Chapter 2459 The Knife in the Back
The Western Region is vast and desolate. All towns and markets are concentrated on oases and beside rivers. There are more and more vast deserts in the Gobi, which are desolate and uninhabited.
Zheng Sanwa and Li Shuan were waving their riding whips wildly, slapping the horses on their backs, and running wildly along the desolate ancient road.
The scorching sun above their heads seemed to be specifically against them. The hot rays poured in continuously, drying out the remaining moisture above the next door and making people's eyes blur.
Since Yamaguchi led the horse through the thorny path in the canyon beside Atami, the two of them galloped without stopping. Because they had enough horses, they changed horses along the way without stopping, and only the water bag was empty. They would only look for rivers to get water when the time came, and even dry food would be randomly grabbed on horseback and stuffed into their mouths to chew.
They didn't dare to waste any time, because they knew that these robes were bought with their lives!
Being able to arrive at Gongyue City as early as possible to pass on the information about the Arab invasion to the army, allowing Xue Sima to respond as early as possible, will make the sacrifices of the Paozes valuable.
Of course, they were so impatient that they even hoped to lead the reinforcements to rescue them. Perhaps if the robes could persist a little longer, there would be hope of survival.
Although this hope is as rare as finding water in the desert, it is still a glimmer of hope, right?
There is a spacious road not far away. Looking eastward along the road, you can see a fairly majestic city, that is Zhaosu City.
But the two did not slow down their horses, but crossed the road and ran northward from the Gobi.
There were only 500 defenders in Zhaosu City. Not only could they not retreat from the enemy, they couldn't even rescue them. The most important thing was that if they followed the main road to Zhaosu, it would be a waste of half a day's journey.
It’s like running to death while looking at the mountains. The vastness of the Gobi desert and the city that seems to be right in front of you actually take at least half a day to run...
The Golden Crow falls in the west and the Jade Rabbit rises in the east.
The Gobi desert at night was full of dangers, and wandering wolves could appear at any time following the sound of horse hooves. However, the two of them could not think too much and kept galloping on their horses without daring to stop.
Continuous riding and galloping had already exhausted their physical strength, and sitting on the bumpy horseback they could not control the ensuing hardship. Zheng Sanwa kept trying hard to keep her fighting eyes open, looking at the road ahead, and following the terrain at any time. Change sides and sitting positions to avoid being thrown off the horse by the galloping horse.
Just when his eyelids were once again sticky and almost unable to open, the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground instantly woke him up.
Looking back, he saw that the horse running beside him had brisk hooves, and there was nothing on the horse's back...
Zheng Sanwa quickly reined in the reins, turned the horse's head and ran back. Not far away, she saw Li Shuansu struggling and moaning on the ground.
Jumping off the horse, her legs were weak and her knees went weak. Zheng Sanwa suddenly knelt on the ground and fell like a dog, but she didn't bother to wipe the blood from her mouth when she knocked out her teeth. She crawled to Li Shuanlu's side and quickly The voice asked: "How about tying it up?"
"Hiss... my legs are broken, and several ribs are probably broken as well. I don't dare to move..."
Li Shuanshuo was lying on the ground, his left leg twisted into a weird shape under his body, obviously broken, and his hands were firmly pressing on his ribs, sweating profusely from the pain.
Zheng Sanwa crawled closer and reached out to help: "Help you up."
But he was tied up by Li and opened his palm...
Li Shuan gritted his teeth, endured the severe pain, and said quickly: "Hold on! I can't ride a horse anymore, otherwise I'll be knocked to death after just a few steps. Leave me alone, continue on your way, and quickly go to Gongyue City to report Xue Sima, ask him to send reinforcements to rescue Gao Xiaowei and his brothers!”
Saying so many words in one breath made the veins on his forehead throb with pain, and he opened his mouth and spurted out a mouthful of blood.
It was obvious that he fell off the horse and shocked his internal organs. If he continued to ride the horse in this situation, he would be seriously injured after only a few steps, and he would be beaten to death.
Zheng Sanwa also knew that the most important thing at the moment was to rush back to Gongyue City to report the news. The commander of the army was determined to kill without delay. He immediately stood up, took down the water bag hanging on the saddle and the sack containing dry food, and threw it to Li Shuanzhao said in a deep voice: "Brother, hold on tight, I will come back to save you!"
Li Shuanshao endured the severe pain: "Hurry up, don't delay!"
Zheng Sanwa gritted her teeth, jumped onto the horse's back, slapped the horse's buttocks hard, and continued running northward without looking back.
Sitting on the horseback, the oncoming cool wind blew into my eyes, which made them a little astringent. I raised my hand to wipe them, but they were already filled with tears...
The Gobi is full of dangers, and for a person with a broken leg or ribs, it is almost like death.
You can't look for water by yourself. It only takes one day of scorching sun exposure to completely dry out the water in a person's body and kill him.
Unless you can meet a passing herdsman, it is possible to save your life.
However, in order to buy time, they did not take the main road, but crossed this desolate Gobi Desert. Apart from the presence of wolves, there may not be any herdsmen passing by in a few years...
Zheng Sanwa gritted her teeth and endured extreme fatigue and distress. She held the reins tightly in her hands and moved forward.
When the sun rose again, he couldn't hold on anymore, so he dismounted next to a puddle. The water bag was left with Li Shuan, so he could only lie down next to the puddle and take a big gulp of water, and then plunged his head into the water. , the cool feeling makes the sleepiness slightly relieved.
Sitting on the sand, he rubbed his numb legs vigorously, ignoring the bloody insides of his legs. He felt that his legs had regained some consciousness, and he immediately struggled to get up, mounted his horse and galloped.
At dusk, under the afterglow of the setting sun, a large city appeared indistinctly.
Over there is Gongyue City!
Zheng Sanwa's lips were chapped and her eyes were dull. She galloped with sheer willpower, and her whole body had almost lost consciousness. A group of cavalry wearing leather armor and carrying horizontal swords suddenly galloped out from behind a hill and blocked the way. .
"Who is coming? Get off your horse quickly!"
One of the leading generals immediately slashed his sword and shouted loudly.
When Zheng Sanwa saw the Tang army uniform on the other party, her tense heart suddenly relaxed, her vision went dark, and she rolled off the horse...
With a "peng" sound, it fell hard to the ground.
The other party was taken aback. Qiqi Le immediately went to check and saw the military uniform on Zheng Sanwa. He was immediately surprised: "They are our brothers!"
Several people quickly got off their horses, turned Zheng Sanwa over, pinched her, and poured water on her. It took a long time to wake Zheng Sanwa up.
As soon as she opened her eyes, before she could see the faces of these people clearly, Zheng Sanwa struggled and said: "The Arabs have invaded, with no less than tens of thousands of troops. Inform Xue Sima to take precautions... In addition... Lieutenant Gao Zhenxing led our brothers Intercept the enemy at Suiyeshui Mountain Pass to buy time for me. Please send reinforcements quickly for rescue!”
After barely speaking these words, Zheng Sanwa had exhausted all her energy and was drowsy, unable to open her eyelids.
Everyone was shocked: "Have you found the whereabouts of the Arabs?"
Another person said: "One day and one night, galloping eight hundred miles...hiss! I'm going to die! This is it!"
"The military situation is so fierce, how can you care about your own life? Hurry back and report to Xue Sima. There is still a group of brothers who are defending the Suiye River Pass in order to stop the enemy. We must rush to the rescue!"
In the Tang Dynasty, official roads extended in all directions and the roads were in good condition. Eight hundred miles in one day and one night was enough. However, this is the Western Region. There are very few roads, and most of them connect the major cities. They are winding and winding. If you follow the main road, the distance will be three or even four times longer than the straight line distance.
If you want to reach Gongyue City as quickly as possible, the only way is to cross the Gobi.
However, it is difficult to walk among the rocks in the Gobi desert. You must have traveled 800 miles a day and a night without even stopping for a moment...
This kind of torture on physical strength, spirit, and will is awe-inspiring.
The leading general had a gloomy face, pressed his hand on the handle of the Hengdao, pondered for a moment, and said: "Help this brother return to Gongyue City and report to Xue Sima face to face."
"Here!"
When two people came forward, they helped Zheng Sanwa up and said, "Well done, brother! Let's go back to the city and report to Xue Sima face to face."
Zheng Sanwa managed to open her eyelids and said weakly: "Thank you..."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a chill on his back. He lowered his head and was shocked to find a bright knife tip on his chest, and blood was dripping down from the tip.
Then, a sharp pain came...
"Ho...ho..."
There were two sounds in his throat, and he wanted to turn back, but he didn't even have the strength to do so. His legs gave out and he fell forward. His eyes were completely dark.
The two soldiers holding him opened their mouths in shock. They subconsciously let go and stared at Zheng Sanwa's body falling to the ground. They all turned to look at the general who was still holding the blood-stained sword in his hand... around him. All the soldiers had expressions of disbelief on their faces. This brother traveled hundreds of miles to report the news. He went through all kinds of hardships and persisted until the end. It was a great achievement. Why did he die under the sword of his own people?
(End of chapter)