Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2101 Caucasian Iron Arm

In the spring of 1690, the inhabitants of the Terek River were facing a terrible end.

A troop led by the famous general of the Torghut Department, Arslen, is attacking wantonly by this river.There are about 5000 people in their army, almost all of them are cavalry, but even the cavalry, when you look at it carefully, are quite different.Similar to the troops of Junggar and Mongolia, there are a large number of mounted infantry in their ranks. These people use muskets and cannons as their main weapons, and drive pack horses and carts to follow the light cavalry troops to fight, which is an important part of the troops.

In fact, their way of fighting is also a more popular way of fighting among grassland peoples today. Whether they are Mongols, Tatars, Cossacks or Poles, they all have this strange mixed mode of infantry and cavalry—well, Mixed with mounted infantry.The Oirat Mongols who have lived in the lower reaches of the Volga River for hundreds of years have been in contact with the Russians, Persians, Caucasians, and Tatars for several generations. They naturally understand each other's combat modes, so they have gradually improved the traditional Mongolian combat methods. Added more modern elements, just like their cousins ​​Junggar Mongolia.

Of course, limited by tradition, cavalry (light cavalry is the majority and heavy cavalry is not much) is still the absolute main force of the Oirat Mongolian army.For example, among the current 5000 people, serious cavalry accounted for as many as 9000 people, including [-] heavy cavalry, which was their main force.In addition, there are about [-] mounted infantry, equipped with a large number of Russian-made muskets and bronze cannons. The quality is average, but compared to their previous equipment, it is already much better.

It is worth mentioning that these Russian-made weapons were handed over to them by people from the east coast.Back then, Lieutenant Colonel Mao Jun’s team took advantage of the Russian army’s defeat and went deep into the upper reaches of the Don River to pursue it. Naturally, they captured a large number of Russian weapons, and then gave them to the Oirat Mongols as favors in exchange for some Caucasian or Russian slaves they captured .Later, Wu Yifei, commander of the Haji garrison, also sent people to negotiate with the Crimean Khanate, and from them came another batch of captured Russian muskets, cannons, armor and other equipment, which were half sold and half given to Oirat Mongols to support their expansion and conquest in the North Caucasus.

The army led by Arslen was one of the vanguards of the expansion.Although Ayuchi Khan is still active in the lower reaches of the Volga River, this does not mean that he is not interested in expanding his power to the North Caucasus region, which is relatively warmer and has more abundant aquatic plants.In fact, as early as decades before the arrival of the people from the east coast, they had already tried to expand their power here, but because of the constraints of the Russians and the desperate resistance of the aborigines in the North Caucasus, they failed to succeed. , but small and medium-scale armed conflicts with local tribes, including Chechens, are not uncommon at all.

The failure of Russia's southern expedition last year had far-reaching consequences in the region.The Tatars and people from the east bank burned, killed and looted along the Don River, which greatly weakened the influence of the Russians in the local area, and ruined their domineering image for many years.Among this tribe, the Oirat Mongols who were the first to come into contact with the people on the east coast were naturally one step ahead and took the lead!

Last year, more than 1 soldiers under Duerbert's troops marched near the mouth of the Don River, established a military base in Bayingoleng City, and directly contacted the people on the east coast.Then, the two troops led by Turigen and Arslen began their conquest in the North Caucasus.These Mongols armed themselves with the Russian-made equipment provided by the East Bank, and then the East Bank consultants made plans to selectively attack the local tribes. Needless to say, the various tactics of disintegration and destruction, in short, the people of the East Bank The strategy formulated saved them a lot of work, reduced a lot of casualties, and conquered more land at the same time.

Today, Ayuqi Khan's headquarters is in the lower reaches of the Volga River and the northern part of the Caspian Sea. It is under considerable pressure from Russian Cossacks, Kazakhs, Persians, Uzbeks, and other small tribes.It can be said that with the deterioration of the living environment, Ayuqi Khan has already moved his headquarters to the North Caucasus region.The only thing to worry about is that once they leave, the land on the northern shore of the Caspian Sea may not be preserved, and it may be even more difficult for them to contact the East.Ayuqi Khan is a devout Buddhist, and he often sends people to Tibet to worship Buddha and learn Buddhist scriptures. Once he moves westward, he is really worried that this pilgrimage route will be cut off. Such a result is difficult for him to accept, so he is still hesitating. So far, the main force has not yet made up its mind to move westward.

However, the main force did not move westward, but it did not prevent him from sending his confidant general Arslen to lead the more than 1 elite troops westward, and cooperate with Turigen of the Heshuo Special Department to clean up the new home in the North Caucasus.Among the troops of more than 1 people, there are more than [-] military advisers on the east coast from the leased land of Haji. They have followed them from the beginning, helping them adapt to new weapons and new tactics, and at the same time draw maps, collect intelligence, and carry out missions. Still a lot.

After starting from the Astrakhan area on the lower reaches of the Volga River, they marched along the coast of the Black Sea, cutting diagonally to the southwest.After arriving in the Terek River Basin without bloodshed, fierce armed conflicts broke out between them and the Chechens living there.The Chechens were a vassal tribe of the Ottoman Empire at this time, but to be honest, they were not reliable. They rebelled every day, and their beliefs were also very chaotic. The Green Church had just been introduced not too long ago, and the primitive religion and the Orthodox Church were also popular. It is under the dual pressure of the Ottomans and the Russians, and of course now there is strong pressure from the Buddhist Kalmyks.

The Chechens are brave and good at fighting, but they are still not enough for the Oirat Mongols with advanced military equipment.After several battles, they were beaten to pieces and lost more than [-] troops. The remaining Chechens saw that they could not be defeated, and fled into the mountains one after another, waiting for an opportunity.

And these Caucasian people hate it because they hate it here. If they can't beat you, they will flee into the mountains, stare at you like a nasty mangy dog, jump out and bite you if you don't pay attention, and then shrink back.In history, the Russians also spent a lot of time to take care of these guys, and finally managed to conquer this place through many inhumane policies such as the "Sanguang Policy", otherwise I don't know how long it will take.

Alslen's men are now facing the same challenge.However, the living habits of the Mongolian nomads are different from those of the settled and farming Russians, and they are less susceptible to the influence of the mountain people.However, to be on the safe side, the East Bank consultant still suggested that the people of Alslen build a military camp on the banks of the Songzha River, a tributary of the Terek River, so as to monitor the people and horses in the mountains nearby and prevent them from affecting the Mongolian herdsmen in the wider area further north. .

Arslen accepted the suggestion and assigned two commanders to take charge of the matter.The site they chose to build the village was near the later Grozny city, and they named it Songzha City, and stationed [-] soldiers here as an important military town to deter the people in the mountains there.

Strictly speaking, this behavior of the Turghuts has the meaning of offending the Ottoman Empire.At this moment, we can open the territory map of the Ottoman Empire, and we will find that in the North Caucasus, the Ottoman Empire still controls some land, which is mainly concentrated in the narrow strip along the coast. They may directly station troops (such as Azov City), Or indirectly controlled through vassal tribes, in short, it maintains considerable influence.

At this time, the relationship between the Chechens in the North Caucasus and the Ottoman Empire was very complicated.Sometimes they submit to the imperial sultan in name, and sometimes they rebel against themselves. Even their religious beliefs are very chaotic. Sometimes the religious people sent by the Ottoman Empire are warmly welcomed, and sometimes they are directly killed. Chechens do not all believe in the green religion. In short, the relationship between them and the Ottoman Empire is very strange, it can be said that they are not so obedient vassal tribes.

Now that the Turghuts are blatantly attacking them, beating them until they fled back to the mountains, it should be embarrassing for the Ottoman Sultan.However, considering that Russia’s second southern expedition is imminent and the pressure on the Ottoman Empire is unprecedented, they are probably unlikely to have the heart to deal with these small things that happened in the Caucasus Mountains. After all, armed conflicts often broke out between Kalmyks and Chechens. Strange, there is still time to deal with it later.Not to mention, under the active operation of the people on the east coast, the upper class in Istanbul is more inclined to make good use of the power of the Kalmyks, allowing them to serve the interests of the Ottoman Empire and become one of the iron arms to contain the Russian Empire.

So you can see that when the Mongols built the city of Bayingoleng, the Ottomans did not stop it, although the location where they built the city was not far from the city of Azov.In the second half of last year (1689), the Mongols of the Duerbert tribe expanded southward, extending their power to the Kuban River Basin, and established a new city, Erguna, near the city of Krasnodar in later Russia. (meaning a crooked river), and at the same time, the Kuban City was established in the upper reaches of the Kuban River and near the later Armavir, and its power rose sharply.The Ottomans, who control the long and narrow area along the Black Sea coast of the North Caucasus, only felt a little uneasy, but in the end they let the Mongols expand, because in their view, if the Russians make a comeback in the future, these Mongols are bound to face the biggest threat. A pressure, maybe we have to ask His Majesty the Sultan of Istanbul for help at that time, so what if we let them occupy more land now?Anyway, that's not my own territory!

The people on the east coast are satisfied with the expansion of the Oirat Mongols in the past year, not only because they have harvested a large number of Caucasian slaves, but also because they are happy to see the chess pieces laid down step by step.If the Kamchatka Peninsula, Kuril Islands, Ezo, Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippine Islands are to contain the expansion of China and Russia, the two land powers in the Pacific Ocean, then the Mongols in the North Caucasus, the Tatars in Crimea, The Western Ukrainians who hate Russia and the Ottoman Empire itself are one of the many iron arms that contain the Russian Empire, a behemoth that expands to the Black Sea and even the Mediterranean.

The East Coast Republic has many interests in the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean. Instead of watching the powerful Russian Empire expand step by step, they prefer to maintain a weak Ottoman Empire, because it is obviously more convenient for them to use their hands to grab benefits.Therefore, with this irreconcilable main contradiction, it is doomed that the people on the east coast will do everything possible to prevent the Russian Empire from expanding its power in the Black Sea area, which naturally includes supporting the Oirat Mongols to establish a country in the North Caucasus—a A unified Mongolian country with considerable combat effectiveness is of course much more reliable than dozens of ethnic groups such as Chechens, Abkhazians, and Ingush people scattered in the sand.

At present, as the second southern expedition of the Russian Empire is imminent, Haji County has opened the arsenal, intending to ship the latest batch of weapons to Bayingoleng Port and hand them over to Mongolia in the North Caucasus Power, allowing them to take care of internal affairs and prevent Russian raids.Of course, they don't think the Russians will do this, because Moscow's intention this time is very simple, that is to regain part of the land in Eastern Ukraine that was occupied by the Crimean Tatars in the last war, and then look for opportunities to attack Azov City of the Ottoman Army.Basically, the Crimean Khanate is still under the main pressure this time. If the Mongols are not at ease, they can retreat temporarily from Bayingoleng Port. Anyway, no one wants their dilapidated houses. When the war is over It's not too late to go back.

I believe that the Russians are not fools. When they focused on attacking the Crimean Tatars, they also provoked the flanks and could pull out nearly [-] elite cavalry guards from the Mongols at any time. That is not a pig brain!And as long as they survive this wave, the Mongols in the North Caucasus can usher in a longer period of rest. They can have plenty of time to sweep the place, tidy up the interior, and control the land more firmly in their own hands. , to serve the containment strategy of the Eastern China Republic.

(End of this chapter)