The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

Brothers, let's overthrow the Qing!

December 10, 1673.

At noon, the sun was shining brightly.

In Ulanqab Urad Banner in southern Inner Mongolia, it was December. The Mongols from the three banners gathered at the foot of Yinshan Mountain. Now that Wu Sangui had raised an army to restore the Ming Dynasty, things were not peaceful.

A thunderous sound of horses' hooves rang out.

Thirty thousand cavalrymen, clad in khaki-colored cloth armor, wearing towering helmets and demon-face masks, and wielding three-meter-long spears or Persian scimitars, were divided into thirty thousand-man squads and surged toward Urad Banner.

The burly man at the front rode a Kazakh black horse, wearing a full suit of Mongolian leather armor inlaid with iron, a Mongolian helmet with tassels and a demon mask, and holding a curved sword high.

"Galdan Taiji has decreed that these Southern Mongols have already had their spines broken by the Qing people and are unworthy to be descendants of my Mongols. Anyone who resists shall be killed!"

"Roar roar roar!"

These cavalrymen were clearly elite; they threw their lassos and hit the fence, then flanked to the sides, and the seemingly decent wooden fence was thus collapsed by the warhorses.

With so many cavalry charging, the able-bodied men of the tribe were already on standby, but faced with cavalry armed to the teeth, their small numbers were helpless.

These cavalrymen charged into the tribe from all directions, plowing through the entire tribe like tigers among sheep, leaving only collapsed tents and fallen Mongols.

Just when the remaining Mongols in the tribe thought it was over, ten thousand infantrymen, dressed in khaki cotton-padded coats with only a leather armor piece on their chests, advanced in orderly fashion, divided into ten thousand-man squads.

They were all armed with spears or swords and shields, and they killed anyone who dared to stand up, except those who were lying on the ground.

Despite all that talk, the entire tribe surrendered in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

After confirming that no one had escaped, the infantrymen began to put ankle bracelets on the Mongols. These bracelets were made of thick hemp rope and were only half a meter long, preventing the Mongols from taking steps or riding horses.

Just then, a man dressed in a black Mongolian robe, a black mink coat, and a Mongolian felt hat rode a large black horse galloping towards them.

Seeing that the battle was over, he dismounted and sat by a fire, completely unconcerned about the blood and limbs around him, and even drank mare's milk wine on the spot.

This man was Galdan, who was twenty-eight years old at the time. Just ten months earlier, he had been possessed by Liu Mu from the future. After learning about the era he was in, he knew that two tigers could not share the same mountain.

Once Emperor Kangxi had resolved the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories, the combined strength of the Han Chinese in the Central Plains would have made the Dzungars, with only a few hundred thousand men, an enemy they could never defeat.

Because even if Kangxi lost many times, tens of millions of Han Chinese would still be there to cover his losses, but if Galdan lost even once, he would be attacked and killed by the Kazakhs and Tsarist Russia.

Knowing that the Revolt of the Three Feudatories would break out in winter, Galdan used bloody methods to swiftly eliminate his internal enemy, namely his own uncle Chuhurubashi. In just two months, a large number of nobles were killed.

After acquiring a large amount of gold and silver, Galdan immediately purchased supplies from Russia and Persia, and that's how he obtained so many cloth-covered iron armors.

As for why the nail polish is made of khaki cloth?

Naturally, it corresponds to the Earth element of the Five Elements.

Unfortunately, the Russian muskets were too cumbersome, and Galdan didn't even consider them, so he simply bought Ottoman bows and arrows.

The only option left was to plunder from the Central Plains. As long as there were qualified craftsmen, they could build them. At that time, the craftsmen of the Central Plains were second to none in the world when it came to making cannons.

"Taiji!"

The generals who had led the charge earlier wiped the blood off their bodies with their fur and immediately bowed to Galdan, then stood respectfully in place, just like guards.

"Sit down, there's no need for formalities between us!"

Galdan pointed to the grass beside him with his whip and took out a piece of cooked horse meat from his bag and handed it over.

This guy is ruthless. He took the rock-hard horse meat and started gnawing on it without even roasting it over a fire, not even caring that it was hard on his teeth.

This man was a slave of a large tribe in Kazakhstan. Galdan named him Subutai, the meaning of which was obvious: he hoped that Subutai, like Genghis Khan's Subutai, would become his fangs.

Three months ago, Galdan, who was preparing to leave the Western Regions, immediately wiped out this tribe near Lake Balkhash, which was the exit of the Ili River Valley and posed a great threat to Galdan's homeland.

As a result, Subutai, carrying his dying leader, killed eight Mongol warriors with just a saber.

Galdan was very fond of Subutai and planned to cultivate his military capabilities. Although his physical body was also very capable, deep down he was now like Liu Mu, a liberal arts student.

Moreover, a wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall.

Just as Galdan was about to rest, a Han Chinese man dressed in a Taoist robe with the yin-yang symbol came in, holding an account book.

"Taiji, I have sorted out the situation. The population of Urad Banner was originally over 23,000, but the fighting was too fierce this time, and now there are only over 18,000 left, plus a little over 10,000 Han Chinese slaves!"

"However, Urad has a lot of livestock, with a total of 520,000 sheep and goats, more than 38,000 horses, of which only a little over 6,000 are warhorses, and more than 35,000 cattle."

Galdan nodded in satisfaction upon hearing the figure. Since the Shunzhi Emperor entered the pass, the three Urad tribes had ceased fighting, which naturally led to an increase in their population and livestock.

As for the many Han slaves, it's because this place is located at the top of the Yellow River's confluence. They were all people who couldn't survive the wars at the end of the Ming Dynasty and were absorbed into farming. The Yellow River brings a hundred harms, but it enriches this place. This is no joke.

This Taoist priest was named Ouyang Jing, and he was thirty years old at the time. He was taken from the remnants of the Khoshut tribe by Galdan.

He was originally a scholar from Guanzhong during the Ming Dynasty. To avoid the hair-shaving order, he pretended to be a Taoist priest and went to the grasslands. He was captured by the Mongols who were raiding the grasslands and was taken away as a slave.

Whether he is truly skilled or not remains to be seen, but he should have no problem handling the cattle, sheep, and horses of the Mongols.

"Ouyang Jing, I will establish Wuyuan Prefecture here. After the rest of the tribes arrive, you will be the first prefect of my Dzungar. You must divide the pastures and fields properly, and at the same time build city walls along the Yinshan Mountains."

"From among those Han slaves and my own followers, select a few dozen clever ones and start teaching them to read and write this winter to assist you in managing Wuyuan."

Galdan was referring to his plan: the grasslands under the Yin Mountains must be controlled, and the most cost-effective approach would be to establish three counties along the Yin Mountains, forming a continuous line.

But in Ouyang Jing's ears, that was an immense favor from Heaven. After all, the Ming Dynasty hadn't even given him an official position, and the Manchus even wanted him to shave his head and change his clothes. Yet, a Mongol was given both an official position and a woman. What was that all about?

This is called being recognized and appreciated!

With a thud, Ouyang Jing knelt down on the ground.

"Taiji, I will die for you!"

Galdan ignored him and instead looked eastward.

"Kangxi, I, Galdan, am not going to play games with you anymore. I'm going all in. How will you respond?"