The feudal state of the western Mongols-Oirats - the Dzungarian, or Oirat, Khanate (1635-1757) held back the pressure of the Manchus, who tried to establish their rule here, for almost a century1 .The rulers of the Dzungarian Khanate sought to increase the combat effectiveness of their troops, mainly by creating their own artillery, because guns often decided the outcome of battles. The fruits of these efforts were already felt during the war of 1729-1733. 1 See for more information: I. Ya. Zlatkin. History of the Dzungarian Khanate, Moscow, 1964. page 209 In the spring of 1731, during one of the fierce battles, artillery suddenly struck from the Dzungars, and dozens of cannonballs and bombs fell on the enemy's heads. One of the enemy's officers, as Kontaisha (Dzungarian Khan) Galdan-Tseren told the Russian envoy Major L. Ugrimov, who arrived to him in the spring of 1731, " ordered one bomb to be brought in front of him to see, he thought that nothing would come of it, then they brought it in front of him, then he and others were with him they came without heads... they thought they were playing" 2 . The appearance of artillery in the Dzungars caused alarm among the enemies. Therefore, they persistently interrogated the Oirats who were captured: "Where did you get the artillery, what did you never have?", not allowing the idea that the Oirats themselves could cope with such a case. The prisoners purposely replied that the guns and mortars were " sent to us... and a hundred skilled men were sent with them. " 3Meanwhile, the ambassadors, merchants, and all those who visited Urga (the khan's headquarters) at that time were struck by a sight that had never been seen before: not far from the headquarters, nomadic noyons, zaisans, and elders gathered several times a week under the direction of a man dressed in European dress, marched in columns and ranks, made turns and rearrangements, performed rifle techniques and fired volleys, in short, did everything that was customa ... Read more