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

Ji Nanshou's decision to single out King Debu was clearly intended to demoralize the guards and break their will.

Although these people have surrendered, they are very likely to rebel. Killing them would result in a loss of manpower. Ji Nanshou had no other choice, after all, it was just over two thousand people ruling over tens of thousands.

When King Debu was thrown into the center of the prisoner-of-war camp like a dead dog, all the Brookba soldiers looked on incredulously.

After all, this is King Debu, their war god!

When they saw King Debu being insulted, and then continuing to grab Ji Nanshou's feet, begging for his life, these Brookba soldiers had completely lost their spirit.

Three days after demoralizing the garrison, all the Brookba soldiers stationed at various mountain passes gathered at Punakazong, and Ji Nanshou immediately disarmed them.

Finally, from the army of three thousand men, one thousand of the strongest were selected and given to Kennan, the first general to surrender, to lead.

He appointed Kennan as overseer to supervise the Brookba people in building the road, while Ginanshou was sent to conquer the nobles and have them conscript the people.

As for why he didn't kill all the nobles, it was naturally because Ji Nanshou had no interest in governing. In any case, the Han Dynasty only collected taxes here, which was enough to support a large army.

Unlike the Western Sea and Tibet, which were the Han Dynasty's base of operations and the sharpest weapon for ruling foreign lands.

Although the terrain of Brookba is all mountains, you can find the nobles and villages by following the river, which is similar to the terrain of Guizhou.

As a military officer who had fought against the Qing dynasty in Guizhou for five years, Ji Nanshou knew the situation inside and out. It was at this moment that Ji Nanshou realized why Liu Weiqing had sent him.

If a Mongol general were sent here, he would probably be bewildered by these mountains and wouldn't be able to find his way out.

By the third day of the eleventh month, Ji Nanshou had subdued all the nobles and forbade them from raising armies, allowing only a small number of household servants to guard them.

At the same time, Ji Nanshou also arrived at the Xinchula Pass.

This was the largest exit to Bengal in the south, and also the front line of Brookba's defense against the Mughals.

The surrounding mountainsides are dotted with numerous stone fortresses, allowing soldiers to fire from elevated positions.

Decades later, Britain will engage in a major war with Bhutan here, ultimately conquering Bhutan completely and signing the Treaty of Sinchula.

Just as Ji Nanshou was observing the mountain pass and considering how to modify the Buku, a Han army centurion exclaimed in surprise.

"General, look! What's that huge thing down the mountain?"

Ji Nanshou followed the centurion's gaze and immediately revealed a thoughtful expression.

"These are war elephants. I never imagined that besides Myanmar, this country called the Mughal Empire also had them!"

Indeed, Ji Nanshou already knew about the Mughals, but in the limited records of Bukba, he did not know how large the Mughals were or how many people they had; he only knew that Bukba could not defeat them.

"General, they only have about five hundred men. Should we go and take them down?"

This centurion was also a warmonger. He saw that the Mughal army only had more than 500 men, while his side had 800, and they were all cavalry.

Ji Nanshou also wanted to test the Mughal power. The Prince of Pingxi was doing well, and it was impossible for him to only occupy Brookba, a place so poor it was practically urinating blood.

"Damn it, let's do it! Everyone, follow me!"

"Raise the banner of our great Han!"

After Ji Nanshou finished speaking, he mounted his horse and charged towards the Mughal army. Behind him, the centurion excitedly raised the red flag with a black dragon on it.

Meanwhile, on the Mughal army's side, a general with a full beard and a dark gray complexion was unaware that eight hundred cavalrymen were charging towards him, and was still talking with great interest.

"I heard that King Debu of Brookba has been conquered by heretics from the north. I'm risking my life to send troops this time. If we can capture the Sinchura Fortress, the Governor will surely reward me, and you won't be shortchanged!"

Several seemingly low-ranking officers nearby began to smile obsequiously upon hearing this, clearly satisfied with the operation.

Just then, everyone heard the sound of horses' hooves. The leading general's expression changed, but only for a moment before he revealed a mocking look.

"Those northern heretics are here! Ha ha ha! Musketeers, advance! Cavalry, prepare to charge!"

"Kill all the heretics!"

As the general gave the order, two hundred Mughal soldiers, armed with matchlock guns and dressed in simple leather armor, marched forward step by step in fairly orderly fashion.

This was a signature tactic of the Mughals: relying on muskets firing in formation, once the enemy was overwhelmed or routed, the cavalry would charge in and reap the rewards.

On Ji Nanshou's side, they stopped when they were 500 paces away. Then, 500 musketeers dismounted, lined up neatly, and began to advance, while 300 Tibetan soldiers stayed behind.

To ensure his safety, Ji Nanshou always kept 500 musketeers by his side, which was the source of his confidence in ruling Brookba.

When the two sides were within a hundred paces, the first rank of a hundred men of the Han army pulled the trigger first. As a puff of white smoke rose, fifty or sixty Mughal soldiers fell to the ground instantly.

"These infidels also have muskets, and not only do they outnumber us, but their range is also greater! Infantry, continue the advance; cavalry, charge!"

Seeing the Mughal cavalrymen move out, Ji Nanshou simply waved his hand, and the Tibetan soldiers who had been waiting for a long time charged out on their Tibetan horses.

However, once the two sides clashed, the Tibetan soldiers realized they had underestimated their enemy. They hadn't expected that the Mughal soldiers wore plate armor or chainmail under their robes, which were no weaker than Tibetan lamellar armor in terms of defense, and even their sabers were very sharp.

The Mughal cavalry were in a similar predicament, assuming that the Tibetans' leather armor was no different from that of Bukba, and that Tibet was made of paper. This carelessness led to heavy casualties on both sides in the initial collision.

Fortunately, the Han musketeers had the upper hand and had already routed the Mughal musketeers. They then charged towards other Mughal tribes with their bayonets.

"Retreat! Retreat now!"

When the Mughal general saw that his army was no match for the enemy, he immediately ordered his elephant cavalry to drive the elephants away. The Mughal cavalry who were fighting the Tibetan troops also turned and ran.

Ji Nanshou did not pursue them, knowing their fighting strength was enough. As for whether or not to enter the Mughal territory, that depended on the court and the emperor's decision.

Upon returning to the fortress, Ji Nanshou immediately dispatched soldiers to pack up the Mughal armor, sabers, matchlock guns, and a report of the battle and send them to Lhasa.

Meanwhile, outside Yongding Gate in Beijing, two messengers, carrying letters, rode into the city and galloped wildly through the streets, shouting from time to time.

"Good news! Prince Pingxi has recovered Tibet and the Western Sea region, achieving victory after victory, and has beheaded the Dalai Lama, Khan Pengsuke, in Lhasa!"

"Good news! The Russian prince has recovered the northern desert, beheaded the two Khalkha Khans at the foot of Mount Langjuxu, and expanded the territory to Tannu Uriankhai!"

Hearing the two messengers shout, the surrounding people raised their hands in approval, especially some young people, who shouted that the imperial court should go south.