Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"The Wei army is exhausted from long battles, while our army is in high spirits after rest and reorganization. I originally intended to use a strategy of exhausting the enemy, holding out for several months to wear down the Wei army's morale before launching a decisive attack. However, the situation in Yunnan has changed, and I cannot wait any longer!" In the Wu army camp at Guni Pass in Liuzhou, Guangxi, Wu Sangui ordered someone to show him the letter written to him by Zhang Guozhu, the General of Dingyuan and the commander-in-chief of the Yunnan Road, and sighed repeatedly.

"Your Majesty," Chief Strategist Fang Guangchen advised, "the Western Route Army has already captured Dongchuan and is preparing to march south to seize Xundian. Beyond Xundian lies Kunming, and Yunnan is in grave danger! Yunnan is the foundation of our army; if it falls, morale will collapse! There are only two options: one is to immediately engage the Western Route Army in a decisive battle. If we can defeat the false Khan, the Western Route Army will be no threat; the other is to withdraw our troops back to Yunnan. Although we can temporarily hold Kunming, abandoning Guangxi without a fight will shake morale. Moreover, if the false Khan leads his army westward from Guangxi, joining forces with the Western Route Army to attack Yunnan from two directions, Yunnan will still be lost. In my opinion, the only viable path is to concentrate our forces and engage the false Khan in a decisive battle!"

"We are willing to follow Your Majesty in a decisive battle against the Imperial Guard!" Wu Sangui's trusted generals, including General Wu Guogui, General Hu Guozhu, General Xia Guoxiang, and General Wei Pu, volunteered for the battle. Their families were all in Yunnan, and upon hearing that the Western Route Imperial Guard was approaching Kunming and their own army was in a dilemma, they were filled with a determination to fight to the death.

Seeing that the army's morale was high, Wu Sangui nodded slightly, but did not make a decision immediately. Instead, he looked at another strategist, Liu Maoxia, who was resourceful and had come up with the plan to hold out and exhaust the Wei army by not fighting.

"I believe that Yunnan's terrain is treacherous, and our army has already secured strategic locations. Zhang Guozhu is also a capable general. The Western Route Guard might not be able to immediately invade Yunnan. This battle is crucial to the fate of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Without absolute certainty, we should not launch a rash attack. Our army has been locked in a stalemate with the Guard at Guni Pass for two months. If we continue this stalemate for another two or three months, the Guard will suffer from prolonged inaction and will inevitably harbor resentment. It will not be too late to fight a decisive battle then," Liu Maoxia insisted, maintaining his original viewpoint. However, this time, he had very few supporters.

Upon seeing this, Wu Sangui sighed deeply. “Xuan Chu’s words are reasonable, and I naturally understand. However, many of the generals’ families are in Yunnan. If we delay for a few more months, once the news of the Wei army’s entry into Yunnan spreads, I fear that before the Wei army even becomes disorderly, the morale of our army will be thrown into chaos. My mind is made up. Tomorrow at dawn, we will form a magnificent battle formation and engage the Wei army in a decisive battle.”

Upon uttering the words "decisive battle," the emperor, a veteran of countless battles, immediately exuded a fierce aura, slowly encouraging his generals, "The fate of the Great Zhou Dynasty rests on this battle. My lords, strive on!"

"We are willing to be loyal to Your Majesty and die for the Great Zhou!" The voices of loyalty echoed throughout the tent.
-
In the early morning of July 1, 1671 (the 28th year of the Qianyuan era), the Wu army marched out of their camp and slowly approached the Wei camp.

"That old turtle Wu Sangui has finally come out! I've been waiting for him for so long! The entire army, march out of the camp and prepare for the decisive battle!" Upon hearing that the main force of Wu's army had marched out of the camp, the Great Khan of Lotus laughed and issued the military order. To boost morale, he roared at his subordinates, "Last night I dreamed of my father, the Eternal Heaven. He said to me, 'Fight bravely, my child. You are a warrior blessed by Heaven, leading the bravest army in the world. Nothing can stop your hooves!'" These words were originally empty words to boost morale, but the generals of the Great Khanate, especially the Mongol generals, were particularly susceptible to them. They firmly believed that the Great Khan was the reincarnation of Padmasambhava, the messenger of the "Eternal Heaven," and that he had received the favor, blessing, and protection of the "Eternal Heaven," which was why he was invincible.

"Haorui~ Haorui~ Haorui~" Someone started shouting, and cheers spontaneously rose up in the tent.
-
Both Wei and Wu mobilized armies numbering over 300,000, their banners obscuring the sun and stretching endlessly, like two giant pythons eager to devour their prey, slowly approaching.

"Kill!" General Yang Fengxian, the Imperial Guard General, roared and led five thousand light cavalry towards the Imperial Guard. This man was a former subordinate of Wu Sangui in Liaodong, and had repeatedly distinguished himself in battle, making him a well-known fierce general in Wu's army.

"Kill!" Sonam Tsering, the head of the Bukhara tribe, led five thousand light cavalry to meet the charging enemy. He was also a famous brave general in the guard, and it was said that his tiger fork could kill tigers and leopards.

The two cavalry forces clashed fiercely, but it was merely a probing skirmish. The Imperial Guard's cavalry, being more well-trained and skilled riders, gained the upper hand. Caught off guard, Yang Fengxian was struck in the throat by a tiger-shaped fork from Sonam Tsering and tumbled off his horse.

"Haorui~ Haorui~ Haorui~" Deafening cheers rang out across the battlefield.

Wu Sangui's face turned ashen; he knew in his heart that the Mongol cavalry's advantage was something his side could never match.

"Why doesn't Your Majesty use war elephants?" suggested Xia Guoxiang, Wu Sangui's son-in-law and Right General of the Golden Guard. War elephants are produced in Yunnan. Wu Sangui's army has a battalion of elephant cavalry with a total of 500 war elephants. Each elephant is accompanied by seven soldiers: a driver, an archer, a spearman or lancer, and four swordsmen and shieldmen to guard the elephant's four hooves. This is commanded by Fan Qihan, the Right General of the Imperial Guard Iron Cavalry. It is Wu's trump card and has not been shown before for the sake of secrecy.

Wu Sangui nodded and ordered, "The elephant battalion will engage! Ma Bao's troops will follow closely, followed by Hu Guozhu's troops," intending to use the elephants to disrupt the main force's formation, then have the cavalry follow up, with the infantry then launching a surprise attack.

The Imperial Guard had previously fought against elephant cavalry during their invasions of Guangxi and Yunnan, and had experience dealing with them. Seeing the enormous beasts charging towards him, Sultan couldn't help but sneer, "Fire! Give me a good blast with the muskets!"

"Boom~ Boom~ Boom~" "Bang~ Bang~ Bang~"

Cannonballs and bullets rained down relentlessly, felling one war elephant after another. Fortunately, these elephants were specially trained, impervious to fire, and despite their ears being deafened by the bullets, they were not greatly affected and continued their charge. Finally, over a hundred war elephants charged into the front lines of the guards, their trunks swung wildly, their hooves pounding the ground, while the archers on their backs continuously drew their bows and fired arrows at the guards.

"Make way, let the elephants pass, only shoot the elephant soldiers," First-Class Turpan Gongxi Rimo, in charge of commanding the vanguard, ordered with a sneer. This Oirat wolf had experience dealing with elephant soldiers, and he commanded his men to shoot the elephant soldiers one by one, making way for the unattended elephants to advance.

Having finally managed to lead his elephant cavalry into the enemy's front lines, but without achieving much success, General Fan Qihan, the Right General of the Imperial Guard, grew anxious. He spurred his elephant toward a guard's banner. The banner belonged to Xu Shihua, the Assistant General of Chizhou. Xu, inexperienced in fighting elephants, was terrified at the sight of the enormous creature and instinctively turned his horse to flee, only to be shot down by an arrow from Fan Qihan. Just as Fan Qihan was feeling pleased with himself, a gunshot rang out. A guard's musketeer had struck him, the shattered bullets riddling him with holes.

After releasing the surviving Wu army war elephants, the vanguard of the Imperial Guard quickly restored their formation. Looking at the forest of spears before them, Wu's elite cavalry general, Ma Bao, knew he couldn't break through immediately and led his cavalry to sweep past. Hu Guozhu's infantry, following behind, also couldn't gain an advantage against the well-organized formation; after a brief attack, they had to retreat to their own lines.

"The Luoluo soldiers are extremely brave; Your Majesty might consider using them. At the same time, the artillery battalion can be ordered to move their cannons forward and bombard the enemy lines," advised strategist Liu Maoxia, seeing the elephant cavalry's setback. Although he did not approve of a decisive battle with the Wei army, since his lord insisted on fighting, he could only do his duty as a strategist. The Wu army had fifty to sixty thousand newly recruited Luoluo soldiers. They had grown up in the mountains, fighting various wild animals, and although their equipment was rudimentary, they were incredibly fierce in battle.

Wu Sangui nodded in approval and immediately ordered the artillery battalion to move forward and fire at the guards; at the same time, he ordered General Wu Guogui of the Imperial Guard and General Liu Hanzhang of the Imperial Cavalry to lead the Luoluo soldiers to charge into battle.

"Boom~ Boom~ Boom~" Shells landed on the front of the guards. Although the guards were well-trained and dared not leave their posts without orders, it still caused huge casualties.

Under the cover of cannon fire, the Luoluo soldiers, shouting "Luo (tiger)~ Luo (tiger)~ Luo (tiger)~", charged towards the Wei army. Some were pierced through the stomach by Wei soldiers' spears, their intestines protruding, but they were stuffed back in and continued fighting; some had their arms cut off, but they used the other arm to wield a sword and fight again; some used their teeth as weapons, biting down hard on the enemy's throat. In the fierce battle, the Wei army's commander, Zhamucan, was bitten through the throat and died by a Luoluo soldier. Even the Wei soldiers, who were veterans of countless battles, had never experienced such a scene, and panic broke out, with some even slowly retreating.

"Fire!" The Great Khan of Lotus lowered his telescope and ordered his artillery, which was lying in ambush within the ranks, to fire. He had kept light artillery, such as pack cannons, hidden within his army, not even using them during elephant charges. Now was the time to unleash the cannons. "Boom! Boom! Boom!" One cannonball after another exploded among the Luoluo soldiers, felling brave Luoluo warriors in droves. Even Liu Hanzhang, the General of the Cavalry who commanded the Luoluo troops, was killed by a cannonball. At this moment, the weaknesses of the Wu army—a large number of new recruits and insufficient battle training—were exposed. The heavy casualties made it impossible for the Luoluo soldiers to maintain their orderly formation. Even with Wu Guogui's best efforts, he could not restore them to their original formation.

"All troops, attack!" The seasoned military commander, Great Khan Lianhua, immediately seized the opportunity and ordered his entire army to charge.

Upon receiving the order, Qi King Melas and First-Class Turpan Duke Xirimo each led 40,000 elite cavalry to attack the flanks of the Wu army. Zhao King Biligendalai, Mandulatu, Teguschaoketu and other fierce generals of the guard also led their troops to attack the central army of the Wu army.

General Liu Hanchen, commander of Wei Shunqing's army, was leading his troops in a fierce battle against the Wu army when a handsome Wu general, with flowing hair and a refined, scholarly demeanor, charged forward. His eighteen-foot spear whirled through the air, and in a single strike, it pierced Liu Hanchen's forehead, causing him to cry out in agony and fall to the ground dead. The killer was Wang Xu, a fierce general of the Wu army and the commander of the Vanguard General of Valiant Might. He was a son of Wu Sangui's vassal state during the Pacification of the West and was utterly loyal to Wu Sangui.

"Bang!" The eighteen-foot spear met the mace, and the fierce general of the guard, the governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi, Mandulatu, took a liking to him.

After fighting for more than ten rounds, Wang Xu was about to continue fighting desperately when Orros, the chief of the Torgut tribe, rode past him on horseback and, with a curved knife in his hand, severed Wang Xu's neck like cutting wheat.

“I’ll kill my enemy; I don’t need your help,” Mandulatu glared at Orlos and continued urging his horse to find the next target. Soon he found Wu Tieqi’s former general, Xian Weiming, and smashed Xian Weiming’s head to pieces with a vicious blow from his spiked club.

Under the fierce attack of the Imperial Guards, Wu's army gradually showed signs of defeat. In particular, the Imperial Guards once advanced to the vicinity of Wu Sangui's central army.

"Manchu warriors, kill Wu Sangui, and no one will dare to underestimate us again!" Baitala, the newly surrendered general of Huiningchi, saw Wu Sangui's banner and led several thousand surrendered Manchu soldiers to charge.

Seeing the emperor in danger, Wu Sangui's son-in-law, General Wei Pu, the Right General of the Imperial Guard, hurriedly led Wu Sangui's personal troops to meet the enemy. This man was extremely skilled in martial arts, but because he had always protected Wu Sangui and could not lead an army independently, his reputation was not well-known. As soon as they engaged in combat, Baitalazhi felt overwhelmed, and after three moves, his head was cut off by Wei Pu's long sword.

"Whoosh~" A cold arrow pierced Wei Pu's forehead, the work of the renowned archer of the Wei army, Second-Class Arukorchin Bochui.

After shooting down Wei Pu, Chu Yi led his troops to continue advancing towards the Wu army's banner, but unexpectedly, a force rushed ahead of him. King Zhao, Biligendalai, arrived with his army, his red spears gleaming, his king exuding murderous intent! In a single exchange, he stabbed Wang Wenyuan, the Wu imperial guard's elite general, who attempted to stop him. Seeing his lord in danger, Wu Youjiao, the righteous general of the imperial guard, led his troops to block Biligendalai's path, but after only three rounds, he too was pierced in the throat by a spear and died.

"Your Majesty, leave quickly! I will cover your retreat!" Seeing the critical situation, General Xia Guoxiang of the Golden Guard hurriedly advised Wu Sangui to retreat.

Wu Sangui gazed at the battlefield and saw that his army was falling apart on all fronts. Knowing that the situation was hopeless, he sighed to his strategist Liu Maoxia, "I regret not listening to Xuan Chu's advice!" After saying this, he ordered a retreat.

In the heat of battle, retreating was no easy task! Especially since the Wu army had more than 100,000 poorly trained new recruits. Once the order was given, the Wu army's retreat quickly turned into a rout. The soldiers abandoned their battle formation and fled in disarray. The Wei army followed and slaughtered them. Countless people died, and the Xunjiang River near Guni Pass turned red with blood.

General Xia Guoxiang, who was covering the rear for his father-in-law Wu Sangui, ultimately failed to escape and was captured after exhausting his strength. Also captured were General Wang Hongxun, the commander of Wu's artillery battalion, whose artillery lacked mobility and could not outrun the cavalry of the guards. General Du Hui, the commander of Wu's navy, also fell into captivity after landing and fighting on foot, lacking horses. Of course, there were also clever ones. Seeing the situation was unfavorable, Wu's deputy generals Shen Wei and Fang Zhiqi each led several thousand defeated soldiers to voluntarily raise surrender flags on the battlefield.

In this battle, the Wei army, at the cost of 35,000 casualties, achieved the remarkable feat of killing 60,000 Wu soldiers and capturing 70,000, which shocked the world.
-
"Bring those three prisoners up!" Upon hearing that three high-ranking Wu generals had been captured, one of whom was Wu Sangui's son-in-law, the Great Khan of Lotus became interested. After the Wu army's crushing defeat, their morale was undoubtedly low. If even Wu Sangui's son-in-law surrendered, it would greatly benefit the recruitment of the remaining Wu troops!

"So you are the Prime Minister of Xia? I've heard you are quite talented. I cherish talent. Are you willing to submit to David?" He stared at the Prime Minister of Xia as if he were a rare treasure, his mouth brimming with words of persuasion. However, the Prime Minister of Xia closed his eyes, and no matter how eloquent the man was, he remained completely silent.

"How dare this brat defy me! I will not allow it!" Seeing his utter disrespect, Suletan flew into a rage and sneered, "Since you don't want to live, I will grant your wish. Drag him away and behead him!"

After killing Xia Guoxiang, he put on a benevolent expression and said to Du Hui with a smile, "I heard that you were once a general under Zheng of Taiwan, not a confidant of Wu Sangui. Why not die for him? Are you willing to surrender?"

"We were originally pirates, and were not well-liked. Fortunately, His Majesty Emperor Zhaowu took us in, which brought us wealth and honor. Today is the time to repay our lord, so there is no need for further words!" Unexpectedly, Du Hui was a tough nut to crack and refused to surrender.

"Drag him away and execute him!" Sultan gave the order decisively without any hesitation.

"General Wang, we have received great favors from His Majesty, we cannot become traitors!" Du Hui encouraged Wang Hongxun as he was dragged out of the tent.

Sultan stared coldly at Wang Hongxun and asked, "Are you willing to surrender?"

Sweeping across him with his chilling gaze, Wang Hongxun broke out in a cold sweat, stammering and unable to speak. Logically speaking, as a former subordinate of Wu Sangui in Liaodong, he should have been more loyal to Wu Sangui than Du Hui, who came from a pirate background. However, the only way to survive in the world is to die, and one's head is irreplaceable once it's cut off.

"Thump!" Wang Hongxun knelt on the ground, crying out in shame, "This sinful general is willing to surrender!" (End of this chapter)