Ling Ran lowered his eyelids, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Now that Beidu and Jinling have fought several battles, the situation is critical. If it weren't for the crucial importance of food, my grandfather wouldn't have been able to allocate even these fifty men and fifty warhorses to me."

Everyone present understood when they heard this.

The number of people and horses outside is already the limit that can be provided over there.

In chaotic times, human life is worthless, but horses are extremely important! Especially warhorses.

A single warhorse can be a cavalryman, and a cavalryman can be equivalent to ten infantrymen. Hundreds of cavalrymen can launch a night raid on a military camp. It is indeed not easy for Ling Ran to bring back fifty cavalrymen, which also represents the importance that Beidu attaches to food.

After all, neither Ling Ran's maternal grandfather nor the generals of Beidu knew anything about potatoes, from their taste and cultivation to the most crucial yield. Under such circumstances, the fact that they still allocated fifty cavalry to Ling Ran truly demonstrated their trust.

Shui Qing was determined to help Ling Ran do this first task well and make it look good!

Fan Jiang, who had overheard the conversation while pouring tea, stepped forward and, facing Ling Ran with a proud and assertive attitude, volunteered: "Brother Ling, take me with you! I know how to grow potatoes, and I'm really good at it."

Everyone else in the village only planted potatoes once a year, but I planted them twice. And my potatoes had the best yield. I know what kind of soil potatoes like, what kind of weather they like, and when they need water and fertilizer.

"Take me with you, and I guarantee you'll grow tons of potatoes. You'll have potatoes to eat by the end of the year!"

Ling Ran looked at Fan Jiang with barely concealed shock. His thin lips parted slightly, and he finally smiled faintly. "Brother Ling knows your good intentions, but Beidu is remote. The food and climate are different, and you might not be used to it. It's also very dangerous there."

It's more than just dangerous. The new emperor already wanted to get rid of these uncles of his, and he had already eliminated several of them two years ago. The Prince of Yan was the most powerful among them, but he dared to resist. How could the new emperor not be furious? Once the city falls, there will be no trace of their bodies!

His maternal grandfather and uncles met with bad ends after their defeat, and so did he. But having chosen this path, he was fearless of death, unlike Dajiang.

Dajiang has parents and siblings, and life is good in the village. He doesn't need to work hard and will have a smooth life on his own. There's no need for him to go and take risks.

Even though his aunt and uncle treated him well, he couldn't put Dajiang in danger.

Fan Jiang was unwilling to give up easily and strongly persuaded, "Brother Ling, you are only a few years older than me, and you are also a native of the South. If you can do it there, so can I!"

"Take me with you, I love farming. I can grow crops whether it's in the south or the north. If you win, do you think I can earn some military merit by being a good farmer?"

No matter what, he had to go. Dahe was able to visit Jiangnan because his parents said he would go into business in the future, and that traveling around and seeing more of the world was better than just studying.

He wasn't suited for studying either; he preferred farming to reading. But farming meant he couldn't go out to work. If he didn't go out, he would have to study and learn to read every day. Seeing that people in the village who were older than him and started elementary school later than him could write better characters, he couldn't bear the shame!

Brother Ling is simply his savior!

He has to hold on tight.

"Military merits aren't so easy to obtain. If it were, I'd go farm and earn one too," Li Huyu said with a carefree laugh.

Bai Manshan and Bai Ziqian, who were standing to the side, fell into deep thought and remained silent.