Chapter 173 Capturing Galdan Alive
Unperturbed by any provocation, Kangxi immediately saw through the scheme and ordered the young eunuch to be dragged away for rigorous interrogation. Upon learning that the eunuch had been bribed by the Dzungars to sow discord between father and son and incite internal strife within the Qing Dynasty, Kangxi was enraged. He issued multiple imperial edicts, ordering the army to annihilate the Dzungar forces and to capture Galdan at all costs.
Before Yinzhi could even rejoice at the news that his younger brother had arrived nearby, he learned that the Dzungars had sent people to sow discord between his father and Baocheng.
Yinzhi's anger flared up instantly, and on the battlefield, he unleashed a deadly aura.
On the first day of the eighth month, the Qing army and the Dzungar army engaged in a decisive battle at Ulan Butong.
Galdan ordered over ten thousand camels to be bound by their four hooves and laid on the ground, carrying wooden boxes on their backs. The boxes were covered with wet felt and arranged in a circle to form a camp called "Camel City." The Dzungar soldiers used the stacks of boxes to fire arrows to suppress the Qing army.
The Qing army used firearms as their vanguard, launching a fierce attack on the rebels' core forces from outside the range of their bows and arrows.
Around noon, the Qing army spotted scattered Dzungar troops and deployed their muskets and cannons, advancing slowly. In the afternoon, they encountered the main force and opened fire. The battle continued until dusk, when the Qing left flank, led by Fuquan and Yinzhi, stormed into the enemy camp from the mountainside. However, the right flank was hindered by the river and swampy terrain and could not arrive in time.
At this moment, the sky was dark. Fuquan stood in front of the formation, his brows furrowed, anxiously looking into the distance. The right wing army was nowhere to be seen, only endless twilight and sandstorms.
His gaze slowly swept over the treacherous terrain around him. The towering valleys resembled the gaping maw of a giant beast, concealing endless killing intent. In the current situation, a rash attack would undoubtedly push his soldiers into the gates of hell.
Fu Quan had already made up his mind. He raised his hand and shouted, "Send down the order to halt the attack for now! It is not advisable to launch a strong attack at this time. We will wait for reinforcements to arrive before making a decision."
"Second Uncle, you mustn't!"
Upon hearing this, Yinzhi's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, like burning coals, and his anger was about to burst forth.
His chest heaved violently as he rushed to Fu Quan's side. "We've pushed Galdan to this point. If we withdraw now, wouldn't all our efforts be in vain? We don't know when reinforcements will arrive. What if Galdan takes the opportunity to escape? How will we explain this to Father Emperor!"
His words were a mixture of urgency and resentment that strangled him, making him lose all reason.
Fuquan patiently advised, "Your Highness, look at this terrain. It's extremely treacherous. The enemy must have laid an ambush. If we rush in now, we'll only fall into their trap and needlessly lose troops."
But Yinzhi wouldn't listen to any of that. All he could think about was capturing Galdan to avenge Baocheng. He roared, "Second Uncle is too cautious! I don't believe that their remaining troops can hold out for long!"
Having said that, he suddenly spurred the horse's belly, and the horse, in pain, neighed and galloped away. A group of men and horses followed closely behind, rushing straight towards the direction Galdan had fled like an arrow.
When they reached a valley, the surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the sound of horses' hooves echoing between the valley walls.
Yinzhi's heart skipped a beat. He regained his senses from the pride and complacency of his continuous victories and a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart. But before he could rein in his horse, he heard a sharp whistle and a large number of Pigar ambushers suddenly emerged from the hills on both sides, raining down arrows.
Yinzhi's personal guards were immediately thrown into chaos, their screams echoing across the battlefield. He brandished his long sword, desperately deflecting the incoming arrows, and roared through gritted teeth, "We've fallen for their trap! Stay calm, don't panic!"
Galdan's figure appeared and disappeared at the other end of the valley, laughing wildly: "Big Prince, you've come at the right time! With you here, how can I not escape! Take him down!"
Yinzhi parried with his sword, his heart filled with anxiety, knowing that he absolutely could not be captured by Galdan and become the reason for his escape!
Behind them, Fuquan mobilized a large army to catch up, but the valley was narrow, and the Dzungars had already separated them from Yinzhi's troops. If they wanted to rescue people, they had to make way for the gap.
If the gap is breached, Galdan will surely be able to escape with his men.
"Second Uncle! We can't let it go!"
Yinzhi naturally saw it too and roared angrily, but Fuquan couldn't refuse; he couldn't watch Yinzhi lose his life here.
So even though Fuquan had deployed men nearby, Galdan still led his men through the chaos towards the gap in the encirclement.
Yinzhi gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. He was overwhelmed with regret, which nearly drowned him. It was all his fault; he had been too reckless.
Just at this critical moment, the sky suddenly darkened, and a series of fluttering sounds came from afar.
Yinzhi looked up and saw that familiar figure, his eyes bursting with immense joy: "Fifth Prince!"
Everyone looked up and saw a flock of birds, led by an exceptionally agile crow, swooping down like a dark cloud that blotted out the sky.
These birds, with their sharp beaks and claws, pounced on Galdan's troops. In an instant, feathers flew everywhere on the battlefield, their mournful cries mingling with the soldiers' screams.
Galdan's men had never seen such a strange sight before, and they were terrified. Many dropped their weapons, their legs went weak, and they knelt down, muttering "divine punishment" and "heavenly retribution."
The Qing soldiers did not move, but stood aside and watched the scene warily. They were shocked to see the flock of birds that seemed to be their reinforcements.
The birds' attack grew fiercer, and Xiao Wu took the lead, aiming at Galdan who was trying to escape. With a sudden flap of its wings, it swept the wind fiercely across the horse's back.
Caught off guard, Galdan was thrown to the ground by the sudden force, rolling around several times and feeling completely disoriented.
Yinzhi's previously despairing eyes instantly lit up, and he burst into a hearty laugh: "Good! Well done, Fifth Prince!"
Laughter echoed through the valley, dispelling the gloom and regret of the moment before. He immediately spurred his horse and galloped towards the fallen Galdan, the dust kicked up by the horse's hooves carrying the joy of revenge. The remaining Qing soldiers, as if waking from a dream, swarmed forward, quickly binding Galdan hand and foot and capturing him alive.
...
"Xiao Wu, your wings are surprisingly strong!"
Inside the large tent, Yinzhi stroked Xiao Wu's feathers with a beaming smile. Xiao Wu impatiently flew to the other side: "Chirp—"
[I'll slap you harder! Don't bother me!]
Yinzhi didn't notice its disdain at all, and excitedly said to himself, "I knew it the moment I thought of it. It must be that Baocheng was worried about me, so he sent you, right?"
"Chirp—"
[The main concern is that Galdan might escape; don't flatter yourself!]
"Hahaha, I understand," Yinzhi laughed smugly. "Who else would Baocheng miss but me, since I'm Baocheng's only elder brother?"
"Chirp—"
[Who told you to be the only reckless guy?]
"Oh, don't worry, I'll go back after I clean up the battlefield. I know he misses me, and I can't wait to see Bao Cheng."
"Chirp—"
Stop being so presumptuous! You brute!
"Don't worry, don't rush us, we're leaving soon, right, Second Uncle?"
"..." After observing for a while, Fuquan, who felt that the divine bird probably didn't mean that, looked at the eldest prince who was so smug that he could hardly contain himself, and nodded against his conscience, "That's right."
"Chirp—"
What kind of look is that?
Faced with the bird's astonished gaze, Fuquan helplessly closed his eyes, blaming himself for having such good eyesight; he shouldn't have come in to join in the fun!
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