Villager of Daming

Chapter 518 Migration Without Leaving Lakes (Fifth Change)
A small wind whizzed, and the dry lake bed was dotted with ice-covered pits here and there.

The poplar trees and thorn bushes by the lake also look listless, giving people a dry and dead feeling.

Some animal footprints have been left on the lake bed, indicating that animals used to drink here when the water level was low.

Today, November [-]th, eight days of heavy snow have passed, and another seven days will be the winter solstice.

The team arrived at the agreed seven-day oasis supply point. The lake was there, but the water was gone.

But everyone is not afraid, the water in the team can last for seven or eight days.

Before setting off from the well-drilling place, the horses and camels gave another vigorous feeding.

Desert temperatures in winter are not as high as in summer, and less water is lost from people and livestock.

The 33 wild donkeys who followed the team ran into the dry lake bed, shaved the thin ice with their hooves, licked and ate it, and then began to dig the soil with their hooves.

"There is water. Wild donkeys can find water. They dig to prove that there is water below." The guide said.

"Drilling a well?" Zhu Xi turned his head and asked the head of the village.

"Dig in Luoyang, and you can save water for camels to drink. Camels are not afraid, and they won't get sick if they drink it. Horses can't, unless the water is not too dirty."

The head of the village considered the situation in the team, and felt that there was no need to dig a well, just feed the camels, and everything else would be easy.

A group of craftsmen rushed to the bottom of the lake bed with Luoyang shovels and quickly dug up.

The wild donkeys who were digging a hole not far away stopped their movements and waited and watched again.

In recent days, they have been fed with water twice and grass once, and they have also found some plants in the desert and gnawed on them.

For a group of things that walk on two legs, they are not so afraid.

The Luoyang shovel digs holes faster than the shovel, especially in this kind of wet soil. When the shovel goes down, a tube of soil is brought out, and someone next to it hits the tube of the Luoyang shovel with a stick.

One pit after another was dug, and sure enough there was water, so we continued digging deeper.

"The horses can drink, and there is still a lot of water!" The craftsman who dug the pit shouted.

Then more than 400 one-meter deep pits appeared at the bottom of the lake a quarter of an hour later, and the sweaty craftsmen retreated.

The camels and horses that had been unloaded drove down in batches, and the wild donkeys took the opportunity to occupy several pits, bowing their heads and drinking loudly.

They know 'someone else' dug it, so what?Anyway, the water belongs to everyone, and if you dig the hole yourself, 'others' will drink it too!If you can't even step on the pit, you have to repair it yourself.

After the camels and horses finished drinking the water, they set up their racks again and the team left. The water saved this time to feed the animals could be used for at least ten days.

"The wild donkeys have found the water source, and they will move around the lake in the future, leaving their original place."

The guide walked on the sand, looked back, and said to Zhu Biao and Zhu Xi.

"I hope there will be heavy rains at the beginning of next spring and the lake will be refilled with water. We have saved the lives of 33 wild donkeys."

Zhu Xi stepped on the sand with one deep foot and one shallow foot, and it took a lot of effort.

He is used to it, walking for at least two hours a day, so that the horses and camels can rest more.

It is cold to ride on an animal, but walking by yourself belongs to exercise and can keep you warm.

At noon, everyone only set up a small number of tents for the cooks. The cooks only boiled hot water, took out the oil tea noodles, and washed them in bowls. Everyone ate this.

This one is sweet and has sugar in it. It's cold now, drinking a bowl will keep you full and warm.

Add a handful of dried fruit to it, add vitamins, and try to balance the nutrition.

Zhu Biao, Zhu Xi and the palace maid each had half a salted duck egg, and the people in Xiaqiu Village naturally had it too.

We started on the road again in the afternoon and everyone rode horses and camels. The horses' hooves were cleaned and shod. It was cold and they were not afraid of burning their hooves.

One day later, we entered the Gobi. Unlike the sandy land, the horseshoes were greatly worn.When the sun turned into an egg yolk and was about to set, the team set up camp. The sergeants memorized text while working, either addition, subtraction or multiplication tables.

It is absolutely impossible to be illiterate. Along the way, some people have already known more than 2000 characters, and they are about to pass the test. They just need to be proficient in writing.

After they successfully escaped blindness and arrived at Helin, they will teach the comrades in Xu Da's team.

"Look, the west side." Zhu Xi suddenly became excited, pointing to the direction of the setting sun and shouting.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, a group of wild donkeys ran over, gradually approaching, and stopped only when they were about fifty paces away from the team.

"They followed, and they didn't stay at that lake." Zhu Xi said with a look of joy.

"Quick! Give them fodder. If you can follow Helin, find a way to raise them." Zhu Biao was equally happy.

The people in the team carried the fodder, and the wild donkeys backed up and stopped, waiting for the fodder to be put on the ground, they stepped forward and began to eat happily.

"Isn't it true that the common people can support the imperial court as long as they have enough to eat."

Li Chang laughed, the wild donkeys were obviously interested in the team's diet.

The grass brought by the team must be the best. The bad grass is too heavy and has no nutrition.

The wild donkeys finished eating the forage and continued to move forward. There was no sandstorm. The horses were kept outside and a simple wooden fence was used. The horses knew that they could not go out and did not hit the fence.

The wild donkey came to the outside of the fence, looked at each other with the horse through the fence, and planned to spend the night here.

Because there is a tent circle around it, it can shelter the horses and camels from the cold wind, and the wild donkeys go in without fences, and staying outside has the same effect.

……

"The Gobi feels better. Walking is not as tiring as in the desert."

Zhu Ping stamped his feet. The sand under his feet was not so soft and could bear the strain.

"Your Highness, in another seven days, according to the current speed, we will be able to reach Helin. There is grass in front of us. We... survived."

The young general came over, he estimated the distance, and at the same time he was familiar with the place.

There is no desert like before, it is all Gobi, desert, grassland and sandy land.

Animals can get water by grazing and no longer need to feed grass.

"Chief, are you looking for a place to dig a well? Our water has been out for a long time. We need to take a shower today. Do you believe that one day we can go without taking a shower for half a month?"

Zhu Yu made a request that he want to change his appearance, and finally survived.

Zhu Biao nodded beside him, expressing his agreement, it was not easy.

"Let's take a bite at noon, speed up our journey, stay away from the sandy area behind, and enter a place with relatively more vegetation, so we can dig wells, otherwise there will be no groundwater."

The head of the village suggested that the crown prince and the king of Qin asked for new water, and it was enough to do so.

"Okay, everyone get on your mounts and hurry up." Zhu Xiang shouted, and the people in the team mounted their horses and camels one after another.

Horses are as happy as camels. They know the environment better than the way they came here.

At noon, everyone grabs a handful of meat floss and eats a meal with the water in the water bag.

At the second moment, a large number of low shrubs appeared in front of it, and the eyes of the horse and camel lit up. This is edible, and it is delicious.

And the wild donkeys that have been marching with the team are chasing while eating. Obviously they don't want to live here, they still have to follow those things.

"His Royal Highness, Prince Qin, set up camp here? Let's try to drill a well."

Li Chang held up the binoculars to observe, and there was a place in front of which the plants were the densest. The key point was that he saw the color of the soil, brown.

(End of this chapter)