Song Dynasty: Yuan Dynasty, you didn't expect this, did you? I'm still alive.

The sixty-ninth year of the Jingyan era (1344).

At this time, the Eastern Song Dynasty had unified India for nine years. The embers of war had long since dissipated, and the bustling city life was becoming increasingly prosperous. The situation was stabilizing at a visible speed.

As Indians gradually became accustomed to the caste system, a new class called "Songren" emerged at the top of the pyramid.

Especially after the imperial court promulgated the nationality law, a group of Dalits who initially served the Western Chamber of Commerce obtained Eastern Song nationality by passing the examination. They went from being trampled on as lowly people to becoming privileged "celestial beings"—this dramatic change across castes was like a thunderbolt, creating a huge wave in Indian society and bringing unprecedented shock to all the untouchables.

The Hindu and Buddhist concept of "enjoying happiness in the afterlife" is too distant, while the opportunity offered by the Eastern Song Dynasty was an immediate and tangible reward in this life.

For a time, countless Indian Dalits were eager to serve the Eastern Song Dynasty, even if it meant doing the lowest level of menial labor.

Their eyes sparkled with anticipation for the future, as if they saw a glimmer of hope to break free from their fate.

In stark contrast to the fervor of the untouchables was the resentment and discontent of the Indian aristocracy.

In their deeply ingrained belief, the untouchables are born to grovel at their feet, yet now they are able to rise above them?

But they dared to keep their discontent to themselves—the powerful ships and cannons of the Eastern Song Dynasty had already shattered their courage to resist, and no one dared to express their dissent directly to the Eastern Song.

As a result, the nobles vented their anger on the lower classes, exploiting them even more ruthlessly.

"You actually have spare money and time to study Confucianism? It seems the masters have been too lenient and spoiled you!"

While the nobles hurled insults and whips at the commoners, they would return to their mansions and secretly take out Confucian classics, instructing their servants to find Song Dynasty teachers to give them lessons.

After all, competition within the nobility was equally fierce, and mastering Confucianism, which was highly regarded in the Eastern Song Dynasty, became a new bargaining chip for them to maintain their status and seek promotion.

The situation in India stabilized rapidly in this delicate balance, while inside the Governor-General's Palace, Governor-General Louis was stroking the sword at his waist, the cold glint of the blade reflecting the restlessness in his eyes.

As a born military strategist, he was never afraid of war, but he was afraid of having no war to fight.

This is why, as the Governor-General of India, he turned a blind eye to the exploitative practices of the Western Chamber of Commerce in India—the more people rebelled, the more opportunities he would have to lead troops to quell the rebellion and achieve great things.

Whenever he heard of any signs of rebellion in a certain place, a glint of excitement would flash in his eyes.

After the fall of the Tughluq dynasty, Turkic military nobles in Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan seized the opportunity to establish their own independent regimes.

With Ghazni and Kandahar as their core, they established sultans or emirates, which checked and balanced each other while also coveting each other's power.

Among them, the most powerful leader, Ahmed Lodi, proclaimed himself "Sultan" and, based in Kandahar, firmly controlled the fertile oasis between the Iranian plateau and Afghanistan.

Within just a few years, he integrated the various Pashtun tribes in the south, and his army was powerful. He was known as the "Lion of the South," and his influence extended for thousands of miles around.

Meanwhile, another separatist leader, Mir Vali Kargi, controlled the city of Ghazni.

He claimed to be the "legitimate" successor of the Khalji dynasty of the former Delhi Sultanate, and with the call to "restore the glory of the great Khalji Empire," he attracted a large number of former followers who were dissatisfied with the Tughluq dynasty, and his power should not be underestimated.

Ghazni and Kandahar were originally wealthy regions that controlled the land trade routes from Central Asia to Afghanistan and then into India, attracting a constant flow of merchants and generating substantial tax revenue.

However, with the intervention of the Eastern Song Dynasty's India Governor-General's Office, sea routes gradually became the mainstream of trade—Eastern Song ships were faster, had greater carrying capacity, and were far safer than land-based caravans.

As land trade routes declined, the economic strength of these two regions was indirectly weakened, and their former prosperity was gone.

Further north, the once powerful Chagatai Khanate was the first to split in the power struggle among the four khanates, dividing into the Western Chagatai Khanate and the Eastern Chagatai Khanate.

Within the Western Chagatai Khanate, the powerful minister Qajaghan held real power. He installed Dashiman, a descendant of Ögedei, as a puppet Khan, while he himself monopolized military and political power.

In order to expand his power, Qajahan has set his sights on Kabul—a city located in the eastern river valley of Afghanistan, with fertile land, abundant resources, and a strategic location. If he can capture it, he will greatly enhance the strength of the Western Chagatai Khanate.

Ghazni, controlled by Mir Wali Kargi, is only a few hundred miles from Kabul.

He naturally wouldn't stand idly by and watch the Western Chagatai Khanate seize this prize, and conflict between the two sides was imminent.

However, compared to the Indian plains occupied by the Eastern Song Dynasty, these so-called "prosperous lands" seemed insignificant.

Logically speaking, such a barren and remote area was not worth the Eastern Song Dynasty's Indian Governor-General's attention.

But Louis was a restless man. In his eyes, land, whether barren or fertile, was glorious as long as the dragon flag of the Eastern Song Dynasty was planted on it.

"Not prosperous? Even if it's the dead end of the world, I, Louis, will still plant the dragon flag of the Song Dynasty there!"

He often stood on the watchtower of the governor's mansion, gazing at the western horizon, repeatedly chanting in his heart: Western Expedition, Western Expedition, Western Expedition!

His ambitions extended beyond Afghanistan; he aimed to march westward, conquer Iran, penetrate the Roman Empire, and reach the distant France, as described by merchants.

However, the new president of the Western Chamber of Commerce, Cai Lin, firmly opposed Louis's decision to send troops.

In his view, those remote places had no economic value, and sending troops to fight them was a waste of money and would only harm the interests of the Chamber of Commerce.

Inside the council chamber of the Governor's Mansion, the two men sat facing each other, the atmosphere heavy.

Although Louis was the governor and held great power, the army's logistical supplies largely depended on Western merchants, which put him in a rather passive position.

"President Cai, the remnants of the Delhi Sultanate in those two places have been eyeing India covetously at the Khyber Pass. Once they accumulate enough strength, they will surely launch a counterattack against India!" Louis argued vehemently, his tone urgent, trying to persuade Cai Lin.

Cai Lin, however, wore a "you're kidding me" expression, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "Governor, you jest. Back then, you routed the 20,000 elite cavalry of the Tughluq Dynasty. What threat could those remnants entrenched in remote and impoverished areas pose to India? Besides, the Khyber Pass defenses are impregnable, with our Great Song army stationed there; there's nothing to worry about."

"And what about the Western Chagatai Khanate?" Louis persisted, his tone growing increasingly somber. "The Mongols have a blood feud with our Great Song Dynasty. Are we just going to stand by and watch them roam freely in the Western Regions, growing stronger and more powerful?"

"They have long since split in two, riddled with internal conflicts, and may very well perish on their own in a few years. Why should the Governor bother with such trouble?" Cai Lin remained tight-lipped.

Although he is the president of the chamber of commerce, he was elected by all the businessmen. If he cannot protect the interests of the businessmen, he may be removed from office at any time.

From a business perspective, he would never support a war that is not profitable.

Seeing Cai Lin's unyielding and stubborn demeanor, Louis's gaze gradually turned cold, and his fingertips unconsciously tapped the table.

He thought to himself: Even without your Western Chamber of Commerce, my Indian Governor's Office can still manage those herders outside the Great Wall!

After the meeting, Louis immediately summoned his subordinates to take stock of the governor's treasury.

Nine years of accumulation had resulted in a mountain of silver in the treasury, enough to support 20,000 dragon cavalry on a year's campaign.

However, while dragoons were formidable in combat, they were also incredibly expensive – the cost of fodder and wear and tear on their horses alone was equivalent to that of a regular cavalry of the same size; not to mention the Minié bullets used in rifled muskets, which were ridiculously expensive to produce, making them unsuitable for large-scale use in ordinary warfare.

Fortunately, the Tughluq dynasty devoted its entire nation's resources to developing firearms, leaving behind a large number of gunpowder manufacturing workshops.

These workshops were later taken over by Louis. Although the court would not provide the most advanced gunpowder manufacturing technology, these workshops were sufficient to produce second-rate black powder.

Louis immediately ordered the mass production of hand grenades using this black powder—in his view, there was no need to use Minié bullets to deal with the poorly equipped tribal armies outside the Great Wall; hand grenades were enough to create an overwhelming advantage, making them a veritable "weapon for crushing weaklings."

After making all the preparations, Louis quickly wrote a memorial, in which he detailed the importance of eliminating the remnants of the Delhi Sultanate and curbing the expansion of the Western Chagatai Khanate, and requested the court's approval to send troops on a western expedition.

The memorial was sent by sea to the Eastern Song capital in Australia by express courier, and soon reached the hands of Crown Prince Zhao Wen and Lu Junyao.

The Eastern Song Dynasty was by no means the Southern Song Dynasty, which was confined to a corner of the country. The emperor and his officials never missed the opportunity to expand their territory.

After reading the memorial, Zhao Wen and Lu Junyao approved Louis's request almost without hesitation.

Upon receiving the court's approval, Louis was overjoyed and slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacups on it to tremble slightly.

He immediately ordered the entire Viceroy's Office of India to be fully mobilized to prepare for the expedition.

Although Cai Lin opposed sending troops, as an official of the Governor-General's Office, he had to carry out the Governor-General's official orders—he could refuse to allow the Western Merchants' Association to provide financial support, but he could not interfere with Louis's use of the Governor-General's treasury.

After all, interfering in local military and political affairs is a death sentence, and even the Western Chamber of Commerce dares not cross this red line.

A few days later, Louis prepared enough provisions and ammunition, and personally led 10,000 dragoons and 10,000 Indian cavalrymen to set out from the Khyber Pass.

He left another 10,000 dragoons to garrison various parts of India to prevent any rebellion in the rear and to ensure the safety of the main camp.

In Louis's strategic plan, these 20,000 cavalrymen were enough to sweep away the separatist forces outside the Great Wall.

Although Mir Wali Kharji shouted slogans like "Restore the glory of the Delhi Sultanate," he had no courage to launch a counterattack against India.

He left a force of 500 Pashtun cavalrymen near the Khyber Pass to monitor the movements of the Eastern Song Dynasty's Indian Governor-General's Office and prevent it from suddenly crossing the pass.

This cavalry unit was poorly equipped and demoralized. They usually only dared to patrol the border and never expected that the Eastern Song Dynasty would take the initiative to send troops.

When Louis's army marched out of the Khyber Pass, the five hundred Pashtun cavalrymen saw the dark army formation, the fluttering Song Dynasty dragon flag, and the metallic armor of the dragon riders in the distance. They were instantly terrified and lost all will to fight.

They didn't even dare to report it, and turned around and ran wildly towards Ghazni.

"Chase!" Louis reined in his horse, drew his sword, pointed it at the fleeing enemy, and gave the order in a deep voice.

The thousand Indian cavalrymen, who had been waiting in ambush, immediately spurred their horses and gave chase like arrows released from a bow.

The Pashtun cavalry were already in a panic, and their mounts were not as good as the Indian cavalry's horses, so they were quickly overtaken.

After a one-sided pursuit, most of the Pashtun cavalry were killed or captured, with only a few managing to escape and speeding towards Ghazni to deliver a message to Mir Vali Kalgi.