Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

The thirty-second year of the Qianyuan era (1675) passed peacefully. The Great Khan Lianhua fulfilled his promise to his ministers, focusing entirely on domestic affairs for the entire year without launching any major wars. After a year of diligent governance, the people's livelihood recovered, and the treasury of the Great Khan held over eight million taels of silver, presenting a thriving scene. Young mothers strolled hand-in-hand with their husbands and children through the fields, no longer worrying that the sound of war would leave them alone with their babies. Peace! Peace! In the eyes of ordinary people, this was the greatest blessing!

As he aged, the Great Khan grew increasingly weary of life on horseback and longed to remain in the palace, conversing with his consorts. However, his desire for tranquility was thwarted by unforeseen circumstances. Just as he was indulging in the comforts of the Forbidden City, news arrived from the south: Aurangzeb the Great of India had his envoy to Delhi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wei Zhifan, beaten and driven out of the palace. Poor Wei Zhifan, his buttocks still raw from the blows, was expelled from Delhi, utterly miserable! Shamed and enraged, on his return journey, he submitted a memorial to the Great Khan, denouncing the Mughal Emperor's unreasonable actions.

This beating was well-deserved! Aurangzeb, who called himself "Alamgir" (meaning "World Conqueror"), as the master of the world, how could he tolerate the aggression of a barbarian nation? He had already largely quelled the rebellion in Afghanistan and was preparing to lead his army south to wipe out the Marathas who dared to resist him. At this critical moment, the ignorant Emperor of Mughal Empire dared to send an envoy to admonish them: "The Maratha king, Jatrapati Shivaji, has submitted to David, and the Maratha kingdom is now David's vassal state. Please, Mughal Empire, exercise restraint and do not attack them. Otherwise, you will taste the sharpness of the Mongol saber!"
A vassal state of Wei? Bah! What's so great about your Wei state? How dare you run wild on my territory! Aurangzeb had long regarded the Deccan region, belonging to the Marathas, as his own backyard; how could he allow other countries to interfere? Therefore, he ordered his men to give Wei Zhifan a severe beating. The beating left him bloodied and looked serious, but most of the injuries were to his buttocks, posing no danger to his life. He was then slunk out of Delhi.

I heard that the Wei envoy was helped onto the carriage to return home, groaning and complaining of pain the whole way. The Emperor was delighted. "I intend to use this beating of the envoy to warn the Khan of Wei not to think that just because you have some power you dare to boss me around," he thought. "And to warn the Marathi people not to think that just because you've allied yourself with Wei you can act with impunity. I'm going to wipe you out! Let's see if that Khan can save you!"

Having vented his anger by defeating the Marathons, he ordered his uncle Shasta Khan to lead a large army to conquer them as quickly as possible. At the same time, he sent envoys to two small southern kingdoms, Bijapur and Golkunda, which also worshipped Allah, requesting their cooperation in a pincer movement to divide the Marathon lands. The mission was successful; the sultans of both Bijapur and Golkunda agreed to send troops.

"These two fools! Once I've wiped out the Marathas, I'll destroy you and unify all of India!" Upon hearing that the two sultans had agreed to send troops to help, the emperor's face broke into a wicked grin.

"That scoundrel Aurangzeb is utterly disrespectful! How dare he beat my envoy! He didn't just beat Wei Zhifan, he beat me! He beat the Great Kingdom of David! Such a disgrace can only be washed away with the blood of the enemy! I will send troops to wipe out the Mughal Empire, cut off that scoundrel's head and hang it on the city wall for vultures to eat, only then can I vent my anger!" Inside the Qian Yuan Hall, after explaining the whole story, the Great Khan roared at his ministers.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the army to fight, to avenge the Great Khan and to wipe away the shame of David." "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the army to crush the Mughal Empire and cut off Aurangzeb's head to present to the Great Khan." "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the army to fight." Upon hearing that there was a battle, the generals immediately became excited and vied to volunteer for the battle.

"The journey from Tibet to India involves traversing numerous towering mountains and treacherous terrains, making transportation extremely difficult. Once war breaks out, it will not be a short-term affair. I fear that if the war drags on, the meager resources that the Ministry of Revenue has painstakingly accumulated will soon be depleted," Hu Lianqi, the Minister of Revenue, advised.

As a veteran minister who had served the emperor for many years, he knew very well what the emperor was thinking. He had finally endured more than a year, but his ambition to expand the territory was starting to stir again! It was just a pity that the people had only enjoyed more than a year of peace and now had to face war again! His Majesty deliberately announced the news of the envoy's humiliation in court, which was clearly a prelude to launching a war. His Majesty's mind was made up, and direct persuasion would not work. He could only emphasize the objective difficulties and delay the start of the war.

Sure enough, when Hu Lianqi mentioned the treacherous terrain and difficult passage from Tibet to India, the Great Khan fell into deep thought. He knew Hu Lianqi was telling the truth; when he sent Wei Zhifan on his mission, he had already arranged for surveyors to mark the elevations of the mountains leading from Tibet to India. Indeed, the terrain was extremely treacherous, and transportation was incredibly difficult. If they were to fight from Tibet into India, the enemy could easily hold key positions, and the war would drag on. By then, the eight million taels of silver he had painstakingly accumulated over a year of recuperation might not be enough!

The Great Khan, who had been terrified of poverty, immediately calmed down and said indifferently, "Minister Hu's words are also reasonable. Let's discuss the matter of attacking the Seal later. The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue should make preparations first."

After the court session, the Great Khan returned to the Qianqing Palace to review the memorials. He specifically ordered an attendant to bring out the memorials from the Second-Class Duke of Kucha and the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, Alatan Cang, for careful study.

The memorial submitted by Alatan Cang was a request for commendation, for a commoner who was serving on the Yunnan-Burma border and was formerly a second-class Hoboksari Marquis, Ebodui Wulanghai.

Obodui Ulanghai was the Empress's elder brother and the Crown Prince's maternal uncle. Although he had been demoted to Yunnan to guard the border for committing a crime, everyone knew that he would be reinstated sooner or later. Therefore, Alatan Cang treated Obodui Ulanghai extremely well, frequently creating opportunities for him to achieve merit and also regularly submitting memorials on his behalf to request commendations. In the past, these memorials were all about trivial matters, which the Great Khan would simply laugh off and not take seriously.

This story is unique. After the death of Dao Paiqin, the chieftain of Menglian, various leaders vied for power, leaving the region leaderless. In January of the thirty-third year of the Qian Yuan era (1676), Ebo Dui Wulanghai braved wind and snow, leading five hundred border guards into the Menglian region to install Dao Paiqin's son, Dao Paixuan, as the new chieftain. The matter was handled smoothly. Seeing the strength of the guards and recognizing Dao Paixuan as Dao Paiqin's legitimate son, the locals flocked to him. Without encountering any resistance, Dao Paixuan successfully ascended to the throne. Previously, the Menglian region had remained independent, straddling the borders between the Kingdom of David and Burma. After Dao Paixuan's ascension, he submitted to David and allowed David to send officials to levy mining taxes on silver mines such as the Munai mine within his territory. In short, the "commoner" Ebo Dui Wulanghai had once again performed a great service, successfully gaining a new chieftaincy from the Kingdom of David without losing a single soldier, and also opening up a new source of revenue from silver mining taxes. (End of Chapter)