Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 442 Crossing the Desert
"We've traveled thousands of miles, so don't let this last tremor cause you to collapse."

Inside the warm tent, Lin Dao, covered with an air-conditioning blanket, was filled with worry.

Wearing a silk nightgown, Zhou Ehuang carefully tucked the blanket around her younger sister, who was fast asleep in the small bed next to her.

Then, they went to the heater that was emitting an orange-red light and skillfully adjusted the temperature.

After finishing all that, I finally returned to my bed.

The nights in the desert were too cold, so with Lin Dao's permission, they moved their sister's bed into the back tent so they could keep warm with this magical device that could emit its own light and heat.

"Your Majesty need not worry."

After tucking her in, Zhou Ehuang snuggled into his arms. "Everyone has been given so many warm supplies, there's bound to be no problem."

With Xiao Zhouhou here, it's naturally difficult for her to carry out her daily tasks.

After all, the commotion in the forest was always quite loud, and it wouldn't be good to wake up Xiao Zhouhou.

Feeling utterly bored, Lin Dao lay on the bed, picked up his phone, and started browsing downloaded online novels.

He was reading female-oriented content.

Although the novels in the female-oriented genre are astonishing to read.

Yet, inexplicably, a sense of intellectual superiority wells up within me.

He found a pastime to pass the time, but Zhou Ehuang always felt uneasy.

Without daily tasks, I feel empty inside.

I just saw a domineering CEO professing his love to a 40-year-old divorced woman with a child by gifting her a 188-carat pink diamond, and even offering to hand over his business empire as a dowry~
Sensing Zhou Ehuang's subtle movement, he immediately frowned.

"Okay, go to sleep."

If they were in the outer tent, then whatever Lin Dao said would naturally be the truth.

But things are different here in the back tent.

Zhou Ehuang ignored her and continued her rustling, subtle actions.

Helpless, Lin Dao had no choice but to turn off his phone and close his eyes, letting her set a trap for him.

In the vast desert, countless tents form rings of varying sizes.

Lin Dao provided each vehicle with a professional outdoor tent, covering the carriage and the horses pulling it.

The howling wind outside the tent was deafening, but inside it was warm and quiet.

It just has a rather strong smell.

Everyone had a warm sleeping bag, so despite the howling wind outside, it was extremely comfortable inside the tent.

As dawn broke, the sunlight dispelled the chill and quickly warmed the earth.

As the bugle calls continued to sound, activity gradually began to stir in the tents.

The outer tents were constantly shaking to shake off the sand blown in by the wind.

Afterwards, everyone came out to clear away the sand and pack up the tents.

The first thing we did every morning was to dig dry toilets.

After all, the carriage was not very spacious, and with several people crammed inside, there was really no place to put the chamber pot.

After that, everyone made and ate breakfast individually, working as a unit.

During mealtimes, mounted soldiers would come and go to deliver messages.

"The sand ahead is soft, so all the carriages have switched to sleds."

The carriage wheels were ordered from the modern world by Lindao and were designed to travel on sandy terrain.

But it won't work on quicksand; you'll have to switch to a sled-like vehicle.

Fortunately, I had made a request when I placed the order to simplify the replacement process as much as possible. It only takes about ten minutes to complete.

After that, they still couldn't rush to set off. Instead, each carriage had to send someone to collect the empty water buckets and send them to the main camp.

Here at the camp, water buckets were piled up like mountains.

The importance of water in the desert is self-evident.

Especially when it's hot and you sweat a lot, if you don't replenish enough water, you'll quickly become unable to withstand it.

After having lunch, Lin Dao arrived at the mountain of water buckets piled up like a mountain.

Under the reverent gaze of countless people, he vanished instantly with the buckets in his arms.

It was at this time that bachelors were continuously resettled and troops were assigned to garrisons.

Especially since they had previously split up their forces with Pan Mei, fewer people followed them.

Otherwise, the number of buckets needed would be so great that even the largest warehouse he bought wouldn't be able to hold them all.

In the modern world, the water delivery trucks, which had already arrived and were unloading at the warehouse next door, drove over in order and took away the empty barrels.

Lin Dao, on the other hand, went to the closed warehouse next door to take away the newly delivered water.

This scene played out every day before we left the desert.

The people waiting in the camp watched in disbelief as the Water Bucket Mountain suddenly appeared, and they all bowed down in worship.

The one who possessed such great supernatural powers was none other than his own emperor.

Moreover, he was a kind-hearted emperor who cared about them.

Such good fortune is something you only encounter when your ancestral grave is on fire and burning continuously.

The crowd lined up to collect water, and the buckets were loaded onto the horse-drawn carts according to the number of people, before returning to their respective camps to distribute the water.

By this time, the desert had become extremely hot, with rolling heat waves emanating from it as if they were tangible.

The various camps began to move again.

They captured countless horses along the way, and the selected strong horses were enough to carry everyone.

Wearing athletic riding clothes and equipped with cooling devices, the strong horses pulled countless carriages, moving forward continuously on the rolling sand.

Actually, camels would be better, but we couldn't find many camels, so we simply used horses.

The small air conditioner installed inside the car was humming and blowing out cool air.

Lin Dao glanced at the two sisters who were dozing off not far away, then reached out and pulled back the curtains.

Looking through the color-changing heat-insulating glass at the suffocating heat outside, Lin Dao sighed.

How did Xuanzang cross the desert back then?

The historical Xuanzang went on a pilgrimage to obtain Buddhist scriptures without permission.

I've traveled thousands of miles over many years, especially crossing the desert alone.

It's truly unimaginable how he crossed the desert alone. "It just goes to show how incredibly strong a person's willpower can be."

“If all monks were like Xuanzang, why would I ban Buddhism?”

If all monks were truly dedicated to cultivating their minds and seeking Buddhahood, and had genuinely relinquished everything in the mortal world, relying solely on their own efforts to farm and earn a living...

Lin Dao would never ban Buddhism; in fact, he would even provide financial assistance to them.

The problem is that most monks cannot reach Xuanzang's level.

Even worse, the evil they committed could incite anger and rage in anyone who looked upon them!
Shaking his head, Lin Dao, having cleared his mind, sat back down.

At that time, the Western Regions were still a place where Buddhism flourished.

In particular, Khotan, which we were going to visit, was known as the Buddhist Kingdom.

However, as the Uyghur rule deepened and the Buddhist sect's policy of only accepting and not giving out its teachings was seen through by more and more people.

Ultimately, Buddhism here was completely replaced by Buddhism from the west.

Lin Dao has also thought about this.

The void left by Buddhism must be filled.

Ultimately, his plan was to have local Taoist sects fill the gap.

The specific arrangements are handled by the planners hired at great expense in the modern world.

In the desert, besides sand, there are also oases.

The further south you go, the more oases there are, and the larger they become.

The local guide also tried to act mysterious.

Lin Dao, who had taken geography class, succinctly explained it all.

There is a river ahead.

There are rivers in the desert too.

However, as the many rivers continued to flow, their channels grew smaller and smaller until they disappeared completely.

Due to excessive evaporation and seepage into the ground, it has become an underground river.

These rivers manifest themselves as oases.

Just as Lin Dao had predicted.

The army found a river in the desert.

At first, the river was very narrow, like a stream.

Moreover, the river water was extremely murky, like a sewage ditch.

However, as it continued southward, the river also began to change.

The river channel became wider and wider, and the water gradually became clearer.

Even when I'm sleeping at night, I can hear the sound of the river flowing.

“Near the desert, as long as you follow the river, you will surely find a place where people gather.”

"The more abundant the water resources, the more people there will be."

"If any time traveler ever ends up in the desert, remember my words~"

The large contingent finally emerged from the desert.

After heading south and leaving the edge of the desert, you can see cities and fields along the banks of a distant river.

Scattered cattle and sheep grazed with their heads down, while busy adults and children stared in astonishment at the massive caravan emerging from the desert.

We finally arrived in Khotan.

For Lin Dao, the resistance from the Kingdom of Khotan was almost negligible.

The only thing that could trouble the army was the environment.

Once you leave the desert, everything else will fall into place naturally.

Standing atop the city wall of Khotan, I gazed southward.

There are endless, vast mountain ranges there.

The mountain range with its peak covered in snow is the Kunlun Mountains, the ancestor of all mountains.

"No lottery this time!"

With a beaming smile, Chen Xiaoqi ran over to report the good news to his brothers: "Everyone has been settled!"

Traveling together for thousands of miles, even strangers can become good brothers.

"Great!"

Huang Dashan happily hugged Chen Xiaoqi, "We brothers don't have to be separated anymore!"

"Let's go pick out some land and houses, and get some livestock and girls too!"

Upon arriving here, only the two of the bachelors from Panyu County remained.

If the Holy Emperor were to continue his journey, the two of them would likely be completely separated, perhaps not seeing each other for many years.

The last few brothers from Panyu stayed in Kucha.

To meet them, you have to cross an entire desert!
Now it's good, no matter what, there's always a fellow villager by my side.

As for the other Hengshan Dangxiang Qiang people in the same team, although they got along well, they also wore Hanfu, spoke Han language, and had Han names.

But ultimately, there is still a barrier between them.

Perhaps it will take the next generation of people to fully integrate.

This was the last stop in Lindao's reconquest of the Western Regions.

If you go further west, you'll reach the Pamir Mountains, also known as the Congling Mountains.

It's possible to cross the river, but it's not very meaningful for just the troops to get through.

We should wait until the railway is repaired before going there.

To the west lies the Pamir Mountains, and to the south lies the ancient Tokharistan kingdom of the Tang Dynasty, which is now the disputed territory of Kashmir.

After passing through Greater and Lesser Tokharistan, you'll reach India.

Once the railway is completed, the army will simultaneously head west and south.

He once said that he wanted all the land under the sun to become the homeland of the Central Plains.

You keep your word!

(End of this chapter)