Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

Chapter 1421 An Unyielding Emperor's Heart

When Farhadfa decided to venture out of the city to engage the Guards in open battle, defeat was inevitable. Panibat's flat terrain was extremely advantageous for cavalry maneuvering, and although the Mughal army also had a considerable number of cavalry, neither their numbers nor their quality could compare to the Guards, who were built on cavalry. They still employed the traditional "Trugma" tactic: placing infantry and a few elephants in the center, while using mobile cavalry to encircle the enemy's flanks, attempting to annihilate the Guards in one fell swoop.

"Haorui~Haorui~Haorui~" The cavalry of the two flanks roared, and under the command of the commander of the Guard Office, Obodui Ulanghai, and the deputy commander, Ramadash, they quickly wedged into the flanks of the Mughal army. They soon broke through the enemy's formation and routed them. "Boom~Boom~Boom~" "Bang~Bang~Bang~" The cannons and muskets of the central Guard Army fired at the center of the Mughal army. Experienced Guard cavalrymen raised their three-eyed muskets and shot at the legs of the enemy's war elephants in the front row. The war elephants cried out in pain and were shot down one after another. The remaining ones turned around and ran backward, which disrupted their own formation.

Chieftain Qimukur raised his spear and charged straight at the Mughal banner. Under the banner, Farhad's large beard became increasingly clear. "God is great! Kill!" Farhad's devout faith made him fearless of death, and he shouted, directing his personal guards to meet the enemy. They saw a black wave surging in—the tips of Mongol lances, densely packed, pressing down with a cold angle in the gleam of their blades. The battle-hardened warriors, fully armored, calmly pressed the butts of their lances against their armored armpits, rapidly closing in on the enemy, their speed increasing.

"Awoo~" Qimukuer, who was at the forefront, let out a beastly roar from the bottom of his throat.

"Awoo~ Awoo~ Awoo~" The warriors beside him exhaled and cried out at the same time, their voices echoing over the horses' hooves.

"Thump~ thump~ thump~" The sound of lances piercing human bodies rang out, the shafts bending into huge arcs instantly due to the force of the impact. The battle-hardened veterans of the Imperial Guard twisted their wrists before the lances broke, dissipating the impact while simultaneously flinging the spearhead to find their next prey. Occasionally, a lance would break, and the soldier would discard it, quickly drawing a scimitar and using the momentum of the horse to slash and kill. Countless bodies fell. Farhad only saw a blur before a guard rode up to his horse, wielding his spear and shattering bones and internal organs into dust.
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The Yamuna River continued its turbulent flow. Gazing at the densely packed military camps on the opposite bank, Emperor Aurangzeb's face hardened with suspicion. For over ten days, the other side had remained completely silent, sending only a few dozen small boats daily as a show of force. What was the enemy planning? Alatan Cang, a seasoned general, though having taken the main force with him, had still managed to deceive the Mughal army by having King Jadanahiyan of Naga create numerous cooking fires and straw figures in the camps daily to scare away birds, and even sending dozens of small boats each day as a feigned crossing. Aurangzeb, however, was a warlord, and seeing the enemy's continuous bluffing, he immediately sensed something was amiss. "Send the order: tomorrow morning, send a hundred boats to attack the other side," he commanded, issuing the order to probe the enemy's true intentions.

After issuing the military orders, he returned to his tent and was about to rest when Mirsaman (the chief steward of the palace) Ibn rushed over in a panic to report, "Your Majesty, Muhammad Amin Khan has returned."

"Mohammed Amin Khan? Isn't he in Panibat?" Aurangzeb was taken aback at first, then realized what he meant and roared, "Panibat has fallen? Otherwise, why would he be here?"

When Muhammad Amin Khan entered the tent, the emperor's guards remained motionless, their hands on the hilts of their swords, and the entire tent was filled with an atmosphere of terror. The young man immediately knelt down with a thud, prostrating himself completely, his forehead touching the ground. "Protector of the world, I have failed your trust. The guards have bypassed the Jumuna River and come from the north. Panibat has fallen!" he said, tears streaming down his face, overcome with grief.

"I gave you 10,000 troops, plus Farhad's 10,000, making a total of 20,000. How could you lose Panibat so quickly?" Aurangzeb asked coldly. His trusted confidants knew that the emperor's voice turned icy whenever he wanted to kill someone.

Muhammad Amin Khan wiped away his cold sweat and wept, saying, “The general of the Guard is extremely cunning; he only brought 20,000 cavalry to the city. Your Majesty’s admonitions were heeded, and we held firm. Yet the Guard army shot surrender notices into the city, insulting you as a devil who supports Muslims oppressing non-Muslims, and demanding that we renounce Islam, convert to Hinduism or Sikhism, and demolish the mosques within the city. Farhad considers the infidels’ demands a great insult to him and insists on going out to fight the enemy to the death. He is the commander-in-chief, and despite my earnest pleas, he will not listen; I have no choice but to comply.” Paniba The region of Tena is entirely plains. The Guards' cavalry are better equipped than ours, possessing numerous cannons and muskets, and their horsemanship is also superior. Before long, our formation was disrupted by the enemy cavalry. Farhad was killed in battle, and only three thousand of our twenty thousand troops remained. I fought my way out of the encirclement, risking my life, just to deliver the news to Your Majesty. Now that the news has been delivered, please grant me death to preserve the honor of my family!" This statement is half true and half false, emphasizing that Farhad fell for the Guards' provocation, leading to the disastrous defeat and the fall of Panibat. It conceals the fact that Farhad himself also advocated for a decisive battle with the Guards.

Hearing him speak of his willingness to die to preserve his family's honor, the old emperor's expression softened. He recalled Bahadur Khan, the father of Muhammad Amin Khan and his cousin and brother-in-law. When his father was seriously ill and his sons vied for the throne, Bahadur Khan steadfastly stood by his side, helping him defeat his brothers and seize the throne. He then followed him in numerous campaigns, achieving many military exploits. Later, despite his own illness, he led a large army to conquer the Marathas in the Deccan region, dying there before finally succumbing to his utter loyalty. It was for this very reason that he had bestowed the title of Khan upon Bahadur Khan's son.

"My son is brave but impulsive at a young age. If he does anything wrong, please punish him as you see fit, but if possible, please spare his life," wrote his cousin and brother-in-law in his last letter before his death.

Emperors are human too, and humans have feelings. Suddenly, the image of Bahadur Khan's voice and smile appeared in Emperor Aurangzeb's mind, and his tone softened involuntarily. He shouted, "Although you have made mistakes, you are not the commander-in-chief, and your crime does not warrant death. I will spare your life for now, but if you dare to disobey military orders again, you will be executed without mercy!"

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty! I will repay you even if I am shattered to pieces!" Having been spared from death, Muhammad Amin Khan was moved to tears and repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

Aurangzeb ignored him and said to his generals, "The Imperial Guard will arrive soon. Quickly gather your troops and prepare for the decisive battle! The fate of the nation rests on this battle; it's either victory or destruction!"

"We, your subjects, are willing to fight to the death alongside Your Majesty to serve our country!" Upon hearing the words "national subjugation," the crowd in the tent erupted in fervor, their voices filled with resounding declarations of unwavering loyalty. (End of Chapter)

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