Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"Haorui~ Haorui~ Haorui~" The fishing rod flag of the Kingdom of David was planted on the city wall of Balguzin Fortress, and the whole city was filled with cheers from the guards.

Most of the elite troops in the castle had been taken by Governor Rzhevsky to reinforce Nerchensk, leaving only fifty Cossacks and one hundred and fifty native soldiers when the garrison arrived at the city. The defenders resisted under the command of a Cossack named Gavrilka, who was very organized and conscripted all the Russian residents in the city who could carry weapons, regardless of gender, to defend the city, thus assembling a force of more than four hundred men.

To boost morale, Gavrilka ordered all the gold, silver, and sable furs in the warehouses to be given as rewards to the soldiers who had distinguished themselves in battle. With such generous rewards, brave men were sure to emerge. The defenders displayed unwavering fighting spirit, holding off the Imperial Guard for seven days. On November 23rd, 1673, the Imperial Guard concentrated all their heavy artillery to bombard a corner of the castle, finally breaching its walls. The bloodthirsty soldiers slaughtered Gavrilka and over a hundred prisoners, their blood staining the city walls crimson.

Looking at the fishing rods and flags fluttering in the wind atop Barguzin Fortress, a surge of pride welled up in Baoyin's chest. He couldn't help but recite a poem aloud:

"The Northern Expedition to Balguzin Fortress"

The most heroic spirit is found in a hundred battles on the battlefield.

Why fear the blood staining my clothes?

The Rakshasa wept, having lost their helmets and armor.
A king's heart leaps and gallops.

The victory naturally put him in a good mood, but a headcount of the troops brought a different kind of joy. Although the Battle of Barguzinburg had annihilated over four hundred Russian soldiers, the Guards had suffered five hundred casualties, leaving only nine thousand five hundred of the ten thousand troops. If every city suffered such heavy losses, by the time they reached Yakutsk, there would probably be very few men left! Just as Bao Yin was worrying about the heavy casualties, Saihan, the commander of the Northern Desert, sent a messenger with news of his victory. He had captured Kyakhta Fortress and was now besieging Chukuberxing Fortress to the north.

Kyakhta Fortress was located on the border between the Mongolian Plateau and Tsarist Russia. Half of it was controlled by the garrison, and the other half was seized by Tsarist Russia. Tsarist Russia built a fortress on its controlled half, using it as a vital transportation hub and commercial center connecting the two countries. Merchants coming and going had long since thoroughly investigated the fortress's garrison, and Saihan easily captured this small fortress with only one hundred Cossacks and two hundred native soldiers, then marched straight to the walls of Chukuberxing.

As a key military stronghold of Tsarist Russia, Chukuberchen was garrisoned by two thousand soldiers, more than half of whom were fierce Cossacks. The commander, Yemelyan Panika, was defeated in open battle and forced to retreat into the fortress. Relying on its strong fortifications, Saihan was unable to capture it immediately, so he simply besieged the city and sent messengers to report his victory to the King of Chu.

Although Baoyin was granted the authority to command the troops stationed in Nuningji and the northern desert, the long distance meant that he could not keep track of the movements of the troops under Governor Orros of Nuningji and the commander of the northern desert, Saihan, in a timely manner, except for his own troops. Now, upon receiving news from Saihan, he was overjoyed.

Feeling his forces were insufficient, he initially intended to order Saihan to join him in capturing Yakutsk. However, remembering his father Khan's order to Saihan's tribe to seize the vast region from Lake Baikal to the Yenisei River, a command he could not disobey, he abandoned the idea. Instead, he ordered Saihan to capture Chukubashin and then turn west, first taking Irkutsk to control the Angara River waterway, and then proceeding along the river to Yeniseisk Fortress. Fortunately, Saihan's tribe had already surrounded Chukubashin, relieving his rear from threat, allowing him to transfer the Buryat warriors under Timur, Dulabaladen, and others to his command. He then ordered the two generals to leave several hundred warriors to guard Udibashin and to lead three thousand troops to meet at Barguzin Fortress.

Upon entering Bao Yin's tent, Dulabaladen knelt and bowed respectfully, saying, "This humble general, Dulabaladen, greets Your Highness, the King of Chu." Despite his daring to disregard his kinsman, Timur, he trembled with fear before the true-blooded King of Chu, Bao Yin, daring not to display the slightest arrogance.

"Commander, no need for such formalities. I've long heard of your great name, and I've been so excited about your arrival that I haven't been able to sleep for days. Men, prepare fine wine and delicacies! Today, I will drink with all of you generals until we're completely drunk! Only when we're full and satisfied will we have the strength to slay those Rakshasa demons! Hahaha~" "Hahaha~ Hahaha~" Laughter rang out from inside the tent.

Seeing that the dignified Prince was so approachable, the thirteen generals of the Haoli clan, including Dulabalden and Halel, felt warm inside and quickly integrated into the guard.

After incorporating several thousand soldiers from the Horiburiyat people, Baoyin's strength increased significantly, and the number of troops available for the northern expedition grew to 12,500.

He ordered Dulabalden and Harel to lead 2,500 Buryat cavalrymen at the forefront, while he himself led 10,000 troops to Kirensk, an important stronghold established by Tsarist Russia at the confluence of the Lena and Kirenga rivers.

"Quickly! Quickly send someone to request reinforcements from the Governor!" Kirensk Fortress was under the jurisdiction of the Irkutsk Governorate. Upon learning that Prince Weiguo Chu was leading a large army to attack them, the chief administrator Faliev was terrified and hurriedly sent someone on horseback to Irkutsk Governor Leonti Kislensky to request reinforcements.

"General, Irkutsk is too far away. You should send someone to Oryokminsk for help as soon as possible. It's closer to us; we can get there within ten days by sailing down the Lena River," a wise person reminded him.

Faliev scratched his head. "That Yakotnov guy looks down on me because he's a Boye (hereditary nobleman). He definitely won't help me. Let's just forget about it."

“No, it’s precisely because he’s Lord Boyer that he cares so much about his reputation. If we make a big show of asking him for help and he refuses to come to our aid, he’ll be called a coward. For Lord Boyer and his ilk, bringing shame upon their family is worse than death,” his confidant continued to advise him.

"You're right!" Faliev was overjoyed, patting his confidant on the shoulder and laughing, "Take a few loud-voiced Cossacks to Oryokminsk immediately to ask for help. As soon as you enter the city, spread the word that the Guards are attacking Kirensk and that the people and soldiers of Kirensk are asking Governor Yakotnov for help! Remember, make sure the whole city knows about this!"

Located on the left bank of the Lena River, a thousand kilometers from the capital Yakutsk, Oryokminsk is a city with harsh living conditions. Situated in the birthplace of the Siberian Cold Current, temperatures reach minus sixty degrees Celsius for nine months of the year, with only a short, cool summer. Even so, Cossacks continue to flock here, for no other reason than that gold has been discovered here.

Where there is gold, naturally many people aspire to official positions. As a hereditary nobleman, Semyon Alexandrevich Yakotnov possessed more advantages than others and secured the position of governor of the city. He was very lucky; shortly after arriving in Oryokminsk, he won a "great victory," defeating an attacking garrison and killing more than twenty enemies, earning praise from Vasily Pushkin, the governor of Yakutsk.

"Send the order: distribute gifts throughout the city today to celebrate our victory over the barbaric Tatars," Yakotnov commanded triumphantly. Whether or not there was a celebration was unimportant; what mattered was ensuring the Yakotnov family's military exploits were remembered. (End of Chapter)