RPAGF Chapter 1412 Bao Qiushui
Chapter 1412 Bao Qiushui
Chapter 1412 Bao Qiushui
"Lightning-struck wood." The old witch Zhu really had a solution. He had indeed anticipated this situation a long time ago. "If you enter the swamp and your soul is eaten by evil spirits, you can grind lightning-struck wood into powder and drink it with water to drive away the evil spirits."
"Then do it quickly!"
General Zhendong agreed to his suggestion without hesitation.
She was not afraid of any tricks played by the other party.
The lives of the other party, including the lives of the tribesmen, are in their own hands.
In addition, there will always be brave men under a huge reward, which is enough to make the other party fight to the death.
Although there were signs of a camp roar, the initial chaos was quickly brought under control for the elite soldiers.
The soldiers who drank the powder of the lightning wood were gathered together. The old witch took off the copper bell from his waist, shook it gently, and sang a spell in the Xianbei dialect.
It was not known whether it was the effect of the lightning striking Mu Zhen, or the calming effect of the old witch's incantation, but the soldiers soon calmed down and fell into a deep sleep.
Silent all night.
When they were preparing to move forward again on the second day, Zhao Guang came to report with a serious look on his face:
"General, it's bad. Some soldiers' wounds have become festered and they have developed febrile disease with a high fever."
"how many people?"
"One hundred and thirty-three."
"Then leave a hundred people to take care of them, and send some people back to ask the people outside the swamp to find a way to bring them back."
General Zhendong looked back at the way he came. The spears stuck in the swamp were like signposts.
It's only a day's journey, and I already have experience.
After arranging the aftermath, General Guan led his troops into the swamp again.
Fortunately, with the experience of the first day, the march was much faster for the rest of the journey.
The deeper you go into the swamp, the more obvious the water flow that was originally hidden in the dark becomes.
When the water flowed completely into a stream, it turned south and flowed into a valley hidden in thick fog.
"Sir, the Poison Valley is ahead."
Two gray-white rock peaks stood opposite each other at the mouth of the valley. The rock walls were covered with honeycomb-like holes. When the wind passed through, a low whimpering sound was made, like the sound of a giant wolf grinding its teeth before gnawing on its prey.
Standing in front of the valley, I could clearly feel the mountain breeze blowing, but the fog in the valley just wouldn't dissipate.
Obviously, the fog is not simple.
General Zhendong leaned over and grabbed a handful of sand, and immediately smelled a faint pungent odor.
This smell is different from the stench in the swamp.
This was a pungent fishy smell, like the stink of necrotic bird eggs bursting.
"Rest at the entrance of the valley tonight, don't go into the valley."
Although the taste was very light, a hint of confusion flashed across General Zhendong's eyes, and then turned into doubt.
Before she could figure it out, the old witch Zhu said quickly:
"Your Excellency is wise."
A look of relief appeared on his face. He was really worried that the Han general in front of him would look down on him just because he had successfully crossed the swamp.
"The evil spirits in this valley are very different from those in the swamp. The stronger the sun, the more ferocious the evil spirits in the swamp become. But the opposite is true for the evil spirits in this valley. The stronger the sun, the weaker they become."
"If you want to pass through the valley, you can only enter at noon when the sun is hottest, the yang energy is strongest, and the evil spirits are hiding underground."
"People who don't know the truth will naturally try to cross the valley in the same way as they cross the swamp, and they will just fall into the trap of the evil spirits."
General Zhendong understood something when he heard this, and showed an indifferent expression on his face, "A trap set by evil spirits? Ha!"
He didn't say much at the moment, but just ordered to find a place to camp and rest, and count the casualties.
Despite the experience of the first day, we still lost more than 300 people during the rest of the journey.
Including those with high fever and those left behind to take care of them, only about 7,000 people could reach the entrance of the valley.
In other words, in just three days, the non-combat casualties alone reached nearly 15%.
While everyone was resting, General Zhendong had Zhao Guang and Pei Xiu called over and whispered a few instructions to them.
Soon, Zhao Guang, Pei Xiu and Lao Zhu Wu, leading a dozen soldiers, entered the valley to explore the way while it was still early.
Until the sun was about to set, the remaining sunlight shone into the valley. The fog in the valley reflected a slightly strange dark yellow color. The figures of Zhao Guang, Pei Xiu and others reappeared at the entrance of the valley.
"General!" Zhao Guang's face was still covered with a thick cloth, probably to prevent poisoning in the valley. Before he could tear off the cloth, he couldn't wait to say, "Sure enough..."
General Zhendong frowned slightly, turned his head away, and pointed at Pei Xiu:
"You tell me."
Pei Xiu did not cover his face with cloth, and there were still some water marks on his face, which must have been washed when he came back.
After all, children of noble families are children of noble families, and they are far more refined than a crude warrior like Zhao Guang.
"General, there is indeed sulfur in the valley, and the mist is all poisonous miasma transformed from sulfur."
General Zhendong nodded.
The pungent odor she smelled last time felt very familiar to her.
In General Zhendong's opinion, the people in the world who have done the most in-depth research on sulfur are none other than his own Alang and Alang's concubine Amei.
By the same token, General Zhendong was also familiar with sulfur.
More importantly, General Zhendong was the first person in the Han Dynasty to use the secret weapon of the Thunder God Camp.
Sulphur is poisonous, and the poisonous gas it produces blocked the entire valley.
Even for the old Xianbei witch, this valley was far more dangerous than a swamp.
But for General Zhendong, it was just the opposite.
In the early years, countless workers died of poisoning while researching this thing.
Even some of the students involved were not spared.
We have already gained enough experience at the cost of human lives.
"What's going on in the valley?"
"We walked several miles inside, but there was no sign of birds or animals. The only living creatures were ants and insects."
When General Zhendong heard that there were indeed ants in the valley, he felt relieved:
"In a sulfur-poisoned area, the ant nest is the eye, built against the wind, avoiding sulfur poison like avoiding fire."
After saying this, he looked up at the sky and saw that the last ray of golden thread had fallen into the distant mountains.
As dusk fell, there was still a lingering golden-red color, flickering in the folds of the clouds, as if the sky was swallowing up countless dying embers.
At this time, the Western Sky had become a crucible of molten gold. The clouds appeared like fish scales, layer upon layer, as if soaked in orange, red, pink and purple glaze.
The sunset is very beautiful.
It reflected on General Zhendong's face, giving his face a layer of gold.
General Zhendong showed a rare smile on his face, which was more beautiful than the sunset:
"Have a good rest and enter the valley at noon tomorrow!"
The morning glow does not go out, but the sunset travels thousands of miles.
The next day, the sun had already become scorching before noon.
Pei Xiu wiped his sweat and murmured:
"This sun is hotter than fire. In fact, I think it would be better to light a fire in the valley, and then all the poisonous gas will disappear."
Zhao Guang, who was standing next to Pei Xiu, heard this and slapped him, causing him to stagger:
"We can't set fire to this place! Who knows how far away this place is from the rebels. If we set fire to this place, it will most likely attract the rebels' attention."
"I'm just talking!" Pei Xiu stood up again, supported his head, and glanced at Zhao Guang with dissatisfaction.
"It's no use talking about it, it will shake the morale of the army!" Zhao Guang glared at him, "At this time, no matter how much you disagree, you must keep it to yourself and obey the orders of General Guan completely."
"One last check!"
"set off!"
"go!"
Pei Xiu took a deep breath, and was almost choked by the strong smell of urine.
He hurriedly covered his mouth and nose with a wet cloth soaked in urine and followed the group into the valley.
The old witch who was walking in front and leading the way, holding a torch, bent down from time to time to observe the ground.
In the sulfur mist, sporadic red lights flickered between the cracks in the rocks - these were the only living creatures that could be seen living in the valley, red ants.
These heat-loving bugs are moving in twisting formations, bypassing a seemingly flat stretch of sand and burrowing into their nests at the base of the cliff.
General Zhendong picked up a handful of ant nest soil with the tip of his sword. The charred particles were mixed with bat droppings - this is the natural filter material used by fire ants to neutralize sulfur poisoning.
The old witch Zhu's somewhat vague voice sounded: "Wherever there is an ant trail, the poisonous fog will be three feet thin and follow the trail!"
The soldiers advanced along the winding ant trails, their boots occasionally crushing the fire ants that did not have time to retreat.
The most dangerous murderous intention is hidden at the end of the ant tunnel.
When the warhorse's iron hooves stepped on a rock slab, only a slight "click" sound was heard - like a hungry wolf biting a sheep's knee bone.
"Retreat!" The experienced old soldier roared and grabbed the reins, but it was too late.
The rock slabs shattered with a loud bang, boiling mud gushed out from the cracks in the ground, and the three cavalrymen fell into the boiling pool with their horses.
The wailing of the war horses stopped abruptly as the sulfur mud had burned their vocal cords, leaving only their half-cooked corpses floating in the bubbling mud.
"The red ants are the eyelashes of Mother Earth." The old witch knelt down and looked at the fire ants that were fleeing frantically. "When the eyelashes move, Mother Earth is blinking."
"The underground fire dragon has awakened," another Hu guide pointed to the edge of the collapse tremblingly.
There, dark red earth vein stones were exposed, and the hot air rising from the cracks in the stones distorted the light, as if there was really a red dragon turning over under the rock.
Zhao Guang rushed forward, picked up the old witch, and growled:
"The Han soldiers only believe in the Emperor of Heaven and Earth, only believe in the Lord of Heaven, and don't believe in the so-called Mother Earth you are talking about! Find a solution quickly!"
"Red ants! Find the red ants and follow them!"
Old Zhu Wu suddenly pointed to the red ant nest that had not been affected by the mud. The surviving red ants were fleeing frantically along the side of the valley - the route they chose was a safe route.
"Keep up, don't get close to the mud!"
Before everyone could pass through the quagmire, the ground, which seemed hard but was actually brittle, collapsed again.
I saw a crack at the base of the rock wall. The river that initially flowed into the valley but disappeared at some point turned into an underground river gushing out from the ground.
But the color is no longer normal, but has turned into a light yellow visible to the naked eye.
"Underground fire! The earth dragon is moving!"
The sudden strange sight made the soldiers retreat instinctively, but they unexpectedly bumped into sulfur crystals peeling off the rock wall. The pale yellow crystals shattered into powder and mixed with mist into their nasal cavity.
The soldier suddenly grabbed his throat, and black blood oozed out from between his fingers.
"Cover your mouth and nose! Don't pull off the scarf!"
"Go, let's go!"
The underground river was surging more and more, and as the water flow increased, it brought with it the evaporating heat, which made the original sulfur fog become thinner, and the surrounding valleys could be seen clearly, and there was a tendency for them to be shrouded in fog again.
"Don't stop here!"
Fortunately, there was only one collapsed area, and with the guidance of the red ants, most of the people finally passed the most dangerous section safely.
Unfortunately, even with the preparations in place, nearly two hundred people still remained in the valley forever.
The further we walked, the thinner the pungent fog became, until it disappeared completely. Suddenly, we could hear the faint sound of flowing water ahead.
"General, there is living water!" The cheers of the vanguard soldiers echoed in the valley.
General Zhendong looked in the direction of the sound, and saw the underground river that appeared and disappeared from time to time. At this time, it was finally no longer hidden, but revealed its entire face without any hesitation, flowing forward along the valley.
General Guan tore off his face mask, walked quickly forward, scooped up some clean water, and splashed it on his face.
I don’t know if it’s an illusion or because I’ve stayed in the valley for too long, but I always feel that the mountain stream still seems to have a faint smell of sulfur.
But it doesn't matter anymore.
The old witch was also kneeling beside the stream, coughing desperately while saying:
"As long as we see running water, it means we are about to get out."
"General, there seems to be light ahead!"
As if to verify the old witch's words, a sharp-eyed soldier quickly pointed forward and shouted.
After washing his face, General Zhendong let out a long breath, then raised his telescope and looked forward.
After looking for a while, he put down the telescope and smiled:
"That should be the exit. Send someone to investigate."
"Here!"
The scouts quickly reported back that it was indeed the exit.
When they learned that they had finally left the valley, everyone's face showed a smile of having survived a disaster.
If it weren't for the military order not to make loud noises, the soldiers would have almost been unable to contain their joy and would have cheered loudly.
The mountain stream flows out of the valley and merges into a rushing river.
General Zhendong stood at the entrance of the valley, looking at the mountain opposite. His eyes suddenly focused and even his expression changed slightly.
She raised the telescope again and looked across.
A sentry post located in a dangerous position came into her sight.
"Is that the rebel's outpost?"
When she saw the sentry fort, she became nervous, but when she saw the sentry fort clearly, she felt relieved:
"Why is it so dilapidated?"
It is obvious that this is a sentry post that has been abandoned for a long time.
But before she could figure it out, an idea popped up in her mind, and she couldn't hide her surprise on her face:
"Could this water be the Baoqiu River (the Chaohe River in later generations)?"
"Yes, sir, this stream is the Baoqiu River."
This trip almost cost Old Zhu Wu half his life.
Whether it is a swamp or a poisonous valley, there is a big difference between a large group of people passing by and a few people passing through carefully.
There were many times when accidents happened that even he did not anticipate.
Fortunately, he finally brought the Han army to the edge of Baoqiu River.
"That sentry camp was set up by Tian Yu, the commander of the Wuhuan Guards of the Wei State in the early years. Originally, there was a sentry camp every few miles along the Baoqiu River."
"Later, I heard that Tian Yu was transferred by the Emperor of Wei, and the current governor of Youzhou withdrew all these outposts. This happened many years ago..."
“Cough, cough, cough…” The old witch coughed several times and pointed to the upstream direction of the Baoqiu River. “In the past, Tianyu had a checkpoint at the uppermost reaches of the Baoqiu River, but it is now abandoned.”
The Han Dynasty's intelligence system naturally collected some information about the dispute between Youzhou Governor Wang Xiong and Wuhuan Guard Captain Tian Yu. After all, the affairs of Youzhou also involved Ke Bineng in the early years.
General Zhendong had of course also heard of this.
But she didn't expect that the aftermath of this incident would actually affect her this time of leading troops to secretly cross Yanshan Mountain.
"If Tian Yu was still in Youzhou, how could I have the opportunity to lead the troops here? From this point of view, the Han Dynasty will be revived for the third time!"
Although the Wei outpost had been abandoned, General Zhendong still ordered people to search upstream and downstream in case anyone saw his surprise force emerging from the mountains.
Offensive and defensive map outside the Great Wall:
Can you see the illustrations?