…passes through Volga Bulgaria, where they are…
June 1223 CE
…passes through Volga Bulgaria, where they are defeated in an ambush by the Bulgars.
The Mongol army encounters the Bulgars in another battle in which they route the Bulgars, then follow this up by attacking the Kankali Cumans, who had supported their fellow Cumans in the Caucasus a year before.
They fight against the Cuman army near the Ural Mountains, defeating and killing the Khan before making them pay tribute.
Following this victory, the Mongols had turned east to meet Genghis Khan and the rest of the Mongol army in the steppes to the east of the Syr Darya River.
The importance of the expedition is immense.
The expedition is history's longest cavalry raid, with the Mongols riding fifty-five hundred miles (eight thousand nine hundred kilometers) in three years.
Subutai also stations numerous spies in Russia, who will provide frequent reports on what is happening in Europe and Russia.