Conferred God: Got cramped at the beginning

Chapter 745: Wu Guang gets plagued by locusts, Zhang Han will break into the city

Liu San's banquet was simple, but both the host and the guests enjoyed themselves.

Moreover, because Liu San's banquet caused quite a stir, the deputy city lord of Daze City, Wu Guang, also came here.

After Chen She started the rebellion, his authority became increasingly powerful, so he was promoted to General and given the title of King of Chen.

And Wu Guang also became the prime minister of this great lake.

As for Zhang Liang, because of his great talent, he became the second prime minister of this vast land.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ao Bing also met the person he wanted to meet.

Wu Guang - This can be said to be both a coincidence and a matter of course.

Coincidentally, with Wu Guang's current identity, he should never appear in front of a stranger casually.

And naturally, the commotion created by Liu San and the banquet mixed with water attracted almost all the knights who had come from the Daze area to seek refuge - with such a commotion, it was not surprising that Wu Guang came in person.

"The Prime Minister seems to be worried." After drinking, Ao Bing appeared in front of Wu Guang.

"I would venture to guess that the Prime Minister is worried about the word 'food'."

“Being able to see problems is not a skill. Being able to solve them is a real talent.” Wu Guang used to be a knight-errant. Even though he is the prime minister now, he still has some of the habits of a knight-errant.

He looked at Ao Bing who suddenly appeared in front of him, and listened to Ao Bing's remarks about food shortage. He was not surprised at all, but instead acted nonchalant.

"If you just see this problem, please go back."

"If there is a solution, I, as the Prime Minister, will let you do it. It won't hurt."

Food shortage is no secret in this great swamp area. Anyone with a certain status in the entire swamp area can tell the food shortage from the increasingly scarce wine and beverages.

This is also not surprising at all.

After all, Chen She's rebellion was done in haste and he had no sufficient preparation, let alone stockpiling food and fodder in advance.

If the army had not defeated a large aristocratic family during the fighting and seized their stored food, and then banned alcohol at the suggestion of Zhang Liang, they would have starved to death long ago.

——Those immortals and gods who came from all over the place could certainly bring back some food, but under the control of the Qin State, the food they brought back became less and less.

"I can't make food grow out of thin air in a swamp."

"But I can make Qin suffer from the same food shortage as the Great Marsh."

"Let Qin be as food-deficient as my Chen?"

"Sir, if you use such words to make fun of me, Wu Guang, then the swords under my command are very sharp." Wu Guang was stunned for a moment, and his expression immediately became solemn.

The Qin State is now making all kinds of drastic moves, and there is little savings on earth.

But considering the vast territory of Qin that covers the entire Central Region, if there were only one mouthful of rice left for each of the countless mortals, that would be an enormous number!

In addition, the First Emperor conquered countless immortals and gods, and all places on earth that could harmonize wind and rain were blessed with good weather and good harvests every year.

Under such circumstances, it was impossible for the Qin State to suffer from food shortage.

"How dare I lie about such an important matter?" Ao Bing looked calm, and then took out a jade box from his sleeve.

On the box, countless runes are stacked layer upon layer, so complicated that just one look at it makes people dizzy.

Looking at the jade box in front of him, an inexplicable sense of urgency that is difficult to describe in words emerged in Wu Guang's heart.

"Can this thing cause Qin to lack food?" Wu Guang looked at the jade box cautiously and did not get close to it.

When the box was put out, the dark clouds over the entire swamp became three times thicker, and the chickens, dogs, cows, horses and other domestic animals in the city also became restless and uneasy.

"This is a plague of locusts." Ao Bing said slowly.

He came to this big swamp specifically for Wu Guang - in Ao Bing's opinion, Wu Guang was a very suitable person who could open the jade box and release the locusts.

Although Ao Bing, as the person who created the disaster, will inevitably suffer backlash from humanity after this disaster sweeps the world, there is naturally a difference between the backlash from humanity suffered if Ao Bing created the disaster and then released it, and if Ao Bing created the disaster and then others released it.

To put it bluntly, Ao Bing needs someone to share his burden, which is caused by the humanitarian backlash of the locust plague.

The more important the person who released the locusts is in humanity, the more backlash he can bear for Ao Bing.

For example, if the First Emperor personally released the locust plague to sweep across the world, the humanitarian backlash that Ao Bing would have to endure would be absolutely minimal!
But it was obviously impossible for the First Emperor to release the locusts - so the next best option was Chen She, the Prince of Chen.

If we say that what the First Emperor represented was the "righteousness" of humanity, it was humanity's support for the First Emperor.

Then Chen She represents the symbol of human resistance to the First Emperor and the power of the Qin State.

It is another side of humanity.

Based on the news brought by the wind and rain and King Chen's past experience, Ao Bing concluded that it was impossible for King Chen to release the locust plague.

The original purpose of their uprising was to survive, and to allow more people to live. This is why the situation today has occurred. How could they release locusts for the sake of their own career?
So, there is only Wu Guang!

Although he started the rebellion together with King Chen, he was a very scheming person and was very good at weighing and weighing the interests.

Only such a person would release the plague locusts for the sake of the "great cause" when necessary.

Of course, Zhang Liang is also a suitable candidate, but Ao Bing cannot see through Zhang Liang. He is not sure how far Zhang Liang can go for the "unfinished work" of the First Emperor. Therefore, the locust plague cannot be entrusted to Zhang Liang.

So, there is only Wu Guang!

Under Wu Guang's cautious and fearful gaze, Ao Bing calmly and frankly narrated the origin of the locust plague.

"It is heaven's punishment on all living beings."

"Once the plague locusts appear, everything between heaven and earth will be devoured by them."

"The Prime Minister should have seen a locust plague. If you multiply the ordinary locust plague by tens of millions of times, it will become a plague of locusts."

"Even the immortal sects, the magical flowers and exotic fruits, are all controlled by these plague locusts."

“If any immortal god attempts to stop it with his magical powers, he will be devoured by this plague locust.”

"Once this thing appears, the world will be filled with sorrow and misery in an instant."

"Even with the power of Emperor Qin, it is difficult to stop the spread of these locusts. Only when autumn turns to winter, and the seasons change, will these locusts slowly die out."

"Prime Minister, can this locust plague cause both the well-equipped Di Qin and the exhausted Ze Chen to suffer from the same disaster?"

"Sir, you have a very strong malice towards our human race." Wu Guang took another step back and looked at Ao Bing with a rather unfriendly look. "According to what you said, once the plague locusts appear, there will be famine everywhere. I don't know how many of us mortals will die."

"Yes." Ao Bing nodded, "Therefore, the person who released these locust plagues will surely be condemned by the human race and cursed for eternity."

"Therefore, I entrust this item to the Prime Minister. Whether to use it or not, and when to use it, all depends on the Prime Minister's decision."

Ao Bing's figure slowly disappeared. He did not give Wu Guang any inducement, nor did he tell Wu Guang how much the national strength of Qin would be weakened if the locusts were released, and how much chance of survival their Chen State would have under the siege of Qin.

——Since we are looking for someone to share the humanitarian backlash of releasing the locusts, we might as well do it thoroughly.

If we only talk about the locust plague itself, without explaining the pros and cons at all, and not giving any verbal inducements, then all decisions will be Wu Guang's own business and will have nothing to do with Ao Bing. The humanitarian backlash that Ao Bing suffers will also be minimized.

After the locust plague passed, Ao Bing took out the nine-eared harvest, and the backlash against humanity caused by the locust plague would be almost completely washed away.

If Ao Bing were to induce Wu Guang at this time, then Wu Guang's "sin" would inevitably be implicated on Ao Bing.

It would be better for Ao Bing to release the locusts himself to avoid other unexpected events.

"Farewell."

……

"Then now, all we have to do is wait quietly." Ao Bing's figure appeared outside the swamp - another jade box also appeared in Ao Bing's hand.

It was also a jade box that sealed the locusts.

If Wu Guang still did not release the locusts by the time set by Ao Bing - that is, before the First Emperor returned to Xianyang, then Ao Bing would have to open the jade box himself and trigger the first locust plague between heaven and earth.

……

As time went by, the situation in the swamp became increasingly severe.

Zhang Han, the Qin general who was besieging the State of Chen, increasingly acted like a famous general. Although his troops were not Qin's elite soldiers, he was able to lock the State of Chen firmly in this swamp.

The entire State of Chen was in a state of turmoil and seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

Outside of the State of Chen, the survivors of the six kingdoms and the aristocratic families were also speculating about why the State of Chen would collapse.

But the State of Chen never collapsed - it was on the verge of falling, but it never fell.

Chen She, the King of Chen, served as the banner.

Consider the powerful Prime Minister Wu Guang.

Zhang Liang who organizes production and coordinates resources.

And what Zhang Liang brought was General Xiang Yu, who was able to defeat Zhang Han head-on several times on the battlefield.

And Liu San, who finally stepped into Daze City and was able to reconcile the conflicts among many rangers and provided assistance to those rangers.

Etc., etc.

Their names are becoming more and more famous.

Under such a situation, countless aristocratic families and old nobles of the six countries could not help but become restless.

But everyone was still watching, still waiting - and in private, these aristocratic families were also testing Qin officials and generals everywhere in an attitude that was countless times more active than before.

The names of the six disappeared countries also circulated throughout the Qin territory along with the flag of the Chen State.

The countless survivors of the six kingdoms were arguing in their spare time that Zhang Liang was from Han, Xiang Yu was from Chu, Liu San was from Zhao... and so on.

Under such circumstances, Zhang Han remained unmoved.

Being defeated by Xiang Yu several times did not affect his strategy of trapping the State of Chen at all - although he lost to Xiang Yu in the battle, he was already invincible in strategy.

"Those aristocratic families, haven't moved at all?" On the high city wall, Zhang Han called his deputy general.

Compared with the situation in this big lake, the movements of various families are what he is most concerned about.

Zhao Gao, the Imperial Chariot Commander, wrote to Zhang Han several times, asking him to destroy the State of Chen as soon as possible to avoid bringing shame to the First Emperor - but Zhang Han seemed to be perfunctory in responding to Zhao Gao's letters.

As a famous general who grew up from a prisoner, Zhang Han already had a vision that spanned the world.

He knew very well that the hidden danger of Qin State was not outside but inside.

Only by keeping the State of Chen would those aristocratic families with ulterior motives reveal their weaknesses and be successfully eliminated.

If there was no Chen State, and those aristocratic families remained dormant with a submissive attitude, the empire's problems would become more profound and more serious.

As far as Zhang Han knew, there were already several people from the former six kingdoms surrounding the eldest prince Fusu.

Those people had been talking to Fusu about the advantages of the old system of feudal lords and the disadvantages of the current system of counties and prefectures.

Therefore, the State of Chen needed to be retained - as for the reputation of Zhang Han, as for Zhao Gao's letters and grudges, those were nothing!
"These noble families are so patient!" Zhang Han sighed, "Ah He, what do you think? Should we let Xiang Yu open up the roads inside and outside the Great Lake to give those noble families some confidence?"

"Or should we create a situation where we can destroy the Great Marsh in one battle, so that those noble families will feel a sense of urgency that if they don't act now, they will never have another chance?"

Looking at the continuous torrential rain, Zhang Han couldn't help but show some confusion on his face.

Even if he is a famous general who can see the world, there is still a difference between the world he sees and the real world.

"General, I do have an idea, but I don't know if it is appropriate." After a moment, Zhang Han's deputy general also spoke.

"Speak first." Zhang Han said cheerfully.

"General, military heritage cannot appear out of thin air. Even if someone has natural talent, how many people are there?"

"But since the rebellion against Chen, the generals under his command seem to have grown out of the ground. Although their ability in marching and fighting is average, their foundation in setting up camp is extremely solid."

"In my opinion, the vast majority of the generals under the Ni Chen army are from aristocratic families who came here incognito."

"If the general can bypass Xiang Yu, forcefully capture the city of Daze, and take the head of the rebel king, and spread the news to all directions, then the generals under his command will naturally disperse like the wind and rain."

"General, after they disperse, will they just live in seclusion in the fields and not care about worldly affairs, or will they return to their original aristocratic families?"

"Those who have been able to train in the military, even if they are not outstanding talents, are definitely not mediocre. Will those aristocratic families really watch their children like this wandering around?"

"Let's follow your plan!" In just a moment, Zhang Han understood the essence of this strategy.

It is said that we will settle the accounts in the autumn!
(End of this chapter)