During his first reign he regained control the Crimean nobles and then the Nogais in Budjak and the Kuban region.
When the Turks called for Crimean troops to fight the Persians (below) he sent many of the malcontents, including Safa and many of the Shirins.
With his main enemies out of the way he redistributed fiefs and offices to create an obedient nobility.
Some seem to have remained since in mid-September 1727 kalga Adil Gray was removed for refusing to lead troops against Persia.
When Jan Timur fled to Circassia he was protected by Bakht Giray, the warlord son of Devlet II.
[5] When Adil was removed he went first to an estate near Yambol and then raised a rebellion among the Budjak Nogais in favor of the restoration of Qaplan I.
The revolt was suppressed by the local Turkish governors and Adil was forgiven and retired to his estate.
The sources do not explain why but all agree that his deposition was connected with the coup that overthrew sultan Ahmad III.
[9] In the summer of 1739 a Russian army tried to invade Crimea from Azov but was forced to turn back.
For reference, they demanded Crimean troops to fight Persia in, at least: 1551 Sahib, 1584 Mehmed II, 1616 Canibek, 1624 Mehmed III, 1637 Canibek, 1637 Inayet, 1725 Mengli, 1732 Qaplan I (Crimean initiative against Persian vassals in Dagestan).
In June 1724, about four months before Mengli became khan, the two powers signed a treaty in which Russia took the west side of the Caspian and Turkey took approximately modern Georgia and Armenia.
About nine months before Mengli was dethroned, Nader's encroachment on Turkish territory led to the Ottoman–Persian War (1730–1735).