At noon on the second day, the vigorous First Army of Haigula divided into two routes and came to Halmodun.

His first cavalry division directly pounced on the old palace of the Tuerhut tribe, which was already empty, the Huqing Yamen. In less than half an hour, the Huqing Yamen, which carved beams and painted buildings, ignited a sky-high fire that could be seen for hundreds of miles. The former council hall and bustling downtown were instantly turned into ashes......

With the 2nd and 3rd Cavalry Divisions, Haigula rushed to the Kaidu River. It took a lot of effort to re-erect the Kaidu River pontoon bridge that had been demolished.

He crossed the pontoon bridge with his men and horses, and came to the camp of the Turghut tribe, which had been half destroyed by the artillery fire of the Fourth Regiment of Cadakles, and immediately gave the order to set it on fire.

The devastated tribal camp was once again poisoned by the invaders and completely reduced to ruins...... The boulder standing majestically in the center of the camp was like an old man who had experienced vicissitudes, glaring angrily at this group of robbers who had lost their conscience, and once again silently wrote down this old debt that would be settled in the future!

Hygura stared at the boulder that seemed to have infinite vitality, and instantly felt a strange feeling in his heart...... In a trance, he felt that this was like an iron wall, a symbol, a spirit, which could not be destroyed by his own army......

Every year in the middle of summer in July, Korla and Yanqi make people feel unbearable.

When Haigula led the three cavalry divisions of his First Army Corps to the Baluntai Grand Canyon Pass and inspected the Gobi Desert in front of the pass, he found that the temperature on the Gobi Desert was even higher than that in Korla and Yanqi.

If he built a large camp here, it would be like baking his first army camp on a barbecue stove, which he couldn't stand at all. As soon as you enter the valley, you immediately start to feel cool.

Haigula entered the valley to inspect the terrain, and observed from a distance the first natural danger of the Turghut tribe's fortification, the Eagle's Beak Pass.

After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to build his 1st Army battalion and arsenal on a wide, dry ancient riverbed more than two kilometers into the valley. Because it is close to the river, it is very convenient to get water and drink horses.

In order to protect the safety of the camp and the arsenal, he ordered the 1st Cavalry Division to camp three kilometers further inward along the valley. It is less than two kilometers away from the Eagle's Beak Pass, which was fortified by the Turghut tribes......

After a few days of hard work, the 1st Army Battalion, the advance base established by the enemy in the Barente Grand Canyon, was officially put into operation. At the same time, the camps, fortifications, and outpost positions of the enemy's 1st Cavalry Division were also completed.

The forward post of the enemy, quite close to the mouth of the eagle's beak, was only a stone's throw away. From the top of the hill at the mouth of the eagle's beak, you can not only see the facial outline of the enemy sentry, but also directly see the every move of the enemy's 1st Cavalry Division.

According to Haigula, the two barracks set up in this way are a little crowded; But the layout is compact, the power is concentrated, and the efficiency is higher. The defenders of the eagle's beak, and even the defenders of each pass behind it, have the effect of deterrence and oppression; It is highly likely that the other side will be forced to abandon the defensive positions on the passes and ridges on their own initiative and shrink into the valley...... If such a situation occurs, it will have the effect of "surrendering the army without a fight", and he will once again fully reveal his extraordinary military talent, and regain the praise and appreciation of his father Khan.

The news that the Kokand army had advanced to camp not far in front of the Eagle's Beak soon reached the Barentai fortress, less than forty kilometers from the Eagle's Beak. At this time, Jinhua Hatun and the main military generals such as Battle, Zhao Tiefeng, and Sanji Meiren were all in the Barentai Fortress.

Everyone was not frightened or surprised by the news that the enemy troops had camped in the mountain pass, the tribal camp, and the burning of the old palace; Because it's expected, and it's going to happen sooner or later. On the contrary, everyone was glad that the Kokand army did not build the tribal camp and the old royal palace in Harmodun into their forward base to deal with the Turghut tribes, and they would rather be destroyed in the war and rebuilt in the future than let the invaders spoil the feng shui of the two treasured lands.

The main purpose of Jinhua Hatun in the fortress of Baruntai was to be at the forefront of the re-attack of the Kokand army; It is here to wait for news from the king of Khan, ready to receive her husband who has returned from afar. The Balentai Fortress is the only place for the Khan to return to the steppe, and it is also the nearest departure place for the Khan......

A team of men led by Battle and Zhao Tiefeng had already rushed from the Barentai Fortress to the Eagle's Beak Pass to help Li Jie Kundu, who was guarding here.

From the top of the mountain, the two looked at the enemy chain camp not far in front of them, thinking about how to break the enemy. Obviously, this time the Kokand army learned the lesson of adventuring its advance in the various passes of Mount Hora and suffering heavy losses; The tactics of step-by-step and steady progress were adopted. The enemy's intention to "break through" the various passes and fortresses in the Barentai Grand Canyon is very obvious!

When Battle didn't see Richmondu, he asked the sergeant of the guard on the position, and the sergeant said that he had gone along the ridge again.

Half an hour later, Li Jiekundu and a sergeant hurried back along the ridge.

Li Jiekun began to receive police letters when he was set on fire by the Kokand army in the camp of the Harmodun tribe and the old palace. When Khagura's 1st Army entered the mountain from the pass, they hid on the ridge on the side of the pass, and observed the number of men, horses, artillery, and supplies of the enemy army entering the mountain. This time, he followed the ridge of the Eagle's Beak Pass in the direction of the mountain pass, quietly and carefully explored, and observed the arrangement of the Kokand army's camp.

As soon as he returned to the Eagle's Beak Mouth position, Li Jiekundu hurriedly reported to Battle and Zhao Tiefeng:

"It seems that the people of Kokand are bound to win! They dispatched the entire cavalry of the 1st Regiment of Khagura. In front of us was one of his cavalry divisions, and the other two cavalry divisions were stationed in the regimental battalion behind, and there were not many infantry. The large battalion of their First Army was built on the wadi bed, which was four or five miles long, and stretched to the mountain pass. The hay yard has been built, and the stables are half built......

"There were more than a dozen mountain guns in the center of the legion's camp. The muzzles of the six guns of the cavalry division in front of them were already aimed in the direction of our position. However, looking at this posture, it seems that the Kokand people are not about to attack the pass passage below us. On the contrary, there were many people who looked like officers, repeatedly looking around for the terrain of the ridges on both sides, as if looking for a way up the mountain. ”

Battle and Zhao Tiefeng both felt that since the Kokand army was menacing and inevitable, and now, they were stagnant at this small eagle's beak pass; They must still be afraid of the "rolling stones" on the ridges on both sides and the top of the eagle's beak pass, fearing that they will pose a threat to their marching procession, and that they will suffer heavy casualties again! It may be that he wants to try to attack the ridges on both sides first, occupy the commanding heights, control the top of the mountain, and then steadily advance into the valley.

As he spoke, the sound of artillery rang out, and several shells whizzed over the position, landing on the mountainside a hundred meters away from the rear and exploding.

Zhao Tiefeng said: "This is the artillery of the Kokand people in test firing. ”

Before he could finish speaking, another cannon fire rang out, this time landing on the top of the hill on the opposite side.

Li Jiekun said: "The people of Kokand think that we must have ambushed people on both sides, but they don't know our specific location. Mess around! ”

"There's no way they're going to keep trying without a purpose," said Battle, alarmed. It seems that they have accepted the lesson of Mount Hora and do not dare to venture in. It is possible to move on the top of the threatening pass and the ridges on both sides first, and only after clearing the obstacles and removing the threat will the group move forward. ”

He instructed Li Jiekun to make the sergeants guarding the pass more vigilant in case the enemy army raided the positions on the top of the mountain and the ridge of the pass; To the sergeants on the opposite ridge position, also send a signal to be on alert.

Battle and Zhao Tiefeng were going to the ridge in front of them and also went to investigate quietly. As soon as he took a step, he saw a sergeant running from the ridge in front of him.

The sergeant panted and reported: "The Kokand people are ready to start attacking the mountain!" …… A group of their men was more than three miles ahead, and began to assemble under the ridge on our side, ready to climb the mountain; Another group was also assembled under the opposite ridge. Behind each of them was a pike-squad, which was supported by a covering force, holding their guns down the hill to look for targets to aim......

"Hmmm! Finally it began......" Battle muttered to himself.

He turned around and ordered a sergeant, "Go to the overpass and inform the two cavalry squads waiting there to come and reinforce them." Leave your horses at the bottom of the mountain, bring your equipment, and go up the mountain to support the opposite position, and the other will follow you here. ”

The sergeant received the order, quickly descended the mountain, and went in the direction of the sky bridge......

Coming to attack the mountain from both sides were two platoons of the British mercenary "Mountain Company".

This was according to Haigula's order, so that the "mountain company" tried to attack and occupy the ridges on both sides, so as to provide two flanks for the march of the large army.

Khagura believed that as long as he occupied the ridges on both sides and advanced along the ridges to the two sides of the summit of the Eagle's Beak, the Turks who guarded here in the shadows would not be able to hide. Having occupied the ridges on both sides and the top of the passes, his large army marching from the valley would be "foolproof", and naturally there would be no repeat of the tragedy of a large number of cavalry troops being stoned and wounded by stones on the mountain. Such a steady advance would allow for the detection and effective removal of the resistance of the Turks without causing major casualties on their own side.

In addition, he also wanted to use this method to test the combat capabilities of this mercenary "mountain company". Look at this special forces that his father Khan has high hopes for, is it really that magical? And once successful, the way to attack the next pass can be concocted in the same way, and the echelon advance.

In order to ensure the success of this operation, Haigula ordered that while the "mountain company" was attacking the mountain, a large group of cavalrymen equipped with rifles and some infantry were deployed on the mountainside to maintain vigilance on the top of the mountain, and immediately shoot and kill the target when it was discovered, so as to provide cover and fire support for the "mountain company" to reach the summit smoothly. The artillery team also aimed its guns at the top of the hill and could fire from its back at any time if needed.

The equipment of these mercenaries of the "mountain company" is really good: rifles, pistols, special sabers, hiking boots, trekking lines, hooks, goggles...... The whole nine yards.

Near noon, the two platoons of the "Mountain Company" began to launch mountaineering offensive operations under the command of the two leaders of the two leading groups, respectively, to the ridges on both sides in front of the eagle's beak. However, at this time, they haven't found out where the defenders are here?

Although these "mountain company" mercenaries have received special training in mountain warfare, they are extremely fierce and have super physical strength; But after all, people's physical strength is limited, and with the scorching summer sun, these soldiers who climbed halfway up the mountain were already sweating and their legs and feet were weak.

After a short rest, the enemy soldiers began to climb from halfway up the mountain to the top of the mountain.

The enemy soldiers who were climbing the mountain had increased their vigilance by this time, and their rifles and pistols were all loaded, and they were nervously looking upwards while climbing with difficulty......

When he was about to approach the top of the mountain, he suddenly rolled down a few stones from the top, and these stones brought the fluffy stones on the mountain and rolled down together...... At this time, once the enemy soldiers who attack the mountain let go and take off the climbing rope, they will immediately roll off the cliff! But there is no room to dodge, and there is no way to move and dodge; I watched as the stones fell on my heads and those of my companions...... The enemy soldier who was hit first smashed smashed down the mountain when he fell, and was killed and injured by more than a dozen of them in an instant.

The enemy soldiers who were responsible for covering and supporting halfway up the mountain were also unable to dodge and were smashed and wounded.

When all the falling stones hit the ground, the enemy soldiers at the foot of the mountain and halfway up the mountain hurriedly raised their guns and shook their heads everywhere to find targets. But the distance was too far to see clearly, so he fired indiscriminately at the rocks on the top of the mountain that seemed to be the target, but in fact, he didn't even see a single figure on the top of the mountain, only some broken stones fell......

After resting and preparing for half an hour, the mercenary "Mountain Company" once again attacked and climbed from the halfway up the mountain, this time re-choosing the route of the mountaineering attack. But when he was about to reach the top, he was hit by rocks, and several more were killed and injured......

The two platoons of the "Mountain Company" that attacked the ridges on both sides of the mountain encountered the same situation, and nearly half of them were killed or wounded, and in desperation, they were forced to temporarily terminate the attack on the mountain.

In the evening, Kuburi also came from Korla to the 1st Legion Camp of Khygula.

In the military tent, Kubri and Haigula couldn't cry or laugh when they looked at the three leaders of the "Mountain Company" who had just entered the battlefield and had not seen the shadow of the enemy, but were smashed to death and injured by stones on the mountain, nearly half of them.

They instantly felt that the special forces "Mountain Company", which was very important to their coach Agubai, was really vulnerable and vain! …… But for a while, I couldn't think of a good way to be sure that there would be no major casualties and to move forward quickly.

The leader of the "Mountain Company" defended: "This is different from all the mountains where we train. The mountains here are very steep and bare, with almost no vegetation, and the soil and rocks on the mountains are very soft; Even if there is no one on the top of the mountain, the fluffy rocks may slip down at any time, and the mountaineering equipment is basically not used, and it is extremely difficult to reach the top! ……”

Hygula immediately asked, "Then what kind of mountains are your special training carried out on?" ”

"Our main training ground is the Kufo Cliffs in Shimla, which is the only mountain forces training base of the British Army in India......"

Kubri was shocked! Then he shook his head and said, "Shimla is the office of the British Governor and the Commander of the Army, and it is also a place to relax and escape the summer. Although it is the closest to Xinjiang, the climatic conditions of the two places are very different! The rainfall here is only one-thirtieth of the rainfall in Shimla. If you are trained and familiar with the mountain structure there, you will definitely not need it here...... Go and rest and be ready first! ”

The leaders of the special forces nodded and walked away.

Haigura shook his head and said indignantly: "Father Khan still treats them as treasures, this is a bunch of waste!" ”

Kuburi nodded lightly and suddenly asked, "Isn't it planned to build a big camp outside the mountain pass?" How did you get into the mountains? ”

Haigula smiled, "Didn't you pass by the Gobi Desert in the mountain pass?" Don't feel it? ”

"It's a little hot. However, the location of the camp was changed, and it was built on a dry riverbed, and I am afraid that your father Khan will not be satisfied! ”

"That's good! Tomorrow at noon, you will sit on the Gobi Desert for a while. If you can hold out for an hour, I'll move the camp out right away......"

Kubri was speechless for a moment.

Haigula continued: "Building a large camp on the Gobi Desert in the mountain pass, the soldiers and war horses simply can't stand it; If that's the case, within three days, these thousands of war horses will be roasted to death at least half! …… Speaking of security? Didn't you just say that? The rainfall here is only one-thirtieth of that of other people's Shimla! In a year, there are not a few light rains, and this wide ancient riverbed is absolutely safe! ”

Kubri saw that the wood was in the boat, and he could no longer change the status quo; Moreover, he couldn't see the real threat of building the legion camp and arsenal in the valley at the moment, so he nodded helplessly. He turned to Hygura worriedly:

"Your father Khan's negative opinion of you and the accumulated resentment have not been eliminated. You must find a way to defeat the Turks as quickly as possible, and make sure that the army does not suffer heavy losses; Otherwise, in the eyes of your father Khan, it will be difficult for you to turn over! ”

Haigula glanced at Kubri, spread his hand and said, "You think I'm here to play in the mountains and rivers?" I'm also trying to figure out a way to defeat Turgot as soon as possible! However, the lessons of Mount Hora must not be forgotten and cannot be left unguarded! …… Now, I want to clear the threat from the top of the hill on both sides before moving forward. But this British special forces are not angry! It doesn't work. Before even seeing the face of the Mongols, they were in a mess! …… However, I asked the General Staff Office to design another set of offensive plans, and it will be determined tonight! ”

Kubri pretended to be very concerned again, and said secretly: "Your current situation here is indeed a dilemma. But if this stalemate continues, it is difficult to solve it quickly; Coupled with the loss of this 'Mountain Company', I am worried that your father Khan will give you another account. That's even more troublesome! ”

Khagura saw that Kuburi had come here and had been sent by his father Khan to supervise the war. Now, I don't have a choice. Since there is no plan to do both, we can only take a risk again by taking a risk of action that has not yet been fully formed!

He thought for a while, then pulled Kubri to the battle map, "I'll introduce you first!" I plan to start tomorrow morning, and order the 2nd Cavalry Division to abandon its horses, divide into fifty battle squads, and start together along all the trails that can be climbed up the mountain, and search and attack the mountain on foot. Try to seize the defensive positions on the top of the pass and the ridges on both sides, and if you can't take those positions quickly, you must do your best to contain the main garrison of Turghut on the top of the mountain.

"With the 2nd and 3rd Divisions in full contact with the Turks and effective containment, the artillery was responsible for shelling their passes, especially destroying the 'Stonehenge' above the Eagle's Beak. At the same time, the 1st Cavalry Division was ordered to send a regiment to quickly rush through the Eagle's Beak Pass after the sappers cleared the obstacles that fell under the Eagle's Beak Pass and opened the road! Behind the pass was a wider valley, and further on, the second pass they fortified, the overpass. If successful, the cavalry regiment will camp in the valley and flank their positions from the rear of the Eagle's Beak Pass, and at the same time set up a guard ...... the overpass pass."

Kuburi listened, and his spirits perked! But at the same time, he was a little worried, and said:

"It's the only way to go, I think I can give it a try! …… However, after this cavalry regiment rushed through the pass, it was faced with a flanking attack from both sides of the eagle's beak mouth and the overpass mouth. ”

"The reconnaissance of this canyon has been going on in secret. After the Turks moved into the mountains, the focus of their defense was on the fortress of Barentai, which was more than 30 kilometers away from here, and they wanted to fight us in a decisive battle there...... What we encounter now are sporadic teams blocking and harassing on the top of the mountain. The aim is to inflict effective casualties on our marching troops and slow down our offensive speed while we are on the way.

"Therefore, even if we attack these passes with all our might, even if we do our best to attack at any cost, we can only hurt their skin. Their main force is not far away! …… Well, since these scattered forces are pinned down on the top of the mountain, our men and horses in the valley are relatively safe, and the strength of one cavalry regiment is enough to deal with it...... Also, consider the worst-case scenario: if the Turks come out and risk their deaths! Even a cavalry division is difficult to parry; In that case, the cost of losing a cavalry regiment would be much more cost-effective......"

When Kubury heard this, he felt that this plan was indeed the only effective operational implementation plan, and it was also a helpless move!

Obviously! The Battle of Hora Mountain and the Battle of the Seven Star Pass caused irreparable wounds to the hearts of the Kokand invaders. so that when they make decisions, every step is like being on the edge of the abyss; When attacking, he was also frightened everywhere and did not dare to venture forward. This will provide many favorable opportunities for the Turghut tribe to resist in the future.

Early the next morning, the 2nd Cavalry Division of the 1st Hygura Corps began to assemble. They divided into dozens of squads and prepared to start searching and attacking the mountain on foot. The men and artillery of the 3rd Cavalry Division were responsible for cover and fire support at the foot of the mountain. A regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division also received an order, took enough baggage and ammunition, and prepared to advance to the Eagle's Beak Mouth attack and cross the Eagle's Beak Pass from the bottom.

Before the sun could rise from the top of the mountain, Khagura gave the order to attack.

For a moment, dozens of enemy troops howled, rushing towards every path that could lead to the top of the mountain, desperately attacking towards the top of the mountain.

The pikemen of the enemy's 3rd Cavalry Division, who were responsible for covering below, lined up in two long columns, holding their guns to the hill to find a target; Whenever you see a suspicious target on the mountain, you will fire a volley of gunfire...... But no matter which mountain road they attacked, they were all smashed down by the rocks on the mountain without exception. Some of the loose stones were shot down by the enemy pikemen who were covering.

The enemy soldiers who had been smashed down the mountain, after resting for a while, howled again and charged up the mountain......

The 200-strong guard team led by Battle, Zhao Tiefeng, and Li Jiekun withstood the enemy's continuous attacks, but the casualties were not small.

By midday, the enemy had not been able to reach the ridges on either side. The enemy troops who were stoned dead and wounded had already exceeded three or four hundred, but they still continued to attack the mountain.

Seeing that the goal of comprehensively containing the opponent's hilltop guard had been achieved, Khagura gave the artillery the order to open fire.

Enemy artillery began to fire at the top of the Eagle's Beak Pass, and a large number of shells poured down on our positions above the Eagle's Beak.

Although the enemy's artillery bombardment did not cause great losses to our personnel, several "stone piles" were hit by shells, and a large number of stones fell in advance and filled the bottom of the eagle's beak.

At this time, an engineer company of the enemy approached the mouth of the eagle's beak and began to clear the fallen stones, preparing to open the passage.

Behind this enemy engineer company, a cavalry regiment of the enemy's 1st Cavalry Division, which was closely followed, was ready to quickly cross the bottom of the eagle's beak......