Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"This is the Peacock Throne of the Mughal Empire? There is no greater treasure than this! Alatan Cang has truly presented me with a fine treasure!" Inside the Qianqing Palace in Dadu, the Great Khan of Lotus, with his hand on the spoils of war sent from India by General Alatan Cang, who had led the Southern Expedition, marveled at them.

He couldn't help but marvel at how far more luxurious this throne was than the Leo Fearless he currently sat on! The chair, shaped like a bed, featured a backrest and armrests, its base cast in gold. The backrest was adorned with two enamel peacock sculptures displaying their full plumage, symbolizing "peacocks spreading their tails," and was inlaid with countless diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and pearls. The entire chair used 2,300 catties of gold, 108 large emeralds, 116 large rubies, and countless diamonds, pearls, and smaller gemstones. The two largest diamonds set on the throne were the "Mountain of Light," weighing 186 carats (even larger before cutting), and the "Ocean of Light," weighing 280 carats. The value of just one ruby ​​exceeded 150,000 taels of silver, and there were over 200 similar gemstones on the throne. He had several jewelers assess the value, and even the cheapest estimate for the entire throne was over 30 million taels of silver.

"So beautiful! Exquisite!" The dragon's hands caressed almost every part of the throne, growing more and more fond of it with each touch, truly unable to put it down. In his life, he had fought countless battles and plundered countless spoils, considered himself worldly-wise, but he had never seen such an expensive and exquisite throne before. Thirty million taels of silver! What an enormous fortune! Enough for me to wage three campaigns against the Mughals! Inspired by his love of the throne, he picked up his brush and wrote:
"The Peacock Viewing Chair"

A southern country boasts of peace and prosperity.
The peacock spreads its tail feathers, and soldiers from all over the world vie for its glory.

The surrounding small states all bowed their heads.
Military might overwhelms the state.

To relieve the people and punish the guilty is the act of a benevolent person.

When the king's army marches out, the sun and moon shine brightly.

Celebrations resounded for miles around.
Why force yourself to recite the Quran?

In his poems and writings, the Great Khan portrayed the Mughal Empire as a brutal empire that bullied the weak and only knew how to oppress smaller states. He shamelessly claimed that his invasion of the Mughal Empire was a righteous act of punishing the wicked and rescuing the people, and even asserted that the local populace sang and danced to celebrate the army's rescue. Such actions were perfectly normal; history is written by the victors, and who would dare utter a single word of dissent?

Along with the Peacock Throne, came reports on the war situation, other rare treasures from the Mughal treasury, the heads of Emperor Aurangzeb and his generals, maps of the Mughal Empire, and a long list of names in the military merit register. Looking at the thick register, the Great Khan of Lotus was delighted; his "little friend" Alatan Cang's eagerness for promotion was evident on the page! Indeed, among his earliest childhood friends, Nari Song was enfeoffed as the Prince of Kashgar, Suhe as the First-Class Duke of Baili, Hada as the First-Class Duke of Kizil, and Mandulatu as the First-Class Duke of Luntai; only he remained a Second-Class Duke of Kucha, hence his anxiety.

"Let's read the memorial first," Sultan said leisurely, flipping through it. The memorial was very long. The first part was full of flattering words praising the Great Khan for his strategic planning and decisive victories from afar, claiming that he was protected by the Eternal Heaven. The following part was a detailed report on every major battle since entering India. Then it recorded the results of the battles, how many cities had been captured, how many people had been subdued, and so on. It even recorded in detail the quantities of various materials stored in the Mughal treasury and local treasuries, including Muhammadal gold coins, half-Muhammadal gold coins, Askhorafi (large gold coins used for special celebrations, commemorations, and rewards), rupees (Mughal silver coins), dams (Mughal copper coins), silks, satins, porcelain, tea, jewelry, antiques, and so on. Alatan Cang's writing about these financial matters was certainly not a whim. After reporting the battle situation, he also described the difficulties the army encountered during the expedition, mainly the significant challenges in transporting military supplies and paying wages. He requested the Great Khan's permission to use the local treasury's funds to purchase military supplies and pay the soldiers' wages.

Upon seeing that Aurangzeb's three sons had each established their own independent kingdoms after his death, Suletan laughed heartily, "The Mughal Empire is finished!" A veteran of countless battles, he knew the immense financial burden of using local treasuries to purchase military supplies and pay soldiers. But with generous rewards, brave men would come; there was no reason to expect the horse to run fast without feeding it. He replied to Alatan Cang, "Your suggestion to use the Mughal treasury for military expenses is approved. The false emperor is dead, and the Mughals are leaderless; it is the time to unify the south. Strive for it! Do not fail my expectations!" After reviewing the memorial, to showcase his military prowess, the Great Khan ordered the Peacock Throne to be brought to the Qian Yuan Hall for his ministers to admire. "This is the Peacock Throne that the Mughal emperor sat on, which Alatan Cang sent from India. What do you all think?" He cheerfully ordered his ministers to circle the chair and offer their opinions.

"Forgive my ignorance, but having lived this long, I have never seen such a large gem!" The chief minister, Batu Hotan, was very perceptive. He knew that what the Great Khan wanted to hear most at this moment was praise from his subjects, so he immediately pretended to be shocked and pointed to the huge ruby ​​inlaid on the back of the chair, praising it endlessly.

"The Great Khan is the reincarnation of Padmasambhava, and only such a precious throne is worthy of your noble status." "This is a gift from the Eternal Heaven to the Great Khan of Mongolia." "Your Majesty's martial arts are unparalleled, and our army is invincible, which is why we were able to obtain this rare treasure." With the chief minister taking the lead, flattery poured in.

"Oh, the peacock throne from the south, inlaid with pearls, gems and agate. So precious, who is worthy to possess it? Only our Great Khan, blessed by Heaven!" Bo Bei, the number one sycophant of the Qian Yuan Dynasty and Grand Academician of the Wenhua Hall, sang loudly, pushing the enthusiastic atmosphere in the hall to a climax.

"Hahaha~ Hahaha~" The Great Khan laughed heartily, his spiritual world greatly satisfied.

"It's just a broken chair, how can it compare to the preciousness of the fearless Leo?" The tactless Minister of Revenue, Hu Lianqi, insisted on spoiling the emperor's mood.

Upon seeing this person, the Great Khan frowned inexplicably and said sarcastically, "Minister Hu, you're in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, yet you can't even do basic accounting. This Peacock Throne, I ordered several jewelers to estimate its value. Some offered fifty million taels, some forty million taels, and the lowest offer was thirty-one million taels. The Fearless Lion Throne, though exquisitely carved from a large piece of wood, is only worth a thousand taels of silver in total. How can it be inferior?"

“Throughout history, there are countless examples of frugality leading to prosperity and extravagance leading to ruin! The Mughal emperor sits on such a luxurious chair, where is his country? With Your Majesty’s wisdom and intelligence, you will surely decide which is more important, the chair of ruin or the seat of prosperity!” After saying this, Hu Lianqi shut his mouth and said no more.

Upon hearing the words "the chair of a fallen kingdom," Sultan was deeply shaken. He had poured his heart and soul, risking his life countless times, to establish the Kingdom of David, and his greatest fear was that his descendants would not be able to maintain it. Hu Lianqi was right; frugality leads to prosperity, while extravagance leads to ruin. How could someone sitting on such a luxurious chair possibly ride a warhorse or wield a weapon?
Thinking of this, he chuckled, "Minister Hu is absolutely right. Although the Mughal Peacock Throne is valuable, it is far inferior to my Fearless Leo Throne! Today, I will allow you all to admire it, and tomorrow I will have the Ministry of Revenue dismantle it and sell it. The total price, as for now, shall not be less than thirty million taels!" (End of Chapter)