Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

Both Beyton and Rzhevsky were actually from Yeniseysk. Tsarist Russia, having just quelled the Razin rebellion a few years prior, had regained its appetite for land. Alexei I appointed the high-ranking nobleman Prince Konstantin Shcherbatov as military governor of Yeniseysk, to unify command of the Russian army in the Far East. Rzhevsky, the former military governor of Yeniseysk, was reassigned as military governor of Barguzin. To demonstrate his support for Prince Shcherbatov, the Tsar issued a special decree assigning him two thousand elite troops from Tobolsk and other areas, and allocated a large amount of weaponry and silver, allowing him to recruit soldiers locally.

With the support of Tsarist Russia, Prince Sherbatov was brimming with confidence. However, just as he completed the handover and was gearing up for a major offensive, he received news that the garrison was besieging Albazin (Yaksa). The prince, possessing excellent military skills, judged from the size of the garrison's deployment that their target was not only Albazin, and immediately ordered Boye (a hereditary nobleman) Afanasy Beyton to lead 700 noble cavalrymen and Rzhevsky to lead 800 Cossacks to Nerchensk's aid. This reinforcement had already departed before Vlasov's plea for help reached Yeniseysk and arrived at Nerchensk just in time.

Their arrival restored the Russian army's strength to 5,000, but it was insufficient to make up for the losses at the Battle of the Ambagirbich River. In that battle, the Guards annihilated more than 4,000 Russian soldiers at the cost of 500 casualties. After the battle, they received the surrender of Evenki leaders such as Gentemur and Guden, and recruited 1,500 Evenki surrendered soldiers from among the prisoners, increasing their strength from 11,000 to 12,000.

Therefore, King Baoyin of Chu decided to launch a preemptive attack. He first ordered Narbu and Baobai to lead more than eighty ships and 1,700 naval troops to patrol the Shilka River and the Nercha River (Nerchinsk River) waterways, intending to cut off the city of Nerchinsk (Nerchinsk Fortress) from the outside world. To strengthen the navy, he specially selected eighteen cannons from the land forces and mounted them on the warships.

Upon hearing the news, Vlasov summoned his generals for a meeting. They unanimously agreed that they must concentrate their efforts on ensuring Nerchensk's connection with the outside world, otherwise the city would become a dead city.

"Your Excellency, I request permission to lead the army into battle and wash away the shame of the Battle of Anbagirbich with the enemy's blood!" Arshinsky passionately volunteered. That battle had wiped out the main force of the Nerchensk defenders, and this Russian hero felt deeply guilty and ashamed, always feeling that people were whispering behind his back when he walked down the street. Unable to bear it any longer, he resolved to fight to the death to avenge the defeat.

"You?" Vlasov hesitated. Ever since the defeat at the Battle of Anbagirbich, Arshinsky had gone from a hero to a fool in his eyes. He wanted to prevent him from going, but Arshinsky did have considerable prestige among the garrison in Nerchinsk, and he didn't want to offend him too much. But if he let him go, he feared another major defeat would affect the entire war effort. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's good that you have such courage. However, you are not good at naval warfare, so let Frolov be the commander-in-chief and you be the deputy commander. Concentrate your forces to break through the blockade of the Guards fleet."

Vlasov concentrated all forty-three ships and one thousand sailors in the city and placed them under the command of the Cossack chieftain Frolov. Frolov was very familiar with the water conditions of the Shilka River, the Nercha River, and even the entire upper and middle reaches of the Amur River. After receiving the order, he organized his warships into five squadrons and confidently came to seek a decisive battle with the Guards Navy.

The two sides met on the Nercha River (Nerchinsk River). After the vanguard fired a few shots to probe the enemy, Vlasov and Narbu each gave their fleets the order to attack.

Upon receiving the order, Arshinsky led nine ships to the forefront. "Follow me!" he signaled, charging ahead bravely and personally directing the cannon fire, sinking one of the guards' warships. Seeing their commander's courage, the morale of his men soared, and they followed him, wedging themselves into the guards' ranks.

Seeing their fierce approach, the guerrilla commander Bao Bai led ten warships to intercept them. Arshinsky spotted their banner and ordered his helmsman to steer the ship close in.

As Bao Bai was directing the battle, he noticed enemy soldiers boarding the ship. He sneered and led his men in a shouting battle. The Solon warriors were never afraid of hand-to-hand combat. He chose the enemy general, a burly man as strong as an iron tower, and swung his sword to kill him.

"Bang!" The broadsword struck the shield on the enemy's left arm, and the enemy felt a tremendous force strike him, staggering back several feet.

"What strength this guy has!" Bao Bai was startled, and in that brief moment of surprise, Arshinsky's axe slammed down on his forehead. The axe was so heavy that it shattered Bao Bai's skull through his helmet.

"Kill them!" Arshinsky sneered as he ordered his men to seize Bob's ship and set it on fire.

“Counselor, the enemy is rampant. Please retreat a little to avoid their advance!” Seeing the fierce Russian army approaching, the guards advised Narbu to retreat.

"Shut up! I am the commander-in-chief, how can I avoid battle when we encounter the enemy?" Narbu roared in anger, "Send word to Abukai that if I die in battle, he shall take over command. Even if only one ship remains, he shall die on the way to the attack!"

The flagship of the Guards flew a flag proclaiming "Fight to the death!" which emboldened the soldiers. Seeing the flagship charging bravely towards the enemy ships, the Guards' morale soared, and they steered their ships recklessly in pursuit. As time passed, the Guards' numerical and firepower advantage gradually became apparent. Four hours later, Narbu, at the cost of thirty ships, destroyed thirty-eight enemy vessels. Arshinsky fought to the death, ultimately sinking with his ship in the Guards' encirclement.

When Frolov fled back to Nerchinsk with only five ships and a hundred sailors, it caused panic throughout the city. However, some remained undeterred. Boye (a hereditary nobleman) Beyton suggested to Vlasov, "The Tatars think they have a cavalry advantage; we should let them taste the might of the Russian cavalry!"

His confidence stemmed from his confidence in his army's equipment. In Tsarist Russia of that era, cavalry was the mainstay, especially the Boye cavalry, composed of hereditary nobles. They were the core of the main force, equipped not only with armor, sabers, and lances, but also gradually replacing traditional bows and arrows with pistols and carbines, playing a crucial role in numerous wars. Their cavalry saber, the Chashik (meaning "Blade of Heaven"), with its curved blade like an eagle's claw and gleaming coldly when drawn, was a deadly weapon that struck fear into the hearts of European nations.

"Very good! I will have the Cossacks cooperate with you in the battle!" Upon hearing this, Vlasov regained his composure and decided to send out his cavalry to deliver a head-on blow when the Guards attacked the city.

On August 23, 1673 (the 30th year of the Qianyuan era), the garrison began its siege. After a fierce bombardment, surrendered generals such as Gentemur and Guden led their troops to attack the east gate. Suddenly, the heavy gate opened, and Beyton led seven hundred noble cavalrymen in a valiant charge, followed by Erzhevsky with eight hundred Cossack cavalrymen. Gentemur was prepared and immediately joined forces with Katanai, Guden, and other generals, leading a thousand Evenk cavalrymen to meet the attack. He had fought against Cossack cavalry before and was not afraid.

Unexpectedly, this group of enemies was far more elite than ordinary Cossack cavalry. They first used flintlock pistols, muskets, and bows and arrows to disrupt the Evenk cavalry's formation, and then fought fiercely with spears and sabers, quickly defeating the Evenk cavalry who had low armor coverage and poor equipment.

"Bang!" Gentemur himself was hit by a musket in the fierce battle, fell from his horse and died tragically. The Evenki people, who had lost their leader, scattered and fled.

"Hurrah!" Beyton roared, directing his men to drive the defeated troops into the guard camp, hoping to seize the opportunity to achieve victory in one fell swoop.

"Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!" The shouts of Russian soldiers echoed across the battlefield.

"Fire! After the cannon fire stops, the cavalry will attack!" King Baoyin of Chu calmly gave the order. He did not know that the enemy would send out cavalry to attack, but out of caution, he had placed twenty small cannons in front of the camp gate and a thousand cavalry on each side of the camp gate.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The rapid shells exploded among the Russian troops, leaving Beyton somewhat stunned. He was then surprised to find enemy cavalry appearing on both flanks.

Second-class Daurbekenzewule and third-class Bargubobilege each led a thousand cavalry to encircle the Russian army. They had surrendered earlier, and their troops were far better equipped than the Evenk cavalry. They had been preparing for a long time and their horses were full of energy. They quickly charged into the Russian army, whose formation had been disrupted by artillery fire, and slaughtered them everywhere.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Beyton, thinking they had fallen into an ambush, ordered a retreat. Upon receiving the order, the Cossack cavalrymen at the back managed to escape back into the city in time, but the Boye cavalrymen at the front were too late to leave, and they, including Beyton himself, were all drowned out by wave after wave of shouts of "Holy!"

Seeing that even the most elite Boye cavalry had been completely annihilated, Vlasov dared not venture out of the city to fight again. He simply relied on the fortified city to hold out and wait for Prince Sherbatov to send reinforcements.

(End of this chapter)