Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

The Fu River, originating in Yongming County, Huguang, is the longest river within Pingluo Prefecture. Standing atop Bianpengzhai Mountain, gazing at the seemingly endless Wei army camp, Wu Jun's deputy general in Wuzhou, Hu Tongchun, was ashen-faced. A few days ago, news arrived that the main force of the Wei army was attacking Quanzhou. He had secretly rejoiced that Pingluo Prefecture, where he was stationed, wasn't a primary target. But his rejoicing lasted only a few days before the Wei army marched straight for him! Initially, he still held onto a sliver of hope, hoping it wasn't the main Wei force. However, his sent scouts discovered numerous dragon and lion flags and a massive dragon and lion banner on the opposite bank. Unlike the ordinary fishing flags of the Wei army, the dragon and lion flags were unique to the imperial guards protecting the Great Khan, and the dragon and lion banner was exclusive to the Great Khan of Wei, symbolizing the supreme imperial power of the Lotus Great Khan. Its appearance here meant that the false Khan had come in person!

"Vice Commander Li requests your presence in He County for a meeting," a guard reported to me as I was feeling troubled.

"What does Li Yidi want from me?" Hu Tongchun wondered to himself, and spurred his horse toward He County. As soon as he entered the camp, he sensed something was amiss. Li Yidi's personal guards were all gripping their swords and vigilantly surveying the surroundings.

Hu Tongchun was suspicious, but when he entered the main tent, he was surprised to find a middle-aged scholar sitting in the guest seat.

"Huh?" Just as he uttered the exclamation, Li Yidi whispered, "Brother Hu, this is an envoy sent from the other side."

"The other side?" Hu Tongchun was stunned for a moment, then suddenly pointed at the scholar and asked, "Are you an envoy sent by the Khan of Lotus?" He then questioned Li Yidi, "Brother Li, what is the meaning of this?"

"Uh~ Brother Hu, this is Mr. Wu Zhaoqian, currently serving as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites in Weiguo. He has been ordered to persuade us to submit. You might as well listen to his terms."

"I have met Hu Canrong," Wu Zhaoqian said calmly, bowing with an attitude that was neither humble nor arrogant.

"Hmph!" Hu Tongchun snorted coldly and turned his face away.

Li Yidi had known him for many years and knew his temperament well. He knew that he was not unwilling to join the army, but was just annoyed that he had not informed him in time! He quickly added, "Mr. Wu has just arrived. I have always followed your lead. As soon as I learned of this, I immediately sent someone to find you to discuss it."

"Hmm," Hu Tongchun's expression softened considerably upon hearing this, and he slowly said to Wu Zhaoqian, "Please continue, sir."

Wu Zhaoqian cleared his throat and calmly began, “His Majesty the Qian Yuan Emperor led a million-strong army south, intending to unify the nine provinces. He won battle after battle, annihilating hundreds of thousands of enemies. The southern people surrendered at the mere sight of him, and the five provinces were all his. Those who resisted were instantly reduced to dust. Now, with the army marching through Guangxi, the two generals must not attempt to stop him like a mantis trying to stop a chariot…” He was about to launch into a long, rambling speech when he was interrupted by the impatient Hu Tongchun, “We are all warriors, we don’t understand your flowery language. Just tell us, what conditions has your emperor promised us?”

"That's great!" Wu Zhaoqian burst into laughter. "Brother Hu is a man of principle, so I won't hold back. Before we left, His Majesty said, 'If Generals Hu and Li surrender when the opportunity arises, saving David from losing tens of thousands of soldiers, I will bestow upon Hu Tongchun the title of Third-Class Marquis of Wuzhou and Commander-in-Chief of Guilin, and upon Li Yidi the title of Third-Class Marquis of Pingle and Commander-in-Chief of Nanning. If the two generals disobey Heaven's will and capture Pingle, their entire clans will be slaughtered as a warning to others.' These are His Majesty's exact words, and I dare not conceal them. To be honest, Mengzhu Ridge is indeed treacherous, but it is no match for David's million-strong army. His Majesty the Qian Yuan Emperor's words are law. Surrender early, and you will gain wealth and honor; surrender late, and your lives will be in danger. Please consider this." After speaking, he sat down in his chair without saying a word, quietly observing the two men's reactions. Seeing that Hu Tongchun was not particularly cunning, he was overjoyed when he heard that if he surrendered he could be granted the title of Marquis of Wuzhou (a third-class title) and the position of General of Guilin, but then showed fear when he heard that if he did not surrender, his entire clan would be slaughtered; Li Yidi, on the other hand, remained calm and composed, and Hu Tongchun immediately understood.

“Mr. Wu, given our contribution to the land, are we worthy of being dukes?” Li Yidi suddenly asked slyly.

“Brother Li, you are mistaken! Although you two have contributed to the land, our David Kingdom was founded on military might, and all titles are conferred only upon corresponding military achievements. Earls are those who charge ahead and kill countless enemies; marquises are those who lead an army, beheading commanders and capturing flags; dukes are those who command large armies and expand their territory; and kings are either members of the royal family or have the merit of destroying a country. With your merits, you should have been granted the title of earl, but His Majesty has been gracious in granting you this third-rank marquisate. The title of duke is absolutely impossible!” Wu Zhaoqian resolutely refused.

Upon hearing the refusal, Li Yidi breathed a sigh of relief. He had long heard that titles of nobility were hard to come by in the State of Wei, and it seemed that the Lord of Wei genuinely wanted to recruit them. He then looked at Hu Tongchun and asked, "Brother Hu, what do you think?" To his surprise, Hu Tongchun shook his head vigorously, "If you want us to submit, we must be second-class marquises!"

Wu Zhaoqian breathed a sigh of relief, but feigned hesitation, saying, "This matter is not something I can decide. Please allow me to report back to His Majesty before making a decision." After saying this, he took his leave, boarded a small boat, crossed the Fu River, and returned to the Wei army camp.

"What are the attitudes of Hu and Li?" Looking at Wu Zhaoqian, who had returned to report, the Lotus Great Khan reclined on his fearless lion throne and asked calmly.

"Both men were willing to surrender, but Hu Tongchun was very greedy and actually asked for the title of Second-Class Marquis."

"Oh, do you think I should give them to them or not?" the Great Khan asked calmly.

“I, David, have always sought titles with difficulty. If I agree, it will only make the two men look down on me. I think we should first appoint them as third-class marquises, and then use their army as the vanguard to attack Lingui (the capital of Guilin). If we can capture the city, then we can promote them to second-class marquises,” Wu Zhaoqian replied.

"Good! You may make this trip for me again."

Having received the imperial decree, Wu Zhaoqian re-entered the Wu camp. This time, he spoke to Hu Tongchun and Li Yidi with an extremely firm attitude: "His Majesty the Qian Yuan Emperor has decreed that Hu Tongchun be granted the title of Third-Class Marquis of Wuzhou and Commander-in-Chief of Guilin, and Li Yidi be granted the title of Third-Class Marquis of Pingle and Commander-in-Chief of Nanning. The two generals are ordered to lead the vanguard in attacking Lingui City. If they achieve merit in battle, they may be promoted to Second-Class. I have already delivered the imperial edict. Whether you agree or not, please give me a clear answer!"

Upon hearing this, Hu and Li looked at each other in bewilderment, and after a long while, finally agreed.

On March 12th, 1671 (the 28th year of the Qianyuan era), guided by the surrendered generals Hu Tongchun and Li Yidi, the Imperial Guard crossed the Fu River. To deter the newly surrendered soldiers from any rebellious thoughts, the Great Khan of Lotus deliberately ordered the various armies to cross the river in shifts. The massive Imperial Guard, in units of ten thousand men, marched one ten-thousand-man unit after another. Generals Hu and Li waited for a whole day but never saw the Great Khan of Lotus's footsteps.

"Oh my, Brother Hu, I never expected the number of the guards to be so large, probably no less than three or four hundred thousand!" Li Yidi said to Hu Tongchun in astonishment.

"Yes, it's fortunate that you and I saw the opportunity early, otherwise, how could we have held on if a real fight had broken out?" Hu Tongchun replied with relief.

On the afternoon of March 13th, the two who had been waiting anxiously finally saw a huge dragon and lion banner, the legendary chestnut horse under the banner, and the majestic, invincible war god on the horse. They hurriedly knelt down and paid their respects, saying, "Your subjects Hu Tongchun and Li Yidi pay their respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be blessed with ten thousand years of happiness and peace!"

Two sharp gazes shot over, their powerful aura causing the two men to break out in a cold sweat. After a long pause, a gentle voice echoed in the air: "Both generals have rendered meritorious service in surrendering the territory; they may serve as vanguards to capture Lingui City for me." (End of Chapter)