Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

In the twenty-ninth year of the Qianyuan era (1672), the Great Khan of Lotus was fifty-seven years old. He had long since lost the recklessness and impulsiveness of his youth. Although he had made up his mind to recover Fujian and Guangdong, he did not immediately send troops. Instead, he first wrote a heartfelt letter to the King of Guangdong, Shang Kexi, and the King of Fujian, Geng Jimao. As shrewd as he was, he made no mention in the letters of his plan to move Shang Kexi's fief to Hongdong in Shanxi and Geng Jimao's fief to Gaizhou in Liaodong. He only repeatedly expressed his admiration for the two kings and said that he would personally go to Guangzhou and Fuzhou to meet them and ask them to prepare for his arrival.

The words were beautifully spoken, but the intention was ruthless. If the two princes allowed his army to enter Guangzhou and Fuzhou, then he would have no choice but to seize control, disperse the princes' troops, and easily reassign them to other territories. If the princes dared to refuse and raise an army to block his entry into Guangzhou and Fuzhou, then it would provide them with a pretext for rebellion. What subject in the world would refuse their ruler's entry into their fiefdom? Then, raising an army to quell the rebellion would be perfectly justified. In short, this tactic was unsolvable; regardless of whether the princes agreed or not, he would be placed in a passive position.

In a battle of wits, even the most skilled warriors have a backup plan. The politically astute Khan naturally wouldn't expect to subdue the two powerful vassal states with just two letters. Therefore, before the main army set out, he dispatched the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Mandulatu, and the Governor of Fujian, Liu Maoxia, with 3,000 Mongol cavalry and 20,000 surrendered Wu troops under the command of General Han Tianfu of Wuding, General Song Guofu of Yongning, General Li Famei of Heli, and General Li Yubin of Lin'an, to Ganzhou to join forces with the guards led by Prince Qin, Zhuosiji. The reasons for sending Liu Maoxia were threefold: first, he was the Governor of Fujian, personally appointed by the Khan, and thus had a responsibility to secure the territory; second, he was resourceful and could advise the army; and third, Lin Tianqing, the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian stationed in Tingzhou, was a confidant of Wu Sangui and had a long-standing relationship with Liu Maoxia, so the Khan hoped to use this connection to persuade Lin Tianqing to surrender.

Of course, the Great Khan's tactics went far beyond this. He also sent an edict to Zheng Jing in Taiwan, ordering him to send troops to harass Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, putting pressure on Geng Jimao. In addition, he secretly ordered Hada, the commander of the Wuyi Guard, to send spies to Fujian and Guangdong provinces to persuade local generals and civil officials to defect.

After making all the arrangements, the Great Khan left tens of thousands of elite troops to garrison Yunnan and Guizhou under the governor-general of Yunnan and Guizhou. Then, on February 9th of the 29th year of the Qianyuan era (1672), he personally led an army of 380,000 men from Kunming, passing through Guangxi and heading towards Guangdong. He ordered the old general Xirimo to lead 50,000 men ahead, while he himself led the main army to follow. The Oirat wolves marched extremely fast, and in no time they reached Guangnan Prefecture, at the border of Yunnan and Guangxi provinces.

"Your Highness, ahead lies Fuzhou, and beyond Fuzhou lies Guangxi," Second-Class Palibopala Gesang respectfully reported to Xirimo.

This Lord Gesang was no ordinary man; he was among the first nobles of the snowy lands to submit to David, and enjoyed the great Khan's utmost trust. Legend has it that when the Supreme Being, in the guise of Padmasambhava, graced the Pala Manor with his presence, the devout Lord Gesang offered his beautiful wife, Yangjin Medo, to the Supreme Being, thus forging a bond of goodwill. He then thrived in the Kingdom of David, rising to the rank of Second-Class Earl. Recently, despite some military achievements and the appointment of one of his sons as a centurion, his own rank had not been elevated. Therefore, he earnestly pleaded with the Supreme Being to grant him the position of vanguard under Xirimo. The shrewd and experienced Xirimo, knowing his lord's intentions, treated this Second-Class Earl with great care throughout the journey. Lord Gesang, a man of influence, despite his background, dared not be presumptuous before the Oirat wolves, showering the old commander with flattery and winning his favor.

Upon hearing the title "Your Highness," Xi Rimo's brows relaxed. Being granted a royal title was the most gratifying thing for him. How could he not be happy when someone had tickled his itch? However, this joy was only fleeting and soon disappeared, turning into a soft sigh.

"Our army is advancing with unstoppable momentum, why does Your Highness sigh?" Gesang asked curiously.

“Alas, your mention of Fuzhou just now reminds me of an old grudge! A few years ago, I was ordered by the Great Khan to lead an army south. Shen Kunchang, the native prefect of Fuzhou, was very sensible. He not only provided our army with provisions and supplies, but also allowed our army to reorganize his local soldiers. I thought him loyal and ordered him to stay and guard Fuzhou. But before long, Shen Kunchang saw the Qing army's strength and immediately rebelled, harassing our rear and stabbing me in the back! Today, I have come to Fuzhou again, and thinking of those brave warriors who died at the hands of that traitor Shen, how can I not hate him?” Xirimo revealed his resentment.

"So that's how it is! This villain is so hateful! This humble general is willing to eliminate him for Your Highness!" Upon hearing this, Gesang was furious and volunteered to avenge the old general.

"No! Shen is extremely cunning. Seeing our army's strength, he immediately submitted a memorial to surrender and is now an official appointed by the court. We cannot kill him!" Xi Rimo sighed.

"Your Highness, rest assured, leave this matter to me. I guarantee I will avenge Your Highness!" Gesang laughed heartily.    
Second-class leader Paribeg Sang, leading 7,000 local troops including Qiongbu Pacification Commissioner Ling Fengqi, Liangshan Pacification Commissioner An Weiwei, Lizhou Tujia Qianhu An Meng, and Adu Tujia Qianhu Ajiazi Ku, entered Fuzhou City triumphantly. Fuzhou Tujia Prefect Shen Kunchang, along with his entourage of local chieftains, bowed to greet them. This man was very sensible, showering them with flattery during the banquet and presenting them with numerous treasures. In the warm atmosphere of the banquet, the relationship between the two sides quickly improved.

"May I ask, Lord, when will the Khan arrive?" Shen Kunchang asked respectfully.

"The Emperor himself is coming, accompanied by hundreds of thousands of soldiers. It will probably be a while before he arrives in Fuzhou. However, the army of the Prince of Turpan will arrive soon, so the Prefect must make good preparations," Gesang said with a loud burp.

Upon hearing the words "Prince of Turpan," Shen Kunchang's heart skipped a beat. He lowered his head and smiled obsequiously, "This humble official has also prepared some small gifts for Your Highness. I hope Your Highness will put in a good word for me at that time!"

"Don't worry, I'm here, I'll keep you safe!" Gesang laughed heartily.

Hearing this, Shen Kunchang felt relieved and continued to urge the guests to drink, until everyone was happy before they dispersed.

That night, Shen Kunchang, drunk, was fast asleep with his beautiful maid in his arms when suddenly shouts of killing erupted. Guards rushed into the prefectural government office and killed everyone they saw.

Shen Kunchang rushed out in a panic, only to encounter Gesang holding a blood-red curved knife. He was utterly shocked and asked, "Why is my lord doing this?"

"Heh heh, blame yourself for offending the wrong person!" Gesang sneered, slashing his blade and beheading Prefect Shen. After slaughtering Shen Kunchang's entire family and looting the chieftain's mansion, he ordered Ling Fengqi, An Weiwei, An Meng, Ajiaziku, and other generals to disarm the Fuzhou Tu army, and then ordered the captured Tu army leaders to be brought in. Lu Shunda and other Tu chieftains were escorted into the main tent.

"Don't be afraid! As long as you explain in detail Shen Kunchang's plot to rebel, we will not pursue your crimes any further!" Gesang roared, brandishing his blood-stained scimitar. Soon, more than ten confessions about Shen Kunchang, the local prefect of Fuzhou, plotting a rebellion were fabricated.

Such clumsy methods naturally couldn't hide from the wise and mighty Great Khan, but he had always viewed the powerful local chieftains in the southwest as a threat to the court. He had long wanted to abolish the chieftain system in the southwest and have someone else do it for him; besides, Shen Kunchang was a two-faced man who had repeatedly helped hostile forces harass the imperial guards, truly despicable! Kill him if you will, I won't say a word, who dares to utter a sound? That's how feudal society is; everything is based on the will of those in power. As long as those in power don't want to investigate, even the most serious matters are silently resolved. (End of Chapter)