"What is it? Another parallel import of the Xixia Emperor's Horse Brand?"
"We can't talk about this now."
"Here we go again."
"You'll know it when you get it."
"Old Cao, tell the truth, does this matter have anything to do with the previous matter?"
"Master Tian, there are many people involved in this transaction. Even the tough guys that Master Ba values very much don't know anything about yet. Don't embarrass me, okay?"
Although Cao Shi refused to tell me the truth, I could vaguely guess that what the old man was looking for this time was probably related to the thing in Fatai Temple.
Although there were doubts in my heart, I didn’t dare not do what the old man told me. In the next two days, Cao Shi took Wei Mian and I to make preparations and contacted the manpower going to Mazhan. How many mobile personnel were involved in this transaction?
I don't know, but the lineup of about ten people who do the specific work is very luxurious. Four or five of them are hard-hitting people with very good skills and knowledge. They can work alone when they are released, and they rarely get together to do the same thing.
Smart people in this industry all understand the truth. Although good local goods are valuable, they are dead goods. If you lose one today, you can get two or three back tomorrow. And a person who obeys orders, does things safely and has excellent kung fu
The benefits brought by assistants are immeasurable. In the past, some old guys only had two or three confidants in their lives, but they became prosperous and became famous. This is the reason. If not for a huge deal,
, few people will gather all their elites to work together. If an accident occurs and everyone is involved, the losses will be extremely huge.
The old man said that there should be no risk in this operation, and at the same time, he pulled all the tough hands on Ma Zhan. It was very contradictory, but I knew too little about the situation and couldn't analyze anything. But I am still relatively relieved, if the operation is successful
If the risk factor was very high, he would never send Wei Mian and I there.
After the preparations were completed, everyone rushed from Jiangbei to Yinchuan in two groups, stayed there for two days, and then went to Alxa Left Banner together.
Cao Shi met up with some people in Alxa Left Banner. I didn’t even recognize them, and I didn’t know if they were the old man’s people. The other party prepared two cars for us, as well as drinking water, fuel, and a lot of equipment. I think I really don’t adapt.
Life here, after eating mutton and milk tofu for two days in a row, my stomach started to protest, and I had no energy at all.
After accepting the task assigned by the old man, Cao Shi probably gained some relevant knowledge. He told me privately that our luck was actually quite good. Mazhan is located exactly at the junction of the Mongolian Plateau Desert Zone and the Desert Zone. If we continue
Walking a little further west, we should enter the desert. I said it would be nice to see the desert, but Cao Shi shook his head and said that if I really go deep into the desert, I am sure my intestines will turn green.
I originally planned to stay in Alxa for two more days, but Cao Shi didn't allow it. He said that after finishing the official business, I could stay in Alxa for a year. Before my stomach returned to normal, the team set off from the Left Banner of Alxa and headed west.
Marching. When I first left Alxa, the road conditions were okay, but when I walked it was not good. Sometimes the car would get stuck in the sand, and everyone had to push the car desperately. I was very worried, fearing that the car would not be able to drive.
We broke down halfway to our destination. Traveling on foot in such a place with no end in sight would be tiring to death.
The journey was quite boring. I had nothing to do in the car. I browsed Cao Shi's map out of boredom. I couldn't understand the ancient Xixia map. The place names on it were very unfamiliar. I saw a place called Baima Qiang marked not far to the north of Mazhan.
Asking Cao Shi what the name of Zhenjunsi was, he asked Cao Shi what place it was.
"You really asked the right question." Cao Shi spat out the sand that got into his mouth and said, "I don't know much about Xixia either. Because Ma Zhan is relatively close to the military division of Baima Qiang Town, I paid special attention to check it.
check......"
Cao Shi told me that the so-called Military Division is an official name. In fact, it should be called the Supervising Military Division. Its main responsibility is to command the army in the jurisdiction, guard the borders and guard the capital, and defend the capital. The whole country of Xixia is divided into two parts: the left and the right. There are ten parts in total.
There are two military supervisory departments. The Baimaqiang Town Military Division is one of them. It is stationed in Loubobei. The chief of the military department is called the Dutongjun. There are also one deputy commander and one supervisor each.
Baima Qiang Town Military Division is not very well-known. Generally, people who don’t know much about Xixia probably don’t know it. However, Heishui Town Yan Military Division among the Twelve Supervisory Military Divisions is a very famous place. The mysterious Heishui City of Xixia is actually
This is the site of the Military Supervision Department.
I was still a little interested in what I heard, but Cao Shi only knew so much. If I asked him anything else, he would apologize.
As we continued to march, we all felt a little bad. No one had been to this place. From the map, it was located on the edge of the Gobi Desert. But when we actually got involved, we found that the actual situation was completely different from what we expected.
Same. About ten kilometers away from Mazhan, the desertification has become quite severe, and it is almost impossible to drive a car there. The people who contacted us in Alxa were seriously derelict in their duties. They should have prepared a few camels to follow the car.
, when the car is out of use, the camel can still be used as a means of transportation.
However, it is not too difficult to hike ten kilometers deep here. People will not be trapped to death if they go in. If it is further away, it will be difficult to guarantee. Cao Shi thought about it and ordered the car and two guards to be left behind. The rest of the people
He tried to bring as much supplies as possible and walked to Ma Zhan. He said to me regretfully that he originally thought that the car could drive directly to Ma Zhan, but who knew that such an unexpected situation would happen. In fact, I was fine, it was just Wei Mian looking at Tai
It's heart-wrenching. This guy is carrying a bag that's not much bigger than his butt, walking in small steps in the desert. I can't figure it out. It's not like the old man doesn't know Wei Mian's virtues, why he has to follow him here?
I can't help you at all, but I still hold everyone back.
The preparations before this operation were quite thorough, and the specific routes were clearly marked on the map. However, the walking speed was too slow. Many people had no experience in crossing the desert and drank from buffaloes. Cao Shi gave everyone
We were given two cloth covers, which were sewn from very thick canvas. They were put on the feet and then pulled up to the knees and tied shut to prevent sand from getting into the shoes. We didn’t have camels, so we relied on a pair of
It will be very troublesome if the feet are blistered while walking.
This section of the road was not far or close. Everyone had a lot of energy before coming, so the trip went smoothly. Cao Shi would report the remaining distance to everyone from time to time, which changed from 80 kilometers to 70 or 60 kilometers.
Ten... I also felt like I was about to get over it. But just a few kilometers away from the destination, we found some obvious lines of footprints in front of us.
The wind and sand in this place are very strong, and the superficial footprints will be covered up in a short time. The footprints in front of us show that someone arrived one step earlier than us. However, judging from the footprints, there are not too many people on the other side.
Cao Shi was scared of Fatai Temple. When he saw the footprints, his nerves immediately became tense. He spread out the people and followed the footprints to carefully surround them from three directions. Wei Mian and I were placed at the end and followed everyone forward.
Soon, several blurry figures appeared in the distance. Someone raised a gun and wanted to shoot, but Cao Shi stopped him. At this time, the other party also noticed us, and one of them stood up and waved vigorously. I took out the binoculars and looked at it.
There were four of them in total, all squatting on the spot. One of them seemed to have had an accident and fell motionless in someone else's arms.
The man waving his hands actually ran over here, confusing us. The situation was unclear now, and Cao Shi didn't want to expose our identities easily, so he had people put away their guns and act according to the situation. The man was panting and ran up to me.
I saw clearly that he was a young man wearing glasses, a little younger than me, with a bookish look on his face.
"Please...please...do you have...severe films for summer syndrome?" Glasses panted and said, "There is...someone passed out over there, we
...I only brought ten drops of water, but...it didn't work..."
Cao Shi observed the other person's expression calmly, trying to tell whether his words were true or not, but I felt that this person looked like a student. This situation is a bit troublesome. We can't attack indiscriminately, nor can we leave them unprepared. Cao Shi
He chatted with the glasses in a pleasant manner, and then asked three people to get the medicine and glasses.
When he saw that we were bringing the medicine he needed, he was so happy that he said thank you a dozen times in a row. After the three of them followed him, I kept observing with a telescope. The situation was normal and I couldn't detect any dangerous atmosphere.
The patient took the medicine and was placed properly. Another person came over. He was quite old, also wearing glasses, with thinning gray hair. Cao Shi chatted with him for a few words, and he said that he was a teacher in the History Department of Ningxia University.
, surnamed Fang, also expressed his gratitude for the medicines we provided.
Looking at his words and demeanor, I felt that this man was most likely an intellectual who had survived the Cultural Revolution, with a label engraved on his face that could not be erased.
After chatting for a few words, Mr. Fang asked us the reason for our visit. Cao Shi would definitely not say that we were going to Machan, so he lied casually, saying that these people came to visit the hometown of Xixia because of its reputation. I just came from Cao Shi's place
After learning a lesson, someone else interrupted and said that we wanted to visit the Baimaqiang Town Military Division ruins.
"Oh?" Mr. Fang adjusted his glasses and looked at me in surprise: "Do you know the White Horse Strong Town Military Division?"
"I've just heard of it."
"Then you are going the wrong way." Mr. Fang pointed to the northeast and said, "The ruins of the Baimaqiang Town Military Division are in that direction. If you go further west, you will only go farther and farther."
Several of us pretended to be enlightened. Mr. Fang looked at the sky and continued: "I'm afraid it's too late to rush today. Let's do this. There is a place called Mazhan not far ahead. It used to be a small town in Xixia. You can rest there.
One night is much better than sleeping in the open."
When he said this, I was even more sure of my idea. Ma Zhan is unknown, and it would be impossible for someone who is not a person who has done a lot of research on Xixia to know about it.
I turned to look at Cao Shi. He was silent and was obviously thinking nervously. Mr. Fang and the others could not see anything unusual on the surface. From what he meant, the four of them must be going to Mazhan to spend the night.
Shi Shi was a little worried, and agreed to Mr. Fang's suggestion after a moment's thought. When Mr. Fang went back to greet the three students, Cao Shi lowered his voice and said to us: "We can't throw them away! Go to Mazhan with them, and leave some time behind."