In 1916, turmoil erupted in tsarist Central Asia. The Tsar, contrary to his obligations, ordered the conscription of young Kazakhs for military service in the rear. After daily humiliations, land seizures, and paternalism, this was the last straw. Even the tribe of Albanians, known for their gentleness, was swept up in the outrage. The bustling marketplace in the Karkar Valley, on the border with Kyrgyzstan and China, where nomads, farmers, and traders from all regions converge, became a hub for news and growing discontent. The nomads began to organize for resistance. Thousands of horsemen set out against the tsarist authorities and their henchmen, the wealthy beys. However, the uprising was suppressed, and the insurgents who survived the ensuing bloodbath packed their yurts and belongings and fled into the unknown.