The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1619 The Russians' Unsuccessful Struggle

St. Petersburg.

The Tsar, holding the report in his hand, couldn't help but curse.

"Traitor! Coward! Traitor!"

He had just received a letter from the Governor-General of the Caucasus, in which Major General Buzkov was supposed to lead a Cossack brigade and an artillery battery across the desert along the old Syr Darya route to attack the Khanate of Kokand.

However, while crossing the desert, Major General Buzkov suddenly led a small group of his confidants in a mutiny. After killing all the opposition in the group, he surrendered to the Khanate of Kokand.

In fact, Russia itself has never stopped exploring the three Khanates of Central Asia. The Khanate of Kokand controlled the Fergana Valley and was famous for its silk and cotton; the Emirate of Bukhara was an important trade hub in Central Asia since ancient Persia; and the Khanate of Khiva was the most powerful, occupying the oasis in the lower Amu Darya River.

Since the time of Peter the Great, Russia has wanted to incorporate these lands into its territory in order to open a route to India and fulfill its dream of gaining access to the sea.

Such a large-scale defection of the Russian regular army was a huge embarrassment for Nicholas I, but even more shameful was that he had just praised Major General Buzkov, who had gone to the Khanate of Kokand, commending him for his loyalty and bravery.
"This expedition's organizer, Neserlov, wiped the sweat from his brow and said..."

"Your Majesty, Major General Buzkov may have some difficulties."

Nicholas I turned around and sneered.

"What hardship do you have? To let him slaughter my soldiers and hand over my army to those natives?"

"Your Majesty, we have reason to suspect that the British are involved in this matter."

Neserlov's words made Nicholas I laugh in exasperation.

"What are your diplomats doing? Suspecting? Speculating? What use are you to me!"

Nicholas I pushed Neserlov to the ground.

"Are millions of rubles in funding every year being wasted on dogs?"

In fact, a diplomatic expenditure of several million rubles is not low, but it is definitely not high either, especially among the great powers. Compared with the diplomatic expenditures of Britain, France, and Austria, it is just a drop in the ocean.

Alexander Semyonovich Menshikov stepped forward and spoke.

"Your Majesty, regardless of the reasons for Major General Buzkov and his men, it is an indisputable fact that they betrayed the Russian Empire."

We should now send a punitive expedition to quickly quell this matter and save face.

"Prince Menshikov, that's a desert, and you can't just send out an army whenever you want. We have to figure out how to get across that desert. In 1839, General Vasily Perovsky led an expedition against the Khanate of Khiva."

In that expedition, we lost five thousand camels and three thousand soldiers.”

Minister of War Alexander Chernyshov pointed out the key: while the three Central Asian Khanates were indeed fierce, what truly blocked Russia's path was the harsh climate and the relentless desert.

If we can't get out of that desert, sending out any number of troops will be a waste of time.

In fact, Major General Buzkov's decision to defect was very likely related to the local environment. However, although some people thought of this, no one would say it out loud.

"Damn it! That damned liar Buzkov! I'll kill him and hang his head on the wall of the exhibition hall!"

Nicholas I was clearly still furious, but he was helpless and could only rage in a state of impotence, since he couldn't actually order the desert to be filled in.

"Your Majesty, we can continue to settle people along the border and establish outposts there. This way, we can shorten the distance of our expeditions."

Nicholas I nodded, somewhat helplessly, and said, "Let's do it this way."

Alexander Semyonovich Menshikov's suggestion sounds very reasonable, but in fact the plan has been underway for more than a decade.

This expedition was initiated based on the assessment of the Caucasus Military District, but the outcome was far from ideal.

"Your Majesty, and the British too, they are despicable! If it weren't for their constant interference and obstruction of our plans, we would have already reached Afghanistan!"

Neserlov had previously lost face, and now he had to regain it, or his fate would be dire.

Was Nesserlov just making things up to stir up trouble?
Actually, that's not true at all. The British have done quite a bit of funding for the three Khanates in Central Asia and Afghanistan.

In particular, the Russians' plans were always communicated to the three Central Asian Khanates in advance by the British.

Without British intelligence, the armies of those indigenous kingdoms would not have been able to consistently and accurately intercept the Russian expeditionary forces from their rested positions.

"Damn the British! Why are they always haunting us? They've got their hands on us in the Balkans and Chechnya too."

Nicholas I was really troubled. The British seemed to be targeting him and didn't want him to bring the order of Russia to those barbaric lands.

"Your Majesty, the British are also active in Alaska, inciting the locals to fight against our settlers. Although we have won, the ice fields are too vast to completely annihilate the enemy."

Neserlov, of course, chose to strike while the iron was hot, and Nicholas I, who was very fond of this approach, was furious.

“Your Majesty, I beg you to allow my son, Gruqi, to atone for my crimes and to give him an army to conquer the Khanate of Kokand for you.”

Nicholas I was somewhat tempted. He knew that Gruki ​​was indeed a great young man, courageous and capable. He had once led more than 200 Cossacks into the mountains to chase the rebels, not only defeating a rebel force three times their size but also successfully opening up a trade route.

The Tsar envisioned a map of Central Asia, watching it gradually transform into the colors of Russia. That vast land would ultimately belong to Russia; the white cotton, the glittering gold, the magnificent silk—all would be his, his alone.
However, Nicholas I's ultimate goal was to recapture Constantinople, and he did not want to continue to disperse his forces.

“Strengthen border defenses and send envoys to have them repatriate Buzkov.”

The Tsar's order made the ministers present wonder if they had misheard. After all, based on past experience, regardless of whether it would succeed or not, Nicholas I would try and would never back down.

At this moment, the Tsar muttered to himself again.

"Central Asia will belong to us, and no one can stop it."

But not now.

What the Russians didn't know was that the traitor Buzkov was on his way back to St. Petersburg, but only his head remained.

In fact, the previous battles had terrified the Khanate of Kokand. Based on intelligence from the British, they set up an ambush, but their own well-rested elite troops were routed by the Russian expeditionary force.

The dead soldiers and horses even became rations for the Russians.

Fortunately, the commander of the Khanate of Kokand led the Russians deep into the desert with his trusted men, and the Russian expeditionary force, which had lost its way, had no choice but to surrender to the Khanate of Kokand.

If it weren't for the sacrifice of those warriors, the Russians might have actually been able to cross that desert using the corpses of men and horses.

Although Buzkov had surrendered, Muhammad Khudoyar Khan, the ruler of the Khanate of Kokand, was not at ease having such a strongman by his side.

So they killed Buzkov at the banquet and sent his head to the Tsar.

Muhammad Khudoyar Khan's position was not secure, and he did not want to be a shield for the British, so he decided to curry favor with the Tsar in order to prolong his life. After all, he was not sure if there would be any brave warriors to lead the Russians into the depths of the desert when the next Russian expeditionary force arrived.