Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1269 Enemy Attack
According to Agudamu, the Qing dynasty's northward escape was likely due to collusion with some tribes in Outer Mongolia, otherwise they wouldn't have fled to Outer Mongolia so decisively.

Moreover, judging from the direction they were heading, they were most likely heading towards Sichinbal's territory. Sichinbal was the leader of a tribe in Outer Mongolia. His tribe was not small, though certainly not as large as the Khorchin tribe, but it was still a powerful force in Outer Mongolia, with more than 40,000 followers. The territory they occupied was the eastern and northern regions of the former Uriyangkhai.

Agudamu had never dealt with the other party before, but he knew that they were a powerful force in the northern desert. Moreover, his trip north this time was not intended to fight the other party, but to catch those stinking rats.

Therefore, Agudamu planned to send someone ahead to test the waters. If the other side readily agreed, or even helped him capture these people and send them over, that would be ideal. If the other side was uncooperative or even hostile, he could be more cautious when heading north.

After giving his instructions, Agudamu waved his hand, telling everyone to go back and rest, and prepare for the next steps. After everyone had left, Agudamu ate a simple meal, then wrapped himself in a sheepskin and went to sleep. He slept soundly all night. When the sun rose the next day, they broke camp and continued north. On the third day, while they were still on the road, Sucha, whom they had sent to contact Sichinbal, returned. He told Agudamu that he had met Sichinbal. After Agudamu conveyed his wishes, Sichinbal readily agreed and assured him that although he did not know that anyone had run off to the northern desert, he would do his best to help find them and bring them to Agudamu as soon as they were found, so that Agudamu would not worry.

"Did this old man really say that?" Hearing Sucha's reply, Agudamu was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but ask about the specifics of their meeting.

"Your Highness, I dare not deceive you. Schinbal did indeed say that, and he treated us very warmly. If it weren't for the need to report back to Your Highness, Schinbal would probably have wanted to keep us for a few more days," Sucha replied cheerfully, his long beard twitching with delight. His expression held a hint of reminiscence, indicating that Schinbal's hospitality had been quite good, and Sucha was still savoring the experience.

“Something’s not right…” Agudamu frowned. This matter had gone too smoothly, making him wary.

Sucha did indeed send them out himself, and his intention was to persuade Sichinbal, but the key point was that Agudamu himself believed that persuading Sichinbal would not be so easy.

After all, Sichinbal was a powerful figure in the northern desert, and for him, as the lord of Chahar and Khorchin, to march directly north was tantamount to invading their territory. Using only this reason to explain things, even if someone ultimately reluctantly accepted it, would still feel uncomfortable.

Moreover, although Tengger had previously subdued various tribes in the northern deserts, these tribes did not include Sichinbal. It should be noted that the northern desert tribes that Tengger attacked were originally the tribes of Chaoketu Khan and his subordinate tribes, located in the western and central regions of the northern deserts, while Sichinbal's tribes were located in the eastern region of the northern deserts. The two sides had never actually fought each other, and his later declaration of submission was merely a gesture of submission rather than a real act of submission.

Furthermore, why did Empress Dowager Bumbutai, the young Emperor Fulin, and others of the puppet Qing dynasty flee north in this direction? If they had no one to meet them, why would they have made this choice? Wouldn't it have been better to run east? Why insist on going to the northern deserts to endure the sand?
Putting all these factors together, Agudamu believed that Sichinbal would never be so friendly towards the people he sent, and might even be angry. Even if Sichinbal eventually agreed to his demands, he would still ask Agudamu's people not to go north for the time being, and to handle the matter himself, and then send the people over directly after the results were in.

This is the normal procedure. How could someone greet Sucha with the same enthusiasm as if he were seeing his own father? Not only did he agree to the matter immediately, but he also treated them with such hospitality without mentioning any demands or conditions. Anything unusual must be suspicious. Agudamu is no ordinary person. He has lived on the grasslands with his father and brothers since childhood and has learned a great deal about politics from Tana, Wang Hai, and others. Even the leader of the smallest tribe wouldn't so easily relinquish control! If Schinbal did this, wouldn't he be a fool? How has his tribe survived to this day? And how can he maintain his position as tribal leader?
Is Schinbal a fool? Of course not!
If he wasn't a fool, then why was he reacting this way? Thinking of this, Agudamu suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and hurriedly ordered the troops to halt their advance and prepare for battle. At the same time, he inquired about the situation of the scouts that his subordinates had sent out.

"Your Highness, what's going on...?" Su Cha looked surprised. Why was he suddenly on guard? What was Agudamu trying to do?
"Idiot!" Agudamu couldn't help but curse, then, ignoring the bewildered Sucha, he began to gather his troops and prepare for defense.

Just then, a faint commotion came from not far away. Agudamu subconsciously looked up and saw a cloud of dust rising. His expression changed instantly. He knew that he had guessed right. That old bastard Sichinbal was indeed up to no good. He might have been following that idiot Sucha.

"Enemy attack! Respond!" Agudamu was also a veteran of many battles. Whether he followed his brother Tengger, or later led troops as commander-in-chief to capture Chahar, or later joined forces with the Ming army to seize Khorchin, Agudamu's military command ability was quite good.

Although he was pressed for time this time and did not have time to mobilize more troops, he had three thousand elite cavalrymen at his disposal. When he realized that something was wrong, his first instinct was not to flee, but to engage in battle.

They were on the march, and apart from the guard troops, the central army had not made any preparations for battle in advance. However, cavalry marching and fighting are different. In battle, armor and horses need to be put on and changed. If they turned around and ran now, not to mention whether their warhorses, which had been marching for half a day, could outrun the enemy, the consequences of being chased by the enemy without armor were predictable.

"Erdem!"

"Your Highness! I'm here!"

"Take your men and hold off the enemy. Do everything you can to block this wave for me!" Erdemu knew the situation was critical, and without thinking, he agreed immediately. He then ordered his guards and scouts to ride off in the direction where the dust was rising.

Then, Agudamu ordered the others to immediately put on their armor and change horses, preparing for battle. Just as Agudamu put on his armor, before he had even finished, the dust in front of him grew thicker and thicker, and the faint sound of horses' hooves could be heard on the ground. Then several black dots appeared on the top of the sand dunes, and then more and more black dots appeared. Countless cavalrymen roared and rushed towards him.

"Your Highness, I..." Su Cha was dumbfounded. Even if his mind wasn't working properly at this moment, he would understand what was going on. He was filled with shame and anger.

"I'll settle accounts with you after this battle! Hurry up and get ready!" Agudamu cursed at him, and with the help of his guards, he put on all his armor. Then he mounted his warhorse, took his weapon, glanced at his subordinates who had not yet finished changing their armor and horses, and felt extremely anxious. He looked ahead again.

The enemy arrived too quickly; they had been prepared all along, intending to catch Agudamu off guard.

It was fortunate that Agudamu reacted quickly. If he had truly believed Sucha's report and continued marching forward as before, they would now be facing the enemy head-on.

With no defenses in sight, even the most elite cavalry would be no match for the enemy. Schinbal had gone all out this time; judging from the size of the enemy cavalry, there were approximately five thousand men – practically all the military force Schinbal could muster.

It should be noted that the entire Schinbal tribe numbered only about 40,000 people. Excluding the elderly, women, and children, they could only muster a maximum of 7,000 to 8,000 troops. Naturally, his stronghold also needed troops to be stationed there. Therefore, sending out 5,000 cavalrymen was an all-out effort for Schinbal.

Gazing intently ahead, the sounds of warhorses' hooves and enemy shouts filling the air, Agudamu's palms were slightly sweaty, but he remained motionless on his horse. There was little he could do now, for his troops were not yet fully prepared, while Erdemu had already led several hundred men to meet them head-on. Against an enemy force more than ten times their size, Erdemu and his cavalry were essentially throwing themselves against a rock; a single charge might wipe them out almost entirely.

But this was necessary, because what Agudamu needed was time, not much, just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. In the current situation, even sacrificing Erdemu and his men would be worthwhile. Agudamu only hoped that Erdemu could survive by chance.

Erdemu himself knew what he was doing, but he still led his men to meet the enemy without hesitation. Because behind him was Agudamu, his master, his king. Besides Agudamu, there were so many brothers and comrades. If he couldn't stop the first wave of the enemy, then everything would be over.

"May the Eternal Heaven protect us! Brothers, follow me to kill the enemy!" Erdemu spurred his warhorse and led his men to meet the overwhelming cavalry. Compared to so many enemies, their few hundred men seemed insignificant, yet they carried an unstoppable momentum.

The warhorses of both sides moved with great speed, and they were close in just a few breaths. Erdemu grabbed his bow and fired a dozen arrows in a very short time using rapid-fire archery. Not only him, but even his scouts used all their skills. The men who followed him in the counter-charge were the best and bravest warriors in the tribe, and at this moment they demonstrated their martial prowess.

Arrows whistled through the air, instantly felling dozens of enemy cavalrymen. Horses struck by arrows neighed and overturned, sometimes dragging down those behind them. As Erdemu fired first, the enemy cavalry responded in kind. After a volley of arrows, Erdemu's side also suffered over a dozen casualties. Even Erdemu himself narrowly escaped being hit by an arrow, but thankfully his armor provided strong protection, deflecting the arrow and leaving him unharmed.

After shooting the arrow, Erdemu casually tossed aside the bow in his hand, took out two guns from his bosom, and fired them from both sides. As a prince of the Ming Dynasty and the Prince of Shun Ning, Agudamu equipped his elite guards with the best firearms. These firearms were also distributed to scouts and trusted generals like Erdemu.

Gunfire erupted, and men were shot and fell from their horses in succession. Perhaps because the enemy had not expected that Agudamu's men would be equipped with firearms, the charging enemy was slightly flustered and dodged, and their charging speed slowed down slightly.

Erdemu was overjoyed at the sight. He knew his chance had come. He ordered his men to continue the charge. After they ran out of muskets, he stuffed them into his robes, grabbed the sword hanging on his saddle, and began to fight back against the enemy with unstoppable momentum.

(End of this chapter)