Turks, and 30000 laborers to dig the canal. He was joined by 40 or 50 thousand of Devlet's men. They went up the Don to the point where the rivers are closest and started digging. It quickly became obvious that the canal was impossible and there was no way to haul the boats and artillery across the steppe. The artillery was sent back downriver. Kasim planned to leave but heard that he could get ships on the Volga, so he crossed the steppe and went down to Astrakhan. The town was easy, but there was no way to take the fort without cannon. There was talk of waiting for re-supply in the spring, but they had only 40 days of supply and the soldiers became mutinous at the thought of spending the winter in tents on the steppe. On 26 September Kasim lifted the siege and headed west. They were harassed by Circassians and a Russian army sent south. The mounted Crimeans and Nogais did fairly well but the soldiers suffered greatly on the waterless steppe. Much of the fleet was wrecked by a storm at Azov. See Russo-Turkish War (1568–1570). Fire of Moscow Given his previous failures along the Oka, in the spring of 1571 Devlet led 40000 men north to attack Kozelsk and Bolkhov south of the western Oka Bank Line. Approaching Muscovy he met six boyars who had fled Ivan the Terrible's increasing madness. They promised to show the Tatars an unguarded area along the Oka. They said that most of the Russian army was away in Livonia and the country was weakened by crop failure and plague. When Devlet crossed the Oka Ivan fled to Rostov. By 24 May Devlet was near Moscow directing raiding parties. Moscow caught fire, a strong wind blew up and within a few hours the wooden city was in ashes except for the Kremlin walls. People who fled the fire were captured. Devlet returned to Crimea, taking more captives along the way. It is said that tens of thousands of Russians were killed and 150 thousand enslaved. See Fire of Moscow (1571). Battle of Molodi There was talk of taking diplomatic advantage of the unexpected victory, but Devlet decided on a knock-out blow. By 5 August he had 120 thousand men on the Oka – 80 thousand Crimeans and Nogais, 33 thousand Turks and 7000 janissaries. A Nogai detachment crossed the