After crossing the mountain road of Bingdaban and continuing to travel 40 kilometers in the northeast direction, you will arrive at the Taohua Village guarded by the Xu Xuegong People's League in Nanshan of Urumqi.

Although this peach blossom village is not as steep as the Heavenly Wolf Valley, it has a vast area and unique characteristics. The grassy beaches and pine forests here are endless, and the wild peach blossoms all over the mountains compete for beauty and beauty when spring comes, and the scenery is more beautiful than that of the south of the Yangtze River. Dozens of kilometers of wide and flat mountain valleys are surrounded by high-slope strongholds that can be defended, which are enough to prevent the infestation of ordinary bandits, and effectively defend this very rare "paradise" in the depths of the Tianshan Mountains.

Xu Xuegong's Taohuazhai militia has been stationed here for more than 20 years, and it has been running here since his father's generation. Xu Xuegong's father was the commander of the Dabancheng garrison camp ordered by the imperial court. The garrison camp of Dabancheng is located at the Dabancheng Pass, 80 kilometers east of Taohuazhai, which is the gateway to Urumqi and the entire northern Xinjiang. At that time, he took a fancy to and continued to operate the feng shui treasure land of Taohuazhai in order to complete the mission of garrisoning, reclamation and tuntian handed over by the imperial court to the defenders of Dabancheng. Now Taohuazhai has become a granary treasure land of 10,000 acres of fertile land and mountains full of cattle and sheep, and it has naturally become the logistics support base of the Dabancheng military camp.

The Xu Xuegong militia in Taohuazhai usually pays more attention to physical fitness, martial arts training, because if the imperial court needs it from time to time, the militia members of the militia must also go into battle with the army to fight in the north and south. The imperial court quelled the rebellion several times, and the Taohuazhai militia also actively participated and contributed a lot. The interaction between King Buyan Khan and Xu Xuegong began when the national army put down the rebellion in southern Xinjiang. At that time, the Turhut tribe and the Nanshan militia were called to battle at the same time, and the two militias charged into battle to kill the enemy without ambiguity, and whenever one side accidentally encountered danger, the other side would sacrifice their lives to help. Therefore, the two leaders are not only friends who know each other, but also brothers who fight side by side, living and dying together.

Hearing that the Turhut cavalry was coming, Xu Xuegong was very excited and sent his second brother Xu Xuezhong to the village to greet him.

Xu Xuezhong picked up Battle and took the team directly to the "Juyi Hall" in the lobby of Taohuazhai. On both sides and behind the Juyi Hall is the most important gathering area and training camp in Taohuazhai.

After Xu Xuegong understood the intention of the Battelle cavalry, he said solemnly: "Before you came, the leader of the Kazakh tribe Hailati had already come yesterday to tell me about the disaster of your tribe's Sharga Sumu in the Heavenly Wolf Valley. This is the situation that Ashankundu went to the Kazakh tribe three days ago to report to him, right? ”

"Yes, I was in a hurry, so I told the chief of Helati about the general situation, borrowed a horse and hurried on the road." Ahsankundu replied.

"In order to find out who these bandits are, yesterday I sent two teams of people to the East Valley and West Valley to investigate, and they all came back this morning." Xu Xuegong said.

"Have you found out? Who are they? Ahsan Kundu asked eagerly.

"It was Xuezhong who led the team to investigate, Xuezhong told me about the situation." Xu Xuegong said.

Xu Xuezhong told everyone: "It can be basically determined that it is the army sent by the Kokand army Aguba......"

The three of Battle, Ahsan Kundu, and Li Jie Kundu looked at each other, which confirmed that the judgment of the Khan King and their common judgment was correct, and it was the Kokand Agubo invading army that was killing in the Heavenly Wolf Valley.

Xu Xuegong was a little uneasy in his heart at this time, and said seriously: "The most important thing is that in addition to the dozens of people in front, three or four hundred people came last night, all of them were cavalry, and they carried heavy weapons such as cannons......"

The three of Battle were taken aback! I didn't expect that in just two or three days, the enemy situation would change so much, and these situations could not be seen from the periphery at all.

Battle pondered for a moment and said, "In this case, there are more than four hundred Kokand troops in the Heavenly Wolf Valley?" ”

Xu Xuegong said: "Yes. However, the situation in the Sky Wolf Valley is still unclear, what are these people doing in the Sky Wolf Valley? To what end? It's all suspense...... Aksu and Kuqa, which they had just occupied, were still hundreds of kilometers away, so why did they send such a group of people to venture into the mountains to kill people? It's amazing......"

Battle deduced: "Judging from their way of doing things, they want to completely control the Sky Wolf Valley, and they don't want to leak the news. There is a possibility: the day is not far off when the Kokand people will attack Korla and Yanqi. He is now secretly ambushing such a surprise army, which should be coordinated with the main attack to make a response......"

Xu Xuegong analyzed: "The position he is forcibly occupying now will not only cause panic in the rear of Korla and Yanqi in the future, but also pose a threat to Urumqi, Dabancheng and Tuoxun...... But even if the Kokand had launched an attack on Korla and Yanqi, it would have been a few months later. And these people are breaking in now, and once their whereabouts are exposed, they are in danger of being strangled with all their might! They can't ignore it, right? ”

Battle pondered for a moment and said, "The Kokand people may have decided that the imperial army could not pose a threat to them, so they dared to take the risk. Besides, only the current weather, especially the heavy snow of the previous few days, as a cover, can they sneak in smoothly. Otherwise, after the thaw, it will be a problem for their cannons to cross the Kaidu River. ”

"Hmmm! This is the only possible ......" Xu Xuegong nodded, "That's it, you can't be in a hurry to clean up these people." You will first settle down and set up camp with me, and then we will send two more teams of men to investigate tonight and tomorrow day, and then we will discuss countermeasures when they return in the evening. All right? ”

Battle nodded in agreement with the arrangement.

Li Jiekun has been thinking about how to save Ahsan Kundu's wife and children. He always felt that since he knew that there were still people alive in the Sky Wolf Valley, and he also knew the specific location of hiding, he should immediately carry out rescue operations without delay! Otherwise, there will definitely be danger in the long nights, and once you miss the opportunity, it will be too late to regret it, which will make you regret it for the rest of your life. At this time, he already had the outline of a not yet mature plan of action in his mind, and he wanted to give it a try, so he hurriedly shouted:

"Wait a minute! …… I have an idea! ”

Battle looked at Li Jiekun as if he was a little in his chest, and said with a little doubt: "Then let's talk about ......."

"I want to go with Ah Shan, Meng He and a few people, set off now, and then go to the West Valley of the Heavenly Wolf Valley to investigate, and come back tomorrow night."

"You say be more careful......

Li Jiekun said solemnly: "There are so many Kokand people in the Heavenly Wolf Valley, and the surviving people of Xia Erga must be in danger. We can't know what's going on inside the valley until we get in...... I'd like to go on another trip to Nishitaniguchi now and see what's going on near Nishitaniguchi tonight and tomorrow day. The main thing is to see if you can climb from the east side of the glacier to the back mountain of the West Valley Mouth, which is the closest to the cave where Ahsan Kundu lives. If it works, the next step can be to consider rescuing the mother and son of Yunduo first, and the situation in the valley will know a little more......"

Xu Xuezhong was a little surprised, and said: "There is the most dangerous section of glaciers and cliffs, no one has ever been able to climb from there to the mountain behind the mouth of the West Valley of the Heavenly Wolf Valley!" ”

Li Jiekun was quite confident, and said: "The people of Kokand would not have thought that we would make a move in this direction, and the defense on the top of the cliff will definitely be relaxed, so we will have a greater certainty of the success of our operation there." If we can quietly rescue the clouds and Baoli later, and we haven't 'scared the snakes', it will be a proud work for us, but if we can't climb from the east side of the big glacier to the mountain behind the mouth of the West Valley, then we have to find another way...... Anyway, when we came this time, we had all the climbing tools, so I wanted to try it......"

Battle looked at Ahsan Kundu and asked, "Do you think it will work?" ”

Ahsan Kundu said: "Actually, I have never climbed the mountain behind the mouth of the West Valley from the east side of the big glacier. However, if you can climb from the east side of the glacier to the mountain behind the mouth of the valley to rescue people, you can take a snow trail on the mountainside in the valley when retreating, so that you can bypass the checkpoint at the mouth of the valley. ”

Battle and Xu Xuegong thought about it at the same time, and nodded in agreement to support this investigation plan. But when it comes to Li Jiekun, they must pay attention to concealment and safety, and must not startle the snake! And agreed that the next day, everyone would return to Taohuazhai before dark after the investigation, and then discuss the next action plan......

When the sun was about to set in the afternoon of the next day, a team led by Xu Xuezhong to investigate the East Valley of the Heavenly Wolf Valley returned to Peach Blossom Village first.

After a while, a team of men led by Li Jie Kundu and Ah Shan Kundu and Meng He also returned from Xigukou. This group of people and horses investigated for a night and a day, and they not only investigated the situation at the mouth of the West Valley of the Heavenly Wolf Valley again, but also successfully climbed from the cliff on the east side of the Great Glacier to the back mountain of the mouth of the West Valley. They hurried back, and when they saw the excited expressions of the three of them, they knew that there was a big gain.

Li Jiekundu, Meng He hurriedly threw the reins of the war horse, and ran directly into the Juyi Hall with great interest. Ahsan Kundu also followed closely.

In the Juyi Hall, Xu Xuegong, Battle and Xu Xuezhong were waiting for them. Xu Xuegong's sister Xu Xueying was also present and was busy making tea for everyone.

Li Jiekun gasped, took a sip of hot tea, and said excitedly: "Check it out!" On the east side of the Great Glacier, you can climb to the top of the back mountain at the mouth of the West Valley of the Heavenly Wolf Valley, and when you reach the top of the mountain, it is only a few hundred meters away from the cave entrance of the Ahshan Kundu family...... You'll be ready to go tonight! ”

Battle hurriedly asked, "Is there any movement near the outpost at the mouth of the West Valley?" ”

Ahsan Kundu replied, "Last night we returned from Bingdazaka first, and went to the other side outside the mouth of the West Valley. The situation at the West Valley Pass outpost has changed somewhat from the one we investigated yesterday, and there are more than a dozen horses under the stone pile, and it is estimated that the Kokand people have increased their guard strength. Another fence was added to the passage below the mouth of the valley, and the small river ditch was completely blocked. ”

Li Jiekun said confidently: "These circumstances will not affect our actions...... In the distance, we surveyed the ski trail on the mountainside that Ahsan Kundu said. This trail is located just north of Nishitaniguchi, on the opposite side of the outpost, and can be glided over the top of Taniguchi on the mountainside. Even the presence of guarded enemy troops at the bottom of the valley mouth and on the mountainside to the south could not threaten our retreat route...... I don't know what the situation is at Higashitaniguchi? ”

Xu Xuezhong said: "From the outside, Donggukou is the same from last night to now, quietly, as if nothing has happened. However, upon closer inspection, it was found that Higashitaniguchi had also significantly strengthened its guard forces. ”

Battelle synthesized all the information he had received and secretly made up his mind to carry out the operation to rescue Ashan Kundu's wife and children. He wanted to ask Xu Xuegong's opinion again.

But Xu Xuegong had also matured, and saw Battle's thoughts, and without waiting for Battle to speak, he expressed his opinion and said decisively:

"Without further ado! I think I'll start moving in the middle of the night tonight......"

Battle nodded and said, "Okay, that's it!" ”

Ah Shankun looked at this group of men who were really irrelevant but sacrificed their lives and forgot to help him rescue his wife and children, and he was sincerely grateful and admired in his heart.

Battle began to lay out a concrete plan of action, saying, "Then set the time for the action at midnight...... Li Jie Kundu, Ashan Kundu, and Meng He led a team of men and horses to the east side of the big glacier and went up the mountain to rescue people. I'll take someone over the ice Dasaka and pick you up on the north side of the West Valley mouth of the Heavenly Wolf Valley......"

"For the sake of prudence, let's split up. Li Jie Kundu and Ah Shan Kundu's team was responsible for going up the mountain to rescue people; Xuezhong led a team of men and horses to still monitor the movements of the Heavenly Wolf Valley at the mouth of the East Valley. Captain Battle led people over the ice and met on the north side of the West Valley mouth of the Heavenly Wolf Valley; I led people to cross the Bingdazaka and was responsible for blocking the enemy soldiers who might be chasing from the direction of the Taniguchi pass and the outpost near the south side of the West Valley Pass......," Xu Xuegong said.

"There's one more thing to note here. Although our actions are sudden, but now the scale of the enemy army in the Sky Wolf Valley should not be underestimated, and the equipment is very sophisticated. If these guys send a special team from outside the two key points of Donggukou and Xigukou, which we are closely concerned about, to attack and harass them, then the situation of Peach Blossom Village will be unimaginable. We have to guard against this...... "Battle said.

Xu Xuegong waved his hand and said, "Don't worry! You are afraid that Peach Blossom Village will be plotted by them like the Heavenly Wolf Valley. I have also thought about this problem, the Peach Blossom Village is relatively open for dozens of miles around, unlike the Heavenly Wolf Valley, which is a completely closed mountain valley, they will not be too interested here. Besides, even if their special forces arrived, there were guards and secret posts at every bayonet around them, and the patrols were constantly patrolling back and forth, so it was impossible not to find them. As a precautionary measure, during our operation, the remaining personnel raised the alert level and concentrated all non-combatants in a few temporary settlements near the Righteous Hall. ”

Everyone nodded in agreement with this series of course of action......

Late at night. The starry sky in the night sky and the first quarter moon hanging on the horizon shimmer and shine on the white snow-capped mountains, reflecting the majestic posture of the beautiful mountains. The Big Dipper is even more dazzling, as if it is deliberately guiding the heroes from all walks of life who are about to set off for battle.

In front of the Juyi Hall in Taohua Village, all four people are ready to stop. The four groups are:

On the first road, Xu Xuezhong led some of the men and horses of Taohuazhai to Donggukou to monitor the movements of the enemy and respond to the actions of Xigukou at any time.

On the second road, Li Jie Kundu, Ahsan Kundu, and Meng He, led a small number of capable men and horses, carrying climbing and skiing equipment, to prepare to climb the mountain from the cliff on the east side of the big glacier, and secretly sneaked into the back mountain jungle at the mouth of the West Valley of the Heavenly Wolf Valley, waiting for an opportunity to rescue Ahsan Kundu's wife Yun Duo and six-year-old son Baolidu.

On the third road, Battle, with the territory of the Erhut cavalry team prepared to cross the ice Daban again, before entering the Black Bear Gully, and went out to the north side of the mouth of the West Valley of the Heavenly Wolf Valley to ambush, preparing to meet the group of men and horses who went up the mountain to rescue people, and met the pursuers on the north side of the enemy.

Xu Xuegong of the fourth road, led the brigade of Taohuazhai to cross the Bingdaban, and went out to the south side of the West Valley Entrance of the Heavenly Wolf Valley to ambush before entering the Black Bear Gully, preparing to block the pursuing soldiers from the direction of the West Valley Entrance of the Heavenly Wolf Valley and the enemy outpost at any time.

The men and horses who were about to go into battle had eaten the well-prepared night dinner, and they were all in high spirits, eager to have a big fight with this group of invading thieves who had not yet met, and they were strong and majestic, and they showed the evil spirit that had been suppressed for the past few days. Especially Li Jiekundu and Meng He, they were as anxious as a cat scratching, and they couldn't wait to rush to the foot of the big glacier and climb to the top of the cliff to save people. In order to succeed in this covert operation, the two of them also suppressed their alcohol addiction, did not take a sip, and prepared to get drunk again after the matter was completed!

Just after midnight, the four groups of people set off......