At dawn, a red sun slowly rises from the east. At this time, the gravel land turns into rolling yellow sand. It looks like that no matter which direction you look at. There is no road and no signs. The only sign is a road that passed by not long ago. A pile of weathered camel bones, its neck twisted, seemed to illustrate the struggle before death. The sun changed from a pleasant twilight to a fiery white light, and the sand heated up. Except for Xueer, the other horses could not bear it. Everyone quickly set up camp to rest and set up tents so that the horses could hide in the shade of the tents to rest and enjoy the cool air.
The dragon eagle soothes the horses one by one with its demonic energy, and the wind blows through the courtyard and the torrential rain waits for them to wipe their bodies, drink water and feed them with fodder.
Wan Renyu said: "Now I understand why here, everyone rides camels instead of horses. The sand will burn their hooves, so they have to do something with them."
Long Ying said confidently: "My inner Qi can greatly increase their ability to resist heat, and the water in the horse's body will not leak out easily, but of course it is not as good as a camel's ability to store water in its body."
Feng Guoting said sympathetically: "It's time to reach Puchanghai soon. They can rest and be happy in the oasis with lush water and grass."
There was a sudden sound of wind, and the condor descended from the sky. The wind passed through the court and moved outside the tent. He stretched out his arms to let it land on his wrists, and sighed: "It also needs to drink water and eat."
For the next fifteen days, they were still on the road day and night, and the scenery did not change at all. Only time slowed down. Every scene was like a repetition of the scene just now. Not only did it seem that it had not moved, but time also seemed to have stopped flowing. Deathly silence.
The three of them lost their mood to talk.
When it was almost dawn, Feng Guoting said "Hey" and looked towards the sky.
The two of them imitated him and looked up at the light blue night sky. The condor was flying forward and quickly turned into a small black dot.
Wan Renyu said happily: "I must have found an oasis with water plants."
Feng Guoting, who knew the temperament of the condor well, responded: "That's definitely the case, let's not stop."
Only those who have endured in this arid area for more than ten days can understand their hope for the future.
This time they learned the lesson, bandaged the horses' hooves one by one, and then continued their journey.
The scenery in front of us changed again. The dark yellow sand dunes stretched in all directions. The horses' hooves were sunk into the sand, making it impossible to run faster. The sand grains shone dazzlingly under the scorching sun, and were covered with watery ripples. Salix sprouts emerge from the sand. One cannot help but admire their tenacity to grow in this terrible and lifeless area, dotting the endless sea of sand.
Wan Renyu said as an old horse who knows the way: "This is a snack before the feast. We have arrived at the edge of Taklimakan."
Feng Guoting said: "Do you know the road? Are we almost at Puchanghaili?"
Wan Renyu said: "No matter how many times I have walked through it, I still can't figure out the way, because Taklimakan is a sea of sand that flows. After you wake up in the tent and walk out, you will see a different scene. The river will suddenly stop flowing, and the entire The river disappeared and I thought I was in the wrong place."
Long Ying smiled and said: "The Oasis should be more reliable, I must have senses!"
Feng Guoting murmured: "I hope Puchanghai will not disappear suddenly. What I want most now is to kiss its green grassy land."
Wan Renyu pointed forward and said: "Look!"
The two of them followed him and watched with full eyesight, and a pleasing green dot appeared on the horizon. It looked real and illusive under the bright light. In this arid world, a little green can become so heartbreakingly precious.
A gust of wind blew up yellow sand all over the sky, hitting my face, which made my dry eyes, ears, mouth and nose even more uncomfortable. Fortunately, I associated that bit of green with rivers and grass, and the hope ignited in my heart outweighed all the torture caused by the sand.
The three men urged their horses to gallop, and the green dots turned into a line embedded in the horizon. Never before had such a moment, the grass and trees made them feel the ecstasy welling up from their hearts.
After a whole hour, when the sun passed the zenith, the green line finally turned into a forest, with straight poplar trees and lush elm trees standing close together. The branches and leaves rustled in the wind, and the feeling of moisture was carried by the wind.
to.
The horses became excited and galloped without urging. The soft sand turned into solid land, the front was green and lush, and even the wind became cool and refreshing.
The Taklimakan Desert is located in the center of the Tarim Basin, bounded by the Puchang Sea to the east, the Kashgar Oasis to the west, the Kunlun Mountains to the south, and the Tarim River to the north. It is the largest and most terrifying desert. Taklimakan is exactly "a place where you can't get out".
"There are no birds above, no beasts below, and as far as the eye can see, if you want to see where you want to go, you can't figure it out. You can only use the bones of the dead as a symbol." Therefore, it is called the "Sea of Death".
In the hinterland of the desert lies the sacred mountain, extending for more than a hundred miles, with its eastern end reaching the Khotan River bank. The sandstone has been weathered for a long time, forming a series of strangely shaped rock statues that resemble natural gods.
In sharp contrast, there are many rivers, oases and countries surrounding Taklimakan.
The rivers include the Yarkand River, the Tarim River, the Hotan River and the Qiemo River. Among them, the Hotan River can cross the hinterland of the desert. During the rainy season in summer, it can occasionally flow into the Tarim River in the northern part of the desert. At other times, it is dry.
Large and small oases have been formed due to rivers. The largest oasis is the grassland area where Khotan is located, but the most unique oasis is the Puchang Sea.
Puchang Sea is the lowest point of the vast basin. It is a series of water systems rushing down from the Kunlun Mountains in the south. The water eventually flows into Puchang Sea, forming a large lake with a circumference of 400 miles. It was called "Zhuze" during the Warring States Period.
Its waters remain stationary and do not increase or decrease in winter or summer."
Puchanghai is also the site of the ancient Loulan Kingdom, which was later destroyed during the Han Dynasty and disappeared without leaving any trace.
Puchanghai means "a lake where many waters merge".
The three of them stood on the east bank of a river as wide as two feet wide, staring at the unbelievable beauty in front of them, especially after more than ten days of journey in the desert.
The lush green grassland unfolds before your eyes.
The sheep float like white clouds in the green ocean, the grass waves rise and fall with the wind, and the fragrance comes with the wind. The river flows under the feet, playing the fairy music of nature, and yurts are set up sparsely in the distance.
The curling smoke rises and dissipates under the afterglow of the setting sun. From time to time, the sound of sheep bleating and cows can be heard, floating in the vast space on the grassland. The beauty of Puchanghai Prairie is pure and refined, charming and charming, which makes people drunk.
The three of them were fascinated for a moment.
The horses were unsaddled and unloaded, and were enjoying themselves in the river.
There is a row of Populus euphratica trees growing on the left side of the other bank, glowing golden in the sunset. Although the thick tree body seems to be dry, cracked and twisted, the branches and leaves are irregularly growing and extending from unexpected places, showing strength from the dead.
The vitality of Populus euphratica does not succumb to the harsh environment of the desert, making people feel the strange life of Populus euphratica that has gone through many vicissitudes of life.
Wan Renyu looked at the Poplar euphratica tree on the other side and admired: "The local people have a saying of admiration for the Poplar euphratica tree: 'It will survive for a thousand years when it is born, it will not fall down for a thousand years when it dies, and it will not decay after a thousand years when it falls.'"
, maybe a little exaggerated, but it shouldn’t be too far from the truth.”
Feng Guoting said: "I will never get tired of living in this fairyland-like place on earth."
Wan Renyu said: "No wonder the Young Marshal and the others chose to travel far away from the territory in the end. It turns out that the beautiful scenery is endless."
Long Ying said: "We were discovered by herdsmen."
The two of them followed his gaze and saw several horses running towards them from a distance.
The five horses came roaring towards the river. They arrived at the river bank in a moment, reined in their horses, and looked at them from across the river. The other party was dressed like a herdsman, with a saber on his waist. The oldest was only thirty, and the youngest was twelve or three years old at most. His childishness has not gone away, but he is more arrogant than other adults.
The oldest herdsman suddenly raised his palms towards them and shouted something in dialect that they did not understand.
Wan Renyu whispered to the two of them: "He is wishing us peace, which is the opening remarks when strangers meet." Then he raised his hands and repeated what the other person said.
Then the other party lowered his left hand, pressed his right hand on his chest and said another sentence.
Wan Renyu pointed to the east and responded with another sentence.
The five people, starting from the oldest to the youngest, showed contempt and laughed mockingly.
Feng Guoting asked: "What did you say?"
Wan Renyu said with a puzzled look on his face: "He asked me where I came from, and I told him that I came from the Tang Dynasty. I don't know what's so funny about it?"
The older herdsman shouted another series of words across the river.
Wan Renyu sighed: "I don't understand these words at all. I had a guide to lead the way last time."
Long Ying hurriedly said in Turkic: "Do any of you understand Turkic?"
What they didn't expect was that the five of them suddenly suppressed their smiles and looked at each other with hostility, and the youngest young man put his hand on the handle of the knife.
The older man responded in blunt Turkic dialect: "Are you friends of the Turks?"
All three people can understand this sentence.
Long Ying said knowingly: "Not only are we not their friends, we are also their enemies."
The expressions of the five herdsmen softened slightly, and the elder said: "Then whose friends are you?"
Long Ying thought that the nomads outside the Great Wall had their own rules and lifestyle. The older herdsman should be the one with the most status among the five, so he was the only one to speak, and the others would not interrupt. But when he met Strangers have a way of greeting each other, and the content of their speech also follows a certain fixed pattern, so as to distinguish friends or enemies and give them a chance to judge each other by asking questions.
Long Ying also knew that a mistake in speech could very well lead to the situation of drawing a knife. He hurriedly said: "We are your friends." Seeing that the other party did not look happy at all, he quickly added: "We are also friends of the Tubo people."
This place is close to Tubo, so it is close to these nomadic peoples, and it should have some relationship with the Tubo people, so I showed off my Tubo sign and tried my luck.
Feng Guoting also said in Tubo: "We have brought silk to give to you."
The elderly herdsman still looked solemn, and suddenly changed to Tubo, which was much fluent than Turkic: "Who is your Tibetan friend?"
Long Ying gritted his teeth and said in Tubo language: "It's the Hengkong Muye of Tubo."
The five people all looked surprised, but their hostility was greatly reduced, making the three of them know that they had met the right person.
The elder pressed his chest with his right hand and said, "My name is Bada." Then he named the other four people one by one. Every time he called out their names, the person being introduced pressed his chest with his right hand, and his expression became very impressive, showing that he was a good person. Be proud of your name.