Bai Ying was already very close, but because the wind was too loud, no one heard it, Dai Zongqian subconsciously took out the pistol pinned to his waist, the reason why he was so nervous was that he was worried about encountering wolves.

Dai Zongqian, Liu Chaopei, and Zhang Jun couldn't care about the wind and sand, and focused all their attention on the white shadow.

What exactly is that? It doesn't look like a human being.

The white shadow was like a devil, and it came to them in an instant, and Dai Zongqian couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw what it was.

It was a camel larger than an ordinary camel, with two high humps on its back, and its whole body was snow-white, standing out in the yellow sand.

Behind it, there were two small camels, also white. Obviously, these are the three of mother and son, because they walk next to each other, so in the wind and sand, it looks like a huge white mass.

"Wild camels!" Several people in the team who knew the camel barked at the same time.

Ordinary camels are not as large as wild camels, nor are they as white as they are.

Through the wind and sand, Dai Zongqian seemed to be able to see the eyes of the Uyghur old man emitting light, it was a light of joy to live in the dead, An Liman waved his arms in praise of Hu Da excitedly, and the camels kneeling on the ground also seemed to be called by some kind of summons, and raised their heads buried in the sand again.

Although they didn't know what was happening, Dai Zongqian and the other three intuitively understood their actions, and the whole army still had a chance to survive, just follow this snow-white wild camel and run, it is an animal in this desert, and it should know where to hide from this terrible black wind and sand. The three generals immediately shouted orders to their subordinates, asking everyone to take advantage of the wind and sand. Run after the three wild camels in front of you.

Everyone is in the wind and sand. Exert all your strength. The white camel in front of him, turning a large sand mountain, the terrain of the desert suddenly rose here, and the figure of the three white camels flashed, and disappeared in a flash.

Dai Zongqian secretly screamed that it was not good, if they all ran away, the three thousand army behind them would be in trouble, and he saw that the surroundings were getting darker and darker. It was no longer clear what the sky was from the earth, and in a minute or two, a black sandstorm that could devour everything was coming.

Before they could understand what was going on, the camels under the guides' mounts turned around this towering sand mountain, and the war horses of the brigade also moved forward with them, Dai Zongqian looked left and right, and the sand mountain actually had a broken city wall, and there was a large rammed earth fortress below, which turned out to be the remains of an ancient city of considerable scale.

Most of the buildings in the ancient city are buried in yellow sand. Some of the houses had collapsed, and only the fortified walls stood tall. I don't know how many years have passed, it has long since changed to the same color as the desert, and from a distance, it will only think that it is a large sand dune, and if you don't turn in from the side, you will never find this ancient castle.

The wild camels with white bodies had run into this place for refuge, but the ruins of the ancient city blocked the view, and it was impossible to see where they had gone.

The city wall is like a high sand-proof wall, but it is still unknown whether it can be used to stop this rare sandstorm, but in this case, it is already an eye-opener to have a place to hide.

Soon, Dai Zongqian ordered the whole army to enter the ancient city, each looking for a place to temporarily shelter from the wind and sand, the army entered the city, the soldiers have found a place to hide, people and horses crowded together, because it is the rest of the catastrophe, everyone is yellow, can not see whether they are frightened to the face yellow, or a face of dust, the cavalry got off the horse, the horse is settled by the wall, and the people hide under the broken roof of the big house.

Although the ancient city had walls to protect it from the wind and sand, those walls were broken in some places, and a large amount of sand was still blown into the city by the wind over the years, and the ground was full of fine sand in the broken houses, which was more than three feet thick. The big house where Dai Zongqian and the other three generals took refuge is still relatively good, it may be a facility like a yamen or a city hall, which is relatively tall, but even so, it still has to be bent on the waist, and if you look up slightly, you will hit the wooden beam above.

Liu Chaopei and Zhang Jun were so tired that they lay on the ground when they went in, took out the kettle and drank it, Dai Zongqian also had weak legs, he looked out through the window, and saw that the army had all entered the ancient city, and he breathed a sigh of relief: "We have picked up this fate." ”

"It's a pity that Lao Wan actually buried the sand for Bai Yanhu's traitor." Thinking that Wan Huai died in the quicksand because he went to catch Bai Yanhu, Liu Chaopei still had palpitations.

"Fortunately, most of Lao Wan's men and horses have been brought out, and they are worthy of him." Zhang Jun sighed.

"I didn't catch Bai Yi, but instead folded Lao Wan and hundreds of soldiers and horses, Zuo Dashuai, we're afraid we won't be able to explain." Liu Chaopei said gloomily, took another sip of water, probably in a hurry, choked on it, and coughed loudly.

Listening to Liu Chaopei's words, Dai Zongqian's face also became gloomy.

As generals of the Huai system, they have joined the Western Expeditionary Army since they were ordered, but they have been tortured by Zuo Jigao.

"Bai Rebellion died, we saw it with our own eyes, and the army as evidence, the quicksand is too big, and there is no way to get the body, Zuo Dashuai should be able to understand our difficulties." Dai Zongqian said.

"I hope so." Zhang Jun sighed and said.

While a few people were talking, the big sandstorm outside had come, and for a while the wind was howling, and the sky was shaking, and they couldn't help but be frightened when they hid in the ruins of the ancient city, and everyone knew that if the storm moved the desert and the city wall in front of them was swallowed up, even if they could run out of the house, they would just be buried alive in another way.

Under the outer wall of the house was covered with artemisia seeds, a kind of hay, and the guards leaned out and plucked some of them, took out the fire folds, and lit a small fire to keep everyone warm. Soon, fires were lit in various houses in the distance, and several guards took out dried meat and liquor in leather jugs from their bags and distributed them to the three of them.

After chasing the enemy in the desert for more than half a day, and now trapped in the ruins of this nameless ancient city by a sandstorm, everyone was a little hungry, so they roasted the fire and ate and drank at the same time. After eating, it was already evening. The black sandstorm outside still hasn't stopped. On the contrary, there is a growing momentum. It looks like it's going to be scraped all night.

Except for the sentry guard, the rest of the people lay down to rest, and Dai Zongqian lay in the corner of the wall, keeping his pistol in his hand, in case a wild beast suddenly jumped in and hurt people.

The desert is like that, it looks calm on the surface, and when there is no wind, the whole land seems to be covered with golden silk satin. However, under this calm surface, the quicksand that engulfed countless people and animals, the ever-changing wind and sand, and all kinds of animals and plants in the desert are all factors that threaten the safety of desert pedestrians.

I don't know how long it took, but it was already dark outside. The wind was still so loud that it seemed like countless devils were crying. From time to time, sand fell into the hole in the roof, and the wind did not stop, I was afraid that the broken city wall in front of me would be swallowed by the sand, Dai Zongqian thought, and fell asleep groggy.

Unconsciously, Dai Zongqian found that where he was was in a strange place.

It was also a dark room, but it seemed to be built underground, surrounded by iron ladders and handrails, and inside, there were neatly arranged cannonballs.

These shells were all used by Western cannons, of various sizes, arranged in different models, and next to them were soldiers lying there in strange costumes, some of them had their heads wrapped around their heads, some of them were not wrapped around their heads, revealing long black braids coiled over their heads, and their commander sat sideways on a chair, his legs and body were covered with white bandages in many places, showing a little blood, and he looked dejected, and wore a small hat with a strange shape on the top with beads on his head.

Isn't this Liu Chaopei? How could he be like this? And how could you hide in such a room with yourself?

And where are these soldiers? Why do they have braids?

Dai Zongqian looked around again, found the exit of the escalator, he stepped on the ladder, climbed up for a while, came to the outside of the house, only to find that he was on a fort, and the place where he came out just now was the ammunition depot of the fort.

Where is this battery?

Somehow, Dai Zongqian felt a sense of both familiarity and strangeness to this fort.

This is a very strong fort, on which are all huge Western cannons, it seems to be the famous German Krupp cannons, a total of 6, pointing to the sea in the distance, it looks majestic, but now next to these cannons, there is no one stationed.

What about people? Where did all the artillery go?

There was a rumbling cannon sound in the distance, which made Dai Zongqian's heart tighten.

Where did the cannon sound come from? Where did the enemy come from? Who is this fighting against?

Dai Zongqian's heart was full of questions and uneasiness.

On the sea, a small steamer headed for the battery.

Dai Zongqian looked at it from a distance and immediately recognized the person standing at the bow of the boat.

Ding Yuting!

He and Ding Yuting belong to the same old boss Li Shaoquan, Ding Yuting once led the Yangtze River Water Division Battalion, and later turned into a horse team, and Dai Zongqian has seen many times, and now Dai Zongqian was ordered by the imperial court to follow Zuo Jigao to the west of Xinjiang, Ding Yuting was transferred to Zhili, the two have not seen each other for many years, but what Dai Zongqian didn't expect was that he would reunite with Ding Yuting in such a place!

What made him feel strange was that Ding Yuting was also wearing a strange blue official uniform, and a small hat with a beaded crown was as strange as Liu Chaopei on his head.

How did Ding Yuting end up here?

Dai Zongqian was thinking wildly, the small steamer had already docked, and Ding Yuting and several subordinates quickly boarded the fort.

Seeing Ding Yuting looking around the fort, he also had a miserable expression, and for some reason, Dai Zongqian's heart suddenly tightened.

"What about the North Gang Battery? Lord Dai? Ding Yuting sighed and asked.

"I have sent people to collect the defeated troops, regroup, and have recruited a new battalion to hold on to the spot." Dai Zongqian didn't know how he could say such a thing, "When the Japanese invaders, I should stay here, fight with the Japanese invaders, and have nothing else to say." ”

"The newly recruited army seems to have fled." Ding Yuting's voice became a little hoarse, "When I came, I didn't see anyone guarding the gun position, and Wu Jingrong's two hundred sailors were not there, so I thought I fled to Yantai with the new army." ”

Hearing Ding Yuting's answer, Dai Zongqian couldn't help but sigh.

"Is Lord Liu here? How many more people do you have here? Ding Yuting asked again.

"There are only 19 soldiers around me, and there are more than 200 students from the mine battalion and Lord Liu's headquarters in the fort." Dai Zongqian replied with a sigh.

"The end of the day is coming. That's all there is to it. It can't be kept. Ding Yuting looked around at the soldiers who walked out of the ammunition depot of the fort, with black and thin faces, covered with gunpowder smoke and the smell of blood. There was a look of sadness in his eyes, "Withdraw!" Master Dai, ask someone to carry Lord Liu out and walk together. ”

"Withdraw? Where to retreat? Isn't this fort guarded? Dai Zongqian shouted, and he didn't understand why he was so sad and angry.

"Once the artillery here falls into the hands of the enemy, it will be used to bombard Liugong Island, and then all the ships of the navy will be inevitable." Ding Yuting said miserably, "It's not as weak as it is to defend." Let it fall into the hands of the enemy and be used by the enemy, it is better to destroy Taiwan and abandon the ......"

Ding Yuting's words were like a thunderclap, Dai Zongqian suddenly came back to his senses, and almost jumped to his feet and shouted: "Guarding the fort, Dai's duty is also!" The battle was unfavorable and the fort was lost, and Dai had no choice but to die to repay the court! What else is there to say? How can there be a reason for self-destruction? ”

At this time, Dai Zongqian, when he said this, he felt in a trance. It seems that somewhere else, he also said this to Ding Yuting once.

Such a statement. It's completely in line with his character.

He didn't understand what was going on now, but even if Dai Zongqian understood that Ding Yuting's suggestion was right, and from a military point of view, this fort should be abandoned, but the traditional moral thinking in his mind did not allow him to approve Ding Yuting's proposal, and to take the initiative to abandon the defense without a fight, which in his opinion was something that could not be accepted in any case. Living and dying with the city is a moral move.

Everything seemed to be a repeat of the last quarrel, but this time, Ding Yuting did not argue with Dai Zongqian again, he waved his hand, and several sailors behind Ding Yuting swarmed up and carried Dai Zongqian away, and the remaining defenders on the fort also began to evacuate under Ding Yuting's order.

The iron pier that jutted straight into the sea looked particularly lonely and desolate under the constant lapping of the waves, and on the small steamer, Dai Zongqian saw several soldiers with rifles walking back and forth on the dock.

The little steamer approached the iron dock, and the sailors on board skillfully threw out the cable and lassoed the bollards on the pier. Because the wind and waves were too strong, the small steamer was fluctuating on the side of the wharf, high and low, and it was also close and far from the wharf, and the two sailors saw that the small steamer was swaying from side to side, and Dai Zongqian on it was standing unsteadily, so they came up to help Dai Zongqian and help him board the wharf.

"Thank you! Brother! After Dai Zongqian thanked the two sailors, he sighed and said to himself: "My business is over, just look at Ding Junmen!" ”

He didn't understand why he said such a sentence now.

When he arrived on the shore, he came to a building with a plaque of "Navy Office", he sat alone in his room, looked at the people around, took out a few golden beans from his bosom, looked at them for a while, and then put them in his mouth.

"Ahh - "Seeing that he actually committed suicide by swallowing gold, Dai Zongqian screamed violently.

Everything around disappeared in an instant, and Dai Zongqian straightened up suddenly, only to realize that everything just now was just a dream of Nan Ke.

"Ahh - " It was also a loud scream, and Liu Chaopei, who was lying opposite, also woke up from his dream.

Hearing the shouts of the two commanders, the guards were all startled, and they jumped up one by one, raising their swords and guns together, and looked around in some panic.

In their eyes, this desert ancient city is like a ghost town, because when they heard the screams of Dai Zongqian and Liu Chaopei, many people thought that a ghost was coming, and they were all shocked.

"It's okay, it's okay! Lao Tzu let the dream go to nightmare! Don't panic, everyone! Let's all sleep! Let's all sleep! Liu Chaopei waved his hand awkwardly and said.

The guards were frightened for a while, each put away their knives and guns, and fell asleep again, but Dai Zongqian and Liu Chaopei, who had just had a nightmare, were no longer sleepy.

"Old Dai, have a nightmare?" Liu Chaopei looked at Dai Zongqian, who had a gloomy face, and asked.

"yes, what about you? Have nightmares too? Dai Zongqian thought back to the dream that had happened as if it had happened in real time, and asked rhetorically.

"Hmm." Liu Chaopei took a sip indignantly, "Damn, it's just like the real thing, scaring Lao Tzu's soul!" ”

"What did you dream about? Lao Liu? Dai Zongqian remembered the appearance of himself swallowing gold and committing suicide in his dream, and couldn't help but shiver.

"Grandma's, Lao Tzu dreamed of a war with the Japanese Kou, lost the battle, and the Jingli Yanguan participated in the impeachment, and finally ...... It's finally decided! Take them to the execution ground and behead them! Liu Chaopei hesitated, scolded and told Dai Zongqian what he dreamed of.

"What about you? What did you dream about? Scared like this? Liu Chaopei then asked.

"It's similar to you, you also lost the war with the Japanese and wanted to abandon the fort, Lao Tzu felt sorry for the court and the villagers, and he committed suicide by swallowing gold." Dai Zongqian sighed and replied.

"Damn! How is this happening! What a grandma's bad luck! Liu Chaopei scolded.

"Some people say that this dream is all reversed, and dreaming of bad things may be good things in reality." Dai Zongqian comforted Liu Chaopei, and at the same time comforted himself.

"I don't think it's a good thing!" Liu Chaopei sighed, shook his head and said, "This time, we failed to catch Bai Yanhu, and we also broke Lao Wan and many horses, after we go back, Zuo Dashuai will definitely scold us to death, and now the battle is almost over, we don't need it, he may not be able to pinch us!" ”

"Anyway, the battle is over, if not, let's apply to return it to Master Li! Save here, while eating sand, you have to be angry with others! Dai Zongqian recalled how Zuo Jigao had treated them since the Western Expedition, and he was also indignant. (To be continued......)

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