Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

At the foot of Mount Nielbrus in the Agonheba Manchu Prefecture, rows of tents were scattered in an orderly fashion, forming a tight circle. In the largest tent in the center, the young King Lobsang Heshuoqi was silently lost in thought. As a member of the imperial family, he possessed his own dignity, and when he remained silent, none of his guards dared to utter a sound.

His Highness was not in a good mood at the moment. A few days earlier, he had been ordered by his father to lead 5,000 Manchu cavalry to aid Agungheba. After joining forces with Governor-General Narisong, Tumenpengchuk of Agungheba, Chief of the Ten Thousand Households Ildengnoyan, and Governor Tuyebai, on November 1, 1673, he concentrated 20,000 troops to launch a large-scale counterattack against the Russian invading forces that had invaded the Agungheba region, and at one point reached the walls of Astrakhan. However, the Russians had stationed 23,000 troops in Astrakhan, including 10,000 Boye cavalry, 7,000 archers, and 6,000 Cossacks, led by Grand Duke Miloslavsky and his courtier Khitrovo. These troops were not only numerous but also well-trained and well-equipped elite soldiers. He should have waited a bit longer, until the Kazakh chieftain Teguschoktu arrived with his army to join him before launching the attack. However, his arrogance led him to impatiently order the assault, resulting in a Russian counterattack. He lost a full five thousand men at the gates of Astrakhan, including the commanders Cheling Mongol, Shechen, Lobzang, and Sengge. Cheling Mongol was a cousin of Empress Ulijibayar, while Shechen, Lobzang, and Sengge were all cousins ​​of Imperial Noble Consort Yaruo. This battle was devastating! They were forced to retreat to the Nirbrus Mountains to regroup. Fortunately, Punchuk had already gathered the Tuerhut people from the Agunghba region in this mountainous area, and the dense forests provided excellent cover for the defeated. After settling down, Lobzang and Shuoqi secretly sent people to gather intelligence on the Kazakh chieftain's allies while simultaneously writing a letter of apology to their elderly father.

"Your Highness, Songduxian and Pengchuketumian requested an audience that day," a guard reported as I was feeling annoyed.

"Hmm?" King Han, Luo Buzang, and Shuo Qi were slightly taken aback, immediately realizing there might be news of allied forces; otherwise, these two wouldn't have come to see him at the same time. "Let them in," he said, straightening his clothes and sitting up straight. "A commander of an army, no matter the time, victory or defeat, must always stand tall. When the soldiers see their commander full of confidence, they will naturally have the confidence to win," his father's teachings still echoed in his ears. Although defeated, he still valued his demeanor, always greeting people with his head held high and chest out.

“Your Highness, great news! Chief Tegus Chaoketu has sent a messenger saying that he has captured Orenburg and is marching towards Astrakhan. He requests that you lead your troops to join him,” Narisong said with great joy.

Lobsang and Shuoqi were taken aback upon hearing this. Orenburg was no easy city to conquer! This city was built on the foothills of the southern Ural Mountains, with not only steep terrain but also two thousand elite troops stationed there. Moreover, seventy percent of the city's residents were of Russian ethnicity, and their hearts were with Tsarist Russia. Teguschoktu only had ten thousand men; they hadn't expected it to be captured so quickly!
This was, in fact, inevitable. Although the number of garrison troops attacking Orenburg was small, their commanders—including the Kazakh chieftain Teguschoktu, the Samarkand general Bayar, and the chieftain Yousten—were all seasoned generals. Before the battle, they had ordered over a hundred warriors to infiltrate the city under the guise of a merchant caravan, acting as spies. They also deliberately reduced the number of border guards on the surface to mislead the Russian army, while hiding their elite troops in the border forests. When the garrison arrived at Orenburg under cover of night, fires suddenly broke out throughout the city, and the spies seized the gates, allowing the garrison to enter. In this battle, the garrison, at the cost of only a hundred men, annihilated over 1,800 Russian defenders, with only a few escaping. Then, Teguschoktu left 700 soldiers to defend the city and continued his march towards Astrakhan with over 9,000 men. Halfway through the journey, upon learning of His Highness the King of Han's defeat at Mount Nirbrus, the commander initially intended to abandon his plan to attack Astrakhan. However, at a crucial moment, he received reinforcements: the Great Khan of Lotus ordered Sonam Tsering, the commander of the Bukhara myriarchy, and Omu Zhuomu, the deputy commander, to lead 5,000 cavalry to Orenburg for orders. Sonam Tsering was a renowned and valiant general in the guard. Upon arriving at Orenburg, he learned that Teguschoktu had led his army towards Astrakhan and immediately ordered his men to pursue them at full speed.

"Oh, Sonom Tsering, it's wonderful to be able to fight alongside you again!" With this new force, Tegus Chaoketu's confidence soared. He hugged Sonom Tsering tightly, and a variety of enthusiastic words came out of his mouth.

"Teguschoktu, you're always afraid of others stealing your credit, so why are you being so enthusiastic towards me? Tell me, what happened?" Sonom Tsering remained unmoved by Teguschoktu's enthusiasm, instead asking warily. Having fought side-by-side for so many years, he knew this man's character very well. Such politeness always meant something!

Teguschoktu blushed. "I just received news that His Highness the King of Han suffered a defeat at Astrakhan and has retreated to Mount Nielbrus. The original plan to encircle Astrakhan from two directions may have changed! To be honest, if you hadn't come to reinforce us, I was planning to retreat to Orenburg and hold out."

Sonam Tsering was not only exceptionally brave but also extremely knowledgeable and strategic. After hearing the report, he was greatly surprised. "Astrakhan is a major city of the Rakshasa, where the main force of the Rakshasa is concentrated. If we rely solely on our forces, we may not be able to capture the city. We must immediately send someone to inform His Highness the King of Han to lead his army to join us!"

"Good~ Good~" After hearing Na Risong's report, Luo Buzang and Shuoqi cheered repeatedly. Suddenly, they thought of the great victory of their allies, while they, who should have been the main force, suffered a crushing defeat. It was truly disgraceful! Their mood darkened again.

"Is Your Highness worried that our army has suffered heavy losses after the defeat and is unable to fight again?" Seeing that His Highness Han was in low spirits, Aghanheba Tumenpengchuk misunderstood and asked.

“Uh...yes...I do have this concern,” Lobsang Heshuoqi said, snapping out of his reverie. He was a prince, and to be jealous of the military achievements of a mere commander would be beneath his royal dignity. He slowly said, “In Astrakhan last time, we lost a full five thousand men, and now we only have fifteen thousand defeated soldiers left. Their morale is also low, which is truly worrying.”

“Your Highness, do not worry. I have conscripted all the adult men of the Torgut tribe, selected the elite from among them, and chosen five thousand warriors, which is enough to replenish the losses in battle,” Punchuk said considerately.

Lobsang and Shuoqi were overjoyed, "That's wonderful! The whole army will head to Astrakhan first thing tomorrow morning!"

When the King of Han's army reappeared in Astrakhan, the defending general, Grand General Miloslavsky, was engaged in battle with the Teguschoktu Guard army. Although he had previously defeated the King of Han, he had also lost three thousand men who had not yet been replenished. Unable to withstand the pincer attack from the two Guard armies, he was forced to retreat into the city to hold his position, while simultaneously sending messengers to Moscow for reinforcements. (End of Chapter)