Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

Zheng Guoyin, the Guangxi governor, had long submitted to the Dawei Kingdom and was considered a senior general. However, due to his unremarkable conduct in battle, he hadn't achieved any significant military exploits and remained a third-rank earl. This southern expedition was driven by a strong desire for a title and a secure future for his family, but he was assigned the task of monitoring the enemy at Rajputana. Alatan Cang only gave him 10,000 Guangxi troops; the remaining 23,000 were weak Mughal surrendered soldiers. They would face 40,000 troops led by Aurangzeb's third son, Azam Shah. Alatan Cang's expectations were low: simply keep watch to prevent the enemy from interfering with the main force's operations at Agra Fort. With such an order, how could one expect to achieve great merit? Governor Zheng could only deploy his troops southwest of Agra Fort. Coincidentally, Emperor Azam Shah also stopped his army 200 li away, refusing to advance. Thus, an eerie silence remained between the two sides.

On this day, Zheng Guoyin was leisurely sitting in his camp writing a letter home when the surrendered general Yiben requested an audience. Upon meeting him, Yiben made a startling statement: "Please, Commander, give the order to attack the enemy. We will surely defeat them!"

Upon hearing this, Admiral Zheng's face darkened. "Azam Shah's army outnumbers mine, yet you ordered me to launch the attack and boasted of certain victory. Why?"

"You are unaware of this," Ibn said confidently. "Azam Shah is arrogant and ignorant of military strategy, a man of great ambition but little talent. He possesses fertile lands like Gujarat, Rajputana, and Sindh, yet dares not act, only watching from afar. Recently, 20,000 of his elite troops were transferred to reinforce Delhi, and the newly recruited soldiers are poorly trained. His army is not composed of many Mughals, but mainly of Rajputs, with some Tatas. Although powerful ministers like Zulfiqar Khan have supported him as emperor, they each have their own agendas and may not be willing to fight to the death. It is precisely because of this that I believe defeating the enemy will not be difficult." Ever since he led his guards into the Mughal palace, forced the queen to commit suicide, and sealed the imperial treasury, he knew he had no way out. He simply devoted himself to serving the guards, and his suggestion was also intended to gain merit and curry favor with his new master.

Zheng Guoyin pondered for a long time after hearing this, but in the end, he could not suppress his restless ambition to make a name for himself. He sneered at Yiben, "Since you are so confident, then act as the vanguard. Victory will be richly rewarded, defeat will be punished according to military law!"

"Yes," Ibn trembled upon hearing this, and went to carry out the order.

On July 19th, 1677 (the 34th year of the Qian Yuan era), the Mughal army reached the northeast of Rajputana and encountered the army of Azam Shah. At the outset, Ibn led his elite 3,000 personal guards straight at Azam Shah's banner, killing the Mughal vanguard general Nutar. Seeing the vanguard struggling, Azam Shah led his central army forward to reinforce them. However, Zulfiqar Khan, intending to preserve his strength, did not follow, only ordering his men to hold their ground. His men comprised half of the Mughal army, immediately leaving Azam Shah isolated and outnumbered. Seeing the Mughal banner advancing too close and surrounded by relatively few troops, Zheng Guoyin immediately led 10,000 veteran soldiers from Guangxi to flank and encircle the enemy, quickly defeating the Tata tribesmen within the Mughal army. These Tata soldiers came from the newly conquered Sindh province. They had only recently been recruited, lacked training, and were of low combat effectiveness. The thousands of defeated Tata soldiers scattered in all directions, causing panic among the Mughal army. Zulfiqar Khan, mistakenly believing his army had been defeated, immediately led his troops in a retreat. Seeing the situation was dire, Azam Shah led his army in a breakout attempt, barely escaping with his life, but having already lost over ten thousand men, mostly his loyal elite troops. Although he resented Zulfiqar Khan's cowardice and retreat, he dared not punish him due to the latter's strength, and could only reluctantly lead his army to abandon Rajputana and retreat to their stronghold, Gujarat.

In this battle, Zheng Guoyin annihilated over 10,000 enemy soldiers with fewer than 2,000 casualties, easily capturing Rajputana. Overjoyed, he pressed his advantage, continuing his advance into other regions, successfully capturing Tata, the capital of the Mughal Sindh province. After retreating to Gujarat, Emperor Azam Shah received a letter from his fourth brother, Emperor Qam Bakhsh, pleading for help. He could only smile wryly and reply to his brother, explaining his current predicament and encouraging him to work together to overcome the difficulties.
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The Indus River flows mightily, nurturing one of the world's oldest civilizations. On July 29, 1677 (the 34th year of the Qian Yuan era), military camps were densely packed on both the north and south banks of the river. This situation had continued for two months, with 20,000 guardsmen and 43,000 Mughal troops facing each other across the river, neither able to gain the upper hand.

"The enemy general on the other side is truly a brilliant strategist!" Emperor Mu'azam sighed deeply as he gazed at the well-organized garrison camp on the opposite bank. As the second son of Emperor Aurangzeb, he had followed his father in battles from a young age, and upon seeing the well-organized garrison camp, he knew it was a powerful army.

"Although the Imperial Guard is skilled in battle, our army is not weak either and far outnumbers the Imperial Guard. Why is Your Majesty delaying the crossing of the river?" General Ali Mardan Khan asked indignantly.

“The enemy has the Indus River as a natural barrier. If our army attempts to cross it, the casualties will be heavy. Even if we succeed in crossing, we probably won’t achieve much,” Muazam sighed and asked, “Any news about Devikaur?”

Ali Mardan Khan immediately understood his meaning. Currently, three emperors were vying for power within the country, and His Majesty's strength was inferior to that of his fourth brother, Bahish. If too many casualties were inflicted upon entering Delhi, it would likely benefit Prince Bahish. Therefore, he placed his hopes on a detachment that bypassed the Indus River, crossed it, and entered Panipat. Although Dvikor led three thousand cavalrymen secretly across the river into the Panipat plain, the news that returned was not optimistic.

"Your Majesty, General Devkaur said that the garrison of Panibat, under the command of General Heli Li Famei, is very cautious. The entire city is heavily fortified. He has tried to probe the city several times, but has failed."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Mu'azam frowned and said in a deep voice, "Let's wait a little longer." "Wait a little longer" naturally meant waiting for the enemy to reveal a weakness. However, revealing a weakness doesn't necessarily mean the enemy is at fault! On the night of August 1st, an uninvited guest arrived at the tent of Xin Sizhong, the Guizhou Governor of the Kingdom of David: an envoy of the tenth Sikh Guru Gorbind Rai.

"You mean your Guru wants to form an alliance with me to launch an uprising in Kabul?" Xin Sizhong stared intently at the newcomer.

“It is absolutely true! The Guru and the Mughal Emperor have a blood feud involving the murder of their fathers. As long as you promise freedom of religion and abolish the unfair taxes imposed on Sikhs by the Mughals, our Guru is willing to launch an uprising in Kabul to welcome your army,” the envoy replied with unwavering certainty.

“Go back and tell your guru that I agree. As soon as he can capture Kabul, I will immediately cross the river to support him,” Xin Sizhong said decisively. As soon as the envoy left, he issued a military order to the entire army to prepare to cross the river.
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In a Sikh community on the outskirts of Kabul, the tenth Guru Gobind Singh is silently studying the Sikh holy book, the *Guru Grant Sahib*. This book contains hymns by the first six Gurus, the ninth Guru, and numerous Hindu and Islamic saints, reflecting the inclusivity of Sikhism. Revered as a "living Guru," it serves as the highest spiritual and practical guide for all Sikhs.

When Gobind Singh read the hymn praising his father, Deg Bahadur, the ninth Guru, his eyes welled with tears. Two years earlier, the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb had forced his father to convert to Islam, the old emperor's stance firm: convert or die! Under such pressure, his father still refused to convert and was arrested and executed on the emperor's orders. His father's martyrdom not only failed to subdue the Sikhs' faith but also further strengthened their resolve to resist oppression. They called their father a saint "who sacrificed himself for the religious freedom of all mankind" and elected him as the tenth Guru. Since ascending to the throne, he had outwardly maintained a facade of harmony with the Mughals while secretly accumulating power, always ready to avenge his father and the countless Sikhs who had been oppressed and died. With the Mughal army entering Delhi and the once invincible Emperor Aurangzeb dying in battle, that day had finally arrived!

“Guru, the messenger we sent to the garrison has returned,” his confidant interrupted his reverie.

“Oh, let him in quickly,” Gobind Singh said solemnly, putting away the sacred text.

“Guru, I met with Admiral Xin of the Kingdom of David. He agreed to our request and promised that as long as we were able to capture Kabul, he would immediately lead his army across the river to reinforce us,” the messenger reported, conveying Xin Sizhong’s attitude.

"Excellent! Pass down the order: capture Kabul immediately!" Gobind Singh roared excitedly. Inspired by this guru, Sikhs flocked from all directions, quickly amassing an army of over 40,000, besieging Kabul and launching a fierce attack. The Mughal general Kumar, defending the city, fought desperately while sending a messenger to Azam. Upon hearing this devastating news, Azam was shocked and ordered Ali Mardan Khan to lead 23,000 infantry to cover the rear, while he personally led 20,000 cavalry back to his stronghold.

"Sir, the Mughals have indeed retreated," the scouts of the Imperial Guard quickly reported to Xin Sizhong.

"The great undertaking is accomplished!" Xin Sizhong laughed heartily and said to his generals, "Hurry and cross the river, chase after the Mughal banners, or you'll miss out on the meat!" (End of Chapter)