Sheikh-Gali kitabs. Chapter 2. How Alashi's army defeated Kazan

Ha new clash with Moscow was brewing, which demanded to give her three western ils along with Kazan. Kul-Ashraf, realizing that the Power could repulse the next invasion of the infidels only with the help of all its forces, turned to Ismail with a proposal to make peace in exchange for doubling the Kazan tribute to the Nogais. The evil Ulubiy refused, and the seid-emir, terribly cursing him, turned to the Crimea for help. Kan Kul-Ashraf suggested that the Crimean Khan attack Ismail and thereby force him out of the war with the State, but he refused and instead made an unnecessary raid on the Russian outskirts. As a result, the seid-emir did not manage to release the forces of the eastern provinces of Bulgar to help Kazan, and Yadkar only had to utter bitter words: “Truly, by the actions of the Nogai ulubiy, the Almighty shows to what extent people can go stupid and vile.” Of course, one could try to drag out time with negotiations in anticipation of a happy accident, but the infidels themselves made it impossible.

One of their detachments, led by Seberkay, attacked Bu-Yurgan's ship during his voyage from Kazan to Bolgar. Mohammed-yar, who headed the El-Khum brotherhood, wanted to visit the Ikhvan and pray to the Almighty for the salvation of the State, but he was suddenly captured by robbers and ruthlessly cut down on the orders of Seberkay. Soon, Seberkay and his people were caught and their heads were put on spears attached to the top of the Kazan Bulak wall, but this could not console Kul-Ashraf, who had come to a stupor ...

In the summer of 1552, Alasha moved to Kazan with 100 thousand infantrymen, 20 thousand sailors and 80 thousand horsemen. Of the riders, 50 thousand were Tatars, and 10 thousand were the Mishar Bulgars of Shah-Gali. Alasha, distrusting the Khan-Kerman Bulgars and Ulugbek, kept them behind his troops and used them only to prevent the retreat of his Russian soldiers. In Kazan there were 3,000 Cheremshans, 1,000 Kaves and 10,000 townspeople under the command of Mohammed Bahadir. The news of an unprecedented threat brought Kul-Ashraf back to life...

For operations against the infidels outside the city and the possible withdrawal of the Kazan alay from the city, the seid-emir was able to allocate 6 thousand Yarchally, Challyn, Ar and Laish Kazanchi and Cossacks and 2 thousand Mamysh-Birdeev chirmysh led by Bek Yapancha. In addition, 2 thousand chirmyshs, led by Mamysh-Birde himself, acted on Kara-Idel between Sundyr and Churtan. The rest fought against the Uchkuis and Ismail's new Nogais...
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It was clear to everyone that Kazan was doomed. But Kan Kul-Ashraf, wishing to “sell the city at a higher price” to the infidels for the sake of saving the eastern part of the State, himself arrived in the capital and strengthened the courage of its defenders by personal example…

The first detachment of Russians after the crossing at Churtan was met by the Chirmysh of Mamysh-Birde, but after a stubborn battle was able to capture the crossing. The second detachment of infidels took Bish-Balta by storm and ruthlessly burned this beautiful outer balik of Kazan. The third detachment of Russians took Tashayak and balik Kuraish. The fourth detachment of infidels dragged boats to Kaban-kul and they were attacked by balik Kasim. Ours fought desperately here too, but after the treacherous transition of Kamay-Murza to the side of the Russians, the situation became hopeless and the Bulgars left this last outer balik. Only after these battles, which lasted three days and three nights and cost the infidels 15 thousand killed, Alasha risked crossing the Kara-Idel with his main army and besieging Kazan ... And bek Mohammed-Bakhadir wrote in his letter-report to seid Khusain that the Balyn ulubiy had 300 cannons, of which 120 were cast by Al-man masters and were intended to break the fortress walls. One hundred cannons were placed by the Uruses against the Arsk wall, and 20 against the Isbel gates and fired at them continuously for 45 days. Ours tried to prevent this by sorties and attacks from the Ar forest. Then the Russians made two huge wooden towers and from them began to shoot at the Bulgars near the Arskaya and Isbelskaya Lower towers. In addition, 80,000 infidels, of which 30,000 were Tatars, moved into the Ar forest against Yapancha. Yapancha began to retreat, exhausting the enemy with battles at the notches and fortresses. So, through the Serpent's Gully in the Arsk Forest, for which 300 fighters for the faith fell, the enemy passed over the bodies of 3 thousand of his soldiers. For Ulug-Katau and the Biektau fortress, in which 500 Mujahideen fell, the infidels paid with their lives 3,000 Russians and 2,000 Tatars. A three-day siege and the defeat of Echke-Kazan, where they martyred ... 2 thousand militias and 1200 Yapanchi Cossacks, cost the Russian governors 4 thousand Balyns and 6 thousand Tatars ... And Galikai helped the enemies, because he believed Alashi's false promise to grant the rights of subashes to all Igenches. True, when the infidels tried to take Shaimardan, he did not go with them, and Yanchura, having lost 900 of his Cossacks, was able to fight back and exterminate 2 thousand Russians and 4 thousand Tatars ... Having rested at Galikai in Archa, the Uruses went to Dzhuri and took this fortress . 400 militiamen and 100 Yapanchi soldiers fell in it, and the enemy lost 2 thousand Russians and 2 thousand Tatars. From here, the boyars, thinking that the path to Chally was free, moved to the Shali balik, but when it was taken, they lost a thousand Russians and 4 thousand Tatars and preferred to turn back through Laish ... The Kashan militia, angry at the Tatars for slaughtering all the inhabitants of Shali, they ambushed them on vacation and stole all their horses, and when the Murzas rushed to the Russian camp, they killed them from ambushes in the forest thickets. Frightened by the death of the serving Kipchaks, the infidels in a hurry began to cross the Misha River, and Yapancha with the militias was able to kill 15 thousand infidels here, losing 1900 of his own ... The boyars managed to take Laish, but after that they had only 20 thousand soldiers left and their chief governor said: “ Now you can safely return, because we were left without an army, and no one will reproach us for retreating. Yapancha, who had 3 thousand Cossacks left, followed the infidels and again stood behind the Arsk forest in anticipation of the possible exit of the scarlet from the capital ...
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Meanwhile, the Kazanians made a sortie and defeated both towers, and they removed all the guns from one and turned them in the direction of the infidels. Nevertheless, the Russians managed to break through part of the wall in the indicated places with shots from the Alman cannons, although at the cost of losing 20,000 of their own. Alashi still has 100 thousand soldiers left. Soybk of thousands of them he threw into the gap at the Arskaya tower, and 10 thousand - into tfol near the Isbel Lower Tower. Another 10,000 climbed the wall in other places to distract the defenders from the breaches, and all were easily killed. At one of the Mir-Galievsky gates, with the help of big cannons, ours laid down - level with the wall - 3 thousand infidels led by their boyar Idzhim-Tyuray ... With the loss of 10 thousand soldiers at Aidar-muncha, where ours made something like a small fortress and desperately defended, the Russians managed to approach Shah-ri Gazan and begin the assault on Bogyltau. Our Yorts in Bukhara fought to the last opportunity, and only after all the ammunition had been used up, they retreated through the underground passages behind the Sainov ditch. Then Kan Yadkar Kul-Ashraf, despite the protests of the sardar Mohammed-Bahadir, went to the Mohammed-Alam mosque, which people often called his name, and called on everyone to stand here relentlessly ... Then the Russians broke through from the side of the Upper Isbel Tower and sought to unite with their own, advancing from Bukhara Yorta. But the seid-emir showed steadfastness and repulsed the enemy from the mosque, after which ours drove the enemy away from the Upper Isbel Tower and forced the infidels to run out of the city in horror. Seeing what was happening, Alasha got on his horse and was about to run away from Kazan. Only his brother was not taken aback. He ordered the best detachment of the Balyns, guarding the Urus ulubiy, to immediately enter the city through the Ar gap and defeat the army of the seid-emir Kul-Ashraf. This detachment again made its way to the Mohammed-Alam mosque, which encouraged the fugitives and forced them to rush again to storm the city ...
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The head of the Nogai guard of Ulugbok Yadkara Zeynesh trembled and suddenly retreated with three hundred of his Kypchaks behind the mosque. Mohammed (Ahmed)-Bahadir was then busy repulsing the onslaught of the infidels on the Upper Isbel Tower, and all the warriors, shakirds and mudarrises surrounding Kul-Ashraf Kan were already killed. Taking advantage of this, the Uruses broke through to the seid-emir, and one of them hit him with a heavy spear ... Our people screamed in horror. Mohammed Bahadir was able to snatch the dying ruler of the State from the crowd of infidels with a tiger throw and carry him to the Khan's mosque. Having come to his senses, the seid-emir inquired about the state of affairs. Having learned about the breakthrough of the Uruses beyond the Tazik ditch, he ordered the sardar to withdraw the Alai from the city and leave for Korym-Challi as part of the Yapanchi army. He himself, despite the pleas of Ahmed-Bahadir, remained to die in the mosque together with the surviving residents gathered there, and handed over power to his son Khusain... Isbelsky and raised green banners over the highest towers. Having lost 500 fighters, the Sardar led the Liu-Day to the Goat Meadow. Yapancha, on his signal, immediately arrived there even before him and managed to trample on the right-bank camp of the kinyaz Kurbat and 4,000 Chuvashs who decided to interfere with the connection. Having included the detachment of Ahmed-Bahadir in his army, Yapancha went to Challam ...

After the assault, Alashi had 64,000 soldiers left. Enraged by the losses, the Ulubiy ordered his people not to spare anyone. All the mosques of the city were spattered with the blood of old men, women and children who sought protection there. From the Mohammed-Alam mosque, the Balyns and serving Tatars pulled out a thousand bundles of books and burned them. The Modjar Bulgars, who entered Kazan from Shah-Gali after the capture of the capital, were dumbfounded at the sight of this. Coming to their senses, they rushed straight into the fires and, burning themselves, snatched several sacred books from them ...

Of all the inhabitants, whose number exceeded 65 thousand, 500 Kara-Muslims and Muslims remained alive - and that only because Shah-Gali asked for them. These unfortunates were taken to monasteries, where a few were forced to accept Christianity, and the rest, who remained faithful to the true faith - mostly women and children - were ruthlessly starved to death or drowned.