The setting sun dyed the western sky red, and the rays of light fell on a lake. The green water surface was sparkling, especially quiet and peaceful. Puchang Sea has arrived.
Puchang Sea is not a sea, but a huge lake. It is located in the lower reaches of the Kongque River and the origin of the Qiemo River. It belongs to the center of Lop Nur. In this era, Lop Nur has not completely disappeared and has become a desert. There are swamps, water flows, and Populus euphratica everywhere.
The trees are lingering, swaying in the wind, full of vitality.
Qin Huaidao came slowly with his army. For several days, the sky was filled with yellow sand. There was only a single yellow in his eyes. Suddenly, he felt uncomfortable seeing this scene. Green trees, blue water, green morning, plus the gorgeous sunset.
It's like entering a colorful world.
"Stop moving forward." Qin Huaidao shouted, his eyes falling on a large mountain of buildings not far away. All the mud houses were built by the lake, but it was quiet. There was no one in sight, and there was no smoke. It was eerily quiet.
Qin Huaidao took out a map and looked at it. To the east of Puchang Sea are Shazhou, Dunhuang, and Yangguan, to the north are Haizhou and Jiaohe City, to the south are the Aljin Mountains of later generations, and to the west is Qilitun. Judging from the location and distance, it is exactly at
The center of these places.
In other words, the geometric intersection of north, south, and east and west is right at your feet, which is a battleground for military strategists.
"Interpretation!"
Three interpreters rushed up.
Qin Huaidao pointed forward and continued to ask: "Where is the building in front and why is there no one there?"
An interpreter quickly said: "Sir, this is Puchanghai, and in front of you is the city of Loulan Kingdom."
"Loulan Kingdom?" Qin Huaidao was surprised and asked excitedly: "Where are the people?"
"I don't know." The interpreter said quickly. Seeing that Qin Huaidao was glaring and about to get angry, he quickly explained: "I heard that there have been severe droughts here. There has been no rain for decades. The huge Lop Nur has dried up. In the end, only the sea of calamus is left in front of me.
, the drought made it impossible to survive, and the population dropped sharply. Ten years ago, a huge storm buried the Loulan Kingdom. Plague and rat infestations occurred afterwards, and the survivors of the Loulan Kingdom had to leave here. No one knows where they went. "
"Ten years ago?" Qin Huaidao was a little shocked. The Tang Dynasty was just established ten years ago, and he hadn't come yet. Unfortunately, he couldn't witness the prosperity of the legendary Loulan Kingdom with his own eyes.
Another interpreter also added: "Some people say that after the storm, some Turkic tribes took the opportunity to attack, robbed property, and had to relocate. After all, the Loulan Kingdom was once very wealthy."
The other party quickly said: "Ten years ago, this was the only place the Silk Road must pass. During the Han Dynasty, caravans arrived at Loulan via Yangguan, and followed the Kongque River to the west, or the Qiemo River to the south. There were aquatic plants along the way.
The road was easy to walk, and the caravans brought a lot of wealth. In addition, there was no shortage of water here, so the Loulan Kingdom was naturally rich. In the Sui Dynasty, the Gaochang Kingdom opened the northern route of the Silk Road. In addition, there were severe droughts every year, making the road difficult for caravans to travel.
They all took the northern route, directly to Xizhou. By the time of the Tang Dynasty, the Loulan Kingdom was destroyed, and no one came to the trade route anymore."
Qin Huaidao was a little emotional after hearing this. The once prosperous kingdom actually perished because of the climate?
"Brother Qin, come and take a look." came a voice.
Qin Huaidao turned around and saw that it was Luo Ying. He quickly stepped forward and found that there was a flat land in front of him. There was a circular pit on the ground. The pit was surrounded by wood. He couldn't help but ask: "What is this?"
"You three, come here." Luo Ying called to the interpreter.
The three interpreters exchanged glances and hurried forward. Luo Ying pointed at the ground and asked, "What is this?"
"This is a tomb. Loulan people are buried like this after death." An interpreter quickly explained.
When Qin Huaidao heard that people were buried like this after death, he suddenly understood why Loulan perished. The tomb was surrounded by poplar trees. Dozens of poplar trees had to be cut down to make it. One tomb requires so many poplar trees. People in Loulan died every year.
How much poplar wood is needed to be useful?
Without trees to block the wind and sand, it is no wonder that a huge storm flooded Loulan. From then on, it fell into decline and had to be moved away. Loulan was reduced to ruins.
Thinking of this, Qin Huaidao couldn't help but said: "Luo Ying, tell me, if we plant trees while Puchanghai is still there and Lop Nur has not completely disappeared, can we regain its former glory?"
Luo Ying looked around and said seriously: "This is the lower reaches of the Kongque River and the upper reaches of the Qiemo River. The water flow is not small, and the tidal flats are large enough. If we plant trees in the outhouses and plant on the tidal flats, we should have no problem feeding hundreds of thousands of people.
Once the trade routes are opened, this place will be able to regain its former prosperity. It’s such a good location, but it’s a pity.”
"If we have a chance, let's come here to rebuild a city." Qin Huaidao fixed his gaze and shouted in a raised voice: "Keep moving forward, target the buildings ahead, and camp here tonight."
"Obey the order!" Everyone accepted the order with a roar.
The army continued to move forward.
Qin Huaidao looked at the vibrant Puchang Sea and the large poplar euphratica forest in the distance that was not yet extinct. He thought of Lop Nur, which would be deserted and reduced to a dead place in the future. He was filled with emotion. He still had a chance to save it if he intervened now.
When Chang'an comes to the Western Regions, the terrain is long and narrow. If the Western Regions are the head, Chang'an is the body, Longyou Road composed of Ganzhou, Suzhou and Shazhou is the neck, then Loulan is the throat. Once you occupy this place, build a military fortress, it will be
stuck in throat.
When it is dangerous to be stuck in the throat, anyone can attack, but as long as you are strong enough and hard enough, just like a fish bone stuck in the throat and unable to move up or down, it will be the turn of all parties to suffer.
Qin Huaidao thought about various possibilities while silently moving forward with the large army.
Thoughts come together, no matter how hard they are to get rid of.
After the army settled down, the war horses were let out to eat grass and drink water. From time to time they made cheering sounds. The soldiers fetched water and boiled it before drinking. Qin Huaidao's rule. I have been used to it all the way. When I have eaten and drank enough, I will wait for a while.
Take a break and jump into the water one by one for a swim.
He was really tired after the whole journey and needed to relax. Qin Huaidao didn't stop him. He found a shady place to sit down, looked at the map and continued to think about the possibility of building a city.
Everyone could see that Qin Huaidao was thinking about something important and didn't bother him.
The night gradually falls, and the sky and the earth are quiet.
It was rare for the army to get a good night's sleep. When they woke up the next day, their blood was fully restored and they continued to move forward.
In the days that followed, the army moved south along the Puchang Sea. There were abundant water and grass along the way, and the climate was not as hot and unbearable as the Great Sand Sea. After leaving the Puchang Sea, the army headed west along the Qiemo River.
Three days later, in the afternoon.
The army was undergoing a routine rapid march to train for physical fitness. A scout came on horseback and shouted loudly from a distance: "Report - the tribe has been spotted ahead."
"Stop advancing." Luo Tong gave the order decisively and walked towards the scout.
The scout came up on flying horse, cupped his fists and said: "Captain, we found cattle and sheep in front of us, as well as Turks grazing. We saw more than a hundred white yurts in the distance."
"Explore again, don't expose yourself." Luo Tong waved his hand to signal the scouts to leave, and hurried back to the back of the team. After finding Qin Huaidao, he explained the situation.
Qin Huaidao quickly unfolded the map to look at it, signaled for the interpreter to come up, and asked: "There is a Turkic tribe ahead, where is this place?"
"I don't even know what this place is called, but since I discovered the Turkic tribe, it must be not far from Qitun, which is a day's journey south of the Qiemo River." An interpreter said quickly.
Luo Tong said nonchalantly: "There are more than a hundred yurts. They should be from a small tribe or a branch of a large tribe. No matter what they are, there are not many people there anyway. If you go in and ask, you will know. It is a good time for training troops and replenishment."
food."
When Qin Huaidao thought it made sense, the small tribe did not have much fighting power, and the horse bandits were also a mob. It was just a test of the effectiveness of the training along the way, and he immediately said: "You lead the people to attack, Luo Ying, you lead two battalions to blockade the surrounding area, and the remaining carriages are left behind.
, no one is allowed to run away, if anyone is found snooping, he will be hunted down and killed, and no one is allowed to leak his whereabouts."
"Follow the order!" The two of them were already going crazy because of the excitement. When they heard that there was going to be a battle, they were immediately excited and made arrangements in a hurry.
Qin Huaidao waited for the two of them to walk away and looked at Li Yixie: "Encircle the carriage back to the river to form a shield to prevent anyone from rushing into the formation to attack."
"Follow the order!" Li Yixue clasped his fists in agreement.
"Let's go and have a look with me." Qin Huaidao glanced at Zhao Hu.
Zhao Hu quickly called for his brothers from the Guards Battalion to follow him.
The group rushed to at least one commanding height, and saw Luo Tong leading the people to rush over. The speed was not slow. It can be seen that the training along the way was not in vain, and the physical fitness has improved a lot.
There was no threat to the small tribe of more than a hundred households. Qin Huaidao did not intend to interfere with the command. To see how capable Luo Tong was, he reined in his horse and stopped, looking up into the distance.