Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

King Sindhodhara of Arakan was an ambitious but incompetent monarch. In another timeline, his incompetence in managing his subordinates led to a Portuguese mercenary coup, and the extravagant lifestyle of the royal family directly resulted in a decline in national power. However, he was fortunate that the rise of the Kingdom of David in this timeline objectively eliminated two major threats to him. His arch-enemy, Burma, was decisively defeated by the Arakan Army and forced to cede territory and pay tribute, effectively removing a threat from the east for the Arakanese. Taking advantage of Burma's defeat, he launched an eastern campaign against Burma. Although he did not achieve great victories, he further weakened the Toungoo Dynasty, forcing them to sign a peace treaty and establishing Arakan's image as a powerful nation. Subsequently, the Arakan Army launched a major offensive against the Mughal Empire, and he wanted to join forces with them to inflict a heavy blow on the Mughals. More than a decade earlier, the Mughal army had seized the prosperous port of Chittagong from the Bengalis; shouldn't it be reclaimed?
Sanghadudhamma had long harbored the ambition to recapture Chittagong, a hub for merchants from all over the world, whose taxes alone would make his hands tremble. The royal family's extravagance and debauchery had emptied the treasury; how could he not find a way to replenish it? He had invaded Burma during its defeat, also intending to plunder its wealth, but had gained little. Previously, he had been afraid of the Mughal Empire's power and dared not covet Chittagong, but now that the Kingdom of David was attacking the Mughals, David was like a high mountain, while the Mughals were merely a small hill. If he could have the Kingdom of David as his backer, what was there to fear? Therefore, while leading an army of 50,000 to attack Chittagong, he simultaneously sent envoys to submit to the Kingdom of David.

Seeing the overwhelming force of the Arakanese, Diwan (an official in charge of taxation and finance) Murshid, stationed at Chittagong, dared not engage in battle and retreated into the city to defend it. The Portuguese mercenaries within the Arakanese army played a crucial role; their fast ships sailed into the docks, their heavy cannons bombarding the city walls, leaving them riddled with holes, and their muskets suppressed the defenders, preventing them from raising their heads. Furthermore, inspired by the call to "reclaim lost territory," the Arakanese soldiers fought fearlessly, launching wave after wave of relentless attacks. In just one month, Chittagong fell, and Murshid was killed in action.

Listening to the soldiers' cheers, Sintodudhamma fell into deep thought. He knew that Chittagong held immense economic and military importance, and the Mughals would not give up easily. He needed to find a powerful patron. Some time ago, he had sent envoys to Wei Dadu to pledge allegiance to the Great Khan of Wei, but due to the long distance, he had yet to receive a reply. It seemed he would have to send someone across the sea to Dhaka to directly express his goodwill to the Wei general.

“When Father sends people to submit to the Kingdom of Victory, he might as well bring the Mughal prisoners along,” Varim offered a wicked plan.

Sindhodhamma immediately understood his son's meaning: handing the Mughal prisoners over to the guards would both appease the Kingdom of David and give the Mughals the illusion that the Arakanese's attack on Chittagong was at the behest of the Kingdom of David, and that any retaliation would be directed at the Kingdom of David first. "Hmm, my son has finally matured!" He glanced at his son with satisfaction and said calmly, "Then do as you wish."

Murshid received the envoy sent by Sintodu Thamma politely and was quite pleased to learn that the Arakanese had brought nearly five thousand Mughal prisoners, along with a large amount of grain and supplies. “Go back and tell your king that since he has sent envoys to pledge allegiance to David, he is naturally David’s ally. I don’t ask much of him; I only ask that he send fast ships to harass the Orissa region, preventing the Orissa garrison from reinforcing Dhaka.”

"Yes, Commander, I will convey your message to His Majesty the King," the messenger said respectfully, bowing as he took his leave.

"These prisoners are useful—very useful!" After the envoy left, Batu Mengke laughed heartily. He ordered his men to select two thousand Hindus from among the prisoners and have them take turns shouting at Lalbagh Fort.

"Soldiers, the Arakanese have submitted to David, captured Chittagong, and are now harassing Orissa. We have no reinforcements." "Surrender! David taxes everyone equally, unlike us. The Jadi (referring to non-Muslim communities within the Mughal Empire, especially Hindus divided by caste) pay more than twice the taxes of Muslims." "Surrender! Don't fight for a tyrant who oppresses us..."

At this time, the Mughal Empire was ruled by a ruling class of Turkic-Mongol descent (descendants of Timur) who adhered to Islam, but the majority of its subjects were Hindus. Emperor Aurangzeb, a devout Sunni Muslim, attempted to transform a predominantly Hindu nation into a Muslim-majority country according to the tenets of the Quran. To achieve this, he reinstated the Islamic calendar, vigorously promoted Islamic law, built numerous mosques and religious schools, prohibited Muslims from adopting Hindu customs, forbade the minting of the Shahada (declaration of faith) on coins, and even issued decrees stipulating a 2.5% tariff rate for Muslim merchants and a 5% rate for Hindu merchants. Later, he abolished tariffs on Muslims altogether, but maintained the same rates for Hindus. He further issued a decree to all provinces to "demolish all schools and mosques owned by non-Muslims." These measures incurred the hatred of his Hindu subjects and alienated the empire from its non-Muslim population.

Hearing these words of persuasion to surrender, the morale of the defending troops, already low due to running out of ammunition and food, plummeted even further. Hindu and Sikh soldiers deserted in droves, and even many Muslims deserted. Seeing the dire situation, Muhammad Raza led the remaining defenders in a breakout attempt, but suffered heavy casualties against the defenders' strong fortifications. General Ush was killed by an arrow during the breakout.

Seeing that the time was right, Batumonk ordered the Hindu prisoners to escort the Islamic prisoners to attack the city. Under the cover of cannon fire, the prisoners rushed towards the city walls, facing a hail of bullets from the defenders in front and the watchful eyes of the Davidic army behind them. Anyone who dared to retreat was killed. The battle was extremely brutal; one group fell and another was replaced. When all the Islamic prisoners were dead, Hindu prisoners were brought in. When only a few hundred prisoners remained, the gunfire from the fortress became sparse, clearly indicating that ammunition was running low.

"All troops, attack!" Batu Mengke seized the opportunity and committed his main force. However, the final fierce battle did not occur. Seeing that defeat was inevitable, the Western mercenaries in the fortress mutinied. Taking advantage of the Mughals' unpreparedness, Captain Moor led the remaining three hundred or so mercenaries to kill Muhammad Raza's personal guards, captured the Fajidar (local military commander), and sent him to the guard camp.

"So you're that Portuguese man named Moore? You're quite clever, knowing how to switch sides in the face of battle," Batumengke said mockingly, looking at the Portuguese general with his hooked nose and dark blond hair. In any case, "switching sides in the face of battle" is not a good term.

However, Moore couldn't understand, so he shrugged and replied, "Muhammad is not a good employer. It is foolish to force his men to continue fighting when he knows that victory is impossible, so I have bound him and presented him to Your Excellency the General."

"How can I trust you?" Batu Mengke sneered.

“As long as you pay me and value the lives of your soldiers, I will never betray you, no matter when or where,” Moore said earnestly.

Batu Mengke pondered for a moment, then ordered, "I will pay you a commission, but you must personally behead Muhammad to prove your loyalty. Also, I will incorporate those Hindu and Sikh prisoners into your forces to strengthen them." (End of Chapter)