Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

In September of the 28th year of the Qianyuan era (1671), as the autumn wind was getting cool, one military camp after another sprang up around the ancient Kan Cave in Sicheng, turning the once peaceful ancient city into a sea of ​​troops.

In addition to the troops of the Cen clan's local officials in Sicheng Prefecture, Zhen'an Prefecture, Tianzhou, Guishun Prefecture, Anlong Division, Shanglin Division, and more than ten mountain strongholds in Guizhou; the troops of the Huang clan's local officials in Siming Prefecture, Taiping Prefecture, Jiangzhou, Xiangwu Prefecture, and parts of Nanning Prefecture; and the troops of the Qin, Wang, Su, and Huang clans of Si'en Prefecture, Zhen'an Prefecture's Shangying Prefecture (Shangyingdong), Nanning Prefecture's Guohua Prefecture's Zhao clan, Siming Prefecture's Xiashixi Prefecture's Bi clan, Taiping Prefecture's Jielun Prefecture's Feng clan, Jie'an Prefecture's Zhang clan, Dujie Prefecture's Nong clan, Mingying Prefecture's Li clan, Wancheng Prefecture's Xu clan, Longying Prefecture's Zhao clan, Taiping Prefecture's Li clan, Anping Prefecture's Li clan, Shangxiadong Prefecture's Zhao clan, Longzhou's Zhao clan, Pingxiang Prefecture's Li clan, Dukang Prefecture's Feng clan, Xialei Prefecture (Xialeidong)'s Xu clan, and Siling Prefecture's Wei clan, etc. The crowd numbered over 150,000, seemingly endless, and their sheer numbers were astonishing.

Cen Jilu, the local chieftain of Sicheng, was still dissatisfied because many chieftains' troops had not yet arrived. The Huang family, the chief magistrate of Gutian in Guilin Prefecture; the Mo family, the patrol inspector of Tongmu Town; the Long family, the patrol inspector of Zhaoping Village in Pingle Prefecture; the Huang family, the patrol inspector of Gumei Village; the Qin family, the Wutun Thousand-Household Office in Wuzhou Prefecture; the Huang and Wei families, the Qianjiang Thousand-Household Office in Liuzhou Prefecture; and even Cen's own branch, the Cen family of Wujing Prefecture in Xunzhou Prefecture, had not sent any troops.

He understood that after the Ming Dynasty's repeated reforms of the hereditary chieftain system, the power of the Tusi (local chieftains) in Guilin, Pingle, Wuzhou, Liuzhou, and Xunzhou had greatly weakened. Furthermore, these areas were now under the direct control of the Great Wei Kingdom, and Emperor Qianyuan's army was currently in Guangxi. It was understandable that these Tusi dared not get involved in this mess. Nevertheless, their attitude had shifted from blind obedience to a fence-sitting, self-protective stance, which sufficiently demonstrated the decline of the Cen family of Sicheng's influence in Guangxi.

Recalling his previous order to the two chieftains of Qingyuan Prefecture, the Wei and Mo clans, not to personally meet Emperor Qianyuan, while the Mo clan obeyed, the Wei clan not only disobeyed but also led the Luo clan of Nadi, the Deng clan of Yongshun, and the Peng clan of Yong'an to Yishan. Rumors circulated that Emperor Qianyuan had ordered the chieftains to send troops to assist in the war during the meeting, and the Wei clan had actually led the way by contributing four thousand soldiers, bringing the total number of troops from Qingyuan Prefecture to over six thousand. Clearly, they were determined to cling to the Wei state. The Wei clan had never been particularly obedient to the Cen clan, which was why he had deliberately provoked trouble a few days ago, forcibly seizing three of their villages and ordering the Mo clan to seize two Luo clan villages that were allied with the Wei clan, as a warning. Unexpectedly, this not only failed to intimidate them but also pushed them into the arms of the Wei state. It seemed he had been too hasty in unifying Guangxi; haste makes waste!

Before he could even feel remorse, news arrived that the Imperial Guard had already reached Hechi Prefecture from Yishan, following the Longjiang River. From Hechi Prefecture, they would cross Phoenix Mountain and then the Hongshui River into Donglan Prefecture. They rested for only one day in Donglan Prefecture before beginning their journey to cross Duyang Mountain, heading towards the ancient cave. Most unsettling of all was that the vanguard of the Imperial Guard was none other than his old acquaintance, the First-Class Duke Xirimo. Years ago, he had allied with this old man, but after witnessing his defeat at Bulong City, he had betrayed him, leading an ambush and stabbing him in the back. Now, this old man was the vanguard of the Imperial Guard—this was by no means good news!
Inside the secret chamber of the Cen clan's mansion in the ancient cave, Cen Jilu once again conspired with Huang Daiqian, the head of the Huang clan. Although there were many chieftains gathered in Sicheng, only Cen and Huang could make the decisions.

"The Wei army is crossing Duyang Mountain and will soon arrive in Sicheng. His Majesty will surely summon us then. What should we do? Please advise me, my wise brother," Cen Jilu humbly sought advice from Huang Daiqian, who was known for his wisdom and resourcefulness.

Huang Daiqian stroked his goatee and chuckled, "Didn't you order the Wei and Mo families of Qingyuan not to personally come to see His Majesty in order to test his attitude? Mo Ziqian, the prefect of Nandan, obeyed the order and did not go, but sent his son instead. I wonder what His Majesty's reaction was?"

Cen Jilu sighed softly, "His Majesty not only did not blame him, but also bestowed upon Mo Zigan two century-old ginseng roots. Truly, His Majesty is magnanimous and benevolent!"

Huang Daiqian chuckled, “Your Majesty has spent your life on the battlefield, slaughtering countless souls! How could you be a benevolent ruler with a broad mind? The reason you have been patient and restrained is that you want to concentrate your forces on dealing with Wu Sangui and do not want to cause any unnecessary trouble. Therefore, as long as Wu Sangui is not destroyed, Your Majesty will never take action against your two families.”

"So, we can see the Emperor with peace of mind now!" Hearing this, Cen Jilu felt much more at ease.

“No! Since ancient times, a snake cannot move without a head. If we personally witness this, the guards will take us hostage, and the centuries-old foundation of our ancestors will be in danger!” Huang Daiqian shook his head again.

Cen Jilu nodded after hearing this. "In that case, let's feign illness and leave the camp, and have our clan members do the work for us. We'll also prepare more cattle, sheep, and provisions to reward the army as a sign of our loyalty. What do you think?"

"Excellent! Don't worry, Lord Cen, as I said before: as long as Wu Sangui is not defeated, His Majesty will not do anything to us," Huang Daiqian laughed.

Fengshan was originally the territory of the Wei family of Donglan Prefecture in Qingyuan County. Several years ago, the Cen and Wei families fell out, and Cen Jilu ordered the local chieftain Cen Zhaoxi to send troops to occupy three villages in Fengshan. A few days ago, Cen Zhaoxi received an order from Cen Jilu: prepare more cattle, sheep, and provisions to reward the Wei army passing through. So, he ordered his men to scout ahead. On this day, a scout reported that the vanguard of the Wei army had arrived at Fengshan, and he hurriedly led his men to welcome them with cattle, sheep, and provisions. At the foot of the mountain, the vanguard of the Wei army, Xi Rimo, the First-Class Duke of Turpan, pointed to the Cen family's banner on the mountain and asked Wei Zhaoxi, the local chieftain of Donglan Prefecture who was leading the way, with a piercing gaze: "I heard that this place was originally your territory, but it was seized by the Cen family?"

Upon hearing the word "seize," Wei Zhaopi suddenly had a flash of inspiration and knelt down to plead, "Please, Your Excellency, do justice for the Wei family!"

The Wolf of Oirat laughed heartily: "To tell you the truth, I also have some grudges with that Cen family. When they come to offer their greetings to the troops later, I will find a reason to detain the generals who come to greet them, and you can lead your men to attack the mountain and take back the stronghold."

"Thank you, Duke!" Wei Zhaopi was overjoyed.

Cen Zhaoxi led his men to the Xirimo army camp and respectfully saluted, "General, you have come from afar and must be tired. I have come to comfort the troops on the orders of Prefect Cen. This is just a small gift, nothing more!"

"Hmph~" Xirimo arrogantly pointed his riding whip at the supplies he had brought, "I have more than 50,000 troops, what good is this little bit of stuff?"

Cen Zhaoxi blushed. "This humble official is merely a scout. Prefect Cen has already prepared all the necessary supplies for the army at the ancient cave."

"Stop trying to evade the issue! In my opinion, it's clear that your Cen family has no sincerity in submitting! Seize them!" Xi Rimo suddenly shouted.

The fierce guards swarmed forward, pinning down and binding Cen Zhaoxi and his men without a word. Anyone who dared to resist was immediately killed.

Having dealt with the welcoming Cen clan hyenas, Xi Rimo grinned and looked at Wei Zhaopi, "Prefect Wei, do you not need me to teach you what to do next?"

"My men, follow me to retake the village!" Wei Zhaopi roared, leading the Wei clan's soldiers towards the mountain stronghold.

Under the protection of the guards, the Wei family recovered their three villages in Fengshan. (End of Chapter)