Goblin? Isn't that another name for Cistanche deserticola?

Cistanche deserticola is a parasitic plant that can survive in the desert. Its seeds have a short lifespan but germinate very quickly.

Liu Tan couldn't help but slam the table: Damn, isn't this a Haloxylon ammodendron tree?

He is very familiar with Haloxylon ammodendron.

No, I can’t say I’m familiar with it, I’ve just been paying attention to it for a while.

In later generations, in order to protect water and soil, the desertified areas were greened little by little. At that time, Haloxylon ammodendron was used on a large scale because it was the most suitable tree.

At that time, Liu Tan participated in various activities and even donated money to contribute to desert greening. He had a deep affection for the Haloxylon ammodendron trees planted in the desert.

Unexpectedly, after going around in circles, he actually forgot about the Haloxylon ammodendron tree.

But he quickly remembered something: "Although the vegetation along the Yellow River is sparse, it's still somewhat different from the desert. Doesn't...saltwood grow in the desert?"

Xu Lin smiled slightly. "Saltwood can grow in the desert simply because it's hardy enough, but that doesn't mean it can't grow elsewhere. We don't know if it can grow in overly humid areas. But if it can't, then the areas where saltwood was originally grown should be able to grow other plants."

Liu Tan suddenly realized: "So we're just using the saltwood as a springboard, letting it solidify the soil and water before moving on to something else?"

Xu Lin nodded. "That's right. And in this process, the goblin output can be considered as some income."

Liu Tan said happily, "This method is good, but we need to think it over for a long time. We can't make a decision right away. Please come back to the capital with me!"

Xu Lin seemed to have not expected to be accepted so quickly. He was dazed for a moment before he whispered, "I…I thank you, Your Highness."

Liu Tan happily asked someone to prepare a tent for Xu Lin and asked him to prepare to follow him tomorrow.

It has to be said that Xu Lin's appearance relieved a lot of pressure on Liu Tan.

He knew his own weight very well, but he actually didn't know much about water management. What he knew was what he learned in geography class or from popular science videos on a certain website later when he became interested.

Most of them only have superficial understanding. They can talk about it very clearly, but when they really start to do it, they don’t know how many detours they will have to take.

Although he was used to taking detours in everything he did, water control was no joke.

Now that Xu Lin is here, even if the other party seems to agree with him, if you really want to argue, the other party definitely knows more than him.

You have to know that there was no Internet back then, and information transmission was extremely slow. Even knowledge tended to be conservative, and one would not easily teach others one's own unique skills.

In this case, understanding one aspect must be specialized, and only by studying it carefully can one summarize concepts that seem simple to later generations.

When Liu Tan thought of this, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have forgotten to ask about Xu Lin's background.

It was also because Xu Lin looked too non-aggressive, and no one would think he was dangerous.

But it doesn’t matter. He has already kept the person here, so he can just ask tomorrow.

So the next day, after setting off, Liu Tan immediately got him onto his carriage and asked, "I was in such a hurry yesterday that I didn't even ask Mr. Xu where his master came from."

Xu Lin said in a low voice, "I am wrong in this matter. I was afraid of bringing disgrace to my master, so I never introduced myself. Now that Your Highness has asked, I can no longer hide it. I have a master, whose surname is Xu and whose given name is Bo."

Oh, Uncle Xu.

Wait, Uncle Xu?

Liu Tan was startled. He was lying there petting the panda, but suddenly he supported himself and sat up.

GunGun was lying there enjoying the loving caress of his two-legged father, but was suddenly pressed down and couldn't help but groan.

Xu Lin was immediately startled: "Your Highness, is there no one in the car?"

Liu Tan: ...

What you said is true. There are so many people in the car, how can they not be human beings?

Xu Lin seemed to realize his mistake and quickly explained, "I once heard three breathing sounds while pedaling my bike, and I thought... it was someone else."

Xu Lin's pause was very meaningful. Liu Tanxin said, "Don't you think I have a mistress in my house?"

Well, a beautiful girl in a golden house... When he thought of a beautiful girl in a golden house, he thought of his parents.

But that wasn't the point. Miao Rui explained, "It's an iron-eating beast raised by His Highness."

After saying this, Xu Lin, who had appeared very calm in front of Liu Tan, could not help but move to the side, his voice trembling: "Feed...Feed iron beast?"

Liu Tan soothed him, saying, "GunGun is still young and doesn't have much attack power."

Xu Lin didn't seem to calm down after hearing this, and still looked very nervous, but he didn't say anything.

Liu Tan was afraid that GunGun would scare his newly recruited talent, so he had to reluctantly let GunGun return to its own car first.

Yes, Gungun has his own car, but this kid is clingy and quickly climbs into Liu Tan’s car every day without giving others a chance.

After Gungun left, Xu Lin was obviously much more relaxed. Liu Tan couldn't help but ask, "Have you seen an iron-eating beast?"

After saying this, he felt something was not right. How could Xu Lin see if he couldn't?

Xu Lin was silent for a moment before he whispered, "My family was killed by the iron-eating beast. We only managed to survive after meeting Master."

Liu Tan: ...

GunGun's coquettish and cute appearance always makes him forget that this race is also a ferocious beast, and in this era, it is a ferocious beast that can cause disasters.

Even if their number was not large, it would not be enough for Emperor Wu of Han to raise a hundred or so of them in Shanglin Garden for hunting and fun.

He couldn't make Xu Lin accept that Gun Gun was different. The only thing he could do was to prevent Xu Lin from meeting Gun Gun.

Liu Tan changed the subject and asked, "By the way, your master, Uncle Xu, was he the one who led the excavation of the Longshou Canal?"

Speaking of his master, Xu Lin was obviously more energetic: "Yes, it is my master."

Liu Tan's eyes lit up as he asked, "Where is he now?"

This is a master. Longshou Canal is the first underground canal in the history of China, and it is also the first initiative to develop the Luo River. Using the well-canal method to pass through Shangyan Mountain underground can even be said to be a fantastic idea.

The most important thing is that he actually succeeded.

Xu Lin whispered, "My master has been dead for over ten years."

Liu Tan was stunned. He felt a little regretful, but there was nothing he could do about it. He smiled and asked, "That's fine. You've inherited your master's legacy. Oh, that's not right. Your master has been digging canals to divert water to the Luo River. Why did you end up in the Hetao area?"

Xu Lin explained, "Master's family was destroyed by the Yellow River's change of course. Ever since then, he's been determined to control the river, so he's been traveling along its banks. Unfortunately, that loss was too great, and coupled with a lack of medical care and medicine, he sometimes even had no food to eat. As a result, Master's health deteriorated, and so...he collapsed before he could complete his journey. Now, I'm carrying on Master's legacy. Even if it takes my entire life, I'll do my best to control the Yellow River floods."

Liu Tan frowned. "Lack of medical care and medicine? No food to eat? How could this happen? What exactly happened?"