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

The salt flats were desolate, and the cold wind felt like a knife cutting into one's face.

Meng Chengping used to lead his troops on patrols, and he often came to this area.

Neither humans nor warhorses ever discovered anything edible in this place.

Given the unsafe nature of the place, and the fact that Gu Xixi hadn't made a sound after searching for a long time, Meng Chengping became somewhat anxious.

"What does the thing Mr. Gu is looking for look like?"

"Tell us so we can all look for it together; maybe that will speed things up."

“It’s no use saying anything,” Gu Xixi said, still bent over, rummaging through the ground with her hands.

In the past, she hated being rushed when collecting in the wild, but now she knew that Meng Chengping was worried about safety, so she patiently explained, "The first type of grass I'm looking for is alfalfa."

"It has four leaves on one stem, is short and slender, bright green in color, and tender in texture, making it easy to identify."

"But at this time they are all dry and dormant, and it is difficult for people who have never seen them before to recognize them."

Meng Chengping nodded and then asked, "What about the second option? Can we help with the second one?"

Gu Xixi thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll trouble you to go and find some grass with ears of grass at the top."

She raised her hand to indicate a height, "It's about this high."

Meng Chengping was assigned a task, and his spirits lifted again. He immediately shouted to the soldiers to go and find it.

In fact, Gu Xixi's search for alfalfa was not blind.

She first determined the most suitable location for alfalfa growth in the surrounding area, and then searched from there, where the chances of finding it were much higher.

After searching another area, Gu Xixi straightened up and found that Mu Nanzhao was still beside her.

Why didn't you go with them?

Mu Nanzhao said, "I promised Aunt Zhang that I would take you back safely."

He paused, looking towards the western horizon, "But you can only find two more places at the very end."

We must leave before sunset.

Gu Xixi gave Mu Nanzhao a deep look, then focused all her attention on the ground.

Then, while Gu Xixi was searching for alfalfa, Meng Chengping and his soldiers brought her foxtail grass, wolf's tail grass, zoysia grass, and even a long string of withered silver willow branches...

The sun was getting closer and closer to the horizon, and the sky above the salt flats was half orange-red sunlight and half dim.

Just as Mu Nanzhao was about to call a halt, Gu Xixi suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "Found it!"

"Come and see! These are the plants! This patch of land has grown so much! It's amazing!"

Mu Nanzhao bent down to look and saw light yellow, thin, withered grass curled up and stuck to the ground. Looking further ahead, he saw many more of the same withered grass.

"Is this all there is? Is this a lot if there's only this much?"

Gu Xixi dug out a sample, stood up, and said, "Alfalfa reproduces very quickly. It is well-suited to the saline-alkali soil of Northwest China. With human intervention, I can make it cover this saline-alkali land next spring!"

"Moreover, it can grow from early spring to late autumn, so it is not a problem to feed the warhorses."

Her face radiated confidence, more dazzling than the magnificent sunset.

Mu Nanzhao was so engrossed in watching that he couldn't help but stare.

Until Meng Chengping ran over with bits of dry grass all over his head, saying, "This one doesn't look like the others. Boss Gu, take a look, is this what you're looking for?"

Gu Xixi looked up, her eyes widening in surprise, then she exclaimed with wild joy, "It's it! It's oatmeal!"

Two key edible plants in the saline-alkali lands of Northwest China are alfalfa and oats.

Gu Xixi originally thought that finding a solution today was already very good, but unexpectedly, double happiness came just before sunset.

Fortunately, the oat grains found were plump and could be collected and used as seeds.

Everyone worked together to harvest the oats.

The joy of their harvest made them postpone their departure time again and again.

As dusk fell, the carriages, the horses' backs, and every available space were stuffed with oats.

The patch of alfalfa that Gu Xixi found was also marked by Meng Chengping in secret, so that they would come back next spring.

On the way back on horseback, everyone felt much more relaxed.

Meng Chengping said with a smug look, "Now even the problem of feeding the warhorses is solved. We're just waiting for Boss Gu to decide what to plant on those wastelands. The General will be so happy to know."

He then asked, "Boss Gu said that these things are good for warhorses. Could you tell us why they are good?"

Gu Xixi said, "Alfalfa is different from common fodder. Not only does it taste good, but it also helps horses gain weight easily."

"Does it taste good?" Meng Chengping asked curiously.

Gu Xixi nodded, "Alfalfa can be eaten when it is at its freshest in early spring."

"As for oats, they are similar to black beans and millet, all of which are whole grains."

Meng Chengping now understood that the best reward ration for warhorses in the army was black beans.

"Warhorses have strength from eating black beans. So, if we could change our warhorses' rations to alfalfa and oats, wouldn't our cavalry's strength increase significantly?"

Gu Xixi nodded, "This combination is indeed much better than ordinary feed."

After all, in Han history, there was a saying that the Ferghana horses of the Western Regions only ate fresh alfalfa.

Gu Xixi continued, "However, I am not an expert in animal husbandry. You will have to ask the people in your army who specialize in feeding horses to observe it."

The other soldiers smiled genuinely upon hearing this conversation.

That's great! They've really struck gold this time!

Meng Chengping was about to say something more, but suddenly shut his mouth, pulled on the reins, and turned around to look back.

At the same time, the soldiers outside the vehicle picked up their weapons and assumed a defensive posture.

Seeing that Mu Nanzhao's expression was also very serious, Gu Xixi asked nervously in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Mu Nanzhao remained seated, his tone calm, "There are more than a dozen men chasing us from the west on horseback."

"They're probably after us."

Before he could finish speaking, Meng Chengping whispered urgently, "Quick! Move quickly! Move as fast as you can!"

All the horses were running at full speed, and Gu Xixi could hear the wind even while sitting in the carriage.

She pressed her hands to her knees, clenching them nervously. Were the Northerners behind her? Could she escape tonight?

The carriage suddenly shook violently.

Bang! An arrow pierced through the rear cover of the carriage, its gleaming silver tip startling Gu Xixi.

The carriage gradually slowed down and finally came to a stop, where the sounds of close combat could be heard outside.

Before Meng Chengping could react, Mu Nanzhao grabbed Gu Xixi and jumped out of the car window. They rolled a few times on the ground and landed in the nearby bushes.

Seeing this from afar, Meng Chengping turned back to focus on the enemy, using his spear to knock down an enemy who was boarding the carriage.

He gritted his teeth inwardly, realizing how careless he had been.

In the past, the northern cavalry encountered were in groups of three to five, or as many as seven or eight.

What's going on today? Not only did more than a dozen people come, but they also dared to follow us this far!

Meng Chengping regretted breaking his promise; he had vowed to protect Gu Xixi.

Now he can only hope that Mu Nanzhao can take Gu Xixi to find a place to hide as soon as possible.

Because there was an archer among the enemy.

Night had fallen, and the archers were attacking from the shadows. Staying here would be even more dangerous for everyone else.