Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"Lin Tianqing has surrendered to Wei, and the Wei army captured Tingzhou without losing a single soldier and is now advancing towards Yanping Prefecture." Upon hearing this news at the Min King's Mansion in Fuzhou, Geng Jingzhong, the heir apparent of the Min King, paled. His father, Geng Jimao, was too ill to speak clearly. Geng Jingzhong, in his father's name, had submitted a memorial to the court requesting permission to inherit the title of Min King. He had thought it would be a matter of course, but after the memorial was submitted, there was no response, not even a ripple. Then came the news that Prince Qin, Zhuosiji, had led his army into Fujian from Jiangxi. Not only that, but the Yanping King of Taiwan had also led his army to capture Kinmen and Tong'an in Quanzhou Prefecture, and Tongshan, Zhangpu, and Zhenhai in Zhangzhou Prefecture, adding fuel to the fire. Troops needed to be deployed everywhere, but the available forces were limited! Zheng Jing, Zheng Jing, did you think you could rest easy just because you had the sea as a barrier? Not only did you not help us defend, but you took advantage of our misfortune. I'm afraid that after the court has dealt with us, your next target will be you!
Geng Jingzhong sighed inwardly, yet he was powerless against the short-sighted Zheng Jing. In truth, the Zheng family had always considered Fujian their ancestral homeland, and Taiwan, with its small size and limited resources, would be a target of constant raids regardless of who occupied Fujian—a consequence of self-interest, not entirely due to short-sightedness. Left with no other choice, he ordered his second brother, Geng Zhaozhong, and third brother, Geng Juzhong, to remain in Fuzhou, while he, along with Zeng Yangxing, Bai Xianzong, Ma Jiuyu, Yan Biao, and others, led 70,000 troops to Yanping Prefecture to block their advance. He ordered Ma Jiuyu to lead 15,000 naval troops up the Jianjiang River to Nanping, the capital of Yanping Prefecture, while he himself led 55,000 cavalry and infantry by land, advancing by both land and sea in a grand and imposing manner. Although the situation was urgent, the heir apparent did not lose heart. According to military reports, the garrison entering Fujian numbered only slightly over 60,000, and even including Lin Tianqing's surrendered troops, the total was only slightly over 70,000—about the same strength as his own. A desperate fight might not necessarily result in defeat.

As night deepened, Geng Jun's land forces camped on the riverbank, while his navy anchored on the Jianjiang River. That night, the navy suddenly broke out infighting, with shouts of battle echoing across the river and flames soaring into the sky. Geng Jingzhong hurriedly sent men in small boats to investigate and learned that Commander-in-Chief Zheng Geng, Chen Zong, Zhang Jie, and Wu Sheng were rebelling and leading their fleet to besiege the fleet of Naval Commander Ma Jiuyu and Deputy Commander Yan Biao. These four generals had once served under Zheng Chenggong and had surrendered to him through amnesty. Unexpectedly, their treacherous nature remained unchanged, and they had betrayed him again! Geng wanted to send troops to quell the rebellion on the river, but he lacked warships and could only watch helplessly from the shore. The rebels were powerful and quickly attacked the flagship of Admiral Ma Jiuyu, killing him and throwing him into the river. They also sank the flagship of Deputy Admiral Yan Biao. Then, they attacked Geng Jun's grain convoy, burning large quantities of grain in the river. After that, Zheng Geng and others led their warships and some captured grain ships along the river to Nanping to join the Wei army.

"How dare these traitors do this!" Geng Jingzhong cursed angrily as he watched the rebel army depart, but there was nothing he could do!
“Your Highness, the army’s morale has been lost. We should return to Fuzhou first,” suggested Admiral Zeng Yangxing. This man was an elder of the Geng family, who had followed Geng Jingzhong’s father, Geng Jimao, in numerous battles and had repeatedly distinguished himself in service. He was also extremely loyal to the Geng family.

"Alas! There's nothing else we can do!" Geng Jingzhong knew that most of his army's grain ships had been burned or looted by the rebels, so he had no choice but to return to Fuzhou for supplies. He ordered Xu Shangchao, Feng Gongfu, and Ye Zhong to lead over ten thousand troops to cover the rear, while he led the main force back to Fuzhou. When they reached Minqing County, his second brother, Geng Zhaozhong, sent another message, saying that the Fujian governor Liu Bingzheng and General Ke Erkun intended to rebel. Fortunately, their father, Geng Jimao, woke up and lured the two into the mansion to be beheaded, thus stabilizing the situation in Fuzhou.

"Only in turbulent times can one truly see the hearts of men! I never imagined even Korkun would betray my father and me!" Geng Jingzhong lamented inwardly. Korkun was originally the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Manchuria. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, he had nowhere to go and sought refuge with Geng Jingzhong's father, Geng Jimao. His father treated him extremely well, promoting him to the rank of General, a truly generous act of kindness. Unexpectedly, when the situation turned against him, he too harbored thoughts of betraying Geng and joining the Wei forces! Fortunately, his father had awakened, and Fuzhou was safe! Thinking of his ailing father, Geng Jingzhong felt a surge of warmth in his heart and urged his men to speed up their march.

When the army was about thirty li from Fuzhou, they suddenly saw Deputy General Xu Shangchao leading a small number of defeated soldiers stumbling back. He said that they had been pursued by the Imperial Guard cavalry, and the rearguard had been routed, with Generals Feng Gongfu and Ye Zhong killed in battle. Upon hearing this news, Geng Jingzhong was heartbroken and had no choice but to lead his army day and night, fleeing back to Fuzhou in a sorry state. As soon as he entered the city, he hurried back to the Prince's Mansion to inquire after his father's well-being.

At this point, Geng Jimao was nearing the end of his life. Although he had regained consciousness, he was merely clinging to life. Upon seeing Geng Jingzhong, the old prince finally breathed a sigh of relief and struggled to utter his last words: "The situation is hopeless. To save our Geng family, you must agree to whatever the court demands! Remember~ Remember~" After saying this, he closed his eyes and fainted again.

Geng Jingzhong was dumbfounded. He had thought his shrewd father would have some brilliant plan, but instead, he was simply instructing him to surrender. However, he also understood that in the current situation, surrendering was the wisest choice. He had heard that Shang Kexi was already surrounded by the Wei army in Guangzhou, and only by surrendering before Shang Kexi was eliminated would it be most advantageous for the Geng family. With this in mind, he immediately sent someone to the Wei army camp to surrender, and then led his 50,000 Geng soldiers, abandoning their armor and weapons, to welcome the Qin King's army. He was prepared for humiliation, having always believed that the victor is king and the loser is villain. Upon seeing Zhuo Siji, he knelt on the ground and confessed his guilt, saying he deserved to die.

"Your Highness, there's no need for such formalities. When you came, your father, the Khan, said that if the Geng family were willing to abandon their plans to cede territory and become independent, and to lead their troops to surrender to the court, their past crimes would be forgiven. Only Geng Jimao's title of Prince would be stripped, and his son Geng Jingzhong would be enfeoffed as the Prince of Gaizhou. Gaizhou is Your Highness's ancestral home; returning to your ancestral land in glory is truly a great favor from the Emperor," said Chosiji, helping Geng Jingzhong up with a smile. In truth, the Great Khan did not want to exterminate the Geng and Shang vassals. Doing so would firstly destabilize the political situation in Fujian and Guangdong provinces, and secondly, it would invite criticism for his betrayal. Therefore, he instructed his son that if the Geng family were willing to surrender, there was no need to kill them all; simply demote them from Prince to Prince of a Commandery and relocate them to their ancestral home. He had even prepared the edict for the re-enfeoffment and handed it to his son.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!" At this moment, Geng Jingzhong was already extremely fortunate to be alive, so how could he dare to have the slightest dissatisfaction? With tears in his eyes, he respectfully accepted the imperial edict and, escorted—no, protected—by the guards, went to his ancestral homeland, Gaizhou in Liaodong, to receive his fief. Although young, the shrewd and experienced Zhuo Siji quickly stabilized the situation in Fujian by dismantling Geng's old troops in various places.
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The Geng family wasn't the only one feeling uneasy; the Shang family in Guangzhou was in the same boat. The Oirat War God was a formidable figure, swift and ruthless in his military campaigns. After capturing Zhaoqing, he pressed on relentlessly, quickly advancing to the gates of Guangzhou.

Upon hearing the news of the collapse of the 60,000-strong army sent to Zhaoqing, Shang Kexi was devastated. He said to his confidants, including Li Tianzhi, Wu Jinzhong, and Sun Kaizong, "Heaven has forsaken me! I am doomed! You have followed me for many years, you do not need to perish with me. Before the guards enter the city, hurry out and surrender!"

The three men looked at each other in bewilderment. After a long pause, Wu Jinzhong roared, "There are still 40,000 troops in the city. We are willing to fight to the death with Your Highness!"

“Yes, we are all willing to live and die with Your Highness,” Li Tianzhi, Sun Kaizong and others also said.

"Father, the army's morale is high, let's fight to the death!" Shang Zhixin shouted, seizing the opportunity.

"Shut up! It's because of what you said that my Shang family has fallen to this state!" Shang Kexi glared fiercely at Shang Zhixin. If looks could kill, he would have killed his son countless times already! Taking a long breath, Fang You said slowly, "The only option now is to surrender. You don't need to worry too much. The Zheng family in Taiwan still exists, and His Majesty may not exterminate them all. However, you must be careful from now on, and even a sneeze must not be loud!"

Old ginger is spicier! Just as he said, the Great Khan of Lotus showed leniency to the Shang family, only demoting Shang Kexi from Prince of Yue to Prince of Hongdong and relocating him to Hongdong, Shanxi. Although he was demoted from a prince to a duke, at least the lives of the entire clan were saved.

To win over the people, the Great Khan ordered that all former Guangdong officials, including the Guangdong Governor Liu Bingquan, who had submitted to the court, retain their original positions. He also disbanded Shang's former subordinates, following the precedent set in Fujian, and distributed them to various regions. With this, the situation in Guangdong was quickly stabilized. (End of Chapter)