Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

The garrison bypassed the Yamuna River and captured Panibat, putting the Mughal army in a perilous situation. Emperor Aurangzeb faced two options: one was to retreat into Delhi and hold out for reinforcements; the other was to concentrate his forces and engage the garrison in a decisive battle outside the city. As the empire's capital, Delhi boasted thick walls, a wide moat, and formidable gates such as Lahore Gate and Delhi Gate. Within the city lay the Red Fort, a strong fortress serving as the royal palace, theoretically possessing strong defensive capabilities. However, its location on a plain made it easy to attack but difficult to defend, and it had been breached multiple times throughout history. Intelligence indicated that the garrison carried a large number of heavy artillery pieces, while reinforcements from the Deccan had only just arrived in Malwa and would not arrive for at least another month. Aurangzeb did not believe that Delhi's walls could withstand over a month of continuous bombardment by enemy heavy artillery. More importantly, remaining within the city would severely damage morale. The hastily conscripted army included not only Muslims but also many Hindu and Sikh soldiers, who were far less loyal than the Muslim army. If they remained within the city, these men might desert or rebel when the situation became dire. It would be better to concentrate forces and fight the garrison to the death. Furthermore, as the "conqueror of the world" and a victorious general on the battlefield, His Majesty the Emperor possessed his pride. To dare not fight when outnumbered would be a great disgrace to him! Therefore, he made the decision to engage the garrison in a decisive battle outside the city.

With a major battle imminent, the old emperor suddenly left the military camp and rode his horse to the palace, where his most beloved youngest son, Muhammad Qam Bahish, resided. "Bahish" means "a gift from heaven," a testament to his affection.

"Father!" Upon seeing his father, ten-year-old Bakhsh happily ran over to greet him.

Seeing his youngest son's innocent and carefree face, Aurangzeb's heart melted. He had many sons, but once they came of age, they were caught up in the intrigue and power struggles for the throne. He felt no familial affection and couldn't bring himself to be cruel to his sons, only experiencing repeated heartbreak and disappointment. His underage youngest son became his greatest solace, a treasure he cherished dearly. In truth, the old emperor had long known that power was devoid of familial affection; he himself had imprisoned his own father to secure the throne. Yet, even emperors are human, and as they age, they still yearn for familial love, just like ordinary people. Whenever Bakhsh innocently acted affectionately in front of him, his heart was filled with warmth.

"Go and prepare immediately, and leave the city with Asifja!" The military situation was urgent, and the old emperor did not play and joke with his young son as usual, but gave a serious order.

"What happened? Father, has the Imperial Guard entered the city?" Prince Bakhsh asked in alarm, sensing danger in his father's expression.

"Do not be afraid, my child. I am only preparing for the worst," the old emperor comforted him gently, then shouted at his confidant Asifja, "What are you standing there for? Quickly take the prince out of the city and head south to find Shaysta Khan."

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Asfja said without hesitation, picking up Prince Bakhsh and heading towards the carriage that had been prepared.
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Knowing the strength of the Imperial Guard cavalry, the battle-hardened Emperor Aurangzeb decided to learn from the lessons of the Battle of Panibat and adopt a defensive strategy. He placed his elite, specially trained infantry guard at the forefront. This small but highly elite force, influenced by Ottoman and Persian armies, consisted of men wielding two-handed spears five or six meters long, forming a dense forest of spears specifically designed to counter enemy cavalry. Interspersed among the spear formations were musketeers; followed by ordinary infantry (Pildar and Bandar) wielding two- or three-meter-long spears, Indian halberds, swords, and shields; then came archers; and finally, artillery; a small number of heavy cavalry (Qab), war elephants, and light cavalry (Silahidar) were positioned on the flanks. He was confident that if the Imperial Guard attacked the flanks, the combined impact of the war elephants and heavy cavalry would inflict heavy casualties on the enemy.

On April 9th, 1677 (the 34th year of the Qianyuan era), more than 75,000 guardsmen met 83,000 Mughal troops on the plains north of Delhi. Upon seeing the Mughal army's formation, General Alatan Cang, with a grim face, lowered his binoculars. "As expected of Aurangzeb," he said, "with such a formation, our cavalry cannot play any effective role!"

"The Mughals only know the might of David's cavalry, but they do not know the strength of infantry. This humble general is willing to lead troops to attack the Mughals' central army!" Guizhou Governor Xin Sizhong loudly volunteered for battle.

Alatan Cang knew this man was incredibly brave, so he nodded slightly and said, "In that case, Commander Xin can be the vanguard to attack the enemy's central army. I will gather all the three-eyed muskets and give them to you. In this battle, there is no retreat; anyone who retreats will be executed!"

"Yes!" Xin Sizhong readily accepted the order.

Alatan Cang then ordered his men to relay the orders to the two commanders of the two wings, Obodui Wulanghai and Lamadash, instructing them to each lead their own cavalry to entangle the two wings of the Mughals.

"Dong~ Dong~ Dong~" "Kill~ Kill~ Kill~" The marching drums sounded, and the guards' infantry advanced in orderly steps, keeping time with the drumbeats. Every three steps they shouted "Kill!", their momentum overwhelming.

"Fire!" Upon seeing the enemy enter the range of his artillery, Aurangzeb ordered the cannons to fire.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The Mughal army's cannons roared. Soldiers fell frequently, struck by shells, but the battle-hardened infantrymen continued their advance, braving the hail of bullets. They were deployed in a wedge formation, effectively minimizing casualties. Aurangzeb frowned, surprised by the formidable strength of the Mughal army; even cannon fire couldn't disrupt their formation!
The moving garrison artillery finally came within range of the cannons and opened fire in retaliation against the enemy. "Boom~ Boom~ Boom~" "Boom~ Boom~ Boom~" Both sides exchanged fire, desperately pouring bullets at each other, but neither could inflict a fatal blow.

Soon, the infantry from both sides clashed, and to avoid friendly fire, the artillery gradually ceased firing. What remained was a contest between the infantry.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The guards drew their three-barreled muskets and fired. These muskets, capable of firing three times in quick succession, were originally issued to cavalry, but to enhance the infantry's striking power, they were temporarily concentrated and given to Xin Sizhong's men. This caused great losses for the Mughal pikemen, who had only deployed a few musketeers at the front. Although they also returned fire with their muskets, their firing density was far inferior to that of the guards. Under the dense rain of bullets, they fell one after another, and soon the front ranks were riddled with holes.

"Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~" The archers of the guards began to fire, and the rain of arrows filled the sky with the whistling sound of death, further increasing the enemy's casualties.

"Brothers, follow me and kill!" Xin Sizhong roared, personally leading the charge. Generals are the courage of soldiers; seeing their commander so valiant, his men were inspired and fought to the death with him. The elite infantry guard that Aurangzeb was so proud of, already suffering heavy casualties, could no longer withstand such a fierce attack and was forced to retreat.

The Imperial Guards relentlessly pursued the fleeing enemy, then charged into the Mughal infantry phalanxes. The Mughal general, Chai, led his troops into battle, but was killed in action by Xin Sizhong within just two or three rounds. Seeing the vanguard's ferocity, the remaining Imperial Guard units fought desperately, advancing without retreat. The Sichuan Governor, Jiancun Jiangqu, killed Aurangzeb's favorite minister, Chaswant, in battle; the Guangxi Governor, Zheng Guoyin, killed three enemy generals and captured more than ten flags…

"Watch out, General!" Qi Zhizhen, the deputy governor of Guizhou who was fighting alongside Xin Sizhong, suddenly leaped in front of Xin Sizhong. "Bang!" A bullet pierced through his chest.

"Brother Qi!" Xin Sizhong cried out in grief, his eyes bloodshot, as he charged at the Mughal junior officer who had fired the sniper shot and cleaved him in two with a single stroke. "Tiger Flame Spot" (Xin Sizhong's nickname during his time as a bandit) went berserk, charging straight towards Emperor Aurangzeb's banner. Muhammad Amin Khan, seeking redemption, led his troops to stop him, only to be cleaved from his horse by this valiant general. Seeing the ferocity of the guards, the Hindu and Sikh soldiers, already reluctant to fight for the Mughals, began to desert, further scattering the already crumbling army.

"Your Majesty, the situation is urgent! Please retreat immediately!" Jumla came before the emperor and requested to withdraw.

"In the Mughal Empire, there are only emperors who die in battle, not emperors who flee in the face of war!" Aurangzeb glared at his prime minister and led his guards to meet the charging Xin Sizhong. Jumla had no choice but to lead his personal troops to follow the emperor. The guards roared and surrounded them from all sides, and the number of guards protecting the emperor dwindled.

"Your Majesty, I must go first!" With his last breath, Jumla, riddled with arrows, charged at the guards, only to be hacked to death by the fierce enemy.

"Vicir, I misunderstood you~ I regret not listening to you~" Aurangzeb sighed and spurred his horse toward the enemy.

"Bang~ Bang~ Bang~" The guards' musketeers fired bullets, sending this emperor, who had spent his life on the battlefield, into the embrace of God.

With the emperor dead, the Mughal army's last shred of will to resist crumbled instantly. They turned and fled in panic, leaving their backs to the enemy for slaughter. (End of Chapter)