Qin Yining's group negotiated the route within a stick of incense. At this time, the clansmen were all ready to go.
Knowing that there were chasers following them, all the clansmen were very quiet, and only the orderly followed the large army, braved the wind and snow and headed west.
After a short while, a team of nearly 1,000 people arrived at the place where the Mino tribe camped just now.
The cavalry pulled the reins and drove the horses around the camp.
The general who led the team jumped off his horse, crouched down to check the place where the tent was once set up to light a bonfire, but was now covered by a layer of light snow, and then he threw a fist in anger.
"What a bunch of sly guys!"
They were just a step too late. If they came a little earlier, wouldn't the thousand elite soldiers who were fighting with these people would not be able to grab the food
Now the Khan is furious, and their Shangguan is also urgent. If they can't get the food back, once the Khan gets angry, I am afraid that these people will not have good fruit to eat!
"General, what should we do? It's not the right time for the snow to fall, and the surrounding area is white now. They have already escaped for a while. It's not so easy to track the footprints."
"It's not easy to catch up! I don't believe that they are carrying baggage, they will be faster than us! Everyone lifts up their spirits and must give Khan a perfect explanation, otherwise what the consequences will be, everyone will definitely not hope to see!"
Everyone who said something felt horrified.
Even if the Khan is a very wise and reasonable person, it is their incompetence that they can't do any of the errands they send, not to mention that this time they lost the most important food and grass for the war.
The group carefully examined the footprints left on the snow and moved closer to the Minobu.
At the same time, Qin Yining was in the team and got the news that the scouts brought back.
"You mean. A cavalry team of nearly a thousand people has already caught up?" Lu Heng asked in Tatar with a solemn expression.
The scout said: "Yes, I can't see it wrong. Everyone on the other side is riding a horse. At first glance, it is different from those small teams we met before. Patriarch, what are we going to do now?" In the hearts of the tribe, Qin Yining and Lu Heng were their patriarchs. Even because Lu Heng was in a coma in the desert, they relied on Qin Yining's command to get out. This is because the people's trust and respect for Qin Yining is better than that of Lu Heng. Balance even more.
So when the scout asked this, he looked at Qin Yining expectantly.
But Qin Yining couldn't understand what he said.
Lu Heng then told Qin Yining what he had just said, and finally said: "The situation is so tense now, what should we do? Should we fight, or continue to flee?"
Qin Yining's brows were twisted into pimples, because of anxiety, her lips were bitten by her snow-white teeth.
"The situation is not good." Qin Yining said solemnly: "The other party arranged a cavalry team. Although we also have horses, we have so much baggage, and not everyone can have horses to ride. Run away, I'm afraid it won't take long for you to be caught up."
Why doesn't Lu Heng know the seriousness of the matter? However, the tribes of the Mino tribe are very united. The tribes who have crossed the desert together are not only close relatives, but many have developed strong feelings for each other. At this time, no matter who they decide to leave behind, they will is not possible. Therefore, it is impossible for some people to ride on horses and go first.
"You said, should we..."
"Give up these grains?"
"Yes. If there is no baggage, the pursuers may not hold on to the clansmen." Lu Heng pondered, "I think the mission of the pursuers is not to kill us all, for the sake of The only thing is to find food and grass."
Qin Yining was also silent after hearing the words, "I don't think so."
"Oh? How to say?" Lu Heng asked.
Qin Yining said slowly: "If the food and grass are lost, it's not that if the food and grass are recovered, Siqin will not be held accountable."
Lu Heng suddenly felt like he was in a daze, and said solemnly, "I understand."
In their current situation, if they put down their food and ran away by themselves, the other party would at most count them as recovering the food and grass, so Siqin still needs to catch them and ask them to blame.
And no matter whether the purpose of Siqin is food or accountability, the soldiers below don't know what Khan thinks, they only think about doing things without any loopholes for people to catch.
Therefore, even if they put down the food and grass, they are likely to continue to be hunted until they are caught and crossed. Once they are caught and fall into the hands of Si Qin, there will be more reasons to fight Da Zhou Xuan.
This thing is just terrifying...
Qin Yining and Lu Heng's words were heard clearly by Uncle Alhan. He whispered these words to the Harbala brothers and several other highly respected clansmen in the team, and everyone's faces were very solemn.
Everyone discussed it, and in the end they disagreed: "We will never hand over the food. We get the food for the future of the clan, and there are still many old people and children waiting for us to bring the food back. Even if we die, we will never hand over food!"
Uncle Alhan also agrees with this.
"Yes, I also don't agree with handing over the food. Utkin Khan is the husband of Anari Khan. They are all the same tyrants. Even if we change to a temporary peace now, we will live under his hands in the future. Sooner or later, he will be tossed and cleaned up. It is better to fight hard now than to live like a ghost at that time."
Hearing this, Lu Heng couldn't help laughing when he looked at Qin Yining, "It seems that you know everyone better."
Qin Yining waved his hand with a wry smile, "This is a choice made out of desperation. If it is possible, who would want to be in danger?"
Lu Heng sighed, "Yes."
Uncle Alhan said: "Since it's decided, should we continue to go in that direction?"
Lu Heng took out the map from his arms. This is a simple map drawn these days according to the oral descriptions of the Mino tribesmen who are familiar with the terrain here. The general landform and orientation are marked very accurately.
"We are here now."
Lu Heng pointed to a location in Tartar near the western part of the Great Perimeter.
"The chasing soldiers are all cavalry, and they are very fast. They will not only pursue us for food and grass, but they will definitely pursue us with all their strength. If we still follow the original method and take advantage of the weather and terrain to avoid, we will definitely be caught up soon."
Uncle Alhan said: "I didn't expect that we have chosen such a barren place in the west, and they still caught up."
"If we go hand in hand, there will be no benefit, and many clansmen will sacrifice for it. So we have to choose a direction that they can't catch up with."
"But in which direction they can't catch up? They are cavalry."
Qin Yining looked at the map and murmured, "It's impossible to escape now. Either stay where you are and die, or get caught up and kill, or choose a direction they don't dare to chase."
"You mean..." Lu Heng looked at the no-man's land not far from them on the map in horror, "Don't you mean this area?"
Qin Yining's slender white index finger nodded at the position Lu Heng said, and then nodded, "Yes, it's here."
It was a desert.
Different from the desert they crossed before, although the desert they crossed was dangerous, they knew that as long as the desert went in the right direction, it would be a shortcut to Da Zhou and the capital of Tatar. If you are fully prepared, the time to walk in the desert is much faster than the official road.
But now the desert that Qin Yining was talking about was different.
This is a real no-man's land, because this desert is too big, no one has walked out of this desert, no one knows where the other side of the desert is, what is there, and no one knows whether there is an oasis in the desert.
If they break into this dead area, they may really have no way to survive.
Uncle Alhan told the conversation between Qin Yining and Lu Heng to the clan, and the clan was silent.
Everyone was shrouded in fear.
"I can't make decisions for everyone, so it's just a suggestion. Whether or not to go this route depends on everyone's intentions. But according to what I know about Utkin Khan, when he retrieved the food and grass, he It is also necessary to arrest people to vent their anger. If we are caught, the tribes may not have a good end.
"We are outside, it is easy to be caught, and the consequences will be unimaginable at that time. Anyway, we are going to die outside. It is better to go for a fight. Seeing that we have entered this desert, the pursuers will definitely not dare to chase in. They It is for the sake of prosperity and wealth, how can they really go straight to the desert regardless of their lives? Maybe we can wait until they leave and come out. Or, we can get out of that desert. "
Lu Heng said: "But it is more likely that we can't get out of that desert and die together."
Qin Yining nodded and said, "Yes. This is the most likely. But if you stay and get caught, you will also die."
When the two of them spoke, everyone around them was silent.
Al Khan thought for a long time, then said solemnly, "Let's go."
Qin Yining and Lu Heng both raised their heads and looked at Al Khan.
Uncle Alhan said: "You don't have to follow us to the fall. Our clan decided not to hand over food and fight to the end with Utkin Khan. It was because of our hatred of exterminating our clan, but the two of you were not Tartars. Tars. Our clan is very grateful for your willingness to go all the way with us. Now we are in the surrounding area, and the two of you are protected by masters, so you must have bypassed the pursuers without knowing it. It is not difficult to directly enter the Great Zhou Dynasty. Go back to China and stop following us. "
Lu Heng and Qin Yining couldn't help but sigh when they heard the words.
Uncle Alhan said this to the clansmen around him, and the clansmen showed reluctance, but even if they were reluctant, they nodded understandingly, and urged Qin Yining with words that Qin Yining could not understand, obviously wanting them to leave.