Full episode for our patrons: https://www.patreon.com/posts/48457529

01:40 - Peter Hopkirk's "The Great Game: On Secret Service in High Asia"  06:37 - Russian expansion mindset  10:05 - Officer Ignatiev's secret mission in Khiva and Bukhara  13:22 - Peking showdown  18:53 - General Chernyaev: Glorious conquest of Tashkent  26:30 - Tashkent siege plan  34:12 - Emir of Bukhara joins the battle  39:21 - New territory: Turkestan. New gender: Frontiersexual.  46:40 - Russian dreams of conquering India. From Paul I to Zhirinovsky.  52:01 - Pan-slavism: the edgiest ideology of 19th century?