Chapter 53 Chapter 53 February 9th Qing...

Early morning of the ninth day of the second lunar month.

The nine members of the caravan gathered outside the town. Yi Li inspected the porcelain, confirming it was acceptable. "Not bad, not bad," she said with satisfaction. "Shall we set off now?"

"Yeah," Jiang Wan shouted, raising his voice, "Everyone get in the car, let's go!"

After a flurry of footsteps, the team of seven vehicles set off in an orderly manner.

Three horse-drawn carriages were in front, and four donkey-drawn carts followed. The first cart was driven by a guard named Bai, with a female guide inside, directing the way. Jiang Wan drove the second cart, carrying Yi Li. Fang Hong drove the third, a horse-drawn cart loaded with food and water. The other four men each drove a donkey-drawn cart.

They traveled during the day and set up tents to rest at night. They chose a good day with clear weather and no sandstorms or other bad weather.

After five days of peaceful journey, the group arrived at the entrance of the Wusun Ancient Road.

Jiang Wan got out of the car and looked around. He saw a wide strip of loess extending to the horizon. Sparse weeds grew on both sides of the ancient road. Dust rose up where the horses' hooves passed, and it stayed in the air for a long time before being blown away by the strong wind. As a result, there was a sea of ​​yellow sand where the sky and the earth met, and the boundary line was almost indistinguishable.

Looking further away, there is also vast yellow sand, with a few small lakes scattered here and there.

The desert wind, mixed with sand, blew straight in with great force. Jiang Wan quickly covered her mouth and nose and shouted to the person in front of her, "Sister Liu, how long will it take to walk the Wusun Ancient Road?"

The wind howled, forcing me to raise my voice even though I was only three or four meters away from the car in front. Similarly, the female guide in front of me shouted, "It'll take seven days to get out. We'll probably be out around the 21st. Don't worry, Boss Jiang. Once you're out of the Wusun Ancient Road, we're not far from the royal city. There won't be this strong, ahem, sandstorm."

Due to low visibility, Jiang Wan told everyone not to get out of the car unless necessary, and that the distance between the front and rear cars should not exceed five meters to avoid getting lost.

Every two hours, she had to get off the car to count the number of people, so the speed of the convoy slowed down a lot.

After walking on the Wusun Ancient Road for two days, on the afternoon of February 16, Jiang Wanzheng was driving a carriage while enjoying the beautiful scenery of the lonely smoke in the desert and the sunset over the long river.

Suddenly, Yi Li in the car opened the curtain and stuck her head out: "Boss Jiang, did you hear any strange noises?"

Jiang Wan tilted his head, and the only sounds in his ears were the whistling wind, the sound of horse hooves, the sound of donkey hooves, and the rustling of wheels rolling over sand.

She wondered, "What's that strange noise?"

Yi Li gestured for silence, tilted her head slightly, listened intently for a moment, and said with certainty, "There are horse hooves, but they're not from our caravan. They're quite far away, probably over thirty miles away. There are probably over fifty horses, but I can't make out any more specific numbers."

Yili came from a family of Wusun military commanders. Her father was the Right General of Wusun. She had grown up on horseback and was very familiar with horses. Jiang Wan trusted her judgment.

After considering for a moment, Jiang Wan asked the convoy to stop first, and then went to find the donkey cart of one of the middle-aged merchants.

"Brother Zhang," Jiang Wan handed him a pot of liquor and asked, "Have any large caravans been traveling along the Wusun Ancient Road recently?"

The merchant named Zhang took a sip of wine from his flask and asked, "How big of a caravan are you talking about?"

"Is there a caravan with more than fifty carriages?"

He shook his head. "There are no more than ten caravans this large in the entire Western Regions, and they're quite famous. If a caravan of this caliber were to come out to do business, there would definitely be some buzz around."

He threw the wine jug to another merchant in the car behind him and called out, "Brother, do you know if there are any large caravans near the ancient road recently?"

The merchant in the car behind was also surnamed Zhang. The two merchants were from the same caravan and were brothers.

Four or five seconds later, Zhang Erge's voice came: "No, I haven't heard of it."

Jiang Wan was stunned. "That's strange. Miss Yi Li just said..."

A loud bang drowned out her words. About forty miles to the right and in front of the convoy, a column of sand shot up into the sky, accompanied by a wave of heat. Even forty miles away, Jiang Wan could feel the heat of the wave.

"Damn, what's making such a loud noise?" Fang Hong shouted in surprise.

The two guards at the front and back ends of the convoy also jumped out of the car, drew their swords, and looked around vigilantly.

"Don't be afraid, sister. We two brothers are experienced. Let's go ahead and take a look first." Zhang's eldest brother comforted.

"Sorry to bother you two. This donkey cart can only seat one person and runs slowly. You can drive my horse-drawn carriage instead." Jiang Wan said.

Next, she explained the situation to the rest of the team and comforted everyone not to panic. Then she and Yi Li leaned on the donkey cart and waited for news from the Zhang brothers.

At the speed of the carriage, a round trip of forty miles would take about an hour.

A quarter of an hour passed.

An hour passed.

Two hours passed...and the Zhang brothers still hadn't returned.

The convoy began to stir, and several people got off to look around. But because Jiang Wan was leaning against the donkey cart with his eyes closed, looking very calm, no one was too worried.

But in fact, Jiang Wan's uneasiness grew stronger and stronger.

At this moment, Yi Li suddenly tugged at Jiang Wan's sleeve. "The sound of horse hooves is coming again, approaching us. But the speed is nearly one hundred miles per hour, which is definitely not the speed of a caravan carrying goods... I guess it's horse thieves."

Desert horse thieves were rampant, not only extorting money but also taking pleasure in killing people. However, because they formed gangs and operated in sparsely populated areas, the imperial courts of various countries found it difficult to eradicate this scourge.

According to statistics from an anonymous investigation report of the Great Zhou Dynasty, 32% of the Western Region merchant caravans that died were killed in attacks by horse bandits, ranking second only to sandstorms.

Yi Li's voice trembled: "Brother Zhang and Brother Zhang, they can't have already..."

"Don't think too much," Jiang Wan patted the other person's hand gently, "Just follow me."

Yi Li raised her head tremblingly. The 17-year-old female boss in front of her had a firm gaze. Looking at such eyes, her heart gradually calmed down.

"Their speed is one hundred miles per hour. It will take them less than half an hour to come to us in a straight line, right?" Jiang Wan confirmed again.

Ellie nodded.

"It seems they know our location. The Zhang brothers are probably in trouble now." Jiang Wan sighed and climbed onto the top of the donkey cart with Yi Li's hand.

This position is high above everyone in the team and they can see her.

"Everyone, please be quiet. We've run into some trouble." Jiang Wan suppressed his inner regret and uneasiness. The moment he spoke, his expression was gentle and solemn, without a trace of panic. Although he stood in the wind and sand of the Western Regions, he seemed to be sitting at the head of the Antiques Chamber of Commerce, issuing orders.

She briefly explained the situation of the convoy, and then said amidst the bewildered exclamations:

"This short half hour concerns the safety of the caravan, and even more so, your lives. Please abandon your carriages and all your belongings, and only bring water and self-defense weapons with you. Come with me."

Glancing at the hesitant expressions of the people below, Jiang Wan spoke word by word, "I promise you all, no matter what happens, I'm willing to die before you."

The sun was setting in the west, filling the sky with rosy clouds. Jiang Wan stood high above, her back to the glow. The desert wind blew her dress and long hair, her pale face bathed in the sunset glow, a sacred and solemn sight, like the Queen Mother of the Nine Heavens descended to earth, the brilliant sunset glow behind her serving as her backdrop.

Zi Yan, riding on a donkey, looked up at her, and it seemed as if he could see through the young and delicate body of the girl and see the unyielding soul that belonged only to "Jiang Wan".

The more severe the disaster, the more vitality can be unleashed.

As he watched, he became distracted. The other five people in the convoy were also inspired by Jiang Wan and got out of the car and gathered around her.

Jiang Wan led them to a lake.

Fang Hong lagged behind her by half a step, whispering as she walked, "You're amazing. You were able to keep everyone steady in this critical situation. But this is all desert, not even a sand dune. Where can you hide?"

Jiang Wan pointed to the lake in front of him: "Here, right there."

Fang Hong: "Ah? Can people stay in this lake?"

"Yes, I know someone who lay in the waterweed for several days and didn't die. He was seriously injured at the time. Oh, and he's also in our team."

Ignoring Fang Hong's shocked expression, Jiang Wan quickened his pace and led everyone to the lake.

In early spring, the lake's surface was covered in lush aquatic plants, some more than a meter high. Jiang Wan broke off a hollow piece of aquatic grass and said, "Everyone, hide in this tall grass for a while. Hold this hollow grass in your mouth, and you'll be able to breathe underwater. The wind blowing through the grass makes a sound, which can mask the sound of your breathing, but everyone should still be careful, try to breathe slowly, and don't move around too much, so as not to attract the attention of the bandits."

"Also, if you have any brightly colored clothing, take it off and throw it into the water. Wear yellow-green or black clothing if possible. Women, please take off your jewelry and throw it into the water. The water is a bit cold, so be patient and wait for two or three hours. The bandits won't be able to find you and will leave when it gets dark."

Jiang Wan emphasized, "A special reminder: horse thieves may be looking for us. If they get close, you must remain calm and don't make any noise. There's a lot of water and grass here, so even if they get close, it will be difficult for them to notice us. Everyone, please stay calm."

After saying so much in one breath, Jiang Wan paused, waiting for everyone to digest the information, and then asked, "Does anyone have any questions?"

The six people around him nodded. The two guards took the lead, stripping off their clothes and entering the water, finding a suitable hiding spot. The five people on the shore circled the lake, confirming that the guards were well hidden by the water plants, and then gestured "OK" to the underwater world.

Next, Jiang Wan and the guards helped Yi Li, Guide Liu and Fang Hong go into the water and hide, while he fulfilled his promise and went into the water last.

When she gestured to Zi Yan to go into the water, he waved his hand.

"I can just find a place to hide myself," Zi Yan patted her shoulder, "I wish you good luck."

Jiang Wan frowned, feeling a strange force on his shoulder.

Watching Zi Yan stride away, Jiang Wan took off his coat, dived into the water, and found where Fang Hong and the others were. There happened to be a stone there where he could stand.

After a while, the sound of horses running and the rough shouting of horse thieves were heard slowly approaching.