Meton suddenly mounted his horse and shouted, "Pay attention to adjusting the direction."
"Roger!" Xue Rengui shouted. One after another, grenades exploded not far away from the leader of the gazelles. The loud noises constantly stimulated the flock of gazelles to run. At the same time, the direction of the entire flock of gazelles was constantly adjusted by the soldiers of the Firearms Supervisor. They quickly ran towards the ambush circle of the Tang army.
"We're here!"
Meton saw the small hill in front of him and breathed a sigh of relief. Behind the small hill, the Tang Army had already set up a trap. This time, the Mongolian sheep would definitely not be able to escape. With this batch of Mongolian sheep army's provisions, the pressure on them could be relieved.
"Shoot!" A loud shout came from behind the hill.
Suddenly, a large black rain of arrows shot toward the galloping Mongolian sheep. In an instant, a large number of Mongolian sheep fell down, and the whole herd of Mongolian sheep panicked.
However, this was not the end. Wave after wave of arrows were shot mercilessly. The arrows that were originally prepared for the enemy were used without reservation this time.
The whole herd of Mongolian sheep wanted to turn around, but it was too late. Soon, a group of cavalry surrounded them. Only a small part of the whole herd of Mongolian sheep was lucky enough not to enter the encirclement. The rest of the Mongolian sheep were wiped out and were destined to become food for the army.
On a hill, Li Jing watched the whole process of the Mongolian sheep being destroyed in front of him. He could not help but be moved and said, "The herd effect is actually so terrifying."
Thinking about it carefully, he was also the leader at the front. One mistake would probably cause the army to fall into eternal damnation.
…
Just when the North Army finally had a chance to eat, the South Army led by Hou Junji encountered the most severe test.
Altitude sickness!
Tuyuhun's terrain was higher in the south and lower in the north. The higher the terrain, the stronger the altitude sickness. In order to pursue the Tuyuhun as quickly as possible, Hou Junji marched toward the south at full speed. In the end, it led to serious consequences. Many Tang Army soldiers had severe altitude sickness. They had a splitting headache and their combat effectiveness was greatly reduced.
"General Hou! We can't go any higher. Thirty percent of our soldiers are suffering from altitude sickness. If we encounter the Tuyuhun, we won't be able to fight, "Li Daozong said anxiously.
Hou Junji's face darkened. He was no stranger to altitude sickness. A year ago, Mo Jiazi had mentioned that altitude sickness was caused by the high altitude and thin air. Therefore, the army was not afraid of altitude sickness.
Hou Junji took a few deep breaths and said, "It's said that roseroot has some effect on altitude sickness. Have the soldiers taken it before?"
Li Daozong smiled bitterly, "Before we left, the disciples of the School of Medicine had already given roseroot to the soldiers. However, the effects were not obvious."
According to the previous prediction, the proportion of people suffering from altitude sickness was 70%. Now, it was only 30%. Although taking roseroot was effective, it was barely satisfactory.
"Military orders must be obeyed. The army cannot stop." Hou Junji shook his head.
Li Daozong frowned and said, "But many of the soldiers can't hold on anymore."
These soldiers were all men of the Great Tang, and they were fearless even in the face of a powerful enemy. But right now, altitude sickness was making them suffer unspeakably.
Hou Junji nodded and said with a serious face, "It seems that we can only divide our forces."
Li Daozong frowned and looked at Hou Junji in disbelief. Their South Army did not have many soldiers. If they were to divide their forces, it would seem that they were weak.
"According to the Mo Family's son, although there is no cure for altitude sickness, it only takes three to ten days to recover without medication. I will lead the normal soldiers to continue marching to higher altitude. You will lead the soldiers suffering from altitude sickness to lower altitude. After ten days, when the soldiers have recovered from altitude sickness, the two armies will meet again. "Hou Junji explained.
"It seems that this is the only way." Li Daozong looked at the weak soldiers and said.
Soon, the South Army split up again and went west. Fortunately, there were no Tuyuhun cavalry along the way. It was not until ten days later that the two armies met again.
"Phew!"
Li Daozong and Hou Junji breathed a sigh of relief. The altitude sickness was finally over.
However, what they did not expect was that altitude sickness was only an appetizer for them. The real difficulty had just arrived.
Night fell. On the first night after the South Army met, the army set up camp on the vast grassland. The land quickly fell into silence.
"It's so cold!" A patrolling soldier suddenly shivered and involuntarily shrunk the unlined clothing on his body.
Almost at the same time, all the soldiers of the South Army woke up from the cold. The entire camp of the South Army began to boil.
Hou Junji put on an unlined clothing and suddenly opened the tent. He looked at the white patch of grass in front of the tent in disbelief.
"It's snowing!" Hou Junji said with a face full of shock. It was the middle of May. It was summer in Chang 'an City. Wearing an unlined clothing would make one sweat. However, in the southern part of Tuyuhun, it was snowing in summer.
"General Hou, our army is only wearing an unlined clothing. This damn weather is freezing. I'm afraid the soldiers can't bear it!" Li Daozong said worriedly.
Almost all the soldiers in the army were wearing an unlined clothing. They could not resist the cold at all. If this continued, the Tang Army would suffer casualties even before the war.
Hou Junji's face was solemn. Suddenly, he looked up at the bright moonlight in the sky and had an idea. He said, "Pass down the order. Immediately break camp and march."
Li Daozong was puzzled. "But our soldiers haven't rested yet."
"It's freezing now. Even if we stop for a night, the soldiers won't be able to sleep. From now on, our army will rest during the day and march at night," Hou Junji said firmly.
On the plateau, the temperature difference between day and night was huge. The temperature at night was too low. If they marched at night, the soldiers and horses would keep moving. At least they could resist the cold. If they rested at night, many soldiers would freeze to death or get frostbite in their sleep. Although the temperature during the day was much lower than on the plains, it was enough for the soldiers to sleep peacefully.
"I'm afraid that's the only way." Li Daozong sighed.
"This is just a temporary measure. When our South Army catches up with the remaining tribes of Tuyuhun, we will definitely be able to seize their supplies. At that time, our army will naturally not have to suffer the cold." Hou Junji comforted.
He never thought that he was so eager to catch up with the Tuyuhun. The most important thing was to get something to keep the soldiers warm.
Soon, the army immediately broke camp and marched through the night under the moonlight. When the sun rose during the day, they would set up camp and rest. At the same time, the Tang Army's scouts directly spread out hundreds of miles and began to frantically search for traces of the Tuyuhun tribe.
However, to their disappointment, they did not see a single person after chasing for more than two thousand miles. The army traveled on the deserted plateau. At night, they marched against the bone-chilling wind. During the day, they took advantage of the warm weather to rest.
The entire army was like a ghost in the wilderness, wandering aimlessly. At the most difficult time, the army lacked water and grass. The soldiers were covered in ice and the horses were covered in snow. It was extremely tragic.
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