In mid-September, the 3rd Haji Army of the Aguba invading army returned to the city of Korla from Kuqa.

Haji's Third Army, since three months ago, has traveled from Korla to Kucha and Aksu regions; Under the instigation of the Second Army of Berkhuri stationed in Kashgar, they carried out a frenzied siege on the local rebels who did not submit to the rule of Aguba and constantly attacked and harassed the supply lines of the invading Kokand army.

In the end, these multi-way rebel armies, which were formed by the combination of Uygurs, Han Chinese, Hui, Tajiks, Uzbeks and other local people, were divided and surrounded by tens of thousands of troops of the enemy's two legions. In the tragic breakout battle, they all suffered heavy casualties!

Under the response of the Mongol rebels of Ili Tex, the rebels from all walks of life were forced to retreat into the depths of the Western Tianshan Mountains, avoiding the enemy's edge and waiting for an opportunity to move.

Haji saw that the threat of supply lines had been largely lifted; The order to assemble at Kuqa and prepare to cross the Tieri Daban and attack Bayinbrook has been cancelled; His own Third Army Corps was also organized as the "Guards Corps" in the new combat sequence; Immediately, in accordance with Aguba's orders, he led the Third Army and hurried back to Korla from Kucha.

Hajj's 3rd Army Corps immediately took over the defense of the city of Korla and the enemy barracks, and officially became the "Guards Corps" and general reserve of the Aguba invading army.

The Guards Cavalry Division commanded by Yunus, plus the remnants of the three cavalry regiments of the original Kdakor Fourth Legion, also officially began to form the "Flanker Regiment"; The main targets of the attack were the Turghut tribe, the Heshute tribe and Xu Xuegong's Nanshan militia.

The reason why Aguba expanded the most elite and beloved Guards Cavalry Division into the "Flanker Regiment" to deal with these local civilian forces was obviously deliberate.

He had realized that the real threat to his army's dream of conquering the whole of Xinjiang was no longer the regular army of the Great Qing Dynasty, which was defending the city; Rather, it is the Turgot, Heshute tribes and the Xu Xuegong militia, these civilian armed forces who are familiar with the local landscape.

At this time, after receiving another large amount of arms and equipment provided by the British, Aguba realized a major adjustment and replenishment of military strength.

The main military force of the invading army of Aguba formed four large operational clusters: the advance corps of Khagura, the flanker corps of Yunus, the guards corps of Haji, and the rear corps of Berkhuri.

In addition, Lieutenant Colonel Bigg's artillery division, special forces, and officer training regiments have also been replenished, and their combat strength has been further enhanced.

The day after the transfer of the Korla defense to the Haji Guards Corps. Yunus led the two cavalry divisions of the Flanker Regiment and left Korla; Mightily marched into the Yanqi barracks rebuilt by the enemy army between Yanqi City and the Kaidu River.

The task assigned to him by Aguba this time is very clear, that is, to first sweep and conquer the Hoshute Mongol tribes who are stationed on the shores of Bosten Lake, and clear the "worries" on the march from Yanqi to Tuoxun. And they did everything they could to loot all kinds of food and articles that could be used for military expenses and military supplies.

The Heshute tribe has three flags, the middle flag, the right flag, and the left flag, and ten sumu. Nine of them are located on the shores of Bosten Lake, and only the Tashi Delektaiji Left Banner is located on the Baurtu Mountain in the central Tien Shan Mountains.

Because these nine sumu are all stationed in the plain area of the lakeside, there is no danger to defend; In order to prevent the sack of the invading army of Kokand, before the arrival of the flank army of Yunus, the Heshute tribe had already arranged for each sumu of the three banners to begin to withdraw into the Baurtu Mountains one after another. Only Hudukesumu on the south bank was intercepted by the enemy troops in the Yanqi barracks and failed to make the trip.

In fact, before the arrival of the Yunus Flank Legion, the Yanqi barracks had already stationed 2,000 enemy troops. The retreat of the Heshute tribe into the mountains was hastily marched at the risk of being intercepted by these enemy forces.

The Heshute tribe also made up its mind, and was ready to imitate the tactics of the Turghut tribe of "resisting step by step", taking advantage of the favorable terrain and natural dangers of the passes, to effectively block the attack, and to consume the enemy as much as possible; Forcing the enemy army to retreat in the mountains.

However, because Huduksumu on the south bank of Bosten Lake was too remote, it was deliberately intercepted by enemy troops; The enemy was unable to withdraw from the grazing grounds until the south and west banks were completely blockaded. This incident has also become the biggest "heart disease" of the entire Heshute tribe and Tashi Delektaiji......

After all preparations were put to rest, Yunus took three cavalry regiments of the 1st Cavalry Division, more than 2,000 horses, and set out from the Yanqi barracks; Along the Kaidu River, the search for the attack advanced in the direction of Bosten Lake.

The wolf-like invading army first swept away the Baolang Sumu of the Heshute Right Banner and the Shala Sumu of the Left Banner.

But what they didn't expect was that the two Sumu were already empty. Not only did not see a single herder, but not even a cow or a sheep were found. Keep searching and the results will be the same.

If you go any further, you will have to cross the desert hills and enter the Kuruk Mountains; And he was not ready to attack in the mountains.

Yunus thought at this time: Even if there is a large-scale attack on the mountain, there is no big "oil and water" to be fished in the bare Kuruk Mountain! If you move the people, the gains will definitely outweigh the losses.

In the end, I can only go home in a huff.

Night. He thought about it again and again, and felt that he had to act as soon as possible! Otherwise, when all the Heshute tribes are transferred, the first expedition of their flank regiment may return without success.

Early the next morning, Yunus commanded the 1st Cavalry Division, which set out from Yanqi and advanced in the direction of Quhui and Ushtara in the northeast, with a rapid search and attack.

The invading army first swept the Harang Sumu and Grachi Sumu in the Central Banner, and then swept the Batut Sumu in the Left Banner. Again, the result was nothing.

In desperation, Yunus ordered his sergeants to completely destroy the two military stations on our official road post road, Teboltai and Ushaketai! The official post road between Yanqi and Tuoxun was completely blocked.

Although the guards of these two military stations have long since fled; But Yunus felt that there was finally some "results".

At this time, the enemy army sent out to report that by tracking the traces left by the evacuation of people and herds from Heshuot. It can be determined that the horses, horses and herds of the Heshute tribe entered the mountain from the dragon's mouth on the north side of Ushtara along the Nayink Gorge. About 10 kilometers into the mountain from the Nayink Gorge, there is a village called Chahan Tonggu, where people and animals are very likely to stay.

According to the previous reconnaissance and the information sent back by the reconnaissance horse, Yunus judged that the mountains here were not as steep as the Barentai Grand Canyon, and they were relatively gentle, which was convenient for the cavalry to fight. Moreover, there are only ten Sumu in the Heshute tribe, and the space for maneuver is not large; Unlike the Turgot tribe, there is a strong strength of more than fifty sumu and a strategic depth of hundreds of kilometers. Launching an attack here will definitely not repeat the mistakes of the First Army of Khagura.

Yunus made up his mind that this time he must bite his opponent and never return empty-handed. He gave the herald an order:

"The whole army is encamped in Ushtara! …… Inform the 2nd Cavalry Division, which is on standby in the Yanqi Battalion, to arrive at the Ushtara Battalion before noon tomorrow and stand by! ”

The next morning. The 2nd Cavalry Division of the enemy's flank corps rushed to Ushtara. At this time, all six cavalry regiments under Yunus were pressed near Ustara on the north shore of Bosten Lake.

Yunus ordered one of the cavalry regiments to stay in the camp at Ushtara; The men and horses of the remaining five regiments all marched from Longkou to the Nayinke Grand Canyon.

Yunus led a large group of men and horses from the dragon's mouth into the valley. It is indeed much wider than the Barentai Canyon, and the ridges on both sides are relatively low; Even if there is an ambush on the top of the mountain, the falling rolling stones will not pose a big threat to his team.

He was emboldened! The order marched deeper into the valley.

He also found that the vegetation here is much more lush than the vegetation on the ridge near the Barentai Canyon Pass! Moreover, in the wide valley, there are dense poplars and more than a person's tall sage grass and reed bushes. The men and horses who occupied the ridges on both sides in advance, looking down from the top of the mountain, couldn't see whether there were people moving in the jungle in the canyon?

He gradually felt that these 3,000 people and horses, scattered in this valley of tens of kilometers, did not seem so dense. Not as spectacular as he imagined! This made him more or less worried.

Yunus then gave the order: form a skirmisher formation and steadily search and advance.

Suddenly, in the front of the vanguard cavalry regiment, there was a "boom" sound of collapse. Immediately afterwards, a large puff of sand and dust rushed out of the top of the dense forest...... It was seven or eight enemy cavalrymen who had fallen into a huge pit. The people and horses who fell into the pit were either killed or injured.

After a while, there were several more screams in the dense forest! A few more enemy soldiers were shot off their horses by cold arrows......

The search into the mountains had advanced less than twenty kilometers, and before he could see the faces of the enemy's men and horses, more than a dozen cavalrymen died, which made Yunus a little annoyed. He immediately ordered the vanguard cavalry regiment to rush through the jungle as soon as possible.

By noon, the enemy's vanguard cavalry regiment had finally broken out of the dangerous dense forest. But when I got out of the jungle, I found that the mountains in front of me began to grow tall and steep, and the valley became extremely narrow. Moreover, from here, two huge valleys that are not far apart and almost parallel to each other have appeared.

At the mouth of these two valleys, traces of sheep have been found, and sheep dung and eggs can be seen everywhere.

After receiving the report, Yunus himself went to the front of the valley to inspect the situation.

Bolton, the leader of the reconnaissance team who came with him, pointed to the mouth of the canyon and said:

"Our preliminary reconnaissance also came here, and we didn't go deeper into these two canyons. More than four kilometers to the right of here is the village of 'Chahan Tonggu'......"

Puzzled, Yunus interrupted Bolton and asked, "There are already two 'Chahan Tonggu' on the territory of Turgot, why is there another 'Chahan Tonggu' here, is there no mistake?" ”

"Yes! The place names that the Mongols like, they will use repeatedly. Not only are there many 'Chahan Tungu', but there are also many 'Benbutu'. The Mongolian word for 'Chahan Tonggu' means 'white herb', and the Mongolian word for 'Benbutu' means 'place where treasures are hidden'......"

"What does 'Nayinke' mean?"

"The Mongolian word for 'Nayinke' means 'the place where the red horse walks'......"

"These two canyons ahead. How long is it? Where does it lead? Isn't it all clear? ”

"Yes! We haven't been in either canyon yet, and the length is not clear. However, looking at the mountain here, it must be steeper and narrower as you go in. These two gorges are likely to be connected to the highest mountain in the vicinity, Mount Baurtu. The Bauertu Grassland Pasture, the only alpine pasture of the Heshute Mongol tribe, was the main hiding place for them to move into the mountains. ”

Yunus pondered for a moment, and suddenly asked, "What is the direction of Shaman's advance team, where was the location chosen at the beginning?" ”

"The place chosen by General Sharman is called 'Wolf Valley'. Behind these mountains, it should be about fifty kilometers from here. The mountains there are much higher than here. ”

Vanus looked again with his binoculars, looking at the two canyons as far as he could see. He looked at the sky again, estimated the time, and then ordered:

"The first and second cavalry regiments, respectively, entered the mountains along the two gorges, searched for five kilometers and then returned; The 3rd and 4th Cavalry Regiments, respectively guarding the mountain passes of the two gorges, were responsible for receiving the ......"

He personally led the 5th Cavalry Regiment and the reconnaissance brigade, turned to the right, searched and attacked the ancient village of Chahantongu, and prepared to set up a temporary camp there.

Yunus came to Chahan Tonggu with the 5th Cavalry Regiment. As he expected, the people and animals had all been moved, leaving him with little to replenish.

At this time, he was already soberly aware that the great transfer of the Heshute tribe was enough to show that he was determined to fight his army to the end!

He also admired the Heshute Mongols from the bottom of his heart, and they were transferred so thoroughly! I tossed for two or three days, but not only did I not find a person, a cow, or a sheep; Even the crops on the shores of Bosten Lake were clean of the corn that was not yet fully ripe, including the barley in the Cave of Nayink. They did it too perfectly! ……

In the evening. Two cavalry regiments that had gone into the mountains to search and two cavalry regiments that were in charge of receiving them at the mountain pass also came to the temporary camp of Chahan Tonggu.

However, in the two cavalry regiments that entered the mountain, twenty or thirty cavalrymen who were killed and wounded by the rolling stones on the mountain were tied to horses and brought back.

The commander of the 1st Cavalry Regiment, Colonel Gule, complained to Yunnus:

"The deeper you go into this canyon, the deeper and narrower it becomes, and the ridge gets higher and higher. The five kilometers we searched for were killed and wounded by stones rolled down by the people on the mountain, before we reached the pass where they were fortified. This is in a straggler formation, searching to advance; If the brigade of cavalry passes intensively, the losses will definitely be greater. We found people on the top of the hill, but it was too far away for our rifles to reach. With such a huge mountain, it is not realistic to climb and search......"

"How far is the cut-off point for your search from the ridge pass where they might be fortified?" Yunus asked.

"It's less than two kilometers away."

"Is this the case with your cavalry regiment?" Yunus asked the commander of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment.

"We were in the same situation as the 1st Cavalry Regiment. However, the cut-off point of our search was less than three hundred meters away from the first pass that could be fortified, and the traces of fortification were very obvious. The commander of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment replied.

"According to your judgment, is it possible that behind these passes, there is a wide and flat prairie?" Yunus continued.

"There is no such possibility!" The commanders of the two cavalry regiments replied at the same time.

The two of them replied in the affirmative, which surprised Yunus a little! He hastened to let them talk more about the basis for their judgment.

"The place we arrived at was about two kilometers from the pass where they were fortified. Climb up to the scout posts on the mountainsides on both sides to see the general outline of the top of the valley behind the pass. The distance between the two sides of the valley is narrower and steeper, and there can be no wide grassland area. Guler said.

The commander of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment also nodded, agreeing with this point of view, adding:

"If the length of these two canyons reaches more than thirty kilometers; Then there should be at least five or six dangerous passes. Even if we can attack and advance to the central position, if the opponent relies on the pass and the ridges on both sides, we will block it with all our might; If we want to get out of the canyon safely, it will be very difficult! The casualties must be very large! ”

In Yunus's heart, some slight fear instantly appeared. He pondered for a moment, and then analyzed with great confusion:

"These two canyons are getting narrower and narrower, and it is impossible to carry hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep for growth and grazing; Then it is impossible to be the main pasture of the Heshute Mongols. However, it is not known for sure whether these two gorges lead to their Baurtu alpine pastures.

"If these two canyons are not connected to the Baurtu ranch at all; Then this is exactly the trap set by the Mongols...... It is now certain that even if there are two canyons, or one of them, leads to the Baurtu Ranch; If we want to take this passage and the Baurtu pasture, we will have to pay a very high price! Is that so? ”

The two cavalry commanders nodded in agreement with Yunnus's opinion.

Yunus continued: "Bolton's reconnaissance team has already searched along the east side of the mountain and will be back soon. When he returns, we'll decide what to do next......"

Before he could finish speaking, Bolton hurried into the Wonus tent.

Yunus asked eagerly, "What's the situation?" ”

Bolton took a sip of water and said with great interest: "The passage to the Baurtu ranch has been found!" …… From here, along the Gobi in front of the mountain, there is a side road to the northeast; Twenty kilometers along the road, there is a wide valley, and in front of the valley there is a village called 'Baurtu'. In front of the valley, there are also traces of sheep entering the mountains, but earlier than the traces here. It can be concluded that the canyon is the real gateway to the Baurtu pasture! ”

"How far is this village from the Ushtara camp?"

"It's estimated to be about fifty kilometers, but you don't have to climb the mountains; There is no need to cross the jungle area, it is all in front of the Gobi. One of the sections was when the Third Army ambushed the Qing troops who came from Urumqi to reinforce Korla and Yanqi, and walked through ......"

"What is the current situation of this village called 'Baurtu'?"

"This village, like the rest of the village, has been completely abandoned, and all people and animals have been transferred. The location of this village is very suitable as a base for us to move forward. We can move the battalion from Ushtara to this village and think about the next attack......"

Yunus was quite satisfied with the results of Bolton's search and investigation. He began to consider the pros and cons of moving to the village of Baurtu, the details and the risks involved. But he also still has a glimmer of hope for the two canyons in front of him, and he refuses to give up completely now.

He thought in his heart: "If the Heshute Mongols rushed to the mountains from here, then after all, this place has a certain connection with the main pastures, and it is still a shortcut to get it wrong." Giving up now is tantamount to missing out on the best offensive line! But if these two gorges are not connected with the Baurtu ranch at all, and the passes in the canyon are heavily fortified; An all-out assault will inevitably result in heavy casualties! It also fell into the trap designed by the other side and consumed our military power without limit......

"But if the canyon to the north of the village of Baoertu is the entrance passage of the real Baoertu ranch, is there no fortification? There will definitely be heavy garrisons, and the result of the assault will be just as unacceptable. Moreover, there is a possibility that cannot be completely ruled out - the results of Bolton's reconnaissance are biased, and that the canyon is not a real access road. In that case, your own prediction and decision-making will be too wrong! ”

Guller saw through Yunus's mind of "suffering from gains and losses", he came up with a way to achieve both, and said solemnly:

"We can prepare with both hands and stay here for another day. Early tomorrow morning, we will try again according to today's search attack formation. With as few casualties as possible, try to attack the first fortified pass in the two canyons. The situation behind the pass is also clear...... If we can determine that these two canyons are the passage to the Baurtu pasture, we can continue to attack and capture the next fortified pass.

"If it could be determined, there could be no such passage in the canyon; Then this is indeed a trap they set to lure us into pursuit. The aim is to cover up the real approach and deplete our attacking forces. In that case, we will quickly withdraw from the gorge, no longer entangle with them, and immediately turn to the village of Baurtu and set up camp. ”

Yunus listened carefully to every word of Gulle. After listening to it, I feel that this is indeed a "two-way policy". Neither in the two canyons in front of you "give up halfway" and leave regrets; You can also make up your mind to attack the canyon behind the village of Baurtu. So, he decided to follow this plan!

Early the next morning, four cavalry regiments of the enemy army launched an operation at the same time. Bolton also set out again with a reconnaissance team to reconnoiter the exact location of the Baurtu ranch and the safety of the supply route from Ushtara to the village of Baurtu......

When the sun set, the four cavalry regiments of the enemy army, which had been tossing for a day, returned to the camp of Chahan Tonggu with hundreds of corpses of enemy soldiers who had been killed in battle.

Gulle told Yunus about their torment in the gorge: "Yesterday the five-kilometre march into the mountain was relatively smooth; Only two kilometers behind the summit of the hill were attacked with stones from the mountain. When we entered the canyon today, we were still advancing in a skirmisher formation; But less than a kilometer into the mountain, it began to be attacked. Moreover, the further forward the attack, the more fierce the attack, and the rolling stones thrown down from the top of the mountain became more and more dense.

"By the time we advanced to the first pass, dozens of cavalry and horses had already been killed and wounded. Considering that passing through the bottom of the pass is too risky; We tried to attack from the ridges on both sides...... There, stubborn resistance from the Mongols was encountered.

"Their bows and arrows are staggering! The more than 30 soldiers killed in the battle were all shot by bows and arrows during the continuous attack. Our rifle fire, after completely suppressing them, barely captured their ambush position on the top of the pass. But the Mongols who were shot by our rifles, there were only a dozen......

"The number of 'stone piles' and 'rolling stone piles' on the top of the mountain is also amazing! If it starts, attack directly from the bottom of the pass; These stones will definitely cause heavy damage to our cavalry ranks......

"When our people looked at this canyon from the top of the pass, they found that this canyon stretched to the west, dozens of kilometers long, and there was no end in sight. But the Baurtu Ranch should be in the eastern direction of this canyon, that is, in the opposite direction.

"If we continue to attack along this canyon, not only will there be heavy casualties and delays; And we will be further and further away from our ultimate goal, the Baurtu ranch...... Now it is certain that these two canyons are the traps set for us by the Heshute Mongols; It is a trap that lures us into attacking.

"Not only do they want to take advantage of the favorable terrain here to strike at us, which will greatly deplete our strength; At the same time, it also diverts our attention and protects the Baurtu pasture. to keep their main gathering area safe from attack...... It's time for the action to end here! ”

The description of the commander of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment is basically the same as Guler's. However, he suggested that the next time such a canyon pass is attacked, artillery must be involved.

Yunus finally made up his mind, and the next morning, he moved to the village of Baurtu. At the same time, the heralds were ordered to inform Lieutenant Colonel Bigg and the Yanqi barracks to send a platoon of artillery with at least three mountain guns; Stationed at the Baurtu camp to assist in the assault on the Baurtu Grand Canyon......

The next morning, Yunus arrived at the village of Baurtu with all his men. Under the guidance of Bolton, he took several cavalry commanders with him to personally inspect the mouth of the Grand Canyon to the north.

The traces of the canyon mouth being washed by the flash flood are clearly visible. The depths of this canyon that can be seen through the telescope are steeper than the mountains of the Nayinke Canyon. However, the front part of the canyon here is much wider.

According to his judgment, this Grand Canyon should indeed be the "Baoertu Grand Canyon" he was looking for; Definitely the most important access to and from the Baurtu Ranch. Through this passage, you will definitely find the Heshute people who have fled into the mountains.

Two days later. The enemy's artillery corps and the munitions that needed to be replenished all arrived at the camp in the village of Baoertu.

Early the next morning. Yunus left the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, which had been badly wounded, to stay in the camp in the village of Baurtu; Personally commanding four cavalry regiments and artillery corps, he began to advance towards the Grand Canyon of Baurtu, searching for an attack.

This time, the four cavalry regiments were fully equipped with munitions and munitions. Be prepared to camp at any time according to the needs of the battle, and do not return to the camp in the village of Baoertu outside the pass on the same day......

Since the Heshute tribe participated in the "Battle of the Seven Stars", it has been considered that the Kokand invading army will arrive sooner or later, and a major strategic shift has been arranged in advance.

Namzhal, the leader of the Heshute tribe, and Tashi Delek, the leader of the Left Banner, arranged for the Sumu to be transferred to the Baoertu Mountains as soon as possible; Special arrangements were made for individual sheep to be transferred in the later period, from the Longkou of Ushtara to the Nayink Gorge into the mountains. Leave traces and lure enemy forces to attack.

It is planned to use the natural danger of the pass in the Nayinke Canyon and the jungle in front of the canyon to fight everywhere; Consume and strike the enemy army and force the enemy army to retreat!

This exquisite layout of the Heshute tribe made the flank guard army of Yunus suffer a lot and suffered a lot. Now, the invading army has finally touched the gateway to the Baurtu Mountains - the village of Baurtu and began to attack the Baurtu Grand Canyon.

In fact, Tashi Delektaiji has already been fully prepared here. He plans to take on the Kokand invading army on his own turf...... He's getting a little impatient to wait!

What the invading army of Kokand did not know was that the depths of the dozens of kilometers of the Baurtu Grand Canyon were much steeper than the Barentai Grand Canyon! The criss-crossing ravines are also much more complicated, and there are as many as a dozen passes that can be fortified, especially the main passes of Huangyangkou, Hubei Cliff, Tianmakou, Longmenkou and Guanyin Peak, which are insurmountable.

The four cavalry regiments of the Yunus Flanker Regiment lined up to search and advance. The first five or six kilometers went very smoothly! It's just that because of the three horse-drawn artillery wagons of the artillery team, it is difficult to move; It was time to clear the large rocks that had been washed down by the flood on the road. During this period, no resistance was encountered.

But further in, the mountains on both sides suddenly steepened, and the canyon began to narrow.

At noon, the 1st Cavalry Regiment of Gule, as the vanguard, gradually approached the first truly fortified pass in the Grand Canyon - Huangyangkou.

At a distance of 500 meters from Huangyangkou, Gule, who was in the forefront, stopped with the team. He raised his binoculars and carefully observed the pass in front of him, up and down. It is basically certain: This is a key fortified pass.

He ordered the heralds to report the situation to Yunus; and according to the prior arrangement, inform Bolton's reconnaissance brigade to come and assist in the capture of the ridge on both sides.

Half an hour later, Bolton personally led a squadron of the reconnaissance brigade to the Huangyangkou Pass to meet the Gule cavalry regiment.

After some deliberation with Guller, Bolton decided to send a company of troops, plus a reconnaissance squadron, to try to attack the ridge on the right. One more company was assigned to cover and fire support at the foot of the hill. The artillery formed positions at a distance of a kilometer from the pass, ready to shell the positions on the pass at any time.