Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

The Gan Gao Mountain was originally garrisoned by 5,000 troops of the Burmese general Supa. A few days ago, news of the plot to rebel by Myo Sa Si Qi of Menggong was leaked. Aung Naing Win ordered Bo Aung to lead 5,000 troops to suppress the rebellion, and 2,000 of Supa's troops were transferred away, leaving only 3,000 defenders on the mountain. 3,000 men may seem like a lot, but it would be extremely difficult to defend all the passages, large and small, in the vast mountains.

On this day, Supa rested with his eyes closed in his tent, but his hand lightly gripped the hilt of his Burmese knife at his waist. Unlike other knives, his broke away from the rigid form of traditional swords; the blade was flexible enough to wrap around the waist, "turning tempered steel into a supple touch." Despite its flexibility, if used with the right wrist strength and dexterity, it could cut through iron. On the battlefield, it had drunk the blood of countless people.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" Suddenly, shouts of battle erupted. Supa, a habit ingrained from long campaigns, suddenly widened her eyes and leaped out of the tent, a knife appearing in her hand with a flick of her wrist. "What's going on? Where did those fighting sounds come from?"

“Baho (commander of the fortress or barracks), the guards are attacking!” the guards reported in a panic.

"Guards? Why haven't we received any news from the mountain stronghold ahead?" Supa was furious.

“They came up from the back mountain path,” the guard replied, panting heavily.

Supa realized that the path behind the mountain was both hidden and steep, which was why he had only stationed a few dozen soldiers on guard duty there, who had likely already met their demise. However, the fact that the Wei army knew this path meant they must have been guided by locals. The neighboring Ganya Pacification Commission, Nandian Pacification Commission, Zhanda Deputy Pacification Commission, and Manmo Pacification Commission had all submitted to the Wei Kingdom; it was likely that those local officials, seeking to curry favor with Wei, had provided guides.

As if to confirm his conjecture, Ganya Pacification Commissioner Dao Jianxun and Manmo Pacification Commissioner Si En appeared before him with four thousand men.

Upon seeing Dao Jianxun's banner, Supa was furious. This man had been moving between Myanmar and Libya, and had previously been friendly to Myanmar, even having some connection with Supa and exchanging letters with him. Unexpectedly, it was this man who led the attack on Supa's stronghold.

"You dog, prepare to die!" Supa lunged at Dao Jianxun, his swordsmanship both accurate and cunning. No one saw how he drew his blade, yet in a short time he had killed more than ten men. His courage inspired his troops, and they all followed suit, forcing Dao Jianxun's forces to retreat repeatedly.

Dao Jianxun attempted to lead his troops to intercept them, but Supa slashed his right arm instead. Fortunately, his son Dao Bingzhong was very brave and managed to protect his father, barely managing to stop the Burmese army's counterattack.

More and more guards climbed the mountain, and Supa gradually found himself struggling. The Manmo pacification envoy, Si'en, charged towards him with his spear, flicked it, and plunged it into Supa's throat. With Supa's death, the supposedly impregnable Gangao Mountain fell.

"Warriors, do not linger, stride forward and follow me into Mengyang City! Victory is in your own two legs!" After capturing the Burmese army camp on Gangao Mountain, Alatan Cang disregarded the fact that his men were exhausted from climbing mountains and wading through rivers. After only resting on the mountain for half an hour, he encouraged them to climb over the high mountains and continue their advance towards Mengyang City.

Inside Mong Yang city, Aung Naing Win was anxiously processing official documents. Since assuming the post of Mong Yang's Myo Win (Governor), his life had been relatively comfortable, at least on the surface. However, with the fighting between Myanmar and Myanmar in Mong Pang, the land had become turbulent. Not long ago, news came from Sha Du Su Lin, the Toungoo official stationed in Mong Kung: Myo Sa Si Qi of Mong Kung was secretly plotting a rebellion. Si Qi was the son of Si Hong, the Mong Yang Pacification Commissioner, and wielded considerable influence locally. If he rebelled, the entire Mong Yang region would inevitably descend into chaos. To minimize the impact, he ordered Bo Aung to lead 5,000 Burmese troops to Mong Kung city to quell the rebellion. Ten days had passed, and he wondered what the situation was.

"Miaowen, urgent military intelligence!" Just as I was pondering this, Bahuoyanhan, the garrison commander of Mengyang City, came to report.

Angh Newin raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is this a message from Meng Gong?"

“There are defeated soldiers who have fled back from Gangao Mountain. They say that the Wei army has captured Gangao Mountain and Supa has been killed in battle,” Yanhan said in a panic.

"What!" Onnewin exclaimed in astonishment, jumping up from his chair. "Quickly—quickly gather the soldiers to defend the city!"

Yan Han, his face contorted with grief, said, "I've already ordered the soldiers to storm the city walls. But half the garrison was taken away by Bo Ang, leaving only five thousand men." Angnaiwen grabbed him by the collar. "What are you still doing here? Go defend the city!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Just as he was reprimanding Yan Han, the sound of cannons boomed.

The city fell, and fell swiftly. The defenders of Mengyang never expected the Wei army to descend from the sky; they hadn't even prepared the most basic defensive supplies, and half of their troops had been transferred to Menggong. How could they possibly hold out? Yan Han had barely reached the city gate when he was hacked to death by the swarming Wei army. Upon hearing of the city's fall, Ang Nai Win fled without a word, narrowly escaping with his life.

In Menggong City, Shan chief Si Qi sat atop the city wall, silently sharpening his knife, preparing for the final, bloody battle. Outside the city, Bo Aung's 5,000 elite Burmese troops had launched more than ten attacks, suffering heavy casualties among his 1,800 men, and were about to face their final defeat.

"Woo-woo-woo," the mournful bugle sounded, like a death knell. To this melody, the Burmese army slowly advanced.

"Hmph!" Siqi snorted coldly, drawing his sword, preparing for the final bloody battle. My father, Sihong, fought and died defending this land against the Burmese bandits; now it is my turn!

"Haorui~ Haorui~ Haorui~" Suddenly, shouts of battle came from outside the city. Yunnan Governor Ma Zhilin led 8,000 cavalry and infantry to suddenly appear behind the Burmese army's formation and annihilated the Burmese army that was preparing to attack the city.

Seeing the fishing rods and flags appearing outside the city, Siqi was overjoyed. "Warriors, reinforcements have arrived! Follow me out of the city to fight the enemy!"

The garrison of Menggong scrambled out of the city to fight, and under the combined attack from two sides, the Burmese army suffered a crushing defeat. In the chaos, their commander, Bo Aung, fell from his horse and was easily beheaded by Si En, the pacification envoy of the Manmo army.

The capture of Mengyang and Menggong did not satisfy Alatan Cang. He ordered Ma Zhilin's troops to continue westward, all the way to the Naga Mountains, where India was separated by mountains; at the same time, he led his army southward to attack Menglun, which was occupied by the Burmese army.

Terrified, Angnaiwen dared not defend the city and led his remaining troops to Jiangtou City (Gongzhang, Gasa). Alatan Cang, not to be outdone, led his army to Jiangtou City as well.

Angnavian wanted to continue his escape, but was stopped by Su Yong, the garrison commander of Jiangtou City. "You keep retreating. Are you really not afraid of the King's military law?"

When he heard him mention the Burmese king's military law, Aung Na Win felt a chill run down his spine. The king was a ruthless and decisive man. He had already lost most of Mengyang. If he were to abandon Jiangtou City as well, he might really be killed to uphold military law.

With no way out, he finally resolved to fight the Wei army to the death. However, the army's morale was extremely low due to repeated defeats and desertions, and soldiers kept deserting. After only three days of defense, Jiangtou City fell, and the heads of Ang Naiwen and Su Yong became the Wei army's military merits.

After capturing Jiangtou City, Alatan Cang did not continue southward but instead gathered his troops to defend the city. He also wrote a letter to King Naravarah of Burma, stating that he was only at the invitation of Siqi, the son of the former Mengyang Pacification Commissioner Sihong, to help Siqi restore his ancestral lands, and had no intention of becoming an enemy of Burma. He suggested that if the Burmese king was willing to acknowledge Mengyang as belonging to David, the guards could withdraw from Mubang.

(End of this chapter)