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

Upon hearing this, Songgotu remained expressionless, but inwardly he cursed Kangxi for being shameless. At present, the only troops that the Qing Dynasty could mobilize were those princes of the Khorchin Mongols, who were the maternal family of the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.

There was no problem with their loyalty to the Khorchin Mongols, but the money and grain required to mobilize troops were too much. In addition, it was embarrassing for Kangxi to still need to borrow troops after entering the pass for so long.

"Your Majesty!" Having said this, Songgotu had no choice but to proceed. "Send guards with urgent dispatches to the princes of the Khorchin Mongols to request reinforcements."

"It's winter now, and as long as there's no problem with food supplies, lending 20,000 cavalry shouldn't be an issue."

Kangxi was very pleased to hear this. As long as he hadn't suggested borrowing troops, it was fine. "Prime Minister Suo, please draft an edict for me. Say that Beijing has enough money and grain, but it lacks troops. If the princes bring troops, then the area north of Guihua City will become the pasture of Khorchin."

Upon hearing this, Songgotu nodded, secretly admiring Kangxi's skill in making empty promises. He didn't mention Galdan at all, and even restored the lost city of Guihua.

Thinking of this, Suo'etu subconsciously looked at the dragon throne. Could sitting in this position make him smarter? Then what was the purpose of killing Ao Bai and forcing Wu Sangui to rebel?

"Mingzhu!" Kangxi rose to leave, but then remembered something. "Who is stationed at Juyong Pass?"

Upon hearing Kangxi's question, Mingzhu immediately reported, "Your Majesty, he is a guerrilla commander of the Shaanxi Green Standard Army, recommended by Wang Fuchen, the Shaanxi Governor-General. Three months ago, he was ordered to lead his 800-strong Green Standard Army to garrison Juyong Pass!"

After pondering for a while, Emperor Kangxi "immediately drafted an edict for Prince Yu, ordering him to transfer 7,000 troops from the Nine Gates Commander, plus his three patrol battalions, for a total of 10,000 men to garrison Juyong Pass!"

"As for Wang Jinbao, order him to lead his troops north immediately. If Zhangjiakou falls, he shall bring you his head!"

Upon hearing this, Mingzhu nodded secretly. At such a critical moment, it was not appropriate to entrust a strategic pass like Juyong Pass to someone who was a Han general. So he immediately drafted an imperial edict.

……

Meanwhile, three miles away from Chahar Front Banner, 20,000 Dzungar cavalry were already on high alert. In five days, Subutai had wiped out the other two banners.

Why is it only 20,000?

Naturally, they were there to escort prisoners and livestock.

At this moment, Subutai, having led troops in a surprise attack from the Western Regions eastward and fought three consecutive major battles, had gained profound insights into military command. Looking at the centurion beside him, Subutai suddenly drew his scimitar. "Still the original plan: every man exceeding the capacity of a cartwheel, leave no one alive!"

The twenty centurions remained unfazed upon hearing this, clearly indicating that they had done this kind of thing many times before!

The men of Chahar were all fervent followers of Ligdan Khan. Even though Huang Taiji had wiped out the Chahar tribe of 400,000 to 500,000 people more than ten times, reducing it to a tribe of 40,000 to 50,000, they still chose to follow Ligdan Khan's grandson.

If Galdan wanted to become Khan, he had to be as ruthless as Genghis Khan and kill all the rebels. He no longer cared about losing 20,000 or 30,000 able-bodied men.

The Western Sea, Tibet, Kazakhstan, and even the territory of Tsarist Russia are not lacking in Mongols, estimated to be more than two or three million. We must not lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of small gains!

With the twenty commanders in command, the 20,000 Dzungar cavalry began to accelerate, starting with a slight tremor, until the yurts of the Chahar tribe were shaking.

Inside the central tent, Burni, the twenty-year-old eldest grandson of Ligdan Khan, was writing letters to his former subordinates when he sensed the movement of the galloping warhorses and immediately put on his Mongolian robe.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"Why did Emperor Kangxi still have troops?"

Faced with a large-scale cavalry raid, Burny's first thought was of Kangxi, assuming that his troop buildup had been exposed.

Burni rushed out immediately, only to find that the Dzungar cavalry had already stormed into the tribe and were advancing back and forth. Their Persian sabers were unusually curved, and often a single strike could sever an arm or neck.

The Southern Mongolians, who had enjoyed peace for a long time and had never experienced a sudden attack before, were suddenly slaughtered and fled in all directions by a truly ruthless opponent.

On Burni's side, more than two hundred men quickly gathered, all of whom were elite Chahar soldiers, wearing Qing army iron-lined cotton armor.

Subutai naturally saw this as well, and immediately led his three hundred personal guards in a charge.

There were no fancy tricks; even in this densely populated tribe, spears were not a viable weapon.

Only the most primitive hand-to-hand combat.

Subutai ducked to avoid the blow, and with a backhand swing of his Persian saber, the arm of the Chahar cavalryman who had attacked him was severed from his body.

Subutai's personal guards were similar; they were all top-notch in individual martial arts. Galdan allowed him to select warriors from the army, and they received double the food and drink.

However, after a single charge, and the two sides crossed paths, Burni's hard-won troops were reduced to only thirty-odd men, while Subutai's side only lost about thirty riders.

Having read many war documentaries, Galdan knew that his personal guards were the backbone of a general; their power could be unleashed at crucial moments, like ants shaking an elephant.

I don't believe you Zhang Babai and Sun Shiwan.

Or Li Shimin and Dou Jiande.

Even more recent figures include Cao Bianjiao and Huang Taiji.

This is all because they led different troops. If they were to lead other people's troops, it would probably be a completely different story.

The two passed each other again. As expected of the protagonist, Burny was stabbed three times but did not die. Instead, he used all his strength to forcefully prop himself up with the knife.

"No, I can't die! I still want to revitalize Mongolia, I still want to avenge myself against the Manchus, I can't die!"

Subutai, who was collecting the heads, happened to hear it. If it were any other Mongol, he might have shown mercy, since this was, after all, the grandson of Ligdan Khan. But Subutai would not.

"Burni, your brother Luo Buzang has already been sent to meet the Eternal Heaven. The future of Mongolia lies with my master, and only someone like him is qualified to revitalize Mongolia!"

"Go in peace!"

After Subutai finished speaking, he swiftly beheaded Burny with a single stroke.

"Bury his body together with his brother!"

The guards immediately stepped forward and took the head away; it was clear that Luo Buzang's body was over there.

Galdan knew that the two brothers were being monitored by Kangxi in Chahar, but his order to Subutai was to kill them.

If we don't kill them, are we supposed to argue with these two brothers about Genghis Khan's bloodline when he becomes Khan?

At dawn the next day.

A large tribe of 30,000 people has been completely destroyed.

Ten thousand women and girls and more than eight thousand Han slaves were taken to the farthest point and guarded by five thousand Dzungar cavalry.

The remaining three thousand-plus men, taller than cartwheels, were all gathered in a low-lying area, stripped of their armor, and beheaded.

Subutai did not linger. He led all the yurts, oxcarts, horse-drawn carriages, and various livestock toward Guihua City.

As for the corpse.

As the sun rises high, wolves, crows, vultures, and gyrfalcons arrive one after another, and within a few days, only skeletons will remain here.

This has been the pattern of the grasslands for thousands of years.