Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

In the dead of winter, Kunming was bitterly cold. Two uninvited guests arrived at the residence of Guo Zhuangtu, the deputy governor of Yunnan. One was Luo Sen, the governor of Yunnan, and the other was a middle-aged man wearing a pointed hat with a dragon pearl, a short jacket with a large front opening, and a sheepskin coat. Although he was dressed as a commoner, Guo and Luo treated him with extreme respect.

"Is what Commander Zhou said true? Has His Majesty really been defeated and killed?" Guo Zhuangtu asked solemnly, staring intently at the man before him, carefully observing his every expression. This man was brought by Rosen not long ago, said to be a secret envoy sent by the Great Khan of Lotus, Zhou Chunru, a second-level commander of the Black-Clad Guard in Yunnan. The documents were indeed correct, and the surrender terms offered were quite generous, saying that as long as one was willing to submit to the Great Wei Kingdom, Guo Zhuangtu would be appointed as the Governor of Yunnan, and Rosen as the Governor of Fujian. However, as Wu Sangui's son-in-law, how could Guo Zhuangtu betray his father-in-law? He only agreed to persuade Wu Sangui to surrender together, refusing to surrender alone. The matter remained deadlocked. Who knew that Rosen would bring this man to visit again today, bringing shocking news upon meeting: Emperor Zhaowu of the Great Zhou, Wu Sangui's army was completely annihilated in the Battle of Jigongbei, and he himself had committed suicide.

“How could I dare to lie about such a serious matter? And how could I possibly lie? The deputy chief steward can simply send someone to investigate and he will find out,” Zhou Yi said with a look of disdain, whether it was because he disdained to lie or because he disdained the two people in front of him.

“This matter should be true. I have sent people to investigate, and the scouts say that General Wu Yingqi and Commander Zhang Guozhu have led their troops back from Guizhou and are currently stationed in Qujing. The two of them left Yunnan under the pretext of reinforcing His Majesty. If His Majesty is not dead, why would they have returned so soon after leaving?” Rosen glanced at Guo Zhuangtu and sighed, “With His Majesty dead, the situation is hopeless! A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall. I urge Lord Guo to think it over.”

"Wu Yingqi and Zhang Guozhu have led their troops back to Yunnan?" Guo Zhuangtu was surprised to hear this, but still did not make a statement.

“Wu Yingqi’s return to Yunnan this time must be to take over the military and political power of Yunnan. Guo Gong has always been at odds with Zhang Guozhu, and his relationship with Wu Yingqi is also just so-so. Now that Zhang Guozhu has supported Wu Yingqi and he is extremely trusted, he may instigate him to seize power from you. Hesitation will only lead to more trouble. I urge you to make a decision quickly. It will be too late if you delay,” Rosen continued to persuade.

“That’s right! The Wei army is the strongest in the world, and even Wu Sangui is no match for them. How can Wu Yingqi, a mere Wu Yingqi, last long? A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on. His Majesty the Qian Yuan Emperor has always been fair in rewarding and punishing. If you two can bring Yunnan under Wei’s control, His Majesty will certainly not treat you unfairly!” Zhou Yi also assured him.

"Alas~ I have received great favors from the late emperor, yet now I have no choice but to lay a hand on his son!" Guo Zhuangtu sighed deeply, and after a long while, he ordered, "Someone, summon General Guo Zhuangxun, Wang Pingduo, and Deputy General Guo Desheng." Of these three, Guo Zhuangxun was his younger brother, Guo Desheng was his confidant, and Wang Pingduo was his friend; all were people he dared to trust.
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Wu Yingqi led his army to the walls of Kunming, but the city gates were tightly shut, and the guards were heavily armed with swords, spears, arrows, and halberds. His men hurriedly shouted towards the city walls, "General Jinwu, return to the city! Open the city gates immediately!"

"General, please don't be offended. It is our duty to defend the city. Please check the seals and documents," Guo Zhuangxun, who was in charge of defending the city, shouted to Wu Yingqi.

"It's only been a short time since we left, and you all don't even recognize the General and me anymore?" Zhang Guozhu, standing beside Wu Yingqi, asked unhappily.

"General, don't be annoyed. In these extraordinary times, it's good for the garrison commander to be cautious," Wu Yingqi chuckled at Guo Zhuangxun. "General Guo is loyal to his duty, and I greatly admire him!" He then instructed his men, "Take my seals and documents and have them examined by General Guo."

The two men took the seals and documents, placed them in the basket, and hoisted them onto the city wall. After Guo Zhuangxun checked them and found them to be correct, he cupped his hands to the two men and said, "Please, General Zhang and Commander Zhang, station the army outside the city and bring five hundred personal guards into the city."

"Why is that?" Wu Yingqi frowned and asked unhappily.

"General, please forgive me. This is the Empress's decree, to prevent the army from disturbing the people when it enters the city," Guo Zhuangxun explained with a forced smile.

Empress Zhang, the principal wife of Wu Sangui and the biological mother of Wu Yingxiong, was frugal by nature and highly respected among the officials. Although not Wu Yingqi's biological mother, she was greatly respected by him. Upon hearing that it was her decree, Wu Yingqi finally nodded, "Since it is the Empress Dowager's decree, I shall obey." He then ordered his generals to lead the army to retreat and camp outside the city, while he and Zhang Guozhu led five hundred cavalrymen into the city.

"You all prepare yourselves. As soon as those two enter the city, close the city gates tightly, surround them, and kill them," Guo Zhuangxun instructed his men.

"Don't worry, Commander-in-Chief, we know. The brothers have already laid an ambush," Guo Desheng said with a fawning smile. Wang Pingduo remained silent, his hand on the hilt of his knife, and nodded in agreement.

"Open the city gates!" Guo Zhuangxun ordered with a sinister grin, leading his men, fully armed and ready to meet the enemy.

"Creak~ Creak~" The heavy gate opened. Wu Yingqi and Zhang Guozhu led five hundred cavalrymen slowly into the city.

Guo Zhuangxun put on a smile and greeted them directly.

"Clatter~ clatter~ clatter~" Wu Yingqi suddenly increased the speed of his horse and charged towards him. He swung his broadsword fiercely and beheaded Guo Zhuangxun, who was caught off guard.

Guo Desheng was taken aback and was about to order his ambush troops to attack when Wang Pingduo suddenly raised his spear and thrust it straight at him, knocking him to the ground with a single thrust.

"The Rear General is His Majesty's son; he is our true master," Wang Pingduo shouted to the guards after killing Guo Zhuangxun. He then ordered his men to kneel and bow to Wu Yingqi, saying, "This humble general greets the Rear General."

"Please get up quickly! If it weren't for General Wang's message, we would all be dead without a burial place!" Wu Yingqi hurriedly helped Wang Pingduo up.

"General, the two traitors Guo and Luo are still in the city. If they are not eliminated as soon as possible, there may be future troubles," Wang Pingduo advised.

Wu Yingqi nodded and commanded his army to enter the city, heading straight for Guo Zhuangtu and Luo Sen's residence. Although the two had some personal guards, most of the city's main force had surrendered to Wu Yingqi along with Wang Pingduo; how could they possibly resist? Soon, Luo Sen's entire family was slaughtered. Watching the chaotic army break through the gates and swarm into the mansion, Guo Zhuangtu sighed deeply, hid in a secret room, and hanged himself.

The situation in Kunming had changed dramatically. Wu Yingqi and Zhang Guozhu led their troops into the city and completely took control of the situation. To win over the hearts of the people, Wu Yingqi ordered the treasury to be opened, rewarded his soldiers, and reorganized the city's garrison, bringing his forces to 20,000.

Seeing his forces increase to 50,000, Wu Yingqi felt much more at ease. After paying his respects to Empress Zhang at the palace, he announced that he would inherit the title of Prince of Zhou, previously held by Wu Sangui. His reluctance to declare himself emperor like his father, instead daring only to call himself prince, revealed his lack of confidence. At this time, the small Wu-Zhou court was like a small boat caught in a storm, constantly on the verge of capsizing and losing its inhabitants; his apprehension was understandable.

"Your Highness, I have been ordered to open the treasury to recruit able-bodied men from the vicinity of Kunming, and the results have been quite good. In just ten days, more than 10,000 new soldiers have been recruited. However, the local officials in Yunnan, such as Mu Yi, the local prefect of Lijiang, Tao Dou, the local prefect of Jingdong, and Zuo Xinghai, the local prefect of Menghua, have all refused to send troops to assist in the battle. It seems that they have already developed the intention to rebel against Zhou and surrender to Wei," Zhang Guozhu reported to Wu Yingqi after the situation in Kunming had been initially stabilized.

Wu Yingqi sighed, "These local chieftains are all greedy and treacherous. It's just that the Weiguo army is pressing on the border, so we can only deal with them after the enemy retreats."

(End of this chapter)