A Russian Army Corps came within sight of Urga (OTL Ulaanbaatar) before encountering the Chinese forces that were in the area to guard the city under Li Yuan-hong. In the first day about a fourth of the obsolete Chinese artillery was silenced by the more modern Russian artillery, and the Cossacks attacked the Chinese rear, where the artillery was positioned. The guns that still had crew were ordered to guard against a possible Russian attack on the Chinese rear, and so was realigned, with any guns that dared disobey the direct order silenced quickly by Russian counter-battery fire.