Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

In the summer of the twenty-ninth year of the Qian Yuan era (1673), the climate in Huma City, the northernmost border of the Great Wei Kingdom, was surprisingly cool. Although there were occasional howling winds, it was the most comfortable time of the year. King Baoyin of Chu, his skin dried by the northern winds, muttered angrily to himself, "Such fine weather, why won't my father, the Khan, agree to let me send troops to annihilate those despicable Rakshasa people?"

The anger was understandable. Not long ago, the Rus' in the north had made another major move. Nikuchu's warlord, Arshinsky, had sent a nobleman named Tolbuzin with several hundred Cossacks back to Yaksa. Yaksa was originally the territory of the Oroqen people, who had submitted to David. The Rus' had invaded several times before, but were always repelled by David's army and people. Unexpectedly, they had returned while the main force of the Guards was campaigning in the south! Even worse, these Cossacks were extremely brutal, not only stealing the Oroqen's horses and grain, but also imprisoning those who dared to resist in wooden huts and burning them alive. Baoyin had repeatedly petitioned his father to lead the army, but was always refused on the grounds that "with the main army campaigning in the south, it is not advisable to provoke further border conflicts." How could this not infuriate him?

Huma City was originally a stronghold of Tsarist Russia. After the Wei army recaptured the city from the Russians, they stationed troops there, making it a crucial town protecting the northern frontier of the Great Khan. Despite being called a crucial town, it was actually inhabited by only about three thousand Oroqen people, though the garrison numbered eight thousand. The reason for such a large force was that the third prince, Prince Baoyin of Chu, had been sent there by the Great Khan Lianhua to guard the north. Because his mother was of humble birth, this prince was cautious and hardworking from a young age. After being sent by his father to the northern frontier to unify the command of the Nurgan and Mobei garrisons, he refused to stay in the more comfortable Nenjiang Muliji City, insisting instead on remaining in Huma City, the front line against the Russian invasion. In his words, "As a king, it is my duty to defend the land! How can I stay in the rear and enjoy comfort?"

With a prince personally guarding the border, his civil and military officials naturally dared not remain in the rear. Governor-General of Nuningji and Prince of Longxi, Erke, led his army from Ningguta to the south bank of the Wudi River. Following his lead, Tarhun, the commander of the Nurgan ten thousand households who had just returned from a major battle with the Great Khan, also led his army from Nurgan to the south bank of the Wudi River to join Erke. Jambi, the commander of the Ningguta ten thousand households, led his army from Ningguta to Daheihetun (Hailanpao, now Blagoveshchensk, the capital of Amur Oblast in Russia), a key town on the north bank of the middle and upper reaches of the Heilongjiang River, to support Huma City. Even though not on the front lines bordering Tsarist Russia, General Ekechotbu of Jilin had to make a show of force, building ships and training his navy daily on the banks of the Songhua River, taking advantage of the thawing of the Songhua and Heilongjiang Rivers to transport supplies northwards by waterway.

Just as the two veteran generals, Erke and Tarhun, were gearing up for a major campaign, the imperial decree arrived: the Great Khan, concerned for the two old ministers and worried that prolonged stay in the harsh environment of the northern frontier would be detrimental to their health, issued an edict recalling them. He appointed Orros, the Torghut chieftain, as Governor-General of Nuningji; Mengkutmur, Tarhun's son, as Chieftain of Nuergan; and Balbaqi, the deputy chieftain from the Qinghai Torghut tribe, to replace Orros as Chieftain of the Torghut. He also appointed Enhebatu, another chieftain, as Governor-General of the Oirat.

"The northern lands are harsh, and you two ministers are already advanced in years. I truly cannot bear to see these meritorious veterans suffer from the cold! Therefore, I have specially summoned you back to the capital so that you may receive my instruction day and night." The Great Khan's edict was written with sincerity and earnestness, but Erke and Tarhun were full of complaints. Everyone was preparing for the northern expedition against the Russians, and at this critical juncture, the Great Khan had summoned the two of them back to the capital. Did he think that the two of them were too old to fight?

"I am an old man! Military affairs can only be handled by you young people~" Tarhun said sourly to his son Mengkutemur, who had come to succeed him.

The influence of the prince guarding the borders extended far beyond this; even the Northern Desert Myriarchy, which was not under the jurisdiction of the Chu Prince, was stirring. The Northern Desert Myriarchy Chief, Asuhou Saihan, said to Tumian Ananda Gushi, “Are not only princes responsible for defending the land? We, who govern our own territories, cannot remain inactive. I am willing to lead my troops to relocate to the border between the Northern Desert and the Russian Kingdom, threatening their cities such as Chukubaixing and Erkou (Irkutsk). How about you remain to guard Kulun?”

Upon hearing this, Ananda Gushi bowed to Saihan and said, "It is your duty to guard the frontier, and it is my duty to gather provisions and supplies. Please go with peace of mind. If there are any logistical problems, I will personally apologize to the Great Khan!"

The newly appointed head of the Kazakh Myriarchy, Tumentu Hurchoktu, is a formidable figure.

After the Great Khan of Lotus dispatched a large number of elite troops from the Kazakh chieftain Teguschoktu and the Bukhara chieftain Sonom Tsering on a southern expedition, Shiva Khan Anusha, who had previously submitted to the Kingdom of David, seized the opportunity to rebel. He led a coalition of Uzbek and Turkmen tribes to harass the Bukhara chieftain's office. Bukhara Tumenmurad sought help from Mamedaleh Ubash, the cousin of the former Kazakh Tumen and Tuhuerchoktu. Although old, Mamedaleh Ubash was the eldest son of Kundulun Ubash, the Khoshut chieftain renowned for his bravery and skill in battle. Having fought countless bloody battles, he inherited Kundulun Ubash's title of Third-Class Marquis of Guiyi. Like ginger and cinnamon, which become more pungent with age, after receiving Murad's letter of appeal for help, he was not deterred from battle because the Kazakh myriarchy had few remaining elite troops and had to guard against the Rus' people in the north. He immediately transferred two thousand garrison troops and conscripted eight thousand young men from various Kazakh tribes to form ten thousand cavalry, which was then placed under the command of his nephew Tuhuerchoktu to rush to the aid of the Bukhara myriarchy.

Tuhuerchoktu had only 10,000 men, but faced Anusha's 50,000-strong army. Looking at the densely packed enemy camps, he showed no fear. He led his cavalry to infiltrate the mountains near the enemy's encampment. The next morning, while the enemy was busy cooking and eating, he suddenly attacked, not only defeating the Khiva army and killing Anusha, but also taking advantage of the situation to capture the city of Khiva and install the Khiva nobleman Niaz as king. The Great Khan, who was then leading his army against Wu Sangui, was overjoyed upon receiving this news. He immediately promoted Mamedaleh Ubash from a third-class Marquis of Guiyi to a second-class Marquis of Guiyi. Considering Mamedaleh Ubash's advanced age, he bestowed upon him a large amount of wealth and granted him permission to return home to live out his remaining years. Tuhuerchoktu succeeded him as the head of the Kazakh Ten Thousand Households. Although the expansionist Khan appointed Niaz as the hereditary King of Khiva, he took advantage of his newfound victory to send 5,000 troops to Khiva and dispatched officials to collect taxes from the Khanate of Khiva and promote the Law of David, turning this originally independent Khanate into a semi-independent state.

Upon receiving news of the Chu King's border defense, the restless Tuhuerchoktu consulted with Teguschoktu, the commander of ten thousand households who had just returned from following the Great Khan's southern expedition. They decided to immediately send troops to expel the Russians who had invaded the Omsk region. Originally, the Russians north of Kazakhstan were relatively peaceful, but two years ago, the governor of Tobolsk, taking advantage of the main force of the garrison's southern expedition, ordered the Russian chieftain of Taraskotsky Fortress to lead two hundred Cossacks and five hundred soldiers from indigenous tribes who had submitted to Russia to invade Omsk. Initially, they merely camped, but gradually their audacity grew, and recently they had even begun to build a fortress with great fanfare. Truly despicable! (End of Chapter)