Nor were the Balkan passes open to the Russians; for, after the crossing of the Danube, Reuf Pasha had orders to collect all available troops for their defence, from the Shipka Pass to the Slievno Pass farther east; 7000 men now held the Shipka; about 10,000 acted as a general reserve at Slievno; 3000 were thrown forward to Tirnova, where the mountainous country begins, and detachments held the more difficult tracks over the mountains.  An urgent message was also sent to Suleiman Pasha to disengage the largest possible force from the Montenegrin war; and, had he received this message in time, or had he acted with the needful speed and skill, events might have gone very differently.

For some time the Turks seemed to be paralysed at all points by the vigour of the Muscovite movements.  Two corps, the 13th and 14th, marched south-east from Sistova to the torrent of the Jantra, or Yantra, and seized Biela, an important centre of roads in that district.  This secured them against any immediate attack from the Quadrilateral.  The Grand Duke Nicholas also ordered the 9th corps, under the command of General Kruedener, to advance from Sistova and attack the weakly fortified town of Nicopolis.  Aided by the Roumanian guns on the north bank of the Danube, this corps succeeded in overpowering the defence and capturing the town, along with 7000 troops and 110 guns (July 16).

Thus the invaders seemed to have gained a secure base on the Danube, from Sistova to Nicopolis, whence they could safely push forward their vanguard to the Balkans.  In point of fact their light troops had already seized one of its more difficult passes—­an exploit that will always recall the name of that dashing leader, General Gurko.  The plan now to be described was his conception; it was approved by the Grand Duke Nicholas.  Setting out from Sistova and drawing part of his column from the forces at Biela, Gurko first occupied the important town of Tirnova, the small Turkish garrison making a very poor attempt to defend the old Bulgarian capital (July 7).  The liberators there received an overwhelming ovation, and gained many recruits for the “Bulgarian Legion.”  Pushing ahead, the Cossacks and Dragoons seized large supplies of provisions stored by the Turks, and gained valuable news respecting the defences of the passes.

The Shipka Pass, due south of Tirnova, was now strongly held, and Turkish troops were hurrying towards the two passes north of Slievno, some fifty miles farther east.  Even so they had not enough men at hand to defend all the passes of the mountain chain that formed their chief line of defence.  They left one of them practically undefended; this was the Khainkoi Pass, having an elevation of 3700 feet above the sea.