Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

Assam's regent, Lachit, was a battle-hardened general. Under his rule, the entire country placed great emphasis on military affairs, with numerous scouts deployed along the border. The guards were discovered as soon as they reached the border between Naga and Assam.

"Regent, our scouts have discovered a large army of about 100,000 men flying the flag of the Defenders in Mount Naga," Rama Deva, the trusted confidant in charge of intelligence gathering, rushed into the Regent's office to report.

“Last time I drove away their envoys, this must be aimed at me. But they were able to cross the Naga Mountains silently, so the Naga people must have already defected to them.” As expected of an excellent commander, Lachit’s face showed no fear, only calm analysis and composed deployment. “Order all border generals to hold their ground and delay the enemy’s advance; order every Pak (the most basic labor and military unit in Assam) in the country to immediately prepare for battle!”

“If the Regent wants to mobilize the whole country, it would be best to get His Majesty the King’s support,” Rama Deva whispered.

Lachite nodded. "Come, follow me to the palace."

Chakdeva was a frugal monarch. The palace in Gargon was not large, and after receiving the message from his guards, the king quickly went to the palace gate to greet him personally. Of all the people in the country, only Lachit could command his personal greeting.

"Your Excellency has been working tirelessly for the country, but it's been a long time since you've visited me. Today, we must have a good chat," King Chakdeva laughed sincerely, his scepter striking the floor tiles with a loud thud.

“Your Highness’s concern is too much for me,” Lachit said, deeply moved. He had always held this king in high esteem. Back then, he was just an unknown junior officer, but the king appreciated his talent and promoted him exceptionally. When the Mughal army invaded, it was the king who, against all odds, appointed him commander-in-chief and fully supported him in achieving the great victory at Salagath. After the war, the council of nobles elected him regent, which, to some extent, took away some of the king’s power, yet the king remained uncomplaining and willingly stepped back from the limelight. How could he not be grateful?

“You are our hero of Assam, and I say you are worthy of the title,” the king said affectionately, putting one arm around his shoulder and leaning on his scepter with the other, as they walked side by side toward the palace.

"Your Highness, we've just driven away the jackals, and now the tigers have arrived. The Imperial Guard has entered Mount Naga, and they intend to plot against us." Upon entering the palace, Lachit, without even catching up, quickly explained the tense situation to the king. As he spoke, he carefully observed the king's reaction. There were rumors that the king advocated an alliance with the Kingdom of Vedois to jointly resist the Mughal Empire.

“You are right, Regent. The Guards have already put their knives to our throats; we cannot sit idly by and wait to die! Even if we negotiate, we must inflict a painful defeat on them before we talk! However, to mobilize the entire nation, we will need to convene a meeting of the tribal leaders to discuss the matter,” Chakdwa declared, clearly showing his support for Lachit. He then changed the subject, “The Shivasar Temple is now complete. We can summon the tribal leaders and officials to the temple for a ceremony and to discuss the matter. After the ceremony, I will publicly appoint you as the Commander-in-Chief of the entire army and drive out the Guards!”

"Thank you for your trust, Your Highness. I will do my utmost to serve the country!" After receiving the king's support and promise, Raqit left the palace excitedly.

After he left, Prince Godata asked in bewilderment, "Father, why didn't you take advantage of the Regent's visit to the palace to place him under house arrest?" Upon hearing that Lachit had entered the palace, the prince had advised his father to make a decisive move, but was instead rebuked.

“Foolish! Don’t you even consider why Rachit dared to enter the palace with only a few dozen guards? Gargon is teeming with his cronies and henchmen, and the garrison only obeys his orders. To fight here would surely result in defeat!” Chakdwa sneered. “Let’s go to the Sivasar Temple. The priests cannot bring too many troops, and the Chalai region where the temple is located is our family’s ancestral land. The officials and people there all listen to us. I have already made arrangements; it will be foolproof!”

The Assamese Kingdom traditionally worshipped nature gods such as those of rivers and mountains. However, after the introduction of Hinduism and the conversion of the royal family to Hinduism, Hindu deities gradually gained popularity. The Assamese people's reluctance to submit to the Mughal Empire was largely due to Emperor Aurangzeb's veneration of Muslims and suppression of Hinduism. The Sivasar Temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu.

The summons day set by the king arrived, and nobles from all over the country, tribal chiefs, and officials from various government offices gathered at the temple. Rama Deva also arrived with three hundred guards escorting Lachit. Just as they were about to enter, they were stopped by the minister in charge of the rituals, Surama, who said, "Please, Regent, leave the guards outside the temple, remove your weapons, and come inside with me, lest you offend the gods."

“The Regent is a hero of Assam. Even the royal palace is open to ceremonial processions. How dare you stop him?” Ramo Dewa glared warily at Surama. Surama was originally a member of the royal family of Jaintia, a vassal state of Assam. After Lachit came to power, he forcefully annexed Jaintia, and Surama, struggling to survive, turned to King Chakdewa for refuge. They harbored a deep-seated hatred for each other, having lost their kingdoms in the process. How could he trust him?
Surama was not angry upon hearing this. He politely bowed to Lachit and said, "I am a priest and only know the rites of worshiping the gods. Just now, when His Majesty entered the temple, he also left his guards outside and took off his weapons before entering. If you don't believe me, look over there."

Rachit looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a group of palace guards sitting on the ground. The leader was the king's chief guard, who smiled politely at him. Suspicious, he unsheathed his sword and smiled at Rama, saying, "Let the guards stay outside; you come inside with me." This temple was even larger than the palace. One temple followed another. The outside was fine, nothing seemed amiss, but the further in one went, the more strange it became. There were armored soldiers, their clothing suggesting they came from the Moamaria tribe to the west. This tribe, due to their close ties with the Mughal Empire, had been ruthlessly purged and suppressed by Rachit, and many of their nobles had fled.

"Regent, how have you been?" An old face suddenly appeared among the armored soldiers; it was none other than Udayaditya, the great chief of the Moamaria tribe, who was wanted by the authorities.

Upon seeing his mortal enemy, Lachit was greatly alarmed and instinctively drew his sword, only to find it empty. The fierce Moamaria warriors rushed forward and bound Lachit and Rama tightly.

"Why...why?" Lachit's face turned red as he struggled desperately.

"Isn't it obvious? Your achievements are too great and you're too arrogant. Your merits are too high and you're threatening the emperor," Udayaditya said, looking at him mockingly, as if he were a fish caught in a net.

"I want to see the King!" Lachit roared angrily.

“You wish to see the King, but the King does not wish to see you,” Udayadiya sneered, ordering his men to take his nemesis away.

Outside the Temple of Sivasar, the sounds of battle rang out. Prince Godata led the royal guard to disarm the Laqit guards. At the same time, inside the temple, loyal soldiers were arrested one by one for being lured to the meeting by Laqit confidants.

The remaining nobles, chieftains, and officials exchanged bewildered glances, all filled with panic. Just then, King Chakdwa appeared before them. With a resounding thud, he slammed his scepter down, silencing the entire assembly to the point of absolute silence.

"Western Mughal Empire is a brother of Assam. The two countries could have joined forces to deal with the brutal Mughals. However, Laqit, out of arrogance and conceit, rudely beat the Wei envoys out of the capital. Now Wei has sent troops to retaliate. One hundred thousand Wei soldiers have crossed the Naga Mountains and are already on the border," the king said forcefully, immediately eliciting a murmur of discussion from the crowd.

Seeing that his words had an effect, Chakdeva introduced an elderly man beside him to the crowd, “This is King Jadanahiyan of the Naga, also an envoy sent by the Kingdom of Wei. Our neighbor has decided to join forces with Wei to punish the brutal Mughals. The governor of Wei promised me that if we are willing to join the punitive expedition, we can obtain a hundred miles of land west of the Manas River. I have decided to ally with Wei to avenge the Mughals. Are you willing to follow me?”

"Revenge! Follow our king to avenge the Mughals!" shouted the king's confidant from the crowd, stirring up old and new grudges. The memories of the Mughal army's burning, killing, and looting in Assam came flooding back. The people echoed, "Revenge! Avenge the Mughals!" The entire crowd erupted in cheers.

Chakdwa brandished his scepter to quell the commotion and declared, “For the alliance to succeed, I have decided to suspend Laqit’s regency. In recognition of his outstanding performance in the Battle of Salagat, I hereby grant him Salagat. Laqit will forever be a hero of Assam, without a doubt!”

Hearing the king's promise of leniency towards the regent, the people's last worries vanished, and they cried out that His Majesty was wise. One pak after another mobilized, and soon over twenty thousand troops gathered around Chakdwa. Just as the monarch was confidently preparing to join his guards in attacking their arch-enemy, the Mughals, his favorite minister, Surama, slandered him, saying, "Your Highness, since the regent was taken to Saraiqat, there has been a constant stream of people requesting to visit him, many of whom are military generals."

"Thump!" The scepter slammed to the ground once more, the king's chilling voice echoing in the air, "Give him a dignified death, and leave no trace." (End of Chapter)