 Peter the Great's steady advance south towards the Caucasus during the Russo-Persian War of 1722-1723 with a massive 30,000 man army had revived hope among the Armenians and Georgians that Russian arms could help clear the region from Muslim dominion.Muslim misrule in the regions of Kapan and Artsakh (Karabakh) eventually provoked the Armenian "meliks" in 1722 to request military aid from Vakhtang.Vakhtang agreed to aid the "meliks"; he sent Davit Bek, reportedly one of his most capable officers, together with some 2,000 Armenian soldiers.