Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

On May 15th, 1674 (the 31st year of the Qianyuan era), Punchuk's garrison arrived at the village of Novoprevodino. Following the orders of the King of Han, he divided his 10,000 men into ten thousand-man squads, launching probing attacks on the high ground in turn. The commander of the thousand-man unit, Ursan, led a thousand cavalrymen in the first assault on the Russian positions at the foot of the hill. He was Punchuk's third uncle and renowned for his bravery.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter," the cavalrymen began to accelerate.

"Prepare for battle!" Colonel Ivashka, commander of the musketeer corps, directed five thousand Russian troops in their battle preparations. After retreating from the village of Kirovskoye to the village of Novopolevodino, he was assigned to guard the position at the foot of the mountain. The musketeers formed a long line in front, five ranks in total, followed by three ranks of pikemen, three ranks of swordsmen and shieldmen, and two ranks of archers, and then eight light bronze cannons.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Russian artillery shells sparsely struck the sparse cavalry formation, causing few casualties.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The guards' carts returned fire, but due to the distance, they failed to inflict significant casualties on the Russian army.

As the warhorses drew closer, the defenders could clearly see the faces of the riders.

"Fire!" Ivashka gave the order abruptly.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" "Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" Gunshots and arrows came like a storm. The skilled guards hunched their horses and returned fire with their three-barreled muskets.

People kept falling down, and Russian gunfire continued to rain down, preventing the guards from getting close.

"Hehe~ Giddy up~ Giddy up~" Ursang spurred his warhorse and galloped away at an angle, bullets whizzing past his cheek. His men all retreated in a similar manner.

The first probing attack ended there. Punchuk, observing the battle, smirked slightly, waved his command flag, and the commander of a thousand Torgut cavalry, Uruchechen, led a thousand men in a second probing attack, sweeping back diagonally once more. However, Punchuk, with his extensive experience fighting the Russian army, noticed that the enemy's gunfire had become less frequent. It seemed they had fired several rounds but couldn't reload in time; after all, at that time, Tsarist Russia couldn't replace all its muskets with flintlock muskets, and even flintlock muskets would overheat and malfunction after continuous firing. He decisively deployed two thousand-man squads simultaneously, ordering his second brother, Dayu, and third brother, Namtsering, each to lead a thousand men to attack the Russian front lines from the left and right flanks.

This time, the Russian barrage of bullets could not stop the Torgut warriors from advancing, and the guards drew ever closer. Seeing this, Ivashka ordered the musketeers to retreat and the pikemen to advance. Rows of pikes were raised diagonally like a forest.

"Haorui~ Haorui~ Haorui~" The guards swept past the front of the formation with a whoosh, drawing their long swords and cutting off the spearheads.

Seeing the enemy's pike formation gradually thinning, Punchuk ordered all his artillery to fire, and taking advantage of the smoke, the entire army launched a charge. The Guards quickly broke through the Russian pike formation, and Ivashka ordered the swordsmen and shieldmen in the rear to counterattack, while simultaneously ordering the musketeers and archers to switch to swords and axes. Their counterattack was extremely brave, and at one point forced the Guards back.

Ursan grabbed a flag to encourage the soldiers to keep going, but was hit in the neck by a stray bullet and fell down.

"Third Uncle!" Punchuk cried out in pain, hoisting the fallen fishing rod and flag, and continued forward. Commander Ildeng Noyan pulled down his helmet to cover his eyes, and the soldiers followed suit, advancing as if braving hail. Commander Uruchechen led seven hundred cavalry to flank the Russian army and launch an attack. Unable to withstand the onslaught, the Russian army slowly retreated.

Ivashka roared anxiously at the high ground above the village of Novoprevodino: "Shakloviti, what are you doing? Why aren't you firing?"

On the high ground, Lieutenant Colonel Potiev of the musketeer corps asked Shakloviti, the commander of the musketeer corps directly under the Tsar: "Your Excellency, the main force of the Guards has been deployed. Is it permissible to open fire?"

Shakloviti lazily lowered his binoculars and murmured, "Are you sure this is the enemy's main force?"

The sheer scale of the stampeding horses was breathtaking, and the smoke and dust kicked up by the hooves made it difficult to gauge the number of the guards. Potiev thought for a moment and replied, "Such imposing force could only come from the enemy's main force!"

Shakloviti nodded slightly, then suddenly shouted, "Fire!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

"Boom~boom~boom~"

With a deafening roar, over a hundred cannons that the Russians had pre-positioned on the high ground spewed fire, instantly causing the attacking guards to fall and their horses to tumble.

"Not good! Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Punchuk roared. The skilled Torgut warriors quickly turned their horses and retreated, getting out of the enemy's artillery range. Even so, after several rounds of fierce artillery fire, nearly two thousand soldiers were lost.

"Retreat!" Punchuk roared, his eyes blazing with fury.

The guards began to retreat, and Ivashka led his troops in pursuit, but due to a lack of cavalry, they were unable to catch up. "Your Excellency, please allow me to lead the cavalry in pursuit!" On the hillside, Potiev pleaded with Shakloviti.

"Go! Don't let a single enemy escape!" Although somewhat suspicious of how quickly the main force of the Guards had been defeated, Shakloviti still decisively ordered a pursuit and sent someone to report the victory to Tsar Alexei I.

"Order Rytishev and Bashmakov not to rush to Novoprevodino; order Shakloviti to hold Novoprevodino for at least five days and make sure the enemy bleeds as much as possible; order Kondrati and Anzifer to circle around from the east and west to cut off the enemy's retreat from the rear of the Guards; order Bogdanovich and Yakovnev to rush to Saratov's aid from the north as soon as possible." Upon hearing the news of the "first victory," Alexei I excitedly issued the order, determined to turn the Novoprevodino Heights into the graveyard of the Guards and make the enemy bleed every last drop of blood there.

"Rat-a-tat-tat~ Rat-a-tat-tat~" A bizarre scene unfolded on the battlefield, with two thousand Russian soldiers chasing after more than seven thousand guards. It wasn't until five thousand men from Sonom Tsering's second line arrived that Punchuk was able to regain his footing.

"You've chased so few enemies that you've fled in disarray? Aren't you ashamed?" Sonom Tsering glared at Punchuk, brandishing his iron fork and charging at the pursuers. Punchuk, his face flushed with shame, also led his troops to attack.

Seeing that further pursuit would not yield any advantage, Bodiev led his army in retreat, only to find that his retreat route had been cut off. After learning that the vanguard had already engaged the Russian army, King Lobsang and Shuoqi of Han ordered the guards on both flanks to provide support. The valiant general Teguschoktu of the guards arrived from the right flank, just in time to block the Russian army's retreat.

Hearing of the dire situation in Novopodiev, Ivashka led his troops to his aid, only to encounter the SS forces of Narison arriving from the left flank. The battle-hardened Governor Narison of Ezil did not launch an attack, silently ordering his troops to array themselves and wait. After a standoff of more than half an hour, Ivashka lost his patience and gave the order to attack. The Russian troops were brave, surging towards the SS like a tide, only to fall in rows and columns amidst a hail of arrows and cannon fire.

"Warriors, follow me on horseback to fight the enemy!" Seeing that the enemy's offensive had slowed down, Na Risong mounted his horse and drew his scimitar.

"Haorui~ Haorui~ Haorui~" The guards mounted their warhorses and charged madly towards the enemy.

The Russian army was exhausted and could no longer resist. Ivashka led his men to retreat to the mountaintop, suffering heavy casualties in the pursuit of the guards. After the victory, Narison did not press his advantage to attack the mountain, but instead remained rooted to the foot of the mountain, silently awaiting the arrival of the main force.

At this moment, on the front lines of the battlefield, under the siege of seven or eight times the number of guards, Potiev's troops were doomed. Potiev himself died from exhaustion after sustaining more than ten wounds, and only about twenty of his men survived.

After a day of fierce fighting, the Guards successfully cleared the Russian troops from the foot of the mountain and surrounded them on the high ground near the village of Novoprevodino.

"Your Highness, we must seize the New Polevodino village high ground as soon as possible before the other Russian troops arrive," Tuyebai advised Lobsang Khoshuk.

“Hmm,” Lobsang and Shuoqi turned to the Oirat Governor Enhebatu, “Your troops have been building artillery strongholds overnight. Tomorrow morning, all the heavy artillery must be fired!”

On the morning of May 16th, before the thick fog had dissipated, the Russian heavy artillery began to roar. A single shot reduced the earthen walls and palisades to dust. The Russian troops on the mountain, not to be outdone, returned fire. The artillery battle was exceptionally fierce, turning the mountaintop and its surroundings into a sea of ​​fire. Under the cover of heavy artillery, the Russian troops climbed towards the summit. Although suffering heavy casualties under Russian gunfire, they relied on their superior numbers and, disregarding their losses, gradually approached the top.

As evening fell, Sonom Tsering, the commander of the Bukhara garrison, led five hundred warriors wielding axes to the summit, storming into the enemy camp, which had been ravaged by heavy artillery fire. Russian general Shakloviti and his men attempted to drive the garrison down the mountain, but were instead cleaved in two by the fierce general's axe. More and more garrison soldiers surged up the mountain, systematically eliminating any Russian soldiers who dared to resist. In despair, Russian general Ivashka surrendered with the remaining Russian troops.

After capturing the high ground of Novoprevodino village, the strategic point of Saratov, King Lobsang and Shuoqi immediately ordered Enhe and Batu to transport cannons to the top of the mountain, and at the same time, Novoprevodino village was the location of the central army.

Upon learning of the fall of Novodevodino, Alexei I was greatly alarmed. He had intended the Novodevodino Heights to be a strong fortress to wear down the Imperial Guard, but it had fallen in just two days! Ignoring the blame for the incompetence of the fallen Shakloviti, he personally led a large army south from the village of Mayanga, while simultaneously ordering Rytishev from the village of Podlesnoye and Bashmakov from the village of Kobykovka to join him in attacking Novodevodino. He commanded his generals to retake the Novodevodino Heights at all costs.

Narisong, Teguschoktu, and Sonom Tsering each led an army to engage the Russian forces coming from the north, northeast, and northwest. The battle was extremely fierce. Lobsang Khoshuk ordered the heavy artillery of the garrison on the New Polevodino Heights to concentrate its bombardment on the Russian army directly to the north, led by Alexei I. He also ordered the garrison of Ponchuk and Shirgen to reinforce Narisong.

At noon on May 18, Alexei I's central army was defeated; in the afternoon, the forces of Rytishev and Bashmakov were also driven back. He was forced to flee back to Saratov in panic.

King Lobsang of Han and Shuoqi issued the order for a general offensive. Early the next morning, as the red sun pierced through the clouds and dispelled the thick fog, the "Sun of Saratov" illuminated the entire battlefield, where corpses lay scattered and Russian flags fell everywhere.

At noon on May 19th, the Guards advanced directly to the city walls and successfully breached the demoralized Russian defenses. To allow the main force to withdraw safely, the Tsar ordered over two thousand men under Grand Duke Miloslavsky to remain in the city to hold off the Guards, while he hastily retreated to Tula. To defend this southeastern gateway to Moscow, he ordered the Russian troops under Bogdanovich, Yakovnev, Kondrati, and Anzifer, who were stationed around Saratov, to join him in Tula.

Soon, he received news that Grand Duke Miloslavsky had been killed in battle in Saratov. Fortunately, the Russian troops under Bogdanovich and Yakovnev had safely retreated to Tula, restoring the garrison to over 20,000 men.

The Tsar eagerly awaited news of the Russian troops under Kondrati and Anzifer, whom he had dispatched to cut off the Guards' retreat, but received only three thousand defeated soldiers. They had been attacked by the Guards at the village of Romonovka, south of Saratov; Anzifer had been killed in action, and Kondrati had brought back only this small number of men.

"Send the order: conscript all men aged fourteen to sixty from Moscow, Kazan, Smolensk, Voronezh, and Tula to reinforce the front lines. Tell the soldiers that Moscow lies behind Tula; they must hold the city and not retreat an inch!" Alexei I roared. (End of Chapter)