Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 251 Desert Grassland
Let's rewind to six months ago.

Eight hundred wolf riders and two thousand loyalist cavalry, under the orders of General Zhang Xian, marched north out of Yinshan Mountain into the desert grasslands to draw up maps.

More than 2,800 riders, scattered across the gray and desolate frontier wilderness, were as insignificant as drops of water in a sea of ​​sand, almost negligible.

The wind is the eternal ruler here, sweeping in unhindered from the far north with its biting chill and dry, dusty smell, whipping up withered grass and broken stems, emitting a howling, ghostly wailing.

The sky was a somber, leaden gray, hanging low as if it might fall at any moment. A few lone eagles circled high above, their sharp eyes looking down at the earth and at this isolated army deep in the barren land.

Lu Bu reined in his neighing red horse, his cloak fluttering in the wind. He squinted, his long, narrow phoenix eyes sweeping over the seemingly timeless land before him.

At the horizon, where heaven and earth meet, there is nothing but desolate mounds of earth, undulating and covered with withered grass, and a deathly silence.

There were no yurts, no cooking smoke, no herds of cattle and sheep, and not even any trace of any living creature running or jumping.

"Damn it!" Lu Bu cursed under his breath, his voice trembling in the wind.

"Even cleaner than Bingbei! You can't even find a ghost in sight!"

Half a step behind him, Yuwen Mowei sat silently on a powerful black-maned horse.

This once-powerful leader of the Yuwen tribe was now wearing Han-style black iron lamellar armor, covered by an ochre battle robe. He did not wear the golden wolf crown symbolizing royal power, but simply tied his hair in a bun.

The weathered lines on his face seemed even deeper, and the arrogance of a steppe overlord in his eyes had been replaced by caution and obedience.

Upon hearing Lü Bu's complaint, Yuwen Mowei did not respond. Instead, he habitually pulled out a heavy brass object from his pocket: a telescope.

This is a divine artifact bestowed upon him by Marquis Zhang Xian of Jinxiang.

The cool brass tube pressed against his palm. He skillfully pulled open the lens, held it up to his eyes, and slowly scanned the distant view as far as Lu Bu could see.

The polished crystal lens brings distant scenes closer and magnifies them.

However, what came into view was still the endless expanse of withered yellow grass, its surface etched with strange patterns by the wind, and the ancient, dry, and cracked riverbed, winding its way into the unseen distance.

The telescope moved slightly, revealing a flock of vultures fighting over something in a low-lying area a few miles away. They were a dark mass, and the white bones were vaguely visible.

Apart from that, the world was completely empty.

There were no tents, no fresh tracks from carts, and no muddy roads trampled by large numbers of livestock.

“Flying General.” Yuwen Mowei put down his telescope, his voice low and hoarse.

"The wind is too strong. You can't stay for even half a day."

He paused, then added, "Wolves and vultures are better at finding living creatures than we are. They are so quiet... there's probably nothing within a hundred miles."

Lu Bu snorted coldly, without turning around, his gaze still fixed on the desolate horizon.

He knew that Yuwen Mowei was telling the truth.

Nearly two months have passed since they left Wuyuan County and ventured north into this grassland beyond the Great Wall.

At first, you might occasionally encounter some pitifully small, scattered herders, or discover some small, abandoned, and dilapidated winter camps.

But the further north you go, the sparser the population becomes, until you reach this utterly desolate wasteland.

Their mission, however, weighed heavily on everyone's shoulders: to draw a map of this frontier region.

It's not about rough directions and distances, but about precisely marking every river, whether rushing or dry, every water source where an army can hide or water its horses, every fertile pasture that could nourish a large tribe, and every mountain pass that could serve as a natural barrier.

This was a military order personally given by Zhang Xian, one that could not be broken. It was the prelude to the future Bingzhou army completely taking control of this grassland and sweeping away all its enemies.

"Empty?" He scoffed.

Even if it means digging three feet into the ground and turning this godforsaken place upside down, I will make sure that the location of every drop of water and every blade of grass is nailed to this map!

His sharp gaze swept over the wolf rider guards standing solemnly behind him: "Send the order! Divide into three teams! Lü Feng, you lead one team of wolf riders to search the left flank in a fan-shaped pattern for thirty miles!"
Wei Xu, you lead a portion of the Guiyi Army to the right! Song Xian, your men follow me and Commandant Yuwen, heading straight north! A new water source marker must be found before sunset! If not, do not light any fires tonight!

"Yes, sir!" Several trusted generals responded with a resounding roar that echoed across the wilderness.

The wolf riders moved with lightning speed and obeyed orders without hesitation. They immediately split into three torrents, their hooves kicking up billowing dust as they swept away in three directions.

When Gao Shun was transferred, his position became vacant. Lü Bu selected a personal guard from the Wolf Cavalry to replace Gao Shun, and that person was Lü Feng.

Yuwen Mowei watched as Lü Bu charged ahead, his back like a dazzling battle flag.

A complex and unfathomable emotion flashed in his eyes—awe, helplessness, and a deep-seated sorrow for this homeland that was about to be completely "nailed" to the map.

He silently put the telescope into his pocket, his rough fingers rubbing the cold copper tube, then suddenly spurred his horse and led Yuwen Pu and his personal guards to closely follow the burning flame.

The black-clad Guiyi Army cavalry followed closely behind like a silent tide, their hoofbeats once again forming a dull thunderclap that swept across the desolate earth.

Time passed slowly amidst the tedious and dangerous exploration.

Soon, the deep winter arrived in the border region.

The sky was no longer leaden gray, but had turned into an intense, impenetrable black.

The gale was no longer a whimper, but had evolved into a violent roar, whipping up snow particles as hard as iron sand and lashing everything in the world with madness.

The temperature plummeted to the point where water would freeze instantly, and the white breath exhaled would immediately condense into a thick layer of frost on the beard, eyebrows, and cheek guards of the helmet.

This is the "White Hair Wind" that terrifies the people of the grasslands.

Lu Bu's red horse puffed out heavy white breath, and every step it took on the thick snow was extremely difficult.

The wolf riders wrapped themselves tightly in specially made windproof robes lined with wool, lowered their heads, and used their bodies to protect their mounts' necks. In the raging blizzard with visibility of less than ten steps, they barely maintained their formation, like a long black dragon struggling in a raging sea.

"Flying General! We can't go any further!"

Yuwen Mowei's voice was interrupted by the howling wind and snow, almost drowned out.

He spurred his horse to squeeze next to Lü Bu, his hair and beard completely white, his voice hoarse: "The snow is too deep! The wind is too strong! The horses can't hold on! We must find a sheltered spot to camp immediately! Otherwise..."

His next words were choked back by an even stronger gust of wind, but his anxious eyes said it all: if they forced their way through, both men and horses would freeze to death on this vast snowfield.

Lu Bu wiped the icy snow off his face, his phoenix eyes bloodshot.

He looked up at the chaotic expanse ahead, seeing nothing but swirling white.

The guide who had accompanied them on the journey was now deathly pale, his eyes filled with fear of the wrath of heaven.

The landmarks they once knew were completely wiped out in this devastating white blizzard.

"Damn this weather!" Lu Bu cursed angrily.

He suddenly raised his hand, stopping the struggling procession.

"Set up camp here! Find a sheltered slope! Establish camp!"

The orders were passed down with difficulty through shouts and gestures.

Setting up camp in this hellish weather is itself a life-or-death struggle.

The heavy felt tent swayed in the gale like a fragile kite, and it took more than a dozen strong men working together to barely secure one corner of it.

Iron nails couldn't be driven into the ground, which was frozen harder than stone. The tent's corners could only be held up by the heavy supply wagons and the bodies of the warhorses.

A campfire? That's a pipe dream.

The few sparks that were lit were instantly extinguished by the gale or smashed out by the violent snowflakes.

The soldiers could only huddle together in the cold tents, shivering from each other's body heat and tightly wrapped fur coats, chewing on frozen, rock-hard jerky and flatbread.

Lu Bu's main tent had managed to hold up, but the gale continued to tear at the curtains, making a chilling "whoosh" sound, as if it might be overturned at any moment. Inside the tent, a few dim windproof tallow lamps were lit, their light flickering violently in the wind.

Yuwen Mowei, Yuwen Pu and his son, as well as several of Lü Bu's core generals, Lü Feng, Wei Xu, and Song Xian, were all crammed together here, their faces pale and their lips purple.

"The map! How's the map?" Lu Bu looked towards the corner.

There, a thin, middle-aged man, dressed in a heavy fur robe and wearing a thick fur hat, was shivering from the cold. He was hunched over and carefully leaning on a makeshift low table.

His name is Xu Yan. He is a surveyor sent by Jinyang and is also the most precious and vulnerable person in this team.

A tough sheepskin, half-dry and half-wet, stretched across a wooden frame, was laid on a low table, with various exquisite tools scattered around it.

Ink line, compass, scale, carving knife, charcoal pencil, and precious pigments wrapped in layers of oil paper.

Xu Yan's fingers were red and swollen from the cold, and he could barely hold the hair-thin engraving needle.

He was intently using the dim light of a small oil lamp to outline the course of a newly discovered river with extremely fine ink lines next to a symbol representing a hill.

Beside the low table, there was a thick stack of already drawn drafts of parchment, marked with various symbols and densely packed small characters.

Upon hearing Lü Bu's question, Xu Yan shuddered violently, nearly dropping the engraving needle in his hand.

He raised his head, his face covered in exhaustion and the bluish-purple bruises of frostbite, his voice trembling: "Reporting to the General... we are... marking the nameless river we discovered at noon today... the course of its tributaries... and its relative position to... and the 'Black Stone Cliff' mountain pass we discovered yesterday... the wind and snow are too heavy, the stars... the stars cannot be observed, we can only... we can only rely on pacing and a compass... the error... the error is... I'm afraid..."

Before he could finish speaking, an unprecedentedly fierce gust of wind slammed into the side of the main tent like a giant hammer!
"Crunch—Bang!"

One of the main poles supporting the tent groaned under the strain, and the leather rope at the connection snapped instantly! The heavy felt tent caved inward abruptly, and a gale, carrying snowflakes as sharp as ice blades, violently poured into the tent!

"Protect the blueprints!"

Xu Yan screamed in terror and instinctively lunged at the sheepskin map manuscript on the low table with his frail body!

However, he was still a fraction too slow.

The small oil lamp that provided the only light source for the drawing was suddenly stretched and twisted by the rush of wind, and then went out with a "poof"! The tent was instantly plunged into darkness, with only the howling of the wind and snow outside.

Even more deadly, the gale whipped up the scattered, unsecured drafts and sheepskins on the low table, sending them fluttering out of the tent like white butterflies!

"My drawing!"

Xu Yan's voice trembled with despair.

In the midst of this critical moment of chaos and darkness, a figure burst forth with astonishing speed! It was Yuwen Pu! The son of the Guiyi Captain, a young warrior of the Yuwen tribe, who was closest to the low table and the tent door.

He didn't hesitate at all, and didn't even care about the drafts that were blown away. Those were his hard work, but the main manuscript was the foundation!

He pounced on his prey like a leopard, crashing headfirst into Xu Yan and the low table with the sheepskin covering the main manuscript!
boom!
The heavy low table was knocked over by his impact, and the inkwell, compass, and paint box on it tipped over and splashed everywhere! Thick black ink splattered all over Xu Yan and himself.

Yuwen Pu didn't care about any of that. He used his broad back to brace against the gaping hole in the tent that was being blown inward by the gale and was about to tear apart. At the same time, he spread his arms and hugged the low table and Xu Yan, who was lying on the low table, tightly with his body, forming a flesh and blood barrier!
"Ugh—!"

The icy wind and snowflakes were like countless tiny knives, viciously cutting into the exposed skin of his neck and arms.

The tattered tent edges, like pieces of iron, tore through his leather robe as he struggled to hold on, instantly creating a bloody gash on his arm! Warm blood gushed out, dripping onto the cold sheepskin, only to be quickly frozen by the chill, blooming into a dazzling dark red ice flower beside the still-dry ink line of the river.

"Pu'er!" Yuwen Mowei was shocked and furious. He drew his curved sword from his waist and tried to rush over.

"Don't move! Block the wind!" Lu Bu's roar was like thunder, instantly drowning out the chaos inside the tent and the howling wind outside.

His tall figure was unusually steady in the darkness. He rushed to the vicinity of the tent entrance, channeled divine power into his arms, and grabbed the broken and swaying tent pole. His muscles bulged, and he managed to stabilize it!
At the same time, kick away the scattered debris on the ground to clear the space.

"Lü Feng! Wei Xu! Hold down the left side! Song Xian, take men to find ropes! Reinforce the structure!" Lü Bu's orders were clear and urgent.

In the darkness and chaos, the soldiers carried out their orders based on instinct and training.

Some people clung tightly to the other swaying tents, while others groped for ropes and tools to reinforce them.

Under Yuwen Pu's protection, Xu Yan disregarded everything and tightly rolled up the blood- and ink-stained parchment, holding it close to his chest as if it were his own life.

The wind and snow howled wildly outside the tent, as if trying to tear this small shelter apart and devour it completely.

Inside the tent, shadows flickered in the dim light of the lamp that had been painstakingly relit. Heavy breathing, shouts to reinforce the tent, and the clattering of objects mingled together.

Yuwen Pu still held on to the breach, his back enduring the ravages of the wind and snow, the wounds on his arms numb in the cold, blood soaking through his sleeves, dripping into the muddy ground at his feet, a mixture of ink and snow.

He gritted his teeth, his young face showing no fear, only an almost stubborn ruthlessness. Protecting this map was a military order! It was also their only bargaining chip in front of the new master of Bingzhou!
After an unknown amount of time, the gale seemed to have finally exhausted some of its strength, and its howling subsided somewhat.

With everyone's best efforts in reinforcing it, the main tent finally stabilized and was no longer in danger of being torn apart.

The few oil lamps that were relit cast a dim yellow light across the tent, illuminating the mess on the ground: overturned tools, spilled ink, scattered charcoal pencils, congealed bloodstains, and mud.

Lu Bu loosened his grip on the tent pole, his palms scratched by rough wooden splinters, and blood seeped out.

He didn't even look at it; his gaze immediately fell on the corner.

Yuwen Pu loosened his arms as if exhausted, his body swayed, and he was caught by Yuwen Mowei who rushed forward.

The young man's face was as pale as paper, his lips were frozen purple, and although the wound on his arm was no longer bleeding heavily, the exposed flesh had a horribly bluish-white color in the cold. His fur coat was torn, revealing the frozen red skin underneath.

Ink and blood mixed with snow water, congealing into a murky icy shell on his face and body.

"Apu! How are you?"

Yuwen Mowei's voice trembled as he quickly tore off a relatively clean strip of cloth from his inner robe and tightly tied it above the wound on his son's arm to stop the bleeding.

Yuwen Pu, panting heavily, shook his head, but his gaze was anxious as he looked at the parchment scroll that Xu Yan was holding tightly in his arms: "Is the...is the scroll alright?"

Xu Yan, still shaken, carefully unfolded the sheepskin scroll on the low table with trembling hands.

Under the dim light, the surface of the sheepskin was stained with a few ink stains and a few congealed dark red bloodstains, but the main part, especially the newly drawn tributary of the river, had clear lines and was not damaged.

"Thank goodness... thank goodness..." Xu Yan's voice was choked with the emotion of surviving a disaster, his fingers tracing the winding ink line on the sheepskin.

"Young General Yuwen...you are so righteous! If it weren't for the young general..."

Lu Bu strode over, his tall figure exuding a strong sense of oppression.

He looked down at the blood-stained map, then looked up at Yuwen Pu, who was being supported by his father and looked utterly disheveled.

The usual arrogance and coldness in his phoenix eyes seemed to melt away for a moment, revealing a hint of appreciation.

He untied the wine pouch from his waist.

Pulling out the cork, a strong and mellow aroma of wine instantly dispelled the cold stench of blood and ink in the tent.

This is Jinyang liquor brewed in Bingzhou workshops. It is extremely strong and feels like a knife when it goes down your throat.

Lu Bu did not drink it himself, but instead handed the wine bag directly to Yuwen Pu.

"Boy," Lu Bu's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a hint of praise, "You've got guts!"

Yuwen Pu was stunned for a moment, looking at the wine flask in front of him, and then at his father.

Yuwen Mowei's eyes churned with emotions, which ultimately culminated in an almost inaudible sigh as he nodded slightly.

Yuwen Pu stretched out his uninjured hand, trembling slightly, and took the heavy wine sac. He tilted his head back and took a big gulp!

"Cough! Cough cough cough!" The spicy and scalding liquid rushed into his throat like a fuse, instantly igniting his internal organs, dispelling the biting cold, and also causing him to cough violently.

"Hahaha!"

Lu Bu let out a hearty laugh and patted Yuwen Pu on the shoulder: "Good! You're a real man! Drink this wine, and from now on you're my sworn brother!"

(End of this chapter)