Father can be an enemy to the country

A month later, the 20,000 Western Expedition troops had penetrated more than a thousand miles into the vast Kunlun.

They entered the true wilderness. The forests and grasslands that could be seen before had disappeared, and even flying birds were rare.

Looking around, we are surrounded by peaks with no vegetation and rugged rocks. The top of the peak is covered with snow that does not melt all year round, and at the bottom of the mountain is a barren beach formed by years of falling rocks. The men and horses walked on it, and they had to be careful every step they took, otherwise they might sprain their feet, or even be pierced by sharp stones...

What's even worse is that the air has become very thin, and breathing, which is usually emotionless, has become extremely laborious. If I move a little too much, my lungs will be on fire, and I will feel like I can't breathe.

Moreover, the sun is not too harsh, but if you are exposed to it for a moment, your skin will be burned. Then your whole body will be burning for several days, and it will hurt to move, until the sunburned skin will fall off, and then the cycle starts again. Everyone's skin turned into purple willow bark, as rough as sandpaper.

After being in such a harsh environment for a long time, the soldiers who were still full of energy and chatting and laughing when they set out all became silent, with only the sound of heavy breathing coming and going.

In order to protect themselves from the sun, they wrapped their heads with robes, leaving only their two eyes exposed to look at the road under their feet. There is no use looking forward, because the scene ahead is the same, except for rocks and gravel.

If it weren't for the surging Shaliu River beside them, which pointed out the direction for them, the soldiers would have lost their way so many times.

But they still wonder from time to time, could they have gone the wrong way? How could tens of thousands of people and livestock hide in a place like this?

Deng Yu didn't ride a horse either. He walked silently on the gravel road like an ordinary soldier. It's not that he has the intention to share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers, but it's simply impossible to ride a horse on this kind of road. Otherwise, if the horse loses its footing and the person falls off the horse, the bones and muscles will be broken easily.

After marching in silence for a long time, before the sun set, the scouts who explored the path came back.

The soldiers brought him to Deng Yu, who looked at him inquiringly.

The scout shook his head, and Deng Yu sighed in disappointment, waving his hand to signal him to rest.

Then he hissed to Mu Ying beside him: Let's get down to camp.

Mu Ying nodded and forced herself to command her subordinates to arrange security, set up a deer camp, and bury pots for cooking.

Especially when cooking, you must hurry up because you need to turn off the fire before dark. Otherwise, after dark, the fire will be a beacon for sneak attackers.

In the mountains, the sun always sets quickly, and the sky becomes completely dark before the soldiers can boil the water. They had no choice but to put out the fire and use unboiled water to make food.

Rice soaked in water is a field ration invented by the Ming army. The rice is steamed and then dehumidified and dried so that it can be stored for a long time. In an environment like Kunlun Mountain, it won't go bad for several months. When eating, just soak it in hot water and you can eat it directly, which is very convenient.

The main non-staple food is to mix tempeh with crushed salt, make it into biscuits and then dry it in the sun. When eating, peel off a piece the size of a date core and eat it with rice to add salt and increase the taste.

In fact, in the early days of the Republic of China, the Ming army had a high status and strong support. They even had dried meat, moon cakes, and candied fruits to eat when they set out, but by now these delicious foods had been exhausted.

Right now, apart from these two things to eat, there is only some Guokui and fried noodles left...

The soldiers sat together in small groups, eating soaked rice and beans with soy salt in silence, without any complaints. In fact, they didn't have the energy to complain. They just wanted to finish their meal quickly and fall asleep.

As everyone knows, even these two kinds of food are not much...

The baggage officer came close to Deng Yu and reported in a low voice: Commander, there are only ten days left...

... Deng Yu looked extremely ugly, and the pancake in his hand was hard to swallow.

Will the supply be reduced starting tomorrow? Mu Ying whispered.

... Deng Yu shook his head. After entering the plateau, the soldiers were exhausted. As long as they marched normally, the rations they needed would catch up with the battle. This is also an important reason why military rations bottomed out half a month earlier than expected.

But he did not dare to reduce the food for the soldiers. First of all, not having enough to eat would greatly weaken the soldiers' physical strength and even affect their ability to compete with the snow-capped mountains on the plateau.

And Deng Yu knew that soldiers were very sensitive to food. Especially in such difficult times, finding that the ration quota has become smaller will seriously damage their morale.

Start killing the animals tomorrow. Kill the donkeys, mules and pack horses first, leaving only the war horses. After a long silence, Deng Yu finally gave the instruction.

Well. The baggage officer nodded and asked hesitantly: In this case, the baggage officer can't...

Throw away everything except what is necessary. Deng Yu said solemnly.

Yes. The baggage officer responded.

Killing animals also hurts morale, right? Mu Ying whispered.

It doesn't matter, I will tell the soldiers first that these animals are prepared rations. Deng Yu said calmly: It's just time to eat them.

The commander is really good at soothing people's hearts... Mu Ying couldn't help but admire him: The last general has learned another trick.

Haha... Deng Yu smiled and was about to speak when he suddenly coughed violently and his face turned red.

Mu Ying quickly handed him some water and massaged his Dazhui, finally stopping his coughing.

The handsome man's cough is getting worse and worse.

Before entering the mountain, I was as strong as an ox. It seems that I am no match for Kunlun Mountain. Deng Yu smiled bitterly, and suddenly sighed: Oh, I never thought that after chasing a thousand miles, I haven't seen it yet. The figure of Tubo.”

According to previous estimates, the Tubo tribesmen, their families, and their livestock would have to hide out for hundreds of miles at most...

This time's opponent knows the commander-in-chief and our Ming army. Mu Ying said with a wry smile.

Well, King Yu of Beiyuan followed us from Xuanfu to Hezhou, so he must be familiar with us. Deng Yu nodded and said, However, this is not just a problem that can be solved by understanding.

After a pause, he whispered: I guess our previous judgment was wrong. Their hiding place is not necessarily by the river.

No way. Tens of thousands of people eat horse chews. How much water do they use every day? How can we bear to live without water? Mu Ying said in disbelief.

In addition to their previous speculations, the Tubo tribes must have hidden in river valleys and canyons in the Kunlun Mountains, as they brought their old, weak, women, children, and livestock with them.

This kind of place is often humid, warm and has grass growing, so it is possible to accommodate tens of thousands of people taking refuge. Of course it must be big enough.

Therefore, since the Western Expeditionary Army entered the Kunlun Mountains, they have been searching along the rivers, even the tributaries. They have found several such river valleys and canyons, but there are no traces of the Tibetan tribes.

We neglected one thing. Deng Yu pointed to the patch of white in the air in the distance, which was the snow on the top of the mountain.

Xue Shui? Mu Ying whispered.