Two days after Pang Tong took Xiangwu, he raised his troops and marched towards Qiudao Pass, the only barrier between Liangzhou and Yongzhou in the west. Three days later, the army came to Pass. Guards have been added to the gate, and everyone sees that Pang Tong's army is strong and strong, and his own family is both old and weak, and everyone sighs. However, Pang Tong's army did not attack the city, but went down to the village ten miles outside the pass. Ten days later, four iron-clad cloud carts galloped over, frightening the city defenders. Each shot with a bow and arrow, but to no avail. Seeing this embarrassing defensive situation, Pang Tong immediately smiled and said, "Ma Tengding is not here." ”

According to his words, it was military attache Liang Xing who was guarding the Qiudao Pass at this time, watching from the city wall.

A horse galloped from the place where it was closed, and the trapped camp took the initiative to give way to a road. Pang De came to Pang Tong's side and said, "I can see that Liang Xing is on the wall, this person is a more cautious military attache under Ma Teng." But I was too cautious to do anything. All he will do is make the soldiers resist to the death. It's okay for me to be friendly with him, if the adults agree, let me go to the lock and shout, if I don't move him, it's not too late to kill him. ”

"Yes. I see that the formation on the wall is not strict, and it is estimated that there are also some old and weak soldiers. ”

Pang De arched his hand and said, "Thank you for your mercy!" ”

The army stopped suddenly, and a sigh of unease swept through the wall. Pound rode to the gate. Liang Xing wanted to scold when he closed it, but Pang De said first: "I know what you're thinking, and I also know that you plan to scold me." But have you ever thought about your family and people? I have failed several major battles in Xiliang, lost troops and lost generals, almost all men have to join the army, and they rely on women to work, so in this case, I want to exterminate my Liangzhou people! ”

Liang Xing shuddered when he heard this. The people on the wall were all moved.

"Liang Xing, if you still think about the people of Liangzhou, open the city gate. If you don't agree, the brothers who are locked up now will see blood! ”

Liang Xing hesitated. The whispers around gradually increased.

Liang Xing pressed the wall and sighed: "That's it! Immediately ordered someone to open the city gate, and Pang Tong's army entered the pass without blood, and collected 20,000 soldiers to guard the pass. However, because nearly 10,000 of them did not meet the requirements of Pang Tongjun, Pang Tong took pity on them and sent them to Xiangwu County, and everyone was grateful. Pang Tong also promised to reunite their families if they captured Liangzhou.

Pang Tong came to the area overlooking the west, where there was already a yellow earth with monstrous dust rolling up. Pang De on the side said: "Ma Teng did not send a large army, because he expected that the Autumn Dao Pass would be lost. But it is also expected that the adult will not be able to cross the desert, let alone fight him in the desert. So it was time to rest in his lair. ”

Pang Tong said in a deep voice: "The sinister majesty of the desert is indeed terrifying, but if you don't pass, how can you win the world." The big husband is bold to gallop into the abyss. ”

"My lord is really heroic!"

However, Pang Tong was a little worried in his heart, this was the first time he had seen this desert, and he had only heard some sinister rumors before. For example, it is not uncommon for people to die through the desert. However, he still resolutely ordered 100,000 troops and marched towards the desert to the west under the guidance of the people of Liangzhou. When he first went to the hot sand, he knew that if he didn't take Liangzhou, there was no turning back.

The yellow slopes hang everywhere, and walking on these huge sandy surfaces, people's feet seem to be powerless to sink at any time. Looking at the billowing dust, the soldiers felt a little lonely. There is nothing here but endless sand.

In the evening, the temperature plummeted, completely unexpected, and Pang Tongjun hurriedly went down the village. Since there was no wood to cut down, the whole camp was bare. Some of the tents were blown over by the strong winds.

On the second day, the weather was even more unbearable, but the guide told them to calm down and walk quietly. Because their road has just begun, if they don't have that endurance, they will lose to the desert.

On the night of the fourth day, the sandstorm was so severe that many tents were overturned. Grains of sand swept mercilessly across the soldier's armor and face, and the sting was no less than a needle prick. But this sandstorm comes and goes as fast as it goes. Everyone wailed and re-erected the collapsed tent that looked like a jar of mud. The ferocity of the desert makes them physically and mentally exhausted. During the third watch, a fast-paced sound suddenly entered the ears. Pang Tong, who was accustomed to hearing the sound of wind and sand, sat up suddenly, stepped on the sand with his feet, he priped up his ears vigilantly, and said loudly: "Not good! Dian Wei, who was sitting and sleeping on the side, suddenly opened his eyes.

The silhouettes of the attackers in the dark were tiny in the darkness of the night and the desert, and they were not easily spotted in the dust of the sand. These men in black cloth wrap themselves up like ghosts in the night. Their horses galloped in. The spirit of the soldiers of Pang Tong's army was spent on fighting against the desert, especially after the sandstorm just now, they were all making tents, and many people thought that they would have a good sleep after making tents, and then continue to fight against the desert tomorrow. Unexpectedly, the enemy attacked that night. These Xiliang cavalry rushed and killed at will in the unfenced Dazhai of Pangtong, as if they were in a no-man's land. Some of the Pang Tong army, who didn't know much about the desert, couldn't stand steadily, and some of the war horses didn't know where to ride, and there was chaos. In this case, it was Pang De and Liang Xing who were handy, and they were able to stabilize their positions, allowing their own wave of men and horses to resist the enemy. However, they were outnumbered and still failed to recover the defeat.

After about an hour, the enemy retreated. After all, Pang Tong's army is large, and if he wants to kill it again, it is estimated that the attackers will not be comfortable, but the Pang Tongjun army, which has already lost more than 10,000 people, is disgraced. Pang Tong was extremely depressed in his heart, looking at the sky, stepping on the sand, it seemed that everything was made of sand, and even the displeasure in his heart at this moment was due to the condensation of the hard and disgusting particles of the sand, which made people feel heavy and breathless. He didn't even get on the horse, and he was escorted by Dian Wei to ensure safety.

"Enough to." He sighed. At this time, Gao Shun and Zhao Yun came to their side, and Zhao Yun said: "My lord, why don't you retreat to Qiudao Pass first, and then come after our army is familiar with the desert?" “

Pang Tong's face tensed as if he was fighting against himself, he looked at the boundless black sand dunes, and said loudly: "If we don't defeat this desert, we can't fight against the heroes." Only by being able to defeat this desert can we have the advantage of gaining a foothold in the forest of the strong! ”

The sound spread loudly, a moan in the middle of the night, a tragic oath.

But the reality is cruel. Pang De finally rode his horse, turned over and dismounted in front of him, and arched his hand: "The terrain here is not conducive to us, and the Liangzhou cavalry is elusive. Here's a suggestion that it's better to take a shortcut, and it's a safe path. ”

Liang Xing, who was walking behind him, heard it and said loudly: "No! ”

Pang Tong was surprised: "Why don't you take a good road?" ”

Liang Xing approached and said to Pang De Zhengse: "Are you talking about the Five Lamps Cave?" ”

Pound, half a head taller than him, looked down and said, "So what? ”

Liang Xing's eyebrows twisted into a pimple and said: "Of course not, it is a place called 'Ghost Domain', and there is not even a green space to be found in a large area." We don't go there ourselves, how sure are you that you will lead everyone there and then take the so-called shortcuts? ”

Pound's hand pressed on his shoulder, as if to reassure him, and said, "I got lost when I was a child, I crossed over there, and I almost died." ”

Liang Xing trembled when he heard this, his face was a little stiff, and he said, "The hills there are undulating, and they are all the same, how did you get out?" ”

Pound recalled: "I almost died of thirst and starvation. But in my coma, someone seemed to feed me water and food, and when I woke up, I was already a hundred miles outside Guzang City, so I walked back by myself. ”

"How is that possible?"

Pang Tong interjected: "Someone must have saved you, which means that it is not unreachable there." ”

Hearing such a reaction, Zhao Yunjin on one side said: "Taking risks is not the best policy. ”

Pang Tong took a deep breath, the particles were sucked into his lungs, and he coughed uncomfortably a few times before he said, "If we stop in that kind of place, we will have so much strength." You will never be able to see the face of Jiuquan County, the northwesternmost county. ”

Liang Xing arched his hand and said: "My lord thinks twice before acting." ”

Pang Tong shook his head and said, "Don't worry about it, it's still too late for you to turn back now, and the Autumn Dao Pass is not far away." ”

Liang Xing said coldly: "Is that what the big husband did, the huge man is mocking!" ”

Pang Tongjun began to follow Pound's guidance. First to the west, then to the north, then to the east, and then to the west. In the eyes of Pang Tongjun, the exact same desert in front of them in black and white seems to be noteworthy. It's as if they've been standing still, motionless. But they did try to move forward. Some people are even worried that Pound will take the wrong person, and everyone will go around in circles in the same place, or maybe they will get lost. The various unsettling speculations lasted for about four days. Then, in the afternoon, in the heat, they came to a place where the dunes were high and everywhere.

Liang Xing's face tensed as he entered the area. The hills were like small mountains, and they surrounded everyone and watched these dense little black people, which seemed small in the sun, and even more so in the desert. But there were nearly 90,000 of them.