The gongs and drums were clamoring, and the shouting was constant. Several men carried their shoulders and rushed to the fields in a hurry. On the shoulders, a statue of a god is dressed in a blue and yellow coat, has a beard on the head, and has teeth on the mouth, with a ferocious appearance. But no one dares to neglect this clay body. This is the locust god who has been worshipped for decades. He must be sent to the village to drive away the pests!
"Hurry up!" someone shouted in front of him.
I saw the people of Bailai Village, all guarding the field. The incense table has been prepared, and the three sacrifices are also enshrined on it. It is not easy to come up with such offerings after the disaster year. Just wait for the locust god to come!
"The Locust God is here! The Locust God is here!"
Running so sweaty, those few did not dare to rest, so they hurriedly took off their shoulder bars and invited the idol to the altar table. This time, everyone fell to their knees and kowtowed reverently.
It has been a year of famine last year, and we can't suffer any more disasters! This is the ration of their entire village!
The village elder took the lead in singing the prayer, and the smoke from the incense candles shrouded the god's case. Everyone didn't even dare to lift their heads, for fear of provoking the locust god to sin. However, the sky didn't go as expected, and a heart-pounding buzzing sound came from the sky.
"locusts... locusts..."
Some people fell to the ground with their feet weak, and more people screamed. The worms in the sky had no intention of answering the divine case at all, like a dark cloud falling on the green wheat seedlings. The rustling sound came, it was the sound of insects eating green crops. A man was so mad that he wanted to rush into the field, but was held back by his neighbors.
"Daxian! Daxian is kind..."
The village elder burst into tears, and kept kowtowing, blood dripping from his forehead. But why would locusts care
I don't know how long it took, and with a bang, the locusts that covered the sky and the sun all fluttered their wings and flew high into the sky, leaving nothing but the ground where the weeds and bark were gnawed clean.
Disasters like this don't happen all over the place. In several states that suffered from severe drought last year, there were large locusts infested. Locusts grow wings, travel hundreds of miles a day, and swarm out of colonies. I can only pray for the blessing of the Locust God to let the disaster bypass my village. However, in another land, people worship another god and Buddha.
"The locusts are coming! Hurry up!"
Hearing the call of the gong, all the villagers hurried towards the entrance of the village. In the empty field that had been isolated long ago, the fire piles formed one after another, like a high red wall, the flames were bright, and the stars and the moon were eclipsed.
The familiar flapping of wings reappeared. However, this time, the locusts seemed to be in a daze. Instead of rushing towards the wheat fields, they rushed towards the raging fire!
The flames just swayed and swallowed an unknown number of insects. The smell of scorched meat was in the air, but at this moment, no one dared to neglect. The villagers held up cloth nets that were more than ten feet wide in twos and threes, and slaughtered those insects that had not penetrated into the fire in the wind. The crackling sound was like rain hitting lotus leaves, and the backs of those who listened were numb. However, in the face of this overwhelming insect tide, most people looked calm and had no fear.
The net full of flying insects was quickly tied up, and after a while, someone took a bamboo basket and poured it into it. Near the bonfire, the deworming men secretly picked up two burnt yellow worms and stuffed them into their mouths while adding firewood. Some can still remember to recite a couple of prayers, and some eat their mouths full of oil, so how can they care about other things
After such a night of tossing, at dawn, the woman who got up early came to the field with her children. Or carry a basket, or hold a net, and catch fish that slip through the net along the ridge.
A young child jumped on a green worm, and was about to tear off the thin wings of the worm, but the woman next to him hurriedly stopped: "Good dog, this is not for playing. Put it in a bag first, wait until Go home, my mother will bake it for you."
Xu Shi thought of the plump taste of worms, the child swallowed his saliva, nodded vigorously, and stuffed the worms into the cloth bag.
A line of women and children kept bending over to catch insects, like hard-working birds. The wheat seedlings that have been jointed and heading, swayed gently in the breeze.
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"News came from both Sizhou and Jizhou, and only two counties were severely affected. The rest of the counties were killed in time for the locusts, and the summer harvest will be fine." When Duan Qin said these words, he felt that his heart was settled.
Bingzhou has been eradicating locusts for several years, with remarkable results. Even if a few clusters of locusts emerge, they can be quickly extinguished. Coupled with the high terrain of Bingzhou, it is not easy for locusts to fly over the mountains.
However, Bingzhou can be avoided, and Sizhou and Jizhou, which have not taken a long time to recover, are inevitably infested by insects. Not to mention that there are too many fields that are deserted due to war and have not been reclaimed, which is easy to breed larvae. Even if a lot of effort was spent to kill the eggs, the nearby Yongzhou, Youzhou, Yuzhou and other places would also fly in the transit swarms. How can Sizhou and Jizhou be able to stop the migration of locusts? Therefore, it is still necessary for the counties to work together to eliminate the locusts.
However, in addition to the digging and filling method, bonfires were also used to eliminate locusts this time. Who would have thought that locusts, like moths, would throw themselves into the sea of fire? Therefore, if you encounter locusts at night, as long as you light the wall of fire, you can kill most of them.
There are also culling with cloth nets, wet wings while dew in the morning, catching and eradicating insect pests and so on. There are various methods, but the most important one is "locusts can be eaten".
Who would have guessed that the evil insects that plagued the people of Li people could have preserved fruit? After the independent public came up with the idea of "giving locusts to gods", the enthusiasm for eliminating locusts in various places has doubled. As long as there is the blessing of the Buddha, who is afraid of little bugs? I am afraid that the more you eat, the more favored you will be!
The locusts are not small in oil and water, and taste delicious. For the people who have no money to eat meat, it is really a rare delicacy. When there is a famine, the soil and bark can be eaten up, and the mere locusts are nothing.
The number method is parallel, and the pest plague is finally contained. As long as this summer's grain yields are abundant, the pressure of the refugees can be eased in the second half of the year. But a big happy event.
"It's good if you don't delay the summer harvest." Liang Feng also breathed a sigh of relief, "In the affected counties, replant some adzuki beans and amaranth as appropriate. I'm afraid there will be a locust plague in autumn, so we should make early plans."
Locusts do not like to eat beans and hemp, which is one of the ways to deal with pests. Duan Qin nodded: "It's just that the plague of locusts in Youzhou keeps going, and the Tuoba Department wants to sell more cattle and horses in exchange for food. And Jizhou Seaport, I'm afraid there won't be too many merchants this year."
The plague of locusts is also devastating for nomads. After all, the Tuoba Department was considered an ally of Bingzhou, and the gang still had to help. Moreover, the other party is in a disaster year, and buying livestock now can be regarded as taking advantage of the fire, and there is no harm.
Liang Feng frowned, "Is the disaster in Youzhou so serious?"
"Not only in Youzhou, but also in Yongzhou and Qinzhou..." Duan Qin said halfway, suddenly agitated, "Could it change?"
Liang Feng's expression was solemn, and he said to the servant on the side, "Please invite Zhang Jianjun to come to the back hall."
In the event of a catastrophe, it is better to plan ahead.
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"If it weren't for the loss of the two counties of Pingyang and Hedong, Chang'an would not be so embarrassed. I think it is still necessary to raise troops to reclaim the two counties and restore the country's prestige." Under the royal steps, Wang Yan said loudly.
He was born into a Xiongnu nobleman, and he married his granddaughter to the emperor, so he was naturally full of confidence. Even Liu Yao had to make him a three-pointer.
However, being scolded by his nose like this, Liu Yao's face changed suddenly. Who is to blame for the loss of Pingyang and Hedong? It's not all about yourself! They didn't even think about it, who was the one who tried so hard to destroy the rebels in the chaos in Qinzhou
It's good now, just as the pseudo-emperor's platform in Yongzhou was destroyed, these people suddenly attacked. Apparently it was premeditated!
After making up his mind, Liu Yao said, "The King's Servant's words are too bad. The Yongzhou locust is in short supply, when is the time to raise troops? I think we still have to wait for the disaster year..."
"To spend the year of disaster?" Someone on the side asked strangely, "How to spend it? Borrowing food? Did King Qin forget how our family dealt with the famine in those days?"
How to deal with it? Of course to grab it! Which of the big danyus of the Huns back then was not like this? To harass the borders and plunder the people's money and food, and only in this way, can we resist the famine. Even when the big man is strong, they have to rob other tribes, how can they help themselves
"Now my emperor is not as good as in the past, this matter can't be taken lightly..." Liu Yao still wanted to insist.
Wang Yan sneered: "Then King Qin has a disaster relief plan?"
Liu Yao was dumbfounded. Disaster relief? How to save? The locusts are like rain, and they are still killing them, and the food in Guanzhong is almost exhausted. First, there was a great drought, then a great famine, and the people of Jin continued to be in chaos. In just a few years, the Han state became such a crumbling state. On the other hand, the original mortal enemy, and the three prefectures of Bing, Si, and Ji, did not cause too much locust plague. Is this really an arrangement from God
Shaking his head violently, he pushed the dangerous thought out of his mind and said to himself, "Even so, attacking Bingzhou may not be feasible..."
"If Your Majesty recruits Qiang and Di, you will be able to raise an army. If hundreds of thousands of troops are overrunning the territory, will you still be able to capture Hedong?" Wang Yan refused to give in, "If you can go all the way east and take Sizhou, it would be even better. I heard that Luoyang stockpiled a lot of food last year, and as long as we invade the city, we will be able to solve the urgent need!"
Luoyang has lost the Son of Heaven. Logically speaking, it should be better than before. However, Liu Yao was still a little hesitant. Now that the two generals, Wang Mi and Shi Le, have perished one after another, and the defense has changed in Luoyang City, it may not be easy to fight. However, when his eyes turned to the hall, a chill suddenly surged up.
No, this is no longer a question of whether to fight, but how to solve the dilemma he faces.
Two consecutive years of catastrophe have shaken the minds of the Xiongnu nobles, and more and more people no longer trust his ability to lead troops. Even if he tried his best to destroy the rebels, he would not be able to resist the sin of Pingyang and Hedong's loss.
And without the military heart, it is extremely dangerous for him, the adopted son of the late emperor. The little emperor is getting older, and sooner or later he will regain his power. But the strength of their own is weakening step by step. Not to mention taking power from the Son of Heaven, I am afraid that it will be difficult for him to protect himself.
He has to have a few wins. Even if it's just to take back Hedong, or capture a small victory like Henan County!
Taking a deep breath, he cupped his hands and said to the emperor on the throne: "This matter should be decided by Your Majesty!"
The little emperor in the seat hesitated for a moment: "Pingyang is the old capital after all..."
This sentence is enough.
Liu Yao immediately knelt to the ground: "I would like to take back the old capital for Your Majesty!"