At this very moment, west of Yumen Pass, the world suddenly changed color.
The Gobi Desert, barren lands, and scattered drought-resistant shrubs have replaced the loess plateaus and farmland within the Great Wall.
The wind grew stronger, carrying sand and gravel that stung my face.
The sky was a vast and monotonous blue, with the sun hanging high and bright, and even in winter, you could feel a bit of heat at noon.
Wu Shangzhi's army is making a difficult westward march along the traces of the long-dried-up ancient riverbed.
The exhilaration of the victory at Blackwind Valley was quickly replaced by the harsh environment and the exhaustion of the forced march.
"General, the scouts report that there is a water source thirty miles ahead, a small oasis that the locals call 'Sweet Water Well.' But... there seem to be fresh marks from horses' hooves, quite a few of them."
The scout captain rode up, his face covered with a gauze cloth, revealing only his wary eyes.
Wu Shangzhi reined in his horse and raised his telescope to look westward.
The horizon distorted slightly in the heat. "Are they from the Wuhan, or from another tribe?"
"The hoofprints are messy and it's hard to tell exactly where they came from, but they're heading towards Loulan. The oasis's water source has been used, and there are remnants of campfire ash, so it must have been about one or two days ago."
“One to two days…” Wu Shangzhi pondered.
If Ughhan's 40,000-strong army advanced at full speed, they could cover at least 80 to 100 li a day.
Even with his mixed infantry and cavalry force, carrying heavy baggage, traveling light and quickly, he could only manage about sixty li a day. The gap was widening.
"Send word: speed up the advance! We must reach Sweetwater Well before sunset to replenish our water supply and take a short rest!" Wu Shangzhi ordered.
Water is the lifeblood of a desert expedition and must be kept under our control.
Beside him, his guide, Andehai, squinted at the distant sand dunes, looking worried: "General Wu, further west from Sweetwater Well is the edge of the 'Sea of Flowing Sands'."
"The terrain there is complex, with numerous quicksand pits, making it easy to get lost. It's also a favorite ambush spot for bandits and nomadic tribes. Wuhanruo left a detachment there to set up an ambush..."
“Then let’s eat it.” Wu Shangzhi’s tone was calm, but it was filled with a chilling murderous intent. “Wuhan is in a hurry to plunder Loulan, so he may not leave a large force to cover their retreat. Even if he does, there won’t be many of them. It’s a good opportunity for our soldiers to see blood and sharpen their swords.”
Guo Luo rode closer and whispered, "General, our army has been out of the pass for three days, and we have used up nearly half of our ten-day rations, as well as a lot of arrows."
"If the war in Loulan goes poorly, or if the Wuhan avoids battle and instead engages in skirmishes with us... I fear we will run out of manpower."
This is the truth.
Deep in enemy territory with a vulnerable supply line, it was a sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.
Wu Shangzhi was well aware of this.
He glanced at the long line of soldiers behind him; their faces showed the weariness of a long march, but most of their eyes were resolute.
These are the elite of the Dayin Army, built up by Zhao Muyun. Many of them are veterans who followed Zhao Muyun all the way from Shuozhou, or new talents who have undergone rigorous training and are eager to make contributions.
"Gentlemen, we have no way out!" Wu Shangzhi's voice was not loud, but every word was clear. His eyes swept across the faces of Liu Yi, Lin Yuan, Xi Sheng, Murong Chunhua, Huan Wu and other generals.
"I'm sure everyone understands the Grand Commander's strategy by now."
"Our goal is to drive out the wolves and tigers, conquering the Western Regions while simultaneously driving the Wuhan into the Western Regions, and planting the Great Yin's dragon flag on every city wall in the Western Regions!"
"We cannot allow the Wuhan to obtain supplies and gain a foothold in Loulan. This battle must be fought, and it must be fought outside the city of Loulan! We must drive the Wuhan westward, like herding sheep!"
He paused, then continued, "As for supplies... after conquering Loulan or defeating Wuhan, are we still worried about supplies? The trade routes in the Western Regions are prosperous, and the cattle, sheep, and horses we capture will serve as our military provisions!"
This is the logic of adventurers, and the belief that those in dire straits must have.
"Moreover, our 15,000 men are the elite of the Great Yin Army, and we must not let other brother units look down on us!"
This elite force, composed of heavy cavalry, crossbowmen, divine machine gunners, Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) battalions, and cavalry warriors from the Murong, Wuhuan, and Qiangrong tribes, represents the most elite military strength of the Great Yin Dynasty. How could they retreat in the face of difficulties?
"Yes, we absolutely cannot lose face!"
"Chase them! Drive Wuhan all the way to the Tianshan Mountains!"
"Let our iron cavalry sweep across every corner of the Western Regions."
Lin Yuan, Xi Sheng, Murong Chunhua, and others started shouting.
The army continued its march.
Around 3 PM, Qianfeng finally saw the reassuring greenery of the Sweetwater Well Oasis.
However, just as the team was preparing to enter the oasis to rest, a sharp alarm whistle and shouts suddenly rang out from the flank!
"Enemy attack—! Behind the sand dunes on the left flank!"
Suddenly, a large plume of dust rose from behind a cluster of tall sand dunes on the left.
Immediately afterwards, hundreds of cavalrymen dressed in variegated leather robes and wearing leather hats roared out. They did not charge directly into the army formation, but instead swept along the flanks of the Yin army, nocked their arrows, and hurled a sparse but precise rain of arrows!
"It's Tartar cavalry! Archers, intercept them!" Lin Yuan, who was in charge of flank guard, shouted sternly.
The Yin army's archers reacted swiftly and immediately returned fire.
The crossbow bolts had a much longer range and greater power than the enemy's horse archers, and dozens of cavalrymen who charged too close were immediately shot off their horses.
But these cavalrymen were extremely slippery. As soon as they realized they couldn't gain any advantage, they immediately turned their horses around, circling and harassing the riders with arrows while whistling sharply.
"General, look over there!" An Dehai pointed to a more distant area.
On the other side of the Sweetwater Well Oasis, several hundred riders also appeared. They did not approach, but merely patrolled the perimeter, blocking the passage into the oasis.
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