This kind of altitude sickness, even if Xu Xingxia comes in person, it is estimated that it will not change much. Because, after arriving at the plateau, it was too late to start reacting. To be familiar with and prevent altitude sickness, it is necessary to do relevant training in advance. For people who have no experience in plateau life, training for about a month in advance should be able to support it for a while. If possible, prepare an oxygen bag. Probably, this is also one of the most valuable experiences that the Mastiff Cavalry has summed up for other white-clothed troops.

The terrible temperature difference between day and night also made the soldiers of the Mastiff Cavalry feel very painful. The temperature in the desert, it was fine during the day, it didn't feel very cold. But, at night, it's awesome. It's almost like freezing all the stones. Fortunately, the mastiff cavalry carried a lot of cotton clothes and a lot of spirits to keep out the cold, otherwise, it is estimated that the sentries and the like would be directly frozen into statues. If measured by the temperature of later generations, the temperature at night in the desert is basically around minus 30 degrees. Such a temperature is already a great challenge for the human body.

The mastiff cavalry walked along the way, and there were hardly any plants to be seen. As far as the eye can see, it is all endless gray. This gray and white is the boundless Gobi Desert. Starting from the Bayannur steppe to the north of the desert, almost all of them are the Gobi Desert. There are no decent plants in the Gobi Desert, there are no decent creatures, and during the day, when there is sun, the temperature feels okay. In the evening, when the sun goes down, it is terriblely cold.

The worst thing is that there is no water. In places close to Ningxia Town or Gansu Town, even if it is a large desert, there are oases and lakes in it. If you find an oasis, or if you find a lake, you can replenish enough water. However, in this vast Gobi Desert, there is no water source to be found. If you don't bring enough drinking water, you'll have to go here.

In fact, the mastiff cavalry soldiers have seen a lot of dried corpses along the way. Due to the abnormal drought, these corpses did not decompose, but were constantly eroded by the wind and sand, and the flesh and blood were slowly eroded, leaving only gray-white skeletons, and finally forming an indescribable strange shape. Seeing these people who fell into the Gobi Desert due to lack of water or other reasons, no matter who they were, they all felt a chill.

Fortunately, before the high outburst, various brother units mobilized a large number of veterans for the Mastiff Cavalry. The current Mastiff Cavalry Army can be said to have concentrated quite a few veterans of the white-clothed army. What is Veteran? It is a warrior who has seen blood, killed people, and has a stable psychological quality. What kind of bloody scenes have they not seen on the brutal battlefield? The shape of these corpses, although a little weird, a little weird, but it can't frighten them.

But who could have predicted what they would encounter in the coming days? Many of the strange things that appeared in the desert were something they had never encountered before. It can be said that the experience they accumulated in the surrounding areas of Ningxia Town basically did not have the opportunity to use it in the vast desert. In this harsh environment, their only reliance is firm belief and tenacious will. And, of course, strict discipline. If they hadn't been white, they would have broken up long ago.

The Mastiff Cavalry had only now pursued Yijinai, and it was at least three thousand miles away from the Tatar lair. Three thousand miles is indeed a long distance. If it is in the interior of the Central Plains, a distance of 3,000 miles is nothing for the cavalry. However, here, the journey of 3,000 miles is a great test for people. In fact, it is very difficult to walk 500 miles in such a harsh environment. Not to mention three thousand miles. It is estimated that it will not take about two months to reach such a long distance.

The main reason is that the mastiff cavalry is not familiar with the situation in the desert, and some of the preparations are not enough, resulting in the speed of the march, which is estimated to be only half of the Tatars, and maybe even less than a third. The Tatars marched, and each man basically had more than three horses in rotation. Some are even extravagant enough to have more than five war horses. The mastiff cavalry is currently only equipped with two war horses. This is a big shortcoming.

If it is said that under the leadership of Mo Yuegen, the Tatars only need twenty days to cross the entire desert. Then, the cavalry of the White Army, it will take at least fifty days. Twenty days and fifty days are two fundamentally different concepts. It's not a simple matter of temporal differences, but rather a cascade of meanings behind the numbers. To put it more seriously, twenty days and fifty days are basically the difference between life and death.

In twenty days, there should be enough food to eat, enough drinking water, enough forage, no breakdown, and no horses feeling too tired. However, fifty days is a different story. Perhaps the food will be consumed, the drinking water will be consumed, the forage will be consumed, and perhaps the human spirit will be greatly tortured and collapsed. As for the tired war horse, it is possible that they will die in the Gobi Desert on the spot.

In fact, to give a very simple example, it is the forage of war horses. Ordinary war horses need to consume about 30 catties of forage every day. That's a big number. Even in the worst conditions, the war horse must ensure twenty catties of forage per day, otherwise it will become ill and fall to the ground. Don't talk about camel people, even if you go by yourself, you are very reluctant. And all the forage has to rely on the logistical supply of the troops. Or maybe it's carried directly by the troops.

If you prepare forage for twenty days, it is six hundred catties. Basically, you need two war horses to carry it. If you prepare forage for fifty days, it will be 1,500 catties. Basically, five warhorses are needed to carry. Obviously, the former can be done with hard work. And the latter, no matter how hard you try, can't do it. After all, the figure of 1,500 catties is already completely beyond the limit of the troops' logistical supply.

You know, it's just forage. However, the troops could not march on fodder alone. In order to maintain the combat effectiveness of a unit, it is also necessary to transport food, clothing, tents, medicines, weapons and equipment...... All kinds of things need to be arranged by the logistics department, and they all need horses to carry them. It's a terrible thing.

It seems that the mastiff cavalry army, in addition to the two war horses per person, there are also hundreds of war horses, which are specially used to carry various materials. A large part of this is forage. It should be possible to meet the 20-day forage supply, after reasonable arrangements and overall planning. Mongolian horses are very tolerant, and the supply of forage can be reduced a little. However, to meet the fifty-day supply of forage, it will not be possible in any case.

Unless, it was Xu Xingxia who mobilized at least 5,000 additional war horses for the mastiff cavalry, which were specially used to carry forage. Five thousand war horses can carry at least one and a half million catties of forage. However, the logistics of the war horse itself also consumes forage, and the more the better. In general, the greater the number of horses and the greater the consumption, the slower the march of the troops, and the shorter the distance of the march. Therefore, the problem, for the time being, is basically unsolvable.

At the beginning, Genghis Khan's Mongol cavalry marched so far. Basically, they would walk about 500 miles, and they would stop to resupply once. Even if due to the needs of the battle, the distance of the long-distance rush is generally within a thousand miles. At that time, the Mongol cavalry generally had at least five or more war horses in rotation. It's extravagant to the point of outrageous equipment. This time, the Mastiff Cavalry Army is obviously greatly beyond the ability of the troops themselves. This is challenging the limits of human cavalry.

The problem of drinking water is also very serious. War horses have no forage and will die. People who don't have food can die. However, neither forage nor food is as important as clean drinking water. In the absence of drinking water, a person can hold on for two or three days at most and then die. For this, basically everyone who marches and fights knows it. Therefore, whether it is marching to fight or camping, the water source is the first issue that the army commander needs to consider.

However, after the Yiji Naihai, there is almost no place to replenish the water source. But the next journey will take more than a month. It is conceivable what kind of situation will happen if there is no water source replenishment for more than a month. This is definitely a very fatal test for the psychological quality of officers and men. Even if they fill their water bladders with water, their hearts are not steady. Because, if you drink a little less water in the water bladder, you will drink a little less, and there will always be a day when you will run out. It would be a tragedy if you don't get a supplement before you finish drinking.

People, the most feared is despair. In the absence of hope, goals, and hope, it is easy for the human spirit to collapse. No matter how strong a fighter is, it is difficult to accept such a difficult situation. Once in the vast desert, the spirit collapses, and what awaits them is estimated to be a dead end. Perhaps, a few years later, others passing by here will find more corpses of Han soldiers in azure military uniforms on the ground.

Gao Jie's surname is a little impulsive and cold, but he is definitely not a fool. He felt more and more that his march was a little hard. The hot-blooded impulse in the Bayannur grassland at the beginning, in retrospect, is indeed a bit naïve. If it weren't for Xu Xingxia's order coming in time, the losses suffered by the troops of the White Army might have been even greater. However, Gao Jie was never discouraged. No matter how hard it is, so what? Where the Tatars can walk, we Han people can't go? There is no such statement!

Of course, being well prepared is a must. Gao Jie didn't want to bury all his troops in the desert. Therefore, it is his bottom line to ensure the survival of the troops and accumulate a certain amount of experience. This time, even if Mo Yuegen can't be caught, at least he has to find out what the situation in the desert is. The next time you arrive, what measures need to be taken to get through the desert faster. To put it simply, this operation is a way out.

Oyan Kazema slowly followed, walking side by side with Gao Jie. After walking for a while, he said meaningfully to Gao Jie: "Commander Gao, the next journey is the real test!" I don't know what kind of arrangements the high commander has for the next march? ”

Gao Jie didn't answer positively, but said, "How is the mood of the Tuyuhun brothers?" ”

Oyanga looked around and whispered, "Honestly, it's not good. Next is thousands of miles of desert land, there is no water source, no life, and everyone's heart is a little worried. You also know that, apart from the Tatars, almost no one can easily cross the vast desert region. We Tuyuhun people haven't tried it either. ”

Gao Jie turned his head to look at him and said in a deep voice, "What do you think? ”

Oyanga straightened up and said awe-inspiringly, "Of course I'm going to accompany you to the end!" ”

Gao Jie nodded and said quietly: "That's good!" Let's grit our teeth and push on, and move on. Don't stop until the last minute. ”

Aoyanga's eyes suddenly lit up slightly, and his heart, which was originally hanging, was slightly lowered. Gao Jie's words were obviously a little loose. Before, Gao Jie was adamant about Mo Yuegen and would never let go. The mastiff cavalry will not withdraw until they catch Mo Yuegen. Now, it's time to consider withdrawing troops. That's good. If Gao Jie wants to chase down, he is afraid that he will get into the tip of the horns. If something happens, it's worth the loss.

As the leader of the Tuyuhun people, Oyanga does have some personal interests in this consideration. His 3,000 elite cavalry of the Tuyuhun people are all concentrated here. If there is any accident with the mastiff cavalry, their Tuyuhun cavalry will definitely accompany the burial. The military strength of the Tuyuhun people is already weak, and these 3,000 cavalry are all the military essence of the Tuyuhun people. If he loses, he will definitely be in pain.

In this damn desert, the enemy of the mastiff cavalry is not the Tatars, but the harsh environment. If you want to conquer the Tatars, you must first conquer the harsh environment of the vast desert. Aoyanga actually agrees with Xu Xingxia's prudent opinion, don't be impatient, don't be rash, take your time step by step. Time, in fact, is beneficial to the White Army. This time, they should summarize the experience of the desert march as much as possible and prepare for the next arrival.

Of course, this meaning cannot be known to the officers and soldiers below. They must feel that they still have to fight, or they still want to destroy Mo Yuegen. In any case, they had to eliminate Mo Yugen before they could withdraw to Ningxia Town. If the mission cannot be completed, the troops will never be withdrawn. Only in this way will they be able to exert 12 points of strength to overcome all difficulties in the way forward. Isn't this how human potential is forced out step by step?

(To be continued)