The wind at night became stronger and stronger, causing the wicker basket to swing sideways, and the entire balloon quickly headed west like a cloud and mist. The coal and oil in the stove have been exhausted, and only a few sparks occasionally spray out from the brass mouth.
The three of them watched as the originally bulging balloon began to become loose, less like a balloon and more like a piece of waste paper rolled up by the strong wind.
The night was getting darker and darker, and strong winds brought layers of thick clouds high in the sky, covering up the stars and moon. The hot air balloon seemed to be wrapped in darkness, and Li Ting and others were struggling left and right while they screamed. After a while, the three of them suddenly felt the wicker basket falling rapidly.
The sinking feeling that their internal organs were about to fall out and the fear that they were about to be smashed into meat patties gripped them, causing them to shout subconsciously.
Not long after, the wicker basket fell heavily into a forest. The basket instantly collided with countless branches and turned into pieces. The three of them fell to the ground with their hands and feet tied.
Li Ting curled up as hard as he could and relied on his back, arms and legs to block countless hits. Even so, when he landed on the ground, he felt a sharp shock in his chest and abdomen, and he vomited blood.
He lay on the ground, his vision turned red, and he vaguely saw not far away from him, Zheng Rui tried his best to open his arms to protect A Duo, who was holding his head and shouting, and rolled down a steep cliff.
He muttered subconsciously and tilted his head again, only to realize where the red light in his eyes came from.
It turned out that the huge balloon fell to the ground, rolled around the stove, and knocked down several trees. The remaining fire in the stove ignited the paint on the balloon's surface, and soon the balloon turned into a fireball, and the flames began to spread through the forest.
Li Ting endured the severe pain and stood up slowly. As soon as he stood up straight, he felt the world was spinning again and his feet felt weak.
He fell to the ground with a thud, panted for a while, and tried to stand up again. This time, I felt severe pain in my left ankle. I didn't know whether it was a broken bone or a broken tendon. He groped left and right on the ground, then groped again, found a thick branch to use for strength, and hopped a few steps forward on one leg.
At this time, the fire in the forest began to spread, and accompanied by the whistling wind, the sound of crackling firewood and crackling fire was as continuous as popping beans. Li Ting staggered away from the heat wave and retreated to the edge of the cliff ten feet away from the forest, looking at the shadows below.
He held back the pain in his chest and shouted, "Zheng Rui! A Duo! Are you still alive?"
After a while, the sound of rushing water came from below, and Ado's mumbling words came up, with echoes, and he was very angry: "It's over now, it's over."
Zheng Rui gasped and said weakly: "Shut up, climb up, hurry up!"
Li Ting laughed twice and collapsed on the edge of the cliff. He murmured: "I've caused big trouble now, and I'm afraid I'll be punished by Guo Liulang."
Under normal circumstances, a hot air balloon has a hemp rope tied to a rock on the ground. It looks awkward floating in the air. In fact, once it loses control, it can ride on the wind and run faster than a galloping horse.
What Li Ting didn't know was that the balloon had fallen to Yizhou, west of Xianping Prefecture.
This area is located between rolling sand ridges to the northwest and forested meadows to the southeast. Traveling from Liaohai to the east, passing through Yiwulu Mountain, passing Tribulus Mountain, Qianmaling and other places, rest for a while, and then follow the "Eagle Road" of Liao Dynasty to the northeast to reach Xianpingfu.
And if Li Ting did a little exploration, he would have discovered that the ruins of Lingfeng County in the Bohai Kingdom were within four or five miles of winding down the mountain along the small river under the cliff.
At this time, a Mongolian army was resting on the old site of Lingfeng County. From time to time, there were cavalry patrolling at night, holding torches and circling around the outside.
In the camp, thousands of people were lying down with their clothes and their own horses. It was originally very quiet, but the roar and blazing fire of the hot air balloon alarmed all the Mongolians.
The sound was the same as rolling thunder, dull and terrifying, like a bombardment in the heart, making the heart throb and tremble involuntarily.
The horses neighed repeatedly, and thousands of people stood up almost at the same time, looking towards the mountains.
On a night with thick clouds, the hills were so dark that it was impossible to see the direction of the mountains. The mountain fire suddenly lit up, and the flames were like blood, reflecting the billowing clouds in the sky, which made it particularly eye-catching.
While everyone was holding their breath and concentrating, the pitiful screams of people could be faintly heard amidst the roar. That's right, that was really thunder, and it was thunder that had already landed on the ground, killing people and igniting mountain fires!
In various camps, there was an uproar in an instant.
The living environment of the Mongols has created their unique customs. The fear of thunder is one of them.
If the Mongolians encountered thunder in the wilderness, they would immediately cover their ears and bend down to the ground to avoid the thunder and lightning. If the army encounters thunder and lightning while moving, it will stop marching immediately. If thunder and lightning are heard in the tent, the stranger will be driven out of the tent and hide in the tent until the thunder stops.
In Mongolian legends, thunder is a punishment or warning from the Immortal God. Therefore, livestock and tents that have been struck by lightning must be discarded. Even if someone is struck by lightning, his family or people of the same clan will have to move away from the place to avoid the unknown. These people will not even be able to enter the Khan's O'er for the next three years to avoid passing the bad luck to the nobles.
The reason for this custom is that lightning on the grassland can kill cattle, sheep and livestock out of thin air and cause fires. Once it occurs on the grassland, it is a terrible natural disaster that cannot be avoided.
So, what does the sudden muffled thunder in front of me mean?
Leading this Mongolian cavalry was Bolu, the eldest son of Muhuali. At a very young age, it was the first time for me to follow my father and take on important responsibilities. He led two thousand cavalry and set out from Jinzhou with the intention of going to Xianping Prefecture to meet the four thousand households who originally belonged to Yinchen Nayan.
As a result, halfway through, they bumped into Brother Kete and others who were retreating in panic. After asking, they found out that although Pu Xianwannu was a fool, Brother Yeluliu was as useless as ever because Shandong's Dinghai navy suddenly intervened. During the Liaodong war, all these two families had been defeated.
As a result, Mu Huali certainly took the Beijing Road and cut off the Liaohai Channel, but after eliminating unstable factors, the Jurchen warlords from all over the Northeast, who were originally divided, had a clear tendency to unite relying on the Dinghai Navy.
This is not good news.
Bolu was also bold. He immediately urged his troops to advance quickly, intending to take advantage of the rest of the fighting at Xianping Mansion and launch a counterattack when the soldiers were tired. But the closer he got to Xianping Mansion, the more defeated soldiers he encountered along the way, and the more he learned about that battle.
He had to admit that the combat effectiveness of the Ding Navy was indeed as strong as the previous rumors. But Brother Te and others were repelled in a direct confrontation!
After this battle, the Mongolian army had no allies around Xianping Mansion to drive. If Polo wanted to continue fighting, he could only rely on his two thousand cavalry. But against such a powerful army, what effect can two thousand cavalry really have?
Although Bolu continued to urge his troops forward, he became more and more hesitant in his heart.
What if, what if the war goes badly... The fourth prince dragged Lei back that day and was defeated, causing the Great Khan to be furious and suffer a great deal. If I, Polo, fail to advance rashly, won’t I become the next dragnet? And even if I have a heel, how can I compare with Tuo Lei?
Thinking of these, Polo didn't sleep well that night.
He had been sitting in the yurt, holding the huge scimitar across his knees, holding the scabbard tightly, forcing himself to be calm and collected. But in the middle of the night, thunder suddenly struck again...
Omniscient God of Immortality, is this warning me?
It would be great if Elder Huo'erchi was here. He knows Changshengtian's thoughts best, and nothing can be hidden from his divination.
Bolu stared at the mountain fire for a long time. He noticed that many people in the hundreds or thousands of households on the left and right were muttering, and his face suddenly darkened: "Thunderstorms are rare, but they are not unheard of. Why make a fuss? Pass the order..."
Everyone's eyes suddenly focused on Bolu's face. Bolu paused for a moment and said in a calm voice: "We can't stay in this place anymore, let's withdraw our troops!"
(End of chapter)
