As the sun sets, the black magpie flies south, the vast wasteland gradually dims, and it looks more lonely and desolate in the twilight, it is full of the smell of blood, it is the Zhanlu prairie that has been looted not long ago, there are no cattle and horses, no cooking smoke, no voice, only tents that were lit after the war, and the remains of Qingyun soldiers who were killed by the explosion.

After several days of fighting between the Qingyun Department and the Chishui Division, Qingyun was defeated. Tuoba Yan led the tribesmen to flee to the south. By the time Yel Khan led his army into the steppe again, it was already the same scene.

Suddenly, the soldiers came and said, "Khan, there's a woman over there." ”

"Women?" Yelkhan looked into the distance, and saw a white-haired woman kneeling in the ruins, not weeping, not crying, as if her soul had long since detached from her body, like a wooden man, not eating, drinking, or listening.

That woman is Concubine Wei Mu, since the death of the second prince, she has turned white overnight. When Tuoba Yan led the clansmen to evacuate, Concubine Wei Mu wanted to stay, she said lightly: "I won't leave, I won't go anywhere, just stay in Qingyun." My child is still here, and I will guard him. ”

Tuoba Yan looked at the ruins at the soles of his feet, maybe the bones of the second brother were melted into this land, he bowed his head and bowed respectfully to Concubine Wei Mu, and then turned to the others and said, "Let's get on the road." ”

At this time, Yelkhan looked at the woman, and saw that her hair was disheveled, her face was pale, her lips were purple, and she had probably not eaten all this time. Yelkhan could no longer recognize the woman, and he said to the soldiers: "Don't arrest her, let her fend for herself." ”

"Khan, Tuoba has fled." Another soldier came to report, "Shall we chase?" ”

"Which way did they flee?"

"Southside."

Yel Khan looked to the south, where the territory of the White Sand Department was full of desert. He shook his head and said: "Poor Kou Mo chase, clean up the battlefield, send troops to garrison, the Zhanlu Prairie will be the territory of my Chishui Department from now on." ”

"Long live the Khan! Long live the Khan! ”

After worshipping the spirits of the dead, Tuoba Yan led his people on a journey again, they had been walking for a day and a night, and now they were far away from their homeland, and were about to step into the mysterious Baroming Desert.

"Khan, are we really going into the desert?" Alem didn't know the bottom in his heart, "The scouts sent to deliver the message to Qin Luo don't know if they can arrive safely." Will the White Sand Department accept us? ”

"Where can we go but the South?" Tuoba Yan has no ambition now, he has been defeated again and again, and he truly understands what a lost dog is.

Yes, except for the Baisha Department, now Xiang Qiang is all the territory of the Chishui Department. Qingyun has no way to retreat, but to move towards the desert.

"We don't have a guide." Alem said in frustration, "Just now Kutulu asked around, but no one recognized the way. ”

There were very few guides who could be familiar with the desert, Ze Anji was counted as one, and the rest who knew the way were also sent out to send a message to Qin Luo. Now the team is full of remnants of defeated soldiers, each of them is too busy to take care of himself, and no one dares to take such an important task as a guide.

Tuoba Yan frowned, although he had been to the desert once, but that time there was a guide to guide the way. And this time, Ze Anji followed Qin Luo as an envoy, and it was difficult for them to survive in the desert without a guide.

"I'll lead the way." Finally someone stood up, patted his chest and said to the Khan, "Let me come, I walked here thirty years ago." ”

Tuoba Yan fixed his eyes and saw that he was the Great Wizard, he was old and sick, he stayed in his tent every day, and he had not appeared in front of everyone for a long time.

"Great wizard, can you lead the way?" Tuoba Yan couldn't believe it, he himself had walked through the Baroming Desert, but he didn't write down any routes that time. Could it be that if you walk through it once, you can lead the way?

The great wizard took out a thing with a pointer on the outer square and an inner circle, and explained to Tuoba Yan: "This is called 'compass', which is something from the Central Plains, which can be calculated as feng shui, can measure the fortune of the heavens, and can also see the direction. ”

Tuoba Yan watched curiously as the Great Wizard moved the pointer, seeing that the pointer could always stop in one direction, he only heard the Great Wizard say: "I have been studying it for a long time, and I have never missed it, and this time it just came in handy." ”

"Great Wizard, don't you believe in the Red Crow Heavenly God?" Tuoba was puzzled, "How to study those things in the Central Plains." ”

"Fortune telling and fortune telling, all figured out." The Great Wizard smiled, "Khan, you don't have to worry, I retreated for the first three months and calculated that Qingyun will have a catastrophe, which is the test of the Red Crow Heavenly God on our people." If they can survive this catastrophe, Qingyun will become the most powerful tribe in the grassland.

"What if you can't make it?" Tuoba asked.

"Then they will perish." The Great Wizard said lightly.

Tuoba was speechless, what is the difference between this and not, he doesn't want Qingyun to be in the future now, he just wants to survive now. Now they don't have enough food, they don't have enough horses, they have no hope for the soldiers, and they have to go into the desert in a harsh environment. Tuoba Yan began to doubt in his heart, can Qingyun survive this catastrophe?

Yeletan walked at the back of the group, taking care of the elderly, children, and pregnant women of the tribe. Yeletian and Jimmy beckoned to slave girls and able-bodied women, and supported these old, weak, sick and young, who could not walk, and gave priority to riding horses.

When they reached the edge of the desert, there was panic among the crowd. Some old people were reluctant to step into the desert, and they looked at Yeletian hopelessly, "I can't live, if I go in, I will die." Let me die on the steppe. ”

"No, no, no." Yelean looked at the old men, "The Khan will take us out of the desert, and when we reach the White Sands, we will have hope." ”

"Will the White Sand Department take us in?" Some people have deep suspicion in their eyes.

Actually, Ye Letian didn't know, she could only comfort: "The Red Black Heavenly God will bless us, don't lose your courage." ”

"Sister Yele." Jimmy called Yeletian, and she was also depressed, "Everyone has a life, and they don't want to leave." ”

"Leave these people behind, they have only one way to die."

"If you go in, you won't necessarily be able to survive." Jimmy heard from Alepmu that there was no guide in the procession. They are gone, and they will die for life.

Yele was in a dilemma, and at this time, Tuoba Yan heard the turmoil in the rear and turned back.

"Since I don't want to go, I don't force it. From now on, you are not my Qingyun people, go your separate ways. Tuoba said coldly.

Yele heard her husband's voice and turned her head in surprise, "Khan, no. ”

Tuoba Yan clenched Yele's hand, lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "We don't have much food, and we can't make sure that these people will survive. Maybe let them go, there is still a glimmer of life. ”

Those who did not want to leave heard the Khan's words and whispered one by one, some chose to follow the Khan, and some left. The group set off again, and Yele looked at the old people who stayed in place, and his heart couldn't bear it. She begged Tuoba Yan, "Give them some food, they'll starve." ”

"You can save them for a while, but you can't save them for a lifetime."

"I'll give them my food, is that okay?" With that, Yele broke free from Tuoba's hands, trotted back, and gave the old men some naan and kettles.

When Yele came back, Tuoba Yan really didn't know whether to say that she was kind or stupid. He shook his head silently, broke half of his naan, and forced it into Ye Letian's hand, "Here you go." ”

Ye Letian looked at Tuoba's resolute and stubborn side face, smiled slightly, and finally took the half of the naan.