Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"Your Highness, Liu Chaofu reports that our army has twice repelled the Wu army in Jinxian County," Xi Rimo, the deputy general in charge of the Eastern Expedition, reported the latest military intelligence to Prince Qin, Zhuo Siji, in the garrison camp below Nanchang City.

"Yes, Liu Chaofu's 20,000 Xuzhou soldiers are very capable. Although their numbers are similar to Wu's army, their fighting strength is much stronger. It was expected that they would defeat the enemy," Zhuo Siji said calmly. Indeed, the 20,000 Wu troops who were sent from Fuzhou to reinforce Nanchang by order of Jiangxi Governor Hu Qitai were mainly composed of two parts: 15,000 defeated soldiers led by General Wu Youming and Deputy General Ke Sheng, and 5,000 Ganzhou soldiers led by Guerrilla Zhang Sheguang. Wu Youming and Ke Sheng's troops were the main force. Having just suffered a defeat and with their morale not yet recovered, they were naturally no match for Liu Chaofu, who had won many battles.

“Your Highness, Wu’s army in Fuzhou is indeed formidable, but Wu Sangui has also sent General Wu Yingqi of the Golden Guard with 30,000 troops to relieve Nanchang. They have now reached Gao’an, the capital of Ruizhou Prefecture. It is said that this fellow is Wu Sangui’s second son, and he always likes to charge at the forefront in every battle. He is quite fierce,” Xi Rimo said with a smile.

"Heh heh, even if Wu Yingqi is a fierce general, how could he possibly be a match for the Wolves of Oirat?" Chosiji laughed loudly. "I would like you to lead 50,000 elite troops to fight Wu Yingqi, what do you say?"

"Your Highness trusts me, and this old minister will certainly not fail in my mission!" Xi Rimo readily agreed.

"Your Highness, an imperial edict has arrived!" The two were discussing military matters when a guard presented the Lotus Khan with his latest instructions.

Chosiji opened the letter and read it, remaining silent.

"What was written in the imperial edict?" Xi Rimo asked.

"Father Khan ordered my second and fifth brothers to lead an army of 100,000 to attack Mufu Mountain, and ordered me to send troops to support them," Chosiji said after a moment of contemplation. "Then I ordered Xuan Youcai, the governor of Anhui, to lead an army of 30,000 to attack Ningzhou, so as to attract the attention of the enemy forces along the Mufu Mountain, Ningzhou and Wuning line."
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“Vice Commander, this is Shengmi Ferry, the largest ferry crossing on the west bank of the Gan River. I believe that if the Wu army wants to cross the river to rescue Jiangxi, they are very likely to cross here. We can deploy a small number of troops here and ambush the main force at Mashan to the west, waiting for the enemy to attack Shengmi Ferry before striking them,” Zhang Wei, the Vice Commander-in-Chief of Tongzhou, offered to Xi Rimo.

Xi Rimo stroked his beard and smiled, “What you say is quite right. However, Wu Yingqi is also a veteran of the battlefield. If we deploy too few troops at Shengmi Ferry, he might become suspicious. How about this, you lead 40,000 infantry to garrison Shengmi Ferry, and I will lead 10,000 cavalry to lie in ambush at Mashan. We will attack when the battle is in full swing.”

"Yes!" Zhang Wei bowed and replied.

"General, the Ferry of Raw Rice is just ahead. Legend has it that a fisherman once threw raw rice into the pool to catch fish, and unknowingly entered a stone gate, which suddenly became bright and clear. He saw an old man with a white beard who said, 'This is not a place for you to come; you should leave quickly.' The fisherman then went ashore and said that he had been in the water for three days. It is said that this is the south gate of the immortal's abode," Liu Zhigang, the general of Changsha, said with a smile to Wu Yingqi, the General of the Golden Guard.

Wu Yingqi chuckled, “Whether it’s the south gate of the Immortal Abode or not, we don’t know. We only know that Yue Fei once fought off thieves here. Let’s set up camp here and wait for news from the night watchmen.”

Wu Jun's night scouts were very capable, and they quickly ascertained the number of garrison troops stationed at Shengmi Ferry and reported it to Wu Yingqi.

Hearing that the garrison numbered about 40,000, Wu Yingqi felt relieved and calmly asked, "Can you find out who the garrison commander stationed at Shengmi Ferry is?"

"Reporting to General Hou, the enemy general stationed at Shengmi Ferry is Zhang Wei, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard and the General of Tongzhou," Ye Buhui replied.

"Hahaha~ If it were a false king or that so-called 'Wolf of the Oirat,' I might have some concerns. But what is there to fear from such an incompetent coward? Issue my order: camp here tonight, and at dawn tomorrow, take Shengmi Ferry!" Wu Yingqi ordered with a loud laugh. Don't be fooled by his dismissive tone towards Zhang Wei; Zhang Wei was a seasoned general with countless battles under his belt. He was merely trying to boost morale. A general is the courage of his soldiers, and seeing their commander so spirited, the Wu army was invigorated. At dawn the next day, Wu Yingqi led his troops to capture Shengmi Ferry. He personally prepared arrows and led 30,000 Wu soldiers in a desperate charge against 40,000 Oirat soldiers.

"Everyone says Wu Yingqi is as brave as ten thousand men, and seeing him today, I can confirm it's true!" Upon seeing this, Zhang Wei quickly ordered his troops to form ranks and meet the enemy. Although the enemy was exceptionally fierce, there were ten thousand elite cavalry led by the Oirat Wolf lurking nearby Ma Mountain. What was there to fear?

Wielding the same crescent-shaped blade as his father, Wu Yingqi's swordsmanship was sharp and ruthless. He charged ahead, his men falling in his wake. Chen Dingye, a valiant general and guerrilla commander of the Imperial Guard, came to fight with a spear, but was cut down in a single exchange. Seeing their commander's bravery, the morale of Wu's army soared, and within an hour they broke through three layers of the Imperial Guard's formation.

Cold sweat beaded on Zhang Wei's forehead as he roared, "All troops, hold your positions! Anyone who dares to retreat without authorization will be executed!"

Although military orders were absolute, they could not stop the formidable Wu army, which had gained momentum. General Chen Wenda of the Imperial Guard could not halt Wu Yingqi's advance and retreated in panic. Zhang Wei was furious, personally took his bow, and shot him down with a single arrow. A dignified general of a garrison, killed without hesitation. The entire Imperial Guard was roused, and not a single soldier dared to retreat.

The battle raged from dawn till afternoon, with neither side gaining the upper hand. Suddenly, billowing dust rose, and the thunderous sound of hooves filled the air. The Oirat Wolves, leading ten thousand Mongol cavalry, thrust themselves into the Wu army's flank like a sharp dagger. Liu Zhigang, the Wu army's general in Changsha responsible for protecting the flank, fought desperately, encountering the fierce Oirat general and commander of the southern desert, Babai. Babai's great axe moved with incredible speed, so fast that Liu Zhigang had no time to react before being cleaved in two.

"Soldiers, reinforcements have arrived! Follow me to kill the enemy!" Zhang Wei was overjoyed and led his troops from defense to offense. Under the attack from both sides, the Wu army could no longer resist and quickly collapsed.

"Retreat!" Wu Yingqi knew that defeat was inevitable, so he retreated as expected. At this moment, he only wanted to preserve his troops as much as possible.

"The rear general goes first, and the standard-bearer covers the rear!" shouted Ba Yangyuan, the Zhaowu General of the Imperial Guard. He was the son of Ba Keyong, a former subordinate of Wu Sangui in Liaodong, and was extremely loyal to the Wu family.

Wu Yingqi nodded and, with a few personal guards, rode away swiftly, swords drawn.

"Brothers, follow me to kill the enemy!" Ba Yangyuan led over a thousand men to charge at the pursuing Wei army. What greeted them was the rolling hooves of the Mongols, and they were quickly annihilated.

"General, we're surrounded!" his confidant cried to Liu Wenjin. Liu Wenjin, the Wu army's general in Qiyang, glanced around. The entire area was swarming with the Wei army. Looking around at himself, he saw only a sparse remnant of about a thousand men. His face turned ashen. But being a general, he quickly made a decision, ordering his men, "Stop fighting! Drop your weapons, kneel down, and hang up a white cloth."

Wu Yingqi retreated to Gao'an County and rallied his defeated troops. Of the 30,000 troops he had brought with him, only 10,000 remained. He looked up to the sky and howled, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Father, what should we do now?" asked his son, Wu Shiju.

Wu Yingqi sighed deeply, "When we came, your grandfather instructed me not to advance rashly out of bravado, but I did not heed his advice, leading to this defeat. Your grandfather also said that if things did not go well, there was no need to fight to the death; we could retreat to Changsha. We must not have disobeyed! Issue the order: after resting for an hour, the entire army will return to Changsha!" (End of Chapter)