The short but fierce battle of the left flank was like a pebble thrown into the rippling lake, splashing a small circle of ripples and then quickly dissolving into the rippling water. It did not have much of an impact on the fighting in the central position and the calm of the right flank position, for neither Liu Xian nor Kaufman had any intention of using the forces of the right flank position.

Kaufman was indifferent to the news coming from the battlefield, and only constantly issued orders, agreeing or disagreeing with the actions of the troops. Although he knew very well in his heart that once the war was lost, his situation would become very difficult, and the tsar would even unceremoniously tell him to get out of the way and withdraw from the army with great dishonor.

In this battle between Russia and the Qing Empire, no one knows better than himself what victory or defeat means for Kaufman, the dominant man.

How could Kaufman be indifferent to things related to his own honor and disgrace? He was just maintaining his apparent calm by inertia. Kaufman, an engineer by training, is a well-organized and level-headed man who is very good at maintaining composure and clarity in the most tense moments of battle. He believes in the strength of the Russian soldiers, he believes in himself!

Sergeyev looked motionless at the battlefield, and the powerful artillery of the Russian army was ravaging the positions of the expeditionary army. Although the artillery of the expeditionary army is still stable and strong, the artillery fortress has advantages and disadvantages, after the Russian artillery that suffered losses at the beginning changed positions, the strength is still awesome, and the artillery of the expeditionary army in the fort is blind. Supported by strong artillery fire, the Russian infantry took turns attacking the positions of the expeditionary army from the right of the central position. Although the impact on the positions of the expeditionary army was crumbling, the Russian army never won the victory.

The expeditionary army had no machine guns, no barbed wire, but leaned on tunnels and grenades. The same cost the Russian army dearly. Coupled with the rockets that were muddled in mortar shells and grenades from time to time, the Russian army suffered many casualties, but it was completely regrettable that the central main position of the expeditionary army could not be moved.

Kaufman waited for news of the failures and a flurry of requests for reinforcements from the front-line commanders.

Six thousand Russian troops, minus the command of two regiments of Cossacks and Kaufman. There are less than 4,000 artillery infantry men that can be used in battle. And what about Liu Xian's expeditionary army? The strength of 5,000 people is almost 2,000 cavalry, and the remaining 3,000 people, excluding Liu Xian's command and the personal guard troops in his hands, there are more than 2,000 people on the front line.

In the case of a defensive war, 4,000 Russian troops fought against 2,000 expeditionary troops. A considerable part of the latter's soldiers are inferior to the Russian soldiers, and Liu Xian's battle is also hard.

The cavalry units on both sides were rarely used, and the fighting was evenly matched. Such a battle is fought in the end and there is no winner. Although it was Kaufman who led the Russian army to withdraw from the battle first, Liu Xian did not have any joy on his face when he looked at the casualty report.

After a day of fierce fighting, the Russian army suffered extremely heavy casualties. The four-thousand-gun infantry was one thousand, three or four hundred, less. But they did not abandon their armor and fled, and the main body of the army was not wiped out. The Russian army still has strong combat effectiveness. The Russian army under Alexander II, both in terms of suzhì and loyalty to the country, was much stronger than the Russian army during the First World War.

Liu Xian's department also killed and injured six or seven hundred people! The threat of white-knuckle warfare to the expeditionary army is still very heavy.

Liu Xian was dripping blood in his heart, but the fact that he was also very complacent - he had restrained Kaufman's offensive. withstood the menacing pounce of the six thousand Russian troops!

The Russian army, which retreated more than ten miles, did not attack again in the following days. The battle on both sides of the northern frontier is stalemate.

Kaufman didn't care whether the casualties of his soldiers were 1,34 or 34,000, as long as he could achieve victory, the necessary price would be paid. It's just that there are only so many troops at hand at the moment, and he must plan carefully. Kaufman's eyes finally saw the southern frontier. The Russian army and the Kokand army led by Velevkin have already reached the foot of the old city of Kashgar.

Liu Xian was pinned down on the banks of the Ili River, and Dong Fuxiang continued to beat the Ming army in Fat, and there was no need to worry about the war on both sides. Only the war in southern Xinjiang. Now it has crossed the border of China, crossed the green mountains, and has burned into the territory of China.

Zhang Zhongkui and Huo Guangcheng retreated all the way to Kashgar. In the face of the combined forces of five or six thousand Russian troops led by Velevkin and the Kokand Army, they can, of course, hold the border. After all, after Andijan's 'critical' was triggered, the remaining expeditionary armies in southern Xinjiang had already fallen into Kashgar.

The small 5,000 Qin army in the expeditionary army, the battle damage in Xining, and the battle damage after entering Xinjiang. Although it was not completely compensated by the soldiers of the Qin army who came one after another to escort the supplies, it was also seventy-seven eighty-eight. After Liu Xian pulled 2,000 into Ili. Zhang Zhongkui also had more than 1,700 cavalry and more than 900 infantry under his command.

Such a military strength plus hussar battalions, plus the 'loyal and brave' natives of Kashgar and Yarkand. Zhang Zhongkui and Huo Guangcheng are fully capable of withstanding Velevkin and keeping the enemy out of the country. The reason why they kept retreating was mainly because Zhang Zhongkui and Huo Guangcheng felt sorry for the lives of their soldiers, especially the lives of the soldiers of the Qin army, and did not want to confront the Russian army head-on.

It is said that the more than 3,000 Russian troops that have just been killed are at the peak of their troops. The defeat of two Russian generals and 5,000 Russian troops left them all in a state of fire.

-- Zhang Zhongkui and Huo Guangcheng have no interest in directly touching the moldy head of the Russian army.

So they retreated all the way to Kashgar.

The Russian army pursued Kashgar violently and hit his head on the iron plate.

As the capital of Agubai for many years, in the hands of the expeditionary army, it has been improved and built to a certain extent, and it will be a center of Beijing's rule in southern Xinjiang in the future, and it will face the threat of Russia, Liu Xian will not dislike Kashgar too strong, and will only try to make it stronger. In this way, until the Russian army entered Kokand and the soldiers pointed to Andijan, Kashgar needed to be reinforced and strengthened here.

Forts, turrets, trenches, breastwalks......

It's not that Zhang Zhongkui is self-righteous, the number of soldiers and horses he has at hand is guarding the old city of Kashgar, relying on the existing offensive, it is really possible for him to make Velevkin bleed, and no one can touch the city wall of Kashgar!

But only in defensive battles. If it is a frontal attack in the field, Zhang Zhongkui is quite confident in the combat effectiveness of the Qin army under his command that has been tested by time and war, and he does not think that after fighting hard for Verevkin, he will be able to fall well!

In three years, from the original Hanzhong, this year is already the third year. The War of Liberation is about to end, and if the journey of thousands of miles and fierce battles cannot be tempered with a strong army, Liu Xian should also take off his clothes, wash and sleep.

Standing on the verge of the victory of the pacification in Xinjiang, Liu Xian and other Qin troops should be high-level, and the only regret is that the number of Qin troops entering Xinjiang is too small.

But Velevkin feels good about himself. The constant retreat of the expeditionary army turned his revenge into a 'haughty' heart, and the old feeling of complete contempt for the Qing army returned to his heart.

The dim night sky was illuminated by the bright light of bursts of artillery fire and explosions. The explosion of the flowering bomb tore through the entire dark twilight, as if a sea of fire had fallen from the sky. The roar of the cannonballs reached the distance, like bursts of muffled thunder sweeping across the grassland.

In order to fight this first battle, Velevkin used all the artillery in his hands. Twenty-eight 12-, 9-pounder and 6-pounder cannons lined up in front of the starting positions of the Russian troops in the direction of the main attack. All the artillery fire was concentrated on a not too long expeditionary position, which was now completely turned into a sea of fire

Nasir al-Din gasped: If such fire fell on his head, I really don't know if there would be any other city in the country that would not be blown to pieces?

With the sound of a Russian command that seemed to tear out their throats, thousands of Russian soldiers all stood up in a loud voice, holding their rifles tightly. The same number of Kokand soldiers also began to line up under the command of the Kokand officer, and a Russian colonel officer with a command knife jumped out first, followed by a whole company of Russian infantry, and a large group of Kokand soldiers, who could walk a few steps at first, and after a moment they were in a hurry, rushed towards the position of the expeditionary army that was beaten by the shells.

The Russian army, which lived through the Crimean War, knows very well what it means to be defensive. So Velevkin completely concentrated his forces in a small section of the middle of the expeditionary army's front, trying to break it away with the maximum density of forces!

Although this will pay some casualties, Velevkin is confident that the Russian soldiers who suddenly entered the position will rush all the way to the Qing team like lambs.

"Warriors of Russia, forward!" The colonel gave a loud order to attack.

A full six companies of Russian soldiers, with neat steps, like six moving city walls, quickly pressed towards the position of the expeditionary army! And thousands of Kokand soldiers were the shields of these six city walls, a mess around the front and left and right of the Russian soldiers.

Wang Guosheng looked up from the trench that looked as if it had been drowned in a sea of fire. Russian army "Ula! Ulla! The sound of the slogan had reached him through the sound of the constant explosion of shells. The two squadron defense lines of his brigade are the spearhead of this Russian attack! The Russians have concentrated their dense forces, ready to drown them in one fell swoop with a sea of people and achieve a breakthrough!

Wang Guosheng's brigade belongs to the hussar battalion, and there are aborigines and Manchus in the brigade, the former is inferior to the volunteer battalion, and the latter is no different from the volunteer battalion. Although Aguba was very exploited and oppressed by the natives, he was still in a much better situation with the Manchu and Han who belonged to the purged state.

Wang Guosheng looked around, Lao Maozi was not small, but the situation on the position was not too bad. Not a few shells landed exactly inside the trenches. The shells that exploded outside the trenches were really not very lethal to the soldiers squatting in the trenches.

"Rifle ready! Free Fire! He gave the order loudly.

Without his order, one bayonet rifle after another was erected, and the muzzles of the black holes were all pointed at the approaching Kokand soldiers.

Yes. The first to catch the eyes of the expeditionary army were the Kokand soldiers.

"This can't be changed!" (To be continued) R655