Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"Father, all the garrisons from various regions have assembled in Kochebihar. Currently, there are 23,000 defenders in the city, and I have also conscripted over 10,000 able-bodied men to assist in the defense..." Prince Mahendra reported to his father, King Basudev, regarding the city's defenses. Since binding the envoy and bringing him to Alabahad, Basudev knew he had no way out. Learning from the lessons of the Kuchihajjo Kingdom, he had gathered all the garrisons from various regions in the capital, intending to concentrate his forces to defend the city and await reinforcements from the Mughal Empire.

"Excellent! Conscript all the elderly, women, and children in the city who can carry weapons to guard the city. Governor Ram's army has already arrived in Gogra, and it's at most ten days' journey from us. As long as we hold out for ten days, reinforcements will arrive. I refuse to believe that tens of thousands of troops gathered here can't even hold out for ten days!" the king said confidently. Because he was so confident in the strength of the Mughal Empire, he was completely unaware that the calamity of national subjugation was imminent.

"Yes!" Mahendra knew that this battle was crucial to the survival of the kingdom, and he accepted the order without hesitation.

Military flags fluttered in the wind, and outside the city stretched an endless array of fishing rod flags. General Alatan Cang, leading nearly 130,000 troops, arrived in this beautiful city. Upon hearing that the Mughal garrison of Allahabad was still stationed in Gogra, west of Kochebihar, the commander laughed heartily, “Since ancient times, rescue efforts have either involved mutual support or concentrated forces. Gogra and Kochebihar are over two hundred li apart; they can neither support each other nor concentrate their forces for defense. What use are they?”

As a seasoned veteran, he only saw the battlefield situation and was unaware that Ram Singh had no intention of rescuing Kuchibihar; he merely wanted to use Kuchibihar to delay the garrison's westward advance. At this time, the imperial army was concentrated in Delhi, besieging the troublesome Marathas. Only Allahabad had some elite troops to the east of Delhi. If these were lost in Kuchibihar, the garrison could advance unimpeded to Delhi. Therefore, the governor harbored the intention of sacrificing a vassal state; if he could delay for two or three months until the imperial main force returned from Delhi, the situation would be safe.

"No matter what the reason is for the enemy's mistake, you must act decisively and not miss the opportunity," Fang Yuxuan advised Alatan Cang.

Alatan Cang nodded repeatedly and immediately ordered Jiancun Jiangqu, the Sichuan governor, to lead 20,000 Sichuan troops to cut off the passage between Kochebihar and Gogra, preventing the Mughal army from rescuing Kochebihar from Gogra. He personally led nearly 110,000 troops to completely besiege Kochebihar. Siege warfare has always been the most brutal, and the experienced generals naturally did not want to waste their most elite troops in a siege. Therefore, the local armies of Assam King Chakdewa, Naga King Jadanahiyan, and various chieftains became the main force in the siege.

After three days of fierce fighting, Alatan Cang discovered that the foundation of the eastern city wall was the weakest. He then ordered eighty heavy cannons to bombard the eastern city. He also summoned King Chakdeva of Assam, who was in charge of the battle at the eastern gate, and encouraged him gently, saying, "I have long heard that every warrior of Assam is a tiger. Today, I, the commander, would like to see your tiger-like might."

"Rest assured, General, I swear to capture the Eastern City!" King Chakdewa declared loudly. After conquering Kokrajal, to encourage the Assamese army to better serve the Kingdom of David, Alatanchan tacitly approved Assam's incorporation of Kuchihajjo into its territory and the stationing of troops there. The king, having tasted the benefits, was grateful and worked diligently to gain even more advantages.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Cannonballs roared one after another against the eastern city wall, blasting three breaches in just a few days. "Awoo! Awoo! Awoo!" Assamese warriors cried out as they poured into the city through the breaches. However, the defenders knew the city's strengths and weaknesses better than the attackers. Mahendra, with his elite troops, guarded the weakest point of the city, the eastern wall, and had already erected palisades inside. They arrayed themselves behind the palisades, firing muskets and arrows at the Assamese, and engaging any enemies who charged forward in hand-to-hand combat. Wave after wave of Assamese warriors fell before the palisades, including the king's favorite courtier, Surama. Helpless, King Chakdwa had no choice but to sound the retreat, and the defenders seized the opportunity to block the breaches with sandbags. Unwilling to accept defeat, the Assamese launched another attack, turning the entire eastern city into chaos.

The fierce battle that erupted in the eastern city effectively concealed the movements of the garrison in other directions. Two "earth dragons" quietly emerged from underground and advanced towards the east and west city walls near the north gate. This was Alatan Cang's strategy; a good commander rarely sets up only one point of attack. He discovered that Kochebihar was actually just a relatively sturdy earthen city, suitable for using underground blasting techniques. Therefore, he ordered his men to dig tunnels to breach the north city while simultaneously launching a main attack on the eastern city.

"Father, it's been fifteen days! Why haven't Governor Ram's reinforcements arrived yet? Are the Mughals deceiving us?" Mahendra anxiously asked his father in Kochebihar. "No, we've been loyal to His Majesty the Emperor all these years! The Governor would never abandon us! They must be facing enemy resistance! Just wait a little longer—reinforcements will arrive soon!" King Basudev roared in exasperation.

Two loud rumbling sounds interrupted the father and son's conversation.

With a deafening roar, the north gate collapsed, revealing a massive breach. King Jadanahiyan of the Naga led three thousand Naga warriors through the breach. The gatekeeper, Kotwar (the city's garrison and sheriff), was about to stop him when Rani, the chief of the Chin tribe, swiftly beheaded him with a single stroke of his sword.

The guards poured into the city through the north gate like a flood bursting its banks, surging in from all directions. At first, it was just a murmur, but soon that murmur transformed into a devastating roar. Basudev and his son Mahendra fought desperately, but ultimately could not withstand this all-consuming force. Basudev watched in anguish as his son Mahendra launched a final, desperate charge against the enemy, falling to the ground riddled with arrows. Before he could even recover from his grief, he too became a target of the guards' slaughter, hacked to pieces.

Having suffered eight thousand casualties in the siege, the enraged Alatan Cang decided to teach the Kuchibihar people a lesson. "Issue my order: do not sheath your swords for three days," the man coldly commanded.

"The Tatars have entered the city!"

"Run!"

"Mother, where are you?"

"Infidels! I'll fight you to the death!"

With this cold-blooded military order, the entire city descended into the climax of a nightmare. Cries, screams, and maniacal laughter rose and fell, and the thick stench of blood permeated house after house. The army, in its rampage, was as ferocious as wild beasts. The day after the swords were sheathed, Kochebihar's population was less than one-fifth of its former size, and there were not enough people to dispose of the corpses, forcing Alatan Cang to order the army to bury them. (End of Chapter)