This story happened at the beginning of the 20th century, namely in 1905, during the Russo-Japanese War. The Russian regiments were stationed in the Sypingai Heights in eastern Manchuria. From the location of the Japanese troops to the positions of the Russian envoy went with a white flag. He spoke on behalf of his commander and offered a fair battle with sabers with any of the representatives of the Russian side. In the camp, a search began for a warrior who, on behalf of everyone, would be able to go out and fight in an open field on sabers with a samurai.
One of the volunteers to go out against the Japanese warrior was Lieutenant Alexander Saichich. I must say that 32-year-old Alexander was tall and very thin in build. A Serb from the Vasoevich tribe voluntarily joined the detachment of Montenegrin soldiers and during his service he managed to win many awards and receive more than one wound.
Lexo was famous for his military skills. It cost him nothing to jump into the saddle at full gallop, to get under it during the race. It was also said that once during a fair he managed to jump over two harnessed bulls. A simple stick was enough for him to disarm even an experienced warrior. Once, during a duel with a fencing master from Italy, he knocked the sword out of his hands and put him to flight.
The lieutenant's exit into the field was accompanied by the sounds of a march. From the opposite side, towards him, a Japanese horseman was moving, armed with a katana, a Japanese curved sword.
According to the recollections of a Serb, because of his fur clothes, the samurai looked like an evil eagle. The horsemen moved towards each other, and the crowd held their breath. The blades came together. The Japanese swung his katana, and it went tangentially, leaving a bloody mark on the Montenegrin's forehead. In response, Saichich made a thrust that proved fatal to his opponent. There was a cry, and after a moment the Japanese horse was racing away, carrying away the dead body. A corpse dressed in furs fell from a horse about a hundred meters from the Japanese troops watching the duel. Having galloped to the defeated enemy, Saichich bowed to him and set off at a gallop towards his companions.
The Russian soldiers greeted the brave Montenegrin man, stretching out at attention. After the Serb rode the ranks on horseback, the formation burst into applause. Admiral Rozhdestvensky hugged the soldier. The Japanese commander of Togo also arrived to express his congratulations and his admiration. After this incident, Alexander Saichich began to be called "Muromets".
Anna Ponomareva
