Chastity Layman

  Chapter 194 Tremble, locust

  East Palace, Xiande Hall.

  Qin Langzuo Chen, "Your Majesty, please send important officials from the court to all the states to serve as envoys to catch locusts, supervise the local locust catches, and provide relief to the victims."

  Qin Lang also suggested that the people should be encouraged to catch locusts, and the local governments should order that the people can exchange the caught locusts for millet.

   "If you catch a rock locust, you can exchange it for a rock of millet. If you catch a bushel of locusts, you can exchange it for a bushel of millet. At the same time, we must publicize to the people that locusts are edible and that locusts can be fed."

   Li Shimin thinks Qin Lang's suggestions are very good. Among them, the matter of exchanging locusts for millet, he believed that this was a method of disaster relief. After all, during times of famine, the imperial court had to release food. It is also the best policy to combine locust control and disaster relief with disaster relief.

"My minister has another suggestion. At present, the imperial court must unite as one to fight against disasters. When dealing with locusts, we must unify our thinking and not sway left and right. Therefore, we order all the locust catchers and the governors of various states and counties to prohibit the construction of locust temples and insect locusts in the territory. Wang Dian, etc., and all the original ones are also destroyed and banned. Anyone who dares to take the opportunity to spread false rumors will be arrested."

  This article caused controversy in the temple.

   But in the end it was Li Shimin who made the decision and made up his mind. You can't call on the people to kill locusts here, but there are people who take the lead in worshiping locusts over there, so you have to be single-minded in doing things.

Ever since, Li Shimin issued an edict to prohibit officials from all over the country from engaging in official sacrifices to the locust **** and praying to the locust emperor, and to demolish all the original temples of locust gods. Save the people.

Qin Lang was appointed by Li Shimin as the commander-in-chief of locust control throughout the country, and he was appointed as the governor of all states and counties in the world to catch locusts. , responsible for guidance. How to eliminate locusts, etc., is up to them to come up with a plan.

  In order to show his determination to control locusts, Li Shimin also sent important court officials to lead the catching locusts.

  Prince Taifu and Pingzhang Shi Qin Qiong were appointed as locust catchers in Guanzhong, Longyou Shuofang, Hexi, and supervised the locust catch and disaster relief in the entire Guanlong Heshuo area.

  Prince Grand Master Xiao Yu was awarded the Locust Catching Envoy of Henan, Yuwen Shi was awarded the Locust Catching Envoy of Hedong, and Yang Gongren was awarded the Locust Catching Envoy of Hebei.

  Li Daozong was the locust catcher in Huainan, and Feng Deyi was the locust catcher in Shannan.

   Basically, wherever locust plagues are likely to occur, senior officials have been dispatched.

  Due to Qin Lang's interference, the court attached great importance to locusts this time, and even dealt with them early. They didn't wait until the countless locusts had begun to move over the sky before they came to rescue the disaster.

   Nowadays, locusts in many places have just hatched, and it takes about a month from hatching to adulthood.

   Qin Lang tried his best to fight for this month.

   Whether this year's locust plague can be controlled, and whether this year will not make things worse, depends on the critical time of this month.

   Fortunately, the top decision-makers have unified their thinking.

   Walking out of the East Palace, Qin Qiong asked his son, "Is it too late?"

"It's too late. It's not too late. We still have a month to go. As long as the governments at all levels unify their thinking, act in unison, and mobilize the people to join in this battle of locust hunting, we will return." and."

  Qin Qiong, who had always complained of illness, took the initiative to ask to go out as a locust catcher this time. The emperor was very happy and asked him to supervise the entire Guanlong Heshuo locust catcher alone. This is also the place where the locust plague may be the worst this year.

  Because the Guanlong area is the place with the worst drought this summer, there are big locusts in the severe drought.

"Now I finally understand why you worked so hard to incubate eggs and raise chickens." Qin Qiong patted his son. At that time, his son didn't explain too much in the face of various doubts, so he was called greedy for money and was criticized by others. The dignified Duke spends his days thinking about selling chickens to make money.

   "Hehe, birds are actually the natural enemies of locusts, but during locust plagues, birds can't cure them. It would be good to raise more chickens and ducks. At this time, the ability of ten chickens to kill locusts is no worse than one person."

  It has been more than a month since his first batch of chicks hatched, and now these chickens weigh a pound or two.

  Now is the time for these chickens to show their power.

  Anyway, he, Qin Lang, has already ordered to release all the chickens from the chicken farms under his name, and drive them to the outskirts of the field to catch locusts and eat insects.

  Even the chickens raised in Duke Yi’s mansion have already been rushed to the suburbs.

   "My way is not alone!"

  Qin Lang sighed that he met a good emperor. Li Shimin was not the kind of pedantic emperor, let alone an emperor who didn't care about the people's livelihood, and he wouldn't say why he didn't eat minced meat.

  When the catastrophe came, the emperor was also in a hurry, and had been actively trying to find ways to fight the disaster and save the people.

   Dou locusts exchanged for dou millet, this should be the emperor's greatest sincerity.

Now is the time for him, the locust catcher, to show his ability. It is not enough for the whole country to be united, and he must know the method of exterminating locusts. Otherwise, after a month, the jumping gnats will evolve into migratory locusts, and then they will be out of control. Now, most of them must be wiped out before they evolve, in order to escape this catastrophe.

  As a traveler, even if he is not an expert in this field, he has a lot of knowledge after all. He has already been thinking about how to eradicate locusts, and he has compiled several manuals for locust control in advance.

  The locust cooking manual and the locust feed manual are just by-products of his locust control manual.

   In fact, there is no special way to exterminate locusts. It is just that the whole people join in the extermination of locusts. Before that, he has started to buy locust eggs in various places, which are used to make chicken drinks, or directly added to his dry food shop materials.

   But after all, only his family is doing it, and the power is weak.

  Nowadays, the general chess in the country is much stronger.

Take advantage of the fact that locusts can’t fly yet and their anti-human characteristics, dig more ditches in the field, then drive these locusts into the ditch, then catch them and let them drown in your hands, at night, use the characteristics of insects to the fire, in the ditch Light a fire to draw them over.

  At the same time, let the people drive out the poultry they raised to help eat the locusts.

  Multiple prongs.

  With the heavy reward of fighting locusts in exchange for fighting food, Qin Lang believed that he should be able to succeed.

  Qin Lang's eyes were red, and he took out the locust control manual for the locust catchers.

"According to this method to mobilize the people, the locusts can be wiped out. However, officials from all over the country must work together to implement the accountability system, divide the division into districts, and each official is responsible for his own jurisdiction. Whoever fails to cure the locusts , when the time comes, ask whose fault it is, and if you fail to deal with the locusts, you will be dismissed directly."

  "If you perform well in locust control, you will be rewarded and promoted!"

   "The control of locusts must use the law of wartime, and it must be strict!"

  Qin Qiong and other locust catchers all agreed with Qin Lang's words. After all, there is still a lot of market in the Tang Dynasty for the argument that disasters and heavens are dispatched. Even Xiao Yu, an important minister, may not agree with the control of locusts in his heart.

   Therefore, it is necessary to avoid officials who are obsessed with yin and yang, and do not work hard.

   Now linking the plague of locusts with their official hats, Qin Lang believes that these guys will work hard to exterminate the locusts for their own future.

"Everyone who inspects the place and supervises the extermination of locusts. Those who do not cooperate should be dealt with seriously, and they should be dismissed directly without following the usual procedures. Otherwise, they will occupy the latrines and not shit. Extermination of locusts is a game of chess in the whole country. If there is a state and a county If it is not controlled well, it will affect the overall situation."

  ·······

  Qin Lang sent people from the Zhenfu Division to set up rows of cauldrons outside the Nine Gates of Chang'an, and the newly caught locusts and hoppers were constantly being fried in the pots.

  The fried golden locusts in the pot are poured directly on the huge bamboo mat after frying, and let the passers-by taste them.

  Beside the city gate, there was also a locust extermination notice posted by the Zhenfu Division, and someone was reading it specially.

  Emperor himself took the lead in eating locusts. Locusts have many magical effects. If you eat them, you will be cured if you are sick, and you will be able to prevent disasters if you are not sick. Locusts are more delicious than chicken...

  Those passing by were surprised and puzzled.

  Some people can't help but try it.

  Suddenly overnight, the entire city of Chang'an seemed to be talking about locusts.

The Locust Temple and the Chongwang Temple have been designated as obscene temples, and they are being demolished everywhere. Locusts have become a delicacy, and even locusts can be exchanged for a bucket of food. If the number is extremely large and prominent, they will also be awarded scattered officials, honorary titles, and even can be exchanged for a posthumous gift to the deceased father and an imperial order to the mother.

  Although the small people in Shengdou are also in awe of heaven and earth.

  But once the stomach is hungry, I don’t care about it.

  Food is so expensive now, even if there are food stamps, it costs almost 300 yuan a bucket. At this time, catching a bucket of locusts can be exchanged for a bucket of millet. Who wants to miss such a good thing?

  The whole city of Chang'an was boiling over it.

  Every household, with the old and the young, took the whole family to the battle, and drove out of the city with nets and baskets, and all went to catch locusts.

  Qin Lang stood on the south gate tower of Chang'an City, seeing the bustle of thousands of households and countless people flocking out of the city, he couldn't help but smile on his face.

  Damn it, it’s not easy, I finally feel the desire for locusts that future generations of foodies have.

   Locusts, tremble.

  Your natural enemy has finally woken up.

   Ah Huang stood beside Qin Lang, watching the smoke and dust billowing.

   "Once the imperial court orders locusts to be exchanged for millet, our family will no longer receive cheap locusts."

Although Ah Huang already had the official rank of the fifth rank and the title of County Viscount, this person has been by Qin Lang's side every day until now. Qin Lang built him a nice house in Chang'an, but he didn't If you don't want to live, in Ah Huang's words, he is a member of the Qin family and will always be.

  The exchange of fighting locusts for fighting food is only a temporary disaster relief strategy of the imperial court, and it cannot last for a long time.

Besides, before Qin Lang collected locust eggs, they were mainly used as feed for chickens and ducks, or mixed into his dry food as supplementary ingredients. Now that the eggs have hatched, there are jumping locusts everywhere, and you can catch a big one with just a bag. Well, in this case, there is no need to buy it.

   "Just drive our chickens and ducks out and eat fresh ones yourself."

   Ah Huang looked at the people who went out of the city to catch locusts with high morale, "It's really worth getting so excited about fighting locusts for fighting millet, but the problem is that Chang'an City doesn't have so much food to exchange, right?"

   "Didn't you see the notice saying that the exchange of locusts for millet is limited to three days, and after three days, locusts will be exchanged for millet for promotion." To put it bluntly, the first three days are equivalent to a big bargain at the opening, and you can give it away as soon as you come. The latter is the normal price.

   "But even if the locusts are exchanged for millet, Chang'an doesn't have so much food, right?"

   "Each person is limited to exchange for three dou. After exchanging these three dou, the rest will be recorded temporarily and will be paid after the food is dispatched after the disaster." Qin Lang said.

   Ah Huang rubbed his face, "Are you playing tricks?"

"It's not a routine, it's the status quo. We have to mobilize the enthusiasm of the people first. Besides, the IOUs won't be returned. Even if the court can't honor them for a while, it's still a statement. It can still be used for future rent. It’s tuned, but it’s still very hard.”

  Qin Lang looked at Zhongnan Mountain in the distance. If his family could catch several hundred catties of locusts, dry them and eat them with other relief food, they should be able to survive this disaster year, right?

hope so!

  (end of this chapter)