Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

At the beginning of the Shenshi hour (3 PM) on the 20th day of the seventh month of the 33rd year of the Qianyuan era (1676), the artillery battalion of the garrison finished loading the cannons onto the vehicles, and Alatan Cang issued the order to attack without hesitation. The deputy commander of the ten thousand households, Ebo Dui Wulanghai, and the deputy commander of the thousand households, Qimukuer, each led 8,000 cavalry to attack the flanks of the Burmese army, while he himself led 39,000 infantry to attack the center of the Burmese army.

"Haorui! Haorui! Haorui!" The cavalry, brandishing their sabers, charged towards the Burmese army with shouts. Most of them were soldiers from the Mongol, Tibetan, and Hui ethnic groups, raised on horseback from childhood and possessing superb horsemanship. The infantry advanced to the beat of drums, shouting "Kill!" every three steps. The Imperial Guard demonstrated what a battle-hardened army truly was; their chilling killing intent enveloped the enemy, and even the timid were overwhelmed and breathless before the fighting even began.

Seeing that the guards could not hold back and made the first move, King Naravarah of Burma put down his telescope and, not to be outdone, mounted his own elephant to command the battle.

On the flanks, cavalry commanders Lundi and Minwei each led 10,000 cavalry to meet the Wei army's cavalry, while the elephant cavalry, infantry, archers, musketeers, and artillery in the center prepared for battle. Naravarah, having long admired the Wei army's iron cavalry, knew that although his cavalry outnumbered the Wei army, their fighting strength was inferior. Therefore, he did not expect to win on the flanks, only hoping his cavalry could hold off the enemy on those sides. He pinned his hopes on a breakthrough in the center, deploying 80,000 troops there, including the most elite war elephants, firearms units, and the royal guard, confident that his powerful central army would quickly crush the enemy's center.

The cavalry moved swiftly, while the infantry moved much slower, resulting in fierce fighting on both flanks while the center remained uncontested. The Imperial Guard's infantry slowly approached the enemy, finally entering the range of the Burmese artillery. The Portuguese instructor in charge of the artillery battalion, Nicolae, excitedly raised the "Ready" flag to the center.

"Fire!" Narovaro waved his hand and gave the order. Having witnessed the Portuguese firearms' prowess, he was confident that with his hundred or so cannons of various sizes, he could inflict a major blow on the guards.

"Fire!" Almost simultaneously, Alatan Cang also issued a military order to his own artillery battalion.

"Boom~boom~boom~"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Both sides rained down shells on each other, causing chaos and leaving severed limbs everywhere. The SS had slightly more artillery than the Burmese, and their artillery was also larger in caliber and power. The Burmese artillery, mostly purchased from Portugal, had a certain advantage in rate of fire. However, the SS had more battlefield experience, and their central formation was a wedge, far less dense than the Burmese square formation, resulting in significantly fewer casualties. More importantly, they displayed the spirit of battle-hardened soldiers, disregarding casualties and advancing into the face of artillery fire with unwavering formation.

"Damn it! Elephant attack! All units follow!" Seeing that his cannons had not gained any advantage, Narovara was furious and deployed his trump card: the elephants.

"Moo~ Moo~ Moo~" Five hundred enormous creatures waved their long trunks and pressed down on the guards, followed by musketeers, infantrymen and archers.

"The Burmese always use the same trick: shooting elephant legs! Aim for the elephant legs and shoot!" Yunnan Governor Ma Zhilin shouted excitedly.

Since entering Burma, the Weijun had encountered enemy war elephants many times and were already familiar with them. The Yunnan army under Ma Zhilin had even practiced tactics specifically targeting elephant troops.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The soldiers of the guard fired their muskets at the elephants' legs. The elephants, in pain and fright, turned and ran wildly, trampling the Burmese musketeers, infantrymen and archers behind them to pieces.

The Portuguese musketeers' vice-captain, Azevedo, was flung into the air by the trunk of a startled bull elephant. Captain Rodriguez, before he could even order his men to fire, was killed by a lowly guard named Zhou Lian. This Guizhou soldier, Zhou Lian, displayed extraordinary martial prowess, single-handedly killing a hundred men in one battle, and was promoted directly from soldier to garrison commander afterward.

Xinji (infantry commander) Dandong tried his best to direct his troops to form a defensive line, attempting to stabilize the battle. The Guizhou Provincial Commander of the Imperial Guard, Xin Sizhong, led his troops into the enemy lines. This "Tiger Flame Spotted" man unleashed the ruthlessness he had displayed as a former bandit, wielding a large, unstoppable broadsword. He rushed to Dandong's side and cleaved him in two with a single stroke.

“The situation is hopeless. I urge Your Majesty and Siah (Vice King) to retreat immediately. I will hold off the enemy,” requested General Wenji (Great General).

"Royal Guards, charge with me!" Naravarah refused to concede defeat easily, like a gambler desperate for a final gamble. "Father, retreating now will preserve our strength to negotiate peace with the guards. If we don't retreat, our army will be annihilated, and we'll have no strength left to negotiate! Please consider the bigger picture and endure this humiliation!" Siyya (Vice-King) Soni pleaded, giving a wink to the guard captain, Bedaiyun. Bedaiyun understood and, through a combination of coaxing and persuasion, got the Burmese king off his war elephant and onto a fast horse to escape.

"Narovara is there, don't let Narovara escape!" When the military governor of Ganya, Dao Jianxun, saw the king's banner, he led two thousand soldiers in hot pursuit.

"You insolent scoundrel!" The white-haired Nian Wen, wielding two swords, charged at Dao Jianxun. His right sword blocked Dao Jianxun's blade, while his left sword slashed upwards, easily severing Dao Jianxun's throat. This Burmese general, Wen Ji, had previously repelled the armies of Dao Jianxun, the Pacification Commissioner of Ganya, Dao Qiyuan, the Pacification Commissioner of Nandian, and Zuo Xinghai, the Prefect of Menghua, thus salvaging some face for the Burmese army. Ultimately, outnumbered, he died in the chaos of battle.

In the Battle of Jiangtou City, the Wei army annihilated a total of 50,000 Burmese troops with only 4,000 casualties. After fleeing back to Dagong City, the Burmese king Naraphala was in a sorry state. Fortunately, Mengmi Miao Wen Sili arrived with 10,000 Mengmi troops to help, which barely stabilized the morale of the army.

“People have been spreading rumors that you have rebellious intentions, but I have never believed them. But what about now? In this time of crisis, you are the only one I can rely on!” Naravalo embraced Sili and wept bitterly.

Seeing the king's trust in him, Sili was deeply moved and wept, saying, "I am deeply grateful for the kindness of the late king and the king. How could I not repay this kindness with my life?"

Just as the emperor and his ministers were preparing to continue the resistance, two more pieces of bad news arrived.

Mindon, the old minister who remained in Ava, reported that King Sindhodhu Thandama of Arakan, upon hearing of the fighting between the Burmese army and the garrison, took advantage of the chaos and dispatched his prince, Valimo, to lead an army into Burmese territory. This Sindhodhu Thandama was not a capable ruler; during his reign, the royal family was extravagant and corrupt, internal rebellions occurred, and the Portuguese mercenaries went out of control, leading to the decline of the kingdom's power. However, on the surface, the Arakan Kingdom remained a formidable enemy of Burma, and the timing of its invasion was impeccable, precisely when Burma was at its weakest.

The generals Adayun and Mangwa, who were guarding Lashio, reported that after Siyya (Vice King) Soni led his army away from Mubang, the Mubang garrison switched from defense to offense and repeatedly invaded Lashio territory. They fought the garrison several times but failed each time, and requested reinforcements.

"The situation is critical now. Tell me, how should we deal with it?" Naravalo asked his ministers with a worried look, his former high spirits gone.

“Father, I believe that after this great defeat, the morale of our army has been shattered, and we are incapable of fighting a major battle. Moreover, the Arakanese are our greatest threat. We can be defeated by the Wei army, but we must not be defeated by the Arakanese. We should make peace with the Wei army as soon as possible and focus all our efforts on dealing with the Arakanese invasion. The lands of Mengyang and Mubang originally belonged to the Ming Kingdom, so it is not unreasonable to cede them to the Wei Kingdom,” Soni said.

Naravalo gritted his teeth and sighed, "How dare we easily abandon the land that our ancestors won through countless battles? The entire territory of Mengyang has already been occupied by the Wei army. Let them have it. The Wei army only conquered the northern half of Mubang. The southern half should still belong to our country!"

"Report! The Imperial Guard has marched from Jiangtou City and is already at the gates of Dagong City!" Just as they were discussing this, news came that the Imperial Guard was marching south.

“How desperately we are forced to do this!” Naravara lamented.

On August 1, 1676 (the 33rd year of the Qian Yuan era), the two countries of Veterans and Burma reached a peace agreement: Burma presented a letter of apology to the Kingdom of David, and the two sides redrawn their borders. The entire territory of Mengyang belonged to the Kingdom of David, while as for Mubang, the boundary was set at the Nandu-Lashio line, with the area north of this line belonging to the Kingdom of David and the area south of it belonging to Burma.

(End of this chapter)