Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

The twenty-ninth year of the Qianyuan era (1672) had passed, and the early spring of the thirtieth year of the Qianyuan era had arrived. With the autumn grain and the silver from various vassal states entering the treasury, the tight financial situation of the Ministry of Revenue was somewhat relieved. Hu Lianqi, the Minister of Revenue, reported to the Great Khan of Lotus Flower that the Ministry of Revenue's silver reserves had recovered to ten million taels.

"Excellent! With the silver, I can once again make great strides in the north!" Sultan exclaimed with delight.

Hu Lianqi was taken aback upon hearing this and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, although the Ministry of Revenue currently has ten million taels of silver in its coffers, there are still expenses for officials' salaries, the repair of river embankments, and the soldiers' pay. I'm afraid it's not enough to support a full-scale war against the Rus'."

"Oh," Sultan frowned slightly after hearing this, "Your Excellency, calculate carefully how much silver you can raise for me by May?"

"I have done my utmost, but I can only offer five million taels," Hu Lianqi said after careful consideration.

“Five million taels? That’s barely enough to launch a local war,” Sultan said, then fell silent.

Hu Lianqi, who was well aware of the emperor's nature, understood that His Majesty had lofty ambitions and did not intend to launch an offensive in only a local area. He wanted to launch a full-scale offensive to eliminate the threat posed by the Rus' to the border of David once and for all. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly said, "If Your Majesty can endure until September, I can raise ten million taels of silver for Your Majesty."

"Ten million taels!" A man raised his sword-like eyebrows, clenched his fist, and waved it fiercely to the sky, roaring, "The Rus' have occupied my land and slaughtered my people! I have tolerated this for so many years, but I can no longer tolerate it! First, use five million taels to launch an offensive in selected areas, and after September, we will wage a full-scale war against the Rus'! Hasn't Baoyin been asking me to allow him to recapture Yaksa? I grant it! Not only Yaksa, but he must also take Nerchinsk for me!"

Albazin (Yaksa) is located at the confluence of the Amur and Emur Rivers. This city was the masterpiece of Nerchinsk Governor Chernigovsky, who, during his tenure as governor, built this square city—18 rudg (1 rudg is 2.134 meters) long and 13 rudg wide—on the site of Stepanov's castle. It was surrounded by wooden walls and a two-rudg wide moat. On the landward side of the wall, a tall tower was built, with a gate at its base. The upper level of the tower housed council chambers and sentry posts. On the riverside, two towers with living quarters were constructed. Later, granaries and a church with a bell tower were added, along with shops for trade. The military personnel's quarters were located outside the city, protected by barricades and six rows of barbed wire. Even so, Chernigovsky felt it wasn't enough and added another layer of wooden fencing around the castle. No major repairs were made thereafter.

Alexei Tolbuzin prayed inside the Spassky Monastery, which was built at the request of the Cossacks. The Yaksa chieftain made the sign of the cross with perfect devotion, first from top to bottom, then from left to right; after the prayer, the altar was clear and serene.

Unlike ordinary officials, this governor came from a noble family in Tsarist Russia and was personally ordered by His Majesty the Tsar to be transferred from the Tobolsk Military District to the Nerchensk (Nerchinsk) Military District to serve as governor of Yaksa. His Majesty even bestowed upon him a shield-shaped coat of arms, depicting an eagle with outstretched wings, one talon grasping a bow and the other an arrow; both the bow and arrow represented military power. The Tsar's meaning was clear: Yaksa now belonged to Tsarist Russia; you should use Yaksa as a base, like the eagle in the coat of arms, to fly further and seize more territory.

Whenever Tolbuzin saw this city emblem, he felt a mysterious power within him. Upon arriving in Yaksa, he led his army in a bloody massacre and plunder of the local people, provoking resistance from various ethnic groups. Because of his powerful backing, even the Nerchinsk governor Chernigovsky dared not interfere, instead praising him for his dedication to duty.

However, the governor soon became uneasy. Tsar Alexei's envoy, Slavich, arrived in Nerchinsk (Nerchinsk), demanding that all garrisons near Nerchinsk and Yaksa strengthen their defenses and refrain from provoking the Russian forces. The reason was that the Russian Khan, Lotus Khan, had sent a courtier named Luo Wenliang, demanding that the great Tsarist Russia return the occupied land of Yaksa and withdraw from the Agonkhba region. In Agonkhba, the Russian army currently held the upper hand and was not a concern; however, Nerchinsk and Yaksa were far away and required caution. Albazin Fortress was so fortified that Tolbuzin was not afraid of an attack by the Russian forces; what concerned him was that Tsar Alexei had actually instructed him not to provoke them. Had the military power of the Russian Empire become so formidable that even His Majesty the Great Tsar of Russia was wary?

"Great! Father Khan has finally agreed to let us lead our army to recapture Yaksa. Not only Yaksa, but also Nerchinsk, we are allowed to move freely! It seems that this time he really wants to draw his sword against the Russian devils!" After receiving the imperial edict from Dadu, King Baoyin of Chu excitedly shouted to his generals.

“Your Highness, Yaksa is a very fortified city. We only have eight thousand men and insufficient artillery, so it may not be easy to conquer,” said Qiwangzhal, the commander of the tribal garrison. This man was the grandson of Darma, the second-class Emin Marquis and the “father-in-law” of Sultan Khan. His three thousand Dzungar soldiers were highly elite and formed the main force of the garrison stationed in Huma.

“I had already ordered my men to hide twenty heavy cannons and a large number of cannonballs in Huliping Village, so artillery is not a problem. As for the lack of troops…” Bao Yin paused, smiling as he looked at the Second-Class Daur Bekenzhe Wule, the Third-Class Bargu Bebileg, the Third-Class Buryat Betemur, the Solon chief Toheko, the Yakut chief Amantai, the Oroqen chief Nahata, and others. Of his eight thousand men, apart from one thousand personal guards and three thousand elite Dzungar soldiers, the remaining four thousand all came from the northern tribes where these tribal chiefs resided.

"This humble general is willing to go to the various tribes of the Daur to recruit warriors for Your Highness!" The second-class Daur leader, Berkenzhe Wule, who dreamed of fighting his way back to his hometown, was the first to speak.

“This humble general is also willing to recruit soldiers for Your Highness from the various tribes of Bargu,” the third-class Bargu Bobileg immediately followed.

The leaders of each tribe expressed their willingness to return to their respective tribes to recruit soldiers. Baoyin readily agreed and quickly recruited another 5,000 warriors, bringing his army to 13,000, a rare scale in the icy and snowy Heilongjiang River basin where transportation was difficult.

On June 2nd, 1673 (the 30th year of the Qianyuan era), General Bao Bai escorted twenty heavy cannons from Hulipingzhai. Bao Yin ordered his troops to assemble outside Huma City in preparation for their departure for Yaksa. The fierce wind along the Heilongjiang River billowed his battle robes, stirring the young prince's fighting spirit. He shouted to his soldiers, "The Russians harass our borders and harm our people. If we do not eliminate them, how can we secure our borders? Those who are true men, follow me and fight bravely! The court will not hesitate to bestow titles of earl or marquis!"

"Haorui~ Haorui~ Haorui~" The soldiers cheered all around.

(End of this chapter)