The advance of General Kuroki’s force north of Motienling threatening both Mukden and Liaoyang, the Russians attacked it on July 4; there was a hand-to-hand fight in which the Japanese were the chief sufferers, but eventually they maintained their position and two days later had advanced their outposts to Hsien-chang, further to the north-east. On July 9, the second army, reinforced by troops landed at a “certain place” in Liaotung Bay seized the town of Kaiping. The following day the Russians attacked the Takushan army at Hsien-cha, and Hsui-tsai-Kiao, but were repulsed. On July 17, General Keller led the Russians against General Kuroki’s advanced force on Motienling, but was repulsed. The Japanese advanced north and west and occupied Hsi-ho-yen at the junction of the roads to Mukden and Liaoyang, and some sixty miles from the latter--towards which General Keller retreated. The success of a general Japanese advance depended largely upon the possibility of concerted action, and much responsibility was thrust upon the central force, known as the Takushan army, which had constantly to maintain communication with both the first and second armies, and operate almost exclusively in the hilly district which the Chinese know as the “land of the thousand peaks.” The Takushan army consisted of the Himeji, or Tenth Division, under the leadership of Lieut.-Gen. Baron Kawamura. On July 22, a detachment of this force, having pushed on towards Haicheng, surprised and surrounded a Russian force guarding the Ta-tung-ling pass. This Russian force was composed of a battalion of the 17th Siberian Rifles, with details. At dusk the Japanese charged the position, carried it, and the Russians fell back north towards Ma-shan. The Japanese declare that on this occasion the Russians exhibited a Japanese flag before the engagement. They responded by displaying their flag, and to this the Russians replied by opening fire. It was only a trifling engagement; the Russian losses were about a score, and the Japanese had only nine killed, but it was important because permitting the Takushan force to occupy Pan-ling, and thus threaten Haicheng from the south-east. It was now incumbent on the Takushan army to make good their position. Advancing slowly they found the Russians had extensive defences on the hills to the north of Hung-yao-ling and a line of guns in position from that point through Chang-san-ku to San-chiao-shan, with three battalions of infantry east of Ma-shan, or To-mu-cheng, and south of the village of that name. The Russian forces defending the head of the Ta-tung-ling pass were commanded by Lieut.-Gen. Alexeiev, of the Fifth Infantry Division, and in addition to twenty-one field guns he had several machine guns, some cavalry, and two divisions of infantry.