Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

As the Great Khan's army moved towards Guangdong, a dark cloud hung over the Prince of Yue's mansion in Guangzhou. Shang Kexi summoned his eldest son Shang Zhixin, second son Shang Zhixiao, seventh son Shang Zhilong, and a group of confidants, such as Chief Secretary Li Tianzhi, Left Wing General Sun Kaizong, and Right Wing General Wu Jinzhong, to discuss countermeasures.

"You are all the people I trust most. His Majesty is coming to Guangzhou, not alone, but with hundreds of thousands of troops. Tell me, what should I do?"

"Father, you must not allow His Majesty to enter Guangzhou. Once the Imperial Guards enter, they will surely usurp our territory!" Shang Zhixin roared.

Shang Kexi nodded. Although his eldest son was ruthless by nature, he was capable and had a keen eye for problems. Indeed, if Emperor Qianyuan truly wanted to see him as the letter stated, why bring so many troops? It was said that the accompanying army numbered nearly 400,000. With such a scale, only a fool would believe that he had no designs on Guangdong!
“Even so, the Wei army is powerful; even Wu Sangui is no match for them. How can we possibly defeat them?” said the second son, Shang Zhixiao.

"Your Highness sent an envoy to see the King of Min some time ago. I wonder what the King of Min said?" Li Tianzhi asked calmly, remaining composed. This man was Shang Kexi's strategist and held the official position of Chief Secretary of the Prince's Palace.

“Alas! The messenger returned saying that Geng Jimao is ill. He has submitted a memorial stating that his illness is severe and requesting that his eldest son, Geng Jingzhong, act as regent. Now, all the affairs of the Min King’s Mansion are handled by his eldest son, Geng Jingzhong. Geng’s only thought is to inherit his father’s title. How dare he join forces with us to fight against the court? Moreover, even if the two families join forces, they may not be a match for the Weiguo Army,” Shang Kexi sighed.

"This humble general believes that the Imperial Guard has been fighting south for nearly three years and is exhausted from prolonged warfare. They may not be able to launch a major campaign. We should gather a large force in Guangzhou to guard against unforeseen circumstances!" Sun Kaizong suggested.

"This humble general agrees with what General Sun said," Wu Jinzhong echoed.

Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted, and they all turned their gazes toward Shang Kexi, awaiting their master's opinion.

"Alas! If we don't raise an army to resist, I don't think His Majesty will make things too difficult for the Shang family. But if we do raise an army to resist, I'm afraid our Shang family will follow in the footsteps of the Wu family." Shang Kexi sighed. He had previously mocked Geng Jingzhong for not daring to join forces with them to fight against Wei Ting, but when it came to his own turn, he didn't have much courage either.

"Father fought countless battles to build this great empire. How can we possibly hand it over to others? If the Imperial Guard wants to come to Guangzhou, the most likely route is through Zhaoqing. His Majesty also mentioned in his letter that they would pass through Cangwu, then through Zhaoqing, and enter Guangzhou. He has instructed us to prepare to receive them. I am willing to lead a force to Zhaoqing to stop the Imperial Guard. We must not let them enter Guangzhou!" Shang Zhixin shouted.

“You are my eldest son. If you lead the army, we will have no room for maneuver before the court. I have already ordered General Cao Zhi of Huizhou, General Zhang Guoxun of Chaozhou, General Wang Guodong of Nanxiong, Deputy General Tan Jieyuan of Leizhou, Deputy General Chu Jingong of Shaozhou, and Deputy General Zou Rui of Raoping to lead 60,000 troops to defend Zhaoqing. If we are defeated, we can say that our subordinates were disrespectful and it was not my intention,” Shang Kexi said with a bitter face. “However, there is one problem: we have already submitted to David. What reason do we, as subjects, have to stop our lord from touring Guangzhou?”

“You can use the excuse of the plague outbreak in Guangzhou to request His Majesty to postpone his visit,” Li Tianzhi said, offering a reason that was hardly a valid one.

"Sigh! That's just how it is~" Shang Kexi sighed.
-
Since ancient times, strength has determined tactics. When the Great Khan of Lotus was weak, he often used deception, claiming to have passed through places that were not actually true. But now that he was powerful, he began to value credibility. How could an emperor command the people if he lacked credibility? Most importantly, he felt that with his 380,000 troops, he was more than capable of dealing with the two vassal states of Shang and Geng, and there was no need for deception anymore. He thought that marching through Cangwu, Zhaoqing, and Guangzhou would be fine. However, upon arriving in Wuzhou, he was informed that Shang Kexi had deployed a large army in Zhaoqing, east of Wuzhou, and that the 68-year-old prince had submitted a memorial requesting that the emperor postpone his inspection tour due to a plague outbreak in Guangzhou.

"What plague! It's clearly that old Shang treats Guangdong as his private property, afraid I'll take over his territory! How despicable! Under heaven, all land belongs to the emperor. I can go wherever I want, who dares to stop me?" After reading the memorial, Suletan angrily drew his precious sword, Yili Te, and cursed loudly. Suddenly remembering he must maintain his imperial demeanor, he angrily sheathed the sword, stroking his long beard and sneering. Seeing the emperor stroking his beard again, the high-ranking officials, well aware of the emperor's nature, all fell silent, fearing to anger him.

"Pfft~" Hu Lianqi, the Minister of Revenue, suddenly laughed out loud, "Your Majesty need not be angry. I expect that this trip will not take much effort and Guangdong will be easily captured."

"Oh? Shang Kexi is cunning and treacherous, not easy to deal with. Why do you think I can easily take Guangdong, Minister Hu?" Sultan asked curiously, his expression softening.

"Although Shang Kexi is cunning and treacherous, he lacks the courage of Wu Sangui. He wants to prevent Your Majesty from entering Guangdong, but he dares not openly confront Your Majesty. He and his sons hide in Guangzhou, ordering only his generals to guard Zhaoqing. The garrison in Zhaoqing is divided among various towns, and its strength is far weaker than ours. Moreover, Shang Kexi is not personally present, and the commander-in-chief Cao Zhi lacks prestige and cannot unify command. How can we not be defeated? Therefore, I believe that as soon as our army arrives, Guangdong will be within our grasp," Hu Lianqi explained with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Sultan was overjoyed. He deliberately put on a stern face and said to Hu Lianqi, "You must not be careless. Shangjun is a veteran of many battles and cannot be underestimated." After saying this, he immediately ordered the army to set off from Wuzhou and attack Zhaoqing.

The first battle between the two sides took place at the mouth of the Hejiang River on the west bank of the Kaijiang River. The vanguard of the Wei army, Xirimo, was extremely brave. He personally led his iron cavalry to break through the military formation of the Shang army in Chaozhou Town and killed Wang Chengye, the deputy general of Chaozhou. Xirimo's subordinate, the second-class general Palibopala Gesang, also made great contributions and killed Wang Liangjun, the assistant general of the Shang army.

In this battle, the Wei army annihilated over three thousand Shang soldiers with only a hundred casualties, capturing the important Hejiangkou ferry crossing on the west bank of the Kaijiang River. The Great Khan was overjoyed, but instead of crossing the river, he remained at Hejiangkou, keeping a watchful eye on Zhaoqing.

As night deepened, he summoned Hada, the commander of the Black-Clad Guard, and calmly asked, "Hada, how have you handled the matter I entrusted to you?"

"Your Majesty, I have successfully persuaded Lu Xingzu, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Liu Bingquan, the Governor of Guangdong, and Liu Bingzheng, the Governor of Fujian, appointed by Wu Sangui, to submit to the Celestial Empire," Hada replied respectfully. Although these were all high-ranking officials, they were all civil servants with little military power. The Great Khan simply smiled and remained noncommittal.

Hada, well aware of the dragon's nature, continued, "The brothers Gao Liangfu, the military commander of Haifeng, and Gao Liangzhen, the military commander of Jieshiwei, were originally local tyrants in Haifeng. They have always been dissatisfied with the Shang family, but have been persuaded by the servants to submit. Wang Guodong, the general of Nanxiong, was once awarded the title of 'Winged Brave General' by Wu Sangui, which offended Shang Kexi and has also wavered. We still need to put in some effort."

Hearing this, Sultan nodded repeatedly, patting Hada on the back and advising, "You must focus your efforts on the commanding generals. As long as they are willing to surrender, give them official positions and money if they want them." (End of Chapter)