In the enemy command post in Qingsong Village in the Heavenly Wolf Valley, Shaman was furious at the embarrassed adjutant and the two cavalry battalion commanders, looking angry and helpless. Clun, on the other hand, sat down and smoked a cigar thoughtfully.

The commander of the 2nd Cavalry Battalion explained: "This group should have come up from the cliff in the mountain behind the mouth of the West Valley in the second half of last night. It is clear that the purpose of their actions is to save the people in the cave...... We found the cave, which was a self-contained cave where the family lived temporarily. It seems that it is a leader of the tribe who lives in the cave, and it is he who left the Heavenly Wolf Valley first, and his family was not able to take it away at that time, and now he is coming back to save his family. ”

Shaman's adjutant added: "According to the descriptions of those we were close to these attackers. Among this group, the one who rushed to the front seems to be the one who escaped from us on the night we entered the Sky Wolf Valley......"

Shaman asked the adjutant, "Who are the two Chinese cavalry teams outside the West Valley Mouth?" Got it figured? ”

"The identities of these people have not been fully confirmed. But one thing is certain: among these people there must have been cavalry of the Turghut tribe. The adjutant replied.

"Can you be sure that there is no regular army among these people?" Sharman continued.

"According to the description of the cavalry returning from close pursuit. None of the two Chinese cavalry teams were Chinese soldiers wearing green cloth uniforms and red tasseled military caps, let alone cavalry officers in armor, and no Chinese army's dragon banner was found...... This is definitely not the regular cavalry of the Chinese army, this is certain. The adjutant continued.

Seeing that Sharman still seemed to be a little confused, Crawn spread out his hands and shrugged his shoulders and said, "Chinese soldiers are easy to identify, and there is no need for them to hide their identities. This is not doubtful. ”

The adjutant suddenly seemed to remember something, and added suspiciously: "Although these two teams are not cavalry of the regular Chinese army, one of them is very special in terms of equipment, they are actually equipped with the standard weapons of the Russian army - the Bodan rifle, and the Chasik saber for the Cossack cavalry......"

"It's nothing to fuss about! The fiefdom of the Mongol tribes of Turghut was next to Ili to the north, and it was not uncommon to buy a few Russian rifles and some cavalry sabers on the border between Ili and Russia...... This on the contrary confirms that they are not the regular army of China, but the Mongol cavalry of the Turghut tribe! ”

Shaman pondered, pondered for a moment, and continued to ask the adjutant, "Do you remember what he said when Sangeji died?" ”

The adjutant also remembered Sangeji's deathbed words vividly, and when Sharman asked him, he replied without thinking: "Yes! He said that their Turghut tribe was like crushing a few bed bugs to death against us! ……”

Hearing this, Kraun felt very uncomfortable, and thought that it would damage the prestige of the army, and hurriedly said: "How can a small Mongol tribe be able to match our well-equipped advance team. Do you believe this kind of stupidity? ”

Shaman said slowly, "We were right to choose Heavenly Wolf Valley as the advance base at that time. The precautionary conditions here are very favorable to us, and the big glacier on the north side of Bingdaban is also nearby, and all the water sources of these military towns in Urumqi and the military transshipment channels in the north and south of Xinjiang can also be completely controlled by us from here. The resistance of the Chinese army was not a cause for concern, and the capture of these towns by the army was just around the corner...... But! We overlooked one thing - we angered the Mongols of the Turghut tribe early. Their revenge will certainly cause great trouble for our actions......"

Cloun was also somewhat depressed when he heard Sharman's words, and his sense of urgency increased sharply after analyzing what was happening at the moment. He felt that they should complete their "core mission" as soon as possible, otherwise, they might have "long nights and dreams" and unexpected events that they did not expect would happen again, which would affect the achievement of the main mission. He said to Shaman:

"What we're experiencing now is a small accident that doesn't affect the big picture. However, it is also a reminder that the 'core mission' must be completed as soon as possible. I think it's better to carry out the surveying and mapping operation as soon as possible, right? ”

Shaman was completely touched by what happened today, and felt that it was not too late, and immediately agreed to Cloune's suggestion, saying:

"Let's start tomorrow then."

Seeing that Shaman agreed to his proposal, Clone hurriedly said, "Then I'll go and inform Catherine that they are ready." After saying that, he prepared to leave the command post.

"Wait a minute!" Sharman seemed to remember something, and called out to Crowne.

"What else?" Crawn asked.

"Are you ready for a plan to poison the water?" Sharman asked with an extremely vicious face.

"Don't worry! We carried enough poison. As long as it is placed at the right spot, it is easy to kill people and livestock associated with water sources in a day or two. According to what we have learned, there are more than 1 million people who depend on the icebergs, snow and water here for survival, at least 20 million or more than 20 million sheep, cattle, horses, and camels, and other poultry and birds are completely negligible. Clone replied.

"I think the mapping operation should start with understanding the distribution of water sources. If necessary, we may put the plan of blasting the big glacier on hold for the time being, and implement the poisoning plan in advance. Because with the current climatic conditions, poisoning water is more effective. Of course, it is ideal to understand the distribution of water sources, map large glaciers, and select blasting sites at the same time. During this period, you must be fully prepared, and there must be no accidents in all aspects. "Shaman made arrangements very insidiously.

Confident enough, Clouen replied, "Absolutely! OK！ After speaking, he snapped his fingers and walked out of the command post in high spirits.

Sharman then gave the order to the adjutant, "Let the 2nd Cavalry Battalion send a squad to keep Catherine's Survey and Mapping Team safe." Others continued to search the mountains...... Note! To map large glaciers and water sources, it is necessary to climb over the glacier. For each operation, it is necessary to leave two observation posts at the highest pass of Bingdaban, the Tiger Pass, and form an early warning chain with the observation posts along the line to facilitate the handling of the enemy situation. In addition, a battalion of cavalry should always be kept at the mouth of the West Valley, and while searching the mountains, they should be ready to respond to the survey and mapping team at any time. ”

The adjutant and the commander of the 2nd Cavalry Battalion immediately responded: "Yes! ”

The commander of the 1st Cavalry Battalion asked, "What about the Mongols who have been found?" ”

Shaman pondered for a moment and said, "First lock in the Tibetan Soldier Cave, seal the entrance of the cave and look at it." This battle added a lot of weight to the fear in Shaman's heart, and he faintly felt that the crisis of reality was gradually approaching him. At this time, he thought that these ordinary people should be kept for the first time, and perhaps they would be used at a certain time......

This was the end of this first hand-to-hand encounter with the invading army of Kokand. This rescue operation not only rescued Ashan Kundu's wife and children, but also accidentally rescued the only grandson of the leader of Sangeji, Caitai Batu. This is really the vast world with eyes!

In this battle, more than 20 enemy cavalry were killed, and more than a dozen war horses were captured, as well as some British-made horse pistols, sabers and other trophies. Only 7 of our team were injured, and the injuries were not serious. It was a perfect combat rescue operation.

Because of the victory in the first battle and the success of the rescue, they taught the fierce and brutal Kokand army thieves a lesson, and everyone let out a long breath of evil. The peach blossom village is full of festive atmosphere.

In the evening of the same day. In front of the justice hall, the aroma of stewed mutton in several large cauldrons came to the nostrils. The long table in the hall is full of cold dishes, hot dishes and barley wine, which are all local products of Taohuazhai. The barley wine is also brewed from the barley harvested in the village and the holy water of the snow-capped mountains under the Bingdaban Mountain, which is soft and mellow and has a strong aroma, which is no less than the best barley wine in Tibet.

Everyone began to drink excitedly and continued late into the night......

Xu Xuezhong was also very happy to see everyone's elated appearance; But he remained keenly alert, and felt that the more triumphant the moment, the more he should be on guard. While sending scouts to the east and west of the two valleys of the Heavenly Wolf Valley to reconnoiter and wait, he also specially sent a few more sentry posts around the Peach Blossom Village to prevent accidents! and personally led the patrol team to patrol all parts of the stockade......

The next afternoon. None of the soldiers who had slept soundly for a day would have woken up if it weren't for the rumbling sound in their stomachs.

Meng He was thinking about the dozen or so war horses that had been captured. He usually likes to drink the most and is also the "sleeping king", but today he crawled over in advance, and hurried to the stable with great interest to take a look. Looking at these tall and sturdy "Dawan horses", I really can't put it down. He muttered to himself:

"Such a good horse is simply a waste of life for those Kokand thieves to occupy it......"

He had just taken a horse out and was about to try it out when he noticed that Ahsan Kundu had also come to the stable, and the two of them nodded and smiled at each other.

Meng and Jean Ahshan Kundu also hurriedly picked one and tried the majesty of this "Dawan horse" together.

The two of them arranged the halter and chew of the two horses, matched the saddle, and adjusted the belly belt. The two horses were unusually cheerful and obedient as if they had seen their long-lost masters, and were at the mercy of the two of them.

Meng He tried to pat the horse's leg gently, but the horse actually took the initiative to raise the horse's hooves to let Meng He check the hoof, which made Meng He surprised enough, as happy as picking up a precious son and coming back.

They stepped into the saddle, loosened the reins, and with a flick on the belly, the two horses roared out......

At this time, the scouts who were sent out to monitor the east and west valleys of the Heavenly Wolf Valley also returned from their shifts. Several of them were already a little hungry, and when they saw the wine and meat that had been left for them, they immediately began to eat them.

Xu Xuezhong was a little amused when he saw them gobbling up, and asked slowly, "How is it?" Is there any movement among the Kokands? ”

One of the scouts who was monitoring Nishiguchi spoke while eating meat: "Nishiguguchi...... There is movement ......"

Xu Xuezhong hurriedly continued to ask, "What's the movement?" ”

"This morning, the people of Kokand cleared half of the stones that had blocked the mouth of the West Valley and cleared a passage...... Twenty or so men came out on horseback, and we followed them from a distance. Tanma took a sip of wine and continued, "They crossed the ice and reached the Great Glacier. A few people set up a machine on the big glacier, gesturing as if they were calculating something. Muttering while recording ...... When the sun was about to set, these people put away their machines and returned to the Valley of the Wolves the way they came......"

Ahshan Kundu and Meng He finished trying the captured war horses and came to the Juyi Hall.

As soon as he entered the hall, Meng He boasted to everyone with his eyebrows fluttering: "These horses are indeed good horses...... In the future, we will kill the Kokand soldiers, try not to hurt the horses, and get all the horses back! ”

Seeing that Xu Xuegong, Xu Xuezhong, Battle and Li Jiekun didn't have any big reactions, the two felt that something might be wrong, so they took the tea that Xu Xueying poured for them and sat on the side.

Xu Xuezhong introduced the situation to everyone and said: "The Tanma from Xigukou came back and said that today the Kokand people crossed the ice Daban and arrived at the big glacier, as if they were studying and exploring the glacier there. It's not clear what exactly you want to do......"

Meng He was a little puzzled and said, "We just cleaned up these guys. I didn't expect them to dare to come out and visit the scenery so soon? ”

"It may be that the people of Kokand think that we don't have the army of the imperial court in our team, and they are sure that we are just going to secretly save people, and we dare not confront them head-on, so they let the bold man come out to move." Xu Xuezhong said.

"These people are in a hurry to go to the Great Glacier to explore, it seems that their real intention to settle in the Heavenly Wolf Valley is related to the Great Glacier. Aggressive and killing in order to detect the big glacier? The purpose will not be so simple...... In this case, it may be related to the water source of the Urumqi River. Battle analyzed.

Xu Xueying listened to Battle's analysis, and her heart suddenly became nervous, and she glared at everyone in horror and said:

"If they really want to fetch water, it's too vicious. If the water source is poisoned in the Urumqi River...... Then these military towns along the line in Urumqi will be self-defeating! ”

Ah Shankun was a little puzzled and asked, "Vote...... Poison? With such a big snow-capped mountain and river, how much poison do they have to throw? ”

Xu Xueying said: "When we were studying at the Tianjin Church School, we heard that the British had invented many chemical agents for war. The most powerful poison only needs a few dozen grams to kill tens of thousands of people. ”

Everyone was shocked! I never thought that there was such a lethal mysterious thing in this world.

Xu Xuegong was also taken aback, and said worriedly: "They are conducting surveys there, and the purpose is probably to control the water source." If these people really want to poison, they will lose their conscience......"

Xu Xueying continued: "In a period of time, the weather will be warmer. If they carry out a major blasting of the big glacier, it will be like a big burst of the Yellow River, and the whole of Urumqi and the villages and towns along the way will no longer exist. ”

Everyone was shocked again! Hearing Xu Xueying say this, she jumped a little frightened.

"How many of them came out to the Great Glacier?" Battle asked Xu Xuezhong.

"There were more than twenty people, most of them cavalrymen in charge of the escort." Xu Xuezhong replied.

Li Jiekun's eyes lit up, and he said loudly: "Yes! Then take out their probe team first! ”

Xu Xuegong pondered for a moment, and said worriedly: "The people of Kokand are impatiently coming out of the Heavenly Wolf Valley now, crossing the ice Daban to the big glacier to explore, it seems to be a bit of a dog jumping over the wall. This should be because they feel that they have revealed their whereabouts and increased the risk of being surrounded and annihilated, so they have accelerated the pace of action. This only revealed their true purpose of secretly infiltrating the Sky Wolf Valley in advance...... We really have to guard against these three indiscriminate methods of theirs. ”

Battle was already considering the feasibility of ambushing the Kokand Army expedition and the possible gains and effects. He thought for a while, and then said slowly:

"Although we rescued the people we wanted to save first, we still didn't know anything about the situation in the Sky Wolf Valley. If a few of these Kokand people who are engaged in exploration can be caught alive, maybe this mystery can be solved, and the next step will be easy......"

"It's easy to do! As long as you surround them, none of them will be able to escape. If they want to escape back to the Valley of the Heavenly Wolf, they will have to climb the ice again. Put five or six people at the tiger's mouth pass and it was completely blocked. Li Jiekun said.

"Look at their posture, today is to explore the scene first and call it a hasty end. I guess I'll definitely come back tomorrow to take a closer look. Xu Xuezhong analyzed.

Battle looked at Xu Xuegong and said: "This matter must be grasped quickly, if they finish what they need to do tomorrow, it will be difficult for us to find them again...... I think I'll get him a little bit tomorrow, and I'll get two live mouths and come back and ask for clarification. ”

Xu Xuegong slapped the table and said, "Okay! Without further ado, just do it! ……”