The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 707 Thousands of miles of attack
When snow falls on an endless desert, it is an absolute spectacle, but for people trekking through the desert, it is deadly, not only because of the unbearable cold, but also because it is very easy to lose one's way.

That's right, the five hundred cavalrymen led by Man Gui and Tie Niu got lost in the desert known as the "Sea of ​​Death"!

A night of wind and snow erased all traces on the ground, leaving only a vast expanse of white as far as the eye could see. With no reference points, everything looked the same, making it impossible to distinguish east from west or north from south.

Losing one's way in the desert is undoubtedly extremely dangerous, especially in such snowy weather, where it is almost synonymous with death.

Although the snow had stopped, the north wind was still raging. People and livestock huddled together in a circle, with camels and horses on the outermost edge, while everyone else squeezed into the inner circle to keep warm and protect themselves from the wind and cold. This is how Man Gui and the others survived the night. But if the bad weather continued, many people would probably freeze to death.

Fortunately, the wind subsided and the sky cleared. The long-awaited sunshine pierced through the clouds, showering warmth upon the soldiers, and everyone breathed a long sigh of relief.

Xue Pan stood up from the crowd, still dressed like a street vendor, his face weathered and with two snot dripping from his nose.

"This is fucking unbelievable! The first snow of the year fell in early September!" Xue Pan sniffed and cursed.

Tie Niu, standing nearby, asked in a low voice, "Grandpa Pan, do you still know the way?"

Xue Pan is now using the alias Pan Lixue, and it's not wrong for Tie Niu to call him Uncle Pan.

Xue Pan tightened his fur coat, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and hunched over like a ball. He shook his head and said, "How could I recognize it? Let's wait until the snow melts."

Tie Niu and Man Gui exchanged a helpless glance and had no choice but to tell their brothers to stretch out and eat some dry rations to stave off hunger.

Ten days ago, Tie Niu and Man Gui, under the orders of Jia Huan, led five hundred cavalrymen away from Hami City. Ostensibly, they were going back to Jiayuguan to escort grain supplies, but in reality, they planned to launch a surprise attack on Liucheng and cut off the supply lines of the Turpan army.

To avoid detection, Tie Niu and Man Gui led 500 cavalrymen eastward back to the vicinity of Jiayuguan to replenish their food and water supplies. They then turned southwest, passing through Dunhuang and Yumenguan, and traversed the desert to directly attack Liucheng. Because it was a light cavalry raid, they had not brought tents or other tools for protection from the cold and wind. Unexpectedly, they encountered this sudden early snow and almost did not survive.

Because Xue Pan had been to Turpan before and had frequently traveled to the Western Regions to purchase jade in recent years, he volunteered to be Jia Huan's guide. In the past, Jia Huan would never have trusted Xue Pan, but this unreliable brother-in-law was now clearly much more reliable, so he agreed, partly out of affection for him.

If Xue Pan performs a meritorious service this time, it may be possible to plead for his leniency in the future. If Xue Pan is exonerated, then Baochai and Aunt Xue can naturally be removed from their status as entertainers and restored to normal life.

Getting back to the main point, fortunately, the snowfall last night wasn't heavy. There was only a thin layer of snow on the ground, and as soon as the sun came out, the snow quickly melted away. Xue Pan re-identified the direction and led everyone to continue their journey.

They traveled for two more days, and the water and food they had brought were almost used up, but they still hadn't seen any sign of Liucheng. At this point, Man Gui and Tie Niu became anxious, and the former even felt like strangling Xue Pan.

"Don't worry, Master Man, trust me. Liucheng is just ahead, at most half a day... no, at most a day's journey!" Xue Pan wiped away cold sweat, his eyes glazed over, clearly lacking confidence.

Tie Niu, however, knew Xue Pan's past and background. Seeing this, he couldn't help but think to himself, "Oh no, it seems that even Master Pan himself can't remember the way. This time, Third Master may have entrusted the wrong person."

Man Gui was unaware of Xue Pan's true identity. He was furious and grabbed Xue Pan by the collar, asking fiercely, "You son of a bitch, is it half a day or a whole day?"

Xue Pan said awkwardly, "One...one day!"

"Damn it, I'll trust you one more time. If we're still not in Liucheng by this time tomorrow, I'll snap your neck! Listen up, I'm not kidding, this concerns the lives of five hundred brothers!" Man Gui glared, his eyes like a furious Vajra, and the brothers behind him also looked hostile.

Xue Pan was nearly scared to death, and repeatedly assured everyone, "Don't worry, everyone, I'll definitely get there. I wouldn't risk my life like that. What would I be doing risking my life all this way? What would I be doing that for?"

Man Gui then loosened Xue Pan's collar, allowing him to continue leading the way.

Xue Pan straightened his greasy felt hat and continued on his way with trepidation. After walking for a little over an hour, an oasis appeared in the vast sea of ​​sand.

Xue Pan was taken aback for a moment, then overjoyed, and pointed, saying, "We've arrived! We've arrived at Liucheng! Haha, I didn't lie to you, did I?"

All the soldiers were overjoyed. Man Gui shaded his eyes with his hand and looked out, asking in confusion, "Is that really Liucheng? Why can't we see the city walls?"

Xue Pan said smugly, "Master Man, you don't know this. This Liucheng was built during the Tang Dynasty and has long been destroyed. Later generations did not rebuild it. Now only some earthen mounds remain. People in the Western Regions do not like to build cities. They only live in yurts and tents. Where would a city come from?"

Man Gui suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. Hehe, old Pan, you've done a great job this time. I'll definitely reward you handsomely later." Xue Pan rolled his eyes, "Tch, old my ass! I'm only in my early twenties. And even if there's a reward, it'll be my brother-in-law. Why would I need you, Man Gui?"

It has to be said that Xue Pan is really lucky. The oasis in front of him is indeed Liucheng, which is more than 600 miles west of Hami. It is the only way to the Turpan Basin and also the place where Amahei stores his logistical supplies. At present, it is guarded by only 1,000 soldiers.

The desert was open and exposed, so Man Gui and his men were quickly spotted by the local garrison. A cavalry force of 500 men suddenly appeared nearby without any warning, and the garrison was obviously stunned. It wasn't until Man Gui ordered them to raise their flags and charge that the garrison reacted and hastily formed ranks to meet the enemy.

"Brothers, kill! Make a name for yourselves, establish your families, and bring honor to your wives and children today!" Man Gui pointed his long sword, his killing intent instantly reaching its maximum.

"Kill!" The five hundred cavalrymen drew their sabers in unison, spurred their horses, and charged straight toward the oasis like lightning. Their hooves shook the ground, and the sharp glint of their sabers seemed to cleave the oncoming northwest wind.

—Boom!
Five hundred cavalrymen broke into the oasis with unstoppable momentum, shattering the hastily formed formation of the defenders in the blink of an eye. Where swords flashed, blood stained the sky, and screams pierced the heavens. The slaughter left corpses strewn across the field, and blood flowed like rivers...

The battle ended in just half an hour, as easily as a whirlwind. A thousand defenders of Turpan were either killed or fled, leaving behind only severed limbs and piles of food and supplies.

Man Gui, caught up in the killing frenzy, left behind some supplies for his own use, and burned the rest to the ground, the flames soaring into the sky and turning half the heavens red.

"Hahaha, that's exhilarating, that's exhilarating!" Man Gui looked at the raging fire and couldn't help but laugh heartily. The soldiers, with their long swords in hand, were equally spirited. This long and arduous raid had been a success, and this battle was destined to be recorded in history.

"Old Pan, come here for a second!" Man Gui waved to Xue Pan, who was gesturing wildly.

"Call me Uncle Pan, or Brother Pan, it's fine too. I'm only in my twenties, not that old!" Emboldened by his victory, Xue Pan became quite arrogant.

Man Gui laughed heartily and said, "Alright, Uncle Pan, do you know how far Huozhou is from here?"

Xue Pan was taken aback for a moment, then shrank back and said in surprise, "Master Man, you don't mean to take down Huozhou as well, do you?"

Man Gui chuckled and said, "Never mind that, just tell me how far Huozhou is from here?"

"About 150 li."

Man Gui's eyes lit up and he said, "It's only 150 li, the cavalry can get there in half a day."

Xue Pan shook his head and said, "Although it's not far, Huozhou is not far from Turpan either. If we attack Huozhou, regardless of whether we can take it or not, even if we can, we won't have time to retreat. If we get entangled with the Turpan cavalry, then we're finished."

Tie Niu warned in a low voice, "Man Gui, Uncle Pan is right. Don't be greedy for credit and act rashly. Third Master only ordered us to launch a surprise attack on Liucheng, not to attack Huozhou."

Man Gui licked his lips and said, "Since we're already here, let's give it a try. Don't worry, Master Niu, if things don't work out, we'll retreat immediately without delay!"

Without waiting for Tie Niu's persuasion, Man Gui immediately ordered the troops to set off. The generals were in high spirits, and everyone rushed to be the first to follow Man Gui's command. Tie Niu had no choice but to spur his horse and keep up.

This time it wasn't a sneak attack, but an open assault, so the five hundred cavalrymen charged freely, encountering many fleeing soldiers from Turpan who were escaping from Liucheng along the way, and easily dealt with them.

They only rested twice along the way, and finally arrived in Huozhou in the middle of the night.

Huozhou is located at the eastern end of the entrance to the Turpan Basin. There is a mountain here, which is the Flaming Mountain described in "Journey to the West". Huozhou is located on the eastern side of the Flaming Mountain, hence the name Huozhou. However, it is an oasis, which is rich in grapes and melons.

There were two thousand Turpan garrison troops stationed here, twice as many as in Liucheng. However, as the saying goes, a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. Man Gui was full of courage. Without thinking twice, he led his cavalry directly into the enemy camp and started a chaotic slaughter.

Huozhou also had no city walls. The garrison here never dreamed that they would be so deep in Turpan territory when a Jin cavalry suddenly appeared. In addition, it was dark and they were immediately stunned. They did not know how many enemies were coming, so they were inevitably afraid. Therefore, they only resisted for a short while before they scattered and fled for their lives.

Man Gui, seeing that he had the upper hand, decided to quit while he was ahead. He set fire to the enemy camp's supplies and then ran away. When the Turpan general realized that the enemy only had a few hundred cavalry, he immediately ordered a pursuit. Unfortunately, it was too late. The Jin army had already disappeared. So he could only look at the burned warehouse and jump up and down in anger.

(End of this chapter)