The pattern of populated areas today reflects the significant role rivers served to open up the land. Siberia's rivers criss-cross the region, providing natural communication arteries that in the 17th century accelerated exploration and settlement. One who took advantage of this was Yerofei Khabarov, a merchant who had made a fortune trading salt in European Russia. He saw opportunities in Siberia and was willing to finance an entire expedition to the Amur River in exchange for official government sanction.
With the blessing of Siberia's governor, Khabarov gathered a group of volunteers in [M 008 / Yakutsk]. In January of 1650 he proceeded to the Amur valley to move against the hostile indigenous tribes. Word had spread, however, amongst the tribes that a Russian army was on its way to plunder and destroy and instead the people abandoned their villages.
Khabarov had a garrison built and then returned to Yakutsk to report his findings. He told the governor the Amur would solve East Siberia's food shortage, reducing the dependency on food supplies brought all the way from the [M 037 / Ob River]. Khabarov also believed the Amur was rich in furs, but cautioned that the conquest of the area would be difficult and required many men since he also discovered the area was a [G 21 / tributary] territory of China.
On his return to the garrison, Khabarov found the previously deserted villages occupied and heavily fortified. A running battle ensued with the native tribes as he carried on down the Amur. Downstream from the confluence with the Urka River, the Russians captured a fort defended by 50 [G 12 / Manchus]. Calling it Albazin, they settled there for the winter and sent back to Yakutsk for men and supplies. By this time a series of reports had reached Moscow on the promising possibilities of the Amur region and the tsar decided to take the valley with a 3,000-man army.
In the spring of 1651 Khabarov left Albazin and fought his way down the Amur to the Sungari River facing fierce resistance. He paused to build a fort at Achansk where China's Manchu overlords finally caught up with him. The fort was besieged by a 2,000-man Manchu army carrying [G 13 / muskets] and a cannon, but the assault failed and Khabarov's men seized the cannon. However, the position at Achansk was overextended and the Russians had to withdraw. On the upper Amur, Khabarov met with the reinforcements sent from Yakutsk the previous year and it was decided that a fort should be built at the mouth of the Zeia River in preparation for another Manchu attack. At this point his men mutinied and Khabarov fled to Yakutsk.
