Life and Death in Tibet: The Dream of Chenye Chen

Chapter 11 Meeting the Mongolian Lama

After walking for another three days, I felt dizzy, and the dried meat I carried was gone. Everyone was so hungry that they caught a bison on the way, and hurriedly skinned the buffalo before lighting a fire to roast it. After a meal.With all their strength, they walked for more than a dozen miles, and suddenly met a group of people running up from behind us. Everyone was surprised, and stood on the side of the road to observe carefully. They saw seven lamas. , all of them came on horseback, and there were four unusually tall camels behind the lama. We had never seen such a special kind of camel.The lamas on the other side were also very surprised when they saw us suddenly. They didn't understand what was going on with us and how we got here, so both sides stepped forward to inquire.The lamas got off their horses and spoke to us in Mongolian. We couldn’t understand them, so we had to ask and answer each other in Tangut. Only this time did we understand that the seven lamas were all Mongolians and lived in Shese Monastery in Lhasa all the year round. In the (Sera Monastery) temple, due to the recent mutiny in Tibet, the Dalai Lama sent troops to besiege. The situation of war is imminent, so I want to leave Tibet and return to Mongolia as soon as possible.Talking to each other, they started walking together.After walking more than ten miles forward, I began to sleep in the open.Those lamas carried tents with them and set them up on the spot.They also gave us two tents on the spot, and invited me to sit and talk in their tents.After inquiring, they learned that we were the army originally stationed in Tibet, carrying guns on our bodies, and risked our lives to go to the mainland because they didn’t want to be easily involved in civil strife. We also gave me a small bag of fine tsampa, a big bag of white flour, two camel ends for us, and two big bags of tsampa for the soldiers. We behaved very generously. Together, we not only have a full stomach, but also travel with camels. It can be regarded as being rescued by a nobleman when we are in a desperate situation. The gods and Buddhas are merciful.Like a dying carp.Or not to be trapped in the dry rut again, but to die.The people under me were all overjoyed because they escaped death, and begged me to let everyone rest for two days before leaving. I also went to discuss with the seven lamas, and they all agreed.

The next day, one of the lamas came to my tent to sit and talk. I asked him, "Where can we go on this journey?" The lama replied, "After four days of walking with you, we can separate. OK, you go forward from that place, and you will reach a salt sea in about a month. After crossing the salt sea, there will be yurts along the way, and you will walk another seven or eight days to Qaidam, which is a place outside the Great Wall. Huge market town. It takes only ten days to travel from Qaidam to Xining, and there are more yurts along the way, and there are many Han people doing business there.” I asked him, “Will there be deserts along the way?” Is there an obvious road?" The lama said: "It should be mostly plain grassland, sometimes there will be hills and hills, and it will no longer be a piece of yellow sand like you walked through before. But you must remember: if you encounter If you get lost, don’t go east, always go northwest, naturally it doesn’t matter. I once went to Xining Kumbum Monastery ten years ago, and stopped along the way to ask for directions. I was made fun of by those Tibetans, so this No matter how you go, I still remember it very clearly." I expressed my sincere thanks to him.

I grew up in the water town of Zeguo. Although I have heard the name of camels in my ears, I still don’t know what a camel looks like.Only now did I learn that the lamas were riding on the famous camels.In the past when I read the history of Tang Dynasty, I read that the great general Ge Shuhan developed the Northwest, all the way in the frontiers, showing off his might, and when it was his turn to send someone to report something, he was asked to travel on a white camel from the city of the Western Regions to Chang'an in the interior, thousands of miles away. It's far away, but it will be there in a month or two.Because of the memory of this incident, I asked about the lama.He said: "White camels are not common, but those with gray fur are everywhere. Anyone who wants to go to the desert will need them. Because they have very wide soles, they will not sink when they step on the sand, and They can also carry things weighing five to six hundred catties, and their endurance is particularly good. They can walk for many days without eating or drinking. In the desert, there is a lack of water, so I killed them and took the water stored in their stomachs, which can save their lives. Once you get close to the salt sea, you can't do without camels."

I thought about it—the seven lamas returned to Mongolia, but we were going to the mainland via Qinghai.They parted ways with each other, and then walked forward for more than a month before they could reach the place where there are populated market towns.This whole process made people dare not think too much. If the same mistakes were repeated in the vast desert, wouldn't the four or five months of hard work be in vain?Thinking about it this way made me even more apprehensive.So I mustered up my courage and discussed with the lamas whether we could invite them to make an appointment to walk to the area around the salt lake with us, and then we separated so that they could go back to Mongolia.The lama said: "How can this work? We left Tibet in a hurry, and we didn't bring much rations. Now that we meet you, we have given some of them. If we go to the salt lake in a detour, it will definitely take too long. There is no place to buy food on the way, and we will surely die!" After hearing this, I also felt that what the lama said was right, but when I thought about the long and desolate road ahead, I felt hairy.Because our group of Han people are really inexperienced in these plateau deserts, and we will get lost if we are not careful. I am really afraid of getting lost, so I tried to discuss with those lamas again.While talking, I suddenly heard several gunshots in the tent next door. All the lamas were startled and asked me why. I was also terrified. I didn't know what it was, so I had to answer them: "Don't worry too much! Don't worry too much— —” While talking, he went out of the tent to visit, and it turned out that a soldier named Yan Shaowu was killed by his companion Xie Haiwu.I didn't dare to pursue it further, so I just said to everyone in the most tactful way a person could possibly have in that situation: "You are all people who will die for a lifetime. I just met these lamas who saved lives. The road will not get lost, and everyone will have enough to eat. If the lama is frightened by killing each other because of some trivial things at this time, he will no longer care about our affairs and leave, and we will all be blind one by one. A blind horse is not much better than seeking your own death!" At this point, tears came down, and the surrounding soldiers stood silent.I saw that the matter had calmed down, then turned around and went back to the tents of the lamas, and said perfunctorily, "Just now a soldier was cleaning his gun, and accidentally fired it, and injured a person. Fortunately, the injury is not serious. Apply some medicine, probably not. As for death." The lamas gradually settled down, and I wanted to continue talking about the topic just now, but felt that the atmosphere was not quite right, so I said goodbye to them first and went back to my tent.Suddenly Xie Haiwu rushed in aggressively, probably carrying Yu Wei who shot and killed Yan Shaowu just now, and said to me with a secretive look: "We only have more than 600 yuan in Tibetan coins left in our luggage. How many more are we left to go to Xining?" Thousands of miles away, travel funds are not enough. Those lamas carry so much money, it is better to kill them and leave one as our guide. If we walk, let him take a camel. If we can go back in the future, we will pay him back , What do you think?" When I heard Xie Haiwu speak like this, it was like a thunderbolt from the blue sky, my breath was twisted in my chest, and I couldn't make a sound or speak for a while.After a long time, I came back to my senses and said perfunctorily, "Your consideration is also reasonable, but those lamas and a group of seven are all physically strong. Although we have an advantage in numbers, we may not be able to beat them, let alone These lamas have given us so much kindness, how can they be so deceitful? As for the shortage of travel funds, this is not a problem, I will solve it when I arrive in Xining." After listening to me, Xie Haiwu didn't say a word, silently Get out of my tent.At this time, I also started to fidget, so I secretly sent someone to call Ji Bingyue, told him what Xie Haiwu said, and asked him: "Do you know this situation?" He said: "I don't know at all." I was angry He sighed and said, "Whether lamas live or die, human bones are white! If we rob and kill them with evil intentions, how can the ghosts and gods in the world let us go? There are no ghosts and gods in the world. How can we be safe? You have to calm down? I hope you try your best to persuade them not to do such a heartless and stupid thing!"

After hearing my words, Ji Bingyue went out for a long time without replying, my heart was shaking and I couldn't sleep.Walking outside the tent, I heard the sound of the soldiers camping, a sound of manipulating weapons, and whispering voices.I was also worried about whether they had the intention of rebelling, so I hurriedly hid in the tent, holding a short knife, and sat down hugging a quilt. After a long time, the voice gradually quieted down, and the wilderness was silent.I was also so sleepy that I fell asleep without realizing it.

the next day.Rolling up the tent and walking, no one said a word.The atmosphere seemed a bit strange, I secretly thanked myself for warning last night, there should be no soldiers thinking about it, unexpectedly, after walking for a while, about three or four miles away, I suddenly saw six people including Xie Haiwu, We broke away from the team, ran towards the foot of the nearby mountain, and then fell down on the ridge and shot fiercely at the lamas in front of us.Then someone shot from behind. At that time, the seven lamas were walking in front on camels. Nishihara and I were at the back of the line, with soldiers in the middle. When the lamas heard the gunshots, they immediately turned around and asked me what was going on.But I was too frightened to speak, so the lamas fell on the saddle one after another, took out the thirteen-shot pistols they carried with them, and shot back at the foot of the mountain. The other followers also raised their rifles and pistols to shoot.The chamber of the gun was full of loaded live ammunition, and it seemed that it had been prepared for a long time, and there was a loud gunshot for a while.The lama was shot twice and fell to the ground dead. In an instant, two of his followers were also shot dead.The other four people hurriedly drove the camels under them and fled the battlefield quickly, looking for a place to hide, and disappeared after a while, and the other camels also galloped away, leaving only the camel that Xiyuan and I were riding on.The luggage and belongings of the lamas flew away with the camels, and I don’t know where they hid. The two packs of tsampa that the lamas promised to give us at that time also disappeared without a trace.It is really distressing!
In the whole battle we got only one thirteen-shot gun.Xie Haiwu and other six people were all shot and seriously injured, crawling on the ground and moaning.So everyone sat on the ground and looked at each other without saying a word. I angrily asked: "Why don't you chase now?" The soldiers were silent.One by one lowered their heads, and after a while, they began to discuss in low voices, but there was nothing they could do.I had no choice but to pretend not to move forward and to sleep at the foot of the mountain. I blamed Ji Bingyue for not listening to me and stopping him, which led to the current tragedy. "Why bother?" I said, because a group of people Inside, since Yang Xingwu left, Ji Bingyue was in charge of all the daily affairs.Ji Bingyue said: "Everyone is very determined, and I have no way to dissuade you. I dare not tell you when I come back..." Then I got up and checked the injured people in detail. The culprit is really Skynet Huihui, who is careless and never misses!Everyone didn't have anything to eat that day, so they had to kill the camel that Xiyuan was riding, and use it as food for the time being.The camel was big, and the remaining meat was piled up in the ravine, and was dragged away by several packs of wolves in the middle of the night, and it was eaten clean.That night, either the groans of wounded soldiers or the low howls of wolves who smelled blood came to share the camels.The screams of the wounded soldiers were the most tragic, calling for help for a while, talking nonsense for a while, yelling at God and cursing, in short, there were all kinds of voices.But those who heard it, such as myself, were all motionless, woke up again and again, and didn't have the mind to get up to do anything.Finally at dawn, I got up to check, only to see two wounded soldiers who had been devoured by wolves in the night, leaving only a pile of bones.When I saw this scene, I couldn't help but feel sad. Since Jiang Da set off, 6 people, except those who died along the way, plus ten people including Yang Xingwu, have gone forward without a trace.Only those who are still alive are Ji Bingyue from Laiyang and Zhao Tingfang from Yunnan.Guizhou native Teng Xueqing.Hu Yulin from Longshan, Chen Xuewen from Xupu, Shu Baichuan, Zeng Jizhong from Gancheng, seven in total.As a result of everyone's discussion, we still move forward. In fact, it seems that everyone can't walk.Among the four wounded soldiers, only one was slightly injured.Can walk with the handle of the gun, and the other two are dying.There is only one breath left.Only Xie Haiwu who insisted on this action.Fell on the ground and rolled around, howling loudly, "You all left me and left, do you have the heart to let me die like this?!" Everyone ignored him and continued to move forward. Xie Haiwu's voice became more miserable and shouted : "Since brothers don't save me, give me a bullet! I can't take it anymore...! Let me die quickly!" Zeng Jizhong, a native of Gancheng, agreed to him blankly: "Okay", just Turning around to go back, I hastily yelled at him: "Yang Xingwu and others have been walking ahead for so many days, who knows if they have found food and come to pick us up on horseback? What's more, we share weal and woe to this day, how can you have the heart to help yourself?" Massacre?!" These words were all because although I was glad that Xie Haiwu didn't die, I was also secretly glad that he didn't die immediately.The rest of the people also hated him for being the culprit of this incident, they all turned their faces and smiled at him, teasing him: "Brother, wait a minute, there will be people on horseback coming to greet you soon—" He walked down the road and walked several miles in one breath. After a long time, he could still hear his cry for help in the vast desert...

Since the robbery and killing of the Mongolian Lama, everyone has run out of food.Soon they began to get lost again, and the less people there were, the more difficult it was to walk.They complained and fought with each other, and walked three or four miles a day, looking for places to sleep in the open, and walked for seven or eight days like this. There were grasslands and many hills along the way, so it was easier to catch some wild sheep and rabbits to satisfy their hunger than in the desert. too much.One day, Zhang Min, the groom, found a dead sheep on the road. It was left over after being eaten by wolves overnight. Only the head and neck of the sheep remained, and everyone ate it up.The taste turned out to be very delicious. The weather was sunny and there was no snow on the ground in those few days. Everyone was thirsty, so they had to crack the ice on the roadside and chew it in their mouths.After walking for a few more days, they met a wild sheep, which was limping in the ditch. Everyone surrounded it and chased it down.This is also the only full meal that everyone has eaten in the past ten days.Nishihara secretly picked up the sheep intestines that everyone threw away and hid them in his bosom, then found a place to clean them, chewed them carefully, and then said to me: "This taste is really good, try it—" I took a few bites The mouth felt very tender and crispy, so I ate it with her, and almost ate it all in one meal. At night, I started to be hungry again, and the two of them took out the extra intestines as a snack.Suddenly, I felt my mouth was full of stagnation, and I wiped it with my hands, and it was all the sheep dung left in the sheep intestines.After walking for another two days, heavy snow suddenly fell from the sky, and the wind was biting cold. Everyone was hungry and cold, and couldn't walk further.Not only were the buffaloes and mules no longer visible along the road, but even the wild rabbits just hid in the caves in this ghostly weather and could not come out.After walking like this for more than 20 days, I saw a small mountain, which can roughly avoid the wind, so I camped at the foot of the mountain.As soon as it stopped, everyone was so hungry that they couldn't bear it.So I decided to kill the camel I was riding and eat it. Unfortunately, there was too much meat on the camel, and there was a lot left over, so I sent 6 people to take turns guarding it all night to prevent wild wolves.Only God knows how many wolves came that night. In short, 6 people guarded with guns, and checked at dawn, but they were still dragged away by two camel legs by the pack of wolves.At that time, the guarding soldiers stepped forward to fight, but the wolves didn't let go, just pulling each other back and forth for a long time.When everyone heard the shouting, they gathered together and shot, but they were still caught by the wolf. After a while, more than a dozen wolves came. Everyone was already on guard with their guns, and they shot together, and the large group of wolves slowly left. , Not far away, still standing on the top of the hill looking this way.We were also exhausted, and we didn't have the strength to catch up anymore.

One night, I climbed to the hillside to urinate. It was only ten or twenty steps away from where everyone lived. Nishihara took a gun to guard me when I went out. As soon as I got to the hill, I suddenly saw countless black shadows squirming around.Look carefully, it's all wolves!Nishihara yelled loudly, but it was useless, the wolves remained motionless and fired, and then began to flee in the opposite direction.We lived at the foot of that hill for seven days, and the wolf waited by our side day and night, guarding us for seven days!Everyone also took strict precautions day and night, as if they were facing a big enemy, they dared not relax in the slightest.It snowed heavily in those days.We can't go out to hunt.There is less and less meat left.So everyone discussed and felt that staying here was not an option, so they decided to go forward in the snow tomorrow morning.When I woke up the next morning, the snow stopped and the sky became clear.Everyone summoned up their courage to move forward.I rested well, and this time, I was walking as usual, as usual.After walking for two days, I turned a ravine, and suddenly saw the open terrain in front of me, stretching as far as the eye can see. After walking for more than a mile, the road slowed down.At this time, the hoof marks of cows and horses appeared faintly on the ground. I was very surprised, so I quickly stopped everyone and told them to look quickly!It was a sunny day, and the road in the distance turned to the northeast, and there were more hoof marks of cows and horses there. When everyone turned to the northwest, there was also a vague road.At this time, I recalled what the Mongolian lama had told me, so I asked everyone to walk northwest.Everyone also felt that we should go northwest.After walking for seven or eight miles, a lawn suddenly appeared in front of him, the grass was fluffy, green and lovely.There is a small mountain, and in front of the mountain is a bay of flowing water, which is lively, clear and shallow, with gurgling sounds.The stream is two feet wide, and the water depth is about two or three feet. On the other side of the river, there are dwarf trees that are as tall as a person. These trees and grass are all the first time we have seen since we entered the desert wasteland world!There are also several stone piles on the lawn, all of which have traces of smoke.Someone must have set up a stove here.For a moment, everyone was excited, thinking that the living human world was not far away.So that day, we camped on the lawn, and it was only two o'clock in the afternoon.

This area has beautiful mountains and clear waters, and it is not at all desolate like a desert wilderness.Encouraged by the trees and meadows, everyone was in high spirits and went hunting in the mountains. Not long after they went there, they caught two wild goats, both of which were very fat, so they all had a good meal.As the sun was setting, the soldier named Hu Yulin said he was going hunting, but he hadn't seen anyone yet. Everyone thought to themselves, this man has always been strong, and his feet have never been injured or sick, so why didn't he come back so late?We all worry about him.Hu Yulin is a person with a simple and honest temperament, especially he is usually very diligent and can bear hardships and stand hard work.Since we entered the desert, he has rushed to do all the things such as digging ice, foraging, collecting dung, and killing animal meat. It can be said that it has been several years. Everyone admires him very much. I couldn't bear to break up with such a person halfway without asking or caring.So we agreed to stay here for another day tomorrow, and we went to find each other separately.The next day, everyone went out to search for a long time, and all came back empty-handed. They suspected that he had spent the night alone in the ravine and was eaten by wolves. We all felt sorry for him.Another day passed, and when they got up in the morning, everyone felt that he should not have run too far.This area is also very close to a market town with people, so let's leave quickly.I have been thinking about Hu Yulin silently in my heart. Although he has disappeared, he is not necessarily dead.If we just leave like this, even if he is still alive, he is dead, and I feel very melancholy, and I can't bear to go on the road, and there is no other way.While I was hesitating, everyone was urging me to leave quickly.Suddenly, I remembered the scene of the day before: at the place where the two roads diverged, I seemed to have seen Hu Yulin walking behind, the distance was at most two or three miles, or he didn't hear everyone's ideas clearly, and he was heading northeast alone. Which way to go?So that the direction is completely reversed?Yesterday everyone looked for him everywhere, because everyone was very tired, and they would not go too far when looking for him, so they didn't see him?It is certain that although Hu Yulin lost his way.Not too far from all of us.Since there is a hill in this place, if a gun is fired on the top of the hill, the gunshots can be at least ten or twenty miles away. He should be able to know where we are when he hears the gunshots. He ran out—once he ran out , we should be able to see him from a distance on the top of the mountain!If after shooting, there is still no sight and no movement, I am afraid that the wolf will really have to fill the stomach, and then everyone will leave him, at least they will not feel so guilty.So, I quickly told everyone about these thoughts, and agreed to go to the top of the mountain to shoot ten shots each, and set off on the road if I didn't see him coming again one hour after the gunshot.Everyone agreed and took up their guns to climb the mountain one after another. I followed behind and climbed up the mountain. When we reached the mountain, all the guns fired in unison. After a while, the gunfire stopped. Everyone stared around. In a few minutes, I saw a person galloping towards me on a horse. When I got closer, I saw that it was a Tibetan, who was sitting on a horse with Hu Yulin in his arms!We met in adversity, everyone cheered and jumped, Hu Yulin also laughed and answered our words, got off the horse, and asked each other, Hu Yulin said: "I walked very slowly because of my foot pain the day before. At first I could see you walking The one who was walking ahead, I tried my best to catch up, but I still couldn’t catch up. It got farther and farther away, and then I couldn’t see the shadows of the brothers. I walked forward for a long time, and I saw smoke at the foot of the mountain. I thought it was you Here, I ran there desperately, and when I saw it, it turned out that there were four Tibetans, all hunters, sitting in the tent making tea and drinking. I was really scared to death, thinking it was those Mongolian lamas. The follower is here, if it is, I will definitely settle accounts with me! My life is over. The four hunters first saw me and were frightened, and then saw that I was only a person, so they invited me to sit in the tent When we got down, everyone couldn’t understand each other, so they had to use gestures to signal. The hunter knew that I was desperate, so he must be hungry, so he entertained me with pasta, beef and mutton, and I was full for three meals! I didn’t ask where I was going. I didn’t dare to slip away rashly. I just heard the gunshot, and the sound was very urgent. The hunter was surprised again. I knew that the brothers were looking for me to shoot the gun, so I quickly signaled with sign language, and the hunter sent me out on horseback. Sure enough, I saw it. You!" After speaking, everyone rejoiced that Hu Yulin survived and got the Tibetan hunter.We couldn't help but be overjoyed to be our guide!Thinking of the lama's death, everyone has been lost for a long time, and there is almost no possibility of surviving. Unexpectedly, it is really "another village!" Meeting these Tibetans, isn't it God? Bless us?However, if it weren't for my flash of compassion, where would I get such an unexpected surprise?The so-called Tongshan collapsed in the west, and Luo Zhongdong responded.The induction between people is still one of the truths in the world!
(End of this chapter)