The cold moonlight shines on the yellow sand, and three figures lie head-to-head among the sand dunes, forming a strange three-pointed shape.
After running for a long time, Li Si's lips were pale and he was about to die. Hua Junchen and Xu Tianying next to him were better, but their lips were chapped and their skin had lost its luster. They were obviously on the verge of death from dehydration and thirst.
Hua Junchen was lying on the yellow sand. He had already recalled his journey in the world in his mind. He thought that he would never be able to see his daughter come to worship or his grandson was born. With deep reluctance in his eyes, he said hoarsely:
"I just said it's time to go back to the Protectorate of the West Sea. It's better now. I didn't die in the hands of the Night Demon, but I died in this desert..."
Li Si was confused, but he actually regretted it in his heart.
After the three of them escaped the pursuit of Master Xuanji and ran out from the west side of Huangming Mountain, Hua Junchen suggested returning to the Xihai Protectorate to resume their lives.
But Li Si understood the current situation. If he could not cause trouble in the rear of the Southern Dynasty to delay the time, the Xihai Protectorate would probably not be able to survive for three months. Once the Southern Dynasty was allowed to take down the three bridgeheads along Tianlang Lake, the front line would be reduced to
At the entrance of Hudong Road, as long as Tianlang Lake freezes and connects the two sides, Beiliang will be in danger of annihilation!
For this reason, even though Li Si was tricked once by Huang Liansheng, he did not give up the mission of this trip. He did not go back after coming out, but prepared to go to the Shatuo tribe to persuade the people of the Shatuo tribe to avenge the leader.
The Shatuo tribe has a population of nearly 100,000. Although there are no 8,000 elite soldiers, there are still more than 10,000 old and weak soldiers. There is no chance of success in attacking Shazhou, but the Southern Dynasty must send troops to quell the rebellion; as long as the Southern Dynasty deploys troops, the Xihai Protectorate
The pressure will always be less.
Li Si knew that it was unlikely that he would persuade the Shatuo tribe to become cannon fodder, but he never expected that he would die before leaving the army.
When Li Si came over, although it was a bit difficult, he could find water sources along the way and didn't feel that the desert was too dangerous.
On this trip, the three of them walked to the Shatuo tribe together, without Huang Liansheng, a native, to lead the way. Only then did they realize that the name "Buguiyuan" was not chosen randomly.
Following the original path deep into the desert, the three of them felt they were on the right track, but they failed to find a water source along the way. They thought they were buried by a sandstorm.
The three of them dug together for a whole day, but found nothing. Then they realized that they were going in the wrong direction and it was too late to turn back. They could only wander around in the desert in search of water.
Now the three of them have been wandering in the desert for half a month. Although they have found some water sources, they have no idea where they have gone. The dry food they brought has been eaten up long ago, and their physical strength is not enough to find the next water source.
There is only a dead end in front of me.
Seeing that he was about to be buried in the desert, the most unwilling among the three was Xu Tianying, who died young.
Xu Tianying was less than thirty years old, with a great future ahead of him, but he died here inexplicably. He was filled with boundless indignation, and he even began to whisper:
"What kind of thing is the Night Terror Hall? Let me see it and I will kill him with one finger..."
As he said this, he looked back to see if Yama Yama would appear behind him.
But it's a pity that Xu Tianying is not Cao Aning. He doesn't have the magical power to speak out. He muttered for a long time and only saw endless yellow sand.
Li Si heard Xu Tianying's reluctance. He didn't want to die here either. He thought about it and said:
"Historical books say that a general led his troops on a march, but could not find a source of water, so he finally survived by drinking urine..."
Hua Junchen moved his lips, thought about it and said firmly:
"I'd rather die of thirst here."
Xu Tianying also spoke: "The world is impermanent. If you take this path, you have to be prepared to die a violent death one day. If I can keep a whole body, I will be satisfied. Why should I lose my integrity before death? Besides, I can't urinate now."
"
"Well, everything must be done with the overall situation in mind. What if we can hold on for a little longer and wait for reinforcements? I am from the Daliang royal family, and your status is not low. If you suddenly disappear for so long, the court will never turn a blind eye...
…”
As he spoke, Li Si gritted his teeth and sat up, took out the water bag he had secretly prepared yesterday, shook it slightly, made a clattering sound, and handed it to Hua Junchen:
"Drink."
"..."
When Hua Junchen heard the sound of water splashing, his distracted eyes became clearer. He sat up and wanted to catch it, but he knew what was inside and couldn't bear to do so. He finally gave in and said humbly:
"Master Li, please go first."
Xu Tianying said that he still wanted to live, and he sighed softly at the moment:
"Master Li, please drink first."
Li Si's eyes were filled with sadness and anger, and he said in a deep voice:
"Why should I, Li Si, be afraid of death? This move is also for the sake of the future of the country!"
After speaking, he opened the stopper, closed his eyes and pinched his nose, and began to replenish water.
"Gulu~Gulu..."
Hua Junchen frowned and couldn't stand it anymore, so he turned his gaze to the distance.
In the end, it was better not to look at it. When I looked at it, I found that there seemed to be a black spot in the endless yellow sand in the distance.
"Eh? Eh!!!"
Hua Junchen suddenly became excited, fearing that he would have hallucinations, and hurriedly slapped Xu Tianying:
"Is there someone over there?"
"puff--"
Li Si burst out on the spot and turned around in disbelief.
Xu Tianying also turned his head and looked in the direction he was pointing. He did indeed see someone walking in the desert a few miles away.
Someone had water and food. Xu Tianying's eyes suddenly glowed with green light, and he got up and ran over:
"Hey——! Brothers over there, wait..."
Hua Junchen followed closely behind him and ran, waving and shouting:
"The strong man stays!"
Li Si sat there alone, with mixed emotions in his eyes, and even wanted to vomit in his throat.
However, when he saw the two of them running away, he was afraid of being left here, so he wiped his mouth, got up and followed unsteadily:
"Wait for me……"
…
As a call appeared among the yellow sand, the black dot in the distance immediately stopped and then ran towards it.
Xu Tianying, who was walking at the front, found that the other party was walking alone in the desert. He was a little wary at first, but before he got close, he heard the other party calling:
"Xu Daxia, how is Master Li?"
Judging from the voice, it was one of the four Beiliang masters who came with them.
Xu Tianying was stunned for a moment, then quickly ran to him:
"Master Li, is everything okay? Is there any water? Why is Mr. Liu here?"
The old man known as Mr. Liu turned over in front of him, took out the water bag from the side of the horse, handed it to Xu Tianying, and responded:
"After we got separated in Duolan Valley, we were planning to go to the Shatuo tribe to wait for Mr. Li. Unexpectedly, we met Monk Shenchen before we went very far. Unfortunately, Jingkong was captured. We could only reluctantly retreat and walk halfway.
When I was there, I met Eunuch Ziliang who came to help..."
"Ton tons~"
After Xu Tianying took two sips, he handed the hard-won water to Hua Junchen:
"Eunuch Ziliang is here too?"
Mr. Liu nodded and sighed: "Originally, when Eunuch Ziliang received the news, he was planning to surround and suppress the Night Terror together with Huang Liansheng, but before he arrived, Huang Liansheng's head had already been hung outside the Wuma Department for public display.
"The spies found that there were no heads of Master Li and the two of them nearby, so they secretly inquired and learned that the three of them were not captured. Eunuch Ziliang then led people to search for their whereabouts in the west of Huangming Mountain. They have been searching for several days..."
"I just said that the court will not forget Li..."
Li Si staggered over and ran over. Hearing that the imperial court had not abandoned him as an envoy, he was deeply moved. However, he had no time to be grateful at this time. He took the kettle and started:
"Drink Lele~Bah——Drink Lele~Bah——"
Mr. Liu was a little surprised when he saw that Mr. Li was so thirsty that he was almost dehydrated. He actually rinsed his mouth with extremely precious water:
"Master Li, what are you..."
Li Si raised his hand to tell the two guards to stop talking nonsense. After rinsing his mouth several times, his face turned red and he explained:
"The book says that if you are too dehydrated, your stomach may burst if you drink it directly. You must moisturize your throat first."
"Yeah?"
"Hmm. Tons, tons, tons~"
…
Naturally, Hua Junchen didn't reveal what happened just now, and instead asked:
"How is the situation in the West Sea?"
"Alas, all the 7,000 people of the Shatuo tribe have surrendered, and each tribe has gathered 20,000 young men. As Ye Jingtang moves south, I am afraid that they have joined forces with the Wei army. The Sima family of the Gouchen tribe, in the name of discussing countermeasures,
The guards of Black Cluster City invited the person to his house and detained him directly, and gave him to Ye Jing Hall as a surrender certificate..."
Li Si was also listening when he was drinking water. He really didn't expect that he would only be lost for more than ten days, and even the Sima family, who had a grudge against Ye Jingtang for killing his father, would switch sides.
Now that the four major ministries have been integrated at the speed of light, Beiliang's Machang Mine Fortress in various places in the West Sea will definitely not be able to be saved. As long as the interior is cleared, the next step is to march to the Tianlang Lake and start attacking the three military fortresses of the West Sea Protectorate in order to enter.
Prepare for the invasion of Hudong Road in winter.
Even though Li Si was a civil servant, he felt the precarious situation at this time and asked:
"Does the court have any countermeasures?"
Mr. Liu shook his head: "The situation cannot be broken unless Ye Jingtang dies. Eunuch Ziliang has already arrived here and is going to meet with Monk Shenchen to see what conditions are required for him to surrender..."
"Monk Shenchen is much better than Huang Liansheng, and he knows things like a god. Take me to see Eunuch Ziliang quickly. By the way, do you have enough water?"
"It doesn't matter. There is an oasis ten miles away to the south. We can decorate it later."
"Is there a water source in front?"
"Yes, actually, you can see it if you walk a few steps further south and stand at a higher point. Why is Mr. Li hiding here?"
"..."
Li Si opened his mouth, and then started to rinse his mouth holding the water bag that he was reluctant to drink:
"Drink lele~ bah..."
——
The night is already dark.
In the splendid big tent, the lights are still on. If you listen carefully, you can also hear some words from the sleeping tent behind the big tent:
"Do you realize your mistake?"
"I know I was wrong~"
"Speak louder, I didn't hear you clearly."
"..."
On the bed covered with a bright yellow mattress, Ye Jingtang grabbed Yuhu's wrists and pressed them on both sides of the pillow. He looked down at his red face with a rather arrogant look.
The empress, who was not angry and proud, was already a little confused at this time. There was a small amount of sweat on her forehead. The upside-down sea bowl was slightly spread out, rising and falling in front of her. The white jade tiger had been beaten until it was foaming at the mouth. She wanted to muster up the courage to be fierce.
, but in the end he still tilted his head slightly:
"Ms. sir, I know I made a mistake~"
"You are unwilling to do so, are you?"
Ye Jingtang lowered his head and pressed it against his neck.
"Eh?! No~"
The empress quickly turned around, her pleasant expression startling the whole night:
"Okay, in the army, you can't indulge in sex, go back and rest. I still have to deal with government affairs. If you get up late and delay the military flight, you can't afford it."
Ye Jingtang saw that Yuhu dared to be angry but did not dare to speak. He felt quite satisfied and tilted his cheek:
"uh-huh?"
The empress barely raised her upper body, kissed Ye Jingtang on the face, and then fell back on the pillow, breathing lightly.
Only then did Ye Jingtang let go of his wrist, stood up, hugged Yuhu, and put him in the tub behind the screen to wash himself. However, Yuhu was afraid that he would deceive the king if he disagreed, so he secretly wanted to drive him away.
Ye Jingtang knew that Yuhu had to deal with military affairs every day, so he didn't bother him too much. After tidying up, he left the big tent.
Although the night is already dark, soldiers from various departments in the West Sea have just arrived and the two sides are socializing, and the outside of the military camp is still very lively.
Ye Jingtang followed the sound and looked over. It was seen that people were gathered near the baggage camp on the side of the camp. There were carriages with baggage parked inside. Young men from all the tribes in the West Sea came from not far away. They were united by their respective tribes.
Queue up in front of the barracks to receive equipment.
The leaders of each tribe are cooperating with the quartermaster to register their names, and then distribute fine-quality armor, horse armor, bows and arrows, etc. to the children of the clan. There is also a martial arts field nearby for each tribe to test their performance.
The industrial capabilities of the various tribes in the West Sea have always been weak. Even in the heyday of the Royal Court, there were only a few metallurgical workshops. After being controlled by Beiliang for twenty years, many young people today have never even touched armor.
Now that they have received a complete set of "Wei weapons", each of the young and strong men is like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden, their eyes are shining, and they even take off their clothes and spread them on the ground as mats for fear of getting their armor dirty.
And it was not only ordinary young people who had this reaction. Yao Cishan and other clan elders had actually only seen this kind of equipment armed to the teeth under the command of King Zuo Xian. After the banquet was over, they all ran over and gathered around to take a look.
Ye Jingtang took a few glances around the perimeter and saw that among the ordnance, there were not only carbine, bow and crossbow and other weapons, but also the new sword he had inspected in Jiangzhou.
Although these ordnance may not be as durable as the Chilong Sword and other famous soldiers, their metallurgical technology and shape have been optimized to the highest level in the contemporary era. They are also top-notch mass-produced weapons in the world. It is no wonder that the young and strong soldiers in the Xihai tribe
So excited.
Ye Jingtang looked around for a moment, but because of his special status, he did not run over to offer condolences and returned to the central area of the camp.
The empress and the palace servants around her live in the center of the camp, with secret guards and forbidden troops patrolling the surrounding area.
Ye Jingtang came to the vicinity of the golden tent, asked about the residence of the female official, and then came to the back of the golden tent. Before he could get closer, he heard a low voice coming from a tent:
"Why did you take the medicine again?"
"How can my legs be cured if I don't take medicine? If you bear with it a little longer, you'll be completely healed in two months, and you won't need to take any more medicine..."
"well……"
Ye Jingtang followed the sound and came to look outside the tent. He could see Hua Qingzhi sitting on the floor on the blanket, with lingering fear in her eyes.
Luzhu was holding a medicine bowl in her hand, coaxing beside her.
But Niaoniao, who had just gone somewhere, was now lying on the blanket, with his paws in the sky, head tilted and twitching.
Seeing this scene, Ye Jingtang entered the tent and asked:
"What happened to it?"
Seeing Ye Jingtang coming in, Luzhu explained:
"I just came in with a bowl, and when it came up, it wanted to help taste it, and then that was it."
Seeing this, the bird quickly turned over and pretended to be fine, shaking its head to indicate the medicine bowl:
"Ji~"
The intention is obviously to trick Night Terror Hall into taking a bite.
But Ye Jingtang had tasted it before, so how could he be fooled? He sat down on the blanket and took the medicine bowl:
"I'll come, I'll take it out for a walk. Dong Mingbu is making roast lamb."
"grumble?"
When Niaoniao heard this, she ran out with Lvzhu's skirt in her mouth.
When Hua Qingzhi saw this, she originally wanted to stop Lu Zhu, but Lu Zhu was quite discerning and ran out quickly, closing the door curtain...