Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"Are you Yang Baoyin, the general sent by Wu Sangui to aid Jiangxi? Tell me in detail what the situation is like in Huguang now?" Inside the tent, Prince Qin, Zhuosiji, asked seriously, looking at Yang Baoyin who had been defeated and was kneeling on the ground, concerned about the war situation in Huguang.

"Your Highness, the Great Khan is currently locked in a stalemate with Wu's army along the Miluo River and the Zishui River. Recently, our army has launched successive attacks on the river sections in Mufu Mountain, Pingjiang, Xiangyin, Ningxiang, and Anhua. Although all of these attacks have been blocked by Wu's army, Wu's army has suffered heavy losses. Wu Sangui has exhausted all his strength but can only barely hold the line and has no time to attend to other areas," Yang Baoyin replied cautiously.

"If you have no time to attend to other matters, why are you sent to rescue Jiangxi?" Chosiji asked suspiciously.

"My troops were hastily recruited in Yunnan and are not Wu Sangui's elite forces. Although Zhao Tianyuan's troops are fierce, they are newly surrendered troops who have submitted to Wu Sangui. The front lines in Huguang are in dire need of help, and Wu Sangui is unable to send his old troops. He can only send us here," Yang Baoyin explained in detail with his head down.

"So Wu Sangui has no soldiers to send besides you lot? Hahaha~ It seems the Zhou Kingdom is almost at its end~" Upon hearing this, Zhuo Siji laughed triumphantly.

Seeing the King of Qin laugh at his subordinates as mere rabble, Yang Baoyin lowered his head in shame. Fortunately, Chosiji was not an arrogant man and quickly realized his rudeness, so he gave him a sweet treat, saying, "Since you are a general in Zhou, you should also be a general in my David. From now on, you must serve the court well."

"Yes!" Yang Baoyin was overjoyed. He had only surrendered after the city fell and he was besieged; he was already lucky to escape punishment, and he hadn't expected to even get an official position. His Highness the Prince of Qin treated him well, incorporating all seven thousand captured Wu soldiers from Shangrao into his own forces and assigning them to the vanguard of the Imperial Guard, Deputy Commander Zhang Wei, ordering him to attack Raozhou in the north. Knowing that Wu Sangui could no longer spare elite troops to aid Jiangxi, Zhuo Siji was relieved and only ordered Zhang Wei to go first, while he himself led the main army northward unhurriedly. Deputy Commander Zhang was eager to make a name for himself and quickly led his army to the territory of Wannian County. He thought that this small town would surely surrender without a fight, but to his surprise, the Wannian garrison had gathered troops at Yaoyuandong to resist.

Seeing this, Zhang Wei sneered and said to Yang Baoyin, "General Yang, when you lead your troops into battle, don't diminish our army's prestige." It was an old custom in the Wei Kingdom to have newly surrendered troops lead the charge. He himself had served as a vanguard countless times when he first joined the Wei, so he naturally assumed this was giving surrendered generals a chance.

"Your subordinate obeys!" Yang Baoyin dared not disobey and led his troops to attack the mountain. Outnumbered and facing only local garrison soldiers inexperienced in major battles, they quickly defeated the enemy, killing the garrison commander, and advanced directly to the walls of Wannian City. Upon hearing of the garrison commander's defeat and death, the Wannian magistrate wisely opened the city gates and surrendered.

"This humble general led the army to conquer Wannian, annihilating seven hundred enemies and beheading one garrison commander," Zhang Wei shamelessly claimed the credit for himself and reported the victory to the King of Qin.

The capture of a small town did not greatly impress Chosiji, who ordered Zhang Wei to continue north while he led the main army to follow. Passing a small mountain north of Wannian County, they saw a temple standing atop it and became interested, asking Sun Jiayin, the deputy general of Quzhou, "Quzhou is right next to Raozhou; does the general know the name of this temple?"

"Your Highness, this temple is quite old. It was built during the Tang Dynasty by several wealthy local families who jointly raised funds to build it. Because they hoped it would stand for ten thousand years without being disturbed, it was named 'Wannian Temple'. This peak is named after the temple, 'Wannian Peak'. Because the county town is located on the sunny side (south) of Wannian Peak, it is named 'Wannian County'," Sun Jiayin replied in great detail to His Highness Prince Qin's inquiry.

"What a good omen! This place is named Wannian County, this peak is named Wannian Peak, this temple is named Wannian Temple—three 'Wannian's' in a row! Doesn't this mean that my David's kingdom will be forever secure, and my dynasty will last for thirty thousand years?" Chosiji became interested and composed a poem on horseback:

"A Chance Encounter During a March"

Who has written history for the past ten thousand years? This dynasty only worries about the past dynasty.

The White Lotus Appears, the Holy Lord Emerges
The cycle of dynasties ended thereafter.

A chance encounter during a military campaign spanning 30,000 years
Our nation has enjoyed such a long reign.

Even though the road ahead is thorny,

The descendants of the wild people guarded the forest.
-
"Vice Commander Zhao, the Wei army is approaching. We must decide whether to fight or retreat," said Cheng Feng, the military commander of Raozhou, who had learned that the Wei army was heading north to Raozhou. He hurriedly sought out Zhao Lai, the deputy commander of Ruizhou, for advice. He was not very bold. Upon hearing that the Wei army numbered over 200,000, he began to consider retreating. The key point in the question of "fight or retreat" was "retreat."

"What's the panic? Shangrao is a fortified city. Our combined forces number 15,000, and General He's 12,000 naval troops are stationed at Kanglang Mountain on Poyang Lake. The Mongols are only good at horse archery; they're no good at naval warfare. Even if we defend the city, the navy can come to our aid from the Poyang River. They can't trap us. Just hold our ground," Zhao Lai said fearlessly. He was originally the deputy commander of the Manchu Plain Blue Banner Han Army. After surrendering to the Zhou, he was appointed deputy general of Ruizhou. He had quite a few elite troops under his command, including 3,000 cavalrymen skilled in horse archery.

Upon hearing Zhao Lai mention the Poyang Lake naval force, Cheng Feng's expression softened. This was because He Yi, the commander of the Poyang Lake naval force, had been a subordinate of Zheng Chenggong, and his navy was extremely brave, capable of responding to any situation by boat from Poyang Lake. With him present, Cheng Feng naturally felt more emboldened.

The two discussed the defense of the city and began preparations. However, after capturing Wannian County, the Wei army did not immediately head north to Raozhou Prefecture's capital, Poyang. Instead, they first attacked and captured Yugan County to the west, gaining a foothold into Poyang Lake. Then, they acquired a large number of ships from Yugan, Wannian, Anren, Guixi, Yiyang, and other counties. Zhuo Siji ordered Yang Laijia, the Jiangsu Admiral, to lead 20,000 naval troops up the Yu River to attack Poyang City by both land and water.

Zhang Wei and Yang Baoyin led 26,000 vanguard troops to reach Poyang first. Upon arrival, Zhao Lai led 3,000 cavalry in a raid on the camp. Zhao Lai's cavalry were fierce, breaking through the barricades and palisades erected by the guards outside the camp, charging into the camp to kill and burn. In the chaos, Yang Baoyin fell from his horse and was trampled to death by the Wu cavalry. Fortunately, Zhang Wei was also a brave general, quickly gathering several thousand men to form a defensive formation within the camp. Although the Wu cavalry were elite, they were slowed down by the already formed Wu army and the forest of spears. Taking advantage of the Wu army's reduced speed, Zhang Wei ordered his musketeers and archers to fire directly and involuntarily. One Wu rider after another fell. Seeing that he could no longer gain an advantage, Zhao Lai did not linger, leading his men to turn their horses around and return to the city, leaving behind a scene of utter devastation.

Having suffered a minor setback, Zhang Wei dared not be careless again. He fortified his position with deep trenches and high walls, patiently awaiting the arrival of Chosiji's army. Chosiji's army arrived, numbering 220,000 after accounting for battlefield casualties and troops left to guard the rear. They marched in a mighty, overwhelming force. Seeing the overwhelming strength of the Wei army, Zhao Lai and Cheng Feng dared not venture out of the city to fight in the open. They silently remained within the city, awaiting reinforcements.

"Admiral Yang, in my opinion, the key to capturing Poyang lies in cutting off the waterway connection between Poyang and Nanchang. You should lead the navy to guard both ports. If the Wu army comes to our aid from Poyang Lake, you must stop them." Having experienced many battles, Chosiji was quite experienced on the battlefield. After observing the terrain of Poyang, he immediately made arrangements.

"Your Highness, rest assured, with me, Yang Laijia, here, not a single Wu army ship will be able to enter Poyang City!" Yang Laijia replied resolutely. (End of Chapter)