Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

The current ruler of the Khanate of Kokand, Muhammad Umar, is in very poor health.

When the Khanate of Kokand reached this area, although the territory was very limited, the commotion it caused was quite significant. After capturing Tashkent, it controlled an important trade hub in Central Asia.

He also had a successor, but the next Khan of Kokand, Muhammad Ali, was seen by the Qing Dynasty as nothing more than a servant beg, and didn't seem to be very smart.

After the end of the Golden Family's rule, these khanates in Central Asia became even more militarized.

Considering the brutality of Shaybani, it's nothing compared to the brutality of these guys now.

Muhammad Omar, in his palace, had by this time heard about Zhang Ge'er's situation.

Even on his sickbed, he was still pondering that if Zhang Ge'er's matter offended the Qing Dynasty, the trouble would be considerable.

At least last time, Emperor Qianlong pursued them all the way to Badakhshan, and the Ili General issued arrest warrants for the descendants of the Khoja every day. The Qing army would often wander around the Ili River Valley. This deterrent effect was strong enough.

Needless to say, Emperor Qianlong had previously dealt with the Dzungar Khanate by playing a game of cat and mouse, subdued the Torgut tribe that had returned east, dispatched ministers to handle affairs in southern Xinjiang, and appointed local hereditary Hui kings and begs, so his rule was still very solid.

Even though something happened a few years ago, Zhang Ge'er received the news in Kokand and was utterly defeated on his first expedition, with the main force of the Qing army not even having a chance to warm up.

Now I've heard that the Russian emperor sent a delegation to visit the Qing dynasty emperor's court from 1817 to 1820. Although the news was slow to spread, we've finally made progress.

There are no secrets in this world. When the rulers of the Khanate of Kokand learned that the Qing Dynasty and Russia had opened a port in Tarbagatai and were conducting trade there, they realized that they were in big trouble.

Originally, due to the restrictions of border crossings, the direct trade between Russia and the Qing Dynasty was mainly through Kyakhta. Some trade routes passed through Xinjiang, which led through the Kazakh Khanate and Tashkent.

By controlling the edge of this region, Kokand can reap the benefits there.

If Russia had directly established trade relations, there would have been no tolls and no possibility of robbery. The Khanate of Kokand would have been limited to its two main rivals, Bukhara and Khiva, as well as middlemen in Afghanistan and Persia, which would have significantly reduced its profits.

But Muhammad Omar's health was deteriorating, so he summoned his Grand Viziers, Beks, and Beies to discuss the current situation.

These wealthy landlords bullied men and women, oppressed the people, and ran rampant in their own territories, acting lawlessly and arrogantly towards outsiders.

Although both emperors had armies of hundreds of thousands, they seemed to pose little threat to the small kingdom of Kokand.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor of China is fifty mountains and fifty rivers away from here. It would probably take one or two years for news to reach his court. As for the Emperor of Russia, his court is said to be on the western coast of the sea, and he has been fighting with His Majesty the Ottoman Sultan and the Shah of Persia for territory. They once crossed the desert to attack Khiva, but were defeated by the Khiva army. In this light, the Russians are not so scary. Their million-strong army, which can destroy powerful enemies, is incapable of fighting in the desert."

"But that doesn't prove anything. The Russian emperor also has generals who can lead armies into battle, and they have been trying to win over the Khans of the Kazakhs, as well as the Sultans and tribal leaders, just like the Kipchak Khans of the past and the Noyans of Genghis Khan. If they were to gather an army, it would be a very formidable force."

"What are you all talking about? The Great Emperor of China, I've heard, is already troubled enough by the rebellions within his own country. The generals and officials he sends are mainly tasked with collecting taxes and farming in their respective territories. Their armies are merely stationed in a few places, and the lower ranks are all entrusted to begs like you. Such a system of governance is useless. Moreover, we still hold the descendants of the Great Khoja in our hands. If possible, we can send them all to the Seven Cities Land to establish a Khanate that is subordinate to us, or..."

After hearing his son's account, Mohammed Omar suddenly felt that life might be meaningless.

According to the doctor, his body could only hold on for another year or two. If he was unlucky, he might soon be called by God to the Garden of Heaven.

But the place was already full of good people. It was only because Afan hadn't been seen in Kokand that the Khan of Kokand was in trouble. Otherwise, the Khan of Kokand would have been dealt with well by the God of War of the Western Regions.

Given this, Russia and the Qing Dynasty are likely to find an excuse.

His health was poor, and he didn't know how many Kazakh herders the Governor of Orenburg had recruited as a temporary army, nor did he know the movements of the Russian army. These two points were crucial at the moment.

If Baron Essen were to take action, it would be a huge disaster for these Central Asian khanates.

However, because the country they ruled was so small, and Kokand was a typical country bumpkin, unlike the other two founding families who were descendants of the Golden Family and at least knew the prestige of their ancestors.

Their ancestor is said to be Babur's son, who was left behind here. In reality, Babur had little interest in women back then because of his wicked teacher.

Otherwise, Humayun wouldn't have had the embarrassing situation of almost losing his kingdom.
Do you know what the Rus' people are up to?

"I don't know, Your Majesty the Khan."

"I have heard that Russia is a terrible country. Before I became Khan, the Shah of Persia was fighting against Russia and they were utterly defeated. They fought against the Ottoman Empire, and even His Majesty the Sultan was no match for them. There was also that terrible butcher, Solovyov, who was as handsome as a woman, like Shams al-Din of the Delhi Sultanate in the past, but when he fought, he was as ruthless as Hulagu Khan, who destroyed Baghdad."

Well, Solovyov didn't mind compliments on his appearance; in fact, it was one of the prerequisites for him to have friendly interactions with noblewomen. In addition, he also needed to be cultured.

However, to call him ferocious would make anyone in Solovyov, Bakhchisarai, sneeze.

In the Battle of the Danube, he did indeed achieve a victory against overwhelming odds, destroying the Ottoman Empire's army of over 100,000 with only 30,000 to 40,000 men. However, most of those who died, apart from those killed on the battlefield, were either surrounded on the banks of the Danube and trampled to death or drowned in the river.

Moreover, his victory was not achieved in a single day. As for the subsequent annihilation of the Ottoman Empire's 300,000-strong army, it was these soldiers who came in batches to their deaths.

His fame had spread to Central Asia, where he was regarded as a fierce god by Orthodox Christians, even surpassing Hulagu Khan in his massacre of Baghdad.

Aside from their wives being devout Christians, they don't seem to have anything in common.

Hulagu's son, Abaqa, was the son-in-law of Michael VIII of the Eastern Roman Empire.

If we're looking for common ground, it's probably here.

Muhammad Omar was powerless to stop his son and ministers from being ignorant and arrogant.

At this time, the Russian governor of Orenburg had sent a letter through Bukhara merchants who were trading there, proposing trade and stating that if the Khanate of Kokand was willing to accept this treaty of peaceful trade, open an embassy, ​​and hire Russian advisors, then Russia would regard the Khanate of Kokand as a friend second only to Bukhara.

The reason is that Bukhara wasn't just a village with internet access; they genuinely knew that the Russians had defeated Napoleon and had sent someone to congratulate Alexander as early as 1815.

The fact that Khiva and Bukhara were able to become puppet khanates instead of being immediately absorbed was partly due to their understanding of how to conduct effective diplomacy.

As for the Khanate of Kokand, who knows what they were up to? They seemed arrogant and ignorant. Seeing this, Muhammad Omar, despite his illness, accepted Baron Essen's letter.

But he was too weak to reply, and both his ministers and his son opposed yielding to Russia.

After all, the Khanate of Kokand could not accept the latter two conditions.

The one who arrived in Kokand was merely a messenger.

It wasn't like Solovyov who analyzed the affairs of the world for the Jiaqing Emperor, which led to the Qing army using European weapons, recruiting European advisors, and even acquiring first-class warships.

There was an acceptance process on the other side, but the Khanate of Kokand was always arrogant, and their arrogance mainly came from these ministers, who were also influencing Muhammad Ali, who was the crown prince.

Baron Essen waited a long time, but there was still no news.

Now he can recruit Kazakh cavalry, since the Kazakhs have a great feud with Kokand and Bukhara.

Kokand has always been unfriendly to the tribes of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, and has annexed Tashkent, frequently launching surprise attacks on the tribes' old camps.

Solovyov was unaware of this; if he had, he would have thought Kokand was the true "Ming Dynasty," having even learned how to raid enemy strongholds.

In this situation, Baron Essen, under the pretext of convening a Kurultai (assembly) in the Lesser and Middle Hordes, sent out arrows to various tribes, and surprisingly, many Kazakh tribal leaders and even higher-ranking Sultan Begs also came.

There are even some who believe in Jesus. I really don't know how a few people in the Kereit branch in Kazakhstan still retain their original faith.

After all, those who believe in Allah are mainly from the upper class. Grassland herders who believe in the Eternal Heaven, Buddhism, or Jesus all follow the principle of voluntariness, and the Great Khan and the various Taiji generally do not interfere.

Among the troops brought by Essen were Tatars recruited from Astrakhan, and for a time the steppe was a scene of galloping horses, making it particularly lively.

If this were in Mongolia, it would surely be a grand Naadam festival.

As for these tribal leaders, since they had received benefits from the Russians before, under Baron Essen's manipulation, even if they were sent to fight the more difficult sworn enemy Bukhara, some of them would probably go.

Kokand, to be honest, is not as strong as Bukhara, and even the Emir of Bukhara, Haidar, sent his representative.

Bukhara sent people hoping to find out what the Russians were up to by suddenly convening the Kurultai of the Middle Horde and the Little Horde.

When he learned that the attack was against Kokand, Bukhara, though not going to fight, still expressed his support.

After all, the Khanate of Kokand was a noisy neighbor.

Bukhara didn't consider this neighboring country to be a good neighbor; he simply wanted to know what methods Russia planned to use to deal with the land of Kokand.

If we could get Fergana for free, that would certainly be a good thing.

Baron Essen knew Bukhara Emir Haidar's ulterior motives, but simply stated that this time he was going to send troops to attack Kokand, which could also be considered as venting the anger of the Kazakh tribes.

He didn't think Solovyov's script would be very useful, after all, that pretty boy had never been to Central Asia, at most he knew the envoys from Bukhara and knew about the situation in Bukhara.

However, when the Kazakh sultans and leaders heard that they were going to attack Kokand and that the Russian governor was sending troops with them, they all expressed their willingness to help and would bring the elite troops of their tribes to assist in the battle.

This was indeed unexpected, as he had hardly ever interacted with the people of the grasslands before.

Now these people, who used to be largely obedient to Russian rule and even just accept money, have become strong supporters, even bringing their own troops to cooperate. This is a complete 180-degree turn.

Meanwhile, General Qingxiang of Yili was still submitting a memorial to Emperor Daoguang, inquiring about the situation.

Daoguang's reply, delivered via the 700-li express courier service, arrived in Yili, bringing with it a handwritten edict, which was essentially Wei Cao's instruction.

He indicated that the General of Ili should handle the matter as appropriate, dispatching patrols from Ili and Tarbagatai to gather information in the Tuschi area, and also to appease the Kazakh tribes of the Great Horde.

In addition, the former Ili General Changling was ordered to go to Ili to mobilize the Mongolian cavalry from various places, but only 3,000 men were recruited. Together with the 5,000 Qing troops transferred by Yao Qingxiang, a total of 8,000 Qing troops were sent to the vicinity of Tuschi (Issyk-Kul, also known as Suyab).

Although they were merely observing, they were still trying to ascertain the true nature of the battle between the Russian and western Kazakh allied forces and Kokand.

After all, all they had seen before were Solovyov's exercises and demonstrations. The only ones they had seen were the 680 elite troops who had been to Europe, and they had only witnessed the Russian army defeating the Japanese samurai in Okinawa.

This matter also reached the Kazakhs in Horgun, which is located on the border between the Great Horde and the Middle Horde, where Kazakh tribes are stationed.

The Khanate of Kokand had no idea that by merely supporting Zhang Ge'er's crossing of the border to harass southern Xinjiang, before the Qing army even arrived, Russia's punitive army had already assembled on the Kazakh steppe.

The troops brought by Baron Essen, including Russian and Kazakh troops, mostly cavalry, numbered over 20,000.

There are also 8,000 Qing troops being mobilized here, as well as some Kazakh herders from the Great Horde who have been summoned by the Ili General and come here, it is unclear whether they are here to watch the excitement or to fight.

Wherever they went, the people welcomed them wholeheartedly. Some Kyrgyz and Kyrgyz tribes that had previously submitted but were not considered loyal surrendered without hesitation upon hearing that the Qing army was coming.

The prestige of the Qianlong Emperor was still there, so much so that even though the Qing army did not mobilize on a large scale this time, it still attracted strong attention from the nomadic tribes on the Qing side.

Seeing that he had nowhere to go, Zhang Ge'er slipped away from his Kyrgyz followers and headed towards Bukhara.

Sometimes, these kinds of runners from the Western Regions are just not easy to catch.

Next, it was Kokhan's turn to bear the brunt of this cannon-like fury. (End of Chapter)