Between the quiet night and the vast distant mountains, a red crescent moon hung high, staring at the desolate place beneath her feet. The howling west wind made the desert feel even more desolate and desolate. The surroundings were vast and deserted, and only the lonely sandstone was staring coldly at the guests who broke into this place.

Yang Feng's two hundred riders passed by this place and chose a leeward-backed sand dune as the camp. The dismounted cavalry moved tents, cooking utensils and other items from the belated camels and pack horses who followed them, and collected them. They found firewood and water and began to set up camp tents and cook.

The horse tightened the leather robe on its body. The desert during the day and at night were completely different places. The desert during the day was a furnace that could dry people, but at night, it turned into a cold snow, water and firewood, which were always the most urgent things for people passing through this place.

He slowly moved his body to the bonfire, and his eyes looked around. The desert in the distance completely changed into the daytime appearance under the moonlight. Some were as horizontal as the realm, while others were sparkling, making people feel an illusion out of thin air, as if the clear pools were close to people.

The scattered sea buckthorn and red willows grew on these pools, and in the dark, they looked like strange monsters. A cold night wind blew, and they made strange and terrifying screams.

Yang Feng was standing by a bonfire and shouting loudly. He seemed to be familiar with this strange place. However, after entering the desert, the leader who was determined to be stubborn became extremely irritable. He had to argue with the guide who guided the way and the soldiers who were watching over the animals every day.

After the quarrel, Yang Feng's face turned red and his spirits were pretty good. He took a slow step and came to the campfire of the horse, and sat carelessly opposite the horse.

The horse didn't care, so he pulled out the sword from his waist, and lowered his head to rub the clear flowing water marks on the sword's body by the bonfire.

Yang Feng also did not speak, and soon the soldiers brought the steaming food over. Without opening, they took one serving each and started eating it in big mouthfuls by the bonfire.

The horse ate very quickly. When he swallowed the food completely into his stomach, Yang Feng, who had become slow at this moment, had not finished eating it yet. Yang Feng suddenly raised his head, grinned, and smiled.

"Do you want to have wine?"

The horse was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

Wine is a symbol of status and privilege in Sanhe, Guanzhong, and even in the army that went on the expedition. Each cavalry was assigned a bag of wine before leaving, but on the way, most of them had already drunk it.

For soldiers who need to use alcohol to numb or stimulate their nerves from time to time, their own heads are not on their belts. Instead of hiding and siping wine, it is better to have a good time to drink in front of fear and loneliness.

Only Yang Feng, the leader, has more wine. He can reward a soldier who has made meritorious service at any time, or use it to inspire morale, so that the soldiers who have gone deep into the army can temporarily forget many bad things.

Yang Feng reached out and took off his wine bag and threw it at the horse. After the horse caught it, he pulled out the wine plug and sipped it into his mouth. The pleasure of the smell of the strong wine blooming in his own taste buds made the horse shout.

"Good wine!"

Yang Feng smiled and said

"There is also good news. I will be able to walk out of this ghost place tomorrow and enter the grasslands of the former Zhangye vassal state."

"You're familiar with this place?"

"Yes, this area extends all the way to Juyanze in the northwest. They are all places under the rule of Jiuquan, Zhangye and Juyan, which were established by the Han court before. However, later the Qiang Rebellion broke out, and even Liangzhou was almost abandoned. These vassal states naturally gradually broke out of control and became the horse herdsland of various Qiang and Hu tribes."

"As for those abandoned military farms, they were slowly abandoned, and later they became what they are now."

Yang Feng pointed to the sand at his feet and continued

"I went to those places when I was a kid. As for this place, I was after taking people to pretend to be a merchant and secretly stealing a group of horses from the Qianghu tribe, and was chased by the Qianghu people. I was in a panic and accidentally broke into this ghost place."

Recalling the past years of traveling in Hexi, Yang Feng smiled, but soon became dim again.

"In this ghost place, we quickly got rid of the Qianghu people chasing. But we didn't know that if we didn't lead the way, no matter the Qianghu people or the Rangers, we would not be able to escape death."

"At that time, horses fell to death every day, and those under my command also died and fled. In order to survive, they could only eat horse meat that smelled like maggots and drink bitter and astringent urine. Later, after I escaped by chance, I sweared that I would never come back to this ghost place in my life, but I didn't expect that I would still come back with my men after all."

When Yang Feng heard these old stories, although Ma just listened quietly and said nothing, he was still intoxicated by Yang Feng's sad story.

They are all cold people who lick blood from the knife, but they have completely different life experiences. Ma's memory since childhood was born in the military camp of the horns and Diao Dou Senming. He met many people, but they were simply branded enemies or their own people, so that Ma could no longer remember how his hands were covered with blood.

Compared to Yang Feng, who is both good and evil, and is difficult to distinguish between good and evil, everything in his past seems so thin and blank.

"You have something to say?"

Yang Feng looked at the horse and suddenly asked.

Ma lowered his head when he heard this and put his sword into the sheath again.

"If you want to ask, ask whatever you want. I have said a long time ago that when you enter this desert, there will be no generals and soldiers, only a group of ordinary people who rely on each other and want to survive. In fact, it is like the wind and sand. You will leave when you come and leave, and you will never leave any trace. If you don't ask, it will be my turn to ask."

Ma Moran and Yang Feng were actually right. The desert that devoured the world forced everyone to stay here to stay close together and survive by relying on the power of the group. The endless loneliness forced everyone to open their hearts and try their best to believe everyone around them.

"Why do you need to use danger? A general, a noble in marriage, but he just wants to rely on his own? Although they didn't say it, from the beginning of entering the desert, I'm afraid that in my heart, General Gan was right!"

The horse did not look up, but still expressed his thoughts.

Yang Feng smiled and said

"There are no such things that are right or wrong when using life. If you win and survive on the battlefield, it is right. If you use it steadily, then we don't need to travel through the quicksand here. They may feel that I was deliberately fighting for military power with Duan Zhongming and Gan Shusheng, but in my opinion, this is just an ordinary person fighting against his own life."

"I have fought many battles with General Cavalry and others. The enemy has changed one after another. Bai Bo, Song Yi, Wang Yi, Zhang Yang, Yuan Shao, Hebei, Shanyu, Li Jue and Guo Si, Han Sui, and your Ma family army, plus the troops of Yongliang, this battle in Guanxi is about to be completed, and the land of Hexi is the place I am most familiar with. If I don't come this time, I will probably be like this in my life."

"With the relationship between Sanhe and Hebei, the war will come sooner or later. Once the war in Kanto begins, it will not be able to be fought in three or two years. The plan to collect Cao Yuan, who is in Bingzhou, Xu Huang, who guards Hanoi for many years, Zhai Hao, who is good at using cavalry, and Tuo Yi, who is familiar with the enemy situation, are all watching, and there will be no more wars in Guanxi, do you understand?"

Yang Feng kept silent about his in-laws and nobles, nor did he talk about his newlywed wife. Ma seemed not aware of this and was immersed in the future outlined by Yang Feng, and Yang Feng had already looked at Ma and said.

"Okay, now it's my turn to ask."

Ma nodded silently and drank the wine on hand.

"I'm actually very curious, why did you follow me this trip? You didn't use it. Just like the Tuo brothers, staying in Zhaowu City to lead troops, it seems that you can make a considerable contribution."

When Yang Feng asked about this, although Ma did not speak, his face still unconsciously felt a look of pain.

Words such as "a defeated general" and "a disobedient son" appear in his heart. He has lost the army of the Ma family and his father's trust. He is like a person whose past honor has been erased. He does not have the Tu family behind him like the Tu brothers, and there is also the elders of their families who can rely on. All he can rely on is his intuition and the sword in his hand.

"Does anyone like me still have to choose?"

Ma smiled dismally and said to Yang Feng, his eyes filled with pain.

Yang Feng nodded and said

"It's you again!"

Ma originally didn't want to ask again, but after thinking about something hidden in his heart, he suddenly took a sip of wine, looked at Yang Feng, and asked out loud.

"What kind of person is General Husband?"

"What do you think?"

Yang Feng asked back with a curl of his mouth.

"I heard that he was once a brave general with the highest level of the three armies, but I have never seen him take action; they said he was an ever-winning general who used wars like a god, but I have seen the Huaili Battle. I wonder what would the battle be like if Han Sui's left wing had not suddenly collapsed that time?"

Yang Feng narrowed his eyes.

"He never charged in person, but Dian Wei, Bao Chu and other fierce generals loyally served him; he may not be the best person to fight, but those enemy generals who have been through the battlefield eventually fell at his feet; Hedong was never the largest force, but he still annexed Guanzhong, Longyou, and Hexi places."

"The people who fear him are still alive, but many of them who fight him have fallen down. So, who is he? Is it still important?"

After Yang Feng finished speaking, he staggered up and stretched his body, as if he was tired. He stopped talking to the horse, but turned around and walked towards his tent.

Ma, who did not get the expected answer, was stunned for a moment and took his eyes back from Yang Feng's departure. He looked at the fire and wanted to fill himself with another sip of strong wine, but the wine bag that was close to his mouth did not flow out of the wine.

Before he knew it, the wine bag in his hand was empty.
Chapter completed!