C48. The Huns Attack.

C48. The Huns Attack.

After eating and drinking their fill, Yuan Li asked, "General, how do you find the taste of potatoes?"

"Not bad," Chu Hechao affirmed, nodding, "The unique texture of the potatoes is soft and indeed fills you up easily."

Raising his eyebrows, Yuan Li found it strange that Chu Hechao remained so calm despite the goodness of potatoes. Then, he realized that he hadn't mentioned to Chu Hechao the high yield of potatoes as a cash crop.

It seemed that Chu Hechao was not fully aware of the significance of potatoes.

Yuan Li watched Chu Hechao intently for a moment, waiting for the right moment as Chu Hechao was about to stand up, then said, "Potatoes are a high-yielding crop that can be used as a staple food and vegetable. As far as I know, its per-acre yield can be three to five times higher than that of millet per acre. Potatoes mature quickly and can be harvested in just three to four months."

With a loud crash, Chu Hechao toppled his chair.

He was so engrossed in the conversation that he didn't notice the chair, managing to regain his balance in embarrassment before turning to Yuan Li in disbelief, "Are you telling the truth?"

Yuan Li nodded affirmatively.

During the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the main grains planted were rice, millet, cereals, wheat, and legumes. Millet could yield less than 250 pounds per acre. In the future, the average per-acre yield of potatoes could reach more than 2,000 pounds.

Uncertain about the ancient cultivation of potatoes reaching such high yields, Yuan Li cautiously halved the estimated per-acre yield before informing Chu Hechao.

Even with half the yield, it was enough to astonish Chu Hechao.

His breathing became heavier as he stared at the potatoes with a fiery gaze, "Can this box of potatoes cover the area of one acre?"

Yuan Li simply stated, "It's definitely not enough, at most enough for one-third of an acre."

Chu Hechao immediately said, "I will send people to look for potatoes in Liaoxi County."

Both Chu Hechao and Yuan Li understood the importance of food.

Especially in turbulent times, food was the foundation of the military, determining the size of the army. With a crop that could yield three to five times more than current grains, it meant that the food supply in Youzhou could exceed the total of two or three provinces in the future.

Time was of the essence, so the two left the kitchen. Chu Hechao went to find his trusted personnel while Yuan Li studied how to handle the potatoes.

Yuan Li didn't have high hopes for Chu Hechao finding more potatoes, as the origin of potatoes was in South America. He was more interested in whether potatoes could be grown in a greenhouse to produce more in the winter, making it easier for spring planting.

At the very least, he needed enough potato seeds for one acre of land.

In the following days, Yuan Li continued to study potatoes.

Potatoes were cold-resistant and had strong adaptability, being able to survive in all types of land except saline-alkaline soil. They were typically planted in spring and autumn.

Even though they were cold-resistant, potatoes required temperatures above zero for propagation.

Yuan Li had a four-sided, windproof room built as an experimental base, with a heated kang to maintain temperatures above zero in the winter.

Fearing the cold winters in Youzhou, Yuan Li also had the beds in the Prince Chu residence transformed into kang beds. When converting the beds, he asked Chu Hechao if he wanted his bed transformed into a kang bed as well.

Chu Hechao declined, knowing the benefits of a kang bed for warmth, saying, "I don't need that."

Upon hearing his response, Yuan Li shrugged and had the beds at the Prince Chu and Yang residences converted into kang beds, as well as the homes of several trusted individuals.

With plenty of labor and a simple structure for the desired room, the potato experimental base was quickly established.

Yuan Li took out one-third of the remaining potatoes and placed them under the sun in moist sand to dry. In the damp and warm environment, the potatoes sprouted rapidly after two days.

The sprouted potatoes contain trace amounts of toxins and cannot be eaten. Yuan cut these potatoes into pieces at the sprouts, then coated the cut surfaces with wood ash to prevent them from rotting, and they could then be buried in the ground.

It had been eighteen years since Yuan Li last had knowledge about potatoes, and no matter how good his memory was, he could only remember these basic facts.

After finishing these tasks, half a month had passed.

The tax grain sent by various county governors had been delivered to Ji County, and Chu Hechao also received the news from Yuan Congyun. Just as Yuan Li had thought, this box of potatoes was coincidentally found in the granary of a wealthy landlord, and there were no extras left.

Chu Hechao couldn't help but feel regretful, so he found Yuan Li and told him the news.

The progress of Yuan Li's experimental base was going smoothly, and he felt confident. He waved his hand confidently, saying, "No worries, this box of potatoes is already enough."

Just as Chu Hechao was about to speak, Jian Shaoning suddenly ran in excitedly from outside the door, "Yuan Li, the people who went to eliminate the bandits have returned!"

Yuan Li suddenly stood up, pleasantly surprised, "They're back so soon?"

He hurriedly nodded at Chu Hechao and quickly walked out. Jian Shaoning walked alongside him, then pulled Yuan Li along as he was moving too slowly.

Chu Hechao glanced at their intertwined hands and regained his disinterest, continuing to drink water as he waited for them to return. The room was quiet, but this silence made him feel restless.

Chu Hechao tugged at his collar, his expression growing more serious, and suddenly got up and walked outside.

As he approached the door, he saw a scene of joy.

Yuan Li was smiling and talking to his subordinates, inquiring if anyone had been injured.

Liu Jixin smiled and shook his head, "This bandit elimination went unexpectedly smoothly. We had no casualties and brought back fifteen hundred captives for you."

Yuan Li's gaze flicked across the hesitant bandits, a glint of coolness in his eyes. With a dismissive tone, he spoke, "Escort these men to Zhaoying. I have tasks that require some extra hands shortly."

Upon hearing that no one was injured, Yuan Li's mood improved. He walked over to Wu Kai with a smile on his face, glanced at the woman standing behind him respectfully, and joked, "Wu Kai, how did you manage to bring back an extra person this time?"

Wu Kai blushed and replied, "This is my wife, sir."

He called the woman over to meet Yuan Li, and she kneeled down and thanked him earnestly, "Thank you, Governor, for sending troops to eliminate the bandits. I am grateful to you!"

"Please, get up," Yuan Li quickly helped her up and sighed, "The days of hardship are behind us; let's live well together from now on."

The woman's eyes filled with emotion as she nodded, "Yes."

Yuan Li then turned to Wu Kai, wanting to pat his shoulder in comfort, but Wu Kai was too muscular, so Yuan Li patted his arm instead, "You have a wife now, it's a great joy. The wedding should be held, leave that matter to me."

Wu Kai smiled shyly and thanked him, "Thank you, sir!"

Yuan Li continued to chat and laugh with them as they entered the mansion. When he turned around, he saw Chu Hechao standing under the tree shadows in the courtyard.

Chu Hechao stood expressionless, gripping the handle of a large knife. Yuan Li wondered when he had arrived and how long he had been watching. When Chu Hechao noticed them looking at him, he averted his gaze and walked away.

Jian Shaoning shivered beside him and whispered, "Yuan Li, when will General return to the northern border?"

"This is his home, so he can leave whenever he wants to," Yuan Li replied curiously, "But he should be leaving soon. I've been preparing provisions and winter clothing for him these days. Why do you ask?"

"He looked at me in a scary way," Jian Shaoning's voice lowered even more, "I heard that the soldiers sent out to eliminate the bandits were General's subordinates. If they fail and come back, they will be reprimanded. Judging by the look on the General's face, I almost thought he was going to pull out his sword and start killing people."

Yuan Li chuckled, "You're thinking too much."

Jian Shaoning muttered under his breath, "I'm not lying, I swear I felt him glare at me just now."

"Yuan Li, maybe you should move out to live. You will eventually get married and have children. I'm really worried that one day, Chu Hechao might go crazy from drinking and end up beating you too."

As Jian Shaoning's words became more outrageous, Yuan teased him, "Besides, Chu Hechao is really coming to beat you now."

Jian Shaoning immediately fell silent, but a moment later, he couldn't resist saying, "Chu Hechao's name is so wild, I can't figure out what his name signifies. Yuan Li, as his brother's wife, do you have any idea?"

Yuan Li actually knew the answer as Madam Yang had once told him about it. "The name was given by Prince Chu, 'Hechao' means gentle as water. The Prince and his wife hoped that the general would be as tolerant and gentle as water, caring for everything like the water does, especially Chu Mingfeng. But the general is a tough nut, left home at a young age, and only returned when he became a general. The Prince was angry because of his stubbornness and gave him the name 'Ciye' hoping he would abandon his stubbornness and become a more gentle and refined person."

Jian Shaoning suddenly understood, "So that's the reason. But I guess even the Prince didn't expect that after he gave the name, the general became even more fierce."

Yuan Li smiled and changed the subject.

Three days later, the equipment, provisions, and winter clothing prepared for the journey to the Northern border were ready, Chu Hechao gave the order to prepare to lead the troops back to the Northern border.

The flags fluttered outside the mansion, the commanders in armor stood proudly, the soldiers stood upright, lined up behind their horses.

Chu Hechao strode out of the mansion, and the commanders shouted, "General!"

Chu Hechao nodded, his sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd before turning to look at Yuan Li.

It was a cooler day, Yuan Li was dressed more warmly, looking even more gentle and refined than in the summer. Meeting Chu Hechao's eyes, he smiled and acted as a proper and respectful sister-in-law should in front of the army. "Ciye, I have prepared winter clothes and bedding for you. If it gets cold, remember to wear more layers. I have prepared five hundred saddle stirrups for you, but your cavalry has not yet used them, so they will need some time to adjust."

"Hmm..." Chu Hechao simply responded with a quiet "Thank you for your advice, brother's wife."

Yang Zhongfa, who was holding the horse, watched them with interest, finding their relationship amusing. He whispered to his deputy, Han Jin, "Young Master Yuan and our General have such an interesting relationship as brothers-in-law."

Han Jin nodded in agreement and sighed, "The relationship between the General and Young Master Yuan is really good. There are not many brothers-in-law relationships as close as theirs."

Yang Zhong chuckled, "After all, an elder sister is like a mother!"

After the pleasantries, Yuan Li sighed, "General, take care on your journey."

Chu Hechao calmly replied, glanced at Yuan Li, and suddenly said, "You once talked about guarding Chu Mingfeng like a precious gem. It seems like you're not very steadfast in your words."

Yuan Li's heart skipped a beat, trying to figure out what Chu Hechao meant by that. "What do you mean?"

Chu Hechao smirked, "Sister-in-law, you have a good reputation. Many people like to joke around with you and are close to you."

With that said, and feeling there was nothing more to be said, Chu Hechao walked over to his horse.

Yuan Li furrowed his brow, puzzled by his words. Did Chu Hechao suspect him of betraying Chu Mingfeng?

He caught up to him, determined to clear things up with Chu Hechao. Yuan Li racked his brain, trying to figure out who Chu Hechao was referring to as being close to him.

Suddenly, he remembered the incident when Jian Shaoning had pulled him along, running in front of Chu Hechao. His eyelid twitched, "You're not talking about Jian Shaoning, are you?"

Chu Hechao remained silent, his steps quickening.

Yuan Li said, "He is my friend. You misunderstand the nature of my relationship with him."

Chu Hechao halted, turned to look at Yuan Li, and chuckled, "Why do I need an explanation from you? I have no interest in this."

Then he added, "What about yesterday when Wu Kai spent half an hour in your room?"

"Wu Kai is already married," Yuan was puzzled. "He came to discuss his upcoming marriage with me."

Chu Hechao retorted, "Do you need to have your door closed tight to discuss a marriage?"

"In this cold weather, who would want to talk with the door open letting in the cold wind?" Yuan Li rolled his eyes, then suddenly realized, staring sharply at Chu Hechao, "How did you know that Wu Kai visited me for half an hour?"

"One of the servants happened to see it," Chu Hechao replied calmly.

Yuan Li looked at him skeptically and narrowed his eyes, "Really?"

Chu Hechao straightened his lips, appearing slightly impatient, "My military duties keep me busy. I couldn't possibly be paying attention to such trivial matters all the time."

True enough.

Yuan was convinced, believing that Chu Hechao wouldn't be so bored as to keep tabs on him.

Suddenly, there were exclamations from both sides, "It's snowing!"

Yuan Li looked up to see snowflakes falling lightly and disappearing as they touched the ground.

It was snowing...

Yuan Li reached out and caught a snowflake, feeling its fleeting chill in his hand, feeling a bit out of place.

This was the first snowfall of the year.

Soon, the light snow turned into heavy snowfall. Yang Zhong anxiously said, "General, we should set off! If the snow turns to ice, it will be difficult to travel in this cold weather!"

Yuan Li also heard this and looked towards Chu Hechao.

Amidst the flurry of snowflakes, Chu Hechao's stern jaw softened slightly, his handsome face blurred by the snowflakes. He seemed to be gazing at Yuan Li, yet not. After a few breaths, he spoke, "I'm leaving you with five thousand troops to secure the rear. In addition to the troops, there are ten thousand captives from Shanggu County who will stay with you for construction, road maintenance, and supply purposes."

Yuan Li's tone softened, a hint of sorrow creeping in, "Thank you, General."

Chu Hechao locked eyes with him and whispered, "Let's go."

Yuan Li couldn't help but repeat, "Take care, General."

"You too," Chu Hechao replied.

The General turned and walked briskly towards his horse, the snow swirling around him. He mounted his horse swiftly, raised the reins, and urged, "Let's go!"

The army began to move thunderously.

Yuan Li watched them from the front of the mansion.

But before the army left Ji County, a weary scout arrived, dusty and panting, his face anxious. Seeing Chu Hechao, he leaped off his horse, bowed, and exclaimed, "General, urgent news from the Northern border! The Xiongnu are invading!"