Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

The dust kicked up by horses' hooves blotted out the sky as cavalry from both sides roared past the flanks of each other's lines. These lightly armored warriors, their eyes gleaming with bloodlust, fired arrows and muskets from a distance, and lances and sabers at close range. The lances gleamed coldly, each thrust sending up a cloud of blood; the sabers, like scythes, sliced ​​off heads like wheat. Yet, the main players on the battlefield were the infantry. They fought in formation, their spears like a forest, blocking the enemy cavalry's charge; their shields pressed tightly together, forming ironclad lines of defense. Swords and axes clashed in hand-to-hand combat, arrows whistling through the air like locusts, but musket bullets were even more terrifying, emitting a chilling whistle, and men fell with screams of agony. The veterans remained unmoved, accustomed to death; the new recruits wore expressions of fear, yet dared not retreat—military law was strict, retreat meant certain death.

Smoke billowed across the vast battlefield, the acrid smell mingling with the stench of blood. Corpses littered the ground, broken swords and halberds scattered everywhere. Suletan stood atop an eight-horse chariot, his imperial carriage and the command center of his imperial guards. Wu Sangui stood on a makeshift platform erected in the center of the army. Both emperors, with telescopes in hand, silently observed the battlefield. For ordinary soldiers, war is a physical struggle for survival; for commanders, it is a contest of leadership and willpower. The Battle of Jigongbei raged from dawn till noon, the imperial guards' offensive relentless, pushing Wu's defenses to the brink of collapse, yet they struggled to hold on.

"Your Majesty, the two armies have been fighting for more than three hours. The Imperial Guard must be exhausted. We can order General Fenwu to lead the troops to attack!" Fang Guangchen suggested.

"Yes, our army is already showing signs of weakness. If we do not attack now, the situation may become uncontrollable." "Please, Your Majesty, order the ambush troops to attack." Under pressure from the Imperial Guards, the ministers all made suggestions to Wu Sangui.

Wu Sangui remained silent, glancing at Liu Maoxia in quiet contemplation. Seeing the other nod, Fang Youyou sighed, "I originally intended to wait until the afternoon to launch the ambush, when the imperial guards would be exhausted and their strength depleted. But I never expected these barbarians to be so ferocious; in just over three hours, they had broken our ranks, forcing me to deploy the ambush!"

"Order Zhang Qilong's troops to engage in battle," "Order all units to switch from defense to offense," "Anyone who fails to retreat will be executed"... One military order after another was issued by Emperor Zhaowu. As expected of an emperor who had fought on horseback his entire life, every military order was closely related to the battlefield situation.

Upon receiving the military order, General Zhang Qilong, leading ten thousand well-rested elite troops, charged out from the summit of Jigongbei Mountain. "Zhang the Fool," wielding a large sword, charged ahead, his blade flashing, and none could withstand his attacks. Seeing their commander's bravery, his men were inspired and pressed forward with renewed vigor. Guerrilla General Wang Jian led five hundred elite soldiers, braving a hail of arrows from the Imperial Guards, swiftly breaking through the left flank of the Imperial Guards' forces under the command of the commanders Almas and Kuoz. Both men were from tribes belonging to the Kazakh Lesser Horde. One was a leader of the Khitan tribe, the other a leader of the Khitan tribe. This unexpected turn of events threw the Imperial Guards' left flank into chaos. Kuoz, unable to react in time, was cut down by Wang Jian.

"Give me back my life!" Almas and Koz were like brothers. Seeing his sworn brother die tragically, he took the powerful bow from his back, picked up an armor-piercing arrow from the quiver, and with a "whoosh," shot it as fast as a meteor, piercing through the chest of the king.

However, the main force was in disarray, and Almas was defeated after only a short time. Zhang Qilong seized the opportunity to drive the defeated troops and disrupt the entire left flank of the Guards, enraging Mandulatu, the fierce general commanding the left flank. In order to quickly defeat the Wu army, the Great Khan concentrated his main force in the center, deploying only about 10,000 troops on each of the left and right flanks. Caught off guard, even Mandulatu, who was the bravest in the army, could not withstand the attack and had to lead his defeated troops back into the center.

"Order Yusten's troops to block Wu's army!" Upon seeing this, Sultan was greatly alarmed, realizing he had ultimately underestimated Wu Sangui. He quickly dispatched Yusten's 3,000 musketeers, the commander of the central army, to reinforce Mandulatu. Yusten was originally a Swede serving in the Russian army, later captured by the Kazakh Khan Yangir and becoming a Kazakh general. After Yangir Khan was defeated by the Great Khan Lianhua, he was captured again and became a subject of the Kingdom of David. Sultan admired his talent in commanding firearms and appointed him commander of a battalion of 3,000 elite musketeers.

"Form ranks!" Yusten quickly arrived at the left flank of the central army and ordered his troops to set up a five-tiered musket formation. The victorious Wu army charged closer and closer.

"Fire!" Justen roared. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" Bullets rained down, felling rows of Zhang Qilong's men. The heavy casualties dampened the Wu army's offensive. The battle-hardened Mandulatu seized the opportunity to rearrange his troops.

Seeing that the enemy's formation had been restored, Zhang Qilong had no choice but to lead his troops forward, engaging in a fierce battle with Mandulatu and Yousten. At the same time, General Wu Shi Yugui also led his troops to harass the right flank of the Wei army, fighting against the Wei Western Regions Admiral Buhe Artu's forces.

Seeing that Zhang Qilong's troops had disrupted the left flank of the Imperial Guard and forced the central army of the Imperial Guard to withdraw some reserves to guard the left flank, and that Shi Yugui's troops had also successfully held back the right flank of the Imperial Guard, Wu Sangui issued another military order: "Order Yu Youde and Muguer's troops to prepare for battle!" Upon receiving this order, the 63-year-old Emperor Zhaowu of the Great Zhou Dynasty left the high platform fully armored and holding a crescent-shaped sword.

Yu Longde, known for his bravery in battle, commanded ten thousand elite cavalrymen, the original core of the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry who had fought alongside Wu Sangui in his numerous southern campaigns. Mugul, on the other hand, had a thousand Solon barbarians who had served with the Qing army in Yunnan and were later incorporated into Wu Sangui's forces. Although few in number, these Solon barbarians were exceptionally skilled horsemen, fierce and fearless in battle. If Zhang Qilong's ambush was Wu Sangui's surprise tactic, this cavalry force was his trump card. Previously reserved as a reserve force, it had been kept at bay even amidst the fierce fighting at the front, but now its time had finally come!
Wu Sangui, riding a white horse and wielding a crescent-shaped halberd, slowly moved in front of the cavalry formation, allowing the soldiers to see their emperor. At this moment, he was no longer a frail sixty-three-year-old man, but seemed to have become that young man again, the "fair-skinned and handsome young man."

Although his ancestral home was Gaoyou, he grew up in Liaodong. His appearance combined the ruggedness of the north with the elegance of the south: "Large ears, a prominent nose, and no beard. His gaze and demeanor were dignified and godlike." A shallow scar on his nose spoke of his extraordinary nature. That year, his father, Wu Xiang, led several hundred men out to scout enemy positions, only to be surrounded by tens of thousands of Later Jin soldiers. He pleaded with his uncle, Zu Dashou, to fight, but Zu Dashou refused. Enraged, he secretly slipped out of the city with only about twenty servants to rescue his father. The world only saw his bravery in "single-handedly rescuing his father," but failed to notice the command abilities he displayed at such a young age. After leaving the city, the young man mounted his horse, sword in hand, and personally rode in the center, flanked by two servants. The remaining eighteen riders formed the two wings, and they galloped into the encirclement, rescuing his father before the Later Jin army could react. Afterwards, whenever he had a disagreement with someone or encountered a major event, he would touch his nose with his hand.

The sixty-three-year-old "young man" habitually touched the faint scar on his nose, gazing affectionately at his iron cavalry, and began his pre-battle mobilization: "Many of you have followed me from north to south throughout your lives, fighting from youth to old age, and many others have only recently joined. None of that matters; what matters is victory! For the Great Zhou, for your families, for victory, I command you to charge at the enemy like true men, defeat the enemy, annihilate the enemy! The Great Zhou will surely prevail!"

"Victory! Victory! Victory!" Thunderous shouts rang out from Wu's army ranks. This cavalry force was mainly composed of the sons of Wu Sangui's former subordinates in Liaodong, whose families were mostly in Yunnan. Their fates had long been tied to Wu Sangui's, and upon hearing their lord's command, they were all filled with fervor.

"Giddy up!" Wu Sangui lightly flicked his whip, urging his horse forward with his sword in hand.

"Clatter...clatter...clatter...clatter..." Eleven thousand iron cavalry advanced with overwhelming force. (End of Chapter)