Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"General Liu Wenjin of Qiyang has sent a military report: Wu Yingqi, the Rear General of the Golden Guard, and Zhang Guozhu, the General of Dingyuan and Commander-in-Chief of Yunnan Road, have led 70,000 troops to aid Guizhou. They have already captured Pingyi Fortress and are currently attacking Puan Prefecture. This is a stab in the back. What do you all think? Should we continue our advance on Guiyang, or turn back and defeat Wu Yingqi's troops first before attacking Guiyang?" The Great Khan of Lotus asked his ministers with a smile.

To swiftly eliminate Wu's army in Guizhou, he mobilized 167,000 troops, leaving only Liu Wenjin, the general of Qiyang, with 2,000 elite soldiers and 13,000 newly surrendered Guangxi natives to garrison Puan Prefecture. Liu Wenjin was originally a surrendered general, and his 2,000 men were not particularly strong within the Wei army. The native soldiers were a diverse group, coming from various chieftain families, such as Zhao Dianhui, the native prefect of Longzhou; Wei Rongyao, the native prefect of Siling; Huang Bi, the native prefect of Guide; Nong Tingfeng, the native prefect of Dujie; Feng Taiyi, the native prefect of Dukang; Zhao Hongji, the native prefect of Guohua; Xu Shaowu, the native prefect of Xialei; and Li Kaijin, the native prefect of Taiping, among others. These local officials had previously been allied with the Cen family of Sicheng, but surrendered to Wei after the Cen family's defeat. To demonstrate their loyalty, they sent troops to assist Wei in its campaign against Wu, making them even weaker in combat. Therefore, within a few days, Wu Yingqi and Zhang Guozhu captured Pingyi Fortress.

"This servant believes we should concentrate our forces, defeat Wu Yingqi first, and then send troops to Guiyang," said Grand Secretary Bo Bei, speaking first.

“In the past, when Xiang Yu and Liu Bang were vying for supremacy, the Chu army was far superior to the Han army, but because it was constantly being mobilized by the Han army, it was ultimately defeated. Our army has just captured Annanwei and was about to capture Guiyang, but it has been transferred back to Puanzhou. Isn’t this just running back and forth and following in Xiang Yu’s footsteps? In my opinion, we only need to send troops to intercept Wu Yingqi,” Grand Secretary Liu Haogu objected.

"Master Liu is absolutely right. We must choose a mature and prudent general to intercept the Wu army," the Great Khan nodded in agreement with Liu Haogu's opinion.

"This humble servant is willing to intercept the Wu army. We don't need too many soldiers, just 30,000 will suffice," the veteran general Xi Rimo volunteered.

"Yes, with you in command, I have nothing to worry about! I give you 40,000 troops to immediately head to Puan Prefecture to intercept the Wu army from Yunnan," the Great Khan decisively ordered.

"Yes!" Xi Rimo gladly accepted the order and left.

Despite losing 40,000 troops, the Great Khan was not worried at all. In his eyes, the Wu army in Guizhou was nothing but a remnant of defeated soldiers, and with the current forces, he could wipe them out in one battle. As if to confirm his judgment, news came from the front that Hu Guozhu, the Left General of the Wu Zhou Golden Guard, and Liu Zhifu, the General of Dading, who were stationed along the Beipan River, had abandoned the natural barrier of the Beipan River and fled to Zhenning Prefecture.

"Hmph~ I told you long ago, the Wu army has lost its morale and will never amount to anything. How about it? They don't even have the courage to draw their swords and fight anymore. They have the natural barrier of the Beipan River but dare not defend it. What cowards!" Suletan laughed heartily upon hearing the report and ordered the entire army to cross the Beipan River in pursuit. The journey was smooth, and the Wei army quickly crossed Elephant Trunk Ridge, capturing Chacheng Post Station and the old Yongning Prefecture City.

"Report! At the border of Yongning Prefecture and Zhenning Prefecture ahead, there is a mountain called Jigongbei. At its foot, Wu troops are stationed, numbering about 50,000, and are flying the banner of Li Benshen, the Governor of Guizhou. Hu Guozhu and Liu Zhifu have led their troops to flee behind Jigongbei to join Li Benshen, seemingly intending to hold Jigongbei," the scouts reported as soon as the Wei army set up camp. Wu Sangui, a cunning strategist, had hidden half of his troops in the dense forest, while the other half flew the banner of Li Benshen. The Wu army perceived only 50,000 defenders at Jigongbei, but in reality, there were 100,000. Adding the 30,000 troops under Hu Guozhu and Liu Zhifu, the force reached 130,000, exceeding the 127,000 Wei army under the Great Khan. However, the numbers were only superficial. The Wei army consisted of battle-hardened veterans who had won consecutive victories and were in high spirits, while the Wu army, due to heavy casualties, consisted of half newly recruited soldiers, whose fighting strength was inferior to that of the Wei army.

"Li Benshen?" The Great Khan curled his lip in disdain. "Even if Wu Sangui came in person, I would not take him seriously, let alone a mere Li Benshen?" Although he spoke arrogantly, the Oirat War God was, after all, experienced in war, and still ordered the entire army to rest well for a day and recharge before attacking Jigongbei.

On the morning of December 1, 1671 (the 28th year of the Qianyuan era), the Wei army set out from their camp to Jigongbei to seek a decisive battle with the Wu army. What appeared before the Great Khan was a vast army of Wu soldiers, layer upon layer. Judging from the banners, there were more than 100,000 of them, a number similar to their own. What was even more surprising was that the Yellow Dragon Banner of Emperor Zhaowu was among the enemy's troops.

"I underestimated Wu Sangui. I never imagined that this old scoundrel, after repeated defeats, could still resort to such a treacherous scheme to lure me deeper!" The Great Khan, a veteran of countless battles, naturally knew he had fallen into Wu Sangui's trap. But in a battle where both armies are arrayed, retreat is certain defeat. No matter how many enemies there were, at this moment, the only option was to advance. Moreover, he was confident that although the enemy's forces were roughly equal in size, his own warriors were far superior in combat strength, and there was no reason for him to retreat in the face of battle. "Woo~ woo~ woo~" The melodious horns sounded, and the Right Wing of the Khalkha, led by Bobentar, engaged in a preliminary battle with General Wu's Lu Daoqing's 2,000 cavalry. The two sides clashed three times, and finally, Bobentar defeated Lu Daoqing and won. The battlefield was littered with corpses. Of the 4,000 men who participated in the preliminary battle, 2,000 had fallen. Such cruelty, yet its purpose was merely to test the enemy.

"All troops, attack!" After testing the waters, the Great Khan was once again convinced that his army was superior to the enemy's, and coldly issued the order.

"Boom~ Boom~ Boom~" The war drums thundered, and the guards of Urgendalai, Orros, Teguschoktu, Babai, Jambi, and Bayar surged toward the Wu army like a tidal wave.

"All troops, hold your positions! Anyone who retreats will be executed!" In the midst of Wu's army, Wu Sangui, a veteran of countless battles, sat majestically atop a white horse, issuing the order with an air of authority. General Wang Pingfan, Left General Hu Guozhu, Governor of Guizhou Li Benshen, General Wang Gongliang, General Liu Zhifu, Fang Xuefan, and others all obeyed the order, holding their ground and fighting to the death.

During the fierce battle, Orros, a fierce general of the guard and the chief of the Torgut, noticed that one of the enemy's formations was not well organized, and led his cavalry to charge fiercely into it.

"Raise your spears! Quickly, raise your spears!" Xue Rong, the Pacification Commissioner of Langdai, hurriedly ordered his local troops to form a spear formation. Other chieftains could surrender to Wei, but not him. Years ago, Ren Zhuan, the Governor of Guizhou of Wei, and Danba Darijie, the Commander-in-Chief, hid in his mountain stronghold. It was he who, fearing the strength of the Wu army, surrendered to the Wu army and betrayed Ren Zhuan, leading to the tragic deaths of Ren Zhuan, Danba Darijie, and others. How could the Wei Kingdom forgive him for such a deep-seated hatred? They could only follow Emperor Zhaowu and resist to the death.

"Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~" "Bang~ Bang~ Bang~"

The guards' archers began to fire, and the cavalry fired their three-barreled muskets. One by one, the soldiers fell, and the poorly trained men panicked, leaving gaps in their spear formation.

"Awooo~ Awooo~ Awooo~" Erluos seized the opportunity, brandishing his saber and cutting through the enemy lines. He charged straight at Xue Rong's horse, and with a swift slash of his long blade, Lang Dai, the envoy, was beheaded.

However, behind Xue Rong's troops was a long spear formation of Liu Xuezheng's guerrilla force from Anshun. This time, Orros failed to break through. He led his troops past the enemy's spear formation, slashing down rows of spearheads with his sword before turning to harass the enemy's flank. Seeing that his cavalry could not break through the formation, Cao Chunzhong, the general of Long'an behind Orros, led his infantry to engage Liu Xuezheng's troops in a fierce battle.

The war drums beat; it's either you or me! (End of Chapter)