That night, thirty young men from Lingzhou quietly left Lingzhou City and headed east along an abandoned official road.
Guo Song secretly admired this decision. They were indeed experienced scouts. They not only had to avoid the enemy's main force, but also avoid the mounted sentries sent by the enemy.
After walking for dozens of miles east of Lingzhou, there is an endless desert. The enemy's cavalry sentries will not appear in the desert under any circumstances.
Thirty people and sixty horses, one horse carries people and the other horse carries supplies. They have to walk through a Gobi desert more than 400 miles long. In the vast Gobi, even Guo Song may not be able to find it.
food,
At dawn the next day, they had crossed the ancient Great Wall from Baichi Pass and entered the vast Gobi desert.
The team began to march due north. If they couldn't hold on any longer, they would run dozens of miles westward and enter the oasis area by the Yellow River. This distance was a survival distance, but they would not encounter Xue Yantuo's cavalry, only extremely professional scouts.
, will arrange such a reasonable path.
Although most of this group of young people are children of wealthy families, they are not pampered playboys. They confirm Duan Xiushi's words that they are all young people who can endure hardship and have courage.
They came to a large rock. Li Ji waved and signaled the team to stop, "Rest where you are and set off at dusk!"
Everyone was about to run towards the rock, but Li Ji stopped them. He and Lin Tai searched around and killed more than a dozen venomous snakes under the rock, before letting everyone rest in the shade under the rock.
Guo Song leaned on the rock. Next to him was Liang Wu. Guo Chongqing sat down on the other side of him and handed the water hyacinth to Guo Song. Guo Song took a sip of water and asked with a smile: "Why are you participating too?"
for this operation?”
Guo Chongqing smiled lightly and said: "I can't run away from this kind of thing. If I don't go and Duan Shijun writes a letter to the old man, I won't be able to afford it and have to obey the arrangements."
"How is Lord Guo doing now?"
Guo Laolinggong, of course, refers to Guo Ziyi. Guo Song knew that this old man had something to do with him, so he was also more concerned about it. Guo Chongqing was Guo Ziyi's personal soldier and his fake son, so he certainly had a say in Guo Ziyi's situation.
.
"What do you want to ask about? The old man is in good health, but his career is not going well."
"Why is your career not going well?"
"The Anshi Rebellion is over, and their group of generals have completed their mission. An An can be an idle official in the capital. Only when a major incident occurs, the emperor will use his prestige to ask him to come forward to solve it."
Guo Chongqing smiled and asked: "What about you? What's going on between you and the Guo family?"
"It's okay. I have nothing to do with the Guo family in the first place. I think it's good that we don't interfere with each other now!"
"Guo Zhi hopes you will return to the Guo family!"
Guo Song shook his head, "Do you think my return to the Guo family will be a good thing for the Guo family? If Guo Zhi really thinks so, then he is not a qualified heir to the family."
Guo Chongqing sighed softly, "You are right. If you don't go back, the Guo family can still maintain family unity on the surface. If you go back, the Guo family will be in trouble and may even be split into two. The old head of the family also understands
This is why he is determined not to allow Guo Zhi to mention your matter in family discussions."
Guo Song nodded, knowing very well that in the heart of the head of the Guo family, Guo Shichang was much more important than himself.
"Guo Song, where is your eagle?" Guo Chongqing suddenly asked.
Guo Song looked up at the sky, and indeed there was no trace of Mengzi. He shook his head and said: "I haven't seen it since the riding and shooting competition that day. It often disappears, but it will find me."
"Maybe I know where it is?" Li Ji's voice came from overhead.
Guo Song turned around and looked around. Li Jizheng was standing on the rock looking around.
"Where did Captain Li see it?"
"In the eagle nest of Shuofang Army, the eagle slave told me yesterday that there was an extra eagle in the eagle nest. I took a look and it was the eagle that appeared on the cavalry range that day."
"Why does it go to the Eagle's Nest?" Guo Song asked strangely.
"There is only one female eagle in the eagle's nest."
"Damn!" Guo Song cursed angrily, why is his eagle the same as Gan Lei?
"I asked the eagle slave not to disturb them, Guo Song, wait until you come back to get the eagle!"
"No need!" Guo Song shook his head, "It will find me."
Li Ji smiled and climbed down the rock from the other side.
At this time, Guo Song saw Shi Tongzheng and two other young people busy cooking, so he stood up and said with a smile: "I'll go see them!"
There are three people in the team's logistics department. Shi Tong and two other young people from the martial arts school were specially selected by Li Ji from the list of alternate generals. Li Ji is a scout captain and he knows the importance of logistics soldiers.
.
Effective logistical support is very beneficial to the soldiers' physical recovery and physical condition.
They were equipped with stoves and iron pots. One person cooked the fire and the other stirred the noodles. Shi Tong was responsible for making pancakes, frying eggs, and then smearing thick and delicious meat sauce on them. Finally, they drank a bowl of heat-relieving soup made with traditional Chinese medicine. After a night of marching,
Tiredness will be eliminated.
"Little Fatty, you did a good job in logistics!" Guo Song squatted aside and said with a smile.
Shi Tong said with great interest: "Brother Guo, I have now figured out that being an excellent logistics soldier is no less than an excellent soldier."
"That's right. Fighting is not your strong point. Cooking is your specialty. If it wasn't because you were good at cooking, would you have been selected?"
Shi Tong quickly made a burrito, wrapped it in a disposable wide reed leaf, and handed it to Guo Song, "Here! Brother Guo, try the mutton sauce pancake I made."
The hot delicious food hit his nostrils. Guo Song could not bear the temptation and said with a smile: "Then I will eat it first."
Guo Song sat back under the rock and started chewing. The delicious food made Liang Wu and others nearby couldn't help it, and they gathered around him.
Shi Tong shouted: "Don't be anxious! Don't be anxious! Everyone has it. This share belongs to Duan Sanniang, and the younger lady has priority."
After lunch, everyone fell into a deep sleep again. When they woke up, it was already dusk. Everyone ate the remaining meatloaf and set off.
……….
Not long after thirty young people entered the Gobi Desert, thirty thousand Xue Yantuo's cavalry also marched south in mighty force.
Xueyantuo was originally a branch of the Mobei Tiele people, consisting of the Xue tribe and the Yantuo tribe. It gradually became stronger in the early Tang Dynasty and was called the Xueyantuo Khanate. It rebelled against the Tang Dynasty and repeatedly invaded the south, which brought serious consequences to the people in the border areas of the Tang Dynasty.
disaster.
Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, finally couldn't bear it anymore. In the 19th year of Zhenguan, he sent a large army out to destroy the Xueyantuo Khanate in one fell swoop. The Xueyantuo Khanate was divided into four parts. Some went south to join the Tang Dynasty, some were annexed by the Turks, and some Xueyantuo people fled to the west of Jinshan Mountain.
There he joined the Geluolu people.
Seventy years later, the Geluolu people betrayed the Tang Dynasty in the Battle of Talos, resulting in a disastrous defeat for the Tang army. However, the Geluolu people also received generous rewards and gained thousands of miles of fertile land, becoming the main force west of Jinshan.
overlord.
After the Anshi Rebellion, the Anxi army withdrew to the mainland of the Tang Dynasty, and the frontiers were empty. Uighurs and Tubo took the opportunity to attack and carve up the Western Region Protectorate. A war eventually broke out between the two forces to compete for territory.
The war between the Uighurs and the Turks lasted for nearly ten years in order to dominate Tocharo and the Hexi region. However, the Geluolu people found an opportunity. The Uighur front was too long and there were insufficient troops in Mobei to control the large grasslands.
The Geluolu people took the opportunity to extend their black hands into Mobei, and the black hands of Geluolu were the Xue Yantuo tribe.
The Xueyantuo tribe returned to the east of Jinshan Mountain more than ten years ago. With Ge Luolu's full support, it quickly established a firm foothold and continuously annexed various small Tiele tribes, gradually becoming stronger again.
Since ten years ago, Xue Yantuo's army has attacked Lingzhou almost every two years, initially to plunder people and property.
But soon, Xue Man, the chief of Xueyantuo, discovered another benefit of attacking Lingzhou, which was to enhance the military prestige of the Xueyantuo people. Even the Uighurs pinched their noses and admitted his occupation of the Yinshan area. Other small Tiele tribes
They even trembled under Xue Yantuo's powerful military power.
Therefore, attacking Lingzhou almost became a ritual. Every two years, Xue Man would send troops south to harass.
The general who led the 30,000-strong army to go south this time was called Jinmuhe. His full name was Yantuo Jinmuhe. He was an important military leader of the Yantuo tribe. This year it was the turn of the Yantuo tribe to go south.
That morning, 30,000 Xue Yantuo's army trekked thousands of miles and finally arrived outside Lingzhou City. Hundreds of trumpeters blew deep trumpets, and the 30,000-strong army began to set up camp.
Thousands of people went to the nearby forests to cut down trees and build crude siege ladders. They were not in a hurry to attack the city, but were patiently waiting for the Party troops to come and join together, and then attack Lingzhou City together.
.........
Not mentioning that Xue Yantuo's troops are preparing to attack Lingzhou City, we turn our attention back to the thirty warriors who carried out the surprise attack northward.
The group of people traveled day and night, and after four days they gradually walked out of the Gobi Desert. In the early morning, a large forest appeared in front of them, and there was a small lake outside the forest. Everyone cheered and urged their horses to run into the forest.
This is a pine forest. No one has come in for I don’t know how many years. The ground is covered with thick pine needles. Everyone found a dry place and sat down to drink water and rest. Shi Tong and the other three started busy cooking again.
At this time, Lin Tai came over and winked at Guo Song. Guo Song understood, got up and followed him deep into the woods.
Sitting cross-legged in front of a large rock deep in the woods were Li Ji, Guo Chongqing and Liang Wu, plus Lin Tai and Guo Song. The five of them were the core of the entire team.
Everyone sat down around the big stone. It was getting dark and the woods were getting darker. They made several torches with branches wrapped in rosin, lit them and stuck them on the ground.
Li Jidao: "The pine forest we are in now is called Hetou Forest. Thirty miles to the west is the Yellow River. There is a forest on the other side of the Yellow River. After passing the forest, you can see the logistics camp of Xue Yantuo's army. There are
A river runs east-west. They camped along the river. It has not changed in the past few years. It should be the same this time."
"How many troops do they have in their logistics?" Guo Chongqing asked.
"I don't know this year, but in the past there were around 3,000 people."
Guo Song frowned and said: "As far as I know, their food mainly depends on sheep. There must be at least nearly one million sheep! Just a few of us can wipe out one million sheep?"
"Then we need to think of a solution, but first we have to see it on the ground, and then we can think of countermeasures."
Li Ji glanced at Guo Song and said, "Guo Song, come with me!"
Guo Song nodded and said: "I can leave at any time!"