Chapter 87: Extreme Joy Leads to Sorrow
The salt-alkali beach looks desolate, and the cold wind blowing on people's faces hurts like a knife.
Meng Chengping had often come here when he led his troops on patrol.
No one, whether human or horse, had ever found anything edible in this place.
In addition, this place was not peaceful, and Gu Xixi had been searching for a long time without saying anything, so Meng Chengping became a little anxious.
"What does what Boss Gu is looking for look like?"
"Tell us and we can all look for it together. Maybe it will be faster."
"It's no use saying it," Gu Xixi said, still bending over and rummaging on the ground with her hands.
In the past, she hated being rushed when she was collecting grass in the wild, but now she knew that Meng Chengping was worried about safety, so she patiently explained, "The first grass I'm looking for is called alfalfa."
"One stem and four leaves, low and slender, green in color, tender in texture, originally easy to identify."
"But at this time they are all dried up and dormant, and it is difficult for people who have not seen them to recognize them."
Meng Chengping nodded and asked, "What about the second one? Can we help with the second one?"
Gu Xixi thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll trouble you to go find some grass with spikes on the top."
She raised her hand to indicate a height, "It's about this high."
Meng Chengping's spirits rose again after he was assigned a task, and he immediately called on the soldiers to go and look for him.
In fact, Gu Xixi’s search for alfalfa was not blind.
She first determined the most suitable location for alfalfa growth around her and then looked there, where her chances of finding it were much higher.
After searching another place, 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 and looked toward the western sky. "But you can only find two more places at the end."
"We have to leave before sunset."
Gu Xixi looked at Mu Nanzhao deeply, then perked up again and focused all her attention on the ground.
Then, while Gu Xixi was looking for alfalfa, Meng Chengping and his soldiers brought foxtail grass, wolftail grass, zoysia grass, and even a long string of silver willow branches...
The sun was getting closer and closer to the horizon, and the sky above the salt-alkali beach was half orange-red sunlight and half dim.
Mu Nanzhao was about to call for a halt when Gu Xixi suddenly said excitedly, "Found it!"
"Come and have a look! These are the ones! There are so many growing on this piece of land! That's amazing!"
Mu Nanzhao bent down to look, but saw light yellow, thin dead grass curled up on the ground. Looking forward, he saw a lot of the same dead grass.
"Is this the thing? There's only this piece. Is that a lot?"
Gu Xixi dug out a sample with its roots, stood up and said, "Alfalfa reproduces very quickly. It is suitable for cultivation in the saline-alkali soil of the northwest. With human intervention in the spring of next year, I can make it grow all over this saline-alkali beach!"
"And it can grow from early spring to late autumn, so it won't be a problem to feed the war horses."
Her face was filled with a glow of confidence, brighter than the gorgeous sunset.
Mu Nanzhao couldn't help but stare in a trance.
Until Meng Chengping came running over with his hair full of dead grass, "This one looks different from the ones just now. Boss Gu, take a quick look, is this what you're looking for?"
Gu Xixi looked up, her eyes widened, and she said in ecstasy, "It's it, that's it! Oats!"
The two magic edible plants in the saline-alkali land of Northwest China are alfalfa and oats.
Originally, Gu Xixi thought that finding one today was already a good thing, but she didn't expect that double happiness would come as the sun was setting.
And fortunately, the oat grains found were plump and could be collected and used as seeds.
Everyone worked together to harvest oats.
The joy of harvest made them delay their departure again and again.
When it was getting dark, the carriage, the horses' backs, and every possible place for things were filled with oats.
Meng Chengping also left a hidden mark on the alfalfa patch that Gu Xixi found, and told him to come back next spring.
When we rode back on horseback, everyone felt much more relaxed.
Meng Chengping said happily, "Now even the problem of feeding the war horses has been solved. We just have to wait for Boss Gu to decide what to plant on those wastelands. The general will be so happy when he knows."
He asked again, "Boss Gu said that these things are good for war horses. Can you tell us why they are good for us?"
Gu Xixi said, "Alfalfa is different from common grass. It not only tastes good, but also helps horses gain weight."
"Does it taste good?" Meng Chengping was curious.
Gu Xixi nodded, "People can eat alfalfa when it is at its freshest in early spring."
"As for oats, they are similar to black beans and corn, and are all whole grains."
Meng Chengping now understood that the best reward ration for war horses in the army was black beans.
"War horses gain strength from eating black beans. So, if our war horses' rations can be replaced with alfalfa and oats, wouldn't the cavalry's strength be greatly increased?"
Gu Xixi nodded, "This combination is indeed much better than ordinary feed."
After all, in the history of the Han Dynasty, there was a saying that the Ferghana horses in the Western Regions only ate fresh alfalfa.
Gu Xixi continued, "But I'm not an expert in horse breeding, so I'll have to ask the professional horse feeders in your army to observe the details."
When the other soldiers heard this conversation, they all smiled sincerely.
That’s great! They really have found a treasure this time!
Meng Chengping was about to say something excitedly, but suddenly he shut his mouth, pulled the reins and turned around to look back.
At the same time, the soldiers outside the car picked up their weapons and took a defensive stance.
Seeing that Mu Nanzhao's expression was also very serious, Gu Xixi asked nervously in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Mu Nanzhao sat still and said calmly, "There are more than a dozen people chasing us here on horseback from the west."
"It should be coming towards us."
As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Chengping shouted in a low voice, "Hurry! Hurry up! Go as fast as you can!"
All the horses were running at full speed, and Gu Xixi could hear the sound of the wind even while sitting in the carriage.
She pressed her hands on her knees and clenched them nervously. Was it Beiliren behind her? Could she escape tonight?
The carriage suddenly shook violently.
Bang! A feather arrow shot through the rear cover of the car, and the silver tip of the arrow startled Gu Xixi.
The carriage slowed down and finally stopped, and the sound of fighting was heard outside the carriage.
Without waiting for Meng Chengping to react, Mu Nanzhao grabbed Gu Xixi and jumped out of the car window, rolling on the ground a few times and rolling into the nearby grass.
Meng Chengping saw this scene from afar, then continued to concentrate on fighting the enemy, using his spear to knock down an enemy who had boarded the carriage.
He gritted his teeth in his heart, thinking that he was really careless.
The Beili cavalry encountered in the past were in groups of three or five or as many as seven or eight.
What happened today? Not only did more than a dozen people come, but they also dared to chase me this far!
Meng Chengping hated himself for breaking his promise. He had vowed to protect Gu Xixi.
But now he can only hope that Mu Nanzhao can take Gu Xixi to find a place to hide as soon as possible.
Because there is an archer among the enemies.
It was night falling and the archers were attacking from the dark. It would be even more dangerous if everyone stayed here.
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