settled in these lands and became powerful Lords in Kedy, Dagestan. They were known as the Aldamilal Nutsals who ruled the Unkratl-Chamalal regions in Dagestan and parts of Sharoi-Chebarloi, Chechnya. Another treaty was signed in 1651 with the grandsons of the famous Kumyk prince Sultan Mut. Gheza also visited the Russian Terek governors with a Chechen delegation and signed several deals with them. All these treaties and alliances were concluded to thwart Iranian encroachment in Northeast Caucasus. One of the most influential leaders of Chechnya during this time was Tinavin-Visa from clan Tsentaroy, who acted as the Mehk-Da (Leader of the Nation). Gheza worked closely with Visa in defending the Chechen borders against Kumyks and Kalmyks. According to folklore, in 1654 the Kalmyk Khan-Surgot was expelled from Chechnya and a peace treaty was signed. Subsequently, Visa resigned as the Mehk-Da and Gheza took his place. After the expulsion of Kalmyks, Gheza started to fortify and strengthen strategic defenses of Chechnya and Ingushetia. He managed to oust the Kabardin princes from Ingushetia and set up fortifications all across the northern border such as in Ghezi-Kov (Gazi-yurt, Ingushetia), Ghezi-Yurt (Chernokozovo), Ghapke fortress (Mekenskaya). He also reinforced Dolakov (Psedakh) with warriors from East Chechnya. After the Chechens ousted the Kabardin princes, Gheza and the Karachay-Balkar became allies and as a sign of it sent several warriors to their lands. These warriors came to be the "Bilitli" (from clan Biltoy) and they became powerful lords and sometimes acted as co-rulers of Karachay. The campaign to the west was successful, but during this time a part of the Shubut tribe (Shatoy) had started to pledge allegiance to Russia and wanted to become its subjects in 1657–1661. The rest of the Chechen societies that were independent and loyal to the Mehk-Khel were strongly opposed to this. Gheza and the surrounding societies put pressure on the leaders of Shubut, who eventually yielded and went back on their deal with Russia. This hindered Russian politics in Chechnya, as was seen in 1665, when the Russian ally King Irakli of Georgia had to pay a large sum of tax to go through the Chechen lands on his way to Terek. Military career In 1667, the Russian Tsar provoked the Avar Khan Dugri to launch an invasion of Chechnya. The Avar army gathered in their capital Khunzakh and was led by the Khan's son Muhammad. They marched into Chechnya and