Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

The entire city of Oryokminsk was filled with joy upon receiving the gift from the Grand Steward. Yakotnov ordered a banquet to honor the soldiers who had distinguished themselves in battle, and for this occasion, he even served the guests mead brewed by the Yakotnov family. This wine, due to its long production cycle and high cost, had become a luxury in Tsarist Russia, generally only served at important banquets and religious ceremonies by the Boyer lords. At this time, Tsarist Russia was gradually becoming Westernized; some nobles were beginning to favor wines from Greece and the Caucasus, and brandy from France, while others began to enjoy distilled bread spirits (vodka). However, the Yakotnov lords adhered to the aristocratic tradition of drinking mead. As for the beer and kvass (a low-alcohol beverage made from fermented rye bread) commonly consumed by the commoners, the Boyer lords would never touch them.

Exquisite silverware held amber-colored wine, its aroma enticing. Yakotnov raised a glass to Pyotr Aksentyev, the governor of Tugurburg, and said, "My dear Pyotr, you deserve immense credit for this victory; I toast you!"

After Tugurburg was captured by the guards led by Governor Orros of Nuningi, the city's governor, Pyotr Aksentiev, fled to Yakutsk with only thirty Cossacks. Yakutsk Governor Vasily Pushkin severely reprimanded Aksentiev and then ordered him to lead two hundred hastily recruited Cossacks and three hundred native soldiers to reinforce Oryokminsk and protect Yakutsk's southern gateway. The Lena River, situated on permafrost, is frozen for nine months from September to June of the following year. The Russian troops moved swiftly across the frozen Lena using sleds. Approaching Oryokminsk, the sentries ahead were astonished to find a guard encamped on the east bank of the Lena, numbering approximately three thousand men.

This garrison was under the command of Menkutmur, the commander of the Nurgan myriarchy. After capturing Tugur Fortress, Governor Orros of Nuningji decided to press on and continue northward along the Okhotsk coast to capture Okhotsk Fortress. To prevent the Russian army in Yakutsk from rescuing the fortress, he assigned 3,000 cavalrymen to Menkutmur, the commander of the Nurgan myriarchy, to harass the Russian army in the Yakutsk area. Menkutmur was a cautious general who habitually sent out scouts extensively before campaigns. When he reached the vicinity of Yakutsk Fortress, he discovered that the Russian army in the area was not only numerous but also well-equipped, and their fortifications were exceptionally strong. His own troops were all cavalry and lacked siege equipment, so he abandoned the idea of ​​harassing Yakutsk Fortress and turned towards Oryokminsk, south of Yakutsk. By a twist of fate, they were discovered by Aksentyev's men.

Having been terrified by the garrison at Tugurburg, Aksentiev dared not attack the numerically superior garrison alone and sent a messenger to inform Yakotnov, the governor of Orokminsk. Eager to gain merit and glory for his family, Yakotnov immediately led a thousand Cossacks and five hundred native soldiers to join Aksentiev, and they charged aggressively towards the garrison camp on the east bank of the Lena River, only to find it empty. It turned out that at the same time Aksentiev's scouts discovered the garrison camp, Menkutmur's scouts also spotted Aksentiev's forces. Seeing that Orokminsk's defenses were strong and reinforcements had arrived, Menkutmur ordered his troops to leave Orokminsk and try their luck at Kirensk. Seeing the garrison leave, an unwilling Yakotnov led his army in pursuit along the enemy's hoofprints, but failed to catch the main force, only managing to kill twenty-six rearguard soldiers. He immediately reported his "great victory" to Pushkin, the governor of Yakutsk, who praised him and then held a victory banquet.

“No, Your Excellency, it is all due to your excellent command. I should be the one thanking you!” Aksentyev said modestly, giving the main credit to Yakotnov. The words “excellent command” pleased Master Boye greatly.

"General, the General of Kirensk, Faliev, has sent someone. He says that Prince Chu of the State of Wei has led more than 10,000 guards to besiege Kirensk Fortress and requests your assistance." The banquet was in full swing when a guard came to deliver the news.

"That scoundrel Faliev asked me for help?" Yakotnov frowned and said, "Bring the messenger to the secret chamber; I want to ask him what happened."

"It's too late, Commander! The messengers have already stormed in!" the guard said urgently.

Quite by chance, the messengers of Kirensk Governor Faliev appeared at the banquet, and their loud voices quickly made the whole city aware that the people and soldiers of Kirensk had asked Governor Yakotnov for help.

"Damn it!" Yakotnov glared at the messengers, wishing he could crush their bones! However, his noble status as a Boye nobleman prevented him from standing by and watching them die, thus becoming a "coward." He had no choice but to leave three hundred soldiers to guard the city and, together with Aksentiev, lead two thousand five hundred men to Kirensk.
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"Mengkutemur, are you a divine eagle from the sky? Why have you suddenly appeared before me?" Upon seeing Mengkutemur, the commander of Nurgan, and his three thousand cavalrymen, King Baoyin of Chu was greatly surprised. He gave him a passionate hug and asked.

"The Governor-General of Orlos ordered me to raid the Yakutsk region, but I couldn't find an opportunity to fight in Yakutsk or Oryokminsk, so I had to try my luck in Kirensk. I never expected to meet Your Highness here. It must be that the Eternal Heaven has taken pity on me for not achieving any military merit and has specially bestowed upon me a great opportunity."

Mengkutmur's humor made Baoyin laugh heartily. He loudly said to Mengkutmur, "Since this is the will of the Eternal Heaven, I will give you a great opportunity. You will lead your men to guard the confluence of the Kilianga River and the Lena River on the east bank and prevent the Russian army from reinforcing Oryokminsk. If you hold it, it will be a great achievement; if you fail, military law will be merciless!"

"Yes!" Mengkutmur's expression hardened, and he accepted the order and left. On December 3rd, 1673 (the 30th year of the Qian Yuan era), the Guards launched a fierce attack on Kirensk from all sides. The city walls, frozen solid by the snow and ice, were exceptionally strong. The cunning Faliev ordered his men to pour water on the city walls, and the frost and snow condensed into transparent ice crystals between the bricks and stones, with icicles hanging like necklaces on the thick walls. The Guards' heavy artillery was ineffective; even the huge cannonballs could only leave small gaps in the solid walls. In desperation, they could only resort to swarming attacks, filling the gaps with lives. Although there were only a thousand defenders in the castle, their strong fortifications allowed them to repeatedly repel the Guards' attacks. After five days of fierce fighting, the Guards left five hundred corpses, but still could not breach the city walls.

On December 8th, Yakotnov and Aksentiev arrived with 2,500 reinforcements. Their opponent was none other than Menkutmur, whom they had "defeated" at Oryokminsk. The Russian troops, sledding, sped across the frozen Lena River. To their surprise, the ice was now covered with tree trunks. The soldiers in front tried to brake, but their speed made it difficult to stop immediately, while the soldiers behind continued to follow closely. One by one, they were thrown about, either crashing into the trees or being knocked down by the sleds behind them. Finally managing to stop and form ranks for infantry combat, they were met with a barrage of artillery fire and a hail of arrows from the Guards.

"Haorui~" Mengkutemuer led his most elite thousand cavalrymen in a central charge.

"Haorui~Haorui~Haorui~" Migmur, the commander of a thousand households, and Urru each led a thousand cavalrymen out of the woods on both sides of the Lena River.

This sudden attack caught the Russian army off guard. Before Peter Aksentyev, the governor of Tugurburg, could figure out what was going on, he was stabbed through the heart by a fierce cavalryman.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Yakotnov disregarded the dignity of Lord Boye and ordered a retreat while scrambling onto his warhorse and fleeing towards Oryokminsk Fortress.

Menkutmur, unwilling to relinquish the military achievements bestowed upon him by the Eternal Heaven, led his army in relentless pursuit. Yakotnov escaped three times, only to be overtaken each time. Exhausted, he was beheaded by the commander of ten thousand, who charged in on his warhorse. In this battle, the Guards, with only three hundred casualties, annihilated eighteen hundred Russian soldiers, sealing the fate of Kirensk Fortress.

Despite being regarded as a rogue, scoundrel, and criminal by Lord Boye, Faliev displayed extraordinary courage in the final moments. Even with the reinforcements routed and fleeing, and with only a thousand soldiers remaining in the city, he still commanded his men to fight to the death and refuse to surrender. They held out for another ten days, until December 18th, when the Guards finally captured Kirensk Fortress, but lost another seven hundred warriors at the gates.

After the city fell, the enraged King of Chu ordered a search for the garrison commander, Faliev, vowing to skin him alive and avenge the fallen soldiers if he was found! In the end, they only found a corpse with dozens of wounds.

"Is this the Rakshasa general?" Baoyin asked solemnly, looking at the mangled corpse.

"Yes, Your Highness, I questioned the prisoners carefully, so it should be true," Commander Dulabalden replied respectfully. He had contributed greatly to the siege, and half of the garrison's casualties came from his own Buryat warriors.

“Although he was an enemy, his bravery is still worthy of respect. Find a place to bury him, and do not desecrate his body,” Bao Yin sighed and gave the order.
-
In the Battle of Kirensk, although the Guards annihilated 2,800 Russian soldiers, they also suffered 1,500 casualties. Bao Yin had no time to rest; leaving 500 soldiers to defend Kirensk, he personally led 13,500 troops, crossing the frozen Lena River, towards Orokminsk Fortress. Most of the fortress's garrison had been wiped out en route to reinforce Kirensk, and even their commander had been killed in battle. If not now, when?
Hearing that the garrison was approaching, Oryokminsk Fortress was thrown into chaos. Commander-in-Chief Yakotnov had been killed in battle, and the retreating defeated troops, along with the original three hundred defenders, numbered less than a thousand. How could they possibly hold out? The worried Cossacks elected a fifty-man commander, Telikin, to temporarily assume the position of commander-in-chief. However, upon hearing that the army of Prince Chu of the garrison exceeded ten thousand, the usually brave commander suddenly became cowardly and ordered the entire city's inhabitants to immediately evacuate to Yakutsk, leaving the city empty for the garrison. (End of Chapter)