Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"You have already arrived at Puan Prefecture, why not take it in one fell swoop?" The Second-Rank Marquis of David, Ebodui Wulanghai, the Chief of the Durbet Ten Thousand Households, arrogantly asked the local officials, including Wei Zhaobi, the Prefect of Donglan, and Luo Dezhong, the Prefect of Nadi. This man was the Crown Prince's maternal uncle. Among the generals of David, his military achievements were not the most outstanding, but his background was undoubtedly profound. Those with powerful connections naturally possess an arrogant attitude. Having been a Second-Rank Marquis for several years, he was single-mindedly focused on accumulating more military merits and rising to a higher rank. The Great Khan seemed to intend to give this maternal uncle an opportunity, specifically ordering him to lead a detachment in a surprise attack on Puan Prefecture.

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, our army immediately attacked Puanzhou City after arriving. However, due to the hasty march, we did not bring large siege weapons, and the enemy inside the city was prepared, so we were unable to capture it for the time being," Wei Zhaopi replied respectfully.

The title "Great Commander" filled Obodui Wulanghai with joy. Despite his noble status, his military achievements had always been mediocre. The Great Khan was a master of personnel management, rarely granting him command of large armies, only allowing him to accompany him on campaigns. Even when he was given command of a single army, the number of troops was limited; for example, this time he was only given 15,000 men. Therefore, few people called him "Great Commander," so how could he not be overjoyed to be addressed as such today?
"Enough! You've already done a great job capturing Pingyi. Stand aside and watch me defeat the enemy!" Ebodui Wulanghai waved his hand triumphantly, and his men immediately drove forward a hundred camel-drawn cannons to their positions, pushing shield carts and ladder carts into battle formation. Although Ebodui Wulanghai was not the most outstanding among the generals of the Great Wei Kingdom, the Wei army was, after all, a battle-hardened force. When they were arrayed in battle, they exuded a chilling killing intent that intimidated Wei Zhaopi, Luo Dezhong, and the others into silence.

Seeing that the local chieftains were intimidated by his military might, Obodui Wulanghai became even more smug and roared two words from deep in his throat: "Fire!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" In an instant, a hundred cannons fired simultaneously, and the shells exploded on the city wall of Puan Prefecture, kicking up layers of thick smoke.

"Warriors, charge!" The cannon fire had barely ceased when, before the smoke had cleared, Obodui Wulanghai ordered another attack. Hearing the order, the guards, some pushing siege ladders, others hiding behind shield carts, slowly approached the city walls. As the ladders reached the walls, the swordsmen and shield bearers behind the shield carts leaped up the ladders, while archers, in groups of three to five, drew their bows and fired, hunting down any defenders who dared to peek out.

Of the three thousand defenders in the city, only the 1,700 men under General Zhou Yinglong could be considered elite; the 1,300 local soldiers led by Sha Yuqi, the commander of the western fortress, were of mediocre fighting strength. Under the fierce offensive of the Imperial Guard, the northern city defended by Sha Yuqi was quickly breached. Bota, the leader of the Kazakh Dayuzserge tribe and deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, led his troops up the city wall, cleaved the panicked Sha Yuqi in two, and then quickly led his troops to storm into the city. Seeing this, Zhou Yinglong hurriedly fled through the southern city, but he could not withstand the speed of the Mongol horses and was caught up by Shakduer, the commander of the Imperial Guard, who stabbed him to the ground with a spear. After capturing Puan Prefecture, Puan Garrison also surrendered without a fight.

"The commander is mighty!" "The brave David lives up to his name!"... The city that they had besieged for several days was easily captured by the guards in less than a day. The chieftains Wei Zhaopi, Luo Dezhong, Wei Shixing, Deng Tianzhu, Peng Tinggan and other chieftains were sincerely impressed and showered them with flattery.

"Hahaha~ This is all thanks to the Great Khan's great fortune and the soldiers' bravery!" Obodui Wulanghai laughed heartily and led his army slowly into the city.

That night, Wei Zhaopi, Luo Dezhong, and others hosted a banquet in the camp for the real Mongol generals. The emperor's brother-in-law gladly accepted and drank until he was completely drunk before leaving.

Little did they know that while the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole lurks behind. On the mountain path of Babu Mountain, east of Puan Prefecture, a troop of men was advancing. After fleeing back to Guiyang, Wu Sangui opened his treasury and recruited 40,000 new soldiers from Guizhou, half of whom were fierce warriors, partially making up for his battle losses. Having regained some strength, the shrewd Wu Sangui immediately ordered his personal guard, General Ma Bao, to lead 20,000 troops to reinforce Puan Prefecture, ensuring his rear was secure.

"Father, we've spotted some defeated soldiers ahead. They say the Imperial Guards launched a surprise attack on Puan Prefecture, and the city has already fallen," said Ma Yingxian, the third son, leading several routed soldiers to Ma Bao.

"Puan Prefecture has fallen?" Ma Baowen frowned, staring at the fleeing soldiers, and asked, "When did Puan Prefecture fall? How many garrison troops came?"
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As night deepened, the old guards on duty yawned widely, glanced at another old soldier who was standing guard with a serious expression, and chuckled, "Brother Saihan, relax. The commander of ten thousand and the commander of a thousand went to a banquet at the local official's camp and drank too much. They won't be patrolling the city tonight."

Hearing his companion say this, the man named Saihan stretched lazily, his eyes suddenly widening like copper bells. A long ladder had appeared on the city wall sometime during the night, and one after another, dark figures climbed it to the top.

"Enemy attack! Enemy!" Saihan's voice abruptly stopped. A burly enemy general swung his iron mace with his left hand, smashing Saihan's skull, and thrust his spear with his right, striking another old soldier squarely in the chest. "Brothers, follow me to kill the enemy!" The burly, red-eyed Ma Bao led his troops down the city wall, and no one could withstand a single blow from his whip-wielding spear. The Wu army quickly seized the city gate and surged in.

"Commander, the Wu army has stormed the city!" The commander of the thousand-household, Shakduer, stumbled into Obodui Ulanghai's tent, only to find his commander still fast asleep, drunk. Without a word, he carried Obodui Ulanghai and ran outside. Seeing his personal guards bring horses, he helped Obodui Ulanghai onto one. Fortunately, Mongols grew up on horseback, and once mounted, Obodui Ulanghai became much more alert and, under Shakduer's protection, escaped the city. The deputy commander of the guard, Bota, led the rearguard.

The Wei army, seasoned by countless battles and quick to react, possessed a large number of horses. Although they lost over a thousand men, most managed to escape. The Tu army fared much worse. Only Wei Zhaobi, the Tu prefect of Donglan, and Luo Dezhong, the Tu prefect of Nadi, led over six hundred Tu soldiers to escape with their lives. The rest, such as Wei Shixing, the prefect of Yongding, Deng Tianzhu, the prefect of Yongshun, and Peng Tinggan, the prefect of Yong'an, all perished in battle.

"What! The garrison bypassed Pingyi Fortress, and Puan Prefecture has fallen!" Upon hearing this devastating news, Zhao Tingchen, the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, was terrified and hurriedly led his troops to retreat north.

The Great Khan, who was well-prepared, would not allow him to escape and ordered his troops to pursue him relentlessly. Wu's army was routed, but fortunately, Zhao Kexiu, the deputy general of the central army, risked his life to protect him, thus saving his life. He fled to Puan Garrison City, thinking that he was likely to die, but to his surprise, the banners of the Great Zhou were still flying on the city walls. Upon inquiring, he learned that His Majesty had sent General Ma Bao, the commander of the Imperial Guard, to lead an army to his aid, and they recaptured the garrison city and the prefecture city.

Zhao Tingchen was overjoyed and hurried to Puan Prefecture to meet Ma Bao. Before the two could even catch up, dense banners of the Wei army appeared outside the city, and the Great Khan of Lotus City led his army in pursuit.

"I ordered you to launch a surprise attack on Puan Prefecture. Now that you have succeeded, why did you drink and neglect your duties, violating military law? Drag him away and execute him!" Suletan was furious as he looked at Ebodui Wulanghai, who was leading his defeated army to join him.

When the emperor is enraged, millions will die. Fortunately, his generals pleaded for him, and Sultan finally calmed down. He coldly snorted, "I will give you another chance to redeem yourself! You will lead the attack later. If you fail to take the city within a day, you will be executed without mercy!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The veteran general Tarhun commanded the artillery battalion to open fire, and hundreds of cannons spat out bursts of fire.

As soon as the cannon fire ceased, generals such as Ebotui Ulanghai, Urgendalai, Sonom Tsering, and Orros launched a fierce attack. Ebotui Ulanghai, in particular, was the most ferocious, clad in heavy armor and personally acting as the arrowhead, charging at the forefront. In just one day, the city fell, and Ma Bao's second son, Ma Ziyuan, led the defeated army to retreat to the prefectural city.

The imperial guards attacked the city again, besieging it three-quarters of the way. After three days of fierce fighting, Zhao Tingchen and Ma Bao could not withstand the onslaught and broke out of the city. The imperial guards then pursued and slaughtered them, resulting in countless deaths. Zhao Tingchen, the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, and Zhao Kexiu, the Deputy Commander of the Central Army, were among those who perished in the chaos. Ma Bao and his two sons fought desperately to break through the siege and escape with their lives. They managed to gather their defeated troops, but only five thousand men remained.

"Is this the same Zhao Tingchen, the self-proclaimed Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou under the Zhou dynasty? He's got guts, find a good place to give him a proper burial." Sultan felt a pang of pity upon seeing Zhao Tingchen's corpse.

Gazing at the dragon and lion flags and fishing rod flags planted all over the city walls, the man roared, "Guards, erect my great dragon and lion banner atop this city!" (End of Chapter)