Haji Mir Abbas invited him to Lankaran to serve as the chief legal officer of his estate, and later, Mirza Sadig bey married into the Talishinski family.

[7][8] Afterward, Mirza Sadig bey served as the executor of the Mughan district court in the Lankaran Uyezd and held the rank of titulary counselor.

On October 12, 1876, he was awarded the 3rd Class Order of Saint Stanislaus for his "services and efforts during the campaign against the Matcha mountaineers" and received a medal for the conquest of the Kokand Khanate.

[19][20] From July 2, 1900, to March 26, 1901, Mehmandarov's battery was assigned to the Zabaykal Artillery Division, serving within the detachment commanded by major general Paul von Rennenkampf.

According to Aliagha Shikhlinsky's memoirs, during this campaign, Mehmandarov received an order from Rennenkampf to destroy the troops attempting to escape through the southern gates of the besieged city of Tsitsihar.

On the night of January 26, the Japanese attacked the Russian squadron anchored at Port Arthur, setting ablaze the battleships Retvizan and Tsesarevich as well as the cruiser Pallada.

[25] Following the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, on February 18, 1904, Mehmandarov was officially assigned as commander of the 7th Eastern Siberian Rifle Artillery Division by imperial decree.

The first, as a Caucasian, was naturally brave; the second, as a devout man, faced fate with calm and selfless acceptance.On October 13, 1904, during another Japanese assault, Colonel Mehmandarov sustained a concussion while stationed at the Third Redoubt.

He values only those who are genuinely proud and capable of heroic deeds, while dismissing careerist officers whose primary concern is saving their own lives and securing undeserved decorations.

[25][31][32] Larenko's diary recounts this moment:[33] Yesterday, the Japanese artillery commander visited the fortress along with his headquarters and met with Colonel Mehmandarov, who had been promoted to the rank of major general during the siege.

[26] During his six-month leave in Saint Petersburg starting in September 1907, Mehmandarov was instructed, by order of the Minister of War, to attend sessions of the Supreme Military-Criminal Court concerning the surrender of Port Arthur.

On July 13, 1908, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general for his distinguished service and was officially confirmed in his position as Chief of Artillery for the 3rd Siberian Army Corps.

The citation for the award stated:[37] During the battles of Kozienice, under intense enemy fire, with the 2nd Brigade of the division under his command, he crossed the Vistula River and held the left bank for three days, isolated from any support.

Later, he wrote:[40] At that time, I was summoned to the Western Front to inspect the state of heavy field artillery, a new weapon in the Russian army, and to guide its operations.

"[38] In one of his orders to the group’s troops, General Mehmandarov stated:[42] I demand steadfast will, courage, determination, flexibility, personal initiative, and thoughtful leadership from all commanding personnel.

If confusion arises during battle, division or brigade commanders must immediately intervene to restore order.On April 9, 1915, Samad bey Mehmandarov was awarded the Order of the White Eagle with Swords, a prestigious Russian decoration.

[47] On April 18, 1917, he was assigned to the reserve of officers under the jurisdiction of the Minsk Military District headquarters and, on August 7, 1917, was appointed a member of the Alexander Committee for the Wounded.

The ministerial portfolio was entrusted to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Fatali Khan Khoyski, with artillery general Samad bey Mehmandarov appointed as his assistant.

In the formation of the armed forces of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, taking into account local conditions, the organizational structure, staffing, management, and combat readiness principles of the Tsarist Russian army were adopted.

The network of organs responsible for implementing this system was expanded, and efforts to return deserters and the children of wealthy individuals who avoided service were strengthened through cooperation with internal affairs authorities.

Flexible and effective structures and management bodies of the army were created and further improved according to the tasks of ensuring Azerbaijan's military security in the given historical context.

At the same time, armored trains belonging to Soviet Russia crossed the border, followed by the main forces of the 11th Red Army advancing forward.

"[60] In his final order as Minister of War, Mehmandarov expressed gratitude to the military personnel for their service and conveyed his hope and belief that the soldiers and officers of the Azerbaijani army would continue to serve Azerbaijan "with honor and courage during the new era of governance."

"[60][61] In his memoirs, future Marshal of Aviation Sergey A. Krasovski compared Mehmandarov's actions during the April invasion with the emigration of Azerbaijani parliamentarians to Georgia.

I have no reason to leave the homeland.’ Indeed, the train in Bilajary, which was supposed to take the leaders of the Musavat government to Tbilisi, waited for an hour and a half because of my father.Following the brutal suppression of the anti-Soviet uprising in Ganja at the end of May 1920, almost all high-ranking officers of the Azerbaijani National Army were arrested.

Stalin, in a letter dated November 12, 1920, to the deputy head of the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission (Cheka), Genrikh Yagoda, wrote:[66] After a thorough investigation, it was determined that Azerbaijani Generals S. Mehmandarov and A. Shikhlinski are not guilty of any crime.

Based on a request from the Azerbaijani government, Sergo Orjonikidze sent a special telegram assigning the generals to the Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs of Soviet Azerbaijan.

He was regarded as one of the leading specialists in developing military operations, creating new units, and addressing organizational matters for the young Azerbaijani Red Army.

Mehmandarov was an instructor at the Azerbaijani Commanders’ School from 1924 to 1928, a member of the Baku Garrison’s Military-Scientific Society, and an advisor to the Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs of Azerbaijan.

[75] List:[76] In the cities of Baku, Barda, Ganja, Aghjabadi, Lankaran, Quba, and Qabala, one of the central streets is named after Samad bey Mehmandarov.