Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

Just as Alatancang had predicted, the situation in Delhi had barely been stabilized when Prince Sukhbaatar arrived. Although he was unhappy that the young prince was sharing in his credit, the prince's status meant he could only smile and go out of the city to greet him.

"This humble general pays his respects to Your Highness," Alatan Cang greeted with a smile and a deep bow upon meeting you. He was not bowing to the fourteen-year-old Prince Chen, but to the esteemed Yikemingan.

"General, please rise! I marched south, expecting fierce battles, but from Mengyang to Deccan, our army swept through the land, even killing the Mughal emperor. No wonder my father always praised you as a tiger general! I am only able to enter Delhi without a fight thanks to you. I am ashamed, I am ashamed," Sukhbaatar said modestly, praising the old general.

To Alatan Cang, who had grown up with the Great Khan of Lotus, the young Prince Chen was like a nephew or niece. Seeing the prince's respect, the old man beamed with joy. "Your Highness, please don't say that. Although I have made some minor contributions, the Mughal Empire is vast and has hundreds of thousands of armored soldiers. After several battles, my troops have suffered considerable casualties and are worried about insufficient manpower. Your arrival is like sending charcoal in snowy weather! I have prepared fine wine and delicacies in the city. Please come in and drink to relieve your fatigue!"

"In that case, I will take my leave. General, please!"

"Your Highness, please!"

The two men, chatting and laughing, led their troops into the city, and soon the aroma of wine and meat filled the main hall of the Red Fort. Just as they were enjoying themselves, the deputy commander of the ten-thousand-man army, Ramadash, who was in charge of guard duty, entered the tent, presenting a slip of paper. "General," he said, "General, a military report has arrived from Commander Ma!"

"Oh," Alatancang opened the report and burst into laughter. He then handed the report to Sukhbaatar, saying, "Thanks to Your Highness's good fortune, our army has conquered Alabahhad."

The Yunnan governor, Ma Zhilin, and the Assamese king, Chakdewa, were ordered to besiege Allahabad. They dug deep moats and built earthen walls around the city, choosing to besiege it without attacking. Even Ram Singh, a renowned Mughal general, was helpless against them, and his repeated attempts to break out were repeatedly repelled by the fortified defenses. Three months later, the city was starving, with large numbers of soldiers and civilians dying of hunger every day, and more and more soldiers were surrendering by lowering themselves down the walls. Upon learning of the defenders' plight, Ma Zhilin ordered a general offensive. The imperial guards easily scaled the walls, killing or capturing the Mughal soldiers who were too weak to even lift weapons. Ram Singh and his son, Bishin Singh, unwilling to suffer humiliation, jumped to their deaths after the city fell. Ma Zhilin and Chakdewa captured the fortified city with fewer than two thousand casualties, beheading over eight thousand and capturing over seven thousand. They left several thousand men to garrison Allahabad and led over twenty thousand troops to Delhi to rendezvous with the city.

"This is due to the protection of the Eternal Heaven, and also to your skillful command, General. Now that Aurangzeb is dead and the fortified city of Alabahad, which threatened our rear, has been captured, why don't we strike while the iron is hot and seize the entire Mughal territory?" The young Prince Chen was overjoyed.

“Your Highness, please do not be hasty. After Aurangzeb’s death, the Mughals are leaderless, and each of his sons commands an army and guards a region. They will inevitably vie for the throne. I intend to first send people to pacify the various regions. Firstly, we can subdue them without fighting, and secondly, we can wait until the Mughals are in internal strife before defeating them,” Alatan Cang explained confidently.

Agra, along with Delhi, was once the capital of the Mughal Empire. Akbar the Great built Fatehpur Sigri (meaning "City of Victory") here, Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal here for his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal, and was imprisoned here in his later years by his own son, Emperor Aurangzeb.

Now, this place has become a large military camp. Shaishta Khan, the Governor-General of Bengal and Emperor Aurangzeb's uncle, led an army of 100,000 to rescue Delhi, rushing here day and night. Along the way, defeated soldiers brought news of the emperor's death in battle and the fall of Delhi. The loyal Shaishta Khan did not believe it and insisted on advancing towards Delhi. However, now he believed it. Here, he not only encountered the defeated army of over 10,000 led by Mirbaksh (military commander) Amir Khan, but also Prince Muhammad Qam Bahish, escorted by Asfjah, the emperor's chief bodyguard.

"Grand Uncle, you must avenge my father!" Prince Bakhsh cried his heart out. "Your Majesty, this old minister is too late!" Shaistha Khan said, tears streaming down his face.

“Your Highness, Subadar (Governor), now is not the time for sorrow. The world cannot be without a ruler for a single day; we must quickly resolve the situation,” Aamir Khan hurriedly advised.

“Yes, Your Highness, please ascend the throne immediately to restore order to the people’s hearts,” Asfjah said to Prince Bakhsh. When he came to Agra Fort, he had already discussed with Amir Khan the possibility of supporting the young prince to the throne to gain merit. However, now they only had a few thousand defeated soldiers left, their strength was weak, and the key to success or failure lay with Shaysta Khan, who commanded over a hundred thousand soldiers.

“No, I am too young to assume such a great responsibility. It is only right that my second and third brothers inherit the throne,” Bakhsh hurriedly declined, recommending his two elder brothers: Prince Muazam, the governor of Kabul, and Prince Azam Shah, the governor of Gujarat. Aurangzeb’s eldest son had been imprisoned for a long time and had died due to his discord with his father. His second son, Muazam, and third son, Azam Shah, were vying for the throne, engaging in intrigue and deception, which deeply hurt their father.

“As everyone knows, His Majesty loves Your Highness the most and has long intended to make you the Crown Prince. Please do not refuse,” Aamir Khan exclaimed.

“Yes, His Majesty sent me to escort you to find Shaysta Khan because he intends to pass the throne to you. If you are worried about your young age, Shaysta Khan can be appointed as regent, and naturally no one will dare to disobey,” Asfjah added.

Upon hearing this, Shaistha Khan's eyes gleamed as he looked at Amir Khan and Asifja and asked, "You say the late emperor intends to pass the throne to the young prince, is there an imperial edict?"

Amir Khan glanced at Asfjah and his companion, who then pulled out a "royal decree" from their robes and said, "The late emperor's decree is here; please receive it."

Aurangzeb's order for Asfja to escort his youngest son out of the city was merely a precautionary measure. He himself had not anticipated his defeat, much less his death, so how could he possibly issue a decree to pass the throne to his son? However, once the process of enthronement begins, how could there be no preparation? As the empire's military commander and chief of the guard, the two were very familiar with the design of the royal seal, making it easy to have one carved. Although there were subtle differences from the real seal, at first glance, it was still indistinguishable from the genuine article.

Shaysta Khan opened the imperial edict, which read: "If the matter cannot be resolved, the throne shall be passed to the fourth son, Muhammad Qam Bahish, with Shaysta Khan as regent. All ministers must perform their duties diligently and not betray my trust." He nodded slightly, then read it carefully again. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he glared angrily at Amir Khan and Asfjah, causing the two men to tremble and break out in a cold sweat.

After a long silence, Shaistha Khan sighed and bowed to Prince Bakhsh, saying, "Since there is a royal decree, Your Highness, please ascend the throne quickly to rectify the people's hearts!" (End of Chapter)