Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

At the Kaijiang East Bank water fortress, Zhang Guoxun, the naval commander of Chaozhou, stared silently at a worn-out letter. The letter was written by Lu Xingzu, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi. Lu Xingzu had long been on good terms with Wu Sangui, but his relationship with Shang Kexi was lukewarm. Under the influence of the Wuyiwei (a secret police unit), he had surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and was writing to persuade Zhang Guoxun to join him. Although this governor-general was constrained by Shang Kexi and held little real power, he was still a powerful governor-general of two provinces, and his surrender greatly shocked Zhang Guoxun. Zhang Guoxun's father was originally a general under Zuo Liangyu, the Marquis of Ningnan in the Ming Dynasty. After surrendering to the Qing with Zuo Liangyu's son, Zuo Menggeng, he was incorporated into the Han Chinese Plain Red Banner Army. Although not a confidant of Shang Kexi, Shang Kexi still valued him and appointed him as the naval commander-in-chief. He felt somewhat embarrassed to betray his lord and surrender to another; furthermore, the Qing Dynasty had not specified what position he would receive after surrendering, and surrendered generals have always had a difficult life, hence his hesitation.

"General, something terrible has happened! Soldiers have fled back from the other side of the river. Hejiangkou has fallen, and Generals Wang Chengye and Wang Liangjun have been killed in action!" Just as I was feeling troubled, my trusted confidant came to report.

"What!" Zhang Guoxun gasped. The Wang father and son were renowned generals in his army, how could they have lost Hejiangkou so quickly? Composing himself, he asked, "Why haven't we seen any beacon fires lit on the other side?"

"According to the deserters, the guards were all cavalry, and they were extremely fast. The garrison at Hejiangkou was breached before they could even set off the beacon fires."

"Alas~ It seems this time the odds are against us!" Zhang Guoxun secretly blamed himself for not replying immediately after seeing Lu Xingzu's letter. Now that the Wei army is so close on the other side, even if he immediately sent someone by boat to make contact, it would probably be too late!

"General, there's a man outside the camp claiming to be an old friend of yours requesting an audience?" Just as I was feeling annoyed, a guard came to report.

"An old friend?" Zhang Guoxun frowned and ordered him to be brought in. Upon seeing him, he was overjoyed. The man who came was none other than Lu Xingzu, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi.

"Governor, what brings you here?" Upon seeing him, Zhang Guoxun immediately felt reassured.

"I have come here specifically to rescue the general! Hahaha~" Lu Xingzu laughed heartily.
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"The soldiers are ready. Whether to cross the river is at the Khan's command," Cai Lu, the Henan Admiral, pleaded with the Great Khan of Lotus. On the west bank of the Kai River, rows of warships stood in neat formation, their masts already raised and sails hoisted, awaiting only the order to sail to the opposite bank. Northerners were not skilled in naval warfare, and for this crossing, the Great Khan specifically appointed the southern soldiers under Cai Lu, the Henan Admiral, and Deng Junbi, the Anqing General, as the vanguard. Although news came from the Black-Clad Guards that Lu Xingzu had persuaded Zhang Guoxun's troops to surrender, as the commander-in-chief, how could he entrust victory to the enemy's surrender? The Oirat War God remained prepared for battle.

The preparations proved ineffective. Cai Lu led his 30,000-strong navy and over 500 ships slowly toward the opposite bank. The Shangjun naval camp on the opposite bank also dispatched over 200 vessels of various sizes; however, under Zhang Guoxun's orders, these ships obediently raised white flags and made way. The battle-hardened Cai Lu did not let his guard down. He sent his men by fast boat to contact Zhang Guoxun, ordering him to dock and await the incorporation of the garrison. Zhang Guoxun readily complied and led his troops ashore.

The Wei army landed successfully. Cai Lu and Deng Junbi, without further ado, led Zhang Guoxun's surrendered troops straight towards Shang's army formation. Upon hearing that the Wei army had crossed the river, Shang's commander-in-chief, Cao Zhi, the general of Huizhou, hurriedly led his troops to form ranks and attack the newly landed Wei army. Unexpectedly, just as they approached the Wei army's formation, Wang Guodong, the general of Nanxiong, suddenly rebelled, charging into Raoping Town and beheading Raoping's deputy general, Zou Rui, with a single stroke. When Wu Sangui was at the height of his power, Wang Guodong had wholeheartedly pledged allegiance to him and was appointed Winged General by Wu Sangui, which was a major taboo for Shang Kexi. Over the years, he had been ostracized and, persuaded by Lu Xingzu, defected on the battlefield. Cao Zhi was shocked and hurriedly ordered the deputy generals of Leizhou, Tan Jieyuan and Chu Jingong, to attack Wang Guodong from both sides. Just as chaos erupted, a commotion arose among his subordinates, and the military commanders of Haifeng, Gao Liangfu, and Jieshiwei, Gao Liangzhen, led their troops into the central army and charged straight at Shang's main banner. The Gao brothers were originally local tyrants from Haifeng, Huizhou, Guangdong. Although they were incorporated into Cao Zhi's forces, they were always unruly and secretly defected to Wei Daguo. Taking advantage of the situation, they launched an attack, catching General Cao off guard. Just as Cao was about to turn his horse and flee, Gao Liangfu arrived and fiercely thrust his spear through him, causing Cao to fall from his horse.

With Cao Zhi dead, the Shang army, still resisting, scattered like birds and beasts. Shaozhou's deputy general, Chu Jingong, was caught and killed by Zhang Guoxun, eager for glory. Leizhou's deputy general, Tan Jieyuan, was quick-witted; seeing the dire situation, he immediately led his troops to kneel and surrender. The Wei army, suffering only a few dozen casualties, won the battle to cross the river, killing nearly ten thousand Shang soldiers, capturing over ten thousand, and incorporating thirty thousand surrendered troops. After the battle, the Wei army's numbers not only didn't decrease, but increased to four hundred and one thousand due to the addition of thirty thousand surrendered soldiers. "Just as you said, with the arrival of our army, Guangdong is within our grasp!" Upon hearing the results, the Great Khan of Lotus laughed heartily, punched Hu Lianqi hard, and ordered an immediate attack on Guangning and Sihui, crossing the North River at Sihui to directly seize Guangzhou.
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Changting County, the seat of Tingzhou Prefecture in Fujian Province, is located on the southern slope of the Wuyi Mountains. Since ancient times, it has been a vital transportation hub and border pass connecting Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangxi provinces, and is known as the western gateway of Fujian. Now, this gateway is in grave danger. Prince Qin, Zhuosiji, and the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Mandulatu, have led more than 60,000 guards to surround it, completely blocking the more than 10,000 garrison troops inside the city.

"Is Xuan Chu (Liu Maoxia's courtesy name) confident in persuading the garrison to surrender?" the young Chosiji asked, looking at Liu Maoxia, the governor of Fujian. This man had been appointed governor by his father, the Khan, as soon as he surrendered, which showed the great favor the emperor had bestowed upon him and could not be neglected.

"Lin Tianqing, the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian who is defending the city, was originally a confidant of Wu Sangui and was not well-liked by the Geng family. His generals, such as Chen Hui and Wei Ming, were all surrendered generals of the Zheng family and had no loyalty to the Geng family whatsoever. These people are now trapped in an isolated city and have no other way out. As long as we show our sincerity, they will definitely surrender. I had a very good personal relationship with Lin Tianqing in Kunming in the past, and I am willing to personally enter the city to persuade him to surrender," Liu Maoxia said confidently.

“Absolutely not. Lin Tianqing’s men are mostly pirates, and they are ruthless by nature. You are a great talent that Father Khan values ​​highly. If something happens to you after you enter the city, how can I explain it to Father Khan?” Chosiji quickly refused.

“Lin Tianqing is a scholar who values ​​his reputation highly. If I don’t go in person, I’m afraid he might not be willing to surrender. Your Highness, rest assured, I am absolutely certain,” Liu Maoxia insisted.

Seeing that he could not persuade him otherwise, Chosiji stopped trying to stop him and had no choice but to let him enter the city with a few followers.

"Xuan Chu (Liu Maoxia's courtesy name) has great courage! He actually dared to enter the city alone!" Sure enough, seeing Liu Maoxia come to see him in person, Lin Tianqing was moved, but still asked with a stern face.

"Lord Lin is a close friend of mine. I still remember when Lord Lin was the governor of Huguang, he wrote a couplet for the prefectural school: 'Only in Chu are there talents; here they flourish.' I really couldn't bear to see such a great talent as yours wither away, so I risked my life to enter the city to persuade you, which can be considered as fulfilling my duty as a friend. If you don't listen, please cut off my head first," Liu Maoxia chuckled.

"Alas~ Xuan Chu has treated me so well, how could I possibly harm him?" Lin Tianqing sighed deeply, and gladly decided to submit to the Kingdom of Wei. (End of Chapter)