The nomad (A short story that turned out pretty long) Part 5 of 5
Hello friends!
This is the last part of my story. I hope it was for your linking and you've found out something new about Russian history as well as about nomads.
If you didn't read the previous chapters here they are
The Nomad
Part 5
The chronicle tells “and there was a break of peace with Mamai." Naturally, Mamai was not to tolerate it. He sent punitive troops to Russia while Dmitry sent his troops to intercept them. The Battle at the Pian (translated as drunkard or wino) River in 1972 turned out horribly for the Russians. Apparently, without finding an immediate threat from the Tatars, soldiers got drunk, after which they were slaughtered in their sleep. The defeat itself was not that significant, but after that Mamai destroyed the countryside of Ryazan and Nizhny Novgorod principalities, which after that fell out of the coalition completely. Nizhny Novgorod could no longer provide any military contingents, it had to “lick its wounds.” Ryazan was forced to become an ally of Mamai because Ryazan as the eastern outpost of Russia was the first on the way of Tatars. Having been struck for a second time, Ryazan’s the duke Oleg was forced to switch to Mamai's side. Thus, by the time of the war, two powerful players had fallen out of the coalition.
The next year mirza Arapshah intended to repeat the success. He went to Russia, but this time he was met by two tested military commanders - Bobrov-Volynsky and Vladimir the duke of Serpukhov. There was a battle. It is described in some detail in the chronicle. It happened on some river, but the chronicle does not inform on which one.
Tatars stood on one side of the river and the Russians on the other side. No one wanted to come first. Then the Russian troops moved away from the fords. The Tatars began crossing it and three Russian horse regiments met them during the crossing. This was the first major victory that took place in this war. This battle became a prologue to the Battle of Kulikov Field.
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The Mongols continued to be called Tatars because the mother of Chingiz Khan was from a Tatar tribe. ... But as the khanates disintegrated or were conquered, the term was transferred to the population as a whole, and that process led Russian researchers and officials to call all their populations “Tatars.” Many other steppe peoples joined the Mongols and in Russia they collectively were called Tatars. |
As a result, Mamai began to prepare not just for some private raid, but for a full-scale war, with the goal to subjugate the Principality of Vladimir and the rebel Moscow. His preparation took two years. The Russian coalition was preparing as well.
Mamai used the usual tactics for nomads - to invite someone else to participate in the event. He negotiated with the permanent opponent of Moscow, Lithuanian Duke Yagailo, who actively became involved in the game. Thus, a circle of enemies from the West, South, and East became apparent. Ryazan after all had to become Mamai’s ally. The attack could have happened from either side. In truth, however, Yagailo did not rush to attack Russia. He, too, waited for Mamai to strike the main blow and then come and finish off and pick up the spoils.
In the early days of August of 1380, the duke of Moscow Dmitry was informed that Mamai with a large army finally moved to Russia. The reaction followed immediately. Dmitry announced mobilization. On August 15th, troops were ordered to arrive at Kolomna. By that time, it was already Moscow’s principality. By August 20, the troops had gathered in Kolomna and joined with the contingent from Serpukhov.
The troops moved to Serpukhov because of the convenient ford across the Oka River near its confluence with the Lopastnya River - so-called Senka’s ford. On August 26th, Russian troops crossed Oka and walked towards the great Steppe. The next stop point on September 6 was the village Epifan close to the confluence of the rivers Don and Nepriadva. On the morning of September 8, Russian troops crossed the river, Don.
The number of Russian troops was ten or a maximum of twelve thousand warriors. The number of Tatars was a little higher. But the exact number and composition of the Tatar troops is unknown. It was simply impossible to place more troops on the place indicated in the chronicles.
Apparently, as usual, the Tatars sent their light cavalry forward time and time again, which fired the flood of arrows at the main forces of the Russians. The Russians had to respond with their front-line shooters. Yet the field is some small didn’t allow Tatars their usual maneuver, and the Russian military commanders were able to place the Tatars under the attack of a heavy speared Russian cavalry, which disseminated Tatar troops, as on average Tatar’s armors were lighter than those of the Russian horsemen.
The doctor recalled that after the defeat on Kulikov field Mamai suffered a devastating defeat from Khan Taktamysh, fled to Crimea, where he was slaughtered. But these details were already irrelevant. The main thing was that Mamai's goal was not an obscure journey to the unknown, to the edge of the world, or by boat across the Atlantic Ocean, but a well-understood desire to restore the power of the Golden Horde under his leadership and collect a high taxes from the entire subordinate population. That is, to behave exactly like any other medieval feudal.
“Tell me please, Peter,” the doctor turned again to the nurse, “where have you placed this cosmonaut/ nomad?”
“To the fifth ward. There are no more beds, doctor.”
"How does he behave? Any fuss? Maybe suddenly the spirit of ancestors will wake up in him?” the doctor grinned. "So far so good. He’s keeping to himself, reserved,” the nurse also grinned.
“Very well, then. Let him stay in the fifth ward for the time being,” the doctor looked at his records, “together with Aristotle, and then we’ll see.”