Jagged Warlord

The history of locust plagues in China is so ancient and long that it appears in the "Book of Songs". "Controlling locusts" has always been a major issue in governance by successive dynasties. However, the main reason for the large number of locusts was still a mystery until modern times.In China, locust plagues occur frequently after floods and droughts. Therefore, it was once thought that after the shrimps in the water dried up and died, they turned into locusts as soon as they reached the land.

Before the method of using medicine to control locusts came into being, as a countermeasure for controlling locusts, it was to pour water into the soil pits, or plow the land before spring and autumn farming, and drive them out before hatching.In addition, all the people in the village were mobilized, or slapped, or set fire to it, or released ducks and pigs to peck at them to drive away the locusts.The dead locusts after repelling are either used as fertilizer, or as feed for livestock, and in some places they are eaten as "land shrimp".In terms of controlling locusts, the assistance of farmers is indispensable.

However, after Confucianism expounded locust plagues based on the theory of yin and yang, folks became taboo on the control of locusts. In China, there was no progress in controlling locusts until the era of the Republic of China. This is regarded as an important reason for repeated locust plagues. .

To eradicate locusts, one must first break the superstition about locusts.However, Eastern Henan is not a place like Shanghai, Beiping, Tianjin, or Wuhan. The folk customs and concepts here are relatively conservative, and the people's education level and understanding of modern science are far from comparable to those in the big cities above.

Therefore, as soon as Li Mohan proposed to kill the locusts manually, he was immediately opposed by the gentry.The gentry recommended a former Qing Dynasty official named Lu Wenzhou to "advise" Li Mohan.

Lu Wenzhou is in his 50s and has a goatee. He can't speak three sentences, so he has to stroke the black and white goatee.

Lu Wenzhou shook his head and said, "Locusts are divine insects~ Because of people's complaints, natural disasters have come down. As a result, the locusts have been drought year after year, and there is no harvest. It cannot be stopped by manpower, and there are too many insects to kill. They must be violent and friendly. This can't be done. Didn't Lord Guardian know that during the Tang Dynasty, Yao Chong advocated hunting locusts, and his son was condemned to death by God?"

Some old people also supported Lu Wenzhou's statement, they said: "The locusts are formed by the southeast wind, and there is no way to deal with them except to ask for the blessing of Grandpa Grasshopper (the God of Locusts) and Grandma Baishao (the God of Locusts). There is a Grasshopper Temple built in the early years near here, let’s bring sacrifices and go to the Grasshopper Temple to beg Grasshopper Lord to show mercy and give us a way out.”

Li Mohan frowned, and said loudly: "Seeing that this old master is also a person who has read a lot of poetry and books, don't you know that there are sons who don't talk about strange powers and chaotic gods? Locusts are ordinary insects, even if they are hunted every day, they may not be able to get rid of them. Can we see the locusts eating our crops, and we still go to ask grandpa to tell me? If you don’t kill the locusts, the next year will be green and yellow, and the people will be devastated, starving and dying everywhere, will you be happy?”

But Lu Wenzhou shook his head and said: "The Book of the Later Han Dynasty said: Xu Xu of Wu County was ordered by Xiao Huang. At that time, Chen Liu was attacked by locusts. After passing Xiao Huang, he flew away and did not gather. , The locusts came in response to the sound, the assassin thanked him, and ordered him to return to the temple, and the locusts all went. Also "Lunheng" said: "The world calls Nanyang Zhuo Gong the order of the Gou clan. Locusts do not enter the boundary. Covered by sages and sincerity. Disasters do not enter." Its county. Then "Yi Buqi Old Biography" said: Ren Fang. A native of Chengdu, Shu County, his father Xiu, whose name is Boqing, is the prime minister of Gushi. The world's big locusts, alone do not enter the boundary."

Lu Wenzhou refuted Li Mohan by citing three allusions in one breath, "Your Majesty the Guardian, the ancient good guard, the locusts do not enter the country. From this we can see that the locust plague can be resolved by cultivating virtue."

Liu Musheng, who had been by Li Mohan's side all the time, couldn't help but frowned when he heard the words, thinking that Lu Wenzhou's words were too bold. When Li Mohan took office, you said that the ancients were good guards and locusts would not enter the country. Wouldn't that be ironic about Li Mohan's unscrupulousness?

Li Mohan was so angry that he had nothing to say, "Then I would like to ask the old master, can the cultivation of morality help everyone to eat well and not die of starvation, so that the land will continue to grow armor in the coming year, and the people will not be refugees?"

Lu Wenzhou couldn't refute this for a while.Lu Wenzhou saw that Li Mohan was very determined, so he said coldly: "This is what I said, and I hope the guards will think twice."

Li Mohan said loudly: "I have already decided that locust eradication will begin immediately. First, all officials who fail to cull the locusts will be dismissed; second, all kinds of witchcraft and prayers are prohibited; third, all kinds of temples for foolish people will be destroyed; Fourth, those who dare to stop and cull the locusts will be punished on the spot; fifth, if there is a good recipe for locust extermination, if it is effective after trial, local officials must report it in time, and the guarding envoys will be rewarded."

Immediately, a vigorous battle to exterminate locusts began.In order to show obedience, Li Mohan personally resisted with a hoe and pushed a wheelbarrow to participate in the locust extermination operation.

Some hunt the visible adults, while others check the ground.Locusts prefer to lay their eggs in dry, bare ground.Once the ground is found to bulge, dig it up immediately, throw the soil mixed with eggs and larvae into the fire to burn, and fill the dug place with lime powder.

At night, by using the phototaxis of insects, many bonfires are lit in the wild. The firewood is burning blazingly, and the locusts that come in line jump into the flames one after another.Especially in the dark night, the locusts were denser and the corpses of the locusts were burned and exploded.The locusts gathered more and more, and finally, a dozen or so fires were extinguished by the dead locusts.

At this time, Liu Musheng offered another plan, saying: "Xu Guangqi of the Ming Dynasty said in "The Book of Eliminating Locusts": Chongzhen Xinsi, Jiahu drought locusts, and the people of Qimin catch locusts and feed ducks. Ducks are easy to become fat, and people, livestock and pigs in the mountains cannot buy them. For food, I tried to feed them with locusts. The pigs initially weighed [-] jin, and within ten days they became fatter to more than [-] jin. This shows the physical properties of the world. Those suitable for birds and animals are not necessarily suitable for humans. If humans can eat them, birds and beasts cannot. The principle of inedibility. It’s no wonder that locusts can be used for pigs and ducks. I’m afraid it’s more than that, and it’s specially shown. It shows that raising livestock with locusts is indeed a wonderful way, which can turn harm into benefit.”

This reminded Li Mohan, who combined with Wang Shihua's suggestion, mixed the captured locusts with miscellaneous grain flour to make cakes, and distributed them to the victims as disaster relief food.

At first, the victims were afraid to eat it, so Li Mohan, Liu Musheng, Wang Shihua and other ordinary soldiers took the lead in eating it for the victims to see, and everyone's faces were red.

How valuable is the life of the guardian envoy?Everyone dares to eat it, but I will die, so what scruples do I have?Some daring ones began to eat this kind of cake, "Damn it, the grasshopper eats my life-saving food, and I will eat your meat."

At this time, those people from the city said that after the locusts were chopped off their heads and tails, their nutrition was similar to that of meat.Although these villagers don't understand what nutrition is, after eating it, they feel that the locust is not only full, but also tastes good, and some people are even said to have figured out the taste of meat.So every family and those victims who entered the city caught these locusts as rations everywhere.