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

This Han army of more than 5,000 men was the very army led by Liu Weiqing that set out to conquer the Western Sea and Tibet.

Since entering Haixi in March, they have pursued the Khoshut Mongols all the way, winning three consecutive bloody battles. With two thousand musketeers at their disposal, their casualties were almost negligible.

However, Liu Weiqing was not the veteran general he would become decades later, and he didn't have much understanding of human nature. After achieving a great victory, he didn't press his advantage and instead followed the example of the Mongol nobles by writing a letter to the Dalai Khan to persuade him to surrender.

He was unaware that this letter urging surrender was the greatest insult to the Khoshut Dalai Khan, who had reigned for four years.

Galdan borrowed 500 Tibetan soldiers from him to return to the Western Regions and seize power, but now he has captured Beijing and sits on the vast land of the Han people.

When the Dalai Khan took over the throne, the Khoshut Khanate ruled Tibet and the Western Sea, and had 6,000 elite cavalrymen.

The population of Gyaltsen in Tibet is nearly one million. Although the serfs were not good at fighting and could not serve as soldiers, they were still stronger than Galdan's tens of thousands of troops cobbled together from various sources!

Saying too much just shows resentment and envy!

So even after his three thousand elite cavalrymen were wiped out in the Western Sea, he still refused to surrender. Instead, he led his remaining three thousand troops, along with noble soldiers from various regions, to wage guerrilla warfare and ambush Liu Weiqing in the Tibetan mountains.

In the harsh environment and weather of Tibet, the Han army lacked food and had to kill horses to fill their stomachs, resulting in the loss of nearly 3,000 soldiers and horses.

The original 8,000-plus warhorses and 13,000 draft horses prepared for the expedition were reduced to a mere 5,000-plus warhorses after the food ran out.

Now we're almost out of ammunition and food, and as for warhorses, we really can't eat them anymore. In Tibet, there are often dozens of miles of people and livestock. Without horses, it would be impossible to run to death, and you wouldn't even be able to catch up with the herders to borrow some food.

After eating so much horse feed, everyone's lips were cracked and their faces were covered in spots. This was not due to dehydration, but rather from being exposed to dry air.

However, the results were also enormous. After five months of pursuit, the elite cavalry that the Dalai Khan relied on was reduced to less than two hundred riders.

This led to Tibetan nobles who were allied with the Khoshut Khanate becoming unwilling to accept its rule any longer. They led their troops away, and some even sent livestock and grain to express their willingness to surrender to the Han.

After all, in the eyes of these nobles, there was no difference between the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty, and the Han Dynasty; they all relied on them to enslave the people of Tibet.

What those nobles didn't know was that the Han army's main target in this invasion of Tibet was them; otherwise, they would have fought to the death.

Liu Weiqing's lips were cracked and his face was covered in red spots. He cracked his whip, and his warhorse accelerated again as he shouted to the surrounding cavalry.

"The Dalai Khan is right before us. Whoever captures him today, I will personally recommend him for credit!"

Upon hearing Liu Weiqing's bounty, the 280-odd riders on the far side increased their speed by 20%, having discarded all their secondary weapons, such as muskets, water bags, bows, arrows, and short axes.

With the increased speed of the horses, they had already approached within a hundred paces of the Dalai Khan and were about to entangle him.

Upon seeing this, Liu Weiqing showed an approving expression.

"Who is this centurion?"

"So incredibly brave."

Upon hearing this, the guards nearby immediately reported it loudly.

"This is the eighth centurion, Ji Nanshou. His thousand men are almost all gone, leaving only these two hundred or so riders."

As they spoke, Ji Nanshou, alone on horseback, had already charged into the Dalai Khan's personal guard. With a powerful swing of his saber, he severed the arm of an enemy cavalryman.

Ji Nanshou licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, immediately switched to the opponent's Tibetan horse, and continued the chase. The original warhorse collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth, with blood flowing from its rump.

It turned out that Ji Nanshou had used his curved sword to cut open the horse's rump, which allowed him to suddenly increase his speed and leave the others far behind.

The Dalai Khan was only in his early thirties, and his face was different from that of a Mongol, resembling more of a Tibetan. Seeing Ji Nanshou pursuing him alone, he immediately gave orders...

"Quick, kill him!"

"The rest of you, keep running with Ben Khan!"

Just then, Dalai Khan, who had just given the order, suddenly dodged to the side. It turned out that a wolf-tooth arrow had shot past his ear.

The Dalai Khan was already sweating profusely, realizing that more than thirty riders had unknowingly stormed into his personal guard.

Knowing he was entangled and without numerous personal guards, Dalai Khan knew he would die if captured by any nobleman, so he immediately reined in his warhorse.

After forcibly stopping his warhorse, Dalai Khan drew his saber, his gaze gradually turning fierce.

"Khoshut warriors, we're not running away today! Those who are willing to fight to the death with this Khan, follow me!"

After Dalai Khan finished speaking, he rushed towards Ji Nanshou. His personal guards, who had grown up with him, followed him into the battle almost without hesitation.

These remaining elite Khoshut Mongols were indeed exceptionally brave in battle. At first, Ji Nanshou's men couldn't withstand them, since they were all musketeers.

However, with Liu Weiqing's arrival, relying on the advantage of numbers, the Dalai Khan's personal guards were instantly wiped out in a single exchange.

Only the Dalai Khan remained, fallen from his horse, kneeling in a pool of blood, still struggling to stand up.

It was obvious that Liu Weiqing spared his life; otherwise, with five thousand cavalry charging against two or three hundred, he would not have survived.

Liu Weiqing turned his horse around and went directly to Dalai Khan. He then dismounted and looked at Dalai Khan.

"Ponsuk, His Majesty the Emperor said he knew you wouldn't surrender and asked me to give you a dignified death."

"But what I, Liu Weiqing, want to say is that writing to you is not to insult you, but because I really want to give you a chance, after all, you are my uncle's only aunt."

Liu Weiqing wasn't making things up. Galdan was practicing Buddhism in Tibet, and Punsuk was the crown prince of the Khoshut Khanate. The two were Anda, and they were also rivals.

This is very similar to the relationship between Genghis Khan and his sworn brother Jamukha. Neither side could submit to the other; at most, they would give each other a dignified death.

That's why Liu Mu instructed Liu Weiqing not to hold back before he left, and to find an auspicious place to bury him after killing him.

Dalai Khan remained silent upon hearing this, seemingly lost in thought, before finally letting out a relieved laugh and taking a map from his pocket.

"This is what my Khoshut Khanate has collected in Tibet over the past thirty years. With this, I hope my good lord can accomplish great things!"

"Come, grant my wish!"

After Dalai Khan finished speaking, he stood up with all his might, mounted his horse, and pointed his saber at Liu Weiqing.

From the time Genghis Khan unified the country, the idea that one was born on horseback and died by sword and arrow had taken root in the hearts of the Mongols, and was also the highest form of death.

Legend has it that after death, the soul can ascend directly to the Eternal Heaven.

Liu Weiqing admired the Dalai Khan's courage, which was far superior to that of other cowardly Mongol nobles. After mounting his horse, he charged straight at him.

puff.

The sharp scimitar slit his throat.

Dalai Lama Khan Pengsuk has died!