The Tianshan Mountains span the east and west, blocking the important road of exchange between the east and the west. Therefore, merchants who want to travel between the east and the west must cross this mountain range and cross the Yili River Basin before reaching the border of Daming.

However, although the Tianshan Mountains were steep, under the exploration of merchants, they had already found several safer roads. Lei Ming led the escaped mission into the mountains. He did not dare to take the largest and safest road, because he knew that Timur's vanguard army was likely to take this road, and he did not want these vanguard troops to encounter them.

So Lei Ming led the team to another small road. This road was actually a little closer, but the mountain road was not easy to walk on. However, there were not many people in them anyway, and there were camels and horses, so they walked very smoothly at the beginning.

Although the Tianshan Mountains block the exchange between the East and the West, they do not completely separate the two places like a city wall. Instead, there are many canyons between the mountains, and even some low-lying canyons have rivers passing through, such as the Ili River and the Sir River, which both originate from the Tianshan Mountains.

Lei Ming and the others first walked along the river valley. There was less rain in winter, so many river valleys dried up. In addition, the cold weather, the river valleys that did not dry up were also frozen, which also made the roads flatter than before, and even felt easier to walk than before.

But it was just an illusion that Fu An and his friends really set out on this road to find that although the valley was dry, the stones exposed on the riverbed could easily hurt the feet of the animals, and the frozen stones were also very easy to slip.

The most important thing is that they were worried along the way, worried that heavy snow would come. The previous snow did not affect the Tianshan Mountains, but it did not mean that there would not be snow in the mountains. In fact, the snow in the mountains is much more than outside the mountains.

If heavy snow really comes, it is likely to block the road. If they can't walk out, they may be trapped in the mountains. Although they have brought a lot of supplies, no one dares to take the risk of being trapped in the mountains. After all, any danger in the mountains may occur, so they also want to pass through the Tianshan Mountains before it snows.

Guo Ji was cursing while walking, and everyone around him got used to it. Speaking of which, although Guo Ji was a civil servant, he was irritable and tall and strong, he looked more like a military officer from any aspect.

"Brother Lei, how long does it take to go out?" Guo Ji couldn't help asking Lei Ming in front again. After entering this canyon, he had fallen several times. He was almost hit by the falling rock just now, so he was very upset.

"It's not far away. Walk about two miles forward and turn a corner to get out of this valley. There is a relatively flat hillside in front. We can rest!" Lei Ming replied with a breath of breath. Most of his injuries were healed, but his body was still a little weak, and it was very difficult to travel like this every day.

When everyone in the team heard that they could rest in front, they were shocked and their paces accelerated. In fact, people could adapt to the rocky valley. The key was that horses and camels walked very slowly, but these animals were carrying a large number of supplies on their backs, so they could only patiently lead the animals forward little by little.

The two miles were not far away, but the team walked for nearly an hour, with a corner ahead. However, when Lei Ming and the others arrived here, everyone was stunned because the road ahead was blocked by a huge rock. It seemed that it had fallen from the cliffs on both sides, just blocking the exit of the valley.

"It's not so unlucky, right?" Guo Ji saw that the road ahead was blocked, so he ran forward to check it out. He found that the huge rock did not block the road. A narrow gap was left on the left, and the person could barely pass by with his body on his side.

Fu An and Lei Ming also walked forward at this time. When they saw this gap that could only pass through people, both of them frowned. Among them, Fu An quickly spoke: "Brother Lei, we can go over, but what should we do if the animals?"

"It's better to use explosives to explode the stones. After all, there are so many supplies on the animals, and it's not okay to have no animals." At this time, Guo Ji turned his head and suggested to the two of them.

"No!" Lei Ming looked up at the cliffs on both sides, and then spoke, "This stone fell from above. Obviously, the rocks on it are not solid. If we use explosives, it is likely that the cliff will collapse. At that time, not only will the road be completely blocked, but we may also be buried alive."

Lei Ming's words also changed Fu An and Guo Ji's faces. When they ran away from the slave camp, Lei Ming sent someone to blow up the cliff and create a landslide. At that time, they almost buried them alive together, so they also knew the possibility of landslide.

"Is there a road to go around nearby?" Fu An thought for a while and asked Lei Ming again. The animals could not be abandoned, so they could only find a way to take a detour.

"There are, but it takes ten days to get around, and the road is more difficult to walk than here." Lei Ming replied with a frown. He was very familiar with the roads on Tianshan Mountain. This is also the reason why he dared to bring people into the mountain in winter, but he didn't expect that this road would be blocked.

"Ten days?" Fu An couldn't help but look up at the gloomy sky when they entered the mountains. After they entered the mountains, the sky had never been clear, especially in the past few days, the sky was even more cloudy, and it seemed that it could snow at any time. If you spend another ten days detours, you might encounter heavy snow on the way, and then they would be really trapped in the mountains.

"It is definitely not possible to detour. After we pass this valley, the next road will be much easier. If we walk faster, we may be able to get out in seven or eight days, so I think it's better to take a risk!" Lei Ming thought for a moment and suddenly said again.

"What you mean is that if we give up these animals, we should be able to go out before the food is exhausted?" Fu An was also a smart person and immediately understood what Lei Ming meant.

"Yes, each of us brings enough rations. As long as everything goes well, we should be able to get out of the mountains. By then, as long as we can meet the villages and towns outside, we will be safe." Lei Ming nodded and said.

"No, Brother Lei, I remember you said that even if you walk in Tianshan, there are few people outside. God knows when we will meet villages and towns? Then we have no food or drink and can't meet others, wouldn't we starve to death on the road?" Guo Ji shouted at this time.

When they heard Guo Ji's words, Fu An and Lei Ming also showed silent expressions. In fact, they thought of Guo Ji's concern. After all, after there were no animals, the supplies they carried would be very limited, and they would walk very slowly after leaving the mountain. If they could not find others before the supplies were exhausted, they would likely die on the road.
Chapter completed!