Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

Yaksa is a Manchu word meaning "a river bank collapsed into a semicircular bay". Yaksa, located on the left bank of the upper reaches of the Heilongjiang River and across the Emur River estuary, is a strategic location for land and water, and can be considered a military stronghold. Because it was once the residence of the brave Daur chieftain Albashi, the Russian army called the place "Albazin" after it captured the city.

In the heavy snow, Tsar Alexei I personally appointed Albazin Governor Chernigovsky to lead more than 100 Cossacks out of the city to welcome the distinguished guests. Since the capture of Yaksa and the conquest of the local tribes by force, more and more Cossacks have defected to him, reaching more than 200 people. He also recruited more than 200 vassal troops from the newly conquered Daur and Yakut (Ewenki) tribes, greatly increasing his power. However, this Siberian fugitive was not satisfied and was determined to make greater achievements to repay the emperor's great grace.

"Butler, they are coming! They are coming!" Frolov, the Cossack leader, screamed happily. Chernigovsky looked around and saw a long team appearing in the snow. The team was very long, with about several thousand people. It seemed that the entire Hulunbuir envoys had come. In Siberia, where the land is vast and the population is sparse, population is the most valuable asset. It would be a great achievement for His Majesty the Tsar to have thousands more subjects all of a sudden! Butler Albazin excitedly threw his hat into the sky and said, "Thank God, follow me to welcome the distinguished guests."

Chernigovsky first gave Gentemur a Russian hug when the distinguished guest came. Then Gentemur introduced him to the chiefs of the various clans of the Shima tribe and hugged them one by one. That night, a grand banquet was held in Yaksa. Then, he temporarily placed Gentemur and others in Yaksa, waiting for the orders of the Tsar and Pashkov, the governor of Nerchinsk.

The butler, who was very excited after just drinking, was disturbed by the priest Yermogen.

"General, you have been deceived by the cunning Gentemur. He said that Bogd Khan (the Qing Emperor) gave him the official position of General of the Zhenghong Banner, but in fact he was just a small lieutenant of the Zhenghong Banner. Moreover, Bogd Khan only gave him a nominal official position without any salary. The so-called annual salary of 1,200 taels of silver and three boxes of gold are all lies," Yermogen said angrily.

Chernigovsky's face darkened. "Yermogen, do you think I'm stupid? How could I not know something that even you know? Think about it with your big head that lacks imagination. Is it more meritorious to surrender a lieutenant of Bogda Khan or to surrender a governor? As for how much salary to pay, that is a matter for General Pashkov to consider. What does it have to do with us?

The news that Gentemur led the Nenjiang envoys' horse tribe to surrender quickly spread to the city of Nerchinsk (Nerchinsk).

"Have you verified everything? Are there really 6,316 Yakut (Ewenki) people who surrendered?" Tsarist Russian Governor Pashkov excitedly asked General Voyekov.

"Sir, I have sent people to check the number of people carefully, and there are indeed so many people. Thank God, this will greatly alleviate the problem of insufficient population in Nerchinsk. But~" Voyekov paused here.

"Just what?" Pashkov asked, smiling.

"After careful investigation, I found that Chief Gentemur was not the commander-in-chief of the Zhenghong Banner of the Qing Dynasty as Chernigovsky said, but just a lieutenant. The so-called annual salary of 1,200 taels of silver and three boxes of gold from the Qing court was also false. In fact, only if they had made military achievements would Bogd Khan give them a little pitiful reward."

"You are right, Voyekov. Never trust that villain Chernigovsky. He used to be a fugitive who committed murder and robbery, and now he is a shameless bureaucrat. Morality and shame are as worthless as toilet paper to such a person. Hahahaha~" Pashkov said and burst into laughter.

"Sir, should we expose Chernigovsky's lies and report the truth to His Majesty the Tsar?" asked Voyekov.

"Report the truth? No, no." Pashkov shook his head slowly. "Young man, think about it carefully. Is it more meritorious to recruit a Qing army commander or a general?"

"But sir, if His Majesty learns the truth later, wouldn't we be guilty of deceiving the king?" Voyekov was very worried.

Pashkov laughed. "Young man, Siberia is too far away. How does His Majesty know whether we are trying to recruit a governor or a lieutenant? Moreover, even if His Majesty learns the truth, it is the villain Chernigovsky who is the one who deceived the emperor. What does it have to do with us?"

"I understand, sir. You are so wise, and it is my honor to serve under you," Voyekov asked admiringly, "Then where do we settle the surrendered Yakuts?" "Of course, in Nerchinsk (Nerchinsk). More than 6,000 people are not a small number. They cannot stay in Albazin (Yaksa), as that will greatly strengthen Chernigovsky's power. We can give some support to the fugitive, but we must never let him become too powerful! Fortunately, Gentemur insisted on returning to his hometown, and it is legitimate to settle them in Nerchinsk," Pashkov said firmly.

"If we follow the report from the governor, what official position should we give to the chief?" Voyekov asked another key question.

"His title of governor is fake, there is no need to give him such a high position. Haven't we always been resisted by the local tribes when we collect taxes in kind from the Daur and Yakut people in Nerchinsk? I heard that Gentemur is very prestigious among the tribes in Nerchinsk, so let's arrange for him to be the tax collector of Nerchinsk." Pashkov thought for a while and added: "You can report to His Majesty and give him a title of military nobleman."

At this time, the Russian Empire had not yet undergone the reforms of Peter I. In addition to the Tsar, Grand Duke, Grand Duke, and Duke, the nobility was mainly composed of the old nobles, the boyars, and the emerging military nobles. In fact, in the eyes of the great nobles, the military nobles were just an honorary title and were not considered real nobles at all.

Pashkov thought that granting the Yakut native chief a minor military noble title was already a great favor, but he underestimated the breadth of mind and courage of Tsar Alexi who was far away in Moscow.

In the Moscow Kremlin, after receiving the report from Pashkov and Chernigovsky, Tsar Alexey I immediately summoned Grand Duke Miloslavsky, his courtiers Redishchev and Khitrovo, secretary Bashmakov and other close ministers to discuss the matter.

"Gentlemen," the young Tsar waved his fist excitedly, "Pashkov and Chernigovsky reported to me that they have surrendered the commander of Bogda Khan's Red Banner and more than 6,000 of his troops. Bogda Khan's army is divided into eight flags according to color, and this commander named Gentemur is one of the eight nobles under Bogda Khan. Do you know what this means?"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty. This means that the great Tsarist Russia has made a breakthrough in the Amur River (Heilongjiang River) basin. It won't be long before the Amur River will become an inland river under your rule," Bashmakov was the first to speak. Among the crowd, he had the lowest official rank, but he was a first-rate flatterer.

Miloslavsky, Redishchev, Khitrovo and others were not to be outdone, and they followed suit with a flood of flattery, which made the Tsar laugh.

Suddenly, the young Tsar uttered a powerful statement that shocked everyone, "I have decided to confer the title of Duke of Tungus on Mr. Gentemur."

"What! Duke?"

All the nobles present were shocked. In Russia at that time, only the duke was considered a truly powerful noble. Many people could never get this title in their entire lives, but His Majesty actually conferred it on a yellow man!

"Your Majesty, is this reward too high?" Grand Duke Miloslavsky couldn't help asking.

"Is it high? I don't think so. The land in the East is extremely vast, and there are yellow tribes everywhere. If I want to conquer the East, it is far from enough to rely on a few Cossacks. I must win over the local indigenous forces to serve me. Gentemur is a great nobleman of the Qing Dynasty. If his title is too low, will anyone be willing to betray Bogd Khan and join me in the future? I want to tell the yellow people in the East that as long as they are willing to surrender, they will get generous treatment by rewarding Gentemur heavily," Alexei I said firmly.

The Supreme's words were of course binding, and Gentemur, the captain of the Zhenghong Banner, suddenly became the "Duke of Tungus" of Tsarist Russia. (End of this chapter)