A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

Gu Xixi brought the empty wine glass to her nose and looked up at the two people in disbelief.

"It's not wine, this is clearly... water?"

The water was still warm.

Huo Jiang gestured for Meng Chengping to explain.

Although Meng Chengping was still smiling, it was not mockery; his expression was extremely serious.

"Boss Gu knows the difficulties of the Northwest Army. The entire army can only eat their fill every day because the General has to pay out of his own pocket from time to time. Where would they find spare money for drinking?"

"There was another reason. Five years ago, there was no rain or snow in the northwest for two months. In addition, the mountain tops were frozen and the rivers dried up. A bowl of clean, tasteless hot water became the most luxurious treatment in the army."

"Even the general himself couldn't bear to drink it; he prioritized reserving clean water for the wounded, sick, and elderly in the army."

"The others could only drink the autumn rainwater stored in the earthen cellar. The water was murky and tasted of mud, which was nothing compared to the fact that it contained all sorts of filth: horse manure, straw, dead insects..."

"Alright, alright," Huo Jiang interrupted Meng Chengping. "Boss Gu is, after all, a young lady and a guest. We're eating, so let's not talk about those disgusting things!"

Meng Chengping smiled and concluded, "Anyway, from then on, hot water became a special way of hospitality in the army, only served to true friends!"

Gu Xixi looked at the bronze pot, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

"Plain water is good. I'm thirsty from traveling, and this is exactly what I need to drink."

As she spoke, she poured herself three more glasses of water and drank them heartily.

Huo Jiang and Meng Chengping exchanged a glance and both smiled.

Gu Xixi ate the meal cleanly, leaving not a single grain of rice or a single vegetable.

It's finally time to get down to business.

Huo Jiang led Gu Xixi to the sand table.

The moment Gu Xixi saw the sand table, she could clearly feel that Huo Jiang's relaxed demeanor suddenly tightened, as if he were a completely different person compared to when they were eating and laughing earlier.

Huo Jiang spoke up, "I suppose this kid has already told you that war will break out soon."

Meng Chengping's eyes darted around, and he shrank his neck as if he wanted to disappear on the spot.

Gu Xixi glanced at him and truthfully defended Meng Chengping, "General Meng only said that he was afraid there would be a war in the future and that you did not want me to be in danger, so after I met with you, you asked General Meng to escort me back overnight."

"General Meng has not revealed any other military intelligence, nor the reason why you are seeing me today."

Huo Jiang chuckled, "Mr. Gu is overthinking it. You don't need to explain for him."

"Don't I know this kid well? Even though he's usually talkative and a loudmouth, he knows exactly what to say and when to say it."

Meng Chengping visibly breathed a sigh of relief, "General, you flatter me!"

Huo Jiang glanced sideways, "Who praised you? I'm saying, if you didn't have this much sense, you would have ruined my big plans. I would have chopped you up and thrown you out to feed the wolves long ago!"

Meng Chengping felt a chill on his neck and couldn't help but shrink back again.

Huo Jiang pointed out several locations on the sand table one by one, and said to Gu Xixi, "According to intelligence, Bei Li has gathered a large number of Wang Jun's main forces this time. I won't tell you the specific differences."

"All you need to know is that the enemy is generally stronger than us,"

"This area inside the pass will inevitably be lost in the early stages, and we will fall into a stalemate of fighting for it."

“Mr. Gu, you understand what this means.”

Gu Xixi still remembers the planting area she had previously designated.

She looked closely and said, "The places you pointed out, in total, amount to about ten acres of alfalfa, twenty acres of oat fields, and..."

"The small hill to the east should be my Pinpo Orchard."

Huo Jiang was satisfied with Gu Xixi's memory. "That's right."

Gu Xixi's expression had become serious as she looked up at Huo Jiang.

"Once the enemy invades, the alfalfa and oats will have just started to grow, so they won't necessarily steal them for supplies."

"But those little seedlings might just fatten up the warhorses of the Northern Li people."

Huo Jiang nodded. "Therefore, we can only leave nothing behind."

He paused, then added, "For the Northwest Army, abandoning these few plots of land would allow them to preserve nearly a hundred acres of oats."

"Most of Boss Gu's Bodhi fruit trees are planted over there."

"It was I who lent you that hill, so I'm sorry, Boss Gu."

Gu Xixi naturally felt sorry for him when she heard this.

However, she was concerned not only about her own losses, but also about the crops that had finally sprouted.

It's such a shame to destroy it like this!

Huo Jiang continued, "That's why I invited Boss Gu here, firstly to apologize in person."

"Secondly, we will discuss compensation. Mr. Gu only needs to calculate the price of the saplings, and I will compensate him double."

As Gu Xixi was pondering how to answer, she caught a glimpse of someone entering the military tent out of the corner of her eye. The figure and posture seemed strangely familiar.

She turned her head, wide-eyed, and exclaimed, "What are you doing here?!"

Mu Nanzhao glanced at Gu Xixi calmly, then turned to Huo Jiang without bowing and said, "My intelligence is almost identical to your previous reports. Take a look?"

Gu Xixi recognized the bamboo tube in his hand; it was the one used by the gyrfalcon to transmit secret messages.

Huo Jiang took the secret letter, and his expression gradually became serious as he read it.

He grabbed the letter and yelled at Mu Nanzhao, "You, Mu! Is this what you call 'almost perfect'?"

"The enemy cavalry outnumbers us by a full half!"

"Among them are archers skilled in mounted archery! Once the situation turns in their favor, you can expect to die alongside me!"

Mu Nanzhao frowned at the noise, "Didn't you beg me to find out the exact number of cavalry? If you don't want it, give it back!"

Meng Chengping quickly whispered in Huo Jiang's ear, "General, calm down. My brother Mu will be very useful in the future. We must make good use of this ally and not offend him!"

Huo Jiang calmed down and stared at Mu Nanzhao with wide eyes, "I read it and remembered it. It's too late to back out now!"

Mu Nanzhao sneered, glancing elsewhere, and said in a low voice, "The entire army is full of scoundrels."

Huo Jiang retorted angrily, "Who are you calling a scoundrel!"

Mu Nanzhao: "If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too."

Meng Chengping, caught in the middle, was almost in tears, hugging General Huo and trying his best to persuade him.

Gu Xixi watched the show with great interest, temporarily putting her own losses out of her mind.

No wonder Mu Nanzhao entered without being announced and swaggered in.

Judging from the way he interacts with Huo Jiang, it's clear that their relationship is at least one of equality.

Even because Mu Nanzhao was quite sharp-tongued, he occasionally had a slight advantage.

Mu Nanzhao was always adept at verbal battles.

He glanced at Gu Xixi during a break and asked, "What are you doing here causing trouble?"

Perhaps influenced by the atmosphere inside the tent, Gu Xixi raised her head and gave a fake smile, "I'm here at the invitation of the General to discuss something. It has nothing to do with you, so don't flatter yourself."

Huo Jiang instantly stopped being angry and burst into laughter, "You, surnamed Huo, you've finally met your match!"

"I told you all, your political maneuvering is dirty-minded. I can't argue with you, but someone else will always take you down!"

Mu Nanzhao was about to speak with a dark expression.

A cook came to report from outside the tent, "General, something has happened to our sheep!"