"Quick!"
"Full speed ahead!"
The Western Punitive Expedition Army faced the cold northwest wind as they silently marched through the vast Gobi Desert. Although it was like two different worlds, the bone-piercing cold reminded everyone that it was indeed the early spring. Even though they were wearing Marquis Mo hats and military coats, the soldiers could still feel the bone-piercing cold when the wind blew through their clothes.
However, this cold was not without its benefits. After a long journey, the soldiers did not sweat at all. It also prevented them from losing water and saved a little precious water.
"Rest for an hour. Drink water to replenish your strength!" Following the order, the entire army slowly stopped. This time, Hou Junji was not stingy. He directly distributed canned meat to all the soldiers. However, the delicious canned meat had lost its previous taste due to extreme thirst.
Meton took a bite of the canned meat and picked up the water bottle beside him. He took a sip of water to moisten his throat and poured some into Shadowless Shadow's manger. They did not know if there was a water source on the road ahead. Everyone in the army tried their best to save water.
However, when he saw his beloved horse Shadowless Shadow's longing eyes, Meton had no choice but to pour some more water for Shadowless Shadow. Then, he resolutely screwed the lid of the water bottle.
"Lord Libation, General Xin is here!" Xue Rengui came to report.
Meton got up and saw Xin Yaoer rushing towards the Firearms Supervisor's station. He could not help but frown. Ever since the conflict between the two, they had rarely interacted.
"Merton!" Xin Yaoer dismounted and said.
"General Xin!" Meton responded.
"Pass down General Hou's order. We are about to enter the desert area. Everyone, get ready!" Xin Yaoer bluntly passed down the order to Hou Junji.
"Yes, General!" Meton said with a dignified expression. He understood that the army was about to encounter the most difficult part of the march, the desert road.
There were no plants, birds, or beasts in the desert. There was also no water source. Moreover, the sand on the ground made the march extremely difficult.
After Xin Yaoer gave the order, he immediately mounted his horse. Before he left, he looked meaningfully at the huge convoy of firearms and said, "I've heard that Merton is best at speed. The four-wheeled carriage was invented by Merton. The four-wheeled carriage from Chang 'an to Luoyang is the best in the world. Even the snowstorm couldn't stop Merton's journey. I hope that Merton can create another miracle in the desert this time. Otherwise, if he is left alone in this dangerous desert, only death will await him."
Meton said faintly, "General Xin doesn't need to worry about that."
Xin Yaoer sneered and urged his horse to leave.
"This person is really despicable!" Xue Rengui said angrily.
Meton waved his hand and said, "He's just a clown, not worth mentioning."
Only then did Xue Rengui let it go. However, when he saw the faintly discernible yellow sand in front of him, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.
It wasn't that Xue Rengui had never seen a desert before. Last time, he had followed Meton into the Vast Sea to pursue Fu Yun. The desert was even wider and larger. However, last time, he had made ample preparations. He had prepared enough water and even rode two horses each.
Cavalry was fast to begin with. Even so, in the end, they still had to spur their horses to drink blood to get out of the desert.
But this time, the Firearms Division was different from the past. The entire army was less than a thousand people, but there were more than two hundred large carriages. It must be known that the larger the carriage, the heavier the load, and the more difficult it was to travel in the desert.
Although the other armies also had carriages, they were few in number. Most of the carriages were carrying tents and provisions, so they had plenty of manpower and horses. In comparison, the firearms division's supply of supplies was a little too heavy.
However, there was no other way. After all, the firearms division used gunpowder, which was naturally not as convenient as the swords and spears of ordinary soldiers. This was also why Xin Yaoer was certain that Mo Jiazi would fall behind in the desert.
Once he fell behind the main army, the consequences would be dire. Especially when there was no water, it would be a fatal crisis.
"An hour has passed. Move out!" Following the order, the army immediately moved out. This time, all of the horses and manpower were concentrated on the supply of supplies. They strived to ensure that the supplies could cross the desert smoothly.
"As expected!" Xin Yaoer watched as the various armies of the Western Punitive Expedition smoothly entered the desert one by one. However, the firearms division was nowhere to be seen.
Soon, the other armies noticed that the firearms division was lagging behind. They couldn't help but frown. The desert wasn't like normal. It was a dangerous place without water or supplies. If the Western Punitive Expedition was delayed by the firearms division, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"General, the firearms division isn't keeping up!" Xin Yaoer reported.
Hou Junji frowned, but he still firmly said, "Ignore the firearms division for now. Full speed ahead!"
Although the firearms division was extremely important to the army, the 100,000 soldiers were even more important. Hou Junji naturally wouldn't care about a small matter like the firearms division being too heavy, not to mention the deep conflict between the two of them.
The army silently moved forward. The soft sand under their feet greatly reduced their marching speed. At this moment, the marching speed of the Western Punitive Expedition was at its lowest. However, everyone was trying their best to believe. They all knew that the only way to survive was to get out of this desert as quickly as possible.
"Whoosh!" Hou Junji rode on his horse. Although the army was moving very slowly, he had already expected this. In addition, most of the carriages used by the army were eight-wheeled carriages with wide tires. Even if they were in the desert, they wouldn't sink too deeply. Of course, their speed would be greatly reduced.
"How far behind is the firearms division now?" Hou Junji asked in a low voice. Although he didn't like Mo Jiazi, the firearms division was still a powerful weapon to defeat Gao Chang. He couldn't sit idly by and watch the firearms division be swallowed up by the desert.
However, Xin Yaoer had a strange expression on his face as he said, "General, yesterday the firearms division was 15 kilometers behind the army. Today, according to the report of the scouts, they are now less than five kilometers behind the army."
Being five kilometers behind the army wasn't enough to be called lagging behind. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that they were keeping up with the army.
Hou Junji raised his eyebrows and looked at Xin Yaoer in disbelief. Yesterday, the firearms division was 15 kilometers behind the army. Today, they were 25 kilometers behind. In addition, the firearms division was carrying heavy supplies. It was strange that Mo Jiazi was able to catch up with the army so quickly.
"Could it be that Mo Jiazi abandoned the heavy supplies and allowed the light cavalry to catch up with the army?" Xin Yaoer guessed. In his opinion, this was the only possibility that could explain how Mo Jiazi was able to catch up 20 kilometers in the desert.
Hou Junji suddenly turned around. Everyone knew that the firearms division's heavy supplies were loaded with gunpowder. If they lost gunpowder, then the army would have to pay a heavy price to defeat Gao Chang.
"Let's go take a look!" Hou Junji waved his hand and led Xin Yaoer straight to the firearms division at the back of the army.
When the two of them arrived at the firearms division, the scene before them immediately stunned them. They saw that the firearms division had already caught up with the army and was following right behind Niu Jinda's army. Moreover, they were fully staffed. Not only were they fully staffed, but the two hundred or so large carriages were also present.
The two of them were shocked. If the firearms division was fully staffed, then there was only one explanation. The firearms division had found a way to march through the desert.
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