Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

Yuanzhou, named after the Yuan River, was the residence of the Pianyuan Governor. The Pianyuan Governor was originally a temporary official position established by the Ming Dynasty to quell the rebellion of Yang Yinglong, the Tusi (chieftain) of Bozhou. Initially stationed in Pianqiaowei (present-day Shibing, Guizhou), it was later moved to Yuanzhou (present-day Zhijiang, Hunan), a key town in the Qian-Chu region. Because the area directly faced the settlements of the Miao and other ethnic groups, and held significant military importance, the position of governor remained in place after its establishment.

Today, the autumn wind is chilly, but Zhou Zhaonan, the governor of Pianyuan under Wu Zhou, is as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. Ostensibly, he is an official of the Great Zhou, but secretly he has sided with the Great Wei Kingdom. Recently, he received two military orders: one from Emperor Zhaowu of the Great Zhou, Wu Sangui, ordering him to lead his troops to Changsha to participate in the decisive battle against the Wei army; the other from the Great Wei Lianhua Khan, ordering him to immediately raise the banner of rebellion in Chenzhou and lead his troops to seize Baoqing Prefecture, threatening Changsha's flank. He can ignore Wu Sangui, using the excuse of Miao people causing trouble to delay his departure. But dealing with the Great Wei Lianhua Khan is troublesome; not going would be disobeying orders. Going, however, is problematic because Wu Sangui is mobilizing a large army in Changsha to fight the Wei army. Threatening Changsha's flank with his meager forces would be suicidal. He is truly caught in a dilemma, deeply troubled!
“Your Excellency, in my humble opinion, we might as well play along,” suggested Cui Shilu, the General of Yuanzhou.

"Oh, how exactly do you feign compliance?" Zhou Zhaonan asked.

"First, we should follow the Khan's orders to replace Wu Zhou's flags with the fishing rod and tassel flags of the Kingdom of David. At the same time, we should withdraw all the garrison troops at Chenlong Pass to show that we are not on the defensive against the Kingdom of David. Then we should march east and station troops at Xupu, making it look like we are attacking Baoqing, but we will not go too far to avoid angering the main force of Wu's army and bringing disaster upon ourselves," Cui Shilu said, revealing his thoughts.

"General Zhou's plan is brilliant, but we still need to send a messenger to the Great Khan with the contents of Wu Sangui's military order to show that we are truly surrendering," Zhou Zhaonan added. After discussing it, the two gathered their troops and headed towards Xupu.
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Emperor Wu Sangui of the Great Zhou Dynasty summoned Governor-General Hong Shiming of Huguang and General Hai Chaolong to the palace. Despite the increasingly unfavorable situation, the emperor, accustomed to weathering storms, remained calm and composed, slowly saying, "Nanchang is in grave danger. I have just received news that the Imperial Guard has captured Ruizhou and Linjiang. I plan to detour through Ji'an and Fuzhou to rescue Nanchang. Changsha will be entrusted to you two."

"Ruizhou and Linjiang have fallen? When did this happen, Your Majesty?" Hong Shiming was the son of Hong Chengchou, the former governor of five provinces during the Qing Dynasty, and a close friend of Wu Sangui, so he dared to ask the question before the emperor.

Wu Sangui sighed softly, "A few days ago, I sent Wu Yingqi with 30,000 troops to relieve Nanchang. I repeatedly warned him not to advance rashly, but the brat wouldn't listen and suffered a crushing defeat. He reported back to me that the Wei army had chased after him and seized Gao'an (the seat of Ruizhou Prefecture) in their victory, and was now heading towards Qingjiang (the seat of Lin'an Prefecture). It seems that Ruizhou and Linjiang prefectures are most likely already in the hands of the Wei army. To prevent the army's morale from wavering, I did not allow the defeated troops to enter the city, so no one knows about it yet."

Hong Shiming and Hai Chaolong looked at each other for a long time before they finally reacted and solemnly accepted the order, "Your Majesty, rest assured, we two will do our best to defend Changsha."

Wu Sangui nodded and said to Hong Shiming, "I have ordered people to block the news of the army leaving Changsha. Risheng (Hong Shiming's courtesy name) must make it seem as if I am still in Changsha and come to the palace from time to time to ask for my advice on strategies."

Because his father, Hong Chengchou, had been Wu Sangui's teacher, Wu Sangui treated Hong Shiming very well, first appointing him as the governor of Huguang and later promoting him to the governor-general of Huguang. Therefore, Hong Shiming was always grateful to Wu Sangui. Upon receiving the emperor's order, he immediately stated, "Your Majesty, rest assured, after you leave, I will, as always, go to the palace every three to five days to ask for instructions, and at the same time, keep the city gates closed and block the news."

"Hmm, I am relieved now~" Wu Sangui then ordered someone to bring over several memorials, looked at General Heli Hai Chaolong, and said with a smile, "General, please take a look, these are all memorials impeaching you."

Impeach me? I'm just a common soldier with no grudges against anyone, who would impeach me? Hai Chaolong wondered, then opened the memorial and his expression changed drastically. It turned out that he was from the Mongol Eight Banners, and the Great Kingdom was a country established by the Mongols. These memorials were all impeaching him for being "not of our race, his heart must be different," and suggested that he be executed as soon as possible to prevent future troubles.

"I'm innocent! I've followed Your Majesty since the beginning of my reign, fighting in the north and south with unwavering loyalty. How could I possibly have any disloyal intentions?" Hai Chaolong kowtowed repeatedly in his explanation, blood streaming down his forehead.

"General, please rise!" Wu Sangui stepped down from the dragon throne and helped Hai Chaolong to his feet. "I have always known of your loyalty, General. This time, I deliberately left you to guard Changsha so that those people would know that I trust you!"

Hearing this, Hai Chaolong was deeply moved and said with tears streaming down his face, "Even the most precious treasures in the world cannot compare to Your Majesty's trust. I swear to defend Changsha to the death!"

"Good! With both of you of one mind, I can now go to Nanchang to fight the false Khan with peace of mind!" Wu Sangui encouraged the two men again before dismissing them.

The following day, Emperor Zhaowu led 200,000 elite Wu troops out of Changsha, heading south along the Xiang River. He claimed his intention was to advance east from Hengyang, passing through Ji'an and Fuzhou to reinforce Nanchang. However, after reaching Hengyang, the army did not turn east but continued south, passing the Xiang, Chunling, and Kui Rivers, reaching Lanshan County. From Lanshan, it turned southwest into Guangxi. In Guangxi, he summoned Guangxi Governor Ma Xiong, Guangxi General Sun Yanling, Guangxi Governor Jin Guangzu, and other local military and political figures. He then left 40,000 troops, including the Left Wing General of the Imperial Guards Gao Dejie, the Right Wing General of the Imperial Guards Tao Jizhi, and the General of Dinghai Xie Juefu, to join Ma Xiong, Sun Yanling, and others in defending Guangxi. After arranging the defenses of Guangxi, Emperor Zhaowu led his army back to Yunnan. Upon returning to Kunming, he immediately began recruiting soldiers and expanding his forces while simultaneously adopting a defensive posture, guarding strategic locations.
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"Lord Hong, I heard that His Majesty has left Changsha?" No secrets stay hidden forever. Hong Shiming thought he had kept the news tightly under wraps, but not long after Wu Sangui left, Lang Tingdong, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Huguang, came to ask him.

"Nonsense! How could such a thing be!" Hong Shiming's face changed drastically. "Don't try to hide it from me. Someone saw His Majesty leading a large army away from Changsha, and the military camps outside the city are almost empty," Lang Tingdong said bluntly.

Hong Shiming sighed and lowered his voice, saying, "His Majesty has received news that the Imperial Guard has captured Ruizhou and Linjiang, and is personally leading a large army to detour through Ji'an and Fuzhou to rescue Nanchang. This matter is top secret! Now that you know, do not spread it! There are only 10,000 soldiers in the city at the moment, so quickly help me conscript civilians to go up the city walls to help defend it."

"Yes! I will take care of it immediately!" Lang Tingdong responded loudly and left. Upon returning home, he immediately sent a trusted confidant to inform the Great Khan of Lotus City that Wu Sangui had led a large army to bypass Ji'an and Fuzhou to relieve Nanchang.

This news matched the earlier reports from Zhou Zhaonan, the governor of Yuanzhou, and Cui Shilu, the general of Yuanzhou, that Wu Sangui had gathered troops from various regions to prepare for a decisive battle with the Wei army. The Great Khan, upon learning this, believed it without question and personally led an army of 500,000 from Nanchang south to Fuzhou, intending to deliver a crushing blow to Wu Sangui. When the army arrived at Linchuan, the capital of Fuzhou, they found the city deserted. Inquiries revealed that Wu Youming, the general of Fuzhou, had led his troops to flee Fuzhou to Ganzhou.

"Hahaha~ It seems the Wu army has been terrified of me, abandoning this fortified city without firing a single arrow!" Suletan laughed triumphantly and led his army back towards Ji'an Prefecture. Along the way, Yongfeng and Jishui counties surrendered without a fight. When they arrived at Luling, the prefectural capital, they expected a battle, but to their surprise, the prefect of Ji'an ordered the city gates to be opened and welcomed the royal army with food and drink.

Sultan dared not be careless. Judging from the intelligence he had received, Wu Sangui's army would arrive soon. He ordered fortifications to be built outside the city and sent scouts fifty li away to gather intelligence. Unexpectedly, the enemy did not come, and after more than ten days, there was not a single word from them. The Great Khan sensed something was amiss and ordered his men to inquire. They learned that Wu's army had not even entered Ji'an.

"Oh no!" The battle-hardened Khan realized what was happening and ordered the entire army to rush to Hengyang immediately. Finally, in Hengyang, they received confirmation that Wu Zhou's army was heading down the Xiang River.

"I've fallen for that old fox's cunning scheme!" Judging from the timeline, the Wu army had already moved far away. Sultan angrily led his army to sweep through the remaining Wu-controlled areas in Huguang. Hengzhou, Yongzhou, Chenzhou, Jingzhou, Baoqing, and other places all surrendered without a fight.

Having acquired so much territory, the Great Khan was still not satisfied and led a large army to Changsha. After all, it was the capital of the Zhou Dynasty and the place where Wu Sangui declared himself emperor, so capturing the city still held significant political importance. At this time, Changsha had few enemies left, and it was assumed that the defending troops would surrender without a fight. However, unexpectedly, they encountered resistance. Hong Shiming, the Governor-General of Huguang under Wu Zhou, and General Hai Chaolong led 10,000 soldiers and 20,000 laborers to defend the city.

"Wu Sangui has already fled, why do you resist so stubbornly? Those who surrender will be spared death!" The guards shouted to the city wall, trying to persuade them to surrender.

"Bah! That's a rumor! His Majesty led a large army to detour through Ji'an to reinforce Nanchang. These guards must have come from Yuanzhou. Soldiers, don't be afraid. As long as we hold out for a few days, His Majesty will surely come to our aid from Ji'an!" Hai Chaolong spat and loudly encouraged the troops.

The general was the courage of the soldiers. Seeing their commander vow to fight to the death, the subordinates followed him in resistance with some doubt. But how could a mere 10,000 soldiers and 20,000 laborers possibly defeat 500,000 fierce guards? In just one day, the city fell, and Hai Chaolong fought to the death. Seeing the situation was dire, Hong Shiming quickly knelt down and surrendered.

"So you are Hong Shiming? I've heard that Wu Sangui treated you well, why didn't you die for your cause?" The Great Khan of Lotus mocked, looking at the kneeling Hong Shiming.

“Wu Sangui deceived this wicked minister, and this wicked minister deeply hates him. How could I possibly die for such a person!” Hong Shiming revealed that Wu Sangui had tricked him, which drew a burst of laughter from the audience.

"You are both stupid and disloyal. If I were Wu Sangui, I would have made you my scapegoat! Hahaha~" Suletan laughed so hard he almost fell over. It took him a long time to regain his composure before he said coldly, "If you had surrendered earlier, I would have spared your life. But surrendering after the city has fallen is too late. Guards, drag this traitor away and behead him. Hang his head above the city gate as a warning to others!"

With punishment comes reward. The Great Khan promoted Lang Tingdong, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Huguang who had rendered meritorious service in surrendering, to the position of Provincial Administration Commissioner of Huguang. He also retained Zhou Zhaonan, the Governor of Yuanzhou, and Cui Shilu, the General of Yuanzhou, in their original positions. (End of this chapter)