Looking at the walking track, they were not heading north in a straight line, but in a large circle heading east.
He looked up at Matthew who was walking ahead.
Under the golden fingers, the color of the guide's body is emerald green.
It seemed that he was just following the road signs he had followed and was not deliberately going in circles.
Ren Ning ignored it.
The team traveled for a full month and a half.
Unknowingly, the weather started to get colder. Even in the dry desert, I could smell the breath of winter.
Early in the morning, not long before everyone set out, their eyes suddenly lit up.
The salt lake appears in front of you.
Wow!
After seeing the situation clearly in front of them, everyone was stunned and forgot to move for a moment.
The salt lake in front of you covers a vast area, larger than the Pearl Oasis.
Different from the oasis, there are very few green plants around the salt lake, and the ground is replaced by white flowers of salt.
The lake in the middle is sparkling, reflecting the clear blue sky.
It's so refreshing that one can't tell where the sky is and where the earth is.
Ren Ning felt silently.
This is simply a different-world version of the Sky Mirror, and it is not polluted by numerous tourists and garbage.
After feeling it, he bent down and peeled off the salt layer, and he couldn't help but feel happy.
Matthew didn't lie.
With this area and thickness, it is estimated that the salt in the salt lake would not be exhausted for hundreds or thousands of years.
Holding up some salt flowers on the ground, Ren Ning looked at them carefully.
The salt is crystal clear, very pure, and has a pleasant bright green color under the gold finger.
Licking carefully.
Hmm, very salty.
According to modern standards, these salt flowers are not refined salt and cannot be eaten directly. For example, elements such as iodine must be added to it before it can be sold on the market.
But in ancient times when table salt was scarce, this kind of salt was already the best salt.
As long as you take it back, you can sell it directly to other people, even princes and nobles, at a high price.
Matthew did the same thing in previous years.
Snap.
Ren Ning clapped his hands in laughter.
"Brothers, have you seen enough? It's time to get to work. Hurry up and pretend to be salty."
They have been away from the grassland for a month and a half, and have consumed nearly half of the water and food rations they brought.
Now that the target has been found, it's time to turn back after loading up the salt.
Ha ha.
Everyone came back to their senses, smiled and responded one after another.
"That's it! Don't be in a daze, everyone, hurry up and put some salt in it."
"Pack the salt and go home to marinate the mutton, or you can make a fortune."
…
It is said that in this era, many foods were difficult to transport due to lack of salt.
For example, when Xiliang went east to attack Yunchui, they either had to dry the meat into dried meat, or they had to drive large and small piles of live animals for military rations.
Although live cattle and sheep taste better, the amount of fodder required to feed them is not a small amount.
This virtually puts heavy pressure on logistics.
If there is enough salt, all the meat shipped to the front line can be cured and made into jerky, which will save a lot of trouble in logistics...
Ren Ning does not need to do anything to collect salt.
After looking at the sky, he gave a few instructions and then rode Zhui Feng in a circle around the salt lake.
Sure enough, as Matthew said, except for their footprints, there are no traces of anyone else visiting here.
The salt lake is huge. When Ren Ning returned to the salt collectors, the sun had already set.
"How much salt was collected?" he asked.
Lei Er patted the box beside him.
"Everyone is very motivated. After working all day today, we have packed a hundred boxes of high-quality salt. The kind without any impurities."
"As expected, other boxes and bags will definitely be filled in three days."
In other words, we can turn around and return to the Xiliang Prairie on the fourth day.
"Very good," Ren Ning asked about the remaining water and fodder, "We still have a lot of water and fodder. We can fill it slowly."
"But don't be too greedy! Never throw away the water and food in your hands just to make more room for salt."
Lei Er and others laughed: "Of course this is unnecessary."
They are not Matthew, they are all soldiers who crawled out from the dead. They are not afraid of death but cherish their lives.
Ren Ning nodded with satisfaction.
He unfolded the map he had drawn along the way.
Huh!
Lei Er stopped chewing the mutton and looked at the map in Ren Ning's hand.
"Old Ren, judging from the trajectory on the map, we clearly took a detour and headed east after entering the Desert of No Return."
As he spoke, he ignored the meat in his mouth and quickly wiped the oil from his hands in the salt field.
Draw your finger south along the map.
"This saves trouble. When we go back, the team can go directly south. Maybe it won't take half a month to reach the Xiliang grassland."
"Yes. It is indeed like this on the map." Ren Ning nodded, "But to avoid accidents, we still have to explore the road first."
The desert is vast and full of dangers.
No one knows exactly what they will encounter in the unfamiliar front. In addition, they are prone to lack of water and food, so they cannot move forward haphazardly when they are hot-headed.
Lei Er agreed: "You have to be cautious in unfamiliar places. I can run through thunder quickly. It's up to me to do the job of exploring the road."
Ren Ning shook his head: "Let's come together so that we can take care of you."
Early the next morning.
Gu Datou and Lu Youtian learned about Ren Ning's plan last night and came over.
"Butou, Arita," Ren Ning raised two fingers and said: "After you load the salt, you'd better wait for us for two days. If you don't get the signal after two days, just return it the same way."
"Understood!" Gu Datou and Gu Datou nodded.
Ren Ning stopped talking nonsense and checked the water and rations on his mount with Lei Er, then went straight to the south and disappeared into the vast desert not long after.
Three days flew by in the blink of an eye.
After Gu Datou inspected the team, he sat on the salt pile and looked south with his telescope.
Lu Youtian came over.
"Don't worry, who is the general? He won't run around without being completely sure. Information should be coming soon."
"That's best!"
The two of them waited until noon.
Wow!
A colorful firework suddenly bloomed in the sky ahead.
flutter!
It took quite a while before the faint sound of fireworks bursting was heard.
Cloud-piercing arrow!
Gu Datou and Lu Youtian looked at each other with surprise in their eyes.
"Brothers, have you seen it?"
They laughed and pointed at the fireworks that had not dissipated in the southern sky, "The general has found a new way back."
"Everyone is working!"
Wow!
The long team was already ready. The soldiers responded and turned their horses to prepare to head south.
The winter sun was not very hot, but Matthew felt like he was sweating profusely at this time.
He is just the guide of this team, not a core member. In addition, Ren Ning often wanders around and does not always stay at the place where he collects salt.
If Gu Datou hadn't reminded him loudly just now, he wouldn't have known that Ren Ning and Lei Er were no longer nearby.
Hurrying in front of Gu Datou and Gu Datou, Matthew said with a bitter face: "Two generals, the younger one has been walking in the Desert of No Return all year round, so he knows the horror of this place best."
He suggested: "How about we go back the same way? Just in case!"
Ha ha!
After listening to the translation, Gu Datou smiled and raised his riding whip: "Don't worry about him, let's go!"
Hum hum hum!
With the war horses leading the way and the long camels following behind, everyone set out on their way home.