Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"Good! Little Fourth Prince (referring to Prince Jin, Ergalang) has reached the Jinsha River, directly threatening Wu Sangui's stronghold in Yunnan; Little Sixth Prince (referring to Prince Qin, Chosiji) has besieged Nanchang, which is equivalent to stabbing Wu Sangui in the ribs. The old fox is probably in a state of panic right now, hahaha~" In the Weijun camp on the north bank of the Miluo River, the Great Khan of Lotus laughed loudly at his ministers. He was in a good mood recently. Although there was no decisive breakthrough on the Huguang battlefield, the central army had always maintained the initiative and had won the recent small battles; the western and eastern armies were also making good progress, especially the eastern army, which was not his main force, but had actually captured the three provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang in one fell swoop, and even entered Jiangxi and besieged the provincial capital, Nanchang, which really surprised him.

"This is all thanks to the Great Khan's strategic planning and the soldiers' valiant efforts! I, David, am on the verge of unifying the nine provinces. Your servant congratulates the Great Khan!" Grand Secretary Bobey was the first to react and loudly offered his congratulations.

"Your servant congratulates the Great Khan!" "Your subject congratulates Your Majesty!"... All the civil and military officials offered their congratulations, and flattery poured in.

For a monarch of great talent and ambition, what he most enjoys is being flattered by his subordinates for his skillful command and unification of the world. Hearing such flattery, he beams with joy, even his small, hawk-like eyes—characterized by the Ikminian family—widen wide. However, being a man who has spent half his life fighting on horseback, he is not complacent despite his triumph. Instead, he solemnly asks his ministers, "I have seen that Xiao Liuzi has conquered Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces with almost no difficulty, especially Zhejiang, which he took after only one small battle. Why has his progress slowed down in Jiangxi?"

"This servant believes that the governors and viceroys of Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces did not have a close relationship with Wu Sangui on a regular basis, while the governor of Jiangxi, Dong Weiguo, and the admiral, Hu Qitai, had always been closely colluding with Wu Sangui. When Wu Sangui raised his army, Jiangxi and Guangxi were the first to respond," Grand Secretary Bo Bei put forward his opinion.

"I believe this may be related to His Highness Prince Qin's identity. His Highness's mother is the sister of Zhu Shiben, the Prince of Su of the Ming Dynasty. Your Majesty is wise; appointing Prince Qin as commander-in-chief will make it easier to attract Han Chinese from the south to join you," said Grand Secretary Liu Haogu. At first glance, this seemed reasonable, but it stirred suspicion in the heart of the Great Khan. He always entrusted the Crown Prince with overseeing the country during his personal campaigns. While this showed his trust in the Crown Prince, it also resulted in the Crown Prince's military achievements not being as high as those of the other princes. Therefore, he appointed four Grand Secretaries—Batu Hetan, Tiemoer, Nasutu, and Liu Haogu—as tutors to the Crown Prince. What did Master Liu mean by this? Could it be that because the Sixth Prince had half-Ming imperial blood, he secretly harbored thoughts of helping the Sixth Prince seize the throne? If so, it seemed the Sixth Prince had been too prominent lately. More opportunities should be given to the other princes to demonstrate their abilities; a system of checks and balances among the princes would prevent the Crown Prince from feeling uneasy. Thinking this, Suletan glanced at Liu Haogu meaningfully.

No one knows a disciple better than his master. Feeling the Khan's sharp gaze, Liu Haogu felt a chill run down his spine and quickly changed his words, saying, "This is all thanks to the Emperor's wisdom, subduing the enemy without a fight."

"I am wise?" Sultan chuckled. "Since Master Liu said it's because Xiao Liuzi has half Ming dynasty imperial blood, then aren't Jiangxi Governor Dong Weiguo and Admiral Hu Qitai also Han Chinese? Why are they unwilling to surrender and are still resisting?"

"I believe that what Grand Secretary Bo Bei said makes sense, because Dong Weiguo and Hu Qitai have always been closely colluding with Wu Sangui," Liu Haogu replied after pondering.

"I believe it is because Jiangxi is close to Huguang that Dong Weiguo and Hu Qitai felt they could receive reinforcements from Wu Sangui at any time, which is why they dared to oppose our army," replied Hu Lianqi, Minister of Revenue.

"Yes, Minister Hu is absolutely right. The Eastern Route Army's smooth advance is not due to the Qin King's bloodline, but rather because the three provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang are far from Huguang," the Great Khan of Lotus paused here, "The latest news indicates that as the Eastern Route Army approaches Nanchang, that scoundrel Dong Weiguo has transferred a large number of garrison troops from Mufu Mountain, Ningzhou, Wuning, and other places to Nanchang. I think this is a good opportunity to break through the Mufu Mountain defense line. Which general will cross the Mufu Mountain for me and capture the three prefectures of Nanchang, Jiujiang, and Nankang?"

"Your subject is willing to go!" "This servant is willing to go!"... The shouts inside the tent were like thunder.

Sultan remained silent, smiling as he looked at his second son, King Meras of Qi. A few days ago, his second son had shown ambition for the crown prince position, and he had deliberately suppressed him, preventing him from taking sole command of the army. Now that the King of Qin was so prominent, it seemed it was time for his younger son to prove himself. Sensing his father's attention, Meras felt a surge of emotion and declared loudly, "I am willing to go."

"Good! I will give you 100,000 elite troops. You must break through Mufu Mountain, capture Jiujiang and Nankang, and join forces with Xiao Liuzi under the walls of Nanchang. Once you break through Mufu Mountain, my army will arrive soon," the Great Khan of Lotus immediately agreed.

"Father Khan, I am also willing to go," said Prince Zhao, Biligendalai, the fifth son of the emperor, loudly requesting permission to fight.

“Very good, brothers fight tigers together, go ahead and be your second brother’s deputy,” the Great Khan readily agreed.
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In this world, for every person who rejoices, there is someone who grieves! While the Wei army camp was filled with joy and celebration, the Wu Zhou camp on the south bank of the Miluo River was shrouded in gloom.

Emperor Zhaowu of the Great Zhou Dynasty was also holding a military conference. Looking at his trusted advisors, including Fang Guangyang, Liu Maoxia, and Xia Guoxiang, Wu Sangui did not mince words and asked frankly, "The Western Route Army has already reached the Yunnan border, and the Eastern Route Army has besieged Nanchang. The situation is so unfavorable. What should we do?"

"Your Majesty," Fang Guangchen said first, "I believe Changsha is not the foundation of our army; Yunnan is our true base. Once the Eastern Route Army captures Nanchang and enters Huguang from the east, Changsha will inevitably be difficult to defend. To turn the tide of the war, we need to send at least 150,000 elite troops to Jiangxi, but Huguang is directly facing the enemy's forces and simply cannot spare such troops. It would be better to retreat to Yunnan and Guizhou. Yunnan and Guizhou have a strategic location that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. As long as we consolidate our forces, no matter how many troops the Imperial Guard has, they cannot defeat us."

“No! His Majesty has vowed to launch a northern expedition and establish his capital in Changsha. The people of the world are hoping that His Majesty will lead the northern expedition against the barbarians and restore China. If he returns to Yunnan before even being defeated, he will lose the hearts of the people. Once the hearts of the people are lost, it will be difficult to regain them!” Another strategist, Liu Maoxia, firmly opposed.

“What Tingxian (Fang Guangchen’s courtesy name) and Xuanchu (Liu Maoxia’s courtesy name) said is all reasonable, which makes it difficult for me to agree,” Wu Sangui sighed deeply.

"I believe that Lord Fang's method was a last resort when our army was already showing signs of defeat and the situation was beyond saving. Right now, our army can still hold on. If we can hold on for another year or two, the old and tired soldiers of the Wei army might retreat. Right now, we can strengthen our defenses while preparing for a retreat," Xia Guoxiang said, knowing his father-in-law's thoughts, and offered a compromise.

"Excellent!" Wu Sangui praised, then decisively ordered, "Order all strategic passes between Changsha and Kunming to store grain and fodder in preparation for unforeseen circumstances; also, order Zhao Tingchen and Li Benshen to quickly eliminate the remaining garrison troops in Guizhou to ensure the stability of our rear." (End of Chapter)