Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"Waves Washing the Sand - Heavy Snow Covers the Mountains and Rivers"

Heavy snow covered the mountains and rivers.
The Five Ridges stretch endlessly.

Corpses lay strewn across the fields, the sound of drums faded away.

In my dream, I vaguely saw my mother's tears.
Blood stained the battle robes.

Alone, gazing at the city gate,
Boundless rivers and mountains.

A white lotus has fallen to earth.

So that the nine provinces may be reunited.
What is there to fear in the face of hardship!

This poem was written by the Great Khan of Lotus after his campaign in Guangxi was hampered by the terrain of the Five Ridges, making progress difficult. While the poem describes the brutality of the war, it primarily expresses his determination to unify the nine provinces at all costs.

The emperor had made his decision, and the soldiers were ready to fight to the death! The imperial guards concentrated all available artillery and bombarded Huangsha Pass, advancing swarming under the supervision of their officers. After suffering another 5,000 casualties, they finally captured the pass. However, the enemy did not collapse; they retreated in an orderly fashion. Wu's commander-in-chief, Gao Dejie, believed that Huangsha Pass's terrain was not particularly treacherous and that the objective of delaying the imperial guards had been achieved. Therefore, he led his troops to abandon Huangsha Pass under cover of night and retreated to Xiangshan to establish defenses.

Xiangshan Mountain was even more precipitous and towering than Huangsha Pass, with Quanzhou City lying behind it. Reaching this point, Quanzhou seemed within easy reach, but once the attack began, the Wei army discovered they had encountered a nut to crack, even tougher than Huangsha Pass. After two days of continuous assault, suffering three thousand casualties, they hadn't even managed to capture halfway up the mountain. The Great Khan sighed deeply. Although he had a large army, at this rate of casualties, even if they captured Quanzhou, they would be severely weakened. How would they then seize Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou provinces? Therefore, a different strategy was needed!
Quanzhou is situated right next to the Xiang Mountains and the Xiang River; if land is impossible, then by water. Sultan ordered Guo Yi, the Admiral of the Huguang Navy, to lead 20,000 naval troops and over 400 warships down the Xiang River, intending to land on the west bank and capture Quanzhou. They encountered fierce resistance from Lin Xingzhu's Right Wing General of Wu's Imperial Guard Navy. Although Lin Xingzhu's force consisted of only 80 warships, they were extremely brave. After half a day of fierce fighting, the Wei army finally repelled Wu's navy but was exhausted. Wei guerrilla commander Cheng Zhenbang, with over a thousand men, had just landed and was about to establish a beachhead when Tao Jizhi, the Right General of Wu's Imperial Guard Cavalry, arrived with 800 cavalry. Unable to withstand the attack, the Wei army fled in disarray back to their ships. Cheng Zhenbang himself was killed by the still-sharp-sworded General Tao, who pierced his back with a spear.

News of the naval defeat reached Lianhua Great Khan almost simultaneously with Qi King Melas's lament. After a month in Huguang, losing 30,000 soldiers and gaining nothing, even the battle-hardened Oirat war god was at a loss. Just as he was fretting, news arrived that Hu Lianqi, the Minister of Revenue, requested an audience.

"Minister Hu, do you have any good ideas for me?" Sultan looked at his trusted advisor with hopeful eyes, his gaze filled with longing.

"I have heard that it is still snowing in the north, while it is already spring in the south. Why doesn't Your Majesty change your route and detour through Pingluo Prefecture to enter Guilin?" Hu Lianqi offered his suggestion.

“I thought Minister Hu had some brilliant plan, but it’s this terrible idea,” Suletan glared at his advisor. “I had already ordered a detailed survey of Guangxi’s terrain. Pingluo Prefecture has the Mengzhu Ridge as a natural barrier, and its ruggedness is no less than that of Guilin Prefecture. Taking a detour through Pingluo to enter Guangxi is difficult, not to mention the high mountains and long rivers. If we end up stuck in such a dangerous place as we did in Quanzhou, our morale will definitely suffer. What should we do?”

As a war god, Sultan's concerns were entirely justified. Mengzhu Ridge is one of the Five Ridges, extending south from Jianghua County, Yongzhou Prefecture, Hunan Province, to Bianpengzhai (Zhongshan) and He County, Pingluo Prefecture, Guangxi Province. Its steep terrain is no less impressive than Yuecheng Ridge and Dupang Ridge. The Wei army has been besieging Quanzhou for a long time without success, and everyone is exhausted. If they fail to capture Pingluo as well, their morale will inevitably plummet. Warfare is all about spirit; without that spirit, even the largest army is useless.

Hu Lianqi was quite confident, saying, "I predict that Your Majesty's army will have a smooth journey once it reaches Pingluo."

This confused the Great Khan, who frowned and asked, "Why? Is there any difference between the mountains of Pingluo and the mountains of Guilin?" "They are both among the Five Ridges, how different could they be? The only difference is the people who guard the ridges," Hu Lianqi smiled.

"Are you saying that after my army arrives at Pingluo, the Pingluo garrison commanders Hu Tongchun and Li Yidi might surrender to me?" Sultan thought for a moment and then shook his head. "I previously sent people to persuade those two to surrender, but they both refused. Moreover, when the Guangxi general Sun Yanling tried to surrender to Wei Da, they actually killed Sun Yanling and accepted the reward from Wu Sangui. How could such loyalists to Wu and Zhou possibly submit to me?"

"Does Your Majesty know that these two were once Kong Youde's subordinates, and not long ago they slaughtered Sun Yanling's entire family, including Sun Yanling's wife, Kong Sizhen? Kong Sizhen was Kong Youde's daughter. To be so heartless as to kill the daughter of one's former master proves that these two are utterly wicked and utterly disloyal. How could such heartless and treacherous people possibly be loyal to Wu Sangui?" Hu Lianqi said confidently.

Upon hearing this, the Great Khan's eyes lit up instantly. "Hmm, what you say makes a lot of sense, Hu Qing. Please continue."

Hu Lianqi continued calmly, “The villains are greedy. The reason why the two of them refused to surrender before was because His Majesty did not offer enough benefits. You might as well appoint Hu Tongchun as the third-class Marquis of Wuzhou and the General Commander of Guilin, and Li Yidi as the third-class Marquis of Pingle and the General Commander of Nanning.”

"If we can take all of Guangxi, what are two mere third-rank marquises? I would even grant them the title of Duke," Suletan laughed heartily.

"Absolutely not! Everyone knows that I, David, value military merit the most. If I were to grant him a dukedom without merit, the two men would suspect foul play. Granting him a marquisate is already the limit," Hu Lianqi hurriedly stopped him.

“You are right. I was just joking. My country, David, was founded on military might. If I were to actually grant the two of them dukedoms, even if they were willing, the generals who have made great contributions might not be so happy,” Sultan quickly retracted his words.

“Besides being greedy for profit, these petty men also fear power and do not cherish virtue. If we only grant them titles and official positions without military backing, I'm afraid they might not be willing to surrender. They are more likely to continue to wait and see, hoping for a better price. That's why I asked Your Majesty to personally lead a large army to Pingluo. They will receive benefits and fear our military might, and will naturally come to surrender,” Hu Lianqi continued to suggest.

"Excellent! I will now lead the army to Pingluo." The Great Khan was always decisive in his actions. After making his decision, he ordered Liao King Sumur to station his troops at Huangsha Pass as a feint, while he personally led the army to the east bank of the Guan River to join forces with Qi King Mailas's troops. Then, the more than 300,000 troops marched in a grand procession to Daozhou in Huguang, followed the Tuo River down to Jianghua County in Huguang, and then crossed the Mengzhu Ridge, where they met the 20,000 troops of Wu Wuzhou Deputy General Hu Tongchun and Pingluo Deputy General Li Yidi stationed at Bianpengzhai and He County across the Fu River.

After setting up camp, the Great Khan summoned Wu Zhaoqian, a secretary in the Ministry of Rites, and asked, "You are very talented in literature, but how eloquent are you? Would you be willing to go to the enemy camp for me?"

Wu Zhaoqian, also known as Jizi, was a gifted writer from a young age, composing poems and lyrics at the age of nine. His works were exceptional and he enjoyed a high reputation in the literary circles of Jiangnan. However, in 1657, he was unjustly implicated in a civil service examination scandal and exiled to Ningguta. After the Wei army captured Ningguta, he was released and given an official position. He was deeply grateful and remained loyal to the Wei court.

"Your Majesty's grace has been deeply appreciated by me. Although I am foolish and ignorant, I am willing to serve you!" Wu Zhaoqian accepted the order without hesitation.

"Good! Go ahead boldly, my army is your backing, those cowards won't dare harm you!" Sultan encouraged him loudly, but in his heart he thought: This man is both talented and courageous, just over forty years old, he can be of use to my son in the future. (End of this chapter)