Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

On the city wall of Tong'an, two soldiers of the Zheng army, one old and one new, were chatting idly.

"Brother Chen, the guards outside the city have been stationed there for so many days without making a move. What are they planning?" the new recruit asked the veteran curiously.

"It's nothing. They want to take back Tong'an, but they don't dare to offend us, so they can only resort to this trick, garrisoning troops to scare us," said the old soldier surnamed Chen, dismissing the densely packed garrison camps outside the city.

"Are you saying that the Wei army is afraid of us? But the territory of Wei is so vast, and its army is so large, how could they be afraid of us?" The new recruit did not believe it.

"Heh heh, you don't know! They have many soldiers, but few warships, and their navy is easily defeated. If they offend us, the coastal provinces will never have peace! Back in the day, we followed Lord Koxinga across the oceans, and the coastal garrisons would flee at the mere sight of our flag—how splendid that was!" The old soldier was recounting his glorious past with pride when suddenly his pupils constricted, and he cried out, "Not good! The Imperial Guards are making a move! Report to the General immediately!"

Outside the city, horns blared and war drums thundered as squads of guards marched out of their camp, forming battle formations, and slowly approached the city walls.

"All troops, hold your positions and prepare for battle!" Upon seeing this, Zhang Shiyao, the garrison commander of Tong'an, ordered his men to prepare for battle while sending a messenger by fast boat to Kinmen to report to Liu Guoxuan, the central admiral in charge of the Fujian campaign.

"Boom~ Boom~ Boom~" "Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~" "Bang~ Bang~ Bang~"

The cannons roared, and bullets flew everywhere, creating a scene of intense fighting. However, the number of garrison troops directly attacking the city was small. After more than an hour of fierce fighting, leaving dozens of corpses, they were repelled by the Zheng army. Zhang Shiyao, the garrison commander of Tong'an, breathed a sigh of relief. He was originally a Qing army general who had surrendered, not a direct descendant of the Zheng family. That was why he was assigned to garrison Tong'an, a frontline position, with only three thousand men under his command, while there were fifteen thousand garrison troops outside the city. He had thought he couldn't hold out, but unexpectedly, he had managed to hold out. Although outnumbered, Zhang Shiyao had no intention of surrendering. He had no choice but to have confidence in his former subordinate and current superior, Liu Guoxuan. Admiral Liu was the most valiant general in the army, and upon hearing of Tong'an's plight, he would surely send troops to its aid!

"Brother Bai, what exactly does Commander Li mean? He orders us to lead the army to attack the city, but he won't let us actually fight," General Chen Zhong of the Imperial Guard asked another general, Bai Xianzong. The two were both former generals under Geng Jingzhong and had a very good relationship.

“Brother, be careful with your words. The military has its own rules and regulations. How can we presume to comment?” Bai Xianzong hurriedly advised. He was more shrewd than Chen Zhong, implying that as a surrendered general, he should simply obey orders and refrain from making reckless comments. The area around Kinmen and the opposite bank, including Zhongzuosuo (Xiamen City), was originally Zheng's stronghold. Although Zheng Jing suddenly led his army to seize Kinmen and Tong'an, Zhongzuosuo City was still under the control of the Wei army. Liu Guoxuan, the admiral of Zheng's army, stood on the beach, gazing in the direction of Zhongzuosuo City, and sighed in his heart: How could the once-great King Yanping have acted so half-heartedly! When Zheng Jing took advantage of the battle between the Wei army and the Geng army, he seized parts of Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, intending to take Zhongzuosuo City near Kinmen as well. However, the Wei army made rapid progress. Liu Xuezheng, a former general under Wu Sangui and the guerrilla commander of Anshun Town, was eager to make a name for himself and led more than a thousand soldiers into Zhongzuosuo City. Seeing that the city had been raised with the banners of the Imperial Guard, Zheng Jing, who was usually decisive, dared not attack. It wasn't until later, when the Imperial Guard commanders Yang Yingxuan and Zheng Geng led their troops in, that the defenders of Zhongzuo Fortress increased to six thousand, making it even more difficult to conquer!

Forty-three-year-old Liu Guoxuan is a robust and powerful man. The influence of Hakka culture and the harsh environment of the mountains instilled in him a resolute and tenacious character from a young age. He rose from a humble gatekeeper in Zhangzhou to his current high position, wielding command of the left and right guards, and becoming one of the three pillars of Zheng Jing's army, alongside Chen Yonghua and Feng Xifan. His success is attributed to his distinguished military achievements. When the Qing army entered Fujian, he joined them due to family misfortune, becoming a gatekeeper in Zhangzhou. Through meritorious service, he rose to the rank of garrison commander. Later, admiring Zheng Chenggong's righteous actions, he opened the gates of Zhangzhou, forcing the garrison commander Zhang Shiyao and others to surrender. After surrendering, he fought bravely and strategically, following Zheng Chenggong in the Northern Expedition to Nanjing and the recapture of Taiwan, repeatedly achieving military merits. Especially in the recapture of Taiwan, he led from the front, personally leading archers with Commander Ma Xin to repel the Dutch counterattack, earning Zheng Chenggong's appreciation and increasing his power. After Zheng Jing succeeded to the throne, he was ordered to garrison Jilong Mountain, where he led troops in numerous campaigns against the Taiwanese aboriginal tribes, annihilating tribes such as Shalu and defeating the Douwei and Long'an tribes. Gradually gaining the emperor's trust, he became Zheng Jing's garrison commander, and later served as the Left and Right Imperial Guards, forming a triumvirate with Chen Yonghua and Feng Xifan. This time, he was further appointed as the Central Admiral and Governor-General of Fujian Military Affairs. Interestingly, his former superior, Zhang Shiyao, had now become his subordinate.

"General, there is an urgent military situation!" Liu Guoxuan was complaining that Zheng Jing was cowardly and did not take Zhongzuo Fortress, which resulted in Kinmen having one less barrier. Then, Admiral Wu Shu arrived with several military reports in his hand.

"Urgent military intelligence? Could it be that Zheng Geng is up to something again?" Liu Guoxuan frowned upon hearing this. Zheng Geng, the garrison commander stationed at Zhongzuosuo, was originally a cousin of Zheng Jing. After Zheng Chenggong's death, Zheng Jing fought for the throne with his uncle Zheng Xi. Because his uncle Zheng Tai sided with Zheng Xi, Zheng Jing plotted to kill Zheng Tai. Zheng Tai's son, Zheng Zuanxu, along with his two cousins ​​Zheng Mingjun and Zheng Geng, surrendered to the Qing Dynasty with over seven thousand men and were placed under the command of the Geng family. Later, during the battle when the Wei army entered Fujian, Zheng Geng defected to the Wei Kingdom and was granted the title of garrison commander. Because he almost died at the hands of Zheng Jing during the power struggle, Zheng Geng harbored a grudge against Zheng Jing. After being stationed at Zhongzuosuo, he frequently ordered his men to harass the Zheng army stationed at Kinmen. Upon hearing of the urgent military intelligence, Liu Guoxuan's first reaction was that Zheng Geng had sent troops to cause trouble again. However, upon opening the first military report, the commander was stunned.

"The Imperial Guard is attacking Tong'an City? Is the news true?" Liu Guoxuan asked, his tiger-like eyes wide open.

“The news is true. According to the man sent by Zhang Shiyao, on April 3, the Fujian Provincial Commander Li Yingming, General Bai Xianzong, and Chen Zhong led their troops to attack Tongan City. A fierce battle broke out between the two sides, and the city was in imminent danger! In addition, the Wei army also harassed Zhangpu County, Zhenhaiwei, and Tongshan Garrison on the same day,” Wu Shu described the situation in detail with a hint of nervousness.

Liu Guoxuan carefully examined the military report. Sure enough, on April 3rd, the Imperial Guard made significant moves. Besides Zhang Shiyao's report that the Imperial Guard had already attacked Tong'an City, the garrison commanders of Zhangpu (Su Kan), Zhenhai (Liu Yinglin), and Tongshan (Zheng Zheshun) all reported that the Imperial Guard had conducted military operations in these three locations, either firing cannons and arrows at the city walls or sending ships to harass their transport vessels. The timing of all these actions on the same day was clearly not accidental, but rather a carefully planned event; the Imperial Guard was truly about to make its move!
"Hesitation leads to disaster! The Prince of Yanping has made a mistake!" Liu Guoxuan sighed after reading this.

Seeing his reaction, Wu Shu asked urgently, "General, should we rescue Tong'an?"

"No," Liu Guoxuan shook his head, "The troops under Zhou Biao, Wu Jinzhong, Sun Kaizong, and Xu Shangchao are all stationed near Kinmen. Our forces are limited, and if we leave rashly, Kinmen may fall. We can only wait for Your Highness's army to arrive before sending troops to its rescue!" (End of this chapter)