Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"In times of great upheaval, it is the time for men to rise up. You should all strive for it!" Alatan Cang, the Second-Class Duke of Kucha and Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, murmured the words that the Great Khan of Lotus had written to him in his reply. After carefully pondering them, he suddenly roared, "Great Khan, rest assured, I will definitely set an example for you to see!"

With a flurry of scribbling, a military order was swiftly dispatched to Longchuan. The order was primarily addressed to three individuals: Mu Jing, the deputy general of Lijiang; Duo Shengzu, the Longchuan Pacification Commissioner; and Dao Paixuan, the Menglian Pacification Commissioner. It also mentioned Han Song, the Mubang Pacification Commissioner. At this time, over ten thousand troops had gathered at Hanlong Pass in Longchuan: five thousand Naxi soldiers under Mu Jing, three thousand five hundred Jingpo (Kachin) soldiers under Duo Shengzu, one thousand five hundred Dai (Shan) soldiers under Dao Paixuan, and five hundred Dai soldiers under Han Song.

"The country is broken, but the mountains and rivers remain; spring has come to the city, but the grass and trees grow deep. Moved by the times, flowers seem to weep; grieving at parting, birds startle the heart." At Hanlong Pass, Han Song, his temples graying, gazed south towards Mubang, reciting Du Fu's poem with deep emotion. As he recited, his eyes involuntarily welled with tears. When he left his hometown, he was only a fourteen-year-old boy; now he was fifty-two! Hometown, oh hometown, when will I be able to return!
Han Song was the son of Han Si, the former Pacification Commissioner of Mong Bang. In 1638, the Burmese army invaded Mong Bang. Han Si led his troops in resistance but was captured and died tragically in Burma. His mother carried him to Mayuan City in Mengding Prefecture, Yunnan. At that time, the Ming Dynasty was already in decline and powerless to stop Burma from annexing Mong Bang. However, out of consideration for face, the Ming Dynasty allowed him to inherit his father's position as Pacification Commissioner of Mong Bang, but it was merely a nominal post. After the Qing Dynasty destroyed the Ming Dynasty, this so-called "Pacification Commissioner of Mong Bang" was no longer mentioned. He thought he would die in a foreign land, but his fortunes changed. After the Qing Dynasty was destroyed, the newly appointed Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, Alatan Cang, was restless and eager to wage war against Burma and expand his territory. Upon hearing about this, he saw Han Song as a valuable asset and allocated a large sum of money to him to contact his clansmen to form a local army to infiltrate Mong Bang and harass the region.

With the support of the governor, Han Song quickly assembled an army of several hundred men and sent men back to Mubang several times to incite uprisings among his people, but all failed due to insufficient troops. He repeatedly requested aid from Alatan Cang, but the governor only offered words of comfort and refused to send reinforcements directly. Just as he was feeling frustrated, he suddenly received a military order to rush to Hanlong Pass of the Longchuan Pacification Commissioner's Office.

Tell him directly that the opportunity to restore the family business has arrived! Heading west from Mengding Prefecture to Mong Bang, one must cross the turbulent Zha Li River (Salween River). The Burmese army has heavily fortified the west bank, making the crossing difficult. However, heading south from Hanlong Pass to Mong Bang, although requiring traversing towering mountains, is much easier. The governor ordered me to move to Hanlong Pass; could it be that he intends to wage war against Mong Bang? Thinking this, he excitedly led five hundred men to Hanlong Pass. Reality seemed to confirm his earlier thoughts: Lijiang Deputy General Mu Jing, Longchuan Pacification Commissioner Duo Shengzu, and Menglian Pacification Commissioner Dao Paixuan all arrived with troops. Over ten thousand soldiers gathered at the small pass; there was no way they wouldn't act! He waited and waited, excitedly waiting for over a month, but still received no military order from the governor. Unable to dispel his anxiety, he could only climb the pass and gaze towards his hometown.

"Pacification Commissioner, Deputy Commander Mu requests your presence," a guard reported as I was lost in thought.

"You want to discuss something with me? What is it?"

"It is said that the military order came from Kunming."

"Military order!" Han Song's heart skipped a beat. He could no longer dwell on his emotions and quickly left the city, rushing towards the main camp.

Inside the main tent, Lijiang Deputy General Mu Jing, Longchuan Pacification Commissioner Duo Shengzu, and Menglian Pacification Commissioner Dao Paixuan were already seated and waiting for him. Among those present, Mu Jing was the highest-ranking and sat in the main seat.

Mu Jing was the eldest son of Mu Yi, the local chieftain of Lijiang. Mu Yi was a notorious opportunist; when the Qing army was powerful, he betrayed the Ming and surrendered to the Qing; when Wu Sangui was powerful, he actively sought to join him and acted unfriendly towards the Wei army. Later, after Wu Sangui's defeat, he returned to the Wei army. Mongolian men are straightforward and cannot tolerate such opportunists. Alatan Cang, the governor-general of military affairs in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, was very unfriendly to the Mu family. Mu Yi knew that he had offended the Wei army by helping Wu Sangui in previous years, so he carefully obeyed and never disobeyed, which somewhat improved his image in the eyes of the Wei court. Not long ago, Alatan Cang ordered Mu Yi to select 5,000 elite troops to garrison Hanlong Pass. Mu Yi, without hesitation, sent his eldest son Mu Jing and fourth son Mu Zi to lead the most elite 5,000 Naxi soldiers to Hanlong Pass. Moreover, to curry favor with the governor, this army brought its own provisions and refused any payment from the court, finally winning Alatan Cang's praise and appointing Mu Jing as the commander-in-chief of the Hanlong Pass garrison. Mu Jing inherited his father's gentle nature and, knowing that Han Song was determined to retake Mu Bang and restore their ancestral homeland, said with a smile, "Congratulations, Brother Han! The governor has ordered us to march south from Hanlong Pass to attack Mu Bang." After speaking, he ordered his personal guards to show him Alatan Cang's military order.

The military order was very short, consisting of only eight words: "Immediately march south to Mubang, and do your utmost!" After reading it, Han Song's eyes turned red, and he pleaded tremblingly, "This humble general is willing to be the vanguard, please grant me permission, Vice Commander!"

"It would be good if Brother Han were willing to be the vanguard, but you only have five hundred men, which is insufficient. How about we ask Pacification Commissioner Dao to lead his troops to help?" Mu Jing readily agreed and asked Pacification Commissioner Dao Paixuan with a smile.

Dao Paixuan and Han Song had similar experiences. A few years ago, their fathers passed away, and their uncles and brothers from the same clan fought for the throne. They were forced to flee to Weiyuan Prefecture in Yunnan. With the help of the Wei Kingdom, they were able to regain their chieftainship. Therefore, Dao Paixuan felt great sympathy for Han Song. Seeing that the general had given orders, he naturally agreed and said with a smile, "This humble general is willing to serve you like a dog or a horse!"

On February 19th of the 33rd year of the Qianyuan era (1676), Mu Jing ordered Dao Paixuan and Han Song to lead two thousand men ahead, while he himself led five thousand of his own troops as the central army, and Duoshengzu's three thousand five hundred soldiers brought up the rear. They crossed mountains and ridges and headed towards Mubang.

Located in northern Myanmar, Mong Bang has a distinct wet and dry season. The rainy season lasts from May to October, while the dry season lasts from November to April of the following year. It was currently the dry season, with little rainfall, making marching much easier than during the rainy season. Furthermore, due to its low latitude, snowfall was rare even in February. Nevertheless, marching over ten thousand troops along the mountain roads leading from Longchuan to Mong Bang was still a difficult task. Fortunately, the garrison consisted of local Naxi, Jingpo, and Dai soldiers, who were already accustomed to the local terrain and traversed the mountains as if they were flat ground.

As they walked, Mu Shi darted over to Mu Jing and asked with a smile, "Brother, why did you appoint Dao Paixuan and Han Song as the vanguard? They only have two thousand newly formed rabble. If they are defeated, wouldn't that damage our army's prestige?"

Mu Jing smiled and said, "The Han clan has ruled Mubang for generations. By making Han Song the vanguard, it will be easier to gain the support of the local people. If we win, the credit will be ours; even if we lose, it won't be our main force that suffers the loss, so there's nothing to be sad about."

(End of this chapter)