It's better to stay on the ground. There are horses lying down to block the wind, which makes people feel better. This is the top of the mountain, more than 300 meters above sea level. The wind is much lighter.
But it won't work down below, where the air outlet is.
Because of the obstruction of the Tianshan Mountains, the north wind can only blow from the only mountain pass here to the Turpan Basin and Hami Basin. The wind speed below is much higher than that on the mountain, and the temperature is colder.
Soon, with the heavy snowstorm, the Heshuote people below could no longer stand.
They didn't expect that Zhang Geda occupied the top of the mountain first.
Now, they are standing in the wind, in a dilemma.
The wind picked up again and the cold became unbearable.
Orqitu Khan issued a death order, but they did not dare to retreat.
Zhang Geda looked down with his telescope, and saw that the snow was getting heavier and heavier. In the blink of an eye, the wind force reached at least eight or nine levels, which was terrifying.
The people in the Jia Ding Group saw with their own eyes the small rocks all over the mountain, being blown around by the wind.
They were all shocked. It was true that the rocks were blown away by the wind.
The two sides reached a stalemate, the Heshuote people refused to retreat, and the servant group was unwilling to lose the upper hand.
The terrain here is favorable, Dabancheng is a chokepoint, and no one wants to give up here.
It was getting dark, and the Hoshuote people in the town below began to tear down houses and pull out wood to light bonfires for warmth. They could not stand the cold.
Some local residents cried and tried to stop them. As a result, some of them were hacked and killed, and they were so frightened that they did not dare to move. After being driven out by the Mongolian cavalry, the whole family hid behind rocks and huddled together, trying to avoid being frozen to death.
There are not many aboriginal people here, just a few hundred households, and there are people of all ethnic groups.
This is a mountain pass and a major transportation thoroughfare. So it relies on commerce.
The people here are craftsmen and craftsmen, blacksmiths, horseshoeers, horse doctors, etc. Small businessmen who do small business, these adobe houses are small shops and so on. There are also some large car shops and the like.
.You can give the horses drinking water and add some horse feed. People can also stay.
If the camels and caravans passing by here need accommodation, they must have a house to live in. There are strong winds here, and if it is winter, camping will easily freeze to death.
However, Heshuote people will not care about their life or death.
The roofs of many houses were torn down and wood was pulled out to light the fires.
Zhang Geda was on the mountain, looking at the house below that had no roof and only four walls left.
There are bonfires between the walls. Groups of Heshuote people huddle together and huddle under the walls to avoid the wind and warm themselves up.
He couldn't help but curse: "These bastards know how to find a place."
The four earthen walls blocked the wind and snow, and the wood of the roof was lit in the middle for warmth. It immediately became warm.
But I could only stay on the mountain and shivered with the cold. The mountains here were very clean and barren of grass. It was really a barren land. There was not even a blade of grass. There was no way to stay warm.
If it continues to freeze like this, the troops will definitely suffer from frostbite and attrition.
"Leave one squadron here to watch, while the others go to camp behind the mountain. We can't stay in this poor place, the wind is too strong." Zhang Geda said helplessly.
Even though they were hiding behind the downed horses, it was still very cold on the mountain.
Even if we want to fight, we have to wait until the snowstorm is over.
To charge down now would be to expose the entire army to the blizzard. Zhang Goda would not do such a stupid thing.
Now, on the outside of the horses, a wall of heavy snow blown by the wind had formed.
Although the snow-covered walls can block the wind, they can also keep you warm.
But if this continues, the horses will freeze to death in the coldest hours of the morning.
Who knows how long the confrontation between the two sides will last, and who knows when the blizzard will stop.
The master's large army is coming from behind. Orqitu Khan's army on the opposite side is also setting off from Tingzhou. When both sides meet, a big battle will begin here.
Zhang Geda clearly knew that he had grabbed a favorable terrain. He had the upper hand, and there was no way he would give up. How could he spit out the meat that he had eaten in his mouth?
Behind the mountain, as soon as you cross the ridgeline, the wind suddenly drops. The wind will blow inertially upward along the hillside instead of bending down on the ridgeline.
Half a day passed and it quickly became dark. It was cloudy today and the stars and moon could not be seen.
The bonfires in the valley were not extinguished all night long, and the wind and snow continued all night long.
The officers and soldiers of the Jia Ding Regiment hid behind the leeward ridgeline, took out the sleeping bags on their pack horses and got in. Such sleeping bags were very warm and easy to store.
At first, it was tried in the Northeast region. Soon the officers and soldiers responded very well, and it was better than cotton and fur. The sleeping bag is light and warm. For daily storage, it only needs to be rolled up and bundled. It does not take up space on the backpack and outside.
Roll it up with felt.
When sleeping, first spread the felt on the ground to isolate air-conditioning and moisture, then put the sleeping bag on it, get in, and tie it tightly to keep warm.
Zhang Geda didn't dare to sleep soundly, so he woke up with an alarm clock every two hours and arranged for the people in front to rotate. Otherwise, both people and horses would be in danger of freezing to death.
He looked at the luminous watch on his wrist and estimated that the master's army was about to arrive.
Yang Fan was speeding forward with his army at this time. He had already learned about the situation in Tingzhou from this scout. Orqitu Khan was coming day and night, trying to keep the enemy outside the country's gate and block him in Dabancheng.
The army marched hard in the wind and snow.
Heavy snow had buried the road, and everything was so white that nothing could be seen.
Four steam bulldozers went ahead, pushing away the snow to reveal the road below. Eight steam rollers followed, compacting the snow and the road so that the trucks and infantry behind could pass quickly.
Yang Fan knew that in the current climate, both Orqitu Khan and he were uncomfortable, and it was very difficult to march. However, the more times like this, the more the endurance of both sides competed.
Mongolians are nomadic people. They are hard-working and have strong adaptability to harsh climates. Because they are grazing in the wild, they often encounter rain, snow and strong winds.
Yang Fan's advantage is that his troops are well-trained and well-equipped. They all wear thick cotton clothes and trousers, as well as cotton coats. They wear hoods on their heads, only exposing their eyes, mouth and nose. They wear Lei Feng hats and gloves on their hands.
The officers wore cotton leather boots, while the soldiers wore canvas boots with rubber soles and high-waisted snow boots lined with sheepskin and wool.
At dawn, the first regiment of the first division of the infantry corps finally arrived.
At this time, the heavy snow stopped and the wind dropped.
The officers and soldiers of the First Regiment of the First Division, dressed in thick clothes like cotton balls, climbed up from the hillside all over the mountains and plains, holding their flintlock rifles with bayonets attached.
Zhang Geda was pushed awake by the guards.
He climbed up and saw that the troops at the foot of the mountain had arrived.
Twenty thousand people came, densely packed all over the snowfield. He even saw the master's RV and other trucks parked at the foot of the mountain, where the land was relatively flat. A dozen crawler engineering vehicles were also parked there, their smoke pipes puffing.
Fire and smoke.
He let out a long breath. The master's troops arrived first, taking advantage of the advantageous terrain.