The Wusun Ancient Road is not all valleys. After they reached the source of the river, there was a snow-capped mountain in front of them blocking the way.
After everyone got off their horses, the guide Ba Sha led them up the slope on the left to the foothills of the mountain on the side, passing through a large dense pine forest. There was a winding path in the pine forest, which should be a road that people have walked for thousands of years.
Everyone walked in the pine forest for more than two hours before finally walking out of the forest. Only then did everyone realize that the ridge of the snow-capped mountains was in front of them.
"Everyone, please lead the horses, the road ahead is very difficult!" the guide shouted loudly from the front.
Everyone packed up their belongings, tightened their reins, and walked cautiously toward the ridge. There was thick snow under their feet. They walked along an extremely narrow mountain path that was only two feet wide. This mountain path was actually between two high mountains.
Between the cliffs, the crack in the middle is more than ten feet wide. Below the crack is a cliff covered with ice and snow. Although the ridge is only a hundred steps above their heads, they have to walk more than ten miles to cross the ridge.
Less than a mile away, a war horse slipped on the mountain road, lost its balance, and fell off the cliff with a long hiss. The Tang Army soldier's wrist was tightly wrapped by the reins, and he was actually led down by the war horse. The soldier shouted
With a desperate scream, one man and one horse fell down the cliff in the crack.
The soldier who died was a subordinate of Tang Dalang. He was the one who suggested asking Guo Song about jade last night. He was so happy that he had a good piece of jade, but he did not expect to be buried in the vast ice and snow of Tianshan Mountain the next day.
The bodies of the killed soldiers could no longer be found, and everyone could only mourn in silence at the foot of the cliff. Guo Song loudly said: "Everyone must learn this painful lesson. The reins cannot be wrapped around the wrist!"
Many soldiers took off their reins from their wrists and then continued to walk carefully along the narrow mountain road.
They continued from noon to dusk. When they were still about three miles away from the cliff, five or six horses could not hold on anymore and fell down the cliff.
When it was getting dark, they finally climbed over the ridge, but they only walked less than half of the difficult journey. The descent was steep, and the mountain path was frozen by the perennial ice, making it steep, slippery, and even more dangerous. Although this section was only seven or eight miles long, it was still very dangerous.
Every step is extremely difficult.
The guide Basha shouted: "Guo Changshi, it's getting dark and we can't walk, so just spend the night on the ridge!"
Guo Song was immediately dissatisfied, "We should spend the night in the pine forest, and then walk on the ridge at dawn, so that we can cross the ridge at noon."
Basha shook his head, "Guo Changshi, how could I not know? This road down the mountain is extremely difficult and dangerous. It has to be walked for a day. If it gets dark halfway through, there will be no place to sleep at that time. Only then will it be updated."
It’s dangerous, you have to spend the night on the ridge, at least if you turn over in your sleep you won’t fall off the cliff.”
Guo Song heard that what he said made sense, and looked at the ridge again. The widest part of the ridge was only one foot wide, and it was covered with thick snow. At night, it was at least ten degrees below zero. How could he spend the night?
Basha sighed and said: "Everyone, please clear the snow from your footsteps and rest on the spot!"
"What about the war horses?" a soldier asked.
"There are many rocks on the mountain. Tie the war horses to the rocks. This is what merchants walking on this road do. The horses will not fall down at night."
Everyone had no choice but to tie their reins to the boulder, clear away the snow under their bodies, put an old sheepskin on them, and wrap their bodies tightly with another old sheepskin. They sat down and leaned on the boulder, eating the snow in silence.
The dry food and water in the water hyacinth have frozen into ice and are no longer drinkable.
It was a very difficult night. The soldiers slept and woke up, enduring the cold on the top of the mountain, until finally the sky turned white.
‘Woo’
The low horn sounded, and the soldiers stood up and packed their bags.
Several soldiers brought hot broth, and a fire chief smiled and said: "Everyone eat and drink enough first, and you will have the strength to go down the mountain later."
The soldiers broke up the dry biscuits and soaked them in the broth. This breakfast was particularly sweet.
At this time, a long rope had been tied. Guo Song stood on the big rock and said to everyone: "It is very dangerous to go down the mountain. I ask every soldier to put the rope under his arm. In critical situations, we can use collective strength to save one person."
, but I want to remind everyone again, if the war horse falls, we must let go and save our own lives, otherwise it will affect everyone, remember!"
"As ordered!" everyone replied in unison.
"Okay! The guide is in front, let's set off!"
Going down the mountain is at an inclination of 80 degrees. The ice on the narrow mountain path has not melted and is very slippery. Every step you take is cautious. The guide uses a short iron spear to explore the path in front and only takes one step after confirming it. Dozens of martial arts people in front of him
Strong soldiers constantly sprinkled some hay on the road to increase the friction of the mountain road.
The soldiers behind held long ropes under their left arms and led their horses with their right hands, and they also walked forward step by step.
War horses are spiritual animals. They also know that the road is dangerous, follow their owners closely, and move forward cautiously.
Guo Song was holding a pickaxe and stood on the edge of several of the most dangerous road sections, ready to rescue soldiers in distress at any time. He had leaned outward and hooked the rock with the pickaxe.
As the guide said, the road down the mountain takes a full day, which is a huge test for the perseverance and physical strength of people and horses. However, the team learned the lessons they learned when going up the mountain, and with full preparation and careful consideration, they walked down the mountain at dusk.
After reaching the mountain road, no one or one horse was lost. They crossed the most dangerous section of Wusun Road.
Next, we walked in the canyon again. There are many short streams in the Tianshan Mountains, and the water flow is fast. There are patches of pine forests on both sides. Huge stones can be seen everywhere in the streams. These are the huge rocks washed down from the mountains when flash floods broke out. After thousands of
After thousands of years of erosion, the edges and corners of the boulders have been rounded off and turned into huge cobblestones.
"This is where the flash flood broke out!" Li Ji asked his guide Shaba.
Shaba smiled bitterly and said: "More than a hundred miles from here, the river is full of big rocks. It's hard to tell where they came from. The whereabouts of flash floods are unpredictable and difficult to prevent."
Liang Wu asked Guo Song in a low voice: "How did the flash flood come out?"
Guo Song thought for a while and said: "It is estimated that there are many small lakes on the mountain, called barrier lakes. When there is a heavy rain or the accumulation of water increases, the surrounding stones cannot support and collapse, and the lake water pours down from the mountain, forming a flash flood.
In fact, it is the same as the river breach."
As soon as Guo Song finished speaking, he suddenly heard a terrible strange noise, like the low roar of a tsunami, accompanied by a crackling sound. When he looked up, he saw that the big trees on the hillside had disappeared.
.
Guo Song was taken aback and shouted: "The flash flood is coming, run! Run to the left!"
They were in a valley, and the danger was coming from the mountain on the right. The only way to escape was by running up the mountain on the left.
As soon as Guo Song rode his horse, the Fire Dragon King jumped into the creek and ran towards the opposite hill. The soldiers followed him and jumped into the creek. At this time, a turbid torrent rushed down from the mountain, wrapping it around
A large number of trees, mud and rocks were like a wild horse running wildly towards the foot of the mountain.
People seemed extremely small in front of its violent power. The dozen or so war horses in front were frightened, raising their hooves and neighing. The soldiers urged the horses desperately, but they refused to leave. Guo Song was so anxious that he shouted, "Throw away the horses."
!”
The soldiers had no choice but to jump off their horses and rush into the stream. At this time, a flash flood rushed in and swallowed more than a dozen horses and soldiers.
The flash flood was astonishingly explosive, but it subsided quickly. In less than a quarter of an hour, the flash flood subsided. The valley below the mountain had become unrecognizable. The clear stream was gone, filled with branches and mud, and it was a mess.
The guide Shaba sat blankly on the big rock. He had not yet woken up from the shock and fear. He had walked this road for more than 20 years and only encountered a flash flood twenty years ago. He never expected that today
Encountered it again.
In the valley, Guo Song led hundreds of soldiers to search for the twelve missing soldiers. These soldiers all lost precious time to escape because their horses were afraid and refused to walk. They happened to be directly under the mountain torrent, and it only took a few seconds.
The clock, the man and the horse all disappeared.
"Chang Shi, there is something discovered here!"
Guo Song hurriedly stepped forward and saw that the soldiers dug out several corpses from the mud under a huge rock. They were all dead.
"how many?"
"There are five corpses and two horses."
Guo Song sighed, "Take them all out, clean them well, and then continue searching!"
The soldiers searched for another whole day and finally found the body of the last dead soldier more than ten miles away.