Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

Perhaps truly blessed by the Eternal Heaven, just months after ascending the Peacock Throne, news of victory arrived from the south: General Alatan Cang's army had utterly annihilated Aurangzeb's three sons, destroyed the Mughal Empire, and conquered the vast lands north of the Godavari River. As for the three small kingdoms south of the Godavari River: the Kingdom of Marat was already a vassal state of the Kingdom of David; the Sultanates of Bijapur and Golkonda also submitted to the Kingdom of David under the onslaught of the Guardian Army. To curry favor with the Great Khan of Lotus, Sultans of Bijapur, Sikandar Adilsha, and Golkonda, Abu Hassan Qutbsha, not only sent envoys to present surrender documents but also offered a large number of rare treasures and even sixteen beautiful women.

It wasn't just the kings of vassal states who knew the emperor's preferences. General Alatan Cang, the Grand General of the Southern Expedition, sent captives to the capital. Besides the captured Mughal emperors Azam Shah and Bahish, along with their royal family members, they also brought their wives and concubines, including eight beautiful young women carefully selected from among the imperial princesses. According to the Grand General, these women were either imperial concubines or princesses, of noble birth, perfectly suited to serve the emperor. True to his reputation as a long-time advisor who had grown up with the Great Khan, he was well aware of the emperor's tastes. The Great Khan, as expected, showed no interest in the beauties sent by Bijapur and Gorkunda, but was quite interested in the Mughal royal women. Southern India was inhabited by Dravidians, and while the women there had deep-set eyes and graceful figures, their skin was a healthy wheat color. The Great Khan preferred fair-skinned women, and the fair-skinned, high-nosed Mughal royal women of Aryan descent were naturally more to his liking. Even so, the discerning emperor only selected two to remain in the palace, and bestowed the rest of the unappreciated ones upon his ministers.

The Mughal beauties' saris couldn't seduce the Great Khan; what moved him was something else entirely: The guards, to lure the Marathas into a campaign against the fleeing Mughal army in the mountains, promised to cede Ahmednagar Castle to the Maratha Kingdom upon success. The Marathas did indeed receive Ahmednagar Castle, but their king, Shivaji, was not satisfied. He petitioned the Kingdom of David to cede the two coastal port cities of Basen and Pune to the Marathas. From Shivaji's perspective, the Hyderabad region to the east of the Marathas was occupied by the Golkonda Sultanate, leaving them reliant on the western ports for access to the sea. Without Basen and Pune, two natural harbors, they would be forced to rely on the less desirable western ports, severely hindering trade. From the Kingdom of David's perspective, Basen and Pune were wealthy coastal cities; why should they be ceded to the Marathas? Furthermore, if the Marathas did not obtain good ports, they might very well set their sights on the ports of neighboring Bijapur and Golkunda, creating conflict among these three vassal states to better control them. Therefore, Sultan was unwilling to give them up. However, Alatan Cang surprisingly advised him in his memorial to the throne to cede these two coastal cities to the Marathas. His reasoning was that Basein and Puna were two exclaves south of the Godavari River, militarily difficult to defend, while the Marathas were always compliant and had rendered great service in assisting the Imperial Guard in attacking the Mughal army; therefore, it would be better to grant them to them as a reward. The Marathas, grateful for the benevolence of the Celestial Empire, would surely submit for generations to come.

"Benevolence and righteousness?" Sultan chuckled. The vassal states submitted because David's army was strong and powerful; what did that have to do with "benevolence and righteousness"? Wait, Alatan Cang was no pedant; why was he speaking up for the Marathans? Had he received a bribe? Thinking this, his face turned cold, and he replied: "I have kept my promise and handed over Ahmednagar Fortress to the Marathans. Is the country still not satisfied? The cities of Basein and Pune are the spoils of David's soldiers, won in countless battles; there is no reason to hand them over so easily. Order that 6,000 land troops and 4,000 naval troops be stationed in these two cities to strengthen their defenses." After issuing the reply, he summoned Hada, the First-Class Kizil Duke and Commander of the U-Cloth Guard, and asked: "I ordered you to secretly monitor the generals who led the southern expedition. Has King Shivaji of the Marathans sent anyone to give gifts to Alatan Cang?"

Upon hearing this, Hada's heart skipped a beat. His messenger to India had indeed brought news that Shivaji had sent lavish gifts to General Alatan Cang, the leader of the southern expedition. However, because he and Alatan Cang were childhood friends, and because he considered it a mere courtesy from a vassal king to a southern expedition general, he hadn't reported it. Unexpectedly, his lord had questioned him. He hurriedly knelt and begged for forgiveness: "The other day, news did indeed arrive that King Shivaji of Marat had sent gifts to Alatan Cang. This servant made a mistake, thinking it was no big deal, and failed to report it in time. Please punish me, Great Khan!"

"Hmph! What do you mean by not reporting it in time? I think you're just being considerate of your friendship with Alatan Cang, afraid that I'll blame him, so you've suppressed the report! What I admire most about you is your benevolence and loyalty, but how can matters of state be governed by personal feelings? The Black-Clad Guards are like my eyes. If they were all like you, bending the law for personal gain, wouldn't my eyes be blind?"

"This servant deserves death! Please punish me, Great Khan!" Upon hearing this, Hada trembled all over, hurriedly knelt down, and said, "I deserve death."

"Hmph! I'm punishing you with a three-month suspension of your salary. If there's a next time, you'll be executed without mercy!" the Supreme One roared.

"This servant thanks the Great Khan for his grace!" Hearing that he was only punished with three months' salary, Hada breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

"What do you think of this young man, Galdama?" the Great Khan suddenly asked. Galdama was the second son of Eqirtu Khan, the Great Khan's adopted son-in-law. During the attack on Beijing, Galdama's elder brother, Erdeni, led his troops in a bloody battle against the Eight Banners soldiers to cover the Great Khan's retreat and died on the battlefield. In recent years, Galdama had followed the Great Khan in his campaigns, repeatedly achieving meritorious service and remaining utterly loyal.

“Kaldarma is young and promising, truly a pillar of the nation!” Khada hurriedly replied when the Supreme One asked him.

"Well, Galdarma has been a deputy commander of ten thousand households for quite some time now. I intend to give him the title of commander of ten thousand households and transfer him to the Wuyi Guard to assist you in your duties. What do you think?" After saying this, the Great Khan stared intently at Hada.

Hada understood that because he had concealed the matter of Alatancang accepting gifts, his lord had become suspicious of him. Transferring Galdama to the Black-Clad Guard wasn't to assist him in his duties, but clearly to have someone monitor him. He himself was a commander of ten thousand men in the Black-Clad Guard; if Galdama were also given the title, would the Black-Clad Guard listen to him or Galdama? Despite his inner turmoil, he had followed the Emperor for a long time and was well aware of his nature. He knew the Emperor's will was made and he couldn't object. He quickly replied, "This servant is advanced in years. It is truly a blessing for this servant that the Great Khan has transferred such a talented man as Galdama to assist in his duties in the Black-Clad Guard!"

"Hehe," perhaps realizing his words had been too harsh, Sultan's expression softened. He looked at his childhood playmate and chuckled, "Don't overthink it. I still trust you. It's just that we're getting old; it's time to mentor some young people!" (End of Chapter)