Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

They set out in the spring or summer, and arrived in late autumn. After a four-month journey, the 300,000-strong army of the Great Khan of Lotus finally returned to Beijing. Having been away from home for three years, the veteran Sultan, thinking of his long-separated family, was surprisingly moved. From a distance, he strained his horse to gaze towards the capital from Andingmen. According to the customs of the Great Kingdom, armies departed from Deshengmen, symbolizing "a victorious start," and returned through Andingmen, symbolizing "peace and stability throughout the land." Finally, a long line of figures appeared before his eyes: Crown Prince Zhuoligetu, along with Grand Secretary Batuhotan, Second Grand Secretary Tiemoer, Grand Secretaries Nasutu and Xue Zongzhou, Minister of Personnel Hashiha, and other civil and military officials, greeted them outside.

"Your son and all the officials stationed in Beijing congratulate Father Khan on his triumphant return after conquering the south, and on the prosperity of our Great Khan's kingdom and the hearts of the people!" Upon seeing his father, Crown Prince Zhuoligetu knelt on the ground, weeping uncontrollably. This was partly due to the natural bond between father and son, and partly due to the guidance of his tutor, Ma La. Great Khan had established his kingdom through military prowess. During this southern campaign, his younger brothers, accompanying their father, had repeatedly distinguished themselves in battle, their prestige growing daily. This inevitably made the Crown Prince, who remained in Beijing without any military achievements, uneasy. Ma La then advised him: "In terms of military merit, you are inferior to the princes. When the Great Khan returns to the capital, you only need to show a look of excitement and sorrow!"

Since ancient times, the bond between father and son has been strong. Even the ruthless and ruthless Khan, Lotus Khan, had a tender side when it came to his son. Seeing his son crying so sadly, Sultan felt both warm and sad. His son was worried about him while he was away on campaign, which was why he was in tears when they met. Such filial piety was truly a blessing from the Eternal Heaven! The sadness came from the fact that he had been away on campaigns for many years and had little time to spend with his family. How could he not be heartbroken when they finally met?

"Foolish child! Didn't I return alive? Why are you crying? Hold back your tears. We Mongolians shed blood, not tears!" The excited Great Khan jumped off his warhorse, helped the Crown Prince up, gave him a Mongolian-style hug, and whispered a reminder to be mindful of the Crown Prince's demeanor. Then, this supreme ruler greeted the ministers behind the Crown Prince, including Batu Hetan, Temoer, Nasutu, Xue Zongzhou, and Hashha. "Batu Hetan, it's been three years! Your back must be bent from exhaustion!" "Temoer, your hair has turned completely white!" "Hashha, your beard is still as imposing as ever!"... With these warm greetings, the atmosphere gradually became cheerful.

Suddenly, the Great Khan noticed Agula, the son of Bars, the Prince of Hezhou. Bars had also been supposed to accompany the army on the southern expedition, but had fallen ill before departure and was unable to go. Seeing Agula dressed in mourning clothes, unlike anyone else, the Great Khan was terrified and asked in a trembling voice, "Agula, why are you dressed like this? Where is Bars? Why haven't I seen my Oirat Tiger?"

"Reporting to the Great Khan, Eqige (Father) returned to the embrace of the Eternal Heaven seven days ago! His greatest regret before his death was not being able to see you, Great Khan! Waaah~ Waaah~ Waaah~" Agula burst into tears upon hearing this.

"If only I could have returned seven days earlier! Eternal Heaven, why did you take away my Oirat Tiger?" The usually strong Khan couldn't help but shed tears upon hearing the news of Barth's death. His weeping was followed by wailing from his civil and military officials.

"Today is a day of triumph, a day to celebrate. Please, Great Khan, take heed of your grief!" Chief Minister Batu Hotan approached Sultan and whispered his advice, "The people are watching you!"

After being persuaded by his old ministers Batu and Tan, Suletan regained his composure and led his army slowly into the city. His first act upon entering was to issue an edict ordering Bars' son, Agula, to inherit his father's title of Prince of Hezhou. However, this was met with opposition from the upright old minister, Minister of Personnel, Hashha: "Great Khan, according to our dynasty's system, descendants inheriting a title must be demoted one rank, except for those who die in battle. Bars died at home from illness; according to the rules, his son Agula must inherit the title one rank lower, and can only be granted the title of First-Class Duke."

"Hashha, are you senile? Agula's father, Barth, fought his entire life for David; Agula's son, Chaolemen, shielded me from an assassin's bullet and died before my eyes. Such great deeds by father and son, shouldn't they also be attributed to Agula? Enough talk, immediately draft an edict to bestow upon Agula the title of Prince of Hejian!" Suletan roared in fury, issuing the order decisively. Although this edict was not in accordance with the established system, it truly warmed the hearts of the meritorious officials; everyone said their lord was a loyal and righteous hero!
Then, Sultan ordered a reward for the army, bestowing not only titles and official ranks, but also a sea of ​​gold, silver, and livestock, which caused a great uproar. The warriors risked their lives on the battlefield, driven by loyalty and righteousness, but also by the desire for wealth and status, and the Great Khan was always generous in rewarding his meritorious officials, turning the army into a sea of ​​joy.

Then came a host of messy and tedious matters. Grand Secretary Xue Zongzhou submitted a memorial stating that the Grand Canal had fallen into disrepair over the years, with parts of the canal silted up, and requested the Ministry of Revenue to allocate 400,000 taels of silver for dredging. Despite years of war and a depleted treasury, the Great Khan, well aware of the canal's importance, gritted his teeth and approved the request. However, as wise as he was, he also instructed the Ministry of Revenue to gradually shift grain transport routes from river to sea, thus saving the court's expenses. Minister of Justice Mi Guozhen submitted a memorial requesting changes to the laws. The original Davidic Law, derived from the Mongol-Oirat Code, while having many improvements over previous Mongol laws, still retained many privileges, such as levying only half the tax on temple land. Minister Mi, who believed that princes were subject to the same laws as commoners, resolutely demanded the abolition of these privileges and added many new offenses to reflect the changing times, such as refusing to pay wages without cause and riding a horse while drunk. After reading it, the Great Khan found it very reasonable and ordered it to be promulgated throughout the country. The Minister of Rites, Zuo Shedou, noting that fewer northern students passed the imperial examinations than southern students, proposed separating the examinations into northern and southern lists. The Great Khan frowned upon hearing this and did not agree. However, he did order an increase in the number of military candidates in the imperial examinations, and also ordered the establishment of the Imperial Army Academy and the Imperial Navy Academy, selecting skilled military personnel from the military examinations to study there, with graduates directly granted the rank of seventh-grade military officer…

The memorial submitted by Minister of War, Harahuli, delighted the Great Khan. King Yi of Joseon dispatched Hong Jung-po, the military governor of Pyongan Province and the protectorate general of Ningbian, and Li Zhengying, the naval commander, with 10,000 naval troops and 200 warships to Tianjin. He ordered Grand Secretary Nasutu to represent him in Tianjin to entertain the Joseon generals. He also ordered Hu Lianqi and Harahuli to gather all the rented civilian ships from the north in Tianjin and assign them to the command of generals such as Tianjin Naval Vice Admiral Seter and Jinzhou Naval Commander Ayuqi. He also ordered the widespread recruitment of fishermen's sons from the north into the army. Even the 2,000 Joseon Han Army naval troops under the Joseon Han Army generals Pei Sansheng and Zheng Xianjia were conscripted. As for the civilian ships rented from the southern provinces, they were sent directly to Guangzhou and Fuzhou and handed over to the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Mandulatu, and the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian, Suhe, to expand the navy and prepare for war.

Many things are complicated, but there will eventually be a solution! (End of Chapter)