Laiheng intended to send Wang Guangxing to Baojing to avenge Gao Yigong's death by an arrow. If it weren't for the sudden attack on Kuidong by the Wei army, I'm afraid your entire family would have been wiped out. Gao Yigong died at the hands of your father. Do you really think Li Laiheng will let you go? If you are unwilling to help David annihilate Li Laiheng this time, once he has recovered, I'm afraid Baojing will be in great trouble."

These words hit Peng Ding's vital point, and he finally agreed: "Thank you, Mr. Mao, for your guidance. I am willing to submit to David in Baojing."

"Good! I knew the envoy was a wise man!" Mao Shoudeng was overjoyed, but then he became a little worried and said, "If we want to ambush Li Laiheng, we must go to Yongshun. Peng Zhaoxiang is a man who doesn't know the current situation. What can we do?"

"Puchi~" Peng Ding was delighted, "To be honest with you, Master Mao, I have done Peng Zhaoxiang a favor. If you ask, I believe he will not dare to disobey. I am willing to lead 6,000 elite soldiers to go to Yongshun with you. If Peng Zhaoxiang agrees, that's fine. If not, just depose him and appoint another ruler of Yongshun." This was not nonsense. Peng Zhaoxiang had no children. Some people with ulterior motives, such as the seventh grandson Peng Yunzhi, often flattered the Baojing chieftain who held a strong army, and could be used as chess pieces to replace Peng Zhaoxiang at any time.

"Oh, if that's the case, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi will never forget your great contribution!" Mao Shoudeng was so happy that his beard was flying. (End of this chapter)