The Ultimatum of Colonel Skobelev to the Residents of Osh
The Transition of Feudal Nobility Representatives to the Side of the Tsar's Punishers.
On August 29, the tsarist punishers led by Kaufman occupied the capital city of Kokand, attempting to force its residents into submission and to pay the kharaj, tanap, and other types of taxes for the year 1875. The collection of these taxes was entrusted to Mirza-Khakim.
The residents of Margilan were punished for their active participation in the uprising. Despite the fact that on September 8, representatives of the urban elite came to Kaufman in submission, a monetary fine of 125,000 tilly was imposed on Margilan, which amounts to 500,000 rubles.
Representatives of the feudal nobility, uncertain about the future successes of the rebels, continued to defect from the uprising one by one and switch to the side of the tsar's punishers. On September 10, two associates of Aftobachi, Atakul-Batyr-Bashi and Khal-Nazar, appeared before Kaufman.
Meanwhile, the rank-and-file participants of the uprising offered strong resistance to the punishers as they retreated. On September 7, more than 10,000 rebels were forced to leave the city of Margilan and head towards the city of Assake. They were pursued by a punitive detachment under the command of Colonel Skobeleva. Several clashes occurred between the rebels and the punishers. The most serious of these took place on September 9 in the kyshtak of Min-Tyube, where the rebels lost 40 men killed, not counting the wounded. The rebels, pursued by the punishers, retreated towards the city of Osh, and then to the regions of Kara-Suu and Uzgen. On September 10, Osh was occupied by the tsarist troops, which, as in other cities, forced local residents to greet them with bread and salt and express submission to the "white tsar." Moreover, Colonel Skobeleva demanded from the city's residents clover—6,500 sheaves, flatbreads—4,700 pieces, barley—60 batmans (one batman is about 6 poods—K.U.), horses—144 heads, bulls—30, and the weapons possessed by the population, "as a sign of unconditional submission." The aforementioned tsarist colonel demanded that the residents of Osh hand over the leaders of the uprising. He made the same demand to the population of Uzgen. "If my wishes are not fulfilled," he wrote, "you will be to blame for your misfortune, which will be great." But the townspeople and the population of Uzgen remained stubbornly silent. Then, on September 10, the Turkestan Governor-General Kaufman himself, who led the punishers, addressed them and the residents of Kara-Suu, categorically demanding the handover of the leaders of the uprising.
Such threats and the brutal actions of the tsarist punishers further enraged the rebels and pushed them towards a more decisive struggle for their social and national freedom. The reaction among the allies of the uprising from among the Kyrgyz and Kipchak feudal nobility was different. They showed clear uncertainty, confusion ensued, and each was only concerned about their personal well-being. Some of them not only defected from the uprising but also decided to betray one another. Thus, on September 10, between Uzgen and Kara-Suu, Kyrgyz feudal lords participating in the uprising attempted to hand over Abdurakhman Aftobachi to the tsarist punishers in order to save their own skins. At that time, Aftobachi allegedly told them that "he would agree to this if the people would be freed from devastation by handing him over." By the way, upon saying these words, Aftobachi cried. The feudal lords did not dare to hand him over. However, they "disarmed Abdurakhman Aftobachi, giving his weapon to the young Pulat-khan." Aftobachi, pursued by the punitive detachment, abandoned by most of his associates, and not hoping for the remaining individuals who still surrounded him, tried to make his way "to the area of Kara-Kulja, to the Kipchak nomads of the Kugai tribe (probably Kegai), from where he originated." Aftobachi was in such a hurry that he could not even take his family, who were in the city of Osh, with him. Later, according to some reports, Aftobachi intended to go to Eastern Turkestan and seek refuge with the Kashgar ruler Yakubbek. However, the latter, not wanting to complicate relations with tsarist Russia, took measures to prevent Aftobachi from entering his domain. At the border pass of Terek-Davan, he stationed a guard of 2,000 archers, commanded by his son. This military unit was supposed to block Aftobachi's path to Eastern Turkestan. Here is what Kaufman, who led the punishers and pursued the rebels, including Abdurakhman Aftobachi, wrote on this matter: "There is a persistent rumor that Yakubbek refused to accept Aftobachi into the Kashgar territories." As for Aftobachi, he remained with the rebels, pursuing his personal interests as before, and did not appear in the border areas with Eastern Turkestan.
It seemed that the uprising was suppressed, and the population was brought to submission to the new khan Nasr-Edin and his protector—tsarist Russia. In any case, the tsarist punitive detachment under the command of Colonel Skobeleva left the camp in the city of Osh on September 11 and on the 13th of that same month approached the city of Margilan. The next day it headed towards Namangan. At that time, news reached him that "in the eastern part of the khanate, the Kipchaks and Kyrgyz had risen again with Aftobachi and Pulat-bek at the head." This seriously worried the Turkestan Governor-General Kaufman and Khan Nasr-Edin, contributing to their closer cooperation in suppressing the popular uprising.
The Makhram Battle
