Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

There is an exquisite house not far from the Fuzhou Garrison Office. The words "Gu's House" on the plaque reflect the owner's surname. At this moment, Gu Si is lying comfortably on a recliner, sipping a glass of wine and humming a little tune. His gray beard and the little tune he is humming do not match each other, but the servants have long been accustomed to it. Our master is just like this. Although he is nearly sixty years old, he still lives like a playboy. Gu Si, who was born as a soldier, is a person who survived the bloody sea and was used to living on the edge of a knife. Now that he is old, he just wants to enjoy life, including eating, drinking and having fun.

"Master, someone outside has sent you a gift," the butler handed a gift list to the happy Gu Si.

"Gift? Do I have any good news, sir?" Gu Si was very surprised. He took the gift list and saw that it said: "Congratulations on your promotion. This is presented by Yang Zepu, my junior family friend."

Promotion? When did I get promoted? Old friend and junior? Why don't I remember any old friend named Yang? Gu Si was more and more surprised. He opened the gift list and saw that there were quite a lot of gifts! In addition to gold, silver, jewelry, silk and satin, there were more than a hundred items of various materials, which was considered a big deal in the poor Fuzhou and even in the whole southern Liaoning. Since ancient times, officials do not hit people who smile. Since someone has sent a generous gift to oneself, no matter whether it is a real old friend or not, it is necessary to meet him/her, which is the way to treat guests. Although Gu Si is a military man, he has lived for nearly sixty years after all, and he still understands the ways of the world. He smiled and asked to invite the guests into the main hall.

The guest was muscular, well-dressed, with slightly dark skin. Strangely, his eyebrows and eyes seemed familiar. Eh? I really have seen this person somewhere before. Could he really be an old friend of mine? Seeing that person's extraordinary demeanor, Gu Si was surprised and asked politely, "Young Master, you claim to be an old friend, when have you met me? Why are you so happy about your promotion?"

"We haven't seen each other for many years, so it's normal that uncle doesn't recognize me. My surname is not Yang but Zu Zepu. My father's name is Zu Dashou and I knew my uncle well when he was in Jinzhou," the guest sat upright and spoke slowly.

"You~you are the Second Young Master?" The man's words were very calm, but it sounded like a bolt from the blue to Gu Si's ears. As Zu Dashou's former personal soldier, the habit he had developed over the years made him unconsciously leave his seat and kneel down, "I pay my respects to the Second Young Master." As soon as he said this, he suddenly realized that things were different now. He was now a fifth-rank official of the imperial court, and Marshal Zu had been dead for six years. The Zu family was in decline, so there was no need to kneel down to this person. He couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Fortunately, Zu Zepu was well versed in the ways of the world. He immediately left his seat to help him up, and respectfully knelt in the opposite direction of him, "You are my father's old friend, just like an elder in the family, and the younger generation should kowtow to you."

"Haha, Second Young Master, you don't have to be polite. Please sit down~ Please sit down~" Gu Si laughed and invited him to sit down and have some tea. He blinked his old eyes and asked, "I wonder where the Second Young Master has been working these years?" In fact, he knew that the Second Young Master had worked as a guard beside the Qing Emperor, and most likely he was still an official in the Qing Dynasty. But since others didn't point it out, there was no need for him to point it out either. He just pretended not to know.

"To be honest with you, uncle. I used to work in the Imperial Household Department. When I was ordered to go to Liaodong on official business, the imperial guards entered Liaodong. I was afraid that the emperor would blame me if I failed to complete the mission, so I dared not return to Beijing. I had to live in a small restaurant in Zhongzuo, Jinzhou, to make a living. A few days ago, I heard from the guests in the restaurant that your uncle was promoted to Guerrilla General of Fuzhou. It's a great thing, so I prepared some small gifts to celebrate." Zu Zepu also pretended to be confused and did not reveal his identity easily.

Hearing the words "Fuzhou Guerrilla General", Gu Si could not help but feel a little angry. A soldier who does not want to be a general is not a good soldier. He was born as a soldier and went through life and death before he became a garrison. But according to tradition, only guerrillas and above are qualified to be generals. He is almost sixty years old. If he does not get promoted, he will probably never be a general in his life. It is hateful that General Wang recommended Fuzhou Guerrilla General to the court, but the appointment document has not arrived. It is said that it is because of the long journey, but it has been too long!
"Uh~ Second Young Master, you misunderstood. General Wang did recommend me as the guerrilla commander of Fuzhou, but due to the long journey, the documents from the Ministry of War have not arrived yet," he said after calming down his anger.

"The journey is too long to arrive? I heard that the appointment documents for other places have been issued, why is my uncle missed? Besides, if General Wang really wants to recommend him, why would he go through the trouble of writing to the Ministry of War? He can just submit a petition directly to Great Khan Lianhua. As far as I know, most of the official positions in Liaodong are directly appointed by the Khan through petitions submitted by local officials," Zu Zepu instigated calmly, carefully observing Gu Si's expression.

"Really?" Gu Si couldn't hold back his anger. He knew that Zu Zepu was telling the truth, and that was why he couldn't hold back his anger. Yes! I've heard my father say that Gu Si was a man who showed his emotions on his face, and it was true! Zu Zepu was overjoyed, but he showed hesitation on his face. He said hesitantly, "I heard that Mr. Wang is good at making money. Could it be that he wants benefits?"

"Hmph! I have been friends with Mr. Wang for many years. Not long ago, I sent someone to give him a piece of old Korean ginseng for nourishment," Gu Si frowned.

"Uncle, you are wrong! Ginseng is very precious in Jiangnan, but it is common in Liaodong. Liaodong is a place where ginseng is produced. Mr. Wang is the general of southern Liaoning, and his jurisdiction is close to Korea. Is he afraid that the dignitaries of Korea will not send him ginseng? The gift you sent is not enough."

"Are you saying that Wang Guotai thinks the gift I gave him is too little? In the past, he was the Lieutenant General of Fuzhou in the Qing Dynasty, and I was the garrison commander of Fuzhou. We often drank and listened to music together. Now that he has become a high-ranking official, he has turned his back on me and will not do anything unless I give him enough benefits?" Provoked by the words, Gu Si became furious.

"I heard that General Wang has a big appetite. The garrison commander of Gaizhou, Bai Yunming, the garrison commander of Haizhou, Li Mao, and the garrison commander of Jinzhou, Jin Weifan, all got their official positions by giving him generous gifts," Zu Zepu continued to instigate.

"No wonder their appointments were approved so quickly. They said something like the Khan had given him many imperial decrees, and those below the guerrilla level did not need to report to the Ministry of War, but those above the guerrilla level needed to go through the Ministry of War. Bah! So that's what's going on! Wang Guotai, oh Wang Guotai, I've known you for so many years, but you don't show me any mercy at all!" Gu Si was born a small soldier, and although he was old, he was not cunning. Provoked by the slander, he was so angry that he started cursing.

The time is ripe! Zu Zepu took the opportunity to reveal his identity, "To be honest, I am now the Minister of the Military Preparations Department of the Thirteenth Office of the Qing Dynasty. I was ordered by the emperor to sneak into Liaodong to contact patriots to recover the lost territory. Since you are not happy working in Weiguo, why don't you abandon Wei and join the Qing? The court has issued an order that all Liaodong officials who abandon the dark and join the light will be promoted two levels, and you can get the position of deputy general of Liaonan."

Gu Si hesitated. "Now the whole of Liaodong is basically under the control of the Wei army. Even if I listen to the second young master and return to the Qing Dynasty, I am afraid that I will be defeated by Wang Guotai's army soon. What can I do?"

“Hahaha~ Uncle, you don’t know this,” Zu Zepu suddenly laughed out loud, “The Emperor has ordered Xue Xun, the guerrilla commander of the Dengzhou Navy Camp, and Qu Zhonghe, the guerrilla commander of the Rongcheng Navy Camp, to lead more than 80 warships and more than 200 civilian ships to transport Minister Lai Tuku and Huguang Admiral Dong Xueli’s 13,000 cavalry and infantry from the sea to Liaodong. You only need to allow the ships to land in Fuzhou Bay.” (End of this chapter)