In the long yellow sand, 3000 left leading guards stepped on the yellow sand and walked hard step by step. At the moment, Tang Jun just encountered the first problem on the first day of entering the desert.


    "Hot!"


    The sun is scorching, and it''s June, the hottest time.


    However, the heat in the desert is not the heat in the flat land. The whole desert is like a steamer, emitting a curl of hot gas. Looking at it, there is a feeling of shaking.


    Moreover, there was no grass in the desert, and the sun directly shone on the gravel. Soon it became hot. The war horses stepped on it and were easy to be scalded. Not to mention the fully armed armor of the Tang army, it was hot in a short time. The Tang army had to take them off, put them on the saddle and March in civilian clothes.


    Drive! "


    The three thousand left leading guards rode their horses and marched firmly in one direction in the scorching sun, stepping on the hot yellow sand and braved the wind and sand.


    "In this ghost weather, if we were in Chang''an City, we would hide in the house, put ice cubes and eat ice cream. I don''t know how cool it would be." Merton couldn''t bear the heat in his heart, thought about the delicious ice cream and left saliva again and again.


    "Let alone ice cream, it''s just a pot of cold water. I''m satisfied." Cheng Yaojin picked up the kettle in his hand and took a hard sip. It''s too hot. Even the water he carries is warm and doesn''t quench his thirst at all.


    "Hoo!"


    Merton looked up at the hot sun, wiped his sweat, picked up the kettle, drank two mouthfuls, such as the burning throat, added a little water to avoid the crisis of dehydration.


    He thought he had done a lot of work and thought he was safe. However, when he stepped into the desert, he finally found that he underestimated the desert and underestimated the bad weather in the desert, and his preparation was still not enough.


    "Nephew Mo Xian, our army is in the right direction!" Cheng Yaojin quenched his thirst a little, looked at the yellow sand in front of him and said with worry.


    Merton picked up the compass, looked at the direction of the pointer and nodded.


    Cheng Yaojin breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the direction is correct, they will always reach tulunchuan.


    "According to the speed of our March, it is possible to reach Tulun River in at least three days." Merton measured the positions of Tang army and Tulun River on the map.


    There are deserts everywhere in the desert. The geology is very soft. It is not suitable for war horses to run. The advantages of the cavalry of the Tang army have not been brought into play, and the marching speed of the army is very slow.


    "No, quicksand!" suddenly the striker shouted.


    Merton and Cheng Yaojin hurried to the horse. They saw a soldier and his horse trapped in quicksand. The war horse was trapped in quicksand and sank continuously with the cavalry.


    More than a dozen soldiers went to the rescue, but they also fell into it. Seeing that more soldiers wanted to rescue, Merton quickly shouted, "don''t move. This is quicksand. Even more people can''t fill it. Don''t struggle. Lie on the quicksand. The more you move, the faster you sink."


    More than a dozen soldiers trapped in the sand did what they said. Sure enough, the sinking speed decreased greatly, but they still sank a little bit. Among them, the soldiers who first fell into quicksand were about to fall into their neck, leaving only their hands and head outside.


    "Nephew Mo, find a way quickly!" Cheng Yaojin said anxiously. These are all the elite soldiers he trained. These soldiers survived fighting with Tuyuhun. I''m afraid it''s not worth dying in the quicksand.


    "Come on, throw the rope," Morton said hurriedly.


    There were ready-made ropes in the army. Many soldiers directly untied their belts and tied them together. Cheng Yaojin took them and threw them at the soldiers trapped in the sand.


    He threw it five times in a row until the soldier had only one hand exposed. Then he grabbed the belt. All the soldiers immediately made efforts and pulled the man out.


    In this way, all the soldiers of the Tang army trapped in quicksand were rescued.


    "General, there is quicksand in front of us. Our army can''t pass by." the army commander Ma came to report with a sad face.


    The old boy was very worried. Merton, a black sheep of the family, asked to go with the army and strive to preserve these horses as much as possible.


    "It seems that there is only a detour!"


    Cheng Yaojin frowned. The calm desert in front of him had long disappeared where the war horses had been swallowed. Who would have thought there was such a killing opportunity in the dark.


    Merton nodded, bowed his head and drew a big half circle on the map. He was responsible for calculating how many roads Tang Jun had spared, and also for returning Tang Jun to the right route.


    The army walked around for twenty miles to avoid the quicksand area. When the Tang army returned to the correct route, night had quietly fallen.


    In a simple camp, Merton, Cheng Yaojin and the military commander Ma are looking at the simple map in their hands and discussing the military affairs.


    "General, 300 horses have run out of material!" a school captain opened his tent and whispered to report.


    The hearts of the people were heavy. The material of 300 war horses had been used up. According to the previous agreement, these war horses would be killed to reduce the loss of the Tang army.


    The commander of the army trembled and begged, "general, you should think twice! That''s 300 war horses!"


    Cheng Yaojin was also distressed and couldn''t help looking at Merton.


    "Mo offered wine." the army commander Ma couldn''t help looking at Merton.


    Merton said softly, "it''s just a day to enter the desert at the moment. If these war horses supplement a little supplies, maybe they can return the same way."


    "Well, that''s a wonderful plan," said the army commander Ma, ecstatic. In this way, at least 300 war horses can be saved for the Tang army.


    However, Cheng Yaojin shook his head firmly and said, "if you don''t take charge of the army, not to mention the horse! In the desert, how can you have the kindness of women and people? Is the consumption of 300 war horses a small number? At the moment, it''s important to pursue and subdue the promise, and how can you lose big because of small things."


    Merton nodded immediately. Compared with these soldiers, he was moved with compassion at the last minute.


    "In the future, the army commander will kill the horses." Cheng Yaojin unexpectedly issued an order, "remember, these horse blood must be released for the soldiers to drink and reduce drinking water."


    Now the army is in the vast desert and the weather is so hot. If it can''t save water as much as possible, I''m afraid the Tang army will break through. At other times, Cheng Yaojin may agree to Merton''s request. However, at the moment, he is interested in the horse blood of these 300 war horses.


    The commander of the army Ma gave a heavy meal and said with a painful face, "I will obey!"


    Just as the commander of the army turned and left, Cheng Yaojin suddenly said, "remember, the March chronicle says that our army is walking in the 800 mile vast sea. Soldiers are short of water and stab horses to drink blood."


    The army commander Ma stumbled and left in grief and anger.