Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"Boom! Boom!" With a series of muffled sounds, a large section of the eastern city wall of Chukuberxingbao was blasted down. Even the strongest city wall cannot withstand the relentless bombardment of cannons day and night.

After Saihan, the commander of the Northern Desert, besieged Chukuberxing, he attempted several attacks, but was repelled each time by the Russian army inside the city. Panika, the governor of Chukuberxing, arrogantly sent envoys out of the city to propose peace terms to the Russian army: if the Russian army would lift the siege of Chukuberxing, they would relinquish Kyakhta. While this appeared to be a concession, the Kyakhta region was actually under the jurisdiction of the Great David Kingdom, seized by the Russian army during the Southern Expedition of the Lotus Khan, and the Russian army had already captured Kyakhta. Upon hearing the Russian terms, Saihan, the commander of the Northern Desert, simply instructed the envoy to return and tell Panika: the only way to survive was to surrender. He then concentrated all his cannons and bombarded the eastern part of the city. A month later, a large section of the city wall finally collapsed.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter!" First-Class Chechen Marquis Babu rode in, sword in hand, his long blade slicing through flesh and blood. Behind him followed two thousand fierce Chechen cavalrymen.

"Awooo~ Awooo~ Awooo~" Seeing this, the first brave general of Chukubakhin and the Cossack captain, Gerasim, roared and charged forward, his great axe aimed at cutting the horses' legs. More than a hundred of his men also wielded great axes, and in an instant, the horses' legs flew everywhere, and the Chechen warriors fell off their horses one after another.

Babu was furious and was about to kill the scoundrel when a rider suddenly galloped past him, pointing a long spear and striking Gerasim in the forehead. It was his son, Tebun.

"Great! You've really made your father proud!" Babu was overjoyed and led his troops in a fierce battle, quickly scattering the Russian army and rushing into the city.

"Haorui~ Haorui~ Haorui~" The guards swarmed in, killing any Russian soldiers they saw, as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.

Looking at Panika kneeling in surrender, Saihan sneered, "Trying to surrender now? Too late. Execute!"

Upon receiving the order, the attendants grabbed the limp steward and began to drag him outside.

"Wait!" someone suddenly spoke up to dissuade him. "General, Chukuboxing is the first major Russian town our army has captured. If we kill this surrendered general, I'm afraid no one will dare to surrender after him. It would be better to spare his life and order him to persuade other Russian towns to surrender."

Saihan glanced around and recognized the speaker as none other than Wangchuck, the adopted son of the Great Khan of Lotus and a Second-Class Jasaktu Duke. Years ago, the Great Khan, seeking to expand his power, had sworn brotherhood with Wangchuck's father, Jasaktu Khan Norbu. Later, taking advantage of the internal strife among the tribes of Outer Mongolia and Norbu's death, he used the pretext of avenging his sworn brother to annex the entire Outer Mongolia. To legitimize his actions, he feigned adopting Norbu's young son, Wangchuck, and bestowing upon him the title of Jasaktu Duke. Although this was merely a temporary measure, it gave Wangchuck a special status in the Kingdom of David, making him a dignified Second-Class Duke. How could he not show him respect?
“The Duke is absolutely right. Let this Russian general atone for his crimes by performing meritorious service,” Saihan chuckled dryly and ordered Panika to write a letter to persuade the surrounding Russian towns to surrender.

This tactic proved effective; five days later, Panika successfully persuaded the Ust-Brova Castle in northwestern Chukubern to surrender to the Guard. Saihan was overjoyed and recommended him as Deputy Commander-in-Chief, ordering him to accompany him as a military advisor.

“I have already sent men to investigate and found that the ice on Lake Baikal has frozen solid and is passable for men and horses. Why doesn’t the commander-in-chief lead the army to launch a surprise attack on Irkutsk from the lake? Kislensky will certainly not expect it,” Panika said, becoming even more eager to offer advice after being granted an official position. He learned that this position of deputy commander of a thousand households was roughly equivalent to the deputy governor of a military district in Tsarist Russia, a higher rank than his previous position as chief steward, and his enthusiasm immediately soared.

"Go by the lake?" Saihan's eyes lit up, and he nodded slightly.

The beautiful Lake Baikal, "a teardrop of Siberia," is where Su Wu once herded sheep.

On January 15th, 1674 (the 31st year of the Qianyuan era), the clear lake surface had frozen over, resembling an endless expanse of blue sapphire. On the island in the middle of the lake, Russian soldiers warily watched a group of people approaching on the ice.

"Damn it! We've hidden in this godforsaken place, and we still run into these barbaric Tatars!" Tilinikov raised his torch, ready to light the island's signal fire to Irkutsk if things went wrong. He was originally a Cossack leader in Mangazeya, ordered by Prince Shcherbatov, the governor of Yeniseysk, to lead troops to reinforce Nerchinsk, but was soundly defeated. After fleeing back, Prince Shcherbatov exiled him to an island in the middle of Lake Baikal, responsible for guarding against potential enemies on the lake. While guarding this desolate island offered no future, at least he wouldn't encounter the ferocious Tatars. But then, things went wrong; just as the ice began to freeze, people came wading across the ice from the direction of Ust-Brova on the opposite shore.

"Captain Tilinikov, please come forward and answer!" a shout suddenly came from the ice. "Captain, it's one of us!" someone on the left and right shouted excitedly.

Tilinikov looked around and saw that the group of people had fair skin, deep-set features, high brow bones, and straight noses; they were indeed his own people. The leader, with a dignified and official demeanor, was none other than Panika, the chief administrator of Selengessk (Chukuberkhin).

Seeing that it was an acquaintance, he finally felt relieved, threw away his torch and asked, "Steward Panika, why aren't you staying in Selengessk? Why are you here on my deserted island, exposed to the cold wind?"

“Alas, old friend, it’s a long story! The Guard attacked Selengessk, and I was truly unable to resist. I could only take advantage of the frozen lake to lead my defeated troops to Irkutsk. For the sake of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, please open the gates and let my men in for a cup of hot water!” Panika pleaded bitterly.

"Selengessk Fortress has fallen?" Upon hearing this, Tilinikov was shocked and, in a daze, ordered his men to open the fortress gate.

The "own people" outside swarmed into the village, quickly took control of the beacon towers, and subdued the garrison one by one.

Staring at the sword pressed against his neck, Ternikov was both shocked and furious. He roared at Panika, "Panika, are you insane? Why are you attacking your own people?"

“I’m sorry, old friend,” Panika shrugged. “The garrison surrounding Selengessk numbered fifteen thousand. I simply couldn’t hold them off and had no choice but to surrender. His Excellency Saihan, the Grand Marshal of the Mongol Empire, didn’t mind and appointed you as a Deputy Commander of a Thousand Households. You are a capable man and shouldn’t be buried on this deserted island. Why don’t you come with me to join the Mongol Empire?”

Having captured the island in the middle of the lake without bloodshed, Saihan was very glad he had listened to Wangchuck's advice. So far in the war, his 15,000 troops had suffered almost no losses, except for 500 casualties at the Battle of Chuku Baixing. After leaving 500 men to guard the newly acquired city, he still had 14,000 troops, plus 500 surrendered Russian soldiers—truly a force to be reckoned with.

He ordered Panika and Tilinikov to lead 500 surrendered soldiers ahead, while he personally led the main army to follow closely behind, heading straight for Irkutsk Fortress. This fortress, built on the shores of Lake Baikal, controlled the Angara River waterway and possessed immense military value.

Because they received no warning from the island in the middle of the lake, the soldiers and civilians of Irkutsk continued their lives as before, without even closing the city gates. When Panika's surrendered troops approached, the Russian people in the city thought they were their own, and some sexy women even flirted with the Cossacks.

"Bang~ Bang~ Bang~"

The relentless gunfire shattered the tranquility. The surrendered troops quickly seized control of the city gates and let the guards into the city. The fierce guards slaughtered indiscriminately, killing the unprepared defenders one by one.

Irkutsk Governor Leonti Kislensky was brought before Panika and Tilinikov, bound hand and foot.

“Damn traitors! You should be hanged!” Kislensky cursed at them.

Tilinikov, his face flushed red from the scolding, suddenly heard a loud "bang," and Kislensky's head exploded, crashing heavily to the ground. Panika had pulled the trigger of his pistol. (End of Chapter)