Chapter 98 Desert Crossing
It was mid-July when they left Wusun. Three days later, after leaving the oasis where people were active, the Wusun farewell team stopped. More than 40 Han envoys stepped into the vast yellow sand and headed eastward in the direction of the rising sun in the vast desert.
Zhao Xiping rode a camel in front to lead the way. There were many sand dunes in the desert, as high as mountains. The rising sun was not bright enough to cross the sand dunes, and the slopes not facing the sun were immersed in cool shadows.
Before the wind picked up, the delegation circled along the gentle slope of the sand dunes. The camels walked, leaving a series of hoof prints on the fine sand.
As the sun rose higher and higher, the shadows cast by the sand dunes became narrower and narrower. The hot air rising from the desert made people dizzy. The golden sand was stirred and the wind started to blow.
The heat lingered, and Zhao Xiping wiped the sweat from his face and shielded his eyes with his hand. He expertly steered his camel up the windward slope of the dunes. The undulating curves of the dunes were shrouded in a mist of sand, which the wind blew up to half a man's height. The misty sand resembled boiling mist or flowing river water. Standing on the camel's back, he gazed into the distance. The wind swept the sand, and beneath the dunes, yellow sand poured down like rain. The desert seemed to come alive, moving.
"Captain, the wind and sand are too strong. We need to find a place to hide first and wait until the wind stops before we leave." Zhao Xiping reported loudly.
"Can."
Zhao Xiping had experience, so he got down from the ground and, along with ten guards, went looking for a steep sand dune. During a desert storm, people had to hide on the leeward side of the dune to avoid being buried by the sand.
After finding a suitable sand dune, everyone led their camels and walked into it through the sloping yellow sand. It was like a sloping waterfall, and they could find a small area of dry land by passing through the water curtain.
The two connected sand dunes can hide more than 40 people. People lean against the sand dunes, with yellow sand flying all over the sky in front of them. In just half a cup of tea, a layer of sand falls on people's bodies, and the color of their clothes soon cannot be seen.
The wind and sand blinded the eyes. Both the people and the camels closed their eyes. The sounds of the whistling wind and the rustling of the yellow sand falling to the ground filled their ears.
I don’t know how long it took, when people were almost buried by the yellow sand, the wind stopped, the sand returned to silence, the whole desert was quiet, and I don’t know how many more raised sand dunes appeared, burying both the way they came and the way they went.
Zhao Xiping stretched his bent body and got up from the sand pit. He did not bother to clean the sand off his body, and went with the guards to check the situation of the delegation.
"Keep going." Captain Chang gave the order.
Zhao Xiping agreed. He rode his camel to a higher place to determine the direction. The sun had already set in the west. The sandstorm lasted for an hour or two.
Continuing eastward, they would rest for a while when the camels were eating, but otherwise they would keep on marching. Only in the middle of the night, when the sky was filled with stars, did the trekkers finally rest.
The desert, which is scorching hot during the day, becomes as cool as autumn at night. The wind is cool, but the yellow sand is hot. People lie on the yellow sand, and the heat from the ground rises. Their tired muscles and bones are completely relaxed in the steaming heat.
After resting for half the night, the delegation continued on their journey at dawn.
After another five days of travel, they passed by the Kingdom of Wensu. The group went into the city to replenish food and water, and the camels also needed to replenish food and fodder.
After moving into the inn, Zhao Xiping changed his dirty clothes and shook off the sand on the ground.
"Captain, I'm going to the river to wash clothes. Do you want me to wash your clothes too?" he asked.
Captain Chang thought for a moment and decided to go out with him.
"Have you been to Wensu Kingdom before?" Zhao Xiping asked casually.
"none."
Wensu was a small nation, occupying an oasis that earned it the title of kingdom. In Zhao Xiping's opinion, the population of this small nation was even smaller than that of Dunhuang County. Hearing the familiar Chinese voice, they both looked over. It was a group of merchants trading with the locals.
Zhao Xiping noticed that a businessman was staring at him. He frowned and looked over. He didn't know this person.
Sui Wen'an hadn't expected to meet Zhao Xiping here. He hesitated for a moment, then finally lowered his gaze. He had no purpose, just approaching to strike up a conversation. He didn't know what to say, or perhaps he himself didn't know what he wanted to know.
After leaving Dunhuang, Sui Wen'an infiltrated a caravan, helping with loading and unloading goods and tending camels. His skills in horseback riding, archery, and hunting earned him the favor of the veteran escort, earning him camel riding license. After passing through Yumen Pass, he headed west, from early spring to midsummer, traversing the desert for countless days, passing through a dozen small kingdoms. He no longer remembers his way back.
Now that the caravan is about to return, Sui Wen'an has no idea where he will go next and where he will end up, leaving him feeling anxious and confused.
After a night's rest, the delegation left and the caravan followed. Zhao Xiping noticed that the merchant who had been staring at him was not in the caravan.
"Sir, do you know Wen An? He's not from our caravan, just a fellow traveler. He stayed in Wensu Country."
Zhao Xiping repeated the name silently, shook his head and said, "I don't know him. Maybe I recognized the wrong person."
Afterwards, he put the matter behind him and escorted the delegation back east.
After passing Wensu State, they traveled for another five days and passed through Gumo Kingdom. The caravan wanted to go into the city to buy furs and medicinal herbs from the locals. The two groups parted ways, and the delegation stayed briefly for one night before continuing on their journey.
Barren, yellow mountains bordered the desert. The delegation walked along the foothills, where mountain dwellers lived on the gentle slopes and nomads herded livestock near oases dotted with turbulent rivers. The locals had deep features, occasionally bearing similarities to Han Chinese. These were descendants of soldiers who had been sent to the northwest after their campaign against the Xiongnu. They spoke a few halting words of Chinese and were eager to converse with passing Han merchants.
"The wall at the end of the desert is very high? I heard from a merchant."
Zhao Xiping nodded. "You speak Chinese very well."
The dark-faced man smiled slightly and said, "When I save enough money, I want to go back to the Han Dynasty to live. My father said his hometown is very good."
"Where is your hometown?" asked Captain Chang.
The man said three words that Zhao Xiping had never heard before. He looked at Captain Chang, who also looked puzzled.
He thought it was probably a village or a town.
After the camels had eaten their fill, it was time for the delegation to leave. Zhao Xiping said goodbye to the man and said, "We're going back first. You can wait for another year or two."
The dark-skinned man happily saw him off and asked where Zhao Xiping was from.
"Dunhuang."
"I know Dunhuang." The man was even happier.
The delegation left, crossed the last mountain range, and walked into the endless desert again.
The northwest desert welcomes autumn earlier than Dunhuang. Walking into the heart of the desert, the bushes and grass buried in the yellow sand turn yellow, the rivers in the desert enter the dry season, wild camels migrate eastward, wolves chase gazelles, and when fetching water by the river, you often encounter lone wolves or lost gazelles.
On an evening with rosy clouds, a yellow sheep was chased to the river by a pack of wolves. The sound of the camel bells startled the wolves. Across the vast yellow sand, the man and the wolves looked at each other.
The leader wolf howled as the pack hunted gazelles by the river. The unique smell of blood spread across the vast desert, and the bloodstains dyed the yellow sand red, contrasting with the red glow in the sky.
The wolves left, leaving behind a thick yellow smoke. The howling of the wolves gradually faded away, leaving only blood-stained fur on the ground.
Zhao Xiping took a closer look. If he hadn't been on a mission, he would have gone over to pick up the sheepskin and mend it, making three pairs of winter shoes for the three people in his family. If he had children, he would have made them a sheepskin coat.
Thinking of this, he laughed unconsciously, and his heart became more and more restless.
When it was dark and they were camping outdoors, Zhao Xiping said goodbye to the guards he was familiar with, and then he rode his camel back alone. Under the huge full moon, he found the torn sheepskin.
After nightfall, sand scorpions, rats, ants, and birds scrambled to share the remaining meat. When people arrived, he drove these things away, broke the sheep's bones, and took away only the blood-stained fur.
During the rest of the journey, whenever Zhao Xiping took a break, he would take out the sheepskin and scrape off the dead flesh and fascia, hoping to take a sheepskin back as a gift for his unborn child.
One evening in late August, a pack of hungry wolves surrounded the delegation. The people and wolves fought fiercely all night. At dawn, the wolves left.
"Guard Zhao, take the wolf skin and take it away. There's no need to keep the tattered sheepskin." Captain Chang joked.
Zhao Xiping smiled and refused, saying, "Wolf fur isn't as soft as wool, so I'll have to take the sheepskin. Besides, the wolves will probably come back again. If I take the wolf skin, they'll chase me even harder."
The group rested for about an incense stick's time and then set out again. At noon, Zhao Xiping discovered the wolf pack lying in ambush. He protected Captain Chang and shot the wolves with arrows. When the arrows were used up, the twenty guards drew their swords and fought with the wolves.
The wolf's claws slashed at Zhao Xiping, and his clothes were torn by the wolf. The cowhide vest he was wearing underneath blocked the claws for him. He chased after the wolf and chopped off its head.
In the battle between man and werewolf, yellow sand was flying under their feet and their vision was blocked. Zhao Xiping blew a loud whistle. The guards who were led away by the wolves heard the whistle, stopped chasing, and quickly moved towards the direction where the delegation was standing.
The leader wolf howled loudly, and Zhao Xiping picked up two arrows from under the yellow sand. He followed the howl and found the wolf, pulling arrows from the wolf carcass from time to time and shooting again. The gray wolf that pounced on him was shot and fell to the ground. The female wolf that was ambushing behind the sand dune and pounced from behind was shot. The next moment, an iron arrow flew towards the sand dune where the leader wolf was standing.
The leader wolf roared angrily.
Zhao Xiping blew a short whistle, and his camel came running. He rode on the camel to chase the wolves, followed by seven or eight guards on camels.
At sunset, the wolves retreated. After Zhao Xiping took inventory of the battlefield, he took the injured guards and escorted the delegation out of the bloody desert overnight.
At daybreak, the marching team stopped by the river to rest. Zhao Xiping took off his stiff cowhide vest. The hide on the back of the vest had been torn by wolf teeth, and dark blood stains were stained on the gray-yellow rat skin.
"Boss, are you hurt?"
"It's a minor wound." Zhao Xiping filled the water bag with water and said, "Come, help me wash away the blood scabs and apply medicine."
Captain Chang came over, bent down to examine the wound, and asked, "Was he bitten by a wolf when he was chasing after it?"
"Wolves are really smart. They even know how to ambush." Zhao Xiping hissed as the powder was sprinkled on him. He gritted his teeth and said, "It's a pity that I didn't kill the leader."
"Guard Zhao is very brave. I will commend you when we return."
"Thank you, Captain." Zhao Xiping's reaction was unremarkable. He looked eastward and said, "In another fortnight, we should be entering Yumen Pass, right?"
"Exactly."
The wound should be healed by then, Zhao Xiping thought to himself, and then he began to worry. It was already September and it was time for the autumn harvest. He didn't know whether Sui Yu was pregnant or not, so how would he do the work in the fields? He was worried that with her stubborn nature, she would try to show off again.
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