Sing a song with you
Sand dunes are actually moving sand dunes. No one can predict their trajectory, and they are intangible and unfathomable, hence the title "ghost".
When Tang Qi caught up with them, the sand demons had just stopped moving. At a glance, the raised sand dunes looked like bumps growing on a person's body.
Those buried not too deep could get up on their own after a couple of shakes. Most of those who couldn't get out but could make noise were pulled out by Tang Qi and the others. Those buried too deep and unable to make noise became grave mounds in the sand.
Lin Jiacuo belonged to the former group. When he crawled out, several other people also peeked out from around him. Having escaped from a desperate situation, the group looked at each other from afar and then sighed and laughed.
In the desert, many die, but even more survive.
After Tang Qi and his group finished searching this area, they continued to explore further out. At that time, Lin Zhengye was kneeling in a boundless desert, desperately pleading for help.
The sound was shrill and helpless.
At this moment, Tang Qi and Lin Jiacuo were just standing beside him. Tang Qi said, "If you're not going back, get up and get to work. There are still other places we haven't searched. There might still be survivors."
Hearing Tang Qi's words, Lin Zhengye rubbed his face a few times, took a deep breath, stood up, and forced a smile, saying to them, "Got it! I'll go search over there!"
He quickly joined the others as they ran to various sand dunes, searching for a way to survive.
"We need to keep him busy." Tang Qi continued, watching Lin Zhengye's retreating figure, "Only when he's busy can death catch up with him."
How did you finish?
Lin Jiacuo asked him, and Tang Qi frowned, looked at him and said coldly, "Recall the outpost first."
When the Wolf Strategy Southern Camp army set out, Lin Jiacuo divided the troops into three groups. The first group was a lightly armed scout who would go ahead to scout out the situation ahead. The second group was the central army carrying provisions and following behind. The third group was his small squad, which would stay at the rear to prevent the enemy from launching a surprise attack or encirclement.
The three units were not too far apart, and using beacon fires as a signal, the entire battalion marched steadily.
Upon hearing that Tang Qi wanted to recall the outpost, Lin Jiacuo knew that there was something wrong with how things were being handled, so he asked again, "What's going on?"
"I suspect this is a trap."
"A trap? What do you mean?" Lin Jiacuo asked in surprise, then quickly added, "You mean someone wants to use Qingyan to set a trap? What's the purpose? Qingyan has already been captured, what trap could the Southern Continent Kingdom possibly set up?"
Tang Qi looked at him: "I never said their target was Qingyan."
"You mean...their target is us?"
Lin Jiacuo thought for a moment, then immediately rejected his own words: "How could that be? Qingyan is outside of Kaqiu, and Jinbei is stationed inside the desert. The Southern Continent Army could not possibly cross Jinbei to ambush us."
"They have no chance of crossing, but what if the Jin Beijun were originally allies with them?"
Tang Qi's eyes were cold, and then he heard Lin Jiacuo's horrified voice: "Zhong Le, do you know what you're saying?"
"I saw the Southern Camp general who led the troops to attack Hecheng at the Qi Prince's residence." Tang Qi stared straight into Lin Jiacuo's eyes and continued, "That man is called Li Wuyuan, and he looks exactly like Zhang Dong."
Lin Jiacuo was slightly taken aback, and Tang Qi spoke again: "Moreover, Li Wuyuan is also the centurion of the First Army of the New Camp."
As is customary, the centurions of the First Army of the New Battalion in each army are directly appointed and dismissed by the government. Although they belong to the respective armies, the First Army of the New Battalion is tacitly referred to as "officers and soldiers".
These "officers and soldiers" were mostly backed by princes, making them the most unique force in the military camp.
Lin Jiacuo listened to Tang Qi's increasingly somber voice: "Zhang Dong is not afraid of our investigation at all, because he knows who is behind him. My investigation into this matter has been blocked. Even the censor personally intervened. Everyone is covering it up. I thought it was at most the work of some high-ranking official in Jingzhou City. I didn't expect it to be something beyond our control. We were wrong. We were wrong from the very beginning."
Tang Qi stared at the boundless desert with an increasingly determined gaze: "We must recall the outpost troops. We cannot take this road; going there will only lead to our deaths."
"So what do you want?"
Lin Jiacuo spoke in a rare cold voice. Tang Qi paused and stared at him blankly. Lin Jiacuo's expression was serious, and he almost categorically denied it: "I do not agree to recall the outpost troops."
"Gyatso—"
Tang Qi was about to say something more when Lin Jiacuo immediately added, "Even if you really recall them, what are you going to do? Take everyone back the way you came?"
"Go back to where? To Jingzhou? Or back to Luoyang?" Lin Jiacuo's tone grew even colder: "Zhongle, only the Langce Southern Camp was on the eastern expedition. The eastern, western, and northern camps are still within the capital. To retreat without a fight before reaching Qingyan and return to the capital with a large army is not going home. This is treason! The Langce Army cannot bear this crime, and you certainly cannot!"
"Then what do you want me to do? Take everyone to their deaths?" Tang Qi's tone grew harsher, even showing signs of anxiety and anger.
Lin Jiacuo also grew anxious and continued, "Regardless of whether your speculation is true or not, even if things are really as you say, from the moment we left Luoyang—"
"Bang!"
An explosion shattered their conversation, and a plume of red smoke rose into the desert sky, roaring as it tore apart the shell of peace.
Red smoke signals indicate the state of battle.
The sentry ahead has been ambushed.
Bang bang bang.
Three attacks were launched in quick succession, putting the central army in danger.
The aura of death drew near, and everyone stared up in horror. Lin Jiacuo gave a very light chuckle, his expression indifferent, and continued to utter the words he hadn't finished speaking, as if mocking himself.
"...We have no way out."
Tang Qi immediately shouted at the motionless crowd, "Everyone, immediately regroup and prepare to retreat!"
The crowd quickly gathered, and someone brought out horses—some surviving horses that had been found in the gaps between the sand dunes.
"No refunds!"
Lin Jiacuo still held Tang Qi's hand tightly, staring into his eyes and saying, "Zhong Le!"
“
I know we can't return to Beijing! But we can't just stay here and light the evacuation signal to send the outposts and the main force back. We can't stay in the desert; we'll go beyond it to seek reinforcements!
Soon, blue smoke rose into the air, and Tang Qi muttered anxiously, "Where to go, where to retreat to, where can we retreat to..."
"Cangjia Mountain! Brother Qi, we can go to Cangjia Mountain!"
Lin Zhengye suddenly exclaimed excitedly. Lin Jiacuo paused subconsciously, then immediately turned to Tang Qi and said, "Yes! We can retreat to Cangjia Mountain. It's easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even if the enemy really comes, we can hold out until reinforcements arrive!"
Cangjia Mountain… Tang Qi quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind. Cangjia Mountain was not too far from their current location, just on the way they entered Kaqiu. Their rear route was blocked, and they did not know the situation of the central army and the outposts. If they really entered the mountain, and there were still ambushes ahead, they would be attacked from both sides and their life would be completely cut off.
"Ah Hu, you're fast. Ride a fast horse out of the desert and head east. Take my token and find General Ye Jin of Xuanhe Army to send troops to rescue us. All the left wing troops, mount up and quickly occupy Cangjia first. The rest of you, come with me back to Kaqiu. We must find the central army!"
"Yes, boss!" A young man next to him took the token handed to him by Tang Qi and said.
The central army had the largest number of men and supplies among the three expeditionary forces, and it was crucial that they not be completely wiped out.
"Gyatso, you lead the left wing back, I will lead the troops deeper into the territory to find the central army and the outposts. If we have not reached Cangjia in three hours, immediately lead the troops far away and do not need to enter Kachu to look for us again."
Tang Qi mounted his white horse and whispered to Lin Jia, who was on horseback.
"Zhong..."
"This time, you have to get everyone out of here no matter what."
Tang Qi tightened the reins on the horse's back, squeezed its legs wide, and without giving Lin Jiacuo a chance to refuse, kicked the white horse forward without mercy. In the vast desert, the four horses' iron hooves cleared a path, but what they trod was a dead end with no chance of survival.
Lin Jiacuo felt a pang of sorrow but had no time for grief. He turned his horse around and rode away with the fully prepared Left Army and Lin Zhengye. Lin Zhengye followed at the back of the column, glancing back from afar, feeling utterly desolate.
Tang Qi led his troops toward the last place where the red smoke signals appeared, the wind cutting mercilessly, stinging their faces. Tang Qi, at the head of the column, suddenly yanked the reins, lifted the white foreleg, and let out a long howl, halting the entire column.
He sat high on his horse, leaned down and glanced at the sand beside the horse's hooves—there was a slight tremor. Tang Qi straightened up again and raised his hand. Everyone was on alert. He held the Silver Moon Spear, his eyes resolute, waiting for the approaching party.
Fortunately, they were blessed by heaven this time.
"It's the central army! It's the central army, General!"
The people behind him cheered, and Tang Qi, unusually, smiled and quickly said, "Go and greet them!"
The army from the central region was scattered and stretched out in a long line. Tang Qi met the leader of the line, whose face was still covered in blood.
"What are the specifics? Where is the outpost?"
Tang Qi ordered the others to lead the central army inside. He glanced around casually and saw that most of them were injured, but fortunately not too seriously.
"We had just passed the halfway point of Katyu and had not seen the Jinbei Army that was supposed to come to our aid. When we were regrouping and moving forward, we were suddenly ambushed. Their arrival was so sudden that no one expected it. Although the outpost lit the beacon fire immediately, we did not have time to retreat. The Southern Continent Army surrounded us very quickly. The outpost was almost completely wiped out, and the central army was surrounded by half of its forces, suffering heavy losses. Those of us who were not surrounded received the order to retreat and immediately marched back. The other half fought desperately and managed to break through the encirclement."
How far is the Southern Continent Army from you?
"I don't know. The brothers who broke through said that the Southern Continent Army doesn't seem to be catching up."
There's no sign of them catching up?
With the help of the central army, almost all the survivors returned to camp. Tang Qi glanced at the distance and said solemnly, "No more delaying. Everyone, march back and head to Cangjia Mountain!"
The group moved forward, carried by the wind. Tang Qi was still walking in front, and they walked very fast because they were afraid that Nan Zhou would catch up. When the sun was setting and the last rays of the setting sun were about to disappear, Jiang Bai stopped again.
Tang Qixing led the procession, facing Lin Jiacuo, who was approaching from afar with a tall, imposing figure and a solemn expression, in the orange twilight.
Tang Qi felt as if a shattered glass had broken, a sense of urgency washing over him. Everyone waited where they were, and Lin Jiacuo slowly led his troops closer. Only then did Tang Qi see what was in his hand.
That was a gold medal, a gold medal personally issued by the emperor.
"...We failed to reach Cangjia. We had just left Kaqiu when we received a golden tablet from the government, ordering us not to turn back and to continue our attack on Qingyan."
The imperial decree has been issued; if they turn back now, they will be guilty of disobeying the imperial order and plotting rebellion, and their entire family will be executed.
Tang Qi clenched his fists to compose himself and said to him, "The outposts have been almost completely wiped out. The ones who returned from the central army are all here. They didn't see the Jinbei army. Our remaining military rations can only last for a month at most. How can we launch a surprise attack?"
"There will be reinforcements, Zhong Le, the Emperor said he will send reinforcements."
These words were like a powerful injection, bringing joy to most of the other soldiers in the Wolf Strategy Army. Only Tang Qi remained frowning, showing no sign of relief, until Lin Jiacuo whispered in his ear, "I have secretly sent Hu Xingche out of Kaqiu. He has taken your token and is heading east."
Tang Qi's expression improved slightly, but as darkness fell, he had no choice but to say, "Let's set up camp here and remain on high alert!"
Inside the main tent of the camp, Tang Qi looked at Lin Jiacuo and asked, "What exactly happened?"
“
We had just reached the Katyu border when a small group was already waiting for us. The leader gave me a gold medal and an official edict, forcing us to turn back.
"Don't turn back, keep attacking..." Tang Qi sighed and sneered, "They want us dead."
"Reinforcements will come."
"Reinforcements?" Tang Qi seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world: "We haven't even seen a shadow of the Jinbei army that was supposed to be there to provide support, as reported in the military reports. How much of this so-called reinforcement is actually real?"
Previously, it wasn't to leave some hope for the Wolf Army, but now that it's just him and Lin Jiacuo, Tang Qi simply can't control his emotions.
"The only way out now is if Hu Zi can really get to Xuanhe to find Ye Jin for help. The Xuanhe army's garrison is only five or six days' journey from Kaqiu. If reinforcements arrive, we can still be saved. If no reinforcements arrive..."
"If there are no reinforcements, then we shall draw our swords and fight to the death."
Lin Gyatso raised his eyebrows, held his sword, and laughed again: "Anyway, the will was already written a long time ago."
Tang Qi was pulled away by his arm and walked out. Hearing his words, she tilted her head and smiled helplessly, "You're quite open-minded."
Even so, Tang Qi had a vague idea of what was going on, and his expression became serious again.
Just as the two reached the entrance of the tent, Lin Zhengye burst in, lifting the curtain and shouting urgently, "Brother Qi! Enemy activity!"
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