Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

The seemingly easy Battle of Yushan resulted in the loss of 3,000 soldiers, making Prince Qin, Zhuosiji, realize that the campaign to enter Jiangxi might not be as easy as he had imagined. He ordered General Zhao Yue of Jiaxing to march cautiously, and General Chen Wenda to lead 20,000 troops to attack Yongfeng City in the east of Shangrao. He also ordered Cai Lu, the Henan Provincial Commander, to lead 30,000 troops to outflank Xing'an and Yiyang in the rear of Shangrao, cutting off the retreat route of the Shangrao defenders back to Nanchang.

This time, Zhao Yue learned from the lessons of the Battle of Yushan, carefully deploying scouts and proceeding with extreme caution. The Wu army's general Yang Baoyin and deputy general Zhao Tianyuan, stationed in Shangrao, had already gathered forces from the vicinity of Shangrao into the city. The garrison easily captured Zhengjiafang and Lingshan, areas near Shangrao. However, Shangrao was situated next to the Yuxi River and the Shangrao River, with a well-developed water system. The east and south gates, protected by the river, were not conducive to a large-scale siege. Probing attacks were launched at the north and west gates, but both were repelled by the defenders.

“General, the garrison is large. If we do not take advantage of the enemy’s initial arrival to dampen their morale, I fear the city will be difficult to defend. I am willing to lead the troops in a night raid,” Zhao Tianyuan advised Yang Baoyin.

Yang Baoyin frowned. "These past few days I have carefully observed the Wei army's camp and found that their camp is well-organized, with not only trenches but also torches lit in front of it at night. I'm afraid our army will be discovered before we even get close. How can we launch a night attack?"

Zhao Tianyuan smiled nonchalantly, “The Wei army has only just arrived; how could they have had time to finish digging the trenches? They’ve only dug the part in front of the camp; the trenches behind the camp must not have been dug. Last night, I climbed the city wall and observed that the enemy camp outside the east gate had sparse torches, indicating that they were lax in their defenses of the rear. Tonight, I will lead a thousand elite soldiers in small boats out of the water gate, sail down the river, and circle around to the rear of the enemy camp. We will launch a surprise attack, and victory is assured!”

Seeing his confidence and the fact that he was only taking a thousand elite soldiers out of the city, Yang Baoyin had no choice but to agree.

At night, Zhao Tianyuan selected a thousand elite soldiers to open the water gates and row along the Yuxi waterway. He was originally a pirate, and many of his men were experienced boatmen. They rowed quickly and quietly, and soon approached the garrison camp outside the east city.

"Ugh..." General Shi Diaosheng of Jinhua, the military commander of the Great Wei Kingdom, stretched lazily. During this time, Commander Zhao had ordered each battalion to carefully set up camp and construct fortifications, and he and his men had diligently worked on the project, leaving him exhausted. Diligent as he was, this veteran soldier hadn't fully followed his commander's orders. He only focused on large-scale construction in front of the camp, neglecting the rear, which he considered less dangerous. The brothers were already weary from days of marching; to completely follow the commander's orders would be too inconsiderate of them!
After stretching, he took off his clothes and lay down. In his drowsy state, he seemed to hear the sounds of fighting. "It's strange, I've been fighting so much, even my dreams are filled with fighting!" Shi Diaosheng muttered to himself, turned over, and continued to sleep.

The noise gradually grew louder, and he was awakened by his personal guards. "Advisor! The Wu army is attacking our camp!"

"What!" Shi Diaosheng was startled. He hurriedly threw on a robe and went out of the tent to see what was happening. The military camp was engulfed in flames, and the sounds of battle were deafening. He didn't know how many enemies had arrived! In his haste, he grabbed a knife, mounted the horse brought by his personal guard, and was about to rally his men to fight back. A flash of white light appeared before his eyes. Zhao Tianyuan rushed over, knife and all, fast and ruthless. With a single strike, he decapitated Shi Diaosheng.

With Shi Diaosheng dead, the Wei army offered no organized resistance and was quickly routed. Having gained a significant advantage, Zhao Tianyuan dared not linger and immediately led his men to retreat under cover of darkness. Upon hearing the alarm in the eastern city, Zhao Yue immediately dispatched reinforcements. When the reinforcements arrived, most of the eastern camp had been reduced to ashes, with two thousand corpses lying in wait. Enraged by such a heavy loss, Zhao Yue ordered an attack on the city. However, Shangrao was a formidable fortress, and Yang Baoyin and Zhao Tianyuan were well-prepared. After several days of attacks, they suffered over two thousand casualties without gaining anything. The heavy losses demoralized the Wei army, leaving Zhao Yue with no choice but to besiege Shangrao and await the arrival of the Prince of Qin's army.

Qin King Zhuosiji's massive army arrived, numbering over 180,000, completely surrounding Shangrao City. At the same time, Wei Army under Chen Wenda captured Yongfeng and Qianshan, while Wei Army under Cai Lu seized Xing'an and Yiyang, completely severing the garrison's connection with the outside world.

On the plank road from Guixi to Yiyang, an army of 20,000 was advancing rapidly. Wu Youming, the General Commander of Jiangxi, and Ke Sheng, the Deputy General of Guangxin, were ordered by Governor Dong Weiguo to return to Guangxin Prefecture to reinforce it. The military situation was urgent, and the two generals urged their men to travel day and night. When they arrived at the walls of Yiyang, the Henan Provincial Commander Cai Lu's troops had only occupied the city for half an hour. Both sides were somewhat stunned by the sudden appearance of the enemy.

"Soldiers, follow me out of the city to fight the enemy!" Cai Lu reacted and led his men out of the city to form ranks and engage in battle.

Ke Sheng said to Wu Youming, "The enemy's strength is at its peak. If we allow them to complete their formation, our army may be unable to withstand them. It would be better to take advantage of their incomplete formation and each lead our troops to attack their flanks." Wu Youming agreed wholeheartedly. He and Ke Sheng each led ten thousand men to attack the flanks of the Imperial Guard's formation, hoping to squeeze the Imperial Guards from the flanks towards the center and disrupt their formation. Wu's army attacked fiercely, and in the fierce battle, the Imperial Guard's left flank was defeated. Cai Wei, the eldest son of Cai Lu, who commanded the left flank, was killed by a stray arrow.

Gazing at his fallen son's banner, Cai Lu's eyes turned bloodshot. He led his central army to attack Ke Sheng, who was attacking the left flank. Suddenly, a young general in red robes leaped forward on horseback, spear in hand—it was his third son, Cai Xingbang. Like father, like son; like tigers, like tigers, like soldiers. The Cai father and son fought desperately, not only stabilizing their own formation but also forcing Ke Sheng to retreat repeatedly. Cai Lu's second son, Cai Gong, also commanded the right flank, holding off Wu Youming's attack.

The two sides fought from morning until evening, with neither gaining the upper hand, and then returned to their camps. That night, Cai Lu, grieving the loss of his son, personally led three thousand troops to attack the camp. Generals Wu and Ke, caught off guard, suffered a crushing defeat and retreated to Guixi County. Desperate for revenge, Admiral Cai again led his army to attack. The two generals were forced to abandon Guixi and retreat to Dongxiang County in Fuzhou Prefecture.

While Cai Lu was engaged in fierce battle with Wu Youming and Ke Sheng, Shangrao City was also facing its most critical moment. Prince Qin, Zhuosiji, ordered all cannons to be concentrated and bombard the north and west walls of the city. He also secretly ordered men to dig tunnels to the west wall, intending to use gunpowder to blast the city foundation. The booming cannons masked the sounds of the guards digging the tunnels, which continued until they reached the city gates, unnoticed by the defenders. On June 29th, 1670 (the 27th year of the Qianyuan era), the tunnel was completed. The guards filled coffin boards with gunpowder, sealed the tunnel entrance, and set it ablaze.

Deputy Admiral and General of Tongzhou, Zhang Wei, led 20,000 men in a silent ambush at the West Gate. The image of His Highness Prince Qin's heart-to-heart talk with him flashed through his mind: "Years ago, you and Xuan Youcai joined the Imperial Guard at the same time, even earlier than Cai Lu, Guo Yi, and Yang Laijia. Now they have all been appointed Admirals, while you remain a Deputy Admiral. Why? Because of your military achievements! Now our army has reached Jiangxi, and the position of Jiangxi Admiral is vacant. I have high hopes for you; you must strive for it!" "Your Highness, rest assured," he vowed silently, "this humble general will certainly not fail Your Highness's kindness in nurturing me."

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Suddenly, a series of earth-shattering sounds came, and the originally sturdy west gate trembled. After the smoke cleared, a large gap appeared.

"Now is the time to make a name for ourselves! Brothers, follow me to kill the enemy!" Deputy Admiral Zhang took the lead and charged into the city, cutting down the defenders who had not yet reacted, and quickly took control and opened the city gate.

"Haorui~Haorui~Haorui~" The guards roared as they surged in.

Upon learning of this, Wu Jun's deputy general, Zhao Tianyuan, hurriedly led over a thousand men from the north city to provide support. They encountered Zhang Wei's troops, whose morale was high, and outnumbered, were quickly surrounded. Zhao Tianyuan brandished his sword, fighting to the death. Zhang Wei drew his spear from his back, spurred his horse forward, and with a swift, serpentine motion, plunged the spear into Zhao Tianyuan's chest, twisting it viciously. "Ouch!" Zhao Tianyuan cried out in agony, instantly dying.

Wu Jun's general, Yang Baoyin, was surrounded in the east of the city. He tried to break out from the left and right, but could not.

"His Highness the King of Qin has decreed that those who surrender will be spared death! His Highness the King of Qin has decreed that those who surrender will be spared death!" The guards' voices urging surrender echoed all around. Driven by the desire to live, more and more Wu soldiers laid down their weapons and surrendered.

Yang Baoyin saw one of his personal guards drop his sword and walk towards the guards. The guard took out his longbow from his back, nocked an arrow, and prepared to shoot. Suddenly, he sighed, put down his bow and sword, removed his helmet, and knelt heavily on the ground, spitting out four words through gritted teeth: "This sinful general is willing to surrender!" (End of Chapter)