Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"General, Wu's army has retreated from Puan Prefecture to Yunnan. We only have 40,000 men. It would be better to wait for the Khan's main army to arrive before attacking," said Sandan, the Shaanxi Governor, to Xirimo, the First-Class Duke of Turpan, inside Puan Prefecture. He was also a veteran general with considerable prestige in the army.

“Wu Sangui is dead. No matter how many of his troops there are in Yunnan, they are nothing but headless snakes. What is there to fear? Issue my order to march on Qujing.” Xi Rimo resolutely refused, showing no respect for Sandan.

San Dan felt waves of pressure coming over him, his heart skipped a beat, and he quickly bowed in response.

The Wolf of Oirat smiled with satisfaction and immediately ordered Sandan, the governor of Shaanxi, to lead 10,000 troops as the vanguard; he himself, together with Batu Mengke, the governor of Tibet, and Jiancun Jiangqu, the governor of Sichuan, led 25,000 troops as the central army; and Sabir, the governor of Gansu, led 5,000 troops as the rear army. They marched in a grand procession to Qujing Prefecture, Yunnan.

Initially, things went smoothly; the Wei army swiftly captured Pingyiwei City and advanced directly to the outskirts of Nanning County, the seat of Qujing Prefecture. However, they suffered heavy losses in the siege of Nanning City. Zhang Zufa, the General of the Breaking the Shuo Army personally appointed by Wu Yingqi, held the city and fought to the death. When Wu Yingqi retreated, he left Zhang Zufa with 40,000 soldiers, and Zhang Zufa also conscripted 10,000 able-bodied men from within the city to assist in the defense, giving him a force exceeding that of the Wei army and the advantage of having a fortified city to rely on. Xi Rimo attacked for five days, losing over 3,000 men without gaining any advantage. On the fifth night, just as the Wei army was preparing to rest, Wu's valiant general Wu Zhimao led 500 elite troops in a raid on their camp, killing over 300 Wei soldiers and disrupting the entire army's peace.

After suffering a minor setback, Xirimo finally took the enemy seriously and said to his generals, "This Zhang Zufa is of unknown origin and is very troublesome."

"I have heard that this man is a subordinate of Wu Sangui, and has served as the commander of the Pingxi vassal state and the general of the right garrison in Yunnan. After Wu Sangui became emperor, he was appointed as the 'General of the Left Cavalry of the Imperial Guard'. He is known in Wu's army for his wisdom and resourcefulness," said Jiancun Jiangqu, the governor of Sichuan.

"I see. With this man here, it seems Qujing won't be easy to attack," Xi Rimo frowned upon hearing this. The enemy was skilled in battle, and his own forces were few. Logically, he should retreat and wait for the Khan's army. However, he had spoken too confidently in front of Sandan earlier, and retreating would be too humiliating. He had no choice but to order his troops to hold the camp and wait for the main force.

On the seventh night, the Wolf of Oirat lay in bed fully clothed, unable to sleep due to the unfavorable battle situation.

"General, Admiral Sandan has an urgent military report!" A guard suddenly announced.

"Urgent military intelligence?" Xirimo was startled, thinking that Wu's army had made another move, and hurriedly got up to call Sandan inside.

San Dan, beaming with joy, led a man into the tent. "General, a Wu general in the city has requested to surrender."

"A Wu general has offered to surrender?" Xi Rimo was somewhat puzzled. The enemy showed no signs of defeat, so why would they surrender? After questioning the messenger carefully, he learned that the messenger was a subordinate of Song Guofu, the general of Yongning. Song Guofu, along with Han Tianfu, the general of Wuding, Li Famei, the general of Heli, and Li Yubin, the general of Lin'an, were not Wu Sangui's direct subordinates. Now that Wu Sangui was dead and the situation was hopeless, they were unwilling to continue serving Wu Zhou, so they sent someone out of the city to offer their surrender.

Xi Rimo was overjoyed, but he pretended to be aloof and said, "Go back and tell your master that if he wants to join David, he must offer up Zhang Zufa's head!"

On the night of January 2nd, 1672 (the 29th year of the Qianyuan era), four Wu generals—Song Guofu, Han Tianfu, Li Famei, and Li Yubin—jointly opened the city gates of Nanning County, the seat of Qujing Prefecture. Their troops comprised half of the city's garrison. To curry favor with their new masters, they each led their forces in a fierce attack on the camps of Zhang Zufa and Wu Zhimao. Tragically, Wu Zhimao was killed in his sleep, and Zhang Zufa, exhausted and captured, refused to be humiliated and, taking advantage of a moment of inattention from his guards, struck his head against a pillar, dying instantly.

After the war, Xirimo gathered 20,000 surrendered soldiers. Moreover, Song Guofu, Han Tianfu, Li Famei, and Li Yubin had killed Zhang Zufa and Wu Zhimou, essentially offering themselves as a pledge of allegiance. Overjoyed, he praised the four and petitioned the court to retain them in their original positions. After a brief rest, the Oirat wolves, eager to prove themselves, led 56,000 men straight to Kunming. Following the old customs of the Great Wei Kingdom in using surrendered troops, the 20,000 men under the four generals were assigned as the vanguard in the siege. Wu Yingqi was shocked to learn of the fall of Qujing and that the Wei army had entered Yunnan Prefecture. Although Kunming had over 60,000 troops, 20,000 were newly recruited former subordinates of Guo Zhuangtu and Luo Sen, whose loyalty was questionable; another 10,000 were newly recruited soldiers; only about 30,000 were truly capable fighters. The Wei army, however, numbered at least several hundred thousand, and having lost its natural defenses, how could they possibly win this battle?
"Your Highness, please immediately lead your troops to the Menggen area, with Burma as your backing, so that we can plan for another attack," Zhang Guozhu advised.

"That's the only way," Wu Yingqi sighed and ordered a retreat.

Retreat is no easy task. Leaving aside the army's provisions, what about the soldiers' families? The Wu army's families, numbering over 100,000, were mostly near Kunming. Such a large number couldn't all be taken in haste. When news of King Zhou's planned retreat spread, the Wu soldiers, unwilling to abandon their wives and children, panicked, and over 10,000 deserted overnight.

The Imperial Guard moved with incredible speed; Wu Yingqi hadn't even left the city before they reached its walls. Guo Zongfen, son of Guo Zhuangtu who had narrowly escaped the earlier massacre, incited his father's former subordinates to open the city gates. The Imperial Guard surged in, especially the four newly surrendered generals: Han Tianfu, Song Guofu, Li Famei, and Li Yubin, who led their troops in a fierce charge, killing General Wang Pingduo, the former General of Wu. Zhang Guozhu couldn't escape in time and was surrounded by the Imperial Guard within the city, where he fought valiantly to his death.

Wu Yingqi fled Kunming with only a few thousand Wu soldiers. Eager to make a name for himself, Xi Rimo personally led cavalry in pursuit, catching up with the Wu army in Xinhua Prefecture. Wu Yingqi was killed in battle, and his two sons, Wu Shiju and Wu Shicheng, were captured. With this, the Wu-Zhou dynasty was completely destroyed.
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When the Great Khan of Lotus led an army of 370,000 into Kunming, Xirimo brought the body of Wu Yingqi to report the victory. Suletan was overjoyed, patting him on the back and praising, "You pacified Yunnan province with only 40,000 men! Truly worthy of the title 'Wolf of the Oirat'!"

The Great Khan ordered a banquet in Kunming to reward the army, and at the same time sent envoys to appease the local chieftains, including Mu Yi, the chieftain of Lijiang; Tao Dou, the chieftain of Jingdong; Zuo Xinghai, the chieftain of Menghua; and Shen Kunchang, the chieftain of Fuzhou. These people were all very sensible and sent envoys to express their willingness to submit.

Then, the Great Khan once again ordered Liu Maoxia and his son Liu Zhifu, who had been captured a few days earlier, to be brought into the main tent. He asked Liu Maoxia with a smile, "Wu and Zhou have been destroyed. Are you willing to surrender, sir?"

"Everyone has their own ambitions, why force me? Please kill me quickly." Unexpectedly, Liu Maoxia had already resolved to die and still refused to comply.

"Seeking death is nothing but foolish courage; living is true heroism. Men, bring those two children up here."

Two children were escorted into the main tent. Sultan sneered at Liu Maoxia, saying, "This is Wu Sangui's grandson and Wu Yingqi's son, the only surviving member of the Wu family. If you surrender, I will spare these two children's lives. Not only them, but also Wu Sangui's wife, Zhang, and other female relatives, as well as the captured Wu army generals Li Benshen and Shi Yugui, will be spared death and exiled to Ningguta. What do you say?"

"Your Majesty, who dominates the world, is using this to blackmail us. This is far below the dignity of an emperor!" Liu Maoxia said angrily.

"I have long admired you, sir, and that is why I have done this. Whether you comply or not, please answer me," Sultan said, unmoved, pressing for an answer with his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Liu Maoxia gave a bitter laugh, "Your Majesty invites me in this way, how dare I refuse!"

"Hahaha~ My acquisition of Xuan Chu (Liu Maoxia's courtesy name) is like Genghis Khan acquiring Yelü Chucai!" Sultan disregarded Liu Maoxia's feelings and immediately appointed him Governor of Fujian, personally taking his hand and hosting a banquet in his honor. After the banquet, they talked all night, showing him utmost trust and respect. (End of Chapter)