The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 230 The Haloxylon Tree (Part 2)
That night, in the desert northwest of Junma Mountain.

After a long search.

Gan Minglan finally found them: dozens of saxaul trees, each over a meter tall.

King Atu looked at the slender branches and fish-scale-like leaves of these saxaul trees and expressed great doubt that they could block sandstorms.

Gan Minglan, however, said:
"Looking at a single plant, you really can't tell what it's capable of. But if you could plant it all over the windbreak, that would be amazing!"

In the 21st century, the Haloxylon ammodendron was known as the king of desert vegetation!

They can survive not only on sand dunes but also in the deserts of saline-alkali areas. They can withstand temperatures as high as 40-50 degrees Celsius and as low as -40-50 degrees Celsius.

Most importantly, the saxaul tree is extremely resistant to evaporation; you can see that its leaves have degenerated into scales. In the hottest part of the desert, some of the young branches of the saxaul tree will automatically fall off to conserve the moisture in the tree as much as possible from evaporation.

These saplings may look like weeds, but they are actually shrubs or small trees belonging to the Amaranthaceae family and the Haloxylon genus. A single mature Haloxylon tree can have roots that cover an area of ​​up to ten meters in radius.

King Atu was puzzled: "Why are there so few trees like the amazing 'Chirp Chirp' tree in the desert! We've searched for so long and only found a few dozen!"

Clearly, Gan Minglan truly understands the Haloxylon ammodendron tree:

"The main reason is that their seed coats are very thin and fragile. After they mature in autumn and fall from the tree to the ground, they only have a lifespan of a few hours."

"Ahhh! It's a miracle that someone with such a short lifespan could still live to this day!"

"Then you underestimate the seeds of the saxaul tree. Although their lifespan is short, their vitality is still very strong! As long as they encounter a little water, the seeds can germinate naturally within two hours and grow rapidly."

"The 'squeak squeak squeak' sound sounds very magical. So, besides preventing wind and sand, what other use does this tree have?"

"Let me put it this way, the saxaul tree is a treasure from top to bottom! Its tender branches are a favorite food for camels. In autumn and winter, its branches burn very well and make excellent firewood!"

The greatest treasure is Cistanche deserticola, a rare plant that parasitizes the aerial roots of the Haloxylon ammodendron.

This medicinal herb is listed as one of the "Nine Great Immortal Herbs of China" in the Taoist classic "Daozang". It is known as "desert ginseng" and "a precious medicine" and has the remarkable effects of tonifying the kidneys and replenishing essence, as well as moistening the intestines and relieving constipation.

In later generations, wild Cistanche deserticola would be a Class II protected plant in China. Digging it up for profit could result in serious offenses, even leading to imprisonment and a government job!

King Atu's mouth watered at the mention of "desert ginseng" and "a rare medicinal treasure": "Wow, what a wonderful tree! What a wonderful ginseng! I love it!"

The unscrupulous owner has found another opportunity to exploit his pet:

"Then why don't you hurry up and urge your rat army to dig holes! Plant the saxaul trees as soon as possible, so that the cistanche will have a chance to grow from the roots!"

King Atu: "."

In the vast desert, dozens of saxaul trees that had just sprouted tender branches were about to reach the peak of their growth.

Their tender shoots are growing at a visible rate, turning from light green to emerald green.

In the blink of an eye, flower buds appear on the branches, leading to flowering, fruiting, and finally, the seeds mature.

When the seeds of the saxaul tree, which possess genes for rampant growth, encounter an even more insane wood-type superpower that promotes growth.

In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, three hundred saxaul trees, each nearly two meters tall, had already grown.

Plants of this size cannot be called seedlings; they would naturally take three to four years to grow to this size.

To make planting easier, Gan Minglan deliberately slowed down the development of the roots under the tree, keeping them only two feet long!
This is also why she was willing to ask refugees to plant trees.

The less someone knows about the saxaul tree, the easier it is for her to cheat!

Next, it's about constantly stimulating and accelerating growth.
Seeing that their owner had already begun his hard work, the army of thousands of rats naturally couldn't sit idle either.

King Atu told the prairie rats:

Once the owner has finished planting the saxaul trees around the perimeter of the ranch, the ranch will be filled with fragrant fairy grass!
With the magic grass and its seeds, the mice will never go hungry again. Every mouse that has ever eaten the magic grass loves it!

As for the distance between the tree pits, the size of the tree pits, and the depth to which they should be dug up to the wet sand layer as requested by the king.

None of these are problems in front of the miraculous herb!

If they are given an endless supply of magical grass, a single prairie vole can dig more than a dozen sand pits suitable for planting trees in one night!
"Swish"

"Chirp chirp chirp"

"squeak"

Using both forepaws and hind limbs, prairie voles transform into tireless sand-digging machines.

Both humans and rats are tirelessly working towards the same goal.
The next day, early morning.

When the five thousand refugees were brought to the desert the next day, they looked at the mountain of trees made of saxaul trees and had to stretch out their hands to support their chins.

The scene was absolutely spectacular!

The farmers, in their fifties and sixties, had never seen so many plants in their lives!

Then came ecstasy.

More trees are better!

In this way, they can work more days and earn more copper coins.

A burst of cheers erupted from the crowd, startling the prairie rats who had been digging tree pits all night, causing them to leap and disappear into the vast desert.

Aside from about a hundred young children who had signed three-year contracts with Gan Minglan, the person in charge of this tree-planting project was Gan Mingshou.

After Gan's father signed more than a dozen death contracts with his half-grown sons, the family of three was finally freed from heavy physical labor.

Besides slaughtering sheep, stuffing grass roots into their bellies, and collecting money, which are the couple's daily tasks, most of the rest can be left to the boys.

Even the sixty Tan sheep raised in the backyard now have their own shepherds.

Gan Mingshou didn't even have two days of free time before his sister conscripted him.

Gan Minglan's main approach is to assign tasks according to the individual's abilities!
My younger brother wanted to join the army, so I had him work on a sand table micro-map.

My second brother likes the sheep trade, so he must be allowed to herd the most sheep and manage the largest ranch in the Northwest!

He was put in charge of more than 5,000 people right from the start.

Gan Mingshou was still somewhat flustered.

He forced himself to calm down and, following the method his sister had taught him that morning, divided the tree planters into one hundred small teams.

They also assigned each of the young volunteers a specific task: to inspect a small team and record the tree-planting achievements of their respective team members.

After finishing on the same day, the little radish boys would check each other's work one last time.

His job as the head steward was to check and coordinate, and settle the day's wages for these people after returning to the city.

My sister's deceptive literature is:

This is the first time anyone has managed such a large operation. Nobody has more experience than anyone else. Anyway, it's their own business, so it doesn't matter if they make mistakes.

Gan Mingshou gritted his teeth and shouted at the horde of refugees, "Don't make a fuss! Don't cause any trouble! Listen to my instructions."

(End of this chapter)