Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 239 Eat horse meat and drink horse blood
  Under the clear blue sky and clear sunshine, nearly [-] soldiers sat in disorder on the sand dunes. Their black and red shirts stood out against the yellow sand, making them particularly eye-catching.

Zheng Rentai looked around and saw that the Tang troops, who were originally high-spirited, were all dirty and shriveled, with sallow complexions and thin muscles. Faced with wind and sand day and night, and without sufficient water, I had no time to trim my beard and hair. They were dirty, long, and covered with sand and dust, and each beard and hair looked like steel needles.

I guess I am not far behind: I came north in a hurry this time and failed to repair supplies in Lingzhou. The army is short of food and clothing. We are in the Gobi Desert with unknown water sources. Food is also used up day by day. We have not eaten for several days. Have a hearty meal.

Since the day before yesterday, they have begun to eat horse meat and drink horse blood on a large scale.

It's not because all the food is exhausted, but because the survivability of war horses is not as good as that of humans.

In the absence of water and grass to replenish physical strength, horses are often the first to die.

In this environment, there is no need to worry about the fact that the soldiers and horses are comrades-in-arms.

Putting people first, the life of any animal must come second before human life.

Chewing the roasted dry hard horse meat and drinking the boiled and fishy horse blood, Zheng Rentai couldn't help but laugh miserably: "I never thought that I, Zheng Rentai, would eat horse meat and drink horse blood one day."

There is no doubt that the craftsmanship of the Tang Dynasty led the world in this era.

Therefore, when the two armies faced each other, the Tang army often relied on sharper weapons and stronger armor to gain the upper hand and win.

But you would be totally wrong to say that the reason why the Tang army was invincible was because of sharper weapons and stronger armor.

The fighting will of the Tang army was also ahead of all tribes in this era.

When Tuyuhun was defeated in the Tang Dynasty, Xue Wanjun commanded the cavalry to pursue and defeat the remaining Tuyuhun party. The soldiers were short of water and spurred the horses to drink blood. Hou Junji and Li Daozong led their troops in the no-man's land of Poluozhen Valley. People drank ice and horses rode in the snow. They marched two thousand miles and forced Tuyuhun Khan to hang himself.

Qu Wentai, the king of Gaochang, was seven thousand miles away from the Tang Dynasty, and there were thousands of miles of desert among them. It was cold in winter and hot in summer, and there was no water and grass, so it was difficult for the army to move forward.

But the Tang army crossed the desert silently, like the sun and moon shining on the frost and snow, and destroyed Gaochang.

This is something that happened in the previous dynasty. Su Dingfang had a similar feat last year.

After the Western Turkic Shabolo Khan Ashina Helu was defeated, heavy snow fell from the sky, and the snow leveled the ground to two feet overnight. All the generals advised Su Dingfang to avoid the wind and snow, but Su Dingfang said, "The thieves are relying on the heavy snow and say that I can't enter. It's time to send troops to capture and kill them."

The Tang army took a few supplies and marched through the snow, traveling day and night. They made a living by eating war horses and collecting the escaped people and livestock. They marched straight in, attacked with troops, and defeated tens of thousands of He Lu's subordinates.

Whether it is the former Hou Junji, Li Daozong, or the latter Su Dingfang, there are records of drinking horse blood and eating horse meat, but for them, it was an unparalleled glory, which fully reflected the Tang army's fighting will to fight against danger.

Now it was his turn to eat horse meat and drink horse blood, but the situation he faced was unspeakable.

Wang Fangyi said: "The Chief Manager doesn't have to be like this. If Chen Dujian can't receive any news from us for a long time, he will definitely send someone to look for it."

Zheng Rentai couldn't help but frown and said, "Can he be so kind?"

In his heart, he was looking forward to Chen Qingsi coming to the rescue. After all, it was not a matter of his personal face, but a matter of life and death for more than [-] troops.

But this time he went north without saying a word, knowing that he was making trouble unreasonably. If Chen Qingsi just ignored it and didn't ask, but really tried his best to save him, wouldn't he look as ridiculous as the clown in the opera?
  There is nothing nice to say.

Wang Fangyi knew that Zheng Rentai was very prejudiced against Chen Qingsi, but he himself had a very good impression of Chen Qingsi and knew that he was not a narrow-minded person. However, at this moment, he did not think of any meaningless disputes and said: "As long as we continue to go south, we will definitely get out of this damn desert."

Zheng Rentai nodded in agreement. He had been in the army for many years and still knew the basic common sense in the field.

As long as you are heading in the right direction, you will eventually get out.

Able to distinguish the southeast from the northwest through various means.

But now there is a fatal problem. Zheng Rentai dare not say more for fear of shaking the morale of the army. They don't have much water.

Being without water in the desert is worse than being without food.

There will indeed be a day when we go south to get out of the desert, but how many people can get out of the desert and whether they can get out of the desert is now doubtful.

Wang Fangyi suddenly lowered his voice and said: "The chief general went straight south, and his subordinates led a hundred people to the east to find water sources. If they find water sources, they will come back and report. If you never come back, don't worry about the end."

Although Zheng Rentai concealed the lack of water, Wang Fangyi was keenly aware of this.

Because when they went north to pursue the Tiele rebels, they passed a small oasis and a small puddle along the way, led by the Tiele rebels, and replenished water twice.

After losing the trace of the other party and choosing to go south, the direction was right, but the small oasis and small puddle were not encountered.

Zheng Rentai distributed water and food early. Wang Fangyi didn't know how much was left, but he also knew that if he didn't find a water source, he would really run out of water.

Zheng Rentai's face changed slightly, and he said after a while: "Okay!" He waved his hand and asked his cronies to prepare food and water for Wang Fangyi.

Wang Fangyi didn't know where the water source was specifically, but he remembered that when he was chasing him, he ran to the northwest for a while and then arrived at the small oasis.

They went directly south, obviously not passing through the oasis, but they had to go southeast. Without knowing the general direction, it was easy to pass by the small oasis, which made it more difficult to get out of the desert.

Wang Fangyi's visit was obviously part of a gamble. If he won the bet, he would save the army from disaster. If he lost the bet, he would be better off.

Wang Fangyi himself was not sure, but he knew that some things had to be done by someone.

Wang Fangyi does not lack the courage and determination to shoulder heavy responsibilities.

Wang Fangyi did not find any water source.

The desert is so big, how can a small oasis be easily found?
  But they were walking in the right direction. When the search and rescue team of the Sijie Department went to the oasis to replenish water, they saw vultures flying in the sky.

If a vulture hovers and refuses to move away, it means there is food below.

The experienced Sijie Yingcai used vultures to find Wang Fangyi, who was dehydrated and waiting to die, and also learned the direction of Zheng Rentai's army.

Sijie Yingcai followed the large army and did not let them continue south.

"General Manager, you can indeed get out of the desert by going south, but at your current speed, if you want to go out, it will take at least six days. Why not spend an extra day to go to the oasis to replenish water, take a breath, and then go south."

When Zheng Rentai heard this, his face turned pale.

The news of water shortage can no longer be concealed, and the morale of the army is about to be shaken.

No matter how powerful the army is, it is still powerless in the face of nature.

"Many, thank you!"

Zheng Rentai's throat was on fire, and when he spoke, his throat was as dry as a knife.

Sijie Yingcai said: "There is no need to say thank you, General Manager. Mr. Chen has done a great favor to our department. For his request, our department will go through fire and water without frowning."

(End of this chapter)