Chapter 230

The squad leader was young and unmarried; traveling with two young women already made him uneasy, and mentioning General Liu only made him more nervous.

At this critical moment, He Jinglan suddenly asked about something else—how could the squad leader's mind still keep up?

He immediately exclaimed, "How does Miss He know that?"

As soon as the squad leader blurted out the truth, he froze and instinctively raised his hand to cover his mouth.

Because this news had only been urgently sent into the camp the night before last.

Even if it had spread across the world, it wasn't really a secret.

But to spread by word of mouth through civilian channels to the border regions would still take time—it simply couldn't happen that quickly.

He Jinglan gave Gu Xixi a meaningful look, then asked, "Is that person who came back from the dead the former Second-Rank Minister of Works, Mu Nan Zhao?"

The squad leader kept his hand over his mouth, unable to speak.

Yet from his widened, shocked eyes, the answer was obvious.

He Jinglan's smile deepened as she gently reassured the squad leader:

"Don't be afraid; since this matter is already out in the open, sooner or later everyone will know, so you're not revealing a secret or breaking military law."

"Besides, you didn't say anything outright; what I guess in my heart has nothing to do with you."

Gu Xixi also said, "When we see General Liu later, I'll just be busy working—I won't have time to chat."

The squad leader looked at the two of them, and only then did he relax.

Reckoning the time, it was about the day the war began when countless people saw the supposedly dead Mu Nan Zhao appear before the two armies.

This person was a trusted senior minister of the late emperor, which is why the current empress dowager's faction feared him and, taking advantage of the late emperor's death, set a trap to ensure his death.

It has been about a year and a half since then, just as the capital's court had begun to forget Mu Nan Zhao's influence.

Yet he appeared alive before the imperial army and dealt it a crushing blow in a great victory.

Such a shocking scene was like a boulder shattering the ice that had long sealed a lake.

That day, the news spread like snowflakes, swiftly transmitted via various routes to all the important figures of the Great Undertaking Dynasty.

Mu Nan Zhao could have continued to remain hidden behind the scenes, directing strategy.

The reason for such high publicity was to let the whole Great Undertaking know that Mu Nan Zhao had returned.

It was both a signal and an opportunity for many to weigh their options.

It told the court and the populace whether they should be hostile, neutral, or cooperative.

It was time for them to give serious thought and make a decision quickly.

The frontier.

The Northwest Army had opened up far too much land, so Gu Xixi adopted a more efficient method.

Advancing from south to north, as soon as she judged a field of oats to be mature, harvesting could begin immediately.

At the same time, she and He Jinglan rode out to inspect the fields and take samples.

After two full days, all the oats were mature except for a dozen or so acres in the north that still needed three more days; the rest matched the yield of the Dependents Village.

At dusk, at the entrance to the camp.

General Liu watched one cart after another of oats being brought in, and couldn't help but break into a smile.

"I never imagined that the common oats found in the wild could yield so much when cultivated."

"This way, the commanding general finally won't have to beg for grain this winter!"

"Boss Gu, you're truly a benefactor of our Northwest Army!"

Gu Xixi had thus completed her mission ahead of schedule.

After days of running about outdoors, both she and He Jinglan had gotten a layer of tan.

Moreover, from rising early and staying up late, lack of sleep showed fatigue on both their faces.

She smiled at General Liu, modestly said "Not at all," and then handed over two sheets of paper.

"The first sheet is the recipe for oat noodles, which is a bit more troublesome than ordinary wheat noodles. From oat grain to finished noodles, it takes six steps; only then is the noodle dish chewy and smooth."

General Liu nodded solemnly, "That's easy; I'll pass it to the squad leader's unit later for them to study thoroughly."

Gu Xixi then said, "The second sheet is more important."

"I wrote down how many times and when to hoe, plow, fertilize, and irrigate after harvesting the oat field."

"The alfalfa field can be maintained; after it withers in autumn and winter, it will grow again next year."

"Understood," General Liu said, "It's the same as before and after we opened up the land—just follow it strictly."

He thought for a moment, then voiced his doubt: "Since these fields already produce grain and the yield meets your expectations, why not strike while the iron's hot and plant something else?"

"I know that millet, foxtail millet, and sorghum—these coarse grains—have shorter growing periods than wheat, so planting them now would still be in time."

Gu Xixi said, "That's exactly why I said the second sheet is more important."

"The soil here isn't good enough; planting just one season of oats hasn't yet achieved improvement."

"If we rush to plant other grains now, it will only speed up soil degradation; in the long run, the loss outweighs the gain."

General Liu, being entrusted to guard the rear, naturally possesses considerable ability.

After hearing Gu Xixi's explanation, he understood: "Draining the pond to catch fish, killing the hen for its eggs—surely not a good strategy."

Gu Xixi said, "But I also have another plan; leaving so much land fallow for half a year would truly be wasteful."

"Let it rest and recuperate for about a month, and we could then plant a batch of short-term crops."

"The options currently available are Chinese yam, sweet potato, kudzu root, and pumpkin."

"But the exact choice of seeds will have to wait until I return to examine the sampled soil before I can make a final decision."

"In half a month, General Liu can send someone to Flower Pool Ford Village to find me."

"I will write the details in a letter; you will have plenty of time to procure the seedlings."

General Liu's hometown is also a farming household.

If it were in the past, they would secretly despise it in their heart—soil is soil, still need to test it?

It's not poison, how could you test it?

Whether the crops sprout or not, you know as soon as you sow the seeds—farming folk have always just done it this way.

Apart from sowing, plowing, watering, fertilizing, and weeding, everything else is up to Heaven.

But over the past half year, Gu Xixi's abilities have gradually been proven.

Although General Liu still finds it mysterious, they nevertheless firmly believe in this mystery.

They carefully placed the two sheets of paper into their sleeve, then solemnly clasped their hands toward Gu Xixi, saying, "Then I'll trouble Boss Gu to take care of this."

"This harvest, as well as Boss Gu's assistance, I will report in full in the military dispatch to General Ho."

Gu Xixi smiled satisfactorily, "Then we won't come to say goodbye when we set out tomorrow morning."

She is willing to devote heart and effort here.

But this effort must be made known to those who need to know as soon as possible.

After all, Ho Jiang still owes her that generous remuneration.

He Jinglan, close to vermilion turns red, has also been caught up in Gu Xixi's money‑grubbing habit.

On the way back to the village, she smiled and said, "I hope General Ho receives the military dispatch and can pay you sooner."

"I hope so too," Gu Xixi said, "I also want to buy a carriage."

If fleeing war and famine, a mule‑drawn flatbed cart carries grain, while a carriage carries the whole family, making the journey a bit faster.

But at this moment, He Jinglan was unaware that Gu Xixi harbored such a realistic (fearsome) concern……