Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

Having successfully dealt with the powerful minister Laqit in Assam without losing a single soldier, and gaining a springboard for attacking the Mughal Empire, General Alatanchan was extremely pleased. He patiently stayed in Assam for more than half a month, continuing to gather provisions and await the mobilization of troops from vassal states. In his view, the brave and skilled warriors of the Assamese and Naga tribes were excellent cannon fodder. With only 100,000 troops, he believed that to defeat and conquer the vast and populous Mughal Empire, he must make good use of the strength of these vassal states.

Chakdewa quickly recruited 28,000 warriors. He intended to wait a little longer to recruit more troops, but Alatan Cang, who understood the importance of speed in warfare, could not wait any longer. Scouts reported that Shaishta Khan, the governor of Mughal Bengal, had led a large army out of Bengal to attack the Marathas in the Deccan region on the orders of Emperor Aurangzeb. The enemy's eastern border was now vulnerable, and if they did not act soon, they would miss a golden opportunity. He ordered King Chakdewa to lead 28,000 Assamese soldiers as the vanguard, with the commander of ten thousand, Obodui Ulanghai, leading a coalition of 20,000 warriors from various ethnic groups as the second force, while he himself led more than 80,000 troops to follow, advancing along the Brahmaputra River.

With the addition of vassal armies from the Assamese and Naga tribes, the Guard exceeded 130,000 men, making it an extremely formidable force. However, the battle-hardened Alatanchan remained vigilant, summoning Chakdeva, who was familiar with the border situation, to inquire in detail about the enemy's capabilities.

“General, beyond the border lies Kokrajal, also known as Kuchi, the capital of the Kingdom of Kuchihaj. Kuchi was once a first-rate power.” Seeing that the commander-in-chief was asking him, Chakdewa dared not be negligent and vividly described to the General of the Southern Expedition the situation of the first princely state, Kuchihaj, that the guards entered into the Mughal Empire.

The Kuchi Kingdom in the eastern part of the Mughal Empire was indeed a powerful kingdom, frequently vying for supremacy with the Mughals and Assam. In the early 16th century, Biswa Singh, the leader of the Kapri tribe, conquered the former territory of the Kamata Kingdom, established his capital at Kochebihar, and legitimized the kingdom's legitimacy based on Kshatriya blood, adopting "Narayan" as the royal surname, thus laying the foundation for the Kuchi Dynasty. Subsequently, Biswa's son, Nara, with the assistance of his brother Chiratay (also known as Shukrandia), significantly expanded the territory, conquering the Kingdom of Akhom to the east and resisting the Mughal Empire to the west, bringing the dynasty to its zenith.

However, all things in the world, when they reach their peak, must decline. After Nara's death, the kingdom split into two parts: the western part was called the Kingdom of Kuchibihar, ruled by Nara's son Lakshmi; the eastern part was called the Kingdom of Kuchihajyo, ruled by Nara's nephew Laghhu. After the split, the Kuchi dynasty's power greatly declined, and it was unable to resist the invasion of powerful neighbors. Under the formidable military might of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, they successively submitted and became vassal states of the Mughals. Today, the Kingdom of Kuchibihar still retains some strength, while the Kingdom of Kuchihajyo, under constant pressure from neighboring countries such as the Mughals, Assam, Bhutan, and Dhemenshung, is reduced to only a small territory and a few thousand soldiers.

“Alas! The world is unpredictable! In the past, our Mongols also declined, and it was only thanks to the Great Khan’s efforts that we have achieved our current prosperity!” After listening to the introduction, Alatan Cang sighed and said, “Since Kuchihaj is just a small country, it may not have the courage to oppose our army. You can send an envoy to persuade them to surrender. If we can subdue them without fighting, that would be a good thing.”

“The General is right, I will go and do it right away,” Chakdeva said repeatedly. After returning to the camp, he ordered his generals, “You must urge your men to speed up the march and make sure to reach the city within three days and take it.”

Prince Godata, who had been by his side, was puzzled. "The general ordered you to persuade them to surrender, but now you are attacking the city directly without sending anyone to persuade them. Isn't that disobeying military orders?"

"Hmph," Chakdwa raised his scepter and slammed it heavily on the ground, making a loud "thump, thump" sound. He laughed and said, "I am the King of Assam, not a subordinate of the Governor of the Guard. I joined the Guard army to fight in order to gain the land a hundred miles west of the Manas River. But if Kuchihajyo surrenders to the Guard, he will become an ally of the Guard, and how can we then annex their land?"

"I see! Father is wise!" Godata understood his father's ambition. His father's agreement to send troops to help in the war was not merely to use the Guards to wrest power back from Lachit, but also to take the opportunity to expand his territory. Kuchihajo, weak in strength but with fertile land, was a perfect target for annexation.

“Father, rest assured, I will surely capture Kokrajal (Kuchi) before the Guard arrives,” he said confidently. This confidence stemmed not only from the fact that his forces far outnumbered those of Kuchi, but also from the large quantity of captured Burmese weaponry he had obtained from the Guard after surrendering to the Kingdom of David. Allocating some of the captured Burmese supplies to the Assamese and Naga armies was a tactic used by Alatan Cang to win over his vassal states, but it also fueled the ambitions of the Assamese.

"Father, the Assamese are attacking! Their numbers are approaching thirty thousand!" Basu Narayan reported frantically to King Bira Narayan of Kuchihajjo. There was no reason for panic; the entire kingdom of Kuchihajjo, with its combined strength, had only eight thousand soldiers, while the enemy numbered nearly thirty thousand.

"Don't mention 30,000, even if it were 300,000, we must fight to the death! Our hatred for Assam runs deep. Once the city falls, do you think they'll let us go?" Bila roared at his son. When the Kuchi Kingdom was powerful, it frequently invaded Assam. After its split, its power weakened, and Assam turned on Kuchi, gradually eroding its territory, at one point reducing Kuchi-Hajah to only a small area near its capital, Kokrajal. Later, Kuchi-Hajah submitted to the Mughal Empire, and taking advantage of the Mughal invasion of Assam, it recovered much of its territory. The two countries fought each other in this way, rivers of blood flowing, their hatred deepening ever more.

Upon hearing of the enemy's attack, all adult men of the Bodo, Bengal, and Santar tribes within the city of Cokraja took up arms and stormed the city walls to defend it; even the elderly and women joined the defense. However, the city only had a few thousand defenders, and the hastily recruited civilians were no match for a real army. Furthermore, the Assamese had received a large quantity of weaponry from the defenders, making them far better equipped than the defenders. The Battle of Cokraja began on November 21st, 1676, and ended on the afternoon of the 23rd. After suffering two thousand casualties, the Assamese army finally captured the city, with Bila Narayan and his son Basu Narayan both killed in action.

Seeing his army suffer heavy casualties, King Chakdwa of Assam, enraged, ordered a massacre of the city. The order was given, and Kokrajard instantly became a hellish place. By the time Alatanchan arrived with his army, only thirty-eight civilians remained alive.

The General Who Conquers the South naturally knew what had happened, but he didn't blame Chakdeva. As long as victory was achieved, the lives of a few civilians were insignificant in the eyes of this commander. He was concerned with something else: it was already November, what was Batu Mengke doing? Why hadn't he come to Kuchi to join me? (End of Chapter)