Walking on White Sheep Plain, even the most mischievous Wang Cai was unwilling to snort more than necessary. Na Rimu placed a wet towel on Wang Cai’s head, but it only remained cool for a moment before the wet towel was completely steamed dry.
Seeing Wang Cai’s distressed appearance, Yun Ye took out his copper water flask from behind, moistened the towel and wrapped it around the flask, then shook it vigorously. Before the water vapor on the towel could be steamed dry, the warm water inside the copper flask became ice cold. The outside of the flask was even covered with many water droplets. Na Rimu was very curious about her husband’s actions. When Yun Ye handed the flask to her, she took a big gulp and discovered that the water in the copper flask had become ice cold and delicious. After Na Rimu finished drinking, Yun Ye also took a gulp himself, then stuffed the flask spout into Wang Cai’s big mouth. Wang Cai felt the coolness but didn’t know how to drink from a copper flask. Yun Ye turned around, found a plate, poured the water into the plate to feed Wang Cai, and didn’t stop until it had drunk it all.
In such weather, one couldn’t ride horses—one could only lead them on foot. If it were June or July, Yun Ye absolutely would not permit the army to march under the blazing sun—that would be purely seeking death.
Lai Chuanfeng kicked away an antelope skull with one foot, swallowed his saliva, and took another drink of water. This time the army was carrying very sufficient water. Originally, the best vessels for carrying water in the desert were sheepskin bags. The reason for not using copper or iron vessels was the concern that these vessels would rub through the livestock’s skin and flesh. As a result, Yun Ye had specially improved the water flasks. The inside of these flasks was lined with thick cotton. When attached to the mules and horses, even traveling long distances wouldn’t wear through their skin. What each soldier carried was five days’ worth of drinking water for himself and his warhorse. This was deliberately carrying one extra day’s water to cross White Sheep Plain. On ordinary days, they would carry at most four days’ water—no more, as beyond this time, the water would spoil.
Speaking even one extra word in the desert would also deplete one’s stamina and water. Yun Ye had explained this before departure, so on this multicolored Gobi Desert, a black stream of people was quietly advancing, each one following closely behind another.
Every half-hour, Yun Ye would order simple tents to be set up and rest for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, letting the soldiers catch their breath in the shade and replenish their water.
A large cloud drifted over and quickly turned into a dark cloud. Lightning began flashing overhead, and thunderclaps rumbled right above them. Rain was about to fall. Taking advantage of the good opportunity with the sun blocked, Yun Ye ordered rapid marching.
“Commander, it looks like a rainstorm is about to fall. Should we immediately transfer to higher ground? This subordinate is worried there might be flooding.” Lai Chuanfeng was a veteran officer. Seeing the sky looking wrong, he hurriedly counseled Yun Ye.
“No rain will fall to the ground.” Yun Ye said softly to Lai Chuanfeng, then continued quickening his pace.
Lai Chuanfeng looked at the dark clouds overhead, then at the unmoved Yun Ye. He adjusted his leather helmet and continued traveling with Yun Ye. Right now, with no sun, was indeed the best time to travel.
Another thunderclap sounded overhead. Lai Chuanfeng watched as bright white raindrops fell down. He prepared to catch some in his hand to present as evidence to the Commander, but when he spread his palm open and the rain fell from the sky, not a single drop of rain was on his palm.
“Don’t bother. On White Sheep Plain, before rainwater can reach the ground, it’s completely evaporated dry. Strange things happen often in the desert. You’ll gradually witness them in the future.” Yun Ye’s words drifted over leisurely from the front.
Watching as the large dark clouds drifted away, seeing that the warhorses had recovered some spirit, Yun Ye ordered everyone to mount their horses. Taking advantage of the afterglow before sunset, they would hurry another stretch of road.
As soon as the sun set, no one was shouting about heat anymore. Instead, they were constantly adding clothes to their bodies. In this damned place, early morning and evening could freeze people to death, while noon was unbearably hot. Lai Chuanfeng hurriedly pulled on his woolen cloak and constantly cursed the damned desert climate. This really wasn’t a godforsaken place where people could stay.
The sky had completely darkened, and the army finally began setting up camp. After eating dry rations and drinking water, under the officers’ supervision, everyone washed their feet and shook the sand clean from their boots. Otherwise, tomorrow the sand stuck to their feet would enter into their skin and flesh, tormenting an eight-foot tall man to the point of wishing for death.
When the entire camp was already shrouded by thunderous snoring, Yun Ye, Lai Chuanfeng, and Fan Hongyi led over two hundred officers and began patrolling the camp. Every tent had to be inspected—this was Yun Ye’s requirement. By the time Yun Ye finished inspecting the camp and arranged the night-duty officers, three strikes of the clapper sounded from the watch gong. It was already the third watch.
The white vapor exhaled from his mouth was a full foot or more long. Returning to his tent, he collapsed on his campaign bed and was unwilling to move. Na Rimu helped Yun Ye remove his clothes and armor. While washing his feet, she heard Yun Ye’s snoring. He didn’t used to snore—this time he was truly exhausted. Na Rimu learned from Lingdang’s example and carefully massaged her husband’s feet once through, only then feeling at ease. She also pulled out the soft pads from his shoes and replaced them with a new pair before lying down beside her husband to sleep sweetly. She was extremely happy.
“One, strike, slap! Two, strike, slap! Three, strike, slap!…”
Yun Ye was awakened by orderly commands. Looking at Na Rimu with gentle reproach, he said: “Next time, no matter how tired I am, you must wake me before daybreak.”
Na Rimu nodded repeatedly. She had actually wanted to call him, but seeing her husband sleeping so sweetly, she had held back and not called.
Yun Ye put on his clothes and exited the large tent. He saw the soldiers all organizing their gear under their squad leaders’ guidance. The commands just now were the squad leaders following Yun Ye’s instructions having the soldiers beat their bedding. Before sleeping, boot openings had to be tied shut to prevent scorpions and other poisonous insects from entering. Clothing even more so had to be hung up and vigorously beaten before wearing.
The soldiers looked in terror at black scorpions falling from their blankets. Had they shared a bed with these things last night? No wonder the Commander insisted everyone beat their bedding.
“Use chopsticks to put the scorpions in this glass bottle for me. Don’t let a single one escape. A bunch of fools—this is the most delicious thing in the desert. The only thing that can compare with it is the large centipedes from the shady side of Mount Hua.” To eliminate the soldiers’ fear of scorpions, Yun Ye deliberately threw a bottle in front of the soldiers, wanting them to catch scorpions for him to eat.
“Top-quality pipa scorpions—good stuff! Absolutely mustn’t waste them. This old man ate a few before—truly a delicacy of the mortal world. Whether fried in oil or baked dry on roof tiles, they’re all supreme delicacies of the mortal world. Absolutely mustn’t waste them.”
Yuan Shoucheng also became interested upon seeing the scorpions. It must be said this old fellow’s appeal was indeed stronger than Yun Ye’s. The soldiers who had been half-believing just now began swarming to catch the scorpions on the ground. Some soldiers even deliberately ran to other tents to announce this matter.
“You were right. This old man’s compass indeed went wrong yesterday. For three hours, the needle kept spinning in circles. You were right—there really are iron mountains here.” Yuan Shoucheng still felt some emotion thinking about it now. If he had been the one leading the way yesterday, he might have led this large army into an irretrievable situation.
“Actually, there are many ways to navigate in the desert. Yesterday I went by the small sand piles under our feet to discern direction. Look at this sand pile—its windward side and leeward side are completely different. We just need to walk along the direction the wind blows from and absolutely won’t go wrong. Don’t believe me? I’ll tell you—this small sand dune under our feet is absolutely the exact same shape as the large sand dunes in the distance. As long as there are two small sand dunes, you can determine your direction. Definitely won’t be wrong.”
Yuan Shoucheng nodded. Looking at four or five small sand dunes, he discovered that though they differed in size, their shapes were broadly similar. It seemed what Yun Ye said was reasonable.
Yuan Shoucheng was preparing to discuss the West Kunlun matter further with Yun Ye when he saw Lai Chuanfeng and the other officers of various ranks walking over. Knowing Yun Ye was going to arrange military affairs, he cupped his hands and left. He planned to find Wu She. These past days, Wu She seemed to have disappeared, always staying in his tent and never stepping outside. Even his meals were delivered to his tent by that female disciple of his.
“According to the scout reports, we only have fifty li more to walk out of White Sheep Plain. My opinion is to strive to exit this evening. Lai Chuanfeng, you lead your troops and depart immediately. Establish a solid camp for the army at White Sheep Mountain. We will rest and reorganize there for three days, then advance northward along the Sihun River (Tarim River). Finally, we’ll engage the Tibetan bandits in decisive battle at the Peacock River. These people are called bandits, but in reality they’re all Tibetan soldiers. They’ve always been arrogant and domineering in the Western Regions. At their most audacious, they even harassed Shazhou. This time, if Heaven blesses us and the Tibetan people don’t flee, it’s best to annihilate them at Peacock River. For us, this is the best opportunity to eliminate future troubles. We absolutely cannot let them escape into Black Stone Mountain Pass. If that happens, there will be endless future problems.”
Fan Hongyi tapped the table and said: “Commander, this subordinate believes we’re being too conservative. Army combat lies in being swift as fierce fire, in striking when unexpected and catching them unprepared. Fifty li can be covered in half a day. If we rest and reorganize at the mountain pass for one night, our sons will be able to advance north along the Sihun River tomorrow. Within two days, we’ll definitely reach the Peacock River battlefield and catch those Tibetan people completely by surprise.”
Not only did the most steady Fan Hongyi see it this way—the other officers also saw it this way. The府soldiers from Guanzhong were all fierce veterans who had been on battlefields. Though they couldn’t compare to the Xuanjia Army in fierceness, they were also strong troops that could be counted among the empire’s finest. They had deep understanding of themselves, knew where their capabilities lay, and only made such decisions after weighing their own strength.
Yun Ye tapped the map on the table, pointing at the place called Almaty and saying to Fan Hongyi: “Old Fan, now that we’ve reached this point, I won’t hide it from you anymore. This time we have no auxiliary troops, and even if we did, we wouldn’t dare use them. The people on this land all harbor ulterior motives and are not friendly to the Great Tang. Once battle begins, the possibility of them stabbing us in the back from behind is far higher than the possibility of them helping us. Almaty has gathered countless barbarians. Suiye City and Talas City could all potentially become our battlefields. From now on, we must advance steadily step by step, fight every battle well, and minimize our losses as much as possible. We only have thirty-four thousand men. If we lose one, we have one less. If the war situation deteriorates, Beiting will be completely lost from our hands. This is a risk we cannot afford to take.”