In the hinterland of Helan Mountain, which is more than 200 kilometers long from north to south, there are more than 20 remaining rock paintings. Among them, the most representative surname is the Suweikou petroglyphs. Due to the continuous change of nomads active in this area, the content of the petroglyphs varied over time. The masterpieces of the Qiangrong, Yueshi, Xiongnu, Xianbei, Tiele, Turkic, Dangxiang and other ethnic groups are roughly from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to the Western Xia Period, which leads to different contents in different locations.

Specifically, the area of Shizuishan is dominated by forest and grassland animals, such as northern goats, rock goats, wolves and other images; The Helan Mountain area is mostly based on various humanoid heads; The petroglyphs in Qingtongxia, Zhongwei and Zhongning are dominated by grazing and grassland animals such as northern goats.

In the eighties of the twentieth century, in Helan Mountain, Baijigou and other places, a piece of painted petroglyphs were also found, and the content was mainly based on the image of the person riding and the image of animals such as goats and horses. According to the inference, it should have been left during the time of the Western Xia Dynasty. The discovery of painted petroglyphs has added new content and form to the petroglyphs of Helan Mountain.

What Xu Xingxia wanted to study most was actually the rock paintings about the Western Xia Kingdom. In later life, he was interested in the study of the Western Xia Kingdom. It's a very interesting dynasty. Due to the lack of historical data, his research on the Western Xia Kingdom is not in-depth. In his mind, the Western Xia Dynasty was still quite mysterious, and it always had a strong attraction to him. If it is possible to solve some of the mysteries of the Western Xia Dynasty, it is worth the trip.

He rode his horse in the narrow canyon, walking slowly and leisurely. On both sides of the canyon, there are dense petroglyphs. The petroglyphs are large and small, the largest is estimated to be the size of a movie screen in later generations, and the smallest is only the size of a palm. The patterns on it are also varied, and there is everything. Some of the patterns have been deliberately destroyed by passers-by. It's impossible to find some clues from it for the time being.

Slowly, Xu Xingxia came to a three-way position. On the left hand side of the three-way crossing, there is the Alxa Plateau leading to the outside. On the right hand side of the three-way entrance is the location of the Qingyang Palace where Su Xiaoxiao is located. Judging from the traces on the ground, there are obviously more horseshoe prints on the right hand, and there are horse manure that has not completely dried, indicating that Su Xiaoxiao has indeed passed here before. As for the left-hand passage, there are hardly any horseshoe prints. It is estimated that in the last three months, there should have been no one moving around from this side.

It is said to be a three-way street, but in fact, the location is also very narrow. These passages in Helan Mountain are very dangerous, even if they are compared with the legendary Shu Road, it is estimated that they will not be much inferior. Xu Xingxia looked left and right, and found that around him, there were at most three people passing side by side. It can really be described as a one-man affair, and it is impossible to open it.

He didn't understand why the high-level officials of Ningxia Town didn't build a large number of pass fortresses here to completely block this road. Judging from what he observed for the time being, the amount of work in the pass fortress will not be very large, and the cost will not be very high! Of course, there are many similar passages, it is estimated that there are dozens, if each of them is set up with pass fortresses, the amount of work is indeed relatively large, and the overall cost is also large.

However, this is not the most critical one. Crucially, even if you have a pass fortress in each passage, it may not be useful. If there is no strong army to garrison it, the pass fortress will also be breached by the Tartars. Chimukou and Zhenyuanguan originally had fortresses, all of which were broken by the Tartars countless times. It can be seen that the factor that determines the surname is actually people. The overall quality of the officers and soldiers in Ningxia Town is not good, and everything else is false.

After wandering around the canyon, Xu Xingxia returned to the side of the tiger and leopard rider. Yun Qifeng is preparing a pack of explosives. He has a strong comprehension of the knowledge of blasting, and Xu Xingxia often gives him individual guidance. In terms of overall technology, Yun Qifeng can already be regarded as the demolition engineer of the Haw Par Cavalry detachment. The use of explosives in this battle is mainly Yun Qifeng, and everyone else is responsible.

It's a bit of a pity that if you use explosives packs here, all the petroglyphs around you will be destroyed. The power of explosives packs should not be underestimated. After a loud bang, a large number of petroglyphs were wiped out. However, this is also something that cannot be helped. During the war years, everything else had to make way for war. Even the right to live cannot be guaranteed, and other rights are used by a bird!

In fact, no matter how well the petroglyphs are preserved, they will be destroyed in future generations. In that crazy era of the Great Leap Forward, people went everywhere to dig ore and smelt steel, and most of the petroglyphs have been destroyed. The destruction of thought, coupled with the weathering of nature, the petroglyphs seen by later generations of tourists are less than one of the historical relics.

"My lord, the ambush position is ready." Zhang Feng came up to report.

"Okay, let's wait. Be discreet. Xu Xingxia nodded and said in a deep voice.

Night soon fell, and the warriors of the tiger and leopard rode in ambush, quietly waiting for the arrival of the target. Except for the warriors in charge of vigilance, the other warriors continued to hurry up and familiarize themselves with the work of the Yue Yue Gong. Of course, it's a job without bullets. This is a real battle, and a small mistake can kill you. No one wants to lose their lives, so they can only fight the enemy hard and save themselves.

Xu Xingxia, Gao Meng, Zhang Feng, Yun Qifeng, and several other officers took turns on duty to closely monitor the enemy on both sides of the Suweikou passage. Lin Hai Manatee, who is the guide, is also among them. Regarding the ambush of Tuoba Su, Xu Xingxia always felt that something was wrong. After entering the mouth of Suweikou, he repeatedly reminded himself that he must be careful and not to capsize in the gutter. During this time, he was particularly suspicious, and any wind and grass would attract his attention.

Tuoba Su's sudden appearance at Suweikou must have some shady purpose, and it is definitely not just for Su Xiaoxiao of Qingyang Palace. To put it bluntly, no matter how beautiful Su Xiaoxiao is, no matter how charming she is, she is not as precious as her own life! For the sake of beauty, burying his own life doesn't seem to be Tuoba Su's style! A lustful person would never be able to survive in Ningxia Town for such a long time.

From Lin Hainiu's mouth, Xu Xingxia learned that there were actually very few people who passed through Suweikou. If you don't count Su Xiaoxiao's summer vacation to Qingyang Palace every year, there may be less than thirty people who come and go to Suweikou throughout the year. The use of tens of millions of birds flying away and thousands of people disappearing to describe Suweikou is basically in line with the actual situation. It is indeed inaccessible and deserted, and not even a single wolf has been seen.

Moreover, most of the thirty people who came and went to Suweikou were still soldiers on the border. In the place near the Alxa Plateau, there is a beacon pier, called the Kalong Mountain Beacon Pier. Kalong Mountain, as the name suggests, is the danger where even dragons can get stuck. Of course, the beacon pier is not a fortress, but a simple warning platform, in which forty or fifty Ming troops are stationed. If the Tartars enter from the Alxa Plateau, they will light the beacon pier and report to the town of Ningxia.

Business travelers who come and go must also be inspected by the beacon pier of Karon Mountain before they can pass. They are the people who often haunt Suweikou the most. It's just that over the years, there has been no business travel through Suweikou at all. Gradually, the lonely beacon pier of Karon Mountain has been almost forgotten. Where are the Ming troops still stationed now, I'm afraid no one knows.

"Caron Mountain?"

Xu Xingxia nodded thoughtfully.

He wrote down the name. There is no other purpose, just subconsciously remember.

…… In Helan Mountain in mid-June, the climate is quite pleasant, no wonder Su Xiaoxiao chose here to escape the heat. Although the summer in the Ningxia Plain is not very hot, in mid-June, the temperature in Weizhenbao should be above 30 degrees. But the temperature in Helan Mountain still feels like it's only more than 20 degrees. At night, the fighters even had to warm themselves back to back in order to sleep comfortably. At that time, there was no such thing as blankets when camping in the wild.

Except for the chill at night, Xu Xingxia and the warriors of the tiger and leopard riding were hidden here in Suweikou, but there was nothing too painful. In addition to having to gnaw dry food and not making a fire, there are not too many taboo requirements. However, as the two days passed quickly, everyone's nerves gradually tensed.

Will Tuoba Su appear? If he did show up, how many people would be with him? This is the main concern of the Haw Par Riders. At the same time, in Xu Xingxia's mind, there is another question, that is, why did Tuoba Su come from? Is his target really Su Xiaoxiao? If Tuoba Su was killed, does anyone still know the answer?

"My lord, Tuoba Su is here."

Suddenly, Zhang Feng quietly came to report.

"Got it!"

"Get ready for battle!"

Xu Xingxia immediately issued an order.

At that time, there were no binoculars and other equipment, and the monocular clairvoyant was not popularized in Ningxia City, so Xu Xingxia could only lie behind a rock, and carefully observe the movement of the canyon in front of him with the naked eye from the crack in the middle of the two rocks. Due to the twists and turns of the canyon, many places are blocked by rocks, which makes it visible in some places and invisible in others, which makes it more difficult to observe the enemy.

Not long after, Tuoba Su and his party really appeared. All of them were on horseback. There were more than a dozen horse thieves in front of them as spearheads, and the distance between them and the large army was about twenty or thirty zhang. In the middle there was a burly man riding an equally burly white horse. His hair is somewhat similar to brown, and at first glance he is not Han Chinese. Judging from the position he was traveling and the entourage around him, he should be Tuoba Su.

(To be continued)