After Galen Baichang licked the stone while suppressing his nausea, the strong and pure salty taste instantly stimulated his taste buds.
His eyes suddenly widened and he cried out, "Salt! Sir, this is salt! Very salty salt!"
"Salt?"
The eyes of the silver-armored captain, Temur, suddenly became as sharp as an eagle. He snatched the stone and licked it with his tongue.
The familiar and precious salty taste immediately confirmed Galen's judgment.
"Salt ore? How could there be such exposed salt ore in the Gobi Desert? And scattered along this line?"
He looked around, his eyes sweeping over the unusually lush green grass beneath his feet.
Garen no longer cared about the remaining stains on the stone, his thoughts were extremely clear:
"Sir, this is definitely not a natural salt mine! You see, these stones are irregular in shape, more like broken blocks."
"And this route, covered in exceptionally lush green grass, leads directly into the depths of the Gobi Desert!"
He squatted down, picked up a handful of dirt from under the grass roots, twisted it, and then sniffed it.
"The water plants are unnaturally lush!"
"I once traveled in the south and heard Han Chinese farmers say that there are special 'fertilizers' that can make good grass grow in barren land."
"Unrefined crude salt contains some special ingredients. When rainwater dissolves it and seeps into the soil, it's like... it's like feeding the grass with special 'fodder', making it grow extra lush and beautiful!"
Timur understood instantly: "You mean... this was scattered by humans? Are these coarse salt particles that leaked from the salt bags when the salt-carrying horse team passed by?"
"That's right, my Lord!"
Galen nodded firmly. "And judging by the growth of the grass and the distribution of the rocks, this road has been used frequently!"
"Deep in this Gobi Desert, there must be a passage leading to the secret of Yinzhou's fine salt!"
"Those Wuhuan horse teams used to follow this road to transport coarse salt from its source deep in the Gobi Desert to the fine salt workshops in Yinzhou City!"
Timur's eyes flashed, and his previous doubts suddenly became clear.
He turned abruptly and looked at the seemingly dead Gobi behind him, as if he saw flowing wealth and an opportunity for revenge:
"Fine salt...I see!"
"Zhao Muyun, ah Zhao Muyun, I finally found your vital point!"
......
King Zhelan suffered a crushing defeat in Weizhou and retreated to Yunzhou with heavy casualties. With no one around him, he re-employed Timur and returned Timur's tribe and habitat, Wild Wolf Lake!
Timur was neither arrogant nor impatient. He appeared grateful, but the seeds of hatred sprouted in his heart.
Immediately, King Zhelan gave Timur a task and asked him to find salt.
It turned out that with the dumping of fine salt from Yinzhou on the Beidi grassland, and the crazy smuggling of Mahmud, a Beidi man conquered by Zhao Muyun.
In just a few months, the dependence of millions of people on the Beidi grassland on fine salt became increasingly serious.
The price of fine salt was quietly rising under the instruction of Zhao Muyun to Mahmud, and the Northern Di people paid more for sheepskins and mutton.
Finally, Han Yanshou, the Han Chinese stepfather of King Loufan and the prime minister, discovered the problem and immediately reported it to the Chanyu of Beidi. He also suggested that the origin of Yinzhou fine salt be found immediately and the salt be taken into their own hands.
Otherwise, if the situation continues like this, once Yinzhou stops supplying fine salt for just one month, the Beidi grassland will fall into chaos due to lack of salt to eat.
The Chanyu of Beidi also discovered that his royal court's expenses on salt seemed to be getting higher and higher. Hearing Han Yanshou's reminder, he was frightened and broke out in a cold sweat. He immediately ordered King Zhelan to send elite soldiers to find salt.
And this task fell on Timur, who had just been appointed.
......
After two weeks of hard work on the grassland, they finally found a clue. Timur was ecstatic and then smiled grimly, "Now that we've found the way, it's easy!"
"grown ups,"
Garen's eyes flashed with cunning, and he whispered, "Ever since we appeared in the Xichuan grassland, those Wuhuan cavalry have not appeared again."
"Apparently they got wind of it and temporarily disrupted shipping."
"But this route is extremely important to them. They can't give it up forever. As long as we hide and wait..."
Timur immediately understood his intention. "You mean, we should ambush near this entrance? Wait for the Wuhuan salt transport team to reappear, capture them all, force them to reveal the exact location of the crude salt source, or even... seize it directly?"
"Your Excellency is wise!"
Garen and several other centurions echoed in unison.
"Okay! Let's do it!"
Timur decisively ordered, "The entire army, take cover! Galen, lead your men to find a suitable ambush spot nearby, one that can hide the horses and has a wide field of vision! Everyone else, be alert all around!"
As soon as the order was given, the sound of hurried horse hooves was heard from deep in the Gobi Desert.
I saw the Zuan captain who was sent out to explore deep into the Gobi Desert rushing back with several personal soldiers at lightning speed, with excitement on his face as if he had discovered an important clue.
"Master Qianchang! Found it! Found it!"
Zuan reined in his horse, his voice a little hoarse with excitement. "Just to the south, about thirty miles deep into the Gobi Desert, there's a strange, weathered cliff with a narrow passage in the middle, a 'slit in the sky' so narrow that only two horses can ride side by side!"
"We found numerous signs of a struggle there! Broken arrows, fragments of torn leather armor, and... many bones half-buried by the wind and sand!"
Zuan took a breath and pointed at a stone hanging next to the saddle. It was obviously shattered by a heavy object and had dark, dried blood on the edge.
"We also discovered this massive fallen rock at the cliff face at the exit of 'One Line Sky,' along with the shattered remains of horses and men!"
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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