Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

On the afternoon of July 19th, 1676 (the 33rd year of the Qian Yuan era), in the main tent of the Jiangtou City garrison, the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, Alatan Cangzheng, hosted a banquet for the Governors of Yunnan, Fang Yuxuan, and Leng Mengjun, respectively. These two, acting on orders from the Great Khan of Lotus, each led 10,000 troops from Yunnan and Guizhou into Burma. This brought the total number of garrison troops in the Mengyang region to 60,000, increasing the force available for the Battle of Jiangtou City to 55,000. What pleased the Governor-General even more was the arrival of 40,000 reinforcements from Sichuan and Guangxi provinces, led by the Sichuan Provincial Commander Jiancun Jiangqu and the Guangxi Provincial Commander Zheng Guoyin. To be able to lead a large army to conquer two countries was a truly glorious prospect! In his delight, he ordered a banquet to be held in the camp to entertain his friends who had traveled from afar.

“Since we cannot drink alcohol in the army, I will offer you two governors a cup of tea instead,” Alatan Cang said warmly, raising his teacup.

"Thank you very much, Inspector General," Fang Yuxuan and Leng Mengjun hurriedly expressed their gratitude.

Although there was no wine, the atmosphere of the banquet gradually reached its climax as one delicacy after another was served. Just as everyone was enjoying themselves, Qimukuer, the commander of the Duqianhu (a type of military unit) in charge of guard duty, rushed into the main tent. "General, the army of King Narovara of Burma has left Dagong City and is heading towards Jiangtou City. They are less than eighty li away from Jiangtou City. According to the scouts, the enemy force numbers more than one hundred thousand."

"Hehe, I originally planned to wait for the Sichuan and Guangxi troops to arrive before engaging the Burmese army in a decisive battle, but that brat Naropa couldn't hold back and came first. Let's all talk, should we hold the city and wait for them to tire themselves out, or should we take the initiative to fight?" Alatan Cang asked his generals with a grin.

"The reinforcements from Sichuan and Guangxi will arrive soon. It would be better for the governor to hold the city and exhaust the enemy, and then defeat them in one fell swoop once the reinforcements arrive. This would be the best course of action," suggested Leng Mengjun, the governor of Guizhou.

"Our army may be small, but it is mostly composed of elite troops. The Burmese army may be numerous, but they are all a rabble. What is there to fear? In my opinion, we do not need to wait for reinforcements; we can defeat the enemy directly. If the commander trusts me, I am willing to lead five thousand cavalry as the vanguard," said Obo Dui Ulanghai, the head of the ten-thousand-household, loudly volunteering for battle. He was currently under investigation and eager to gain merit and restore his title.

Upon hearing this, the generals echoed his sentiments. David had established his nation through military might, and military merits were highly rewarded. The guards had won consecutive victories after entering Burma, and their morale was high. It was understandable that the generals were eager to earn merit and be rewarded.

Seeing that the army's morale was high, Alatan Cang nodded slightly. Seeing that Fang Yuxuan remained silent, he asked, "What does Governor Fang think?"

"His Majesty has ordered you to inflict a heavy blow on the Burmese army in the shortest possible time, forcing the Burmese king to cede territory and sue for peace, and then march west to attack India. Burma is mountainous and has a treacherous terrain. If the Burmese army holds their ground, it will be very difficult to defeat them quickly. But now the Burmese king, relying on his superior numbers, has abandoned the strategic points and taken the initiative to attack. It is Heaven's will that the governor succeed! We must not hesitate, for delay will lead to unforeseen changes. We must mobilize all our elite troops to meet the enemy head-on." Although Fang Yuxuan was a civil official, he was bold and advocated taking the initiative to attack and meet the enemy head-on.

"Issue my order: all generals, return to camp immediately and prepare to march out of the city to meet the enemy in half an hour," Alatan Cang ordered decisively. Seeing the generals' serious expressions, he smiled and said, "Have the cooks prepare the dishes and keep them warm, and also prepare plenty of fine wine. After defeating the Burmese army, we can drink to our hearts' content!"

"Hahaha~ Hahaha~" Joyful laughter rang out from inside the tent. Hearing that there would be fine wine to drink after the victory, the generals, who hadn't smelled wine in a long time, couldn't help but gulp.

“I told you long ago that the Mughal emperor cannot be trusted and that we can only rely on ourselves to recover our lost territory. You see, I was right.” On his way to Jiangtou City, King Naravarah of Burma received a reply from Emperor Aurangzeb of the Mughal Dynasty of India. After reading it, he frowned and contemptuously showed the letter to his trusted ministers.

The envoy sent to Delhi was very diligent, rushing there almost without stopping. He quickly met with Emperor Aurangzeb and expressed Burma's willingness to ally with India against the Wei Kingdom, requesting Indian military assistance to drive out the invading Wei forces. Emperor Aurangzeb's attitude was friendly; he publicly denounced the Wei Kingdom's arrogance and repeatedly expressed his support for Burma's resistance against the Wei invasion, agreeing to an alliance. However, when it came to military assistance, this "world conqueror" hesitated, stammering and listing a series of difficulties. He said he had contacted two other small southern kingdoms, Bijapur and Golkunda, who also worshipped Allah, to jointly conquer the Marathas in the Deccan region. His southern expeditionary force had already set out, and he currently lacked the resources to aid his allies in Burma. However, His Majesty the Emperor stated that once his army successfully conquered the Marathas and was free to spare resources, he would immediately send reinforcements to Burma. As for the envoy's claim that the Wei army's capture of the Monyang region bordering India was likely intended to harm India, His Majesty the Emperor responded with a hearty laugh, clearly not believing it. "Father, our army far outnumbers the Wei army, why should we rely on the Mughal Empire?" Siya (Vice-King) Sani said confidently.

“The strength of the Wei Kingdom far surpasses that of ours. Do you think they will only send this few troops?” Naravara sighed. “If I am not mistaken, there are many more Wei troops behind us. Therefore, we must defeat them before their reinforcements arrive and use the momentum of a great victory to seek peace. That would be the best outcome for us!”

“But Your Majesty, the Wei army is renowned for its bravery and skill in battle. Although our forces outnumber them, we are not necessarily guaranteed victory. It would be better to hold our strategic points and block the Wei army’s southward advance. If they want to attack the Mughal Empire, they will not be able to linger in Mengyang for long. If they want to attack us from the south, they will be unable to advance an inch because their throat is blocked. They will retreat on their own when their supplies run out. Why risk a decisive battle with the enemy?” General Wen Ji advised.

“What Wenji said makes perfect sense, and I know that all too well,” Narovara sighed again. “But now we are beset by internal and external troubles. The Siamese in the east and the Arakanese in the southwest are eager to make a move after hearing of the invasion of the Guard Army. Although I have quelled the rebellion of the Mon people in the Patuma region, there are still remnants who are not giving up their evil intentions. If we cannot defeat the enemy quickly and delay, I am afraid that things will change in the rear.”

Upon hearing what the Burmese king said, Nyan Win sighed deeply, “Your Majesty’s concerns are valid. We, your subjects, have no choice but to risk our lives and fight bravely to share Your Majesty’s burdens!”

"Your Majesty, it is getting late. Should we order the camp to be set up?" asked the old minister, the Marquis of Pagan.

"How many miles is our army from Jiangtou City?" Naravalo asked seriously.

“Your Majesty, it is still about fifty li away,” the King of Pagan replied, bowing.

Naravalo looked up at the setting sun and issued a military order: "All units shall set up camp on the spot, dig deep trenches, plant more fences, place chevaux-de-frise outside the camp, and send out more scouts to guard against the guards raiding the camp."

At the order, over 100,000 Burmese troops immediately sprang into action, felling trees and setting up camp, creating quite a scene. Despite deploying numerous scouts, they failed to detect that on a small hill twenty miles ahead, the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou of the Great David Kingdom, Alatan Cang, had already led 55,000 guards to set up camp.

A great battle is about to erupt! (End of Chapter)