PS: Happy New Year! New Year's greetings to everyone!

October 3, 1869, the 17th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, St. Petersburg, Russia.

The Tsar's roar silenced the entire Winter Palace, and the crisp cracking of porcelain and crystal products released Alexander II's wrath. "The dignity of the empire brooks no shame! Chinese, you must pay for what you have done-"

The price is blood and lives!

……

History is divided by the roar of Alexander II, and the wings of Liu Xianam's butterfly finally pry the long river of years. He really influenced the trend of world development -- Tsarist Russia launched an all-out offensive against Xinjiang! Sino-Russian relations are on the verge of a complete rupture.

The Russian soldiers were divided into two routes. On the southern route, Major General Velevkin led more than 3,000 Russian troops and more than 2,000 Kokand native soldiers who had always been stationed in Kokand to launch an attack on Kashgar. The northern road was led by Governor Kaufman himself, leading more than 6,000 Russian troops to kill Ili along the Ili River.

……

Sitting in front of the map in a daze, Liu Xian didn't move for a whole morning. Outside the military tent, more than a dozen middle- and upper-level officers such as Wei Ming, Cao Huailiang, Chen Bo, Xu Dongshan, and Le Shan waited quietly, waiting for Liu Xian to straighten out his train of thought and give an order!

They also didn't move all morning.

"Pass on Dong Fuxiang, you don't have to go back to the division, and continue to press me to fight the Tuoming army. Strive to take Urumqi this year-"

"The two brigades of Leshan and Xu Dongshan are guarding the prisoners." Liu Xian's finger tapped on the position of Gongchen City, "You are stationed here." Then he pointed his finger at Borohugil and Kulongkui Mountain, and said, "This direction will show me death." If the Russians go around the back of Huiyuan City, I want your heads! ”

"Rest assured. Humble rank is not dead. The Russians have never thought about Gongchen City. Xu Dongshan and Le Shan looked awe-inspiring, and clenched their fists and shouted their orders.

"For the rest of the troops, follow me to Touluck. We were there, waiting for the Russians to come to the door. ”

There are only about 3,000 people left in the conquest army and the volunteer battalion, and Liu Xian won the previous two battles. The casualties cannot be underestimated, and now the two brigades of Xu Dongshan and Leshan have been cut, and only more than 3,000 points of more than 5,000 troops remain. But with the addition of the Mongols of Turghut and Heshuot, plus the reinforcements that came, Liu Xian still held 5,000 people in his palm.

More than thirty miles east from Corta there is a river, which is a tributary of the tributaries of the Ili River. But no matter how it flows. Taking advantage of the fact that winter has not yet arrived and the river has not yet been frozen, Liu Xian can take the waterway and easily transfer twenty cannons and a large number of gunpowder and military quartermasters to Touluck.

Chernyaev should be thanked for his 'prudence'. After deciding to surrender, he did not let his soldiers damage the cannon. He went to destroy the army's ammunition reserves, fearing that his soldiers would suffer retaliation from the expeditionary army if they did so. So now these things have all become Liu Xian's war materials.

In fact, the Russian army's abundant military reserves with the army are not at all comparable to the 'humble' output of saltpeter mines and sulfur mines in southern Xinjiang and the craftsmen in the army who produce gunpowder, guns, and shells in a handicraft workshop.

Although there were no grenades, and there were no flowering shells suitable for mortars. The caliber of the Russian army's Mineer bullet is also different from the Enfield M1853 rifle, but the abundance of gunpowder, tin and lead [used in the manufacture of Mine's bullet warheads] has completely destroyed Liu Xian's inventory. There were also artillery and countless shells captured.

It can be said that 'the Russian army fell. Liu Xian was well fed', and the seizure of ammunition completely made up for Liu Xian's arms consumption before and after the two major wars.

……

August 26, Head Lexie. The third collision between China and Russia in Yili has officially begun.

The position is located on the north bank of the Ili River, the terrain is flat, and the scenery is unremarkable. On the front of the village of Tourak. It is forty or fifty miles from Andara, another larger village in the Ili River valley.

To the north of the village of Tourak is a small river that is not marked on the map, known locally as the Bucharin River. The river flows through the village of Tourak. It was then injected into the Ili River, a natural barrier that Liu Siam could use to strengthen the flank defenses.

And to the south of the position were large deserted fields. Although it is not very convenient to conceal their own army, it is difficult for the Russian cavalry to exert their combat effectiveness there.

Because the ditches and ridges that divert water completely divide the fields. These low or concave ditches and ridges were the greatest natural enemies of the cavalry.

It is true that Liu Xian annihilated thousands of Cossack cavalry, but the blind man ate dumplings - he knew in his heart that his victory was not so convincing. Relying on the virtual map, Liu Xian already had a rough idea of how many Cossack cavalry Kaufman had brought this time, so he had to take precautions against this.

Liu Xian's position stretched from the bank of the Bucharin River in the north, the village of Toulek in the middle, and the fields south of the village in the south, and almost the entire line could be covered by the necessary cover.

Liu Xian was responsible for the lives of his soldiers, and he could not defeat the Russian army in the wide field, so the battle line intersected vertically with the Bucharin River.

The position of the expeditionary army on the front line of Toulek stretched for five or six miles from north to south, which could effectively limit the ability of the Russian Cossack cavalry to penetrate and maneuver. Although the forces on both flanks are weaker, it is difficult for the Russian army to flank and outflank, so it is either only a frontal battle, or it needs to carry out a real deep detour, but this will inevitably lengthen the Russian army's front line and weaken its combat effectiveness on the front.

Liu Xian was not arrogant enough to be confident that he could seize any fleeting opportunity in the battle to defeat the Russian army. But he has a virtual map!

In the process of preparing for war, Liu Xian deployed the army very mediocrely, basically including four groups: the right wing, the center, the left wing and the reserve.

The main task of the right flank army was to cover the road to Andara, to secure the flanks of the Taulak front, and to use it if necessary to reinforce the central and left flank forces and carry out counter-assaults on the enemy.

The task is not heavy, and there is only one volunteer battalion brigade that is not satisfied with the formation. The captain was Zhang Shi'an, a veteran who joined the Qin army in Sichuan.

The task of the Central Army was to defend the village of Tourak. The entire position was divided into three lines, the first prominent position, the main position of the village, and the reserve position behind the village, where Liu Xian's headquarters was located.

Their mission did not fight back. Hold on, attract, and take on more of the Russian offensive. Unless it's time for a full-scale counteroffensive.

The left, like the right, is much more relaxed. The team is covered by ditches and ridges, although the effect is not as good as the karez in the Turpan area, but if the Russian army really wants to attack the left flank, how many lives will it have to fill in to see the results?

The role of the reserve is self-evident, it is very, very important. As long as they are in hand, Liu Xian has the confidence to fight and fight hard with anyone for a long time.

From south to north, the trumpet sounded at the moment of the decisive battle......

The fighters of a regiment of the 23rd Division of the Russian Army all rushed to the front of the battle. Kaufman has every reason to believe he can claim the ultimate victory. The 23rd Division is one of the only three regular divisions of the Russian army stationed in Central Asia, and it is not a unit like a Cossack regiment or a Cossack mixed brigade.

One of his regiments consisted of two thousand men, and Kaufman was fully confident in the combat effectiveness of his army.

The headquarters of the Russian army was entrenched in the position of five or six versts west of the Touluck front, and Kaufman calmly waited for the dawn to come. All the orders had been issued, and Kaufman told all the men of the headquarters to go down and rest, and he had not closed his eyes all night. He paced up and down in the tent, his mind constantly thinking, and from time to time he stood at the table covered with the map, looking at it and pondering it.

The fifty-one-year-old commander was speculating on every possible move of the Qing army on the other side.

The location of the Russian headquarters is a huge barracks, and it is late at night, but the Russian soldiers around the campfire are still talking quietly, and not many people are sleeping.

Many fellow villagers gathered to discuss how to get the survivors to relay their last words to their loved ones if they were unlucky. Some of the soldiers who had been close to each other also gathered together and whispered goodbye. The Qing army is not easy to deal with, otherwise the two generals and 5,000 Russian soldiers will not be wiped out. After tomorrow's big battle, who knows how many people in the current crowd will survive? Many soldiers were silently wiping their weapons, staring silently into the night sky.

Early in the morning, the war began with the rumbling of artillery on both sides.

Kaufman was the first to give the order to attack, and groups of Russian troops appeared opposite the position of Toulek.

The sound of artillery alarmed Liu Xian in the rear of the position, and he didn't seem to be tired at all because he hadn't slept all night. Calmly walked to his post, and the entire command immediately set off.

The Russian army launched an offensive under the cover of morning fog. The soldiers of the expeditionary army guarding Touluck did not show weakness in the-for-tat. However, instead of placing the main forces of the Russian army in the most central position of the front, they pointed the finger at the left flank of the expeditionary army. Kaufman wanted to take advantage of the fog that often occurs in the autumn to see if he could take down the left flank position. Even if they can't, they must mobilize the expeditionary army from the battle line and force them to come to the rescue, so that the cavalry with a relative advantage on their side on the road can go on a killing spree.

The position at the southern end of the front was similarly made up of multiple fronts, with only one broken squadron left in the front of the forward stronghold. Received a fierce attack by the Russian army, although the defenders fought back, but after losing more than a dozen people, they had to give up this stronghold and retreat with all their troops.

However, Chen Bo, who is in charge of defending here, doesn't care, the main position on the left flank is still behind.

The initial victory of the war did not determine the final outcome of the war at all. The central position has also been raised, only the right flank is still quiet.

Liu Xian was not worried about the most heavily attacked left flank positions, because he could see clearly the layout of the main forces of the Russian army from the virtual map, especially where the main artillery group of the Russian army was, and there was a reserve later.

The sound of gunfire from the left flank was like a burst of gunfire, and soon merged into a non-stop roar. More and more Russian troops gathered there, but Chen Bo was tightly defended, and the main position on the left flank remained immovable in the thick smoke of gunpowder. (To be continued) R655