After some busy work, everyone put on brown and green camouflage-like desert protective clothing and desert boots. Then they came to the meeting place outside the room.
At this time, we all saw that Dr. Lin, the water instructor of Minister An, and three guides were already standing next to the camel team in full desert attire. After Minister An saw that everyone had arrived, he announced that everyone was under the guidance of the guide.
Each person gets a camel as a means of transportation, and then asks the guide to provide some simple knowledge training before entering the desert.
The name of this old guide is "Alimujiang Maimaiti". He is the best desert expert in the nearby area. When he was young, he used to be the leader of a camel team. He has rich experience in traveling through the desert. As for the weather in the desert,
He has a very rich knowledge of water sources and the laws of desert flora and fauna.
The old man told us the basic knowledge of the desert in blunt Chinese. First of all, the weather in the desert is unpredictable. If it is not predicted, no one will survive a desert storm. Secondly, the quicksand in the desert flows at will.
Predictability, we need to be very cautious when traveling, but camels are innately sensitive to quicksand. As long as a person is on a camel, the possibility of encountering quicksand will be minimized. Then there are poisonous insects in the desert, and the biological forms of the desert are not
Not all of them are known to us, and there is a possibility of encountering strange desert creatures at any time. Especially in the interior of the desert, there are many unknown and dangerous biological forms, such as: desert wolves, desert foxes, large desert poisonous lizards, poisonous
Spiders, rattlesnakes, etc. Of course, there are also the mysterious "death bugs".
But these are not as important as water sources. The water sources in deserts are groundwater, and there are very few oases. Groundwater is hidden and even mobile. Without experienced people or experienced guides in desert walking, it is impossible to find these water sources.
Listening to the narration of the old man Maimaiti is undoubtedly terrifying for those of us who have never seen a real desert. In the end, the old man Maimaiti recited a few verses from the Quran devoutly, and then said: "The desert is the world
The most magical world in the world is also a paradise for devils. I hope that the true God Hu Da can bless us all to enter and come out safely."
After the old man finished speaking, Minister An asked everyone if they had any questions. Lao Zhu asked about the dangers of the desert and why there was no doctor accompanying the team. Dr. Lin patted a first aid box on Camel Mountain and told everyone that she
Even doctors and instructor Shui confirmed that Dr. Lin was indeed a top student at the Military Medical University, but he did not engage in real hospital work after graduation.
Lao Zhu shut his mouth, and the others didn't ask any more questions. It was already time to set off, and even if anyone felt unhappy, they could only put their minds aside and head off on the road.
As everyone cautiously mounted the camels, and amid the whistle of the old man Maimaiti, the camels raised their four hooves and walked forward along the road from the town to the edge of the desert.
Our scientific expedition expedition team officially begins its mission today. Minister An, Dr. Lin, six scientific expedition experts, and water instructors, Fei Yifan, Taoist Zengfan, Zhang Li
There are also me, Jiao Yiming, Pang Xiaotai, eight clerks, Maimaiti and the two militia guides, a total of seventeen people. As for the camels, they have twenty-three peaks, seventeen peaks carry people, and six peaks carry instruments
, supplies and equipment, food, and water. Of course, we are also equipped with the best m4a1 automatic rifle currently as the defensive weapon for this desert trip.
Based on Maimaiti’s early desert route and the map in Minister An’s hand, the route we planned was as follows: follow the ancient Kongque River bed to the west, find the ruins of the ancient river channel, and then go south into the heart of the desert, where
Find the legendary ancient ruins of Dandan Urik in the vast desert (this site is said to have been found by the expedition team formed by the famous Swedish explorer Sven Hedin), and then use the most advanced positioning equipment to find the true location of ancient Kucha
ruins of the capital city.
In the first two or three days of this route, we all felt relatively relaxed. Because we were walking along the edge of the desert, we could see very small sporadic seas and lakes around the ancient channel of the Kongque River.
We even saw some small water birds, such as red-billed gulls and some wild ducks. Of course, we also saw some small oases in the desert surrounded by some Populus euphratica, Elaeagnus angustifolia and other plants as protective forests. On the first day, everyone was busy on their way.
There was no laughter or laughter in the expedition team. Starting from the second day, Pang Xiaotai and Xiao Wenwen met and entered the desert for the first time, and of course I felt very novel. The few of us happily rode camels and enjoyed the scenery along the way.
, laughing and playing, having a great time. Others slowly began to talk and laugh.
But from the fourth day onwards, none of us were happy anymore. After turning around the bend of the ancient Kongque River, the river ruins began to extend to the southeast. Old Man Maimaiti said that this was when we really started to enter the Taklimakan Desert.
, which is the "Sea of Death" Black Desert.
This is a large flowing desert. The strong desert wind blows the sand dunes. The landform features change every day. There is no characteristic to follow. The ancient Peacock River has disappeared. Of course, at this time, Maimaiti and the two
The Uyghur militia guides showed their knowledge of the desert. Those ancient castles, houses, and towers buried by the yellow sand, traces of bulges in the yellow sand, and those Populus euphratica that were blown by the strong wind and tilted at an angle of 30 degrees with the ground.
, a few small shrubs in the desert, are all in Maimaiti’s eyes and experience. As long as they have these things, Maimaiti can find the best route and direction.
Under the leadership of Maimaiti's camels, we finally left the edge of the desert and truly entered the embrace of the Sea of Death in Taklimakan.
Looking at the endless golden desert, I feel like I have entered a dream. In the evening, the bright red sunset looks so magical and unreal against the backdrop of the rolling yellow sand. In the morning, the first ray of
When the sun shines on the sand, it reflects the clouds on the horizon red. The undulating sand dunes in the desert are shrouded in a layer of glow. The dry and dead remains of Populus euphratica and the corrugated yellow sand are all reflected golden red.
, the strong colors form a magnificent picture between heaven and earth.
Seeing such scenery, we all marveled. Although the desert is terrifying and is called a place where humans cannot survive, its beauty is also unique. We all wish we had a digital camera in our hands to take pictures of some beautiful scenery.
, left as an eternal souvenir. However, except for Dr. Lin who kept taking pictures with a camera, everyone else could only look at it with hatred.
On the fifth day of the journey, we all began to see sporadic white bones of animals and humans from unknown ages in the desert, as well as some strange desert bugs and lizards. Of course, the most numerous ones were flowing one by one.
of huge golden sand dunes.
In the past few days, I have been getting along quite well with a young man in his mid-twenties named "Askar" who is one of the Uighur militiamen. (This is mainly because I think a lot about deserts and dangerous places.
It always pays to go with a guide.) According to him, when we get here, we are almost at the ruins of the ancient city of Xiye. This is the last ancient city on the Silk Road in the Western Regions that was swallowed up by the desert. It was once extremely prosperous.
Yes. It is expected that we will be able to reach the ruins tonight without having to spend the night in the desolate yellow sand.
Sure enough, in the evening, when the sunset was like blood, we saw a giant sand dune that was much larger than the sand dune we saw when we entered the desert. It was like a giant sand mountain. As the desert extended, the terrain suddenly became higher, and we
I urged the camel to move quickly, and soon I arrived in front of the sand mountain. At this time, I discovered that there was a broken city wall on one side of the sand mountain. The yellow sand should have been blocked by this high and broken city wall.
, accumulated over time, forming an extremely tall sand dune.
Most of the buildings extending out of the city wall have been buried more than half by the yellow sand, and most of the houses that can be seen have collapsed. Only a strong section of the city wall stands out, exposed to the wind and sun for an unknown number of years.
It has already become almost the same color as yellow sand. From a distance, you will only think it is a big sand dune. If you don't turn in from the side, you will never find this castle.
Everyone drove the camel team behind the castle wall, and then found a relatively complete stone house nearby, preparing to use it as a temporary resting place at night. Entering the house, the ground floor was already filled with yellow sand.
There are thick grains of sand. You need to bend down to enter, and you can almost touch the roof when you raise your head. There should have been murals on the four walls, but they are so mottled that the colors and patterns are almost invisible.
Everyone packed up together, spread a thick tarpaulin on the ground, and then lit a bonfire in the middle of the stone house with the dead branches of poplar euphratica and shrubs picked up by two militia guides and a few of our soldiers.
The night in the desert is not silent. The temperature drops sharply at night, and the wind is much stronger than during the day. When we first entered the desert, we were at the edge of the desert and we didn't feel the changes in temperature and wind. Now, we have begun to notice the changes clearly.
The temperature difference and wind force change greatly between day and night. At night, it is basically getting colder and colder. The wind is also blowing outside the stone house.
Tonight, it was the turn of the little clerk and Parhat, a Uyghur militiaman who was about thirty years old, to keep watch at night. The two of them wore thick clothes. After eating, they stayed vigil where the camels were. We basically started by entering the desert.
We take turns on duty every four hours. Tonight, Xiaowen and Parhat will be on duty for the first half of the night, and Jiao Yiming and I will be on duty for the second half of the night.
After the two little clerks went out, the rest of us sat around the campfire and chatted casually. After chatting some gossip, Pang Xiaotai began to urge the old man Maimaiti to tell everyone stories about the desert. It turned out that these two
One day, he accidentally listened to the old man telling a legend about encountering a magical white camel in the desert during the night watch. He became a little addicted and wanted to continue listening to the legends and stories in the desert.
Everyone was very interested when they heard Pang Xiaotai's explanation. Dr. Lin asked curiously: "What's the white camel? Can you tell me more about it?"
The old man Maimaiti smiled and nodded and said: "Okay, then I will tell you more. This white camel is the most magical elf in the desert, and it is also a messenger that symbolizes good luck and luck."
The old man's story had just begun when suddenly a shout from the little clerk was heard outside, accompanied by the commotion of the camels. This was followed by a deep howl of a beast followed by a gunshot. Everyone's hearts were filled with excitement.
Secretly shouting that something happened.
The old man suddenly stood up, his face changed slightly and said: "No! It's a pack of desert wolves! Everyone, get your weapons and go out to have a look."
Everyone quickly grabbed the guns in their hands and rushed out. If the camel team was attacked by the wolves and suffered casualties, our trip to the desert would probably be greatly affected.
Rushing out of the house and arriving at the location of the camel team, everyone saw that the clerk and Parhati were working hard to control the rioting camels. Due to the obstruction of the city wall, the camel team did not scatter in panic so far, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Old Man Maimaiti hurriedly helped with Eskar to control the camel caravan, while Instructor Shui led us soldiers, including Fei Yifan and Taoist Zengfan, to the gap in the city wall.
At the gap, a brown wolf corpse was lying on the yellow sand. Outside the gap, there was a large group of desert wolves. At this time, the wolves were staring at us with fierce green eyes. There were even some
Already standing on the low wall of the incomplete city wall.
Fortunately, we all arrived in time. Of course, I don't know whether it was Xiao Wenshi or Parhati's shot that killed the wolf at the front and frightened the wolves. Otherwise, they would have probably rushed in by now.
Pang Xiaotai was so impatient that before instructor Shui could give the order, he ran forward and took aim at a wolf standing on the wall near the gap. He only heard a "pop" sound, and the wolf let out a tragic sound.
He fell down.
With the sound of the gunshot, the wolves that had been surrounding the gap in the city wall suddenly retreated, and all of us rushed to the edge of the city wall.
When we came to the gap, we all held our guns and breathed a sigh of relief. The wolves had retreated to a distance of about tens of meters from us. Although they did not leave, they were at least temporarily frightened by our guns and stood still for a while.
In the distance, no one dared to move rashly. For a while, we and the wolves formed a confrontation situation.
At this time, the old man Maimaiti also comforted the camel team and ran over. He said to us: "Don't shoot randomly, wolves are afraid of fire. I have asked Parhati and Eskar to get the euphratica."
Let's light a bonfire in the gap of the city wall. As long as it waits until morning, the wolves will naturally retreat. However, I'm afraid we won't be able to sleep tonight. We need a lot of manpower to control the four sides of the city wall, because the desert wolves are very cunning.
, they may look for other breakthrough points to enter the castle. The wolves may enter from behind the sand mountain or from the side."
Instructor Shui nodded and said: "Okay, uncle, you can arrange it. How many people are needed at which positions and bonfires are needed. Let's arrange them as soon as possible."
The old man Maimaiti responded and began to arrange the personnel. After about ten minutes of fussing, four or five bonfires were finally lit in the castle, and security personnel were set up at the same time.