ATPnovel Chapter 53 The Crown Prince, with nowhere to turn, crosses the vast desert and encounters a tornado.
Chapter 53 The Crown Prince, with nowhere to turn, crosses the vast desert and encounters a tornado.
It was the third watch of the night.
The inn's stables.
The spy was bound tightly and thrown into the stable by Mizuki.
Fatong came to see him.
Upon seeing Fatong, the spy exclaimed in surprise, "Anaba, what are you doing here? What are you doing here?"
Fatong lowered his voice: "Murong Nuohepen, this matter is complicated and I can't explain it to you in a short time."
Tell me quickly, what are you all doing here?
It turns out that Murong Nuohepen was Fatong's cousin.
"That's right, Princess Guanghua, along with her left and right protectors Xiaoqing and Xiaobai, came to ambush Li Chengqian, but they didn't succeed in the ambush."
Princess Guanghua was furious;
Therefore, she plans to go back and have Tuoba Chici personally lead five thousand cavalry to besiege you. "Murong Nuohepen said.
Upon hearing this, Fatong was greatly shocked: "Amitabha! Forgive me, forgive me!"
"Run! What are you doing with them? Do you want to die with them?"
"I'm not leaving, if I leave, what will happen to Your Highness?"
Upon hearing this, Murong Nuohepen frowned: "Brother, have you become confused by becoming a monk? Don't you value your life? You should know that the Tang people are our enemies."
Fatong clasped his hands together and said, "Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot! In the past few years in the Tang Dynasty, I have witnessed the Tang Dynasty gradually become prosperous and strong."
The Tang Dynasty is no longer what it used to be. To be pessimistic, we Tuyuhun are no match for them at all.
The Tang Dynasty has been very tolerant of us. Wouldn't it be better if the two sides could live in peace? Why do we have to plunder them?
However, King Tianzhu kept stirring up trouble in front of our grandfather, repeatedly suggesting that he send troops to invade the borders of the Tang Dynasty.
The Tang emperor was furious. If our grandfather could repent and stop being an enemy of the Tang, Tuyuhun might still have a chance to survive. Otherwise, Tuyuhun's demise is not far off.
Upon hearing this, Murong Nuohepen scoffed: "I said you were a monk in the Tang Dynasty, were you brainwashed? The Tang army wasn't as powerful as you say."
The reason why the Li Tang dynasty was able to seize power was because Li Yuan was unscrupulous and seized the throne from his cousin Yang Guang.
The only thing to blame is that Yang Guang was too honest and trusted Li Yuan and his son Li Shimin too much.
The Tang people only knew how to use tricks and schemes; they didn't actually have any real strength.
Their population was only a little over three million, and their army had been almost entirely wiped out by years of fighting, leaving them severely weakened.
Last year, they fought against the Eastern Turks and achieved a final victory, but the Tang army also paid a heavy price.
At this time, our Tuyuhun has allied with the Dangxiang and other Western Regions states, and our strength has greatly increased. We should take advantage of the Tang army's fatigue to launch an attack. How can you say such discouraging things?
"Amitabha Buddha, you are truly an ignorant person. As the saying goes, you are arrogant and ignorant. Can an ant shake a big tree?"
Do you know why the kingdoms of the Western Regions called Li Shimin "Heavenly Khan"?
Why?
"That's because the Tang Dynasty was truly powerful, and Li Shimin's magnanimity and breadth of vision were beyond what ordinary monarchs could achieve. He said that since ancient times, emperors of the Central Plains had looked down on barbarians, but he treated them all equally. He said it, and he did it."
We cannot mistake someone's tolerance for weakness.
"Was the Tang army really as powerful as you say? Was Li Shimin as good as you say?"
"In the past, people often said that the Qin army was a 'tiger and wolf army'. Well, let me tell you, the Tang army was even stronger than the Qin army. Moreover, their commanders, such as Li Jing, Li Ji, and Hou Junji, were all war gods."
Li Shimin was an emperor who kept his word;
Putting aside other things, take the Crown Prince for example. Don't underestimate him just because he's young. In terms of martial arts, he's better than me at wrestling; in terms of literature, he's proficient in all schools of thought, military strategy, and tactics.
"Really? He can beat you at wrestling?"
"Yes, I once fought him at Daxingshan Temple, and I was no match for him."
That's truly an incredible thing.
"No matter what, you'd better run away quickly. It probably won't be long before Tuoba Chici leads his army to attack."
Fatong shook his head: "I will not leave. I will stay here to protect His Highness. Because I feel that I have been tricked by Li Tai. Li Chengqian is not as bad as he said. On the contrary, I now feel that Li Tai has gone a bit too far."
He was even willing to kill his own brother to obtain the position of crown prince.
"Isn't this a tradition in the Li family? Didn't Li Shimin do the same thing?"
"That's different. Li Shimin launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident and killed Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji because he was forced into it. If Li Shimin did not resist, he would only face death. He had no choice but to do so."
However, Li Chengqian treated Li Tai very well; how can that be the same?
"If what you say is true, then Li Tai is indeed a scoundrel!"
"You'll have to bear with it here for now. I'll find a way to rescue you later. Don't even think about running away."
"Understood, elder brother!"
Immediately, Fatong reported the information he had learned to Li Chengqian.
Li Chengqian was surprised but praised him highly.
Li Chengqian asked Su Gui to bring Su Wan to discuss this matter.
Su Wan rested her chin on her hand and said slowly, "The current situation is becoming increasingly unfavorable for us."
The Tuyuhun were internally divided into two factions:
The faction led by Murong Shun was still quite dependent on the Tang Dynasty and could be considered friendly towards it.
The other faction was led by Tianzhu Wang, who was always eager to stir up trouble in front of Fuyun Khan!
If this trend continues, an internal war is inevitable sooner or later.
The Tanguts and Tuyuhun have formed a marriage alliance. Without external intervention, they will join forces to deal with us. Moreover, last time Li Tailai was sent on a mission, they captured 500 soldiers. They tasted success, so this time they want to besiege us again.
Li Chengqian nodded slightly: "The situation is indeed not optimistic. If they really send five thousand cavalry to surround us, we will be trapped like turtles in a jar."
"Since the situation has changed, shall we return to Chang'an immediately?"
Li Chengqian pondered for a moment and shook his head: "I think that if we do that, Father will be even angrier, because this plan was proposed by me and I took the initiative to request to go on this mission. If I mess things up, Father will definitely not forgive me."
Doesn't that just prove that I'm as useless as Qingque?
Su Wan looked at Li Chengqian with her beautiful eyes: "So, you knowingly went into danger, even though you knew there were tigers in the mountains! Your spirit is commendable."
"In that case, there is only one road we can take to reach Ashina She'er's army in Gaochang."
Which road?
"The main road is impassable; we can only cross the vast desert."
Gaochang was more than 7,000 li away from the Tang Dynasty, separated by the 2,000-li Moheyanqi Desert.
"This—," Li Chengqian's scalp tingled upon hearing this. Although he had never experienced what it was like to cross a vast desert, he had heard that it was a deadly path. "Is there really no other way to go?"
"Other roads are blocked, where else can we go?"
"In the desert, we might walk for many days without water, and we could encounter sandstorms at any time. This is truly a road of no return, not to mention Princess Hengyang, Princess Chengyang, and other female relatives." Li Chengqian was very worried.
"You have no way out, no other choice! However, I think the meaning of life lies in experience. Let you experience what it's like to cross a vast desert, then your life will be perfect and more meaningful."
Li Chengqian gave a bitter smile: "Things have come to this point, and you still have the heart to joke."
After repeated discussions, Li Chengqian decided to cross the vast desert.
The liaison between the first and second groups is Du Zhenglun.
Li Chengqian then summoned Du Zhenglun and explained his thoughts to him.
Du Zhenglun said with a bitter face, "Your Highness, I don't need those three boxes of deer antler velvet, is that alright? Please let me return to Chang'an."
"It's too late. If you had said the same thing back in Chang'an, I wouldn't have forced you to come. Now we can only move forward, not backward." Li Chengqian picked up the teacup on the table and gulped down two mouthfuls.
Du Zhenglun noticed that Li Chengqian's behavior today was different from usual. He thought to himself, "You're talking nicely now, but back in Chang'an, wasn't it you who coerced and lured me here?"
However, he then thought, since he was already here, he might as well make the best of it. If he angered him, he probably wouldn't be in a good position either.
Thinking of this, Du Zhenglun said, "Your humble servant is willing to risk his life to accompany you, but the most important thing for us to cross the desert is water. We can only cross the desert if we bring enough water. If we run out of water in the middle, we will be doomed."
You are absolutely right.
"In my humble opinion, crossing the desert will take about twenty days. Why don't we buy ten more carriages, each of which can carry four large vats, and fill those four vats with water?"
"Let's buy a few more kettles and fill them all up. I think that should be enough."
Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Your idea seems pretty good. Let's do it your way."
"In addition, we need to buy more horses and camels, especially camels. People often say that camels are the 'ships of the desert' because they are resistant to hunger and thirst and can go without food and water for ten days."
It's heat-resistant, and besides, camels know the way.
"Alright, I'll leave all these things to you. However, time is tight, so I'll give you one day to prepare. We'll set off tomorrow."
"Huh? So urgent!"
"Yes, the Tangut army is about to attack. How can we afford to delay any longer? We must hurry and get into the desert."
"promise!"
After Du Zhenglun had prepared everything, Li Chengqian ordered everyone to head straight for the Moheyanqi Desert.
Three days later, they set foot on the vast desert.
Under the bright sunshine, Li Chengqian looked up and saw nothing but yellow sand, stretching as far as the eye could see.
No animals or aquatic plants can be seen.
A gust of wind blew by, blinding everyone.
Sand blew into Su Wan's eyes as well.
She approached Li Chengqian and said, "Your Highness, I have something in my eye. Please take a look."
Li Chengqian quickly blew on her eyes, and sure enough, a small grain of sand flowed out with her tears.
"How are you feeling now?"
"It's alright now." Su Wan's eyes were red.
Li Chengqian looked at everyone and said loudly, "Everyone should take precautions to prevent sand and dust from getting into their eyes."
"Understood," everyone replied.
"We have entered the desert area. The environment is extremely harsh. Please be careful and pay attention to safety."
Su Wan also said, "From now on, we will have to carefully calculate our food and water intake. It is impossible to eat and drink to our heart's content. We can only say that to sustain your lives, you are only allowed to eat one meal a day."
The food and water were given to Xue'er for distribution.
Hearing this, everyone secretly groaned, but there was nothing they could do.
Li Chengqian said, "Let's continue on our way."
As evening approached, Li Chengqian noticed that the sky had changed; it was now a chaotic blur, with the sky and the earth merging into one.
Li Chengqian thought to himself that the weather in the desert could change in an instant.
At this moment, Su Wan pointed behind her and said to Li Chengqian, "Your Highness, look, what's that?"
Li Chengqian turned around and saw that his pupils were gradually shrinking. He saw a huge, yellowish-brown pillar connecting the sky and the earth, spinning continuously, and slowly moving towards them.
"Your Highness, that's a tornado!" Fatong was originally from the Tuyuhun people. He had encountered tornadoes before and knew how powerful they were.
What is that? A tornado?
In Li Chengqian's original memory, it seemed like he could only see such things in movies or TV series. Unexpectedly, at this moment, the tornado was already behind him.
"Everyone, run!" Li Chengqian ordered the crowd.
Su Wan was also frightened: "What should I do?"
"Come quickly into my arms."
No matter how fast they run, how can they outrun a tornado?
Su Gui urged the carriage forward with all her might.
Li Chengqian looked back and saw that the tornado was getting faster and faster, and was getting closer and closer to them.
One thousand meters... five hundred meters... three hundred meters... one hundred meters...
Wherever a tornado goes, it lifts everything it encounters into the sky.
Li Chengqian immediately felt an overwhelming force coming towards him, an enormous and irresistible suction pulling him in, and the entire carriage began to shake.
At this critical moment, Li Chengqian heard the simulator's voice in his ear: [Host! Please jump off the carriage and escape in the versatile wheelchair!]
A single sentence was enough to wake him from his dream. Li Chengqian, holding Su Wan, quickly jumped off the carriage, sat in the ever-changing wheelchair, and sprang out like an arrow released from a bow.
"Su Gui, be careful!" Su Wan shouted.
Since the versatile wheelchair is not very large and can only accommodate two people, it was impossible for Li Chengqian to bring Su Gui along.
Just as Li Chengqian and Su Wan escaped, the tornado arrived.
All the people, vehicles, horses, camels, and baggage were lifted into the air.
"Su Gui!" Su Wan cried out in Li Chengqian's arms, "Your Highness, my brother is finished!"
Seeing the towering pillar, Li Chengqian was powerless to do anything. He deeply felt that humans were too insignificant in the face of nature.
He didn't know how to comfort Su Wan, so he gently patted her back.
About half an hour later, the smoke and fog dissipated, the wind died down, and everything returned to calm.
Li Chengqian and Su Wan returned.
"Su Gui, where are you? Can you still hear my voice?" Su Wan called out.
"Fatong, are you still alive?" Li Chengqian shouted.
"Sister, Your Highness, I'm here!"
At that moment, a hand was seen reaching out from a sand pile.
Li Chengqian and Su Wan heard the noise and rushed over, grabbed Su Gui's hand, and pulled him out of the sand pile.
Su Gui was covered in sand from head to toe.
Li Chengqian wiped the sand off his face with his sleeve and asked, "Are you injured?"
"Your Highness, I'm not injured, I'm fine," Su Gui said.
Li Chengqian and Su Wan were relieved after hearing what he said.
They then went on to look for other people.
Another half hour passed, and everyone else was found. Some were safe and sound, while others suffered minor injuries. Unfortunately, Fatong's cousin was killed in the fall.
Fatong wept bitterly, dug a hole, and buried him.
He then stuck a stick into the sand pile as a marker, saying he would come back to retrieve his body someday.
Li Chengqian's mood became very heavy, because the spy was no ordinary person; he was also the grandson of Fuyun Khan.
Although Li Chengqian didn't kill the person, he was involved in the incident.
If we had captured Murong Nuohepen and released him, he wouldn't have died.
In other words, another feud was added between the Tang Dynasty and Tuyuhun.
The water vats fell from mid-air and shattered, and naturally, the water inside them also disappeared.
There was still some water left in the kettle, but not all of them could be found; some were buried in the yellow sand and could not be found.
The same was true for the dry rations they brought; they could only find about half of them.
Some of the carriages were completely broken, while others could be repaired and still be used.
After surviving the tornado, the smiles on everyone's faces vanished, because they all understood that the days to come would be harder to endure, with no water and no food. How would they survive?
Looking at everyone, Li Chengqian said with a heavy heart: "Gentlemen, our mission to the Dangxiang has been fraught with peril, much like a war. The road ahead will be even more difficult, and some of us may fall. However, we have no way back and can only move forward."
"I hope everyone will cheer up. We will eventually overcome all difficulties and reach Gaochang safely. Once we get to Gaochang, where our army is, we will have everything we need."
"Victory is certain! Victory is certain!" the crowd shouted.
Three more days passed, and it was evening.
The group set up tents and lit a campfire in the desert.
The water in the canteen was gone, and the dry food they had brought was almost gone as well.
Li Chengqian's lips were already chapped.
Su Wan walked up to him with a half-full pot of water in her hand. This half-full pot of water was water that Su Wan had saved from drinking herself and had given to others, who had already finished it: "Your Highness, please have some water."
"No need, I am not thirsty," Li Chengqian lied.
"Your lips are so dry, and you still say you're not thirsty?"
"It's alright, I can still hold on. Calculate how long it will take us to get out of the desert."
Su Wan sighed, "Our marching speed is too slow. Two thousand miles of desert, if we continue at this pace, it will probably take another half month."
Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian's head was buzzing: "We've run out of food and water, how could we possibly hold out for so long?"
"I don't know either, I can only take it one step at a time."
"Are we all going to starve and die of thirst in this desert?"
Li Chengqian couldn't sit still any longer, so he stood up and walked back and forth in the sand pile.
After thinking it over, he said, "Camels are treasures in the desert, so we can't kill them; if all else fails, we can kill some weak horses to fill our stomachs."
Su Wan nodded: "That is one way, but if we kill one horse, we will lose one less. Without horses, our marching speed will be much slower."
"Let two of those who are small in stature ride on one horse."
"Alright, that's the only way."