Colonial Era: From Remnants to European Dominator

Niyaz is in a state of confusion. He never imagined that a simple grain of grass would bring him so much trouble.

First, they were outmaneuvered by the Qing army in Guihua, losing six or seven hundred cavalry. Then, on the way back, they fought several battles with those fools from the south of the Gobi Desert, losing not only more than a thousand of their own precious troops, but also at least one-fifth of the people and property they had managed to seize.

Actually, none of the following is important. What is important is the loss of 1,200 of his own cavalrymen. This is the most critical thing. You have to know that the entire army that went south to raid the grasslands only had 10,000 cavalrymen in total. Of these 10,000 cavalrymen, only 4,500 belonged to the Dzungar main force under his command. With so many men lost at once, he was left with just over 3,000 men and was gradually losing control of the troops of other tribes.

If he weren't an imperial envoy sent by the Dzungar Khan and possessed genuine Dzungar noble blood, he would probably have abdicated long ago according to the rules of the grasslands, given his current strength. He wouldn't still be sitting here today. Even so, judging from the attitude of those Zaisang Begs these past few days, respect still exists, but it has diminished almost daily. Now, when they meet, the greetings have become simple compliments, and the flattery of the past has long been forgotten.

"My lord, Barth has arrived."

"Which Barthes??"

"That's the scoundrel you cursed in private."

"He—", Niyaz opened his blurry eyes, his eye sockets were dark, and he reeked of alcohol. Clearly, he hadn't been having a good time lately and could only vent his emotions on alcohol.

"What's he doing here? Isn't he our hero? I asked him to come see me last time, but he wouldn't. Now he's scared, huh? Why didn't he come sooner?!"

Mentioning Li Yuanheng brought Niyaz a torrent of complaints. After all, after capturing Yulin, he had been overjoyed and wanted to host a banquet for this Balt, though there was certainly an element of self-interest involved. Afterwards, the latter had indeed fulfilled his promise to the Khan; even if he hadn't provided any people, he had given enough silver and supplies, and Niyaz himself had even received a gift worth ten thousand taels of silver. However, none of this mattered to Niyaz. What mattered was that his efforts had been met with the cold shoulder from that bastard Balt. In Niyaz's mind, where face was more important than life, that was an unforgivable sin.

"Let him go, just say I've had too much to drink and don't have time to see him."

"But he said he was going to send a big gift, but I really can't see what the big gift is."

The guard's words instantly snapped Niyaz back to his senses, and he immediately raised his hand:

"Let him in. No, let me change my clothes and wash my face first."

After everything was tidied up, Niyaz sat down in the rosewood chair he had stolen, leaning against the wolf skin, wearing the top hat of a Dzungar nobleman, and even his beard was meticulously groomed.

"Greetings to Nayan."

This time, Li Yuanheng was clearly not as polite as before, his attitude no different from those scheming Zaisang Begs outside. This immediately stirred up Niyaz's previously calmed mood, but out of consideration for appearances, he could only give a curt "hmm" before speaking:

"What brings Barthes here this time?"

"Send a generous gift to Lord Yan."

Meeting those unreadable eyes, Niyaz, though inwardly hopeful, outwardly replied:

"In this world, nothing can be called a gift except for the blessings of the Eternal Heaven. I am old and do not need any gifts."

"But the Great Khan needs it, and the bloody battle outside Hami needs this gift."

These words were like the devil's whisper, or the threat of the King of Hell, forcing Niyaz to adjust his attitude and ask:

"Bater is the silver wolf of the grasslands on which the Great Khan relies. He is naturally wise and brave. If there is any gift that can help the Great Khan and the warriors on the front line, even if it costs me my life, I will offer myself as a gift to the Eternal Heaven and present it to the Great Khan."

Niyaz's impassioned declaration made Li Yuanheng feel nauseous.

"I need Lord Yan's help to attack Guisui City. After the success, we will split the profits fifty-fifty."

Niyaz's expectant gaze instantly turned to horror, and he abruptly stood up from the wolf skin:

"What did you say, Batel? Say it again!"

"I meant to ask Lord Yan to join me in attacking Guihua. Is that so difficult?"

Li Yuanheng's relaxed demeanor made Niyaz want to smash his mouth with the sole of her shoe.

"Bartel, a true wise person is one who understands the limits of their own strength and then makes the best choice, not someone as foolish as you who bangs their head against a rock and watches themselves die."

"But it seems that you, Lord Yan, have no other choice."

"What do you mean??"

Niyaz's eyelids twitched a few times, but before he could ask any further questions, the voice from the other end said:

"The Qing cavalry are like mosquitoes swarming us. If there were only a few mosquitoes, it would be fine, but now the cavalry from all over southern and even northern Mongolia are mobilized, plus the main Qing army from Zhili. Can we really get out of here with this grain?"

"Wouldn't we end up with nothing and lose the Khan's trust?"

The first sentence was fine, but the second sentence made Niyaz's eyelids twitch even more violently, and Li Yuanheng didn't give him a chance to refute it, continuing with another sentence:

"We can leave, we're all cavalry anyway, the desert stretches for thousands of miles, we can go anywhere. But we won't get a single grain of grass we've worked so hard to gather along the way. The Khan will certainly scold me, but he has the merit of Yulin, so he can't do anything to me, Bart. But as for you, Lord Yan, I don't know what will happen to you."

"Shut up, I'm from the Great Khan!"

"Who knows how many of the Khan's henchmen will be lost along the way? Alas, there's nothing we can do, nothing we can do!!"

Niyaz was about to say that he and the Dzungar Khan were related by marriage, but when he thought of his sister being just one of the concubines, the words stuck in his throat and he couldn't speak anymore, only able to stammer a retort:

"I am Nayan. Even if I am blamed for this, it doesn't warrant death. What is there to fear?!"

Li Yuanheng glanced at the seemingly insecure Yan across from him, and a mocking smile unconsciously crept onto his lips:

"I will command the battle of Guihua City, and the troops used can be my own. All that is required is for Lord Yan to lead his 20,000 troops to block the other Qing reinforcements. Is that acceptable?"

Niyaz didn't understand what this cunning scoundrel was up to, but the pressure of reality forced him to make a choice:

"Sure, but my troops are only for show. They can intercept, but I won't actually fight. You'll have to handle the rest yourself."

Li Yuanheng stood up from his seat and casually clasped his hands in a fist salute:

"Thank you. After it's done, Yan Ke will take 30% of the spoils with his troops."

Having said that, he turned and left, and immediately a shout came from behind him:

"Didn't you say it would be 50%? How come it's only 30% now??"

He was met with silence. Enraged, Niyaz cleaved the rosewood official chair he had once cherished in two with a single stroke, cursing the scoundrels incessantly for almost half an hour. During that time, Li Yuanheng lost count of how many times he had died and how many times he had cursed his ancestors.

As soon as Li Yuanheng came out, he was followed by Yan Daoren:

"So, did that bastard agree?"

"Hmph, with the Dzungar Khan's sword waiting for him, he has no choice but to agree."

Master Yan then asked:

"I can write a letter; I still have many old acquaintances in Suiyuan City."

Li Yuanheng turned his head, his face showing a mocking expression:

"With the entire city overrun by Qing demons, do you really think they can still be considered loyal and righteous?"

"Forehead----"

Master Yan licked his lips awkwardly, then asked another question:

"The Qing army in Suiyuan is heavily infantry and light cavalry. It won't work if we try to besiege a point and attack reinforcements like we did in the Battle of Yulin. The general's troops are all cavalry, I'm afraid—"

"I wanted to lose, but unfortunately, fate wouldn't allow it."

Li Yuanheng mounted his warhorse in no time, and Yan Daoren, who was beside him, mounted his horse at a similarly fast pace. He followed behind, constantly asking for the reason, and in the end, he only received the mysterious and profound statement: "Let's seek the wonderful method from the Daoist school."

-------

On a lush hillside in the Hetao region, flags symbolizing the six leagues of southern Mongolia, as well as the dragon flag of the Qing Dynasty, were planted. The topmost flag was inscribed with the words "General Who Punishes the Rebels" in both Manchu and Mongolian, while the reverse side was written in official Chinese script.

The fact that a single banner could display several different characters was a unique case for the Qing Dynasty. After all, the so-called Qing emperor was more like a centralized hodgepodge of power, but in essence, he united all the nomadic peoples on horseback to militarily suppress the Han people in the Central Plains.

The so-called integration of Manchuria and Mongolia was essentially a deep binding of the Qing court's military power over the northern nomadic tribes. As for the shaving of heads and changing of clothes, these were merely means to facilitate integration. The rulers of the Qing dynasty were not as incompetent as people imagined in the late Qing period. In fact, they had a deep understanding of their own position and their words and actions.

The claim that even if the emperors of the Great Qing Dynasty were incompetent, they still had the merit of expanding the territory and were a model of diligence in governance throughout history is actually a morbid and distorted attempt to maintain their imperial power after learning from the lessons of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. The direction of their efforts from the beginning was to maintain their rule rather than to develop the regions they ruled.

"Khalkha Prince, the General Who Subdues the Rebels has arrived—"

With a eunuch-like announcement of his name, Cheng Gunzhabu, dressed in a python robe, a jade belt, and court boots, sat on the throne that had been prepared for him, surrounded by many banner generals.

Feeling the warmth below, a hint of arrogance appeared on Chenggunzhabu's Mongolian face as he surveyed his surroundings:

"The Dzungar bandits have acted perversely and against the tide of history. They first destroyed Yansui Town, and then repeatedly plundered the Hetao region, causing heavy losses to the people of the prefectures, counties, and villages. The people were displaced and fled. They have also repeatedly ventured deep into the southern grasslands of Inner Mongolia to plunder cattle and sheep and ambush and kill herdsmen. Now, the Emperor of the Great Qing has issued an edict to summon troops from Inner Mongolia, Northern Mongolia, and the entire Beizhili region, totaling 90,000 troops. Good news has come from the front. The troops from Northern Mongolia have blocked the retreat of these bandit chieftains. The reason for summoning you here is precisely for the purpose of encirclement."

"We await the day of victory, when we will celebrate together with all the other banners!!"

"We obey the General's command!!"

Hearing the unanimous agreement from those around him, Cheng Gunzhabu's eyes gleamed with pride, and he immediately made specific arrangements.