Life and Death in Tibet: The Dream of Chenye Chen

Chapter 9 Entering Qinghai

Everyone got up early in the morning the next day, and after a while of fuss, the whole group set off. When they were waiting to cross the bridge, those soldiers from Sichuan began to understand what was going on, and crowded around the bridge, beckoning their horses to stay with each other.I repeatedly stated to them the reasons and difficulties for not being able to stay in Tibet, but no one wanted to listen, and everyone still insisted on staying.I couldn't bear to stay any longer, so I galloped forward alone, mainly because I was afraid that something would happen after a long time.Seeing those familiar scenery along the way, I suddenly felt "Gorden" in my heart!Knowing that this is the last round-trip nostalgia, I can't help recalling the arduous battle in the Bomi area. The remains of many soldiers who died in battle were buried there. hometown.In an ancient poem, there is a sentence "poor bone beside the Wuding River, still a person in the dream of a spring girl".Thinking about it really makes people feel sad, and tears flow down my cheeks...

That night, more than 100 people camped in Ningduo (now Rongduo Township, Jiali County?), and the number of officers and soldiers was checked, and there were 111 officers and soldiers, all of whom had a horse. I rode a jujube horse.Nishihara followed closely behind, riding a black mule.In addition, beside me, there is a groom Zhang Min, who was born to a Han father and a Tibetan mother. The Tibetans call such a mixed-race child "Cai Ge Wa".Another Tibetan child was the son of Gongchao, the commander of the surrendered battalion of the Bomi bandits who had been killed. In this way, there were 115 people in total, and there were more than 120 camels and cattle, which were divided into food and luggage.

After two years in Tibet, I added up all my usual salaries and income, and there were more than 6000 Tibetan coins (each worth three cents and three cents of silver), all of which were given to the soldiers under my command. The main reason was that there was too much money, which would easily cause disasters. .There were 170 taels of high-quality musk, which filled a whole rucksack, and ordered the orderly Liu Jinsheng to carry it on his back.Liu Jinsheng, born in Chengdu, is 17 years old.When I was in Sichuan, I followed me around. At that time, I was still a little reluctant to come to Tibet, so I can believe that he would not have other thoughts. How could I have thought that in the first few days when I left Jiangda, that is, the night when I camped in Ningduo, I arrived in Tibet. It was dark, and we didn't see him go back to the camp, and we didn't know when he sneaked away from us. Afterwards, Zhang Ziqing went back to his hometown and said that the kid was already dead.At the beginning, they let the Tibetans know the treasure on his back, chased him all the way, killed Liu Jinsheng, and snatched the package.When the gang of Tibetan bandits crossed Jiangda at night, their deeds were known by the soldiers in the Xie camp, and they sent another platoon of soldiers to catch up, recapture the musk, and killed more than a dozen people.In the end, the Xie Ying soldiers were defeated, and Musk fell into the hands of the Tibetans again.Because of fighting for this luggage, so many people died. It is really deplorable and hateful that the so-called oriole praying mantis died together.

From Ningduo, we diverted to the north. There were many residents along the way. Rows of tents were connected to the vast grassland. Around each tent, there were hundreds of herds of cattle and sheep.The hills are undulating, the road is flat, and the terrain is gradually approaching the desert. At this time, heavy snow begins to fall, and the weather is suddenly cold and unbearable.Fortunately, each of us has a horse to ride, and we don't feel too bitter when we walk seventy or eighty miles a day.Yang Xingwu is very effective in restraining his soldiers with his elder brother's ability to call.There was no loss along the way, and every time we camped in a place, there was nothing wrong with it.As for me, I often pay attention to summoning some local leaders to inquire about the road to Qinghai in detail, but they all use this road with few people and are not familiar with it. Answer me, this is a matter of life and death!What they said was roughly the same as what Meng Lin had said before departure.After walking for seven days, the group arrived at Harausu.

There is a river in Hara Wusu, which originated from the distant Karakoram Mountains and flows into the Huisoke River in the east. Tibetans call Hei Ha, mountains La or La, and rivers Wusu.In the lakes around the Karakun Mountains, the water color is black and there are many quicksands.So the local people call it quicksand black water.The two water sources converge, and the surrounding mountains stand tall, so the waters are named after Yi characters, and the place is named after the water. It used to be the territory under the jurisdiction of the Dalai Lama, and it is still governed by local camp officials. It usually collects taxes. The income is all privately owned, and the Tangut government cannot ask.To the north of this place is Hei Fan, to the south is the 39 tribes, and the territory of Tibet ends here.The nomadic activities in the Qinghai-Tibet area also ended here, so it is the intersection of Mongolia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Gansu and Tibet.

I was about to reach Harausu, and I saw from a distance on the great plain, there were six or seven hundred households and the shadow of a lively market, which seemed to be a huge market town.In addition, I saw a large lamasery with a magnificent and solemn appearance. I couldn't help but secretly rejoiced at the prosperity of this place. At least I could have a good rest and replenish some food before finishing the rest of the journey.But when everyone approached the place slowly, hundreds of Tibetan soldiers appeared in front of them, armed with knives and guns, in a fortified formation.When we saw that they were coming towards us, no matter how surprised or unwilling we were, our team had no choice but to stop, send someone to inquire, and at the same time inform the other party of our purpose.After a long time, the soldiers on the opposite side brought a big lama and yelled at us to leave as soon as possible and not to stay there any longer.At that time, the sun was setting, and the group of people we were traveling with had no tents. There was nothing we could do, so we had to beg hard and try our best to explain to the other party that we were just passing by on a false road. So a group of people couldn't understand the language there, so we negotiated repeatedly. , Only reluctantly agreed to let us stay overnight, and pointed to three nearby huts as the designated place for our more than 100 people to stay. At this time, more and more Tibetan soldiers surrounded us.Surround us tightly and forbid anyone to go out.So they negotiated with their leaders again and allowed to send four men and servants outside to get some water and food, but the cows and horses were so hungry that they had to feed them with the tsampa they brought.In addition, I bought a hundred packs of tsampa at a high price.Keep soldiers on guard all night.By dawn the next day.Knowing that it is impossible to accommodate, everyone had to pack up their luggage and set off.Fortunately, the soldier who went out to fetch water last night was clever and found an old local lama as a guide for us, so he took this guide and walked for more than ten miles, and suddenly thousands of Tibetan cavalry caught up behind him , spread its wings to surround us, we moved forward a little, they also walked a little, we stopped, they stopped, this made everyone very angry, and asked me to allow the war.I had no choice but to try my best to dissuade them: "Forget it, since we have already passed. Why provoke trouble?" After walking for more than ten miles, those Tibetan riders were still following, so I ordered to find a suitable open space. , everyone stopped, and the Tibetan soldiers also stopped. I called several capable officers under my command to discuss: "These people really have bad intentions, why didn't they do it last night? Since everyone has already moved forward today, why did they not let go?" What?" Of course, these people are all cunning and unpredictable.The meaning of yesterday was probably that our army came suddenly. They had no time to mobilize their troops and horses, and they were afraid that our army's weapons would be advanced, so they endured it all night and did not have an attack.Early this morning, so many troops came, probably mobilizing their main force, and followed for more than 300 miles, but they never dared to approach our army. Judging from this formation, there must be other plans. "The plan is to wait until dark before attacking our army. In this case, I think this battle must be fought. Not only fight, but also break the opponent's position in time, because once it is dark, surrounded by them Surrounded, no one can live until dawn!" After I finished speaking, I decided to strike first and divided the troops into three teams, Yang Xingwu led a team to attack the front, and I led a team to attack their left side.In addition, the remaining team is mainly responsible for the management and maintenance of luggage and supplies, and also serves as a post-response team.At that time, on the great plain on the right, there were so many tents, and the Tibetan cavalry dismounted one after another and went into the tents to rest.Yang Xingwu fired a shot, and the battle began. The Tibetan soldiers rushed out of the tent in a panic, and leaned against a few low walls to meet the battle hastily.Our army marched calmly, fought and advanced, and approached the wall in a short while, but the enemy soldiers still resisted tenaciously, so I went out of their encirclement from the left and concentrated our firepower to attack. They all jumped on their horses and fled for their lives.We divided into two groups and chased them fiercely, shooting random guns. In the blink of an eye, their casualties reached more than 40, while none of us were injured or injured.The battle is temporarily suspended.I immediately ordered the battlefield to be cleaned up. The tent was empty, but there was a lot of food left over. I immediately brought camels and oxen, packed them as much as possible, and took them on the road without daring to delay. Everyone packed up and hurried to leave this small, ghostly place. , walked more than [-] miles in one breath, and finally, near dusk, we came to a place with more than ten scattered tents and a small lamasery, so we decided to camp here.I went to meet an old lama in the temple. I heard him talk and felt that he was very cautious and honest, so I asked him about his experience last night.Why are those Tibetans denying us access to their bazaar?The lama said: "I'm afraid it was a misunderstanding, and I took you as the rebels from Lhasa, because our living Buddha left a lot of treasures there when he passed through Hala Wusu before, and they must be afraid that you would rob them. That's why we mobilized soldiers and horses to take strict precautions." I still didn't understand: "If they are on guard, then we have already set off, why should we follow behind and refuse to let go?" The lama said with a smile: "Who knows! Maybe they see You, who are also timid and reluctant to go, may take advantage of the darkness and attack them again? Who knows—" I was helpless, and asked him the way forward again. The lama said: "Go forward for another three minutes from here. Today, we have entered the Qiangtang Desert, which is desolate and inhabited!” I asked him again: “I heard that you can reach Gansu by walking one month ahead, is that true?” The lama replied: “This There are too few people on the road, but I heard that the journey is very long, it seems to be more than a month..." Hearing what he said, I stood there dumbfounded, very surprised!
Back to the place where I lived, I asked the old lama who was the guide in detail. He said: "I went to Gansu when I was nine years old, went to Qinghai Kumbum Monastery to shave or become a monk, and went to Tibet with a businessman. At present, it is equivalent to Lamo. It has been more than 50 years since the cow was put on the shelf again. The world is so vast that I can’t recall it carefully. I only remember that I traveled with that businessman and walked for more than two months before I could barely reach Harawusu, but it was early summer at that time. In the season of summer, the climate is mild, and travel is much easier, but who knows how many days it will take to travel in this freezing weather?" As soon as I heard these words, I immediately felt lost.But when things have come to this point, what can be done other than gritting your teeth and persevering?Besides, the officers and soldiers all rode forward, which was much faster than the old lama's walking in the past. At most, it only took two months.I keep such a fluke in my heart.Immediately ordered Yang Xingwu to count the food, and it turned out that each person still had 130 catties of tsampa, which could provide rations for 90 days, so he settled down and focused on moving forward.After walking for three days, I couldn't see any trace of people.Only at noon on the second day, I saw three or four tents in the valley on the right side, and the rest was a withered yellow.

On the third day, when we arrived at a place, it was getting late.Someone discovered that there were more than a dozen tents in the valley, and the advancing soldiers came forward to borrow them, but the Tibetans resolutely refused. Furious, he shot and killed the Tibetan who drew his knife, and all the rest of the residents fled.I heard gunshots, and it was too late to get to the place where the incident happened.I severely reprimanded the soldier who fired the shots and told him not to be so reckless in the future. If the nearby Tibetans are angered, the situation will be difficult to deal with.So he ordered the troops to rest, and stayed away from the wind and snow all night in those dozens of abandoned tents.Early the next morning, they all hit the road.The old lama said solemnly: "From now on, enter the Qiangtang Desert..." Looking from a distance, the long yellow sand is like a motionless wind flag.The wind and snow blowing all around.It is desolate, without a blade of grass, here and there, only sand dunes one or two feet high lie in front of the eyes, and suddenly a hurricane rolls up on the flat ground, blowing the yellow sand into the air, faintly.Ten minutes later, the previous sand dune turned into flat land, and the yellow sand flying in the sky fell to another place, spiraled down, and formed another hill.I was terrified at first seeing this horrific sight of nature.But the old lama comforted me: "Don't look at the terrible wind. In fact, even the most violent whirlwind rotates very slowly. The speed of riding a horse is faster than them. You can try to avoid it!" Hearing what he said, I couldn't help but relieved.And so we went straight on, bewildered, into the heart of the dead desert—and perhaps the most desolate and terrifying desert on earth.There is no water along the way, so I eat snow in the desert.The so-called "horses eat dry grass, people lie on the battlefield".In this way, we eat and sleep in the open, and stop at night.Regardless of north and south, don't argue about east and west.I had no choice but to follow the Lama's lead along the way.After walking like this for more than ten days, heavy snow fell, and the harsh winter was coming, and the snow on the flat ground was about a foot deep.Our horses and oxen are too hungry to go any further.The soldiers each fed them with their own rations—tsampa, hoping that they would cheer up again and take us out of the desert. In this way, the grain reserves brought by the inventory could support the share of three months, and the 20 days have passed. More than half of it was consumed, so I tried my best to persuade those soldiers not to use the precious tsampa to feed those cows and horses. However, there were still soldiers who refused to listen to my words.

The Yigongzao walking horse I bought myself has been riding all the way since I set off from Katuo, passing through the three major mountains of Shuzhi, Yangga, and Jingzhong.The horses ridden by others are all stop and go, and they have to be controlled by whips all the time, but I am the only horse that walks very fast, and when I reach a certain camping place, I use the rein to stop it.Didn't even want to stop.I was very surprised at first, since Jiangda left Qinghai, the horse I was still riding on, Xiyuan was my big black mule; after entering the Qiangtang desert, I searched for no water grass, and all the horses were extremely poor. I was tired, and every time I climbed a sand dune, I started to get off my horse and lead it for a while, but the one I was riding didn't need someone to lead it. When climbing the mountain, I walked with my head held high, and it was impossible to rein in it to slow down its pace.So it surprised me even more.It was only later that I learned that the bandits in the Bomi area called the breed of this jujube horse a dragon colt. This is definitely not a bragging!

One day when we were halfway along the road, we saw dust and sand covering the sky on all sides of the moraine, which was approaching us from a distance. Everyone was so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they stopped and dared not move forward.After a while, the dust and sand gradually approached, and it seemed that something was driving towards it. The old lama said, "This is a herd of bison! Thousands of herds are marching from the desert. The big bison weighs more than 800 catties. The small ones weigh at least three to four hundred catties. Each herd has one cow at the head, and the rest follow it. If the cow goes east, the herd also goes east. When the first cow goes west, the herd also goes west. A thousand-foot cliff, a cow fell down, and the herd of cows fell one after another. There was absolutely no cow that stopped, and there was no cow that was out of order in the herd. There are many bison in the desert. If we go forward, we may be able to do it every day. I see it. But don’t be afraid, because these bison are very tame, they don’t hurt people, and what they see will not be harmful. There is only one situation, if you see a bison walking alone from a distance, its temperament is often very vicious , it’s best to stay away from it!” After hearing this, everyone chattered on the sidelines: “If we see that lonely cow, we have guns in our hands, what are we afraid of?” The lama said: “The buffalo hide It is very thick and tough, except for its ribs and abdomen, your bullets can't get in or out at all!" Before we finished speaking, a group of buffaloes that covered the sky and the sun ran past us not far away.The distance from each other was only two miles away, and it took more than ten minutes for the huge herd to go away, leaving no one left.I still feel horrified when I think of them.

After entering the Qiangtang Desert, the wind roared all day long, and the weather became colder every day. The wind and snow hit our faces. Many soldiers under my command became sick from the cold, or their hands and feet were swollen and cracked from the cold. The food brought by the team gradually decreased. , Everyone is on guard against each other and is not allowed to feed cattle and horses with grain.Every time they camped, the cows and horses became more hungry.They were all released into the open fields far from the camp, and their hooves were tied with ropes.Tie firmly, the distance between the two feet is no more than six or seven inches.Let them go limp on the grass by themselves.At the same time prevent them from escaping.One morning when I got up to collect the horses, my beloved jujube horse had disappeared!Looking far away, there is a vast expanse of flat sand, where can I find its trace?I sent my soldiers to search far away, but they found nothing, so I had no choice but to feel bad luck.On the rest of the journey that day, I suddenly encountered hundreds of wild mules, and my jujube horse was among the wild mules!After I saw it, I was overjoyed. The group of wild mules did not avoid people when they saw people, and slowly approached, maybe they also suspected that we were of the same kind. The soldiers fired dozens of shots and killed five wild mules. Zao walked the horse, and after being frightened, he followed the rest of the wild mule group and scattered, all fled, and disappeared without a trace in an instant.When a horse goes to a herd of mules, life must be easy and comfortable.It is more comfortable than being at home, but I have to walk alone from now on... I am not even as good as a horse now!Standing at the place where Zao walked the horse and fled, I stared blankly for a long time, feeling sad for a while.

As soon as our group entered the Qiangtang Desert, the old lama could vaguely indicate the way forward. Sometimes when the wind and sand got lost, he would look up at the sun and instruct the whole group to go northwest.Then the climate changed suddenly, ice and snow filled the sky, and the sky became darker and darker, so even he himself could not distinguish east, west, south, north, and south. The soldiers were impatient and began to scold the old lama from time to time. I couldn't bear to be scolded by the lama. Every time I strictly reminded my subordinates of this barbaric behavior, I was afraid that once the lama left, he would disappear, let alone have nowhere to care.But every time the troops lost their way and stopped to wait, the poor old lama found a commanding height nearby and climbed up the hill and looked around.After walking a short distance, I lost my way again. I had been walking east for a long time, but suddenly turned north again.The lama also looked anxious and didn't know what to do, so the soldiers who followed him became even more angry and scolded him non-stop. At the end of the situation, they raised their guns and beat the old lama hard, or punched him hard.At this time, I was powerless to stop it for a while.After a day of camping, I decided to have a good talk with this life-threatening guide, so I walked up to him and calmly asked: "This place is flat and deserted, where is the road? Since you passed by it many years ago, you must have an impression The mountains, rivers and waters in the park can be used as signs, can you think about it more carefully?" The lama pondered for a long time, and answered me: "Cross the Tongtian River from this place, and after walking for a few days, there will be a lonely mountain protruding from the On the plain, the place name is 'Gangtiancue' (Kunlun Mountain Pass). I once rested there for two days. The mountain is only over ten feet high. There is a small river flowing around the foot of the mountain, and there are many forests. Walk along the river for eight or nine times. Days, Meng Keluo (Tibetan felt tents) gradually appeared. After walking for more than ten days, we will almost reach Xining, and there will be more Meng Keluo along the way." So I comforted this lama who was thinking hard all day long, and then One by one, he told his soldiers not to inflict brutal corporal punishment on the old lama.The next day, everyone still followed the old lama on the road. After walking for a long time, the road was still bleak.On this day, we have run out of food.We began to hunt the surrounding wild mules and bison for food every day. If we couldn't catch them, we slaughtered the pack bulls on the troops.At that time, the heavy snow was drifting non-stop, every day and every night, endlessly.The sand was covered by the snow, and the wild beasts fled to the distant valley. Seeing that the future was bleak, everyone decided to rest for a day and discuss together.After arguing again and again, there was still no result, so I ordered Yang Xingwu to check the number of personnel. Except for the soldiers who died halfway, there were still 73 people left.The cattle and horses in the team were slaughtered from time to time, including those who escaped in the middle of the night, leaving only more than [-] cattle and horses each.Even if two heads are killed every day, it can only supply everyone with food for half a month, so everyone thinks that the food is gone, and they can only rely on slaughtering cattle and horses for rations. It is stipulated that if all luggage is not needed for carry-on, they should be gathered together and put away. Fire burns away.Next, everyone retrieved the luggage, gathered the luggage together and lit a fire.Nishihara and I only left one bag, one thin quilt and one leather mattress.Xiyuan kept the coral pagoda as a parting gift from her mother in her breast pocket, and carried it with herself, so she carried the bag on the left, the thin quilt on the right, and tied a gun around her waist.I was responsible for putting on the leather mattress and wearing the short knife.From this day on, everyone walks in the snow all day and sleeps in the snow at night.There is no water source to wash them, and they all look dirty and unrecognizable as human beings.Our day of misery has truly come.In the vast snowfield that stretches as far as the eye can see, camping every night, let yourself lie on the ground stiff, press the edge of your clothes with your left elbow, and then dare to turn around and lie on your back.Cover your head and face completely under the quilt.Snow splashed and the wind blew outside his body.When I got up at dawn on the first day, my whole body was covered in snow, several inches thick.Also turn around cautiously, take a deep breath, straighten and stand up suddenly, so that the snow all over the body will fall off in an instant, so as to prevent the ice and snow from sticking to the human skin and causing swelling and cracking.Fortunately, although the snow in the desert is deep, the dry grass on the ground is like a thick carpet once the snow is swept away, and it is very dry.

Since Jiangda set off with 115 people and more than 240 cattle and horses, until now, 42 people have unfortunately died along the way, and more than 190 cattle and horses have been lost or slaughtered.There are no grains, and almost no salt. After a long period of light food, people don't feel anything unusual. The reason is that in the vast desert, there is almost no day when you can't see ice and snow.The climate is cold, and the meat from those animals will freeze into ice cubes in less than 10 minutes. The texture is fine and crisp, and when you cut it with a knife, it is like cutting wood.Over time, light food also feels sweet, and I no longer think about salt and salt.It's not like the raw meat in our mainland, which looks bloody!

Since all the soldiers burned part of their equipment and luggage and killed their horses to feed their hunger, the road was blurred every day, and they walked in darkness all day long. All the experiences I received were filled with yellow sand in the sky and snow and ice all over the ground.Usually around three o'clock in the afternoon, people start looking for a place to camp.The soldiers were divided into 6 groups, one of which was responsible for knocking ice and melting water, and the other group picked up cow and horse manure for fuel.A set of fire.A group of stone blocks set up the stove.One group shovels the snow for sleeping.A group went out to hunt wild animals for food.Because the snow in the desert contains a lot of dust and sand, it cannot be drunk, and the ice must be broken and melted into water.The ice layer is solid, often as thick as one or two feet, and is very difficult to get.Seven or eight people in each group had to beat for a long time to get back one or two bags. After the ice cubes were retrieved, they were immediately placed in a gong pot, melted with dried dung, and then turned into cold water for everyone to drink.The fuel for boiling the water comes purely from dried cow and horse manure. Fortunately, these things are all over the ground, but they are covered by snow.It can only be obtained by digging through the snow.About a dozen pockets are needed every day.Another problem is that there are no stones in the desert, and stones must be used for stoves, so you have to look for places with hills to find them. In one day, you get six or seven stones the size of a fist, and sometimes they turn into stones. It takes a long time.The ground is full of snow more than one foot deep. When everyone starts to work, first knead the snow into small balls, and several people move on the snow together, so the snow balls are getting bigger and bigger. See flat ground.The ground under the snow is very dry. People sleep on it, and it is not wet at all. On the way, dozens of bison pass by in groups. There are many times. It is very easy to shoot this animal.The best tame animal is the wild mule.One day, we managed to catch more than a dozen of them, and we could only catch one one day. Everyone regarded it as the capital to survive, so once they settled down in the camp, most of the soldiers took the initiative to ask for hunting.The most important thing is that the group members sent out for hunting must choose strong and strong soldiers with accurate marksmanship, not only with bullets, but also with a knife for each person to set off.When we first walked into the desert, many people carried matches with them, but they were wasting too much along the way, and everyone didn’t pay much attention to it. After the dry food they brought was exhausted, when the cattle and horses were slaughtered, everyone checked their belongings. Only then did I realize that the remaining matches of all the staff added up, and there were only more than 20 matches left in total.Everyone was taken aback by this "match incident"!So I collected the rest and left them to me for safekeeping.Every time when lighting a fire, first take the dry cow dung with the best color, knead it into a fine powder, then tear off the cloth strips that are attached to the clothes on the body, and roll them into small strips. Eight or nine people stand carefully in two rows along the direction of the wind.There is a distance of one or two feet, head to head, body to body, so as not to allow a breath of wind to come in. A person in the middle, tremblingly burns a match, ignites the cloth, and then turns its windward side to move the crowd and make the breeze blow. Blow in and fuel the fire.After the cloth is completely on fire, put it on the ground, and carefully cover it with mule and horse manure. After a while, the fire will start to smoke, and the people around will slowly walk away. At this time, the stronger the wind, the more intense the fire. Hurriedly piled up the cow dung to a height of three or four feet, and the fire was completed, and it could no longer be easily extinguished.So everyone sat around the fire and melted the ice boiled on the fire to replace tea.Roast some meat instead of food.Slowly eat enough, the fire is gradually extinguished.Spread the embers of the fire on the ground.After their heat subsided, everyone huddled together and slept in the same place as the previous fire. Since the ground had been dehumidified, everyone's bodies still felt warm from the fire.

After marching on the vast snow for a long time, most of the soldiers were exposed to severe cold, their feet were swollen, and their hands, ears and noses were also frozen.In the end, his body was so broken that he couldn't move, so people fell to the ground and died suddenly every day.In the beginning, we all dug the earth to bury the corpses of our comrades-in-arms, and led all the staff to solemnly sacrifice. Later, various diseases increased, and the number of the dead also increased. To survive, so every time we see the zombies of our comrades lying on the side of the road, we no longer have the strength to bury them, but just stand there for a moment and let out a long sigh at each other.

When I set off from Jiangda with others, I was fully armed, wearing a short jacket, a fur hat, a big leather shirt, and Tibetan boots, and inside, I wore thick wool socks. After marching in the desert for a long time, the Tibetan boots were worn out. I was able to walk with my feet wrapped in thick felt, and later, the felt was torn, so when the skin and flesh on my feet were covered with ice and snow, I felt swollen and painful at first, and then slowly began to fester, and finally reached a desperate situation where I couldn't move forward.The cattle and horses were shot one by one, there were no means of transportation, and there was no medicine for treatment in the vast snowy field.Everyone was looking for their own way to escape, unable to take care of the patients around them one by one, so they could only watch these comrades slowly lie stiff on the ground, tossing and turning, moaning, and dying in pain one by one, and there was nothing they could do about it.When I crossed a snow ditch, my right foot was accidentally covered with snow, and it quickly swelled up. Xiyuan, who was next to me, kept heating the oil from the cow and scalding it for me. After a few days, he was completely healed and intact. as in.Since the excess luggage was set on fire and the horses were slaughtered, 13 more died of illness, 15 died of foot pain, and six or seven soldiers who suffered from illness and limped along with the troops.

After walking for several days, I arrived at a place where it was already dusk. Suddenly I saw a big river under my feet. The old lama shouted loudly, "Hey, this is the Tongtian River——Tongtian River is here!" It was the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, and everyone was overjoyed, thinking that when they arrived here, Gang Tianqie should not be far away.So they sat together and discussed that tomorrow is New Year's Day, everyone will rest at the same place for a day, kill two horses for food, and try to hunt some other wild animals, so they camped on the river bank.When I got up the next morning, I saw that the river was more than [-] feet wide. There was no bamboo or wood to form a boat, and it was impossible to find a bridge as a ferry in such a barren place. Fortunately, it was the end of the year. The river was already frozen.So they crossed the river on the ice one after another, and saw a boundary marker standing beside the river bank, about three feet high and more than one foot wide, on which were engraved the words of the Minister of Affairs in Tibet and the Minister of Affairs in Qinghai respectively demarcating the boundary.The old lama said at the side: "There is no stone forest to mine in the desert. This big stone tablet was taken from Jiangda, and it would cost hundreds of dollars to transport it with two oxen and camels. Back then I When I went to Hala Usu from here, I personally experienced this—"

(End of this chapter)