A huge cavalry team rushed out of the vast desert, trampled by horse hooves and flying dust, like a huge tornado roaring past, unstoppable.
The man on horseback covered his face with a coarse cloth, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed. Each one was gray and covered with sand. Even the horse was not clean anywhere, but his eyes were sharp and firm.
Beyond the desert is a large expanse of Gobi, and beyond is a lake with sparkling water, quiet and peaceful.
"Hahaha, we finally arrived at Yi Bohai." A man in front of the army laughed excitedly and pulled off the coarse cloth covering his face, revealing an old face that was haggard from the First World War and with a gray beard. It was Xue Wanche.
"Pooh!"
Xue Wanche spat out the sand in his mouth and shouted loudly: "Brothers, there is Yi Bohai in front of you, rush over and give it a good rinse. Damn it, I'm going to turn into a mummy."
"Hahaha!"
The soldiers laughed excitedly, looking at the sparkling lake, their eyes sparkled, their fatigue swept away, and even the war horses neighed with excitement and accelerated forward.
The army quickly rushed to the lake, turned over one by one, and rushed into the water to wash themselves. However, no one drank cold water. They had developed the habit of drinking hot water under Qin Huaidao's strict orders all the way from Tubo, and they also knew the dangers of drinking cold water.
No one would play with their own lives.
More and more people rushed over, and the lake water became turbid, but no one cared. They excitedly washed the dust off their faces, filled water bags with water for later use, and made fun of each other's ugliness. The atmosphere was harmonious.
Xue Wanche did not stop him. The army had been running all night. They were exhausted and needed to relax. They took a quick shower and looked towards the east, thinking about something.
After a while, Xue Wanche asked several division commanders to come over and said solemnly: "Judging from the time and distance, our army should arrive at Yi Bohai first, but the Turkic army may arrive at any time, or may have already passed. The guard regiment will head west.
Search to see if there is a large army passing by. The army should be deployed along the water, and the divisions should be used as combat units to dig horse pits. The density should be high and prepare for a last-ditch battle."
Surrounded by vast deserts, there is no danger to defend, and water sources are a necessity for the enemy and must be defended.
Fighting against the odds and not giving oneself a way to survive also means not giving the enemy a way to survive.
Xue Wanche fought for his life when he came up.
The teachers and commanders felt Xue Wanche's determination and attitude, nodded solemnly, and ran to make arrangements one after another.
The army ate some dry food and rested for a while, then took action again. If they didn't have the tools at their disposal, they would use knives and spears instead. They worked hard to dig holes. The enemy could arrive at any time, and every second was important.
The guard group acted as scouts and spread out to investigate the surrounding area.
Not long after, news came one after another, and no trace of the army passing by was found around.
The head of the guard couldn't help but ask: "General, is it possible that the Turks have passed?"
"It should be impossible to estimate from time. Even in the past, the traces in the desert may be buried by the yellow sand, but the Gobi surrounding the lake is clearly visible, and there are no traces of anyone coming. The King of Han said that there is only this water source in the surrounding area, unless the Turkic army leaves.
It's in another direction. As long as you go west, you must pass here to replenish water, otherwise you will die of thirst." Xue Wanche explained, as if he was convincing himself.
The other party didn't ask any more questions and left in a hurry.
When he came back again, he had a bag of water in his hand and handed it to Xue Wanche, explaining at the same time: "Filter it with fine sand according to the method taught by the King of Han. There is no fire conditions here, so this is the only way."
"It's no problem if it's filtered. The method of collecting water by King Han is extraordinary, don't worry." Xue Wanche said casually, and took a few sips of the water bag. He suddenly felt refreshed and comfortable, and he took a few more sips.
, handed the water bag to the other party, and looked to the east again.
"I don't know if the King of Han will come after me." The leader of the guard group took the water bag and said.
"Why, if the King of Han doesn't come, we won't fight?" Xue Wanche said angrily.
"We only have 60,000 people, and the Turkic army must be more than 200,000. How can we stop them?"
"You have to stop me even if you can't, are you afraid?" Xue Wanche scolded dissatisfiedly.
The other party smiled: "That's not true."
Xue Wanche still had great trust in the regiment leader he had single-handedly promoted. He was brave in fighting and was not afraid of his own life. However, he had no commanding ability, no knowledge of the art of war, and was illiterate. He could only stay by his side as a guard and lead the army alone.
Definitely not, and said with some regret: "You have to think more about how to lead troops, how to use troops, and how to fight, instead of just risking your life. For example, in the battle in front of us, there are many Turkic soldiers and we have few soldiers, but don't forget that we are waiting for work, let alone
There are still our people chasing behind the Turks, and we don’t know who has more soldiers and fewer soldiers, so what are we afraid of?”
"That's right, thank you General for your advice." The other party suddenly realized.
Xue Wanche shook his head and stopped talking nonsense. Some people can only be guards in their whole lives, while those who are employed are born to be commanders. There is no comparison, and they cannot be demanding. His eyes fell on the east again, and he shouted loudly: "Brothers, speed up the digging.
The more we fall into a trap, the more chance we have of winning. The enemy will arrive at his word and cannot afford to delay."
The army responded one after another, and their hands were a little faster.
An hour later, each man in the army dug three horse pits, which were as big as a bowl and about one meter deep. If a war horse rushed over and stepped on it, and if it sank, the horse's legs would be broken. If there were 60,000 people, there would be 180,000 pits.
The densely packed Gobi desert is open in front of the army.
Behind the army is a lake, which is not conducive to a cavalry charge. If the Turks abandon mounted combat and switch to infantry combat, as long as they charge, they will also be affected by the horse trap and cannot increase their speed. This will provide time for the archers to kill.
Everything was ready, a large shield was erected in front of the military formation, and the archers hid behind the large shield and were on standby.
Due to the existence of the horse trap, he was unable to fight on horseback. The horses drank water and rested by the lake, and were cared for by dedicated personnel.
…
Another hour later, the sun was shining brightly.
When the temperature in the desert rises, it becomes extremely hot and uncomfortable, and it is almost impossible to survive without water.
Thirty miles away from the Yibo Sea, a large army was walking listlessly. The horses were panting heavily from the heat, the people had chapped lips, and their eyes were dull. They were the Turkic troops fleeing all the way.
The long team was like a tired giant snake, stumbling forward. They had been running for two days and two nights in a row. They were so tired that they didn't even have the strength to speak. They wished they could lie down immediately, take a quick bath, and eat delicious food.
Last meal.
In the team, Yehu Khan's face was extremely gloomy. He regretted that he should have listened to Mo Heshe and escaped overnight. Although he carried a large amount of daily necessities, the pursuers were too hateful.
What's strange is that every time the army stopped to rest, they would just stick it on them and fight like a dog's skin plaster, without giving them any rest at all.
The whole journey was exhausting, and the army was on the verge of collapse. If I had known this, it would be better to stay and fight, die in a grand manner, and maybe surrender and survive.
"Report——"
"Reporting to the Khan, the pursuers are coming up again, hanging five miles behind them like yesterday."
A scout came on horseback, his voice hoarse and thirsty.
When Ye Hu Khan heard this, he became furious. When the army stopped to rest, the opponent would attack. When the army prepared to counterattack, the opponent would run away. If there were fewer pursuers, they would be eaten. If there were more pursuers, the opponent would run more happily.
Then they caught up with them again, and they were so angry. What was even more abominable was that at night, when the army finally fell asleep, the enemy attacked them all night long. They were not allowed to sleep, so they had to drive all night. Who can bear this?
An old man next to him said: "Dear Khan, don't worry about it for now. You just need to send a general and his troops to guard and avoid rushing up. Allah told me that some distance further is the Yibo Sea. When you reach the Yibo Sea,
, guard the water source, they will die of thirst, and win without fighting."
"Thank you Allah for your care!" Yehu Khan saluted with his hands on his chest and his tone was pious.
The other party returned the favor and said nothing more.
Yehu Khan looked at one person and shouted: "Send the order, the Yi Bohai is ahead, the army speeds up, inform Captain Wotai to lead the troops to the rear."
"Follow the order!" the scout took the order and hurried away.
Soon, shouts came out one after another——
"Ahead is Yi Bohai."
"Speed up!"
"When we arrive at Yi Bohai, there will be endless water, so we should cheer up."
The soldiers perked up as soon as they heard the clear water, and their speed increased significantly.