Qin Huaidao quietly left Jiaohe City with his team and went all the way south. They had to pass through the big sand sea. The war horses were not suitable, so they did not buy war horses to travel. The white-hoofed crow was too precious, so he naturally accompanied him. There were ten more carriages with them, which contained all the goods.
It is horse feed, grain, water and kitchen utensils for cooking.
Mo Dao and Lian Nu were distributed, each with a knife and a crossbow. The space freed up was just enough to store a hundred jars of liquor, crossbow arrows, iron wire and scimitar, which remained in the carriage.
The Gobi Desert is vast and deserted, with no end in sight.
The sand and soil are weathered, the eyes are full of deathly silence, and there is no green in sight.
The only advantage is that the terrain is flat and walking is easy.
The army marched under the scorching sun, sweating profusely, but no one complained. Everyone was either well-trained, or had excellent martial arts skills and excellent physique. The interpreter was used to this kind of climate, so the marching speed was not slow.
I have something to eat when I'm hungry, and water to drink when I'm thirsty, so I can bear it.
At dusk, a ruin appears in front of you, with broken walls and strange shapes. It looks like a mountain that was eroded by wind and washed by rain. It is a masterpiece left by nature's miraculous craftsmanship.
The three interpreters leading the way suddenly stopped, knelt on the ground, and said something piously, as if praying.
Qin Huaidao raised his hand and the team stopped. The orders and prohibitions were no more than that.
"What's going on?" Luo Chu came over and stood side by side.
"Let's see and then talk." Qin Huaidao was not sure what happened, but he knew some taboos. The interpreter must have his own reasons for doing this, and gave Luo Ying a look.
Luo Ying understood and quickly used combat sign language to signal everyone to disperse and be on alert.
They were all trained through special training, and they understood it by heart. A thousand people quickly dispersed, holding up their crossbows and staring at the surroundings.
Luo Tong's eyes lit up when he saw this scene: "This team is good, have you practiced it?"
"Let Luo Ying practice." Qin Huaidao responded casually and stepped forward.
After the three interpreters prayed, they stood up one after another. One of them said solemnly: "Sir, according to the old man, there was a tribe living in the front two hundred years ago. Later, the devil general ate all the people, and this place became the territory of the devil. Once he arrived,
At night, ghosts cry and wolves howl, which is eerie and scary. However, there is a well inside with a spring. It can also be protected from the wind to avoid freezing to death, and it can also defend against wild wolf attacks."
"Is there a well spring?" Qin Huaidao was a little surprised. Things like well springs are artificial, which means that people have indeed lived here. As for the ghosts crying and howling at night, it is just a natural phenomenon caused by the wind passing through the ruins. It is not surprising, but it can provide shelter from the wind.
.
The temperature difference between morning and evening in the Great Sand Sea is huge, and the wind will take away body heat and freeze people to death. Although this season is not a big problem, we are from the Central Plains and are not used to the climate with abnormal temperature differences between day and night. We really need a place to escape.
Prevent colds.
Qin Huaidao looked back at the army and shouted: "Everyone, it's getting late and we need to set up camp. The front is good. As for the legends of devils and the howling of ghosts and wolves at night, they are just caused by the wind."
"No, sir, it's true. Let's go around..." An interpreter became anxious.
"Shut up and listen to me!"
People in the Tang Dynasty believed in ghosts and gods, which must be broken, otherwise it will affect the morale of the army. Qin Huaidao scolded and continued to everyone: "Think about it, whenever there is a strong wind, the doors and windows of your home will whine, right?"
Everyone understood this and nodded.
Qin Huaidao continued: "The strong wind makes a sound when it passes through the narrow cracks in the doors and windows. Here, too, the strong wind passes through the cracks in the ruins in front, just like passing through the gaps in the doors and windows. The louder the wind, the louder the sound. In addition to the other shapes, the wind blows
It does not dissipate after entering, but is blocked. When you turn a corner, various strange sounds will be produced. It is not a devil. Everyone does not believe it. If you turn around and push the earthen wall that blocks the wind, you will find that the strange sounds disappear. "
Once everyone heard that it made sense, their nervousness eased a lot.
Qin Huaidao continued: "Brothers, we are not afraid of death, how can we still be afraid of the so-called devil? Come with me to check the authenticity and you will know that if there is a square terrain platform, without shelter, you can't make a fire, you can't eat cooked food, and you can't drink hot drinks.
Water will make you sick. The temperature drops at night. When the wind blows, it will bring body heat with it and you will catch a cold. We have no choice but to go in to take shelter from the wind and camp. Everyone, follow me."
Everyone had inexplicable trust in Qin Huaidao and drove the carriage forward.
The three interpreters looked at each other and went in bravely.
The ruins are criss-crossed, with mounds of soil scattered high and low, like a maze. Bones can be seen everywhere, both human and animal. Feces are everywhere, which looks a bit oozing.
Qin Huaidao did not go deep, but found a relatively open place to stop, and ordered: "Guard Team, go in and investigate, just in case."
"Follow the order." The five village protection teams quickly dispersed and conducted an in-depth search.
Qin Huaidao looked at Luo Ying and continued to order: "Put out the sentries for five miles and arrange for fires to be cooked. The remaining people rest where they are and prepare for war at any time."
"Follow the order!" Luo Ying hurriedly went to make arrangements.
Seeing that Qin Huaidao's arrangements were careful and meticulous, Luo Tong also found a place to sit down and rest. As always, he did not express any opinions, nor did he regard himself as an elder to interfere with the command. He took out a fragrant pear and gnawed it with relish, his eyes gradually falling on a strange spot.
From the corner of his eyes, he felt a touch of surprise and stepped forward.
There was a broken arrow in the corner, stuck in the crack. It would have been difficult to find it if I hadn't found it accidentally. When I took it out, I saw it was still new. My heart suddenly moved and I walked to Qin Huaidao.
Qin Huaidao took it and looked at it carefully. His eyes became cold and sharp. He glanced around and found that the color of the soil was wrong in some places. He thought it was a natural phenomenon before. He stepped forward to check, twisted some and put it in his mouth to taste. He felt a bloody smell and quickly vomited.
He turned around and looked at Luo Tong: "There's something wrong here."
"What do you think?" Luo Tongkao asked.
"This area is deserted and there are no tribes. It is said that the Turkic cavalry will not come here. I heard Guo Xiaoke mentioned that some bold caravans would go here to rush for time. After walking for a day from Jiaohe City, they would stop here at night and join forces again.
Judging from the arrows and blood, I'm afraid it was done by bandits, and this is a hunting ground for bandits."
Luo Tong nodded and said with emotion: "You are indeed very good and have strong analytical skills. No wonder you can win battles one after another. I only thought about the caravan being robbed, but you judged that it was a bandit, and you were sure that this was a hunting ground for bandits. From the time
Judging from the route and route, it is indeed very possible.”
"It's not possible, it's certain."
Qin Huaidao said, looking up in the direction of Jiaohe City, and added: "The Turkic cavalry needs goods and needs caravans to go deep into the grasslands to exchange supplies. Normally, they will not hunt caravans. What's more, it is deserted here, and the cavalry will not come. Only bandits are entrenched.
, and the bandits don’t care whether the Turkic tribes need supplies or not. They only need to send people to keep an eye on Jiaohe City. If they find a caravan taking this route, they will send a message and send people to hunt them. There is no need to come here normally. "
"It makes sense, so we are being targeted?" Luo Tong smiled happily.
"They are definitely being targeted. Twenty cartloads of goods, who wouldn't be tempted? I just wonder if these bandits have good teeth." Qin Huaidao said and looked at Luo Ying, who was coming over. Just as he was about to issue a deployment order, he heard faint thunder.
The sound came, but it wasn't very real.
Luo Tong quickly lay down, put his ears to the ground, and said with a solemn expression: "They are cavalry, at least two thousand people."
"So many?" Qin Huaidao was a little surprised. Are there so many bandits now?
"There are more than a thousand of us, even if it is a normal caravan, we would not dare to come here without two thousand." Luo Tong smiled, his eyes were filled with the desire to fight, and he was eager to try: "Tell me, how to fight? I must be the first to fight.
"
Qin Huaidao did not answer immediately, but signaled three interpreters to come forward: "Are there bandits, robbers or the like near Haizhou?"
"Yes, there are quite a few, ranging from hundreds to dozens of people. After the fall of Gaochang Kingdom, many troops turned into bandits, which caused the banditry in the area to become more and more serious. There was a group of horse bandits... Hey, the sound of horse hooves
." The interpreter's face changed drastically as he spoke, and he quickly lay down and listened carefully.
"Could it be..." The expression of the other interpreter changed drastically.
The interpreter who was listening carefully on the ground quickly said: "There are at least two thousand cavalry. It is impossible for the Turkic cavalry to come here. With so many cavalry, I am afraid they are horse bandits."
"What's going on with this horse bandit?" Qin Huaidao asked curiously.
"I heard that it was composed of the disbanded troops of the Gaochang Kingdom. The bandit leader was named Qu Zhiyi. The concubine of the king of Gaochang, Qu Wentai, and the younger brother of the prince of Gaochang, Ju Zhisheng, once took charge of the Gaochang Guards. They gathered the remnants and bandits from all over the country in an attempt to restore the country.
I don’t know whether it’s true or not, but they are the most powerful among the bandits in this area.”
"Qu Zhiyi? The concubine of King Gaochang?"
Qin Huaidao was a little surprised. He had read the military report of the destruction of Gaochang Kingdom. King Qu Wentai and Prince Ju Zhisheng of Gaochang died, and a concubine, Qu Zhiyi, appeared unexpectedly and wanted to restore the country. Isn't this guy mentally retarded? How can we restore the country after it was destroyed?
Can he defeat the powerful Tang Dynasty?
The sound of horse hooves became louder and louder, and everyone stood up and looked at Qin Huaidao.
"It's just two thousand horse bandits, give me five hundred people and that's enough." Luo Tong said murderously.
"I only need three hundred." Luo Ying said not to be outdone, as he was most familiar with the soldiers he trained.
"No, try to catch him alive." Qin Huaidao interrupted, with a smile on his lips.
"Capture alive?"
Everyone was shocked and couldn't believe what they heard.