When Xue Ruhong and Feng Xiyan heard the soldier’s shout, they stopped in their tracks.
Turning to the soldier, Xue Ruhong frowned slightly and scolded him, "Presumptuous! How dare you behave in front of the Great General? Have you forgotten the rules?"
The soldier took a few deep breaths to calm himself, then clasped his fists and said, "This subordinate greets the Great General and General Xue."
Feng Xiyan, who was less strict than Xue Ruhong, said calmly, "No need for the formalities. What is going on? Why are you in such a hurry?"
The soldier wiped his sweat and replied, "Reporting to the Great General. This subordinate doesn’t know the exact reason, but thousands of men showed up today wanting to enlist. The captain couldn’t manage the situation and requested General Xue’s presence."
Upon hearing this, Feng Xiyan’s eyes lit up. He turned to Xue Ruhong and said, "General Xue, you should go take a look."
Since recruitment was his responsibility, Xue Ruhong clasped his fists and replied, "Yes, Great General."
He then turned to the soldier and said, "Let’s go."
After Xue Ruhong left with the soldier, Feng Xiyan returned to his tent.
Upon seeing him, the two guards standing outside clasped their fists. "This subordinate greets the Great General."
Feng Xiyan nodded and asked, "Has anyone come while this general was away?"
One of the guards replied, "Answering the Great General. No one has come, but Fairy Bai was looking for you just a short while ago."
Hearing that, Feng Xiyan nodded and quickly entered the tent, only to be stunned by what he saw.
The entire tent was filled with transparent boxes containing all sorts of dishes. He suddenly recalled that Bai Hanyun had mentioned rewarding them this morning.
Carefully moving some of the boxes aside, Feng Xiyan made his way to the altar. Noticing that the bronze mirror was glowing faintly, he knew Bai Hanyun was present.
Before he could speak, her voice echoed within the tent. "Feng Xiyan, you are finally back."
Clasping his fists, Feng Xiyan bowed to the bronze mirror and said, "Xiyan apologizes for making Fairy Bai wait."
Sitting on her bed, Bai Hanyun looked into the antique mirror’s surface and replied, "It’s fine. You must be busy after the war this morning."
Feng Xiyan smiled at her words. "Thank you for Fairy Bai’s understanding."
He then gestured toward the boxes and asked, "Fairy Bai, these are...?"
Bai Hanyun grinned and explained, "I bought this food and drinks for you and the soldiers to celebrate the victory. You have all worked hard these past few days, so you deserve to relax a little bit."
"But don’t worry. I didn’t include any alcohol. I know now isn’t the time to lower your guard."
Hearing her thoughtful words, Feng Xiyan couldn’t help but smile. "Xiyan thanks Fairy Bai on behalf of the soldiers."
Now that she had delivered the food and drinks, Bai Hanyun added, "Feng Xiyan, do you need anything else? The money from selling the items you gave me is still quite a lot. If you need something, just tell me. Don’t be shy."
Encouraged by her offer, Feng Xiyan replied, "Fairy Bai, Xiyan does have a request."
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Bai Hanyun asked with a curious tone, "Oh? What is it?"
Feng Xiyan explained, "Can you give me some seeds? I sent General Zhan to check the farmland located to the south of the city, and he said the land can be cultivated as long as we have water."
"The water Fairy Bai provides every night is more than enough for both drinking and irrigating the fields. For now, we only lack seeds. I had planned to buy them from traveling merchants, but because of the war, it has been over two years since the last traveling merchant visited the border."
Bai Hanyun patiently waited until Feng Xiyan finished speaking before asking, "I see. What kind of seeds do you need?"
When she asked this, Feng Xiyan’s eyes lit up. "Are there many kinds of seeds in Heaven?"
Bai Hanyun nearly fell off her bed at that sentence. She rolled her eyes and thought, ’If I didn’t know you believed I was a fairy, I would have thought you were cursing me.’
After calming down, Bai Hanyun replied, "In my world, there are countless types of seeds."
She pondered for a moment, then added, "Since your area is experiencing a drought, it’s better for you to plant drought-resistant crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, or corn. Not only are they resilient, but they also have high yields."
After she said that, Feng Xiyan hesitated for a moment before asking, "Fairy Bai, what are potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn?"
The moment he asked this, Bai Hanyun slapped her forehead and muttered, "I forgot these crops were only introduced in the 16th century in my country."
Recalling this, Bai Hanyun said, "I will send you the seeds along with instructions on how to plant and care for them."
Feeling curious, Feng Xiyan couldn’t help but ask, "Fairy Bai, how much can these crops yield?"
Bai Hanyun searched the internet and replied, "For potatoes, the average yield is around 2,600 jins per mu. For sweet potatoes, it’s about 12,000 jins per mu. Corn average yield is between 1,800 and 2,200 jins per mu."
The moment Feng Xiyan heard this, he was stunned.
When the harvest was good, the average yield of their millet was only 600 jins per mu. When the harvest was poor, the yield was only about 300 jins per mu.
Compared with the output of millet planted in the Yu Empire, the harvest of these potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn was at least several times higher.
If they could really produce that much food, then people would never go hungry again!
When Feng Xiyan thought about this, he excitedly asked, "These crops can really produce that much yield per mu?"
Bai Hanyun grinned and replied, "Of course. Thanks to technology, science, and the hard work of our ancestors over thousands of years, we can now achieve such a high yield."
After saying that, Bai Hanyun asked, "Feng Xiyan, how many seeds do you need?"