"Camel grave?"

Such a place name has never appeared in the historical documents known to Wu Liang or in the map annotations of later generations.

"The desert directly west of Yanni City is called Camel Grave. Not only are the traveling merchants unable to cross that desert, but even the strong and drought-resistant wild camels cannot survive in that desert. People often visit that desert.

Piles of dead wild camels were found on the edge, hence the name.”

Apqiu patiently explained to Wu Liang, "The black dragon storm you mentioned can only be found in that desert. Whenever the black dragon storm attacks, you can see the desert in the city of Shanni."

The rising dust in the sky covered the sky like a dog eclipsing the sun, and even the sun in Zanni City was much dimmer than usual. The old people said that it was the black dragon trapped in the sea of ​​sand that was complaining about grievances, so

This is how the black dragon storm came to be known.”

"I see……"

Wu Liang nodded slightly, and then asked, "Is there any pattern for the black dragon's sudden appearance?"

Apqiu shook his head and said: "This... shouldn't happen. Sometimes it comes once every few days, and sometimes there is no movement every few months. The residents of Jianni City have long been accustomed to this. Anyway, the black dragon suddenly comes.

It has not affected Zanni City, so there is nothing to be afraid of, but every time it passes, a thick layer of sand will be left on the roofs and yards of every household, which is what the residents of Zanni City criticize the most."

"Well...thank you Mr. Upqiu for clarifying my doubts."

Wu Liang nodded slightly.

At this moment, he was basically certain that the Tomb of the Sun discovered by Fang Qiong was in the "Camel Grave", and he had already begun to plan in his mind to enter that desert to search for the Tomb of the Sun.

According to Fang Qiong's previous statement, she discovered the Tomb of the Sun only after the Black Dragon Storm appeared, which means that there is likely to be some connection between the Tomb of the Sun and the Black Dragon Storm, which may be a key clue.

In addition, Fang Qiong, a weak woman, escaped from Jani City and walked into the desert. In that extremely harsh environment, even if she was exhausted and dying, she might not be able to get very far.

Such analysis can undoubtedly further narrow the scope of the search...

So Wu Liang thinks.

If you want to achieve twice the result with half the effort, the safest and most reliable way is to simulate Fang Qiong's previous situation and wait for a black dragon storm. After the black dragon storm is over, immediately take people into the desert to search, and temporarily set the search range to 100.

Within miles, there is no need to venture too far into the desert.

The question now is, when will the next black dragon storm come?

If there is one in a few days, then the first exploration work can be started as soon as possible, but if, like Apqiu said, there is no waiting for several months, it is not the same thing that they are always waiting like this.

"You don't have to be polite, Your Excellency."

Apqiu seemed to have reached a consensus with Wu Liang on Fang Qiong's matter. Not only did he not mention it again, the nervousness on his face also faded a lot. He smiled and said, "Your Excellency, please settle down first. Those

Feel free to use the servants, my residence is next door, why don't I go back and see how the banquet is being prepared, and don't neglect you because of this, just ask the servants to bring you over after you finish cleaning up."

"Shan, I've got Mr. Lao Upqiu. I'll send him out."

Wu Liang nodded and walked out of the earthen house with Apuqiu, watching him lead the three young men who had gone out of the city to greet them before out of the yard.

It was also at this time that Wu Liang suddenly felt uneasy.

When they were discussing Fang Qiong's matter with Apqiu just now, in addition to the backbone of the Hu army, these three young men were also in the house.

to be honest.

If Wu Liang had known that Fang Qiong was a famous "witch" in Jianni City, in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, even Apu Qiu would never have met Fang Qiong.

However, things have already happened, and Wu Liang can only adapt to the situation.

Although he only had a brief contact with Apuqiu, he felt that Apuqiu was relatively reliable based on his words and deeds. At least he had Awang as a backer. Wu Liang felt that Apuqiu was doing it for Awang's sake.

, he probably wouldn’t betray him, after all, that would be considered as deceiving one’s master and destroying one’s ancestors.

But Wu Liang doesn't have much confidence in these three young people.

It's a pity that he was attracted by the things Apqiu said at that time and did not notice these three young people.

He could only hope that since Apqiu did not deliberately avoid these three young men at that time, he should also have considerable trust in the character of these three young apprentices, and there should not be too much of a problem.

The most important thing is.

Ganni City is an isolated city.

They have gone through all kinds of hardships to get here. Both the status of their members and their supplies are in urgent need of repair and supply. If they leave Jani City now, they will have no choice of place to go and their situation will be very dire.

Danger.

in addition.

As the ancient city of Loulan shocked future generations, Wu Liang had not yet had time to conduct a thorough inspection of the ancient city. If he was forced to flee because of this incident, he might not be able to enter the city again for a long time. The people who came this time were also

It’s such a shame, how could Wu Liang be willing to give up so easily?

"They come, the security."

Thinking like this, Wu Liang tried his best to put his worries out of his mind and chose to continue taking risks and stay here.

However, this kind of thing cannot bear to be thought about too much, especially for a cautious and suspicious person like Wu Liang. Once suspicion arises in his heart, how can he not think about it without thinking about it?

"Yang Wanli!"

On the way back to the hospital, Wu Liang suddenly called Yang Wanli aside.

"Sir, what's the matter?"

Yang Wanli noticed Wu Liang's uneasiness and quickly lowered his voice and asked doubtfully.

"Immediately take people out to buy a batch of charcoal, kerosene and smaller copper cans or iron cans. If you can't find copper cans, iron cans, or clay pots can be substituted. Remember, the mouth of the can must be small and the charcoal must be small.

Grind them all into powder, I will be of great use!"

Wu Liang said seriously.

"promise!"

Although Yang Wanli didn't know what Wu Liang wanted these ordinary things for, he didn't dare to ask more questions and quickly took a few soldiers of the Hu army out to do as he was told.

…

More than half an hour later.

Yang Wanli and others have recovered the charcoal powder, kerosene, copper cans, and iron cans that Wu Liang needs. Such common materials can be easily purchased in the city of Zhanni where trade is developed.

Wu Liang then took only Dian Wei with him into the house where the accompanying supplies were stored.

After tinkering like this for a long time, Wu Liang and Dian Wei, who were covered in jet black, came out and asked someone to get some water from the well in the courtyard for a brief rinse before heading to the next-door Apuqiu home for a banquet.

.

It is worth mentioning that there is no shortage of water in Zhanni City at this moment.

Although there is little rain here all year round, Yanni City is built close to the Kongque River, a tributary of the Tarim River. Therefore, just dig a well from the ground and only need to drill it to a depth of three or four meters, and you can already enjoy the Kongque River passing through the ground.

The sweet fresh water that seeps in is enough to meet the water needs of local residents.

Apu Qiu is also very hospitable.

Not only did Wu Liang and others prepare the local specialty cantaloupe, but they also specially slaughtered two sheep to make a roasted whole lamb that was charred on the outside and tender on the inside until golden brown.

As for the wine, it was wine that was rarely seen in the Central Plains at this time. The fragrance hit your nostrils as soon as you opened the bottle, making people intoxicated.

This made the backbone of the Hu army who came with Wu Liang so greedy. When they saw these delicacies, they swallowed hard and their eyes became a little straight.

"Everyone, please enjoy it."

After Apqiu ordered his servants to bring all the things, he made a gesture of invitation with a smile, and added, "I have already ordered someone to take some of these wines and food and send them to the next door, and I will not neglect to go with you.

people."

"Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Upchu."

Wu Liang was not worried about what Apuqiu had done, and he also killed the soldiers next door.

Because before he came, he had already issued an order, ordering the soldiers next door to be in strict formation. Not only were they not allowed to eat the food sent by Apqiu easily, but they were also not allowed to drink the wine sent by Apqiu. Everything would be discussed after he returned.

And he and the backbone of the Heren Army will definitely return within half an hour. If there is a delay, the Heren Army soldiers will take action...

Apuqiu took out another piece of sheepskin from his arms, sent it to Wu Liang and said: "There is also the map you want. This map not only maps the situation around Shanni City, but also includes the situation of the entire Shanshan Kingdom. Please

Please take a look at it."

"It's time to work."

Wu Liang spread out the sheepskin and took a rough look.

Similar to what he knew before, immediately to the north of Yanni City is the Kongque River, a tributary that flows out of the Tarim River.

To the southeast of Janni City is the extremely vast Lop Nur, which is connected to the Kongque River. However, at this time, Lop Nur was not called Lop Nur. Instead, it followed the name in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" and was called "Lize".

"Zhenze" is much larger than Wu Liang imagined. Looking at the proportions on the map, even dozens of mud cities combined are not as large as each other. It is estimated that it must be at least several thousand square kilometers.

And unlike Lop Nur in later generations, "Zengze" at this moment is still a vast ocean, not a dry salt marsh.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with this.

As far as Wu Liang knew, in 1931, the water area measured in Lop Nur was still 1,900 square kilometers.

In 1941, when people measured Lop Nur again, its area increased instead of decreasing, reaching an unimaginable 3,006 square kilometers.

It was not until 1972 that Lop Nur completely dried up and turned into a dead salt marsh with no grass growing on it.
To be continued...