Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 124 Strategic Materials
There are many people in the Han Dynasty who support Huo Xian, and many of them have high expectations and trust in him.

Zhao Po Nu was one of them. He was not as unreservedly supportive as the four generals. Even if he occasionally saw Huo Xian making trouble, he would still support him. However, at this time, there would be some tolerance from the elders looking at the younger generation.

"Uncle Zhao, I think it's not difficult to preserve the fodder." Huo Xian said, "Some people dig a cellar to store some vegetables, and they can store them for a long time."

Zhao Po Nu smiled and said, "The method you can think of has been tried by others, but they failed."

Huo Xian said confidently, "Just because those people failed doesn't mean I can't do it. I still have to try, otherwise I won't give up!"

"You have nothing to do now, so do whatever you want." Zhao Po Nu said jokingly, "Have fun here for a few days, and go back when autumn comes."

It seems that Zhao Po Nu also received some letters and became a more tactful lobbyist. Those who were closer to him generally hoped that Huo Shan could return to Chang'an as soon as possible.

Being angry with the emperor was not a big deal, and everyone was worried that Huo Xian would get into trouble sooner or later if he continued to be so willful.

"You go and do your military affairs, and I'll do mine." Huo Xian couldn't wait and said, "I said that I'll go back after the beginning of next spring at the earliest, and I can't say for sure whether I'll go back until next winter."

As an elder, Zhao Po Nu wanted to persuade him, but the general, the queen, and even Huo Guang could not persuade him, and Zhao Po Nu thought he did not have the ability to do so.

What's more, Huo Xian was the General of Cavalry and had a higher status. If he refused to give in on some things, the people around him would be anxious.

Seeing that he really couldn't convince Huo Shan, Zhao Po Nu could only sigh. He had other things to do, so he would try to persuade him next time, but he was afraid that if he spoke too hastily, Huo Shan would slip away.

This kid dared to run away when he was angry with the emperor. Zhao Po Nu also knew his own limitations, and Huo Xian respected him. But if he was really pushed, he might run away immediately.

It is definitely not possible to rely on people like Liu Mo. Those guys have always been obedient and never consider the overall situation.

"Old Zhao is wasting his time!" Liu Mo said jokingly, "The good Marquis of Xuye doesn't want to lead the troops, but wants to learn how to be a lobbyist. How can he be that capable?"

Huo Xian also said cheerfully, "We are all family, and he is afraid that I will make mistakes. But he really can't do what he wants this time. If I go back easily, things will be troublesome."

This is not just a simple matter of letting the sky be high and letting the birds fly freely, but also because I have to do a lot of things under the pretext of coming out. Now that I haven't completed some tasks, how can I give up halfway?

In the Surrender City, Huo Xian carefully observed the terrain, looking for some relatively high places and some places with relatively dry soil.

"Have someone dig a few cellars for me!" After choosing a good place, Huo Xian immediately began to make arrangements, "Pay more attention and find some bricks and stones. Make sure they are waterproof and no water can leak in!"

One good thing about being in the army is that when labor is needed, enough people can be mobilized quickly.

After all, it is somewhat experimental in nature, and the possibility that some technologies are not yet mature cannot be ruled out, so Huo Xian also needs to be more prepared.

Ten cellars, each three meters wide and three meters wide, were dug in one go. They were basically paved with blue bricks. Five of the cellars even had drainage holes at the suggestion of the craftsmen.

"Go cut some fresh grass and chop it up for me!" Huo Xian started to make arrangements again. "Find some reliable people. Don't let the Xiongnu learn my tricks."

Liu Mo immediately went to find Zhao Po Nu, and asked him to find some strong men to dig the cellar. But now that the prince said that this technology must be kept secret, he could only find some reliable soldiers.

One particularly good thing about these generals is that they take everything Huo Xian says very seriously and carry it out without any ambiguity.

Nowadays, when people harvest forage grass, they basically dry it and pile it in a warehouse. This is the method that has been passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years, and no one thinks there is anything wrong with this method.

But Huo Xian was different. He had the grass cut and sent back immediately. Many soldiers who were used to chopping people with knives were now chopping the grass very finely.

"Pour these scraps into the cellar and compact them for me." Huo Xian observed and ordered, "Have someone step on them. The more compact they can be, the better. Don't be lazy!"

Judging from the current circumstances, silage does not seem to be difficult. It is nothing more than digging a silage cellar, waterproofing it, etc.

However, this can preserve the freshness of the forage and slow down the loss of nutrients, but this is something that no one can guarantee.

Even Huo Xian did not have enough confidence, so he had people carefully record every sip of the cellar and every experimental process so that he could make a series of summaries later.

As long as the experiment is successful, even if only one or two cellars are successful, all the efforts now will be worth it, and then we can consider continuous promotion.

Seeing the soldiers treading down the hay in the cellar tightly, Huo Xian thought it was almost done. But he felt that there was still one step missing, which was to seal it. Although he had never done silage before, it was logical to prevent air from entering, otherwise it would easily cause deterioration and rot, which was naturally the top priority.

If you don’t have plastic film, just cover it with some soil. That should be about the same.

"Congxiao, you go back to Chang'an." After arranging things, Huo Xian called Zhao Congxiao and said, "You have seen the method. Tell people in the village to do it quickly. Whether I can achieve merit and be awarded a title depends on whether you can accomplish this task!"

Zhao Congxiao, who was originally very reluctant to return to Chang'an, immediately gave up his objection. The prince assigned him such an important task, which naturally showed great trust in him.

"When you go back, have a good discussion with Uncle Chen and Uncle Feng. Don't worry about spending too much money on this matter." Huo Xian continued, "At least twenty cellars have been dug out. You have seen the method I used here."

Zhao Congxiao nodded, but he was also a little worried, "My Lord, many of the methods are different. Which one should I use when I go back?"

"Try them all, and just remember which method was used for that cellar." Huo Xian said, "Take five people back with you. I'll ask Uncle Zhao to give you five people. You must get the job done before winter."

Although hay can be used, it is said that when hay is air-dried, it loses about 30% of its nutrients. If it is exposed to rain or snow or becomes moldy during the drying process, the loss will be even greater.

The nutritional content of silage generally only loses about 10%, and after lactic acid fermentation, the feed becomes soft in texture and most livestock like to eat it.

All this means that it is worthwhile for Huo Xian to do these things. Manpower is worthless now. If the war horses can be more nutritious and the livestock more energetic in winter, then great combat effectiveness will be demonstrated.

The Han Dynasty chose the season to send troops against the Huns, and most of the time they avoided autumn, because the Huns' horses were fat and strong in autumn.

In addition to the great inconvenience of sending troops in winter due to the freezing cold, the Han Dynasty's own war horses were also relatively tired and weak at this time of year.

If there is enough silage, the war horses will have enough nutrition. When spring comes, the Han Dynasty can completely catch the Xiongnu off guard.

The Huns' horses had not yet recovered to their best condition, while the Han's war horses were in a relatively good condition, so their advantage in the war was naturally greater.

Only by continuously expanding your own advantages and making up for some shortcomings as much as possible can you be more confident!
Zhao Congxiao left with five cavalrymen. He had always been following Huo Xian and basically knew these seemingly simple silage points.

What's more, Huo Xian also recorded some things carefully. After Zhao Congxiao returned to Chang'an, he could also conduct a series of experiments and arrangements according to the "secret book", and there shouldn't be too many problems.

This is not an exaggeration at all. Huo Xian is really working very hard to do things and is using as much knowledge as possible to make it work.

Many of these seem to have little to do with people's livelihood, and it seems that they are just about fighting and preparing for war.

But this is not necessarily absolute. The spread of some technologies will gradually benefit some people, which is uncertain.

Zhao Po Nu found Huo Xian again and said, "Xian'er, we have to patrol the border tomorrow. I see you have nothing to do, do you want to lead the troops out for a walk?"

Huo Xian immediately became excited, "That would be the best. I haven't fought in a war for a year, and I feel a little uncomfortable."

Come to think of it, it has really been a year. It has been a year since the battle against Dayuan. Although we are not really going to fight now, patrolling the border is also a form of war preparation, and maybe we will gain something.

Huo Xian smiled and said, "Uncle Zhao, you can just lead one unit. I'll lead a hundred cavalrymen. What do you think, Uncle Zhao?"

Zhao Po Nu smiled and said, "One hundred cavalrymen are too few. You should bring at least one thousand cavalrymen. We must agree that we must not go too far. After all, this is Mobei."

It is right to be cautious. This is the northern desert, and there are often some Hun scouts patrolling nearby, or some small tribes grazing in the surrounding area, etc.

And everyone knows that if the Huns knew that Huo Xian, the Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry, was in Shoujiang City, they might have some ulterior motives.

If the Xiongnu knew that he was only leading a hundred cavalrymen in Mobei, they would definitely not miss this opportunity. If they captured the Han army's champion marquis and general of the cavalry, they might even be able to exchange them for Zuo Xian Wang.

Even if they couldn't get it back, killing the champion marquis of the Han army would make the Xiongnu people feel proud. After all, the title of champion marquis was bought with the blood and tears of the Xiongnu people, and it was the nightmare in the hearts of the Xiongnu people.

Go patrol the border and see if you can find anything.

Huo Xian was quite interested in hunting itself, but this time the prey was different. This time the prey was the Huns!

(End of this chapter)