Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

Yang Baoyin and Zhao Tianyuan led 17,000 troops to Shangrao, the capital of Guangxin Prefecture, much to the surprise and delight of Cao Dingwang, the prefect of Guangxin. Cao Dingwang, originally the prefect of Huizhou, was a learned and talented man, skilled in poetry and especially adept at ink making. He had been demoted three ranks due to a falling out with Zhang Chaozhen, the governor of Anhui. Fortunately, Dong Weiguo, the governor of Jiangxi, admired his literary talent and petitioned the Great Zhou court to reinstate him as the prefect of Guangxin. Grateful for Dong's patronage, Cao Dingwang diligently performed his duties, governing Guangxin with great efficiency. Upon hearing that Weiguo's eastern army was stationed in Jiangshan County and that the troops under Guangxin's deputy general Ke Sheng had been transferred by Dong, Cao Dingwang knew that the Shangrao garrison and his own small force of yamen runners and miscellaneous soldiers could not hold the city. Unwilling to surrender to Weiguo and betray Dong's kindness, he decided to abandon his post and flee. He secretly ordered his family's wealth to be loaded onto carts, ready to leave as soon as Weiguo's army approached. The arrival of reinforcements at this critical juncture was a delightful surprise.

"Has Governor Cao sent anyone to inquire about the number of garrison troops in Jiangshan County?" Yang Baoyin asked as soon as he saw Cao Dingwang.

Cao Dingwang blushed. He had originally planned to escape, so why would he send someone to scout out the enemy's situation? He stammered, "I am a civil official and know nothing about military affairs. I only heard from passersby that Hu Wei's Prince Qin has a large number of troops. Some say it's 200,000, some say 300,000, some say 400,000, and some even say 500,000. I really don't know the exact number."

Zhao Tianyuan was furious. He was originally a pirate and had a strong bandit mentality. He immediately scolded, "The garrison has been stationed in Jiangshan County for a long time, and you didn't even send anyone to scout. You are a complete idiot!"

Poor Prefect Cao, who always prided himself on his literary talent and refined taste, never expected to be called a fool today. He was both ashamed and agitated, his face turning red with embarrassment.

"Ahem~" Yang Baoyin coughed lightly to stop Zhao Tianyuan from getting angry, and said to Cao Dingwang: "Please ask Prefect Cao to quickly conscript all able-bodied men in the city to reinforce the city defenses, and also order all local garrison soldiers and yamen runners to go up the city to assist in the defense."

"I will take care of it immediately," Cao Dingwang said hastily and withdrew.

On June 3rd, 1670 (the 27th year of the Qianyuan era), the Grand General of the Eastern Expedition of the Kingdom of David, Prince Chosji of Qin, prepared to invade Jiangxi. He personally led an army of 230,000 men southward from Jiangshan County along the Yuxi River, heading towards Yushan County in Guangxin Prefecture, Jiangxi. Before the expedition, the young prince encouraged his generals, saying, "Our army's garrison is named Jiangshan. For the sake of David's unified empire, you must all bravely advance and achieve unparalleled feats!"

"This humble general will fight bravely," "I am willing to die for Your Highness," "David will surely win!" Upon hearing this, the generals were filled with excitement and high morale, and they all shouted that they should fight.

Amidst the rousing calls for battle, the voice of Zhao Yue, the General of Jiaxing, was particularly loud. He was ordered to lead 30,000 Zhejiang soldiers under the command of Huzhou Deputy General Mahada, Ningbo Deputy General Ma Yinyang, Quzhou Deputy General Sun Jiayin, and Jinhua Assistant General Shi Tiaosheng as the vanguard. The newly surrendered soldiers were eager to make a name for themselves.

"When I first heard of Qi Shaobao (referring to Qi Jiguang), the Zhejiang Army was renowned throughout the land. Today, I wish to witness your heroic spirit," Zhuo Siji said with a smile, encouraging the Zhejiang Army generals.

"Your Highness, we will certainly live up to your expectations!" Zhao Yue declared confidently on behalf of the Zhejiang army generals. Their confidence stemmed from the overwhelming disparity in strength; they had heard that the garrison of Yushan City numbered less than a thousand, while they possessed thirty thousand soldiers, making them confident they could take it.

However, he encountered an unexpected enemy: Li Shihong, the fifty-two-year-old magistrate of Yushan County. This man was originally a judge in Guangxin Prefecture, but due to repeated wars that left Yushan County without a magistrate, causing many people to leave their homes, he was appointed acting magistrate of Yushan by Cao Dingwang, the prefect of Guangxin. Cao Dingwang chose him because he had heard of his incorruptible administration and astute judgment, and Li Shihong indeed lived up to expectations. Upon arriving in Yushan, he immediately inquired about the people's hardships, gathered those scattered from various places, reclaimed land, fixed taxes, restored production, rebuilt homes, and reopened long-standing cases, releasing hundreds of innocent people. The people praised him as "Li the Upright Official."

Li Qingtian was a good man in every way, except that he had once been a scholar in the Ming Dynasty and was stubborn, insisting on the distinction between Han and non-Han peoples. He told the soldiers and civilians guarding Yushan City that the Great Zhou Dynasty was a Han Chinese regime, while the Wei Kingdom was a state established by the Hu people. He argued that the Han and Hu peoples had never been able to coexist, and if they surrendered to the Wei Kingdom, their descendants would become slaves of the Hu people. Hearing that "Li Qingtian" was going to lead everyone to resist the Hu people, the people of Yushan, who had benefited from his kindness, responded enthusiastically, and soon more than 5,000 people had gathered. Li Shihong dispersed the 700 experienced soldiers of the original garrison battalion to various parts of the city wall to direct the people in defending the city, using experienced soldiers to mentor new ones, reinforcing the city walls, and preparing more stones, logs, oil, and iron pottery. At this time, the Wei army was no longer facing a garrison of less than a thousand people, but the entire Yushan City, united in its resolve.

"Send someone into the city and tell the garrison that those who surrender will not be killed," Zhao Yue ordered proudly from his horse. In his view, the small city of Yushan was isolated and helpless; as long as someone was sent to persuade them to surrender, none would dare disobey.

Who would have thought that the messenger would soon lose an ear after entering the city, returning covered in blood and weeping, "The magistrate of Yushan, Li Shihong, is rude. Not only did he cut off Biao's ear, but he also cursed us, the people of Wei, as barbarians, and accused you of recognizing a thief as your father and forgetting your ancestors. He said he would eat your flesh and drink your blood."

"How dare this pedantic scholar!" Upon hearing that the small Yushan County dared to defy his military might, Zhao Yue was furious and immediately ordered Shi Diaosheng, the military commander of Jinhua, to attack the city.

Shi Diaosheng had been a military officer for some time. Hearing that the general had entrusted him with the task of attacking a city, he thought, "What difficulty could there be in attacking a small city defended by only a few hundred soldiers? It's practically a gift of credit to elevate my rank!" So, he excitedly led his troops to attack the city. However, after a whole day of fierce fighting, they left behind over five hundred corpses and gained absolutely nothing. When the retreat signal sounded, he had no choice but to retreat, his face flushed with embarrassment.

"Useless!" Zhao Yue cursed Shi Diaosheng's incompetence. The next day, he replaced him with the troops of Ningbo Deputy General Ma Yinyang to attack the city. In his view, Ma Yinyang's army was far superior to Shi Diaosheng's and would surely break through the city. Unexpectedly, Deputy General Ma led his troops to attack the city. After fighting for a whole day, leaving behind more than three hundred corpses, they still could not climb the city walls.

On the third day, the troops under Sun Jiayin, the deputy general of Quzhou, were brought in to attack the city again, but they still made no progress. After three days of fierce fighting and more than a thousand casualties, the small city remained unmoved.

On the fourth day, Zhao Yue grew anxious and said to his generals, "His Highness the Prince of Qin will arrive soon. We have just surrendered to the new dynasty. If we cannot even take down a small city, how can we face His Highness? Today, I will personally attack the city. You will each attack one gate. If the city has not fallen by sunset, I will first execute you all and then commit suicide to atone for my sins!"

Under the threat of death, the guards displayed tremendous fighting power, wave after wave fearlessly charging towards the city walls. Ultimately, their superior numbers allowed them to capture Yushan on the evening of the fourth day. After the battle, Zhao Yue tallied his men and found he had suffered three thousand casualties. Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, he ordered the bound and gagged Li Shihong to be brought in, berating him: "Wherever the royal army passes, governors and commanders surrender in droves! What high position did you hold in the Zhou Dynasty? What loyalty did you show? So many soldiers and civilians have perished here; it is all your fault!"

"Pah!" Li Shihong spat angrily, straightened his back, and retorted, "To protect the Han people's land, countless soldiers and civilians fought to the death. What high position did you hold in the Zhou Dynasty? Why have you become a subject of the barbarians?"

"Drag him away and behead him! His body will be left to rot for three days!" Zhao Yue's furious voice rang out from inside the tent. (End of Chapter)