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197 RUSSIA AND PERSIA. 197

campaign the power of Georgia as an independent State was shattered, and Aga Mahomed Khan continued  to follow up the brilliant success which he had already obtained by the capture of Tiflis. His attention was for some time diverted from the west to the east, that is, from Georgia to Khorasan ; but the advance of a Russian army recalled him to the Araxes. In 1796 the Russian armies laid siege to Derbend, Baku, and other fortresses, all of which offered but slight resistance. Before the close of that winter the Russians had pushed forward two armies to the frontier of Azerbijan, and were threatening not only Enzeli and Resht, but even Teheran itself. Aga Mahomed made during the winter months the most energetic preparations for the approaching campaign. He summoned from all parts of the kingdom the great chiefs and the frontier garrisons ; and he appealed to the support of the whole nation " in order to punish the insolent unbelievers of Europe who .had dared to invade the territories of the faithful." There was, however, no collision between the two armies, for, as they were preparing for the decisive war, Catherine died, and her successor, the Emperor Paul, at once recalled his army. In some respects it is much to be regretted that this campaign was never fought out. Aga Mahomed had made such careful preparations, and had drawn up so clear and sensible a plan of campaign, that it would have been an interesting problem to have watched the result of his skilful tactics when brought into opposition with the superior discipline and arms of a Russian army. The future