According to the information confessed by the prisoners and Lin Rui¡¯s understanding of the current situation, the main force led by the Malian army entered Gao from the south to the west.
The other mercenary force took a similar route to Lin Rui and the others, passing through the previous town and retreating westwards into Gao from the Niger River that was forcibly crossed at a ferry.
The places where they crossed the river were all south of Conglin, where the terrain was relatively flat and there were large plains. Although the road was easier to walk, Lin Rui and the others couldn't because they took a detour to attack the camp of the Tuareg armed forces. Catch up with this force.
¡°And because of the actions of the Trident mercenaries and Malian troops, and when a large number of troops were withdrawing to Gao, the main force of the Tuareg Liberation Organization had already chased them.
Therefore, in the lower reaches, the water has been blocked by the Tuareg Liberation Organization. Therefore, Lin Rui led the team upstream to look for opportunities to cross the river, and finally broke through the blockade of the Tuareg Liberation Organization and forcibly crossed the Niger River.
Therefore, it is impossible for them to follow the previous route to Gao, and they can only find a new road to Gao in the northern region.
But this valley was originally the only path leading to Gao in this area. However, with the arrival of the rainy season, floods have blocked the path and turned the valley into a big river, so they had to choose another path. .
So Lin Rui had to gather everyone together and discuss with the two locals who had just joined them and the two locals they had just caught on the road where to go to cross the valley in front of them.
And the two local foreigners were at a loss as to what to do. They had never walked this road before, so they didn't know other roads except this valley.
At the same time, because the mountainous area in this area is sparsely populated, although their map is relatively precise, the terrain markings in this area are vague and there are no villages or roads marked. Therefore, with the help of the map and these two foreigners, Lin Rui simply Unable to select new path.
So he turned his attention to the two black Malians who were like frightened birds. Rabbit asked them in Malian: "So do you know of any place around here that can pass through here?"
The two local black men looked at Lin Rui and the soldiers around him, their eyes flashing with fear, but they refused to answer.
Lin Rui asked twice, but the two local black people refused to speak, so he became a little impatient: "Will you tell me? If you tell me, we will let you go after we find a way! I promise not to Will hurt you
But if you don¡¯t tell me, then you will be of no use to me. In order to ensure that you will not reveal our whereabouts, I have no choice but to feel sorry for you two! "
After hearing Lin Rui's threat, the two black men were so frightened that they wanted to pee their pants. After hesitating for a while, one of them finally said: "It's not that we don't want to talk! The forest ditch in this area is deep, and there are many beasts in it. , we never dare to go into the mountains and forests easily!
¡°And there are some primitive tribes in the mountains and forests in this area. They are not easy to mess with. We don¡¯t know any other way through this jungle! "
When Lin Rui heard this, of course he knew what the indigenous people they were talking about were. These so-called indigenous people were actually indigenous people living in the deep mountains and old forests.
They live in the mountains and forests and never or rarely interact with the outside world. They live a self-sufficient life in the mountains and forests, while maintaining barbaric behavior. Moreover, these indigenous people in a primitive state have no concept of a country at all and just live together in tribal units.
Even now, some of the indigenous people have not left the mountains and forests, and still live a primitive life in the mountains and forests, eating hair and drinking blood.
So the locals are afraid of them, and it is not fabricated to say that they cannibalize people. These indigenous people indeed still maintain the custom of headhunting and offering sacrifices in this era. In addition, it is normal for them to eat people when they are short of food.
As soon as they heard that there were indigenous people in the mountains, the surrounding Mali soldiers were immediately frightened. They were not afraid of being beaten to death on the battlefield. For these lonely ghosts left in a foreign land, death would count as death. Well, they have already seen life and death along the way. But even if they died and were eaten by wild animals, no one wanted to be eaten by the indigenous people.
Because local shamans in Africa have superstitious opinions, it is said that if a person dies and is eaten, his soul will not be freed.
So when they heard that there were savage indigenous people in the mountains in this area, many people were frightened. When they looked at the forest, they showed a look of fear.
Lin Rui spat, and sneered: "You bastards are so scared! What they call indigenous people, in fact, let'sHaving entered the territory of this tribe, if they are alerted and aroused their hostility, they will attack.
Lin Rui then thought about it and asked An Keryuan, the commander of the Malian troops, to lead the team to stop advancing. He then ordered Kuai Ma and a few close associates to bring a batch of grain, salt and a small amount of cans, and asked the two The local black people continued to lead the way and walked towards the front.
Everyone¡¯s hearts were raised again. Eric quietly pulled Lin Rui¡¯s arm who was packing his luggage and whispered: "Boss! These primitive tribes are not easy to deal with. You must be careful!"
Lin Rui turned his head and looked at Eric. He didn't say anything, but gave him a bared smile.
"Don't worry." He patted Eric's shoulder, stood up and put his things on his back. He called them to get on the horse, they all put their things on their backs, and followed the two guides towards the depths of the forest.
Lin Rui led everyone and followed the guide into the dense forest. Soon his keen sixth sense told him that someone seemed to be observing them around. But Lin Rui did not pick up the gun. Instead, he relaxed his body as much as possible and told others not to raise the gun. Try to stay relaxed. If someone jumps out later, don't shoot without permission or show hostility easily.
Everyone was slightly nervous and slowly continued to move forward with Lin Rui. Once here, the forest began to become sparse, and some traces of human activities began to appear in the forest. There was even a small farmland in an open space.
Of course, if this piece of farmland is compared with the farmland outside, it seems a bit too extensive, because there are no ridges in it, and only sparse crops are grown in it, with little maintenance, and there are many weeds. It can be seen that the people who grow these mountain rice are still quite backward in terms of farming technology. They can even be said to be very primitive. They are still at the level of slash-and-burn cultivation, so don't expect much food to be produced in these rice fields.
But this at least shows that the people here have broken away from the primitive category and have mastered some farming techniques, but they are still at a relatively low stage.
Just after they crossed this primitive rice field, a group of dark-skinned and thin people suddenly popped out of the forest. Most of these people were not wearing any clothes. Some of them had a piece of linen around their waists, or at most they were wearing a piece of linen cloth. Can't see the color of the linen.
Moreover, each of these dark-skinned and thin people is holding either a bamboo bow or a spear made of metal with a front end tied to it. Some people seem to be holding a bamboo pipe, which looks like a blow dart. In short, judging from their dress and appearance, they really look like indigenous people.
After these natives jumped out, they blocked their way and aimed their spears, bows and arrows, blowguns and other weapons at Lin Rui and his party.
The two guides were so frightened that they peed their pants on the spot. They ran back with a cry and hid behind Lin Rui. Everyone was taken aback. They all raised their guns and pointed them at the indigenous people. Ready to shoot at any time.
Only Lin Rui did not pick up the gun, but immediately raised his hands high and said to everyone behind him: "Put down your guns and raise your hands! Don't show your hostility! Do as I say! Hurry! "
Everyone hesitantly put away their guns and put them on their shoulders again. They slowly followed Lin Rui's example and raised their hands, exposing their hands for the other party to see.