The expedition team was really exhausted, and the snow nest not only brought warmth but also a closed space and a sense of security, which made everyone sleep comfortably.
Even the two-kick signal flare every half hour stopped at three o'clock in the morning, and everyone fell into a deep sleep.
Only when Guan Lu and Doluo rubbed their eyes and saw a glimmer of light emerging from the gaps between the snow bricks above their heads did they realize that it was getting brighter.
After peeling away the thick snow at the entrance of the snow nest, he could not open his eyes as the vast white snowfield reflected the sunlight and stung him. However, when Guan Lu regained his sight, he suddenly shouted "Ah! Look..."
This sound was so loud that it woke up a dozen expedition members in the snow nest, and even woke up the war horses that were huddled together to stay warm and avoid the wind and snow. The horses shook off the white snow on their bodies and subconsciously turned their heads to the south.
Even the animals are spiritual, and several of the strong leading horses barked regularly.
Guan Lu emerged from the snow nest and jumped on the snowy field cheering, "Here... here... there are people coming from the south... Come out and take a look..."
The expedition team, which faced many difficulties and dangers, finally met their relatives. A long black line was drawn out on the southern snowfield. Through the telescope, they could identify the cavalrymen wearing Hunan Army horns. Each one was wearing furs and was heading towards the camp with difficulty. near.
"Set off fireworks...shoot...report...it's Marshal Zuo's leading cavalry exploring the horse..."
The team members' faces were filled with tears of excitement. They pulled out their rifles and fired into the sky. The sound of the gunfire alarmed the cavalry scouts several miles away. At that moment, they obviously sped up.
Gordon's eyes were red with excitement, "God bless me, I finally see a familiar unit... Those are my comrades when we fought in Jiangnan..."
The expedition led by Samuel Baker and Gordon landed from India and headed north to the Pamir Plateau of Afghanistan. They detoured through Ili and Northern Xinjiang, crossed thousands of miles of no-man's land in Outer Mongolia, and finally headed south to the Mazong Mountains on a winter night.
The total distance traveled is nearly 5,000 kilometers! During the journey of thousands of miles, the expedition team paid more than 30 lives, and after going through countless hardships, they finally met their relatives.
No matter how far away the cavalry from the south began to yell, "Is this an expedition sent by Lord Long Live? Is it an expedition sent by Lord Long Live...?"
"That's right... it's us... his grandma's. We have traveled more than ten thousand miles... wu wu wu... we have reached the realm of peace..."
As their horses trampled on the snow, Liu Jintang's vanguard cavalry divided into two groups, one heading south to deliver the message and the other joining the expedition team.
When Liu Jintang's cavalry saw these inhuman team members being tortured on ice and snow, they all became awe-inspiring, "Man! What a pure man! What a good man..."
"Tell the rear to hitch up the sledge... and take the good man to Guazhou City! The commander has been waiting for you for too long..."
"How did you find us?"
"Oh, don't mention it. I've been looking for it for half a month...I patrol this generation every day, so I just saw the fireworks signal last night..."
"But the strong wind at night is too cold and it is too dangerous. I can only come out to pick you up early in the morning... Fortunately, you dug a snow nest. With the temperature last night, there must have been hundreds of frozen corpses outside Guazhou City... …”
"Let's go... quickly organize the camp and pack things. The sledge will be here in a moment... You can lie down and rest for a while..."
When the troops reunited, both sides began to pack up supplies. By nine o'clock in the morning, a large group of people arrived from the direction of Guazhou, and the leader was actually Zuo Zongtang's close aide, Commander Liu Jintang.
Senior officials came forward. Guan Lu and Duoluo did not dare to neglect and hurriedly stood to the north. "Is this person Liu Jintang, the commander of the Western Expedition? There is an oral message from His Majesty here!"
As soon as Liu Jintang heard the instructions, he knelt down on the snow and said, "I, Liu Jintang, pray long live, long live, long live, long live!"
"Quickly move the incense case. Is there any incense?" Liu Jintang's soldiers hurriedly took care of it.
Doro Yi raised his hand, "No need, your Majesty gave a verbal order and did not have an imperial edict..."
"Long live the Lord, I have said that the army of the Western Expedition has worked hard and made great achievements, and I am very concerned about it. However, I am not personally in charge and cannot go beyond the power to reward you with titles and honors... I specially sent an imperial envoy to reward Liu Jintang, Xu Zhanbiao... and other generals with flowered eyes and a yellow mantle... …”
"Reward Zuo Zongtang... with three-eyed flower feathers!"
ah! The officers and soldiers who were kneeling on the ground suddenly took a breath of air. For more than two hundred years in the Qing Dynasty, military attachés were often rewarded with two-eyed flower feathers, but three-eyed flower feathers were rarely rewarded. The total number did not exceed ten.
This is a great honor! Emperor Tongzhi was not in power yet, so he could not be rewarded with titles or official positions, so he could only win people's hearts with false reputations and honors.
But not to mention, officials still do this. This kind of honor is a political symbol, and it is absolutely glorious!
Liu Jintang was so excited that his eyes filled with tears, "My lord... I thank you for your grace!"
Doluo and Guan Lu had already announced their decree, and then the subordinates met their superiors. The two looked at each other and helped Liu Jintang up.
"General... I have already announced my decree. Now it's time for us to meet the commander! The first-class guards of the Forbidden City, Duo Luo and Guan Lu, have met the general!"
After saying that, hit him a thousand times!
It's okay if you don't register your name. Once your name was reported, the surrounding soldiers were shocked, "What? The first-class guard of the Forbidden City... Be good, this is still a bannerman!"
"Impossible. Will the bannermen endure this hardship? All the way from India?"
The soldiers were whispering among themselves, with disbelief in their eyes. They were all veterans who had served during the Ping Changmao period. They had dealt with the bannermen troops.
To be honest, these fierce soldiers looked down on these bannermen uncles from the bottom of their hearts. In the entire Eight Banners army, except for the troops of the dead monk king who could still fight, the rest were all cowards.
There may be one warrior among a hundred, but such people are also arrogant ghosts who pinch their eyes and look at others. They are absolutely impatient of chores.
The tough soldiers in the banner camp never know how to dig trenches, repair tools, or roll around in the mud... let alone run errands thousands of miles away. They think these are the jobs of inferior people!
But look at the two so-called 'first-class bodyguards' who are wearing tattered and dirty sheepskin coats, their hands are covered with frostbite and black mud, and their faces are purple and red from the high altitude sun.
There doesn't seem to be anyone looking domineering. How could this be the ancestors of those bannermen?
Doro and Guan Lu saw the questioning expressions of the soldiers around them and heard the gossip. Their faces turned red with shame, and in the end they gritted their molars and said fiercely.
"What happened to the banner people? Can't the banner people endure hardship? Don't forget, there are so many territories in the Western Regions and Outer Mongolia... which were also conquered by our ancestors of the banner people!"
"In the three dynasties of Kangxi, Yongzong and Qianlong, our bannermen shed blood here!"
Liu Jintang glared at his subordinates fiercely, then went up to hold the frostbitten hands of Duoluo and Guan Lu, "Brother! When you come to this land of the Western Regions, there will be no difference between Manchu and Han!"
"Our common enemy is Aguba. We just want to leave this land to future generations! You are good and you are interesting!"
"Others don't care about them. It's their choice to be dudes. We choose to be men ourselves!"
