Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"Your Highness, the entire army is ready. Please give your instructions!" Third-class Bargu Bobileg respectfully requested permission to fight from King Baoyin of Chu.

"Let's go!" Bao Yin calmly gave the order.

In the previous Battle of Yaksa, his 13,000-strong army suffered over 1,000 casualties, reducing its strength to just over 11,000. He later recruited several hundred warriors from the local tribes of Yaksa who harbored hatred for Tsarist Russia to replenish the losses, restoring the army to 12,000. He ordered his adjutant, Toheko, to lead 1,000 troops to garrison Yaksa, while he himself led 11,000 men along the Amur River, quickly entering the Shilka River, a tributary of the Amur River.

They encountered no fierce resistance along the way. Only when they reached the vicinity of Uslikarsk on the river did they encounter an interception by eight Russian warships. The garrison commander, Narbu, calmly led his navy to fight back and quickly repelled the enemy ships. Narbu originally had one hundred ships, but he lost ten in the Battle of Yaksa and left five for Yaksa. The remaining eighty-five ships still far outnumbered the Russian army in Nerchinsk.

"Your Highness, it seems the Rakshasa demons have been intimidated by our formidable reputation, allowing us to penetrate so easily into their territory," said Chief Qiwang Zhale triumphantly to King Baoyin of Chu.

Unlike other princes, Baoyin's mother came from a humble background and had no powerful family to rely on. As a result, he developed a cautious and prudent character from a young age, which extended to military campaigns as well. The Great Khan of Lotus once commented on his third son: "Among my sons, Baoyin may not have achieved the most merits, but he is certainly the most difficult to defeat."

"Don't be careless! Haven't you noticed? We haven't seen a single civilian or herds of cattle and sheep along the way. This means the Rakshasa demons have already moved the civilians and livestock away; they intend to implement a scorched-earth policy. If I'm not mistaken, the enemy must have amassed a large army somewhere, waiting for us! Pass on my orders: deploy scouts widely, and when setting up camp, plant wooden palisades, and place plenty of chevaux-de-frise and barbed wire outside the camp."

"Yes!" Qiwangzhal dared not disobey and accepted the order.

As Bao Yin had predicted, Vlasov, the military governor of Nerchinsk, gathered 6,000 troops on the west bank of the Ambagirbich River and placed them under the command of General Arshinsky, while he himself led 2,000 elite soldiers to defend Nerchinsk Fortress.

Arshinsky was young, not yet thirty, but a renowned and fierce general in the Russian army. As a subordinate of the veteran warlord Chernikovsky, he followed Chernikovsky in the capture of Nerchinsk and the establishment of a stronghold. He subsequently led troops to expand territory and suppress indigenous tribal rebellions, achieving remarkable military exploits. However, what truly made him famous was not his military achievements, but a letter. More than three years earlier, at the age of twenty-six, full of youthful vigor, he wrote a defiant letter to the Great Khan of the Vladivostok, demanding that the Vladivostok recognize Tsarist Russia's authority in the Nerchinsk region and open trade between the two sides; otherwise, he would launch a military campaign.

At that time, the Great Khan of Lotus had already become a powerful figure on the steppe, and it was quite alarming that a mere steward dared to intimidate such a formidable ruler. When the news spread, fearing retaliation from the Vladivostok government, large numbers of Russian merchants fled Nerchinsk. However, the Great Khan was preoccupied with his southern campaign and had no power to deal with matters in the north, so the matter was dropped. After this incident, Arshinsky's fame soared, making him a household name and a Russian hero. He also gained Vlasov's favor and was entrusted with command of the army.

However, some say the letter was written by Arshinsky on behalf of the old governor Chernikovsky, to test the attitude of the Patriotic Emperor. After all, Arshinsky's official rank at the time was not high, and if a challenge letter were written in his name and serious consequences arose, it could be argued that he was not a high-ranking official of Tsarist Russia and did not represent the official attitude of Tsarist Russia. It was precisely because the Patriotic Emperor did not give a substantial response to the letter that Chernikovsky judged that the Patriotic Army was unable to fight on both the north and south fronts simultaneously, and decisively sent troops to retake Albazin (Yaksa).

The truth remains unverified. However, Arshinsky undoubtedly deserves the title of "Hero of Russia." Despite having only six thousand troops—two thousand Cossacks, three thousand Evenki warriors, and one thousand conquered local tribal warriors—he planned to cross the Ambagirbich River to attack the garrison on the east bank. Upon hearing that his commander intended to attack the enemy, the Evenki chieftain, Prince Gentemur, hurriedly advised, "The garrison outnumbers us. You should rely on the Ambagirbich River for defense, not launch an attack."

“Precisely because the enemy outnumbers us, we should strike them hard when they first arrive. Otherwise, once they become familiar with the battlefield, the battle will be much harder,” Arshinsky said with a wave of his hand, his tone leaving no room for doubt. “Don’t worry, the Guards will be arrogant and careless after their successive victories. I will also choose to launch the attack at night, when the enemy’s vision will be poor and they will be sound asleep. They will be terrified and flee in defeat.”

Seeing that his words made some sense, and considering he was the commander-in-chief, Gentemur dared not offer any further advice. Arshinsky ordered Gentemur and Maokaodaihan to lead three thousand Evenki warriors as the vanguard, while he himself led two thousand Cossacks as the central army, and the Cossack captain Anzifer Kondratiev led one thousand recruited native soldiers as the rearguard.

Gentemur was very familiar with the local terrain and led the Russian army to quickly cross the shallow waters of the Anbagerbich River. The guards were indeed surprised that the Russian army dared to launch an attack, but under the strict orders of King Baoyin of Chu, a large number of hidden sentries were deployed around the camp.

"Woo-woo-woo!" The sentries quickly blew the horns to warn of the approaching enemy.

Seeing their movements exposed, Gentemur decisively ordered a direct assault on the garrison camp, intending to catch the enemy off guard under the cover of night. However, the Evenki warriors were horrified to discover that torches were hung every ten feet along the camp, illuminating the night like day. And that wasn't all; the camp was surrounded by wooden palisades, chevaux-de-frise, and barbed wire.

"Bang~ Bang~ Bang~"

"Whoosh~whoosh~whoosh~"

Gunshots and arrows rained down on the Russian army, and Evenki warriors fell one after another. Uriheng, the chieftain of the Xinmiyar clan, was at the forefront, half his face ripped open by a musket shot, and he lay in a pool of blood. Maokaodaihan, the chieftain of the Korteir clan, known as the greatest Evenki warrior, wielded an axe, cleaved through the wooden palisade, and charged into the camp. After killing several men, he encountered Anba, the renowned and valiant commander of the Imperial Guard. The two grappled, each stabbing the other in vital areas with a dagger.

"Not good! The enemy is prepared, retreat quickly!" Gentemur hurriedly ordered a retreat. The Evenki warriors turned around and ran back in a chaotic manner, only to be squeezed together with the Cossacks and native soldiers who followed.

"An enemy attack on our camp? Brilliant! If they had stayed by the river, I truly wouldn't have had a good way to break through their defenses for the time being. Now they've come to their deaths; it's as if the Eternal Heaven is helping our army succeed!" Upon learning of the Russian army's night attack, Bao Yin was not afraid but rather delighted. He immediately ordered his troops to form ranks and march out of the camp to attack the enemy. He also ordered Generals Narbu and Baobai to lead the navy by night-time ships to land on the west bank of the Ambagirbichi River and cut off the enemy's retreat. (End of Chapter)