Father can be an enemy to the country

In the vast Gobi desert, a large army is moving forward with difficulty. This is the expeditionary army led by Lan Yu.

Among the two guards at the rear, one is the Liaoyang Guards led by Ping An, and the other is the Yanshan Left Guards led by Zhang Yu.

The two cavalry guards advanced in a flying geese formation according to the rules of the rear, in order to provide as much protection as possible to the army in front of them.

On the left wing of the Yanxing Formation, Zhang Yu was walking side by side with a sergeant in ordinary clothes. What was strange was that Zhang Yu, the commander of the Yanshan left guard, was slightly behind the ordinary soldier on horseback. He was still slightly leaning forward when speaking, completely The attitude of a subordinate towards a superior.

But none of the surrounding soldiers found it strange, because the black-faced sergeant was actually His Highness the King of Yan whom they were loyal to...

"You think the sixth man should know the truth by now, right?" Zhu Di fanned the wind with his Mongolian hat. Although it was already mid-August, the Gobi Desert was still unbearably hot under the scorching sun.

"It's been half a month, and I probably know it." Zhang Yu smiled bitterly and said, "I don't know if Brother Qiu Fu can withstand the anger of the Sixth Prince."

"As long as he gives the letter to Lao Liu, it shouldn't be a big problem... right?" Zhu Di himself was a little unsure. He knew that Lao Liu had the deepest relationship with him, so he would definitely find ways to help him get through it.

But he also knew that what he had committed this time was a bit big - he had a heavy responsibility but he left his post without permission, and even sneaked into the army and went to the front line. If this goes wrong, the consequences will be disastrous.

It is estimated that after he returns, his skin will be peeled off by his father.

"It's hard to say." Zhang Yu is a person who never says anything against his will. Even to his own prince, he told the truth: "This matter cannot be passed lightly. Neither the prince nor the ministers can escape."

"Hahaha!" Zhu Di said calmly, "It doesn't matter. What I was most worried about was that Lao Liu suddenly sent people to catch up and take me back. That would really cost my wife and my troops."

"The people from Lao Liu haven't come yet, so they probably won't come." He smiled happily and said, "My Lao Liu has really not changed. He is still the most emotional person and will not embarrass his fourth brother like that. ”

"Yes." Zhang Yu nodded and said, "The prince should also cause less trouble to the Sixth Prince."

"Hey, you Zhang Yu, you never know how to speak politely." Zhu Di rolled his eyes at him and said seriously: "Don't worry, I am not the kind of person who is impulsive and reckless. I thought it through before setting off. First of all, Lao Liuhao If he doesn't know it, he will definitely not be punished, and my father will not be willing to punish him. "

"Besides, Lao Liu is not willing to punish me. Only my father would. But my father pays most attention to military achievements." Zhu Di said firmly: "As long as we can make great achievements this time and go back, we will not report any unauthorized actions or not." But no matter what, it can all be written off in one fell swoop!

"Indeed." Zhang Yu nodded, thinking that the emperor's son was so willful. But I don’t even think about it, if he has some shortcomings, what will we do?

With such a weird owner at the stall, what else can I do but let it go?

After gathering his composure, Zhang Yu asked for instructions: "Is it okay for me to talk to General Lan and the others now?"

"No." Zhu Di shook his head decisively and said: "Lanyu and I don't want to deal with each other. If he knows that I am here, he will definitely send me back by force. Even if he doesn't send me back, Yanshan Left Guard will have to step aside. ”

Zhang Yuxin said that he just didn’t know you were there, so we had to stand aside. Then he suggested: "Then at least I know that I will be the King of Jin? Otherwise it would be too irresponsible."

"If the third child knows, he won't know how to tease me!" Zhu Di shook his head at first, but after thinking about it, he nodded and said: "In a few days, just tell him quietly so that he has an idea."

"Oh, okay." Zhang Yu nodded and asked, "When is the specific day?"

"Let's wait until we get out of the desert." Zhu Di looked at the endless gravel in front of him and felt waves of heat, but he resisted not touching the water bag hanging on the horse's back.

Because they had not found a water source for two days, only this little life-saving fresh water was left.

"Do you feel something is wrong?" Zhu Di asked Zhang Yudao.

"Yes." Zhang Yu nodded and said, "I feel like we are a little unprepared. It is said that you can bring less dry food in the desert, but you must bring more water bags. When passing by water sources, fill them with water as much as possible. But we didn't do it specially. Be prepared, the water will be cut off in one day.”

"I don't know what happened to Lan Yu?!" Zhu Di cursed bitterly. But before revealing his identity, he could only complain a few words, which was of no use...

~~

At this time, the expedition army had entered the Gobi Desert for several days.

They set off from Gyeongju, bypassed the foothills of Qingyun Mountain and headed north for a few days. The endless green grassland in front of them was gradually replaced by gray-white gravel, and the vegetation became sparser and sparse. Only some drought-resistant shrubs and tamarisk trees remained. Clusters in the east and west are growing tenaciously.

Therefore, the horses spent more and more time looking for food every day, and their marching speed also dropped again and again. They could not cover fifty miles in a day.

"What's going on?!" Lan Yu was also confused. Guantong, who was asked to lead the way, asked, "Didn't you say there was no shortage of water along the way? Why can't I see a water source after walking for so long?"

Guantong licked his chapped lips and said, "I'm also confused. It is said that this Gobi desert is not short of water. Walking north along the South Wandering Soul Road, there are many small lakes, puddles and sand springs scattered along the road. Why didn’t I see any water source?”

After a pause, he asked: "General, are you sure we should keep going due north?"

"Is there any truth?" Lan Yu took out his compass and showed it to Guantong: "Here, true north!"

"That's strange." Guantong said puzzledly: "Why do I always feel that we are walking northwest?"

"Put me down, can your feelings be as accurate as a compass?" Lan Yu said disapprovingly.

"General, I feel the same way." At this time, Liu Xiang, who was accompanying the army, also spoke. He pointed to the shadow on the ground and said, "How about we measure it?"

Liu Xiang was the first scientific scholar in the eighteenth year of Hongwu. After that, he joined the Ministry of War and served as the chief of the Staff Department. The Ministry of War is in charge of maps, patrols and drills, and when it goes out with the army, it provides rewards and punishments, adjusts soldiers' food, and records their merits and demerits... It is the Ministry of War that supervises the army as mentioned before.

It is said that Lan Yu hates the supervisor, but Liu Xiang is different. He is Zhu Zhen's brother-in-law, and he has real talents and learning, so Lan Yu always keeps him by his side and values ​​his words very much.

"Yes." Lan Yu nodded. In fact, he was also muttering in his heart, but the compass never missed, so he always thought that his feeling was wrong.

So Liu Xiang found a wooden stick more than three feet long and inserted it vertically into the ground. Under the sunlight, the stick cast a long shadow on the ground. Then he placed a stone at the end of the shadow.

After everyone waited for a while, they saw the shadow of the sun gradually moving westward, and Liu Xiang marked the end of the nearest shadow with a stone.

Then he stepped on the first stone with his left foot and the second stone with his right foot. The direction he was facing at this time was true north.

Look at the pointer on the north compass again, but it is slightly tilted to the west by nearly ten degrees...