Chapter 2206 Transit Station
General Nie looked at the sun, stretched out his hand to stop the team, and asked everyone to stop and rest.
Manbao got out of the car and twisted his waist, feeling pretty good.
Bai Shan got off the car behind her and put the veil on her. He looked up and sighed, "It's so hot. We had to wear cloaks when we set off this morning, but now we can't even wear a jacket."
Manbao nodded, kicked the sand under his feet and said, "It's probably because of them."
Looking around, the world was vast, and it seemed that they were the only group of people there. They didn't notice it at first, but after a night and walking for half a day, everyone's mood was somewhat affected.
Manbao leaned against the carriage, looked into the distance and said, "If you stay in a place like this for a long time, you will indeed feel lonely."
This is different from the grassland. The grassland is also vast, and it may take a long time to meet a herdsman, but the grassland is green, and there are wild sheep, wild wolves, wild rabbits, wild roe deer, and all kinds of wild animals. There are also eagles in the sky. But the desert is different. Here, except for one or two small reptiles that you can only see if you look very carefully, it seems that there are no living things in the world.
The steward checked the water supply and came up to report, "Master, Miss Man, we only have enough water for tomorrow."
Manbao came back to his senses and asked, "Didn't they say there's an oasis a hundred miles down? Why haven't we seen it yet?"
Bai Shan also felt that they had been walking for a long time, but General Nie beside him said, "We haven't even walked a hundred miles."
Bai Shan was incredulous, "Are we so slow?"
Lieutenant General Nie said, "The carriage is a bit slow in the desert. Sir, once we reach Yumen Pass, we'll probably need to buy a few more camels."
Manbao and Keke both perked up, then nodded reservedly and said, "Tian!"
Bai Shan noticed her suppressed joy and said to General Nie, "Let's talk about it when we get to Yumen Pass. We'll go buy it then."
General Nie has become accustomed to the fact that these young men and women seem to be interested in everything and like to personally try out things they have never done or seen before.
Zhou Liru became worried. "Will we be able to reach our destination before nightfall? We've only covered less than a hundred miles in a day and a half. Isn't that too slow?"
She was a little panicked, so she asked Manbao in a low voice, "Aunt, are we lost?" She looked terrified.
Bai Erlang and Liu Huan happened to hear it and were shocked. They looked at Manbao and their faces turned a little pale.
Manbao: "...Bai Er, what kind of books did you show Li Ru again?"
Bai Erlang shuddered. "Nothing much. It's a collection of miscellaneous travelogues from a traveler who wrote about his travels to the West. It contains stories he heard along the way. Eight out of ten stories describe how people who got lost in the desert died, or how they discovered new oases, or even gem mines. But...most of them died."
Liu Huan also watched. "Some people fell directly into the scorpion pit and were gnawed until not even a bone was left."
Even Bai Shan was startled and hurried to see General Nie, "General Nie, we shouldn't be lost, right?"
Lieutenant Nie didn't want to pay any attention to them, but he still said, "Master Bai, there's only one road in the desert. How could you get lost?"
Bai Shanze pondered, "There are no tracks on the road. How can we be sure that the path we are taking is a road?"
General Nie: ...
The soldiers beside him couldn't help but say happily, "Don't worry, Mr. Bai. We can still recognize the road. Don't be fooled by the fact that it's all sand and looks the same. But the sand you walk on is different. If you don't believe me, stomp your feet here and then stomp your feet further down, and the sand you walk on will be different."
Even Master You came over to comfort them, saying with a smile, "Don't worry, my lords. This road is well-traveled. The desert here isn't very large, just this small patch. Beyond that, you'll be out of Suzhou territory and onto the sandbar. There's mostly Gobi and grassland over there, with less desert. So this road is clearly visible, and you won't go wrong."
He said with great experience: "Only in that kind of large desert can you get lost if you go deep into it."
He paused and said, "The adults are going to the Western Regions. They will definitely have to cross the desert, so they should be careful then. It's best to hire two guides."
Manbao and Baishan looked at each other and kept it in mind.
Everyone took a short rest, replenished their water and then continued.
Because we wanted to get to the oasis as soon as possible, we sped up after getting on the bus.
The convoy passed two sand dunes in a row. When they reached the highest point of one of the dunes, a town suddenly appeared in front of them. Even the soldiers let out a low cheer.
Manbao opened the curtain and looked out, and was pleasantly surprised. "It really is an oasis!"
Bai Shan squeezed over to watch, and the two of them immediately dropped the chess game they were playing, and asked Daji for the horse to run over by themselves.
When General Nie saw that they ran away with a few guards, he twitched his lips and said nothing. He continued to lead the convoy forward slowly without complaint.
Lian Yin Huo rode a horse and walked with them. It seemed that they were quite close, but after they got down the hill, they still ran for a full quarter of an hour before they reached the destination.
This is a very large lake with green grass on the lakeside, dense woods on one side and rows of houses on the other side.
There are no city walls, and naturally no gates or anything like that, so the convoy can enter from any side.
However, after entering, they could only go around the lake. When Bai Shan and his companions got close, they reined in their horses and took a look. Finally, they chose the side with the most houses to enter.
The streets inside were all mud, but very flat. As soon as they entered, they saw people setting up stalls, and the people inside almost immediately looked up at them.
A young man's eyes lit up, and he dropped what he was holding and rushed forward before anyone else. "Would you like to stay here? My house has a yard, a big yard—"
There were also people like him who rushed up, including women, who directly stopped in front of the horses and recommended their houses.
Not only Manbao and his companions, but even their horses were frightened and stamped their feet several times.
Daji immediately stepped forward with his guards to stop them.
Manbao was still in shock. He glanced at the street that stretched out and asked, "Don't you have an inn here?"
"No!" The people who gathered around said in unison. A young man said loudly, "Miss, there are no inns like those in Zhongyuan. But in fact, our house is an inn. It is for guests to stay. It is very clean. If you don't believe me, go and see it."
Manbao didn't believe it. There were inns even on the road. This oasis was obviously a transit point. How could there be no inn?
But she looked back and saw that the convoy was still far away, so she decided not to rush into making a decision. So she exchanged a glance with Bai Shan and dismounted. She said to the people who had gathered around her, "No hurry, no hurry. It's still early, and we're not in a hurry to go to bed. By the way, is this a city or a town?"
The next chapter will be around 10pm
(End of this chapter)
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