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After Shah Shuja of Bengal and Murad Bach of Gujarat successively proclaimed themselves emperors, the once powerful Mughal Empire had three emperors at the same time, presenting a three-way balance of power.
Aurangzeb, who was preparing for war with the Dzungar army in Karnar in the north, was so angry that he almost vomited blood after receiving the news that his brothers had successively proclaimed themselves emperors.
Especially after reading the letter written to him by his brother Murad Bach, if he believed in Buddhism, he would be so angry that one Buddha was born and two Buddhas ascended to heaven.
However, the fierce attack of the Dzungar army left him no time to deal with this naughty brother, and he still believes that this young and simple-minded brother is not the main threat.
His main opponent should be his second brother Shah Shuja. Before he led his army to the north, he had sent his most capable officer Alan Yar to lead an army of 50,000 to attack the province of Bengal.
Aurangzeb believed that as long as he dealt with his second brother Shah Shuja, the naughty brother in Gujarat would behave himself. What he had to do now was to defeat the Dzungar army outside Karnar as soon as possible, while waiting for the victory report from Alan Yar.
Karnar is located on the right side of the Yamuna River. It is flat, with crisscrossing fields and lush greenery. It has been prosperous since ancient times and is known as the "paradise on earth".
If we compare India with the Qin Dynasty, then the Punjab region is equivalent to the Jiangnan region of the Qin Dynasty.
Qin Mu, the emperor of the Great Qin Empire, no longer leads his troops in person, but sits in the Great Qin Palace in Nanjing, but his will is everywhere;
From Japan, to Mobei, to Central Asia, to Europe, to Africa, to India, Qin Mu's will is like the longitude and latitude of the earth, constantly spreading, covering, and influencing the world.
The Mughal Empire, which had just entered its heyday, was suddenly attacked by a 50,000-strong army of the Dzungar tribe in the Indus River Basin, catching the Mughal Empire off guard. In a short period of time, the Empire was surrounded by enemies and on the verge of collapse.
Sengge did not have to worry about logistics at all. He had now swept across the two richest provinces, Lahore and Multan, and left behind 10,000 troops to guard the provinces. At the same time, he received assistance from the local Sikhs, and logistics were delivered continuously.
Siege warfare was not the strong point of the Junggar cavalry, but fortunately they brought 30 thousand-jin Portuguese cannons to bombard the city of Gelnar. The cannons roared, and huge projectiles whistled and hit the city walls, shaking the earth and the sky. Yellow dust flew, making people feel thrilling.
The city gate tower could not withstand the ravages of the artillery shells and collapsed, crushing many Mughal soldiers underneath. In addition, bullets hit the city wall fiercely, shaking it violently as if it would collapse at any time. People standing on the wall could hardly stand steadily.
Solid bullets are not very lethal to individual soldiers. The fatality lies in their amazing deterrent power;
Just imagine, when huge rocks are roaring towards you, once they hit you, you will be crushed to pieces. Faced with this thrilling threat, how many people can stand
Over time, this can be a fatal blow to morale.
Fortunately, the Mughal Empire also had artillery, and Aurangzeb ordered a fierce counterattack. The sound of artillery roared from the city walls and thick smoke filled the air.
Afterwards, Aurangzeb ordered another 10,000 troops to charge out from the east and west gates. The Mughal army was very complex and confusing. There were elephant soldiers, cavalry, infantry, some with shields, some with bows and arrows, some with swords and guns, and a small number of them with muzzle-loading muskets.
What is surprising is that there are snake charmers in the Mughal army. There are twenty or thirty people in the army with poisonous snakes wrapped around their necks and arms, and they also carry a bamboo cage full of poisonous snakes around their waists.
It is said that at the beginning of the war, when the two armies were facing each other, these snake charmers emitted a sharp whistle from their mouths, sprinkled a special powder on their hands, and then poured out all the poisonous snakes. The snakes then swam quickly towards the enemy's army in the grass like soldiers hearing orders.
Once the enemy's formation was thrown into chaos by the attacks of the poisonous snakes, the elephant cavalry would rush forward closely and defeat the enemy.
In addition to the snake charmers, there is also a more mysterious force, which is said to be specifically used to deal with cavalry. It is called the Tiger Bone Force.
This Tiger Bone Unit has even fewer members, and it is said that each of them has a unique skill, which is to use the resonance of the belly and throat to produce a special vibrating sound, like the low roar of a tiger.
At the same time, they would also bring real tiger bones, or tiger feces and urine. When the enemy horses heard the low tiger roar and smelled the scent of the tiger, they would become restless and would not listen to commands. In serious cases, the enemy horses would even be scared and flee from the battlefield.
You know what, as the Tiger Bone Troops approached, the war horses in Sengge’s army really started to become restless.
Sengge was so shocked that he had to order a withdrawal.
However, as soon as his order was issued, the entire army was in an uproar.
Sangerle Taiji, who was sent by Batur, the Great Khan of Dzungar, to assist Sengge, quickly found him and advised him: "Your Highness, do you have other plans? However, withdrawing troops like this without consulting the army in advance can easily cause chaos in the army."
Sengge said calmly: "Don't worry, Sangerle Taiji. What if the army is in chaos? The enemy has few cavalry. Even if our army is in chaos, Aurangzeb cannot catch up with us."
This is true. Sengge's army of tens of thousands was all cavalry, and they came and went quickly. Aurangzeb had an army of 90,000, but it was extremely difficult to pursue them.
In this way, tens of thousands of Junggar troops were "scared" by some tiger bones and fled in panic. The 20,000 Mughal troops were overjoyed and chased after them.
By the time Aurangzeb received the report and hurriedly sent people out of the city to recall the 20,000 troops, Sengge had already acted decisively and launched a surprise attack, shocking the 20,000 Mughal troops and throwing them into chaos.
Fortunately, Aurangzeb was a man with a lot of combat experience and he sent people to support them in time, so that the 20,000 Mughal troops were not wiped out.
Sengge won another great victory, seized a large number of weapons and supplies, and became even more powerful! Sengge was even more high-spirited and happy.
In the past few years, the Dzungars were once dominant in the western part of the desert. They defeated Tsarist Russia, the Kazakhs, the Bruts, and finally destroyed the Yarkand Khanate. Sengge even thought of seizing the Hexi Corridor and then the Central Plains.
But since they met the Qin army, the Junggars suffered repeated defeats and had almost no place to stand. Southern Xinjiang was full of sandstorms, barren and cold, and they were like an ant under the feet of the Qin Dynasty. The emperor in Nanjing could trample the Junggars to death whenever he was unhappy. Sengge's brother Galdan was still held hostage in Nanjing.
Since entering the Indus River Basin, everything has changed. The Punjab region is densely populated and has been rich since ancient times. When Sengge arrived here, he felt like he had arrived in heaven.
More importantly, here Sengge felt that he was the master of his own destiny. He suddenly felt enlightened and no longer felt like an ant under the feet of the Qin emperor as he did in southern Xinjiang.
Especially compared with the powerful Dzungar army, although the Mughal army was powerful, its combat effectiveness was not as good as that of the Dzungar cavalry that moved as fast as the wind. Sengge's ability to quickly sweep across two provinces is a good proof of this.
Therefore, Sengge was determined to capture Delhi, destroy the Mughal Empire, and then replace it.
He found Sangerle Taiji and said, "Sangerle Taiji, please write a letter for me to my father Khan, saying that great things can be accomplished in India, and let him simply give up southern Xinjiang and concentrate all forces to go south as soon as possible to wipe out the Mughal Empire. This place is densely populated and rich in resources, which is a hundred times better than southern Xinjiang. Since Daqin supports us to enter India, why not do Daqin a favor and give southern Xinjiang to Daqin."
Sanggal Taiji also felt that now was the time to attack and seize India, because Aurangzeb had just usurped the throne and the situation was unstable. His two brothers also proclaimed themselves emperors and internal strife had already begun. This was indeed the best time for Dzungar to annex the Mughal Empire in one fell swoop. Otherwise, once Aurangzeb consolidated his rule, it would be difficult to deal with.
Therefore, Sang'erle Taiji agreed to Sengge's suggestion and immediately wrote an urgent letter and asked someone to take it back to Yarkand. (To be continued...)
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