Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

General Zhuosiji, the Prince of Qin, was fond of wrestling and kept many wrestlers in his palace. Having observed many, he observed a key principle: good wrestlers always use feints to confuse their opponents before a formal attack. This principle applies to warfare as well! The feints by Prince Nagat of Tucheng from Tongzhou to Suzhou, the feint by Deputy General Xirimo of the Eastern Expedition to Zhenjiang from Guazhou, and the forced crossing of Jiangning by General Liu Chaofu of Xuzhou from Jiangpu were all feints. Even the impressive battle at Caishiji with 40,000 troops led by Deputy Admiral Yang Laijia was merely a deception. This prince chose Banziji and Digang, about five li east of Banziji, as the location to deliver the most fatal blow to the enemy. To achieve this, he concentrated his elite 80,000 guards in Nihanhe Town, Wuwei Prefecture, opposite Banziji.

The better the Bokchin, the more meticulously he observed his opponent. Chosiji's choice of Banziji as the breakthrough point for crossing the river was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but the result of careful reconnaissance. Banziji is a small island in the middle of the great river, where the river is extremely narrow, only about three zhang (approximately ten and a half meters), and only a few zhang (approximately a few meters) from the east bank controlled by the Wu army. Such a narrow distance could be covered in a short time by fast boat. When Cai Lu, the Henan governor, reported the reconnaissance results, His Highness the Prince of Qin exclaimed with delight, "This is a gift from the Eternal Heaven to the Kingdom of David!" Even so, to ensure success, he still employed a series of dazzling feints. Now, the time had finally come to strike hard!
"Your Highness, I am ready. Most of the 20,000 soldiers who landed in the first batch have experience in naval warfare, are skilled in swimming and boat handling. Shall we launch an attack? Please give your instructions!" Cai Lu asked calmly on the surface, but he could not hide the burning desire in his eyes.

"Is Admiral Cai from Haicheng, Fujian?" Chosiji asked kindly.

“Your Highness has a good memory. This humble general is indeed from Haicheng, Fujian,” Cai Lu replied respectfully.

"Hmm, I've heard that you Fujianese are all dragons of the sea, fearless even on the vast ocean, let alone mere rivers. Go forth, I await your success! A dragon that doesn't move is still, but when it does, it's like lightning and thunder. You must be so fast that the enemy won't even have time to cover their ears!" Chosiji praised his subordinates generously, which was considered issuing a military order.

Hearing such praise from his commander, Cai Lu was filled with excitement. Though not good with words, he roared from his chest, "Your Highness, please witness this humble general defeat the enemy!"
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Twenty thousand guards boarded ships and lined up on the riverbank, awaiting their commander's order to attack. Back at headquarters, Cai Lu summoned his three sons, Cai Wei, Cai Gong, and Cai Xingbang, and said, "Today, His Highness the Prince of Qin praised us Fujianese as dragons of the sea. Dragons should roam the vast ocean; if we can't even cross a mere river, how can we face His Highness? In this battle, you must fight to the death to serve your country. If you retreat in fear of battle, I will disregard His Highness's military law and execute you all on my behalf!"

Cai Lu was originally a general under Zheng Chenggong, a fierce and ruthless figure who once dominated the seas. However, due to his dissatisfaction with Zheng's unfair rewards and punishments, he was distrusted and forced to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. Among his troops were four thousand veteran soldiers from Fujian, skilled in swimming and exceptionally brave, whom he entrusted to his three sons to command. Today, in order to impress His Highness Prince Qin, he immediately deployed his most elite troops.

"Father, rest assured, there are no cowards in our Cai family!" The eldest son, Cai Wei, led his second and third brothers in expressing their determination.

"All troops, attack! No retreat!" Cai's furious roar echoed through the strong wind.

Cai Wei, Cai Gong, and Cai Xingbang led four thousand veterans from Fujian, using two hundred small boats as the vanguard to cross the river. Cai Lu led the main army to follow, and they marched in a mighty force towards Banziji.

Upon hearing of the approaching Wei army navy, Wu's deputy general, Wang Yuncheng, hurriedly climbed onto the rocks opposite Banziji to gaze into the distance. Seeing the endless sea of ​​Wei warships surging across the river, he felt utterly hopeless. He knew that against overwhelming power, no matter how brave he was, it would be useless. His only hope now was that friendly forces from Chizhou and Dangtu would arrive to their aid.

"Boom~Boom~Boom~"

The cannons on Banziji began firing. The sound of the cannons was loud, but because the Wei army was mostly in small boats, and the river at Banziji was narrow, the warships quickly reached the shore, causing minimal casualties. Cai Wei led two thousand fierce veterans a swift landing, scattering the defenders on the rocks below the islet, and charging towards the cannons on the islet. Cai Gong and Cai Xingbang led another two thousand veterans to attack the Wu army on the opposite bank of Banziji. "Good!" Cai Lu exclaimed happily. Banziji was a small island, unable to hold many soldiers; now that they had reached the islet, he believed they would capture the cannons in no time.

Seeing that the guards had reached Banziji so quickly, Wang Yuncheng felt bitter. He wanted to send a fleet to rescue them, but the guards under Cai Gong and Cai Xingbang were already attacking him. Helpless, he could only lead his men to fight to the death, praying once again that reinforcements would arrive quickly.

As if the heavens had heard his cry, Wang Dacheng, the adjutant of the Wu army's Chizhou naval camp, led 5,000 naval troops and 120 warships on patrol from Tongling to this place. Seeing that the Wei army was crossing the river, he hurriedly ordered them to sail to Banziji for rescue.

"Stop them!" Seeing the enemy reinforcements arrive, Cai Lu ordered the signal flag to be hoisted on the flagship. Then, with a self-deprecating laugh, he said, "I am a dragon; merely stopping the enemy is not enough." He changed the signal to: "Follow me and defeat the enemy!" He personally led the flagship, charging ahead towards the enemy reinforcements. Seeing their commander's bravery, his men's morale soared, and fleets of warships followed relentlessly in the charge. Wang Dacheng, whose forces were already small, panicked upon seeing the enemy's superior numbers and ferocity. After a brief resistance, he turned and fled back to Tongling.

His escape dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the defending troops, and it wasn't long before the fishing flag of the Kingdom of David was planted on Banziji. The distance from Banziji to the east bank was only a few feet. After capturing Banziji, Cai Wei dispatched five hundred soldiers to turn their cannons towards the Wu army on the shore, while simultaneously having small boats line up to form a pontoon bridge. He then led over a thousand men ashore from the pontoon bridge to encircle the enemy. Meanwhile, Cai Gong and Cai Xingbang's troops also successfully landed.

Seeing the situation was dire, Wang Yuncheng tried to flee towards Digang. However, Cai Wei was extremely fast and immediately surrounded him after crossing the pontoon bridge. No matter how hard he tried, he could not escape and died on the riverbank.

"Haorui~ Haorui~ Haorui~" Thunderous cheers echoed over Banziji.

Taking advantage of their high morale, Cai Lu ordered his second son to leave a portion of the troops to garrison Banziji, while his eldest son led infantry to Digang. He himself led five hundred elite cavalry, charging ahead. At this time, Digang was guarded by Chen Xuan, the military commissioner of Taichi, with over a thousand weak garrison soldiers. Cai Lu's cavalry was extremely fast, arriving before Chen Xuan could react. Caught off guard, the Wu army was quickly routed, and Chen Xuan himself fell victim to Cai Lu's blade.

"Father, I have already ordered someone to send a signal at Digang. The army will land at Digang soon. Should we rest for a while?" Cai Xingbang, the third son, asked breathlessly.

“No, you take a hundred men and stay in the harbor to await His Highness’s army. I will take the rest to attack Fanchang,” said Admiral Cai. Ignoring his third son’s earnest pleas, he led over three hundred cavalrymen straight to Fanchang County. He thought the Fanchang garrison would put up a stubborn resistance given his small force, but to his surprise, the Fanchang magistrate, Liang Yannian, was a shrewd man. Upon hearing the news of the fall of Banziji and Digang, he immediately ordered the city gates opened and welcomed the royal army with gongs and drums.

Cai Lu finally breathed a sigh of relief, urging the rest of his troops to rejoin him while simultaneously ordering a report on the battle to the King of Qin. (End of Chapter)