The weather was very good. There was no wind, no clouds, and the red sun was sinking little by little at the end of the desert, making the shadows of people and horses longer and longer.
Only half a day after leaving Yangguan, Wang Xun began to regret why he chose such a route. Although from the map, taking Yangguan and going to Shule via Puchanghai is longer than going north through Yumen, which is now commonly used by business travelers. The Yiwu Road was hundreds of miles shorter, but the map did not explain why the merchants and travelers chose the distance instead of the near.
The road under your feet cannot be called a road at all. There are deep and shallow sand dunes. Every time people and horses take a step forward, they have to spend twice as much effort as before. Countless sand dunes are rolling up and down. I just climbed one, and the second one. And blocked in front of people. Most of the sand dunes are twin brothers, with the same shape, the same color, and even the texture on the surface. If it were not between the sand dunes, you can always see the footprints left by the camel caravans of the predecessors. , everyone almost suspected that they had been circling in circles. There was only one result, which was to die of thirst, dry out, and turn into zombies.
The thing that is more difficult to endure than fatigue is loneliness. One hundred flying dragon guards and three hundred strong people, placed in any city in the Central Plains, would be a lot of bustle. But walking on the boundless yellow sand, it is... It turned into a bunch of little ants. Crawling, crawling, crawling forward slowly. After a few hours, I had the impression that the abandoned beacon tower should have been left behind long ago, but it was still close at hand. I shouted loudly and could not hear it. Any response. She sang loudly and received no attention. Occasionally, she saw a lively village. A veiled foreign girl waved gently to people and hurried over, but she could only see endless yellow sand. The girl, the village, the well, All disappeared without a trace.
"Stop chasing, that's a ghost market." The knowledgeable guide Lao Yue stopped the stunned people standing on the sand dunes and reminded them in a low voice.
"It's obviously a mirage! You're full of nonsense again!" Fang Ziteng still held grudges for being frightened by the other party yesterday. He glared at Lao Yue and exposed it unceremoniously. The so-called mirage is said to be condensed by the breath of a giant mirage. One of the few books he had read had exactly the same description.
"My military master! There isn't even a ditch here. Where did the giant mirage come from?" The guide Lao Yue shook his head and asked in a long voice. "A ghost market is a ghost market. It's a place where the ghosts of the dead come out to buy things. "Back then, General Hou Junji conquered Gaochang and captured 1.2 million prisoners. When he came back, he brought insufficient food to eat. He was cruel and buried all the prisoners alive in the desert."
"That's nonsense. To bury 1.2 million people alive, how many soldiers must be sent to dig the pit? Besides, how dare ghosts come out under the bright sun!" After listening to the guide's vivid words, his partner Lao Zhou also joined the chat group, retorting to the former. Then, his hands tightened his collar unconsciously.
It was cold. There was no wind, but the cold air easily blew through the robe with silk floss in the middle. It penetrated through the skin, muscles, and bones, and penetrated into the heart of the person.
"Do you need to dig a hole to bury someone in the desert?" The guide Lao Yue's voice also became deeper, faintly cold, "Tie up your hands and feet with cowhide rope and put them in a depression. After a strong wind, immediately It will be covered flatly with sand, ensuring that no traces will be left!”
This explanation indeed makes sense. At this time, it was not too far away from the Zhenguan period. After the Hou Junji destroyed the ancient kingdom of Gaochang, everyone had heard the story of wantonly killing prisoners. And the power of the storm in the desert, Everyone had learned this lesson a few days ago. They hid behind a large sand dune in advance and used carriages to form a fort. They hid in it and were almost buried alive by the yellow sand. If they tied their hands and feet and were not allowed to evade, I'm afraid …
1.2 million men, women, and children in Gaochang were buried in the sand under their feet. Thinking about it, it makes people shudder. However, the guide Laoyue didn't even blink and continued to chatter, "If it is in a densely populated place, the Lord of Hell will
Of course, the little devils are not allowed to come out during the day. But there is no human habitation within a hundred miles around here, so what else is there during the day and night...!"
"Shut up!" Before he could finish his words, an angry shout came from behind, scaring everyone. Turning around, they saw Wang Xun pressing the handle of the knife and glaring at the guide Lao Yue, "If you
If you dare to talk nonsense again to disturb our military morale, I will bury you under the sand dunes first."
"Master, look, look at what you said, I, how dare I!" The guide Lao Yue shuddered again, grinned widely, and explained with a smile. "Aren't I afraid that everyone will be bored while walking? That's why.
…”
"You just lead the way. You don't need to worry about how to boost morale!" Wang Xun frowned and ordered coldly, without caring about the other party's face.
Not to mention, now that he has a serious face, he does have a bit of the majesty of an army commander. The guide Lao Yue did not dare to deal with him any more, grinned, and walked towards the front of the team with his head hanging down.
"Old Zheng, take two brothers and keep an eye on him. If he dares to pretend to be a ghost again, slap him in the mouth with a whip!" As if his temper suddenly changed, Wang Xun's voice sounded as cold as a knife.
It's not like he was polite to everyone like he was a few days ago.
"Nuo." The gang leader Zheng was stunned and stood solemnly towards Wang Xun and raised his hands.
"Lao Zhou, take our brothers to the back of the team. If there is any movement behind you, warn me in time!" He waved his hand to Lao Zheng to leave, and Wang Xun continued to give orders.
Another gang leader, Lao Zhou, was also confused and hesitantly agreed, leading his brothers to rush to the rear of the team. Immediately afterwards, Wang Xun ordered Fang Ziteng to lead a few brothers with good riding skills to act as scouts, standing on the left and right sides of the team.
He went back and forth on guard from a position two miles away. Then he called several leaders of the people to come over and gave them face-to-face instructions.
The captain was so depressed that he went crazy. All the people assigned to the task were silently complaining in their hearts. In the vast desert, apart from this team transporting heavy equipment, there was not even a trace of anyone else. Why bother to face the desert like this?
Like an enemy, making people panic?
If we were talking about Ge Shuhan's sphere of influence, this kind of behavior is easy to understand. After all, everyone was not at ease at the time. They were always afraid that Ge Shuhan would be ordered by Yang Guozhong to kill people and silence them for him. But a few days ago, the captain had no idea at all.
I didn't take the danger seriously, and when the crisis was over, I started to panic again. Isn't it because I was driven crazy by the lonely journey? Why?
Criticisms come from the heart, but everyone dare not disobey Wang Xun's wishes easily. After all, whether everyone can return to the Central Plains safely in this life, they are still counting on him. Besides, after walking thousands of miles along the way, everyone has witnessed Wang Xun and can see it.
As he matures day by day, he has slowly been regarded as the real backbone of this team, instead of a half-grown child who relies on the shadow of his ancestors to gain fame.
Facts have proved that Wang Xun's move was not just a whim. Soon, Lao Zhou, who was on guard at the end of the team, sent someone to send a warning. There was a group of pale yellow wolves. I don't know when they started, quietly
It fell behind everyone. When people stopped, they also stopped. When people continued to move forward, they also continued to move forward. They always maintained a distance of about 200 steps.
"Don't worry about them. Unless someone is left alone, the wolves will not dare to attack us!" With the knowledge that Gao Shi had temporarily stuffed into his stomach this morning, Wang Xun ordered in a deep voice. "Keep the formation.
Take care of each other and don’t leave anyone behind!”
"Okay!" Youdao is the courage of the generals and the three armies. Although Wang Xun is not as old as Wen Guan, seeing his unhurried look, all the Feilong Imperial Guards suddenly felt bold, and they raised their voices and agreed in unison.
.
The wolves following the team were startled by the shouts, and stopped unexpectedly, hesitating and not daring to continue walking. Seeing this, Elder Zhou immediately had an idea, rode his horse back to Wang Xun, and whispered
Suggestion: "Why don't we let everyone sing together? Firstly, it can relieve fatigue, and secondly, it can also increase the momentum!"
"Yes!" Wang Xun hesitated for a moment, then agreed with a smile.
As the emperor's imperial guards who have been stationed in the capital for a long time, the brothers may not be good at fighting, but they are all good at poetry and miscellaneous songs. Under Wang Xun's organization, rough singing soon began to sound in the team, "Bian Bian"
The fire in the court was frightened, and Yu Ye was recruited to recruit troops at night. Shaohao raised his golden energy, and Wenchang moved his generals. He drove Tuan Khan northward, pointing directly at Madame City..." (Note 1)
This poem is an outgoing song written by the Sui Dynasty poet Xue Daoheng. Because it is simple and easy to understand, and the melody is generous, it is widely circulated in the army. Not only most of the Feilong Imperial Guards can sing it, but after a while, even the people among the people are following in a low voice.
He hummed. The morale of the whole team was immediately boosted.
As Gao Shi said this morning, wolves, like dogs, are born to be snobbish. Seeing that the team in front suddenly became so heroic, they became even more afraid to approach rashly. When everyone heard the good news from the end of the team, they sang
He had to work harder, and when he got up, he simply struck the golden stirrup with a horizontal knife as he walked, "At dusk in autumn in the desert, there is poverty and gloom for thousands of miles. The mournful flute plays in the cold night, and the sound of geese breaks in the frosty sky. Even the deer plug under the flag,
Stacking drums towards the Longting..."
In an instant, the appearance of the entire team changed drastically. The fatigue was swept away, and there was a hint of fierceness. The wolves heard this and became even more hesitant. After reluctantly watching on the spot for a moment, they actually lowered their heads.
Led by the Wolf King, he fled in despair.
By this time, the team no longer cared about who was following behind them. The soldiers and civilians were strong, singing to each other, almost forgetting the fatigue of the journey, and only felt that the whole body was hot from head to toe. Being born as a man in the Tang Dynasty, you have to suffer a little, and you have to suffer a lot.
What's a little tiring? There are no scholars in Lingyan Pavilion, and you will become famous after a hundred battles. If you can make the people who care about you and the people you care about safe and happy, even if you pay a higher price, it is worth it.
"The demonic clouds are falling into the captive formation, and the dim moon is surrounding the Hu camp. All the sages on the left are bowing their heads, and the Chanyu has tied his tassels. The horse is ascending to Xuanzang, and the hook Kun is approaching the Beiming. You should know that Huo Hussar is riding high, and he is rising from Xijing." The singing became more and more intense.
High, becoming more and more exciting, gradually rushing into the sky, resounding throughout the desert that has been silent for decades.
Note 1: This poem is a song written by Sui Dynasty poet Xue Daoheng.
