We set off early the next morning.

It is not feasible to walk at night and day in the desert, and once you lose your way, you will only be a dead end in this sea of sand.

Therefore, the only way to hurry up is to get up early, the scorching sun at this time is not yet in the sky, and the energy of people and animals is still very strong after a night's rest.

When the white sun shook so much that it was difficult for people to open their eyes, the heat wave began to steam, and the foot strength of people and camels and horses had reached their limits, and they were in a semi-trance.

At this time, it is impossible to speed up again.

The foreign camel caravan that once set foot in the desert for the first time had such a bloody lesson.

The hosts were in a hurry to get on their way, whipping and kicking the camels in the scorching heat of the middle of the day.

As a result, after two days, all the camels and livestock foamed at the mouth and completely collapsed.

All the goods and men of the caravan were finally buried in the sea of sand, including the anxious master.

My grandfather told me that in the mountains and plains where water and grass are abundant, livestock can come at the rhythm of people.

But in the desert of the "Sea of Death", the merchant must follow the rhythm of the camel, which is willing to go as fast as it wants and as slow as it wants.

The camels did not want to go and lay down on the spot, and the caravan had to stop.

Because they may be too tired to rest for a moment at this time, perhaps because these unusually sensitive creatures may be aware of some potential danger coming.

And this danger is usually a black storm in the desert, or a whirling "dragon sucking sand".

If the caravan were to enter such a whirlpool, both men and camels and horses would die miserably.

So every night when my grandfather chose a place to camp in the desert, he would watch the direction of the wind, watch the clouds, listen to the sounds made in the dunes, and observe the expressions of the camels and horses.

If all the animals are calm, they will generally stay up all night.

If they are upset and restless, then disaster is coming, and they must come up with a plan in advance.

The desert is cool and silent in the early morning, and it is a good time to hurry.

The caravans lined up and flowed forward.

There was no one to speak, only the undulating wheezing of man and livestock, the grinding of feet in the sand, and the sound of camel bells far and near.

In this way, the caravan walked for nearly three hours in one go.

By the time I was sweating profusely and feeling the heat unbearable again, I looked up and saw that the sun was shining overhead, and it was already noon.

We had just climbed over a sand dune, and there was no shelter in all directions, it was all white flowers.

"Qin Chong, don't you camp at noon?"

I wiped the beads of sweat from my face, turned to the young man with the camel next to me.

Now I don't dare to ask my grandfather and grandfather if I have any questions, especially when everyone is in such a difficult situation.

"I won't set up camp, this poisonous sun will be hotter when it stops, and it's a little windy when I walk around."

Qin Chong looked at me and smiled innocently, "Young master, you're tired!" Bear with me, it's time for lunch at the next slope! ”

As we spoke, the camels and men behind us walked past us with a snort.

"Qin Chong, don't tease the young master to talk! Hurry up! ”

Uncle Suder Su saw that I was chatting with Qin Chong, and quickly turned around to stop me.

"Young master! At this time, talk less and save energy! ”

"Wow!" I hurried to answer, leading the horse one foot deep and one foot shallow.

I don't have any hard tasks on this business trip, I just need to manage myself and the horse around me.

Don't embarrass the guys around you and make trouble for them, which is my grandfather's basic requirement for me.

Talking to Qin Chong casually just now, it seems that it has already embarrassed him, you must pay attention in the future, I secretly warned myself.

Behind a tall sand dune there were a few rare shaded patches, and the command to rest in place came from the front.

The whole caravan was instantly dispersed in different shades, as if pre-agreed.

Grandpa is really a god, he won't even calculate in advance which sand dunes will have shade behind at noon!

Qin Chong took off the sheepskin water bag from the hunchback, and I hurriedly took out the clay bowl containing water and stepped forward.

He carefully poured me a full bowl of water, and handed me the bowl with great care.

Water is life in the desert! It is more expensive than gold, and not a drop can be wasted.

Then he brought me a piece of naan and a piece of corned beef.

After serving me, Qin Chong was busy hydrating my mount and feeding some oat feed before it was his turn to enjoy this simple meal.

Before I know it, the shade is gone, and the reflection of the scorching sun on the slope makes people feel stinging at a glance.

"Qin Chong, I'll just make every meal by myself in the future, you can be busy with yours!"

Looking at Qin Chong's gobbling up in a hurry, I smiled a little apologetically.

"Young master, it's okay! Before leaving, my wife explained that my task on this journey is to serve you! ”

Qin Chong wiped his mouth, and in the blink of an eye, all the food was gone.

Then, like me, the bowl full of drinking water was gulp.

The food and drink of each person at each meal of the entire caravan was rationed and distributed strictly according to the approximate travel time, and the host of the tour leader was no exception.

"I have hands and feet, what do I want you to serve! If there is anything I don't understand on the road in the future, I hope the little brother will teach me! ”

I smiled as I helped him sort out the water bladder and food bag on his hunchback.

Our line of nearly 100 camels and horses, each head of livestock carrying hundreds of catties of goods, most of them are the daily supply of our personnel and livestock, and the jade in Chang'anfang only accounts for a small proportion of them.

Without these supplies, it would have been impossible to cross this desert where no bird could fly.

Sun Tzu Youyun: The soldiers and horses go first before the grain and grass are moved, and it seems that the merchants are the same.

The camels and horses in front of them have already gotten up and are ready to go.

"Young master, I'm a buddy, if you have anything, just give me orders! I've walked with my master no less than five or six times on this road, and I still know a little bit about it. We will then have to walk for four hours to get to where we will spend the night tonight. If you feel that you can't get through it on the way, call me, I have this! ”

After Qin Chong tightened the belt on his hunchback, he pointed to the leather bag on the side of the reins and smiled at me.

I understand that this hydration bladder was specially prepared for me.

At the same time, I also understand that once I use this water bag, it will be equivalent to shaking the morale of the military.

Grandpa and grandfather can't violate the limited amount of drinking water, and how dare I break such a rule.

So I smiled bitterly and arched my hand to Qin Chong, and then took my mount and went on the road.

Grandpa still led the way, while Grandpa stood aside, holding a poplar stick, a symbol of power, and inspected every camel and horse that passed in front of him.

This is the old tradition of the caravan every time it sets out, and he will unceremoniously scold a guy who encounters a guy whose belt is not tightly fastened, or whose sackcloth is not covered with sunshade.

In such a dangerous road, there is no room for sloppiness.

Losing a hydration bag can sometimes be the same as losing a life.

"Take care of yourself! Don't make a mess! ”

As I walked past my grandfather, he solemnly repeated to me what I had said many times.

"Grandson understands!"

I bowed deeply to my grandfather and chased after Qin Chong.

In the past, in the hometown of "Qingfengze", I was looking forward to my grandfather's return every time.

Now in the caravan, I am most afraid of meeting his old man.

It's not so much that I'm afraid of his reprimand, but that I'm worried that my performance will not live up to his expectations.

We were walking deep in the desert, and for the first time in the afternoon, I felt like I was about to suffocate.

The sweat in his body seemed to have run out, and his body seemed to be emptied.

Things in front of him also began to blur, the sand dunes on both sides seemed to be shaking, and the camel team in front of them was like a giant snake slowly wriggling on the back of the dune.

The only thing he had was to grasp the reins of the mount beside him, leaning against it and dragging it forward.

It's useless to ride on horseback, and in less than two hours the scorching sun will vaporize you into a dried corpse.

In a trance, someone grabbed my back, and then a hot liquid slowly flowed into my mouth.

Water! Water! I want to drink water!

The smell of sheepskin, the hot drinking water, is now better for me than any gyokuro elixir in the world.

Just as I frantically grabbed the skin and was about to drink it all, the water bladder was ruthlessly taken away.

"Young master, bear with me, the heat wave will pass in another hour!"

It was Qin Chong's voice, it was he who pulled me back from death.

Maybe it's because of the supplemental drinking water, although it is still uncomfortable, but the head has cleared up.

Far away in the depths of the sand sea, there are some ruined villages.

"Young master, look! Ahead is where we camp tonight! ”

Qin Chong, who was in parallel, pointed to the distance and shouted to me in a hoarse voice.

As if I had met a savior, I followed my grandmother's usual chanting of the Buddha, and put my hands together piously and said, "Amitabha, the almighty Buddha blesses!" Finally in place! ”

Only afterwards did I realize that Qin Chong deceived me, and it was a well-intentioned deception.

We walked for more than an hour in the heat wave before we reached the ancient Han Dynasty city that had been abandoned for a long time.